I stumbled across the ACRL Changing Roles of Academic and Research Libraries essay with some interest, and plan to read it later and give a more thoughtful response. And there is the reply by ACRL Vice President Julie Todaro to read as well.

One point I did notice quickly when skimming:

Second, the culture of libraries and their staff must proceed beyond a mindset primarily of ownership and control to one that seeks to provide service and guidance in more useful ways, helping users find and use information that may be available through a range of providers, including libraries themselves, in electronic format.

The fact that librarians are there to help users–it seems to not have penetrated a few of the libraries I have visited. Far from me to comment in detail while I am still affiliated with these libraries, but I will say that I have been to libraries where people, not books, are at the heart of the institution, and it is so refreshing.

In opposed to the attitude I have seen at other places, where you feel guilty asking the librarian a question because you feel like you are taking their precious time away from more important things.

It is so strange to me, because the librarians I meet at school–both students and instructors–and on the Internet seem to love their jobs and take passion in their work. It just seems that many I have met through interaction as a patron have not. I will say I have not been to a lot of universities, so as I travel more hopefully I can get a different picture.

After absolutely falling in love with Information Literacy after taking the class last semester, I approached a librarian at another campus who teaches a credit course in IL (which is a big deal for the conservative University of Toronto).

Opposed to working there directly, she proposed a research project based on the assessment of her students in the course. Working with the TA of the course, the three of us are publishing a paper examining the old tests and assignments, trying to understand why, after a semester of study, students continually fail to understand Boolean searching, and constructing search statements.

I am completing the literature review and a part of the content analysis coding. Of all my work this semester, this may be my most time consuming, contributing to the probably the three busiest months in my life.

However, it will also most likely be the greatest learning opportunity I will have had in these last two years. I feel really confident when I say to prospective libraries that I have detailed empirical knowledge with the IL needs of todays undergraduates. Plus, to be academically published, can’t complain about that.

However, there have been a lot of positive developments in my career over the last few months, and I hope to deal with them in the next few posts.

First of all, I have submitted myself to some book review editors, and I currently have two books I am reading for two different journals. The first is an academic examination of blogs and the blog sphere for The Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship. The second is a collection of unpublished writings by Kurt Vonnegut for Library Journal. The second is only the standard 200 word review, but the first is a substantial one thousand words.

I really should have tried to finish the longer one over Christmas, because now it is getting in the way of school work, but I have decided to work a few hours less this semester to fit in writing, school work and applying for jobs.

It is great to finally have a change to publish my writing. And, hopefully, I will have a peer-reviewed paper to add to them, which I will talk about in my next post.