I know, it's been way too long since I posted last.  Oh well.

I have a confession to make:  I get into fierce arguments on Facebook.  Yes, I'm one of those people.  I fight with anti-GMO activists, alternative health enthusiasists, anti-vaxxers, and lately, some dude who wants to dismantle our government and our education system and let a bunch of profiteers take over.

Now, I fully believe people are free to believe whatever they choose but what bugs me is when many of the above individuals speak from a position of authority.  My hackles rise whenever I read or hear this:

• History shows us....
• Most experts say/agree that....
• Most doctors say/agree that....

And that's all you get.  What doctors?  What experts?  Who are they?  What are their credentials?  Yes, I ask these questions because I passionately support information science and critical thinking; something these three statements lack due to absence of supporting evidence.

So, I ask for citations.  Yes, I even ask for APA format sometimes (I know, it's being snarky, sometimes I can't resist).  I'm sure some of you are wondering if the shoe was ever on the other foot.  Oh yeah, I had someone ask me for citations once.  I consider it a challenge (and I rose to it).  Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way.

Often, when I challenge someone to cite evidence to back their claim, they refuse.  When I point out they haven't proven anything without evidence, the usual comeback is "why would I waste my time?"  This reminds me of a schoolyard argument I had once with a classmate circa fourth grade:

Me:  I think you're a hypocrite!
Classmate:  No, you're a hypocrite!
Me:  You don't know what that means.
Classmate:  Yes, I do!
Me:  Ok, what?
Classmate:  I know, but I'm not gonna tell you!

This is usually when I'm accused of being an intellectual snob.  One dude even called me a "pompous pedant" (he really broke out the thesaurus, didn't he?).  Yeah, I get it; no one likes a know-it-all.  On the other hand, it's a step up from being called a nerd, I guess.  Still, it's disappointing that in spite of "nerd culture's" popularity, intelligence is still not highly prized in American culture.

Now, back to the subject.  I've seen and heard some doozies.

• You need to detox because your liver becomes overworked.
• History shows us private education is the only hope for our future.
• There wasn't cancer in our grandparents' time.
• Most doctors say (name of specific vaccine) is unnecessary if you've never had (name of specific disease).

Most of these come from Facebook forums.  Of the few who actually try to rise to the challenge, they present links to Web sites of conspiracy theorists, people with no clear education in or experience with the subject, people who are clearly hawking a product of some kind, etc.  There's the lack of critical thinking and information literacy.

Here's the deal:  your libraries have access to databases containing professional publications.  You can even access it online!  I know this because I've seen them.  Libraries in my state even have access to an alternative health publication database.  The last guy I argued with (Mr. Pompous Pedant) fell into the "I know but I'm not telling you" camp.  Within five minutes, I used my library's access to Ebsco Host to find two articles that rebutted his claims.

Now, here comes the other problem:  even when these individuals manage to cite honest-to-God research publications, they can't comprehend what they're saying.  Bear witness to Mr. Pompous Pedant; he actually thought a marginal increase in private school student's performance over their public school peers was an argument in his favor.  (BTW-this is not a criticism of anyone who chooses private schools; you have a right to educate your children however you choose).

In the end, my main point is this:  don't spout off a statement of authority if you can't handle someone challenging you to back your claim.  If you're online, you really have no excuse.  For that matter, if you have a smartphone, you don't have an excuse.  You live in one of the most amazing times:  the Age of Information.  Credible, professional and authoritative resources are available at our fingertips.  Ask your librarian how to use it.

A critique of Bill Flax’s “Want to tell the state to stick it? Home school your kids”

Attention:  This blog post is not a condemnation of home-schooling.  The main point is to highlight misuse of information and how it can be manipulated to someone’s advantage.

A critique of Bill Flax’s “Want to tell the state to stick it?  Home school your kids”

On January 22^nd of this year, an op-ed piece by Mr. Bill Flax appeared on the Forbes Web site.  The goal of his article was a bit unclear; Flax seemed to alternate between bragging over the superiority of homeschooling while encouraging the ever-widening cultural divide in American society.  The goal of this rebuttal here is not to argue the superiority of homeschooling versus public school education but to highlight how Flax demonstrates a seeming ignorance of information literacy in a very poorly written essay.

