11A: Reflections on Last Class

In this post I'm going to focus specifically on our in-class reference activity/skit/game. I played the determined and slightly overwhelmed patron who had come to Heather and Ben with questions about poverty levels in the U.S., India, China, and Mexico. I wanted to know the poverty rate in each country, but also to understand what that rate "meant" -- how it was calculated, how those calculations varied between countries, and ultimately how I would explain this all to a teacher/professor who would press me on the details (this was my own dramatization of the prompt, as I felt these details would be especially appropriate for the kind of class in which students are always terrified of being asked to justify their answers for fear of very intent/probing follow-up questions.)

I appreciated how Heather recognized that she might not have the entire picture w/r/t my intentions, and that I might not really know what I'm asking for, but kept deepening our conversation through a number of methods:

• Asking a mixture of open-ended and clarifying questions "Would you say you're more interested in these data or would like to find more sources?" "What were the instructions you received from your teacher?""What do you think about using this type of statistic?"
• Not expressing frustration when things became more complicated or ambiguous, but rather communicating verbally and non-verbally that she was continuing to investigate with me and was invested in learning the outcome with me.
• At a few points I didn't know how to answer a follow-up question because it fell out of the prompt given and I couldn't come up with an answer quickly enough (I did invent the "my teacher is going to grill me on this data" angle but didn't invent a specific assignment, for example). In those moments I felt genuinely flustered, and I appreciated that Heather again made some space for me to process my thoughts and didn't overly press her line of questions, but rather looped back and tried other ways to get at the information.

This experience really reiterated our focus on the class on compassion, strong non-verbal cueing, careful selection of questions and more broadly questioning strategies, and the importance of "geeking out together" as an ethic. 

It will be interesting to see how the types of questions that students bring to librarians will shift over time as the amount and complexity of digital information increases. If, as Alyssa and others mentioned, we continue to enter this kind of post-truth moment where information is contested and information literacy skills do not keep up with the increasing importance of digital information, librarians may have to field even more complex versions of these back-and-forths over the meaning and context behind statistics and other data. What might those trends look like in light of future employment trends like computer/robotic automation and the increasing specialization and complexity of tech jobs? How can librarians, as some of the folks on the front line of digital information literacy shifts, pass along their insights and experiences to educators and others who can teach the necessary skills, or should librarians demand more opportunities for information literacy instruction as we've discussed? 

Also: is there something particular going on in our society today with regard to over-reliance on statistics and predictive modeling versus other kinds of research and data? What role might librarians have in helping communities and learners seek wisdom and clarity in the questions asked of data and digital systems? I've been thinking about this "how do we ask the right questions and use information and digital resources with wisdom and clarity of purpose" issue -- I intuitively feel librarians can play a huge role through these kinds of front-line conversations with patrons and students, but I'm still learning what that might look like day-to-day in our professional lives.

11B: Reflections in Instruction in Libraries and Community-based Technology Education

Before starting the readings for this week, I happened to see this Tweet from Pew Research scroll across my feed:

Many Americans have high expectations for their local libraries services. https://t.co/wfSXEgMcx8 pic.twitter.com/PDndYcs1gJ

— PewResearch Internet (@pewinternet) November 29, 2016

The fact that 80% of Americans DEFINITELY want to learn digital skills in their public libraries is so exciting! I loved the experience of designing and teaching basic computer classes in a public library as a Community Technology Empowerment Project Corps member in 2011-2012, and I'm only just realizing that the community interest in tech skills have only increased over the years. This is all to say that I approached the readings very much with the question: "how could instructional practices translate to transformational opportunities to learn and discover programming/making/technology in the public library setting?"

Understanding by Design provides a strong set of processes and suggestions that center meaningful learning rather than teaching or curriculum for curriculum's sake. I find the idea of designing backwards to be especially helpful when approaching technology education -- when setting out to teach skills like programming, what is the intended learning one wishes patrons and students to experience? It could be learning to understand the parameters and nature of problems and use analytic skills to craft solutions - in other words learning to think like a computer science more generally. It could be to learn concrete skills that could be applied in school or the workplace -- and indeed, a lot of my classes back in 2011-2012 were designed to help adult jobseekers navigate basic professional software in a workplace, as well as demonstrate their ability to pursue continuing education and pass a course. Often the pursuit of "coding" as a self-evident goal is a mix of both of these ways-of-thinking and professional goals without much clarity.

It would be interesting to break down the "think like a computer science" further and, for example, help community members be able to pursue their own learning/research/activist goals in a way that draws meaningfully upon electronic research. How great would it be if every community in Michigan experiencing situations like the Flint water crisis or the Detroit public education crisis could go to their libraries to fluently navigate public data sets, and in doing so gather data to bring to their elected representatives or to use in their own lives? Perhaps this is overly ideal, but there must be some more meaningful learning objectives to be designed around other than a nebulous hope that code = better job = more money somewhere down the line!

If I were to apply the backward learning model as laid out in the text, it might look something like this:

1. Identify desired results - In this case, increasing community awareness of public data and creating new opportunities to investigate important issues in the community

2. Determine acceptable evidence - This could be demonstrating knowledge of how to access a particular data set at Data.gov, or how to use a free mapping tool to visualize a set of data, or how to pose an appropriate research question and identify a plan of action in pursuing it, or all of the above!

3. Plan learning experiences and instruction - Here's where I see a tutorial in something like Data.gov or ArcGIS Online or perhaps another local open data tool, followed by a session on posing research questions, and a self-guided final mini-project that involves using a tool to answer a question of personal importance. (I'm seeing this as a three-session public library class, with each session being a two-hour mix of lecture, guided tutorials, and self-guided exploration). Here's where I can also see an artfully designed hook problem (to Wiggins and McTighe's framework) could bring students into a compelling and appropriately-difficult sequence of learning, rather than presenting a tool in an overly technical and intimidating manner.

In thinking through this example, I realize that the assessment/evidence piece (#2) is definitely my weak point. On a personal values level, I tend not to value quantitative/measurable results for their own sake and prefer more open-ended creative exploration of ideas. However, I can already see the value of the backwards-first approach in that it's much easier to be detailed and focused about assessment if it's in the service of those ultimate learning goals/results, rather than a more detached measure of quality. This is also a nice affirmation of how thoughtful design processes can really challenge our assumptions of the value and function of different aspects of instruction/education/learning.

Wiggins and McTighe's exploration of the long-term purpose of schooling reminds me again of our conversations about the civic/democratic/educational role of libraries in our communities. To what extent should librarians solicit specific learning objectives from patrons, or perhaps study community dynamics to hypothesize those goals and develop appropriate community-based education opportunities? How does life-long learning relate to learning for professional advancement, or learning for children designed to address gaps and inconsistencies in public education, or specifically as ways to increase engagement in the democratic process and community life? These goals all overlap and intersect, and it seems that in designing community-based technology education we would have to confront and engage them in some manner.

10B: Post-Reference Library Reference?

(Side note, I laughed out loud/woke up my cat at PC Sweeney's fourth option for talking about reference death, "4) Students in Library School who think it’s something new to write about")

I really connected with this quote in particular:

"What I’m saying here in a round and about way, is that we need to continue what libraries have always been, and that is to be enablers to those who want to learn and provide the resources that enable our communities to learn. It’s not reference, its enabling our patrons to live more fulfilling lives"

I find so much value in setting aside the parameters of individual instances of interpersonal reference and instead thinking about how we want to encourage people to learn and solve problems in their communities. I'm definitely biased as this is pretty much exactly what I hope to accomplish with my own work with technology/libraries -- I have always loved being somebody who supports and teaches tools and encourages and makes space.

Like Sweeney, Kenney seems to be interested in reframing around the opportunity that exists rather than what has been lost -- it's interesting to read about the criticism of online databases. This is definitely something that academic libraries continue to focus hugely on, and has a lot of utility for helping the process of research, but I think in a public context the value calculations are way different.

I really appreciated hearing from Rebekkah Aldrich, one of the librarians interviewed in Albanese and Kenney's article, when she listed some of the ways librarians are moving to better understand what patrons are striving towards: "“Today, we need targeted efforts that speak to where people’s passions and aspirations lie. We need to target the unique things we can corner the market on locally: reader advisory, homework help, digital fluency, local history, hacker spaces, and working outside of our buildings with collaborators to make our communities more sustainable and resilient.”

I see a common struggle across these articles to find a balance between truly understanding what patrons desire and need on one hand and continuing to understand what special value libraries can provide towards those ends, while perhaps remaining true to some of the core assets and skills of libraries -- or maybe not. I'm actually not convinced that the traditional implementations of reference in libraries need to persist at all for libraries to continue providing absolutely essential services -- I see there being tremendous value in instead focusing on the problem-solving and tech-centric interactions with patrons AND also the value of a community/civic physical space where members of the community can gather. In other words I'm pretty far along the throw-it-all-out camp, at the end of the day, though I'm open to being totally proven wrong on this!

I think regardless of big-scoping ideas of what reference should or shouldn't be, change happens through individuals creating new services and resources with enthusiasm and creativity. On that note, I absolutely loved discovering the This is What a Librarian Looks Like tumblr and exploring some of these personal stories of librarians getting out there and doing amazing things. This obviously isn't a think piece essay, but instead a source of inspiration about the many ways to be a librarian. For example, I loved this one description:

"Hello! My name is Heaven-Leigh, I worked at the Knight Library at the University of Oregon for 4 years as a lead student assistant. Patrons remember me as “the one who always asks if you are looking for a male, female or single occupancy bathroom.” I left the library with full support from fellow staff and students to write a book on sex positivity in the life of sex workers. If people are interested in following the progress of my book, here’s a link to my blog!"- Heaven-Leigh

Clearly for Heaven-Leigh, it's important to help engage patrons inclusively and expand the capacities of library reference to include sex positive materials (as per our collections conversations!) and inclusion for gender diverse folks. To me, her story illuminates the ways in which reference can also provide a path to education that may be omitted from school and/or mainstream culture, but provide absolutely vital information for individual development - a kind of DIY queer/trans inclusive take on community-based education. I find this to be totally exciting and valuable :)

Works Cited
Kenney, B. (2015). “Where Reference Fits in the Modern Library.” Publishers Weekly, Sept. 11.

Albanese, A.R., and Kenney, B. (2016). “The Changing World of Library Reference.” Publishers Weekly, Aug. 26.

Sweeney, P.C. (2011). “Reference is Dead; Long Live the Enabler.” Blog. Apr. 28.

This is What a Librarian Looks Like. (Tumblr blog) http://lookslikelibraryscience.com/

10A: Class Discussion

Our discussion in the prior class covered a lot of territory, spanning themes like collection development ethics, the library as a civic/democratic space, inclusion and sanctuary for immigrants, free speech versus curation of materials, and whether libraries can ever fully exist outside of the political (our consensus seemed to be, no, the library is inherently politicized and the librarian is a political actor). There's a lot of ways to get at these threads, but I thought I would pick out two ideas I took away from our conversation:

• The question of "what materials are appropriate for kids?" is incredibly thorny. Some folks were comfortable applying the free speech/don't limit materials at all approach to youth collections, while others wanted to introduce some guidance via grouping and shelving of materials, and yet others believed in a kind of civic and developmental responsibility to ensure youth weren't encountering materials that others had agreed were toxic, full of misinformation, espousing the ideology of hate groups, etc. These approaches and issues challenge the idea that a commitment to freedom of speech is in itself enough - as we discussed, that may also be a specifically American ethic that other countries are much more comfortable contesting in practice. I guess the theme I take away from this particular thorniness is that, yes, we do have to be mindful of the choices we make, which may very well be inescapably imperfect, and try to make sense of them in the context of other values that guide us.

• We can think of public libraries as neutral spaces, or democratic spaces, or communal spaces, or healing/dialogue-facilitating spaces. While there is significant overlap between each of these approaches, they also suggest very different functions that public libraries might play within communities -- is the library the place you go for refuge? Is it a place where you should expect to feel safe regardless of your identity, and/or a space where librarians will specifically facilitate a safe space that is intolerant of hate towards you? Where does the ethical foundation of libraries spring from? I personally believe in libraries as spaces of direct democracy and one of the most beautiful expressions of who we are as a country. As Maya Angelou said:



"I always felt, if I can get to a library, I'll be OK."



I don't think there's an easy way to distill our conversation down into answers and conclusions and I'm comfortable with that. One thing I really like about this class is that it makes me more aware of my own ideas - which I sometimes experience more as a conviction or value than as a rational argument, for better or worse - while also helping me understand how that idea coexists with many others, and how we all belong to a community of thinkers on things like this. It's really neat and humbling thing to experience. :)

9B: Reactions to the Reading

These chapters definitely had me thinking about my experience at a small academic library in the Pacific Northwest. As a tech floater person who also helped with some reference, I interacted with assessment by writing down tally marks for different types of questions at the desk, and also more substantially by helping to redesign the web interface for our QuestionPoint portal.

Though I helped collect data or implement features, I ultimately was only at the very far end of this process, and didn't really fully understand what process the librarians were using to understand and improve assessment. Despite this, I remember how motivated and process-driven my librarian coworkers seemed to be about really understanding and addressing user needs. They seemed to have really internalized service and the goals of reference, and were trying their best to apply it to the complex tasks of supporting mostly Internet/distance-based learned in mostly-online classes, with a much smaller subset of students attending in person classes on campus.

The readings  made me wonder: how do academic librarians in particular advocate for learners and students within institutions that may, in other ways, fail or underserve students? Many times the librarians were more motivated than the instructors or the administrators especially around core competencies of information literacy. Our university had an attitude of pushing off responsibilities for learning and supporting skill development to librarians with an expectation librarians would succeed by pursuing these goals in a self-directed way. But in reality, the librarians often lacked the necesary support to make instruction successful. It seems like instruction as a goal for academic librarians in particular can't exist as a vacuum, but must be integrated into broader academic goals and experiences to be effective.

9A: Reflections