To understand the point of this critique, one must first understand the definition of information literacy.  According to the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), it is “a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” (2013).  The current flow of information is overwhelming, especially through the Internet where it is readily available to anyone with a computer and an Internet Service Provider (or access to a library.  This brings a major concern to light:  how does one know if the information presented is credible?  The ACRL describes the challenge individuals face when consulting such easily-found resources for its “authenticity, validity, and reliability” (2013).  In a nutshell, one must be able to identify such concerns as bias on the part of the resource’s author.

First, consider this statement from Flax’s article:  “A limited study by J. Gary Knowles found no home-school graduates who were unemployed or residing on welfare.”  Flax’s reference to this resource (without proper citation) included an embedded hyperlink to this study’s location:  the Web site for the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).  This resource appears biased coming from a party which clearly benefits from such claims. 

Second, what does Flax mean by “a limited study?”  According to the HSLDA Web site, Knowles surveyed a mere 53 adults.  The estimated number of home-school students between the ages of five and seventeen was 1.5 million in 2007 (Cogan, 2010).  The number of adults in Knowles’ survey is too small to represent the number of potential graduates from this 2007 estimate, including demographics such as, race, ethnicity, religion, family income, etc.

Third, credible research studies can be found in peer-reviewed journals.  That is, the study must undergo scrutiny by a team of professionals in the writer’s field before a journal will consider it for publication.  Why is this important?  To be credible, a research study must follow a specific set of conditions:  it must detail the intent, supporting literature (previous studies also published in peer-reviewed journals), the research method used to obtain results, the resulting data gathered, the researcher’s interpretation of the data, and the researcher’s conclusion from those results.  Moreover, the study must be one subsequent researchers can easily replicate. 

Finally, before any research can be conducted on human subjects, the researcher must obtain approval from an Institutional Review Board associated with a university.  There is no such evidence with Knowles’ article.  In any case, the article was not published in a peer-reviewed journal but a local newspaper (Klicka, 2007).

Additionally, all of the references Flax used for his claim that there is no socialization issues among home-schooled children come directly from the HSLDA Web site, specifically, an article posted by Chris Klicka (2007), which leads to this conclusion:  Flax did not retrieve the resources to read personally.  More troubling is all the references for the socialization issue in Klicka’s article are 20-plus years old and only two came from a peer-reviewed journal (both from the same journal).

In conclusion, Flax demonstrated a lack of information literacy in failing to locate and utilize references that are authoritative, credible and unbiased.  Plus, he failed to use proper citation methods in his writing.  Flax’s article demonstrates a clear need to ensure all students, regardless of public school, private school or home-education, receive instruction in critical thinking skills and information literacy so vital to their development.

Bibliography

Association of College & Research Libraries. (2013, January). Information literacy competency standards for higher education. Retrieved January 25, 2013, from American Library Association: www.ala.org/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency

Cogan, M. F. (2010). Exploring Academic Outcomes of Homeschooled Students. Journal of College Admission , 18-25. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=52253079&site=ehost-live.

Flax, B.  (2013).  Want to tell the state to stick it?  Homeschool your kids.  Retrieved January 2013 from Forbes http://www.forbes.com/sites/billflax/2013/01/22/want-to-tell-the-state-to-stick-it-homeschool-your-kids

Klicka, C. (2007, March). Socialization: homeschoolers are in the real world. Retrieved January 2013, from Home School Legal Defense Fund: http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000068.asp

E-traitor?

OK, I admit I have a Nook. Yes, the librarian has an e-reader. Does that make me a traitor? Well, no, not really. Knowledge of information in various formats is part of being a librarian.


I like my e-reader.  It's very portable...I don't need a separate tote bag to carry several books for a long trip, just a specially made case to house my Nook.

Here's the problem: I can't afford to buy books constantly, e-book or otherwise.  So where do I turn when I want reading material?  My local library.  But I'm not able to get e-books at my local library, which, sadly, is not in on the e-book scene. The reason? Cost. It will cost the library $12K!

I know what some of you are thinking:  why not just cut part of the recreational reading budget in favor of e-books?  Considering the huge stacks of books I've seen patrons bring to the circulation desk, I think there would be on open rebellion if the library did that.


Even if they did manage to get those e-books, I have to ask the question, exactly how many of the people whom this library serves actually have an e-reader?  I live in an area with a very low cost of living.  How many people in my area can afford one?  The cheapest e-reader I found was the Amazon Kindle for less than $90; still not a price someone can easily afford when pinching pennies.


My answer to the question, "Will e-books kill books in print?" is no, not any time soon and certainly not in location.


Will e-books kill the library?  Well, that depends.  If enough voices speak up and say they want e-books available at their library, then maybe the funds will appear.  If you truly love your library, then be prepared for the changes in technology.  If you want access to this technology that you otherwise cannot afford, then make your wishes known.  Join the Friends of the Library, call the Board of Trustees.  Be your library's advocate.


Until next time library lovers.

Need for Web 2.0

Well, here I am posting late yet, again! The life of a busy mom never does run smooth. Oh well, this one will be short today.

With the current condition of the economy, many people come to the library for aid in job hunting. Quite a few of them use the public computers to create resumes. This often presents them with a problem: the main computers do not allow patrons to use a CD or a flashdrive in order to save their work. Patrons come in, struggle to write their resumes, then print off the physical copies they will take with them. Worse, when bad luck strikes in the form of a timed-out session or a power-failure, all of their work is lost.

I see great need to teach cloud computing. I logged on to my Google account and looked up resume templates. There's quite a lot of them. I believe the library does teach a resume writing class once a month. I plan on talking to Melissa about adding a quick lesson in using Google Docs to write, save and store them. No equipment needed, they can be accessed from any computer and the patrons can simply email them to employers. Definitely worth looking into.

Until next time, library lovers!

Reference Services & Library Activities

With so many people returning to school right now, reference services are needed more than ever. This week, a lady came in needing materials in order to answer a take-home essay test. She is a non-traditional student enrolled in the child education program at a local community college.

The patron's test had six questions and she wanted one reference for each question as back-up for her answers. This was a bit challenging, as it was a sociology course and I had Sociology 101 about sixteen years ago (grimace). Luckily for me, she had brought her text book. Using the text book, I was able to find the right subject terminology to find the reference materials she needed. Hopefully, I managed to get her off to a good start.

Next, she needed to use a computer to type a paper she'd written. One thing concerned me: like many folks around here, this patron had no computer at home and did not appear overly familiar with computers and their accessories. In other words, if something went wrong with the computer, this lady had no way to back up her work. I suggested she get herself a thumb drive and carry with her to save her work. I also told her she might look into Google Docs, which she could access from anywhere with nothing to have to carry with her.

This encounter got me thinking about suggesting that the library offer a class in using Web 2.0 apps. I'll have to speak to Melissa about it when she has a moment next week.

Every month, the local library holds a "Lunching with Books" event, which happened to be this week. The event featured author and illustrator, Laurie Parker, a native of Mississippi. She reviewed her latest book, Garden Alphabet. Parker's medium for her books is collage art. The end result is beautiful.

During the event, Melissa spoke to the audience and explained that the library will hold a community-wide event, "Tupelo Reads." The book of choice is Tuesdays With Morrie. The library has already obtained several copies of the book and will hold several events involving the book.

With the beginning of August coming up, Gamers' night will be here soon (second Monday of every month). I hope to make one some time, I want to see the turn-out for this event as many libraries have reported much success with gaming events.

Until next week, Library Lovers!

Gray matter

Something came up yesterday while I was at the library: a question of what to do with a graphic novel containing an explicit illustration of a sexual act. Naturally, the graphic novel was shelved in the graphic novel section. A mother, whose teen-aged son had picked up the item, objected to its presence among the others where it could be easily accessed by children. She did not demand its removal from the collection, just that it be shelved among adult materials.

This situation reminds me of one I read about on the Banned Books Week’s Facebook profile a couple of months ago. A babysitter objected to a book one of her charges brought home while on her watch. The book was written as an aid for discussion of human sexual reproduction between parents and young children. The book was shelved in the children’s nonfiction section. The babysitter objected to the book’s placement where it was easily accessed by children.

Here’s the sticking point: the aforementioned children’s book was intended for informational and educational use. The same cannot be said for the graphic novel.

Now, before I go on, I emphatically state I am not pointing fingers nor am I crying, “censorship!” However, as a librarian, I fully understand the concerns about obstructing access to materials, even for minors. On the other hand, my responsibilities as a librarian, namely, upholding the Library Bill of Rights as stated by the American Library Association, are at odds with my feelings as a parent.

Do I want my own child easily gaining access to an item with illustrations of sexual acts? No, but, again, the children’s books was informational and merely showed diagrams of the human reproduction system, whereas the graphic novel did contain drawings of people engaging in sex.

As it stands, I objected to the idea of re-shelving the children’s book in an area where kids could not easily access it…but I feel like a hypocrite for understanding why the graphic novel might be shelved elsewhere.

Upon further reflection, I thought of a few points from a collection standpoint:

First, literature is classified with respect to the age of the target audience, hence these classifications: adult literature, juvenile literature, and young adult literature. Are graphic novels classified according to the age of the target audience? If the answer is yes, then why would they not be shelved according to target audience's age? I have the sense the majority of people who are more familiar with the term, comic books, may view graphic novels as literature for kids. Those of us who are graphic novel fans know better. I remember similar reactions towards animated movies; parents would take their children to see them and react with horror at the violent and sexually explicit content. This, despite the fact that the movie rating was PG-13 or even R.

Second, is it really necessary to shelve graphic novels separately? What are they other than literature with more illustrations? With respect to the industry (and a huge fan of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series), I understand that they are a different format but I question the emphasis on the difference. From the standpoint of equality, I wonder if they should be shelved with other books. For those librarians out there, you will recognize the term, "serendipitous browsing." A patron who is searching the stacks for a specific item may find another he/she likes better. Why not shelve graphic novels with books? A patron who is not otherwise a graphic novel fan may become interested enough to check out the item.

Back to the original problem: re-shelving the item in a place not easily found by children. Is it censorship? In short, yes, it is a form of censorship. However, if a young patron should find the item anyway, no librarian (who fully understands patrons' rights, that is) will prevent that person from checking it out. Bottom line, it is the parents' responsibility to monitor what their child(ren) is bringing home from the library.

I almost didn't write this post. This is not a comfortable topic but I learned a while back that it's good to step outside your comfort zone. I am hoping that I will get some responses to this post. I am curious to see what others have to say about it.

Two days a week

This week, I started volunteering two days a week. I got a chance to speak to Vicky, the Teen Services Librarian, about my ideas for using barcodes. I was thinking we could use them to spotlight specific awards and showcase any of the winners or honorable mentions in the library's holdings. We could also think about speaking with local teachers to create lists of Web sites relevant to school curricula and use the barcodes in the library for the students to access the lists via smartphone.

Out of curiosity, I checked an online database for some similar ideas other libraries have tried using these barcodes. I found out this new interactive media is called "augmented reality." I hope to have a chance to read these articles soon and share them with Vicky and Melissa.

I created a list of ideas using Google Docs and shared it with Vicky. Speaking of, I also wondered about teaching the use of Google Apps to local teens. The local school system is giving laptops to each student, beginning about middle school. Teaching the students cloud computing might be a great way of inspiring some great group projects.

In the meantime, I got to work the reference desk, again. I absolutely love working reference. I cannot stand to let a patron walk away empty-handed. Even if I can't help them find what they want, I push Inter-library Loan. Hopefully, this will keep them coming back.

I find it interesting that teens are reluctant to ask for help. One young lady came in looking for a vampire series. All copies were checked out. I made a point of telling her that she can use her library card to place a hold on an item she wants online from her home computer. Once that item becomes available, someone would call her. She seemed to like that idea.

Likewise, an older gentleman was looking for a specific author. The library didn't seem to have any holdings. He mentioned that he had received a book written by this author and it contained a list of the author's other works. I suggested he bring the book back on his next visit and the library could try to obtain them through ILL. He liked that suggestion.

That's all for this week. Until next time, Library Lovers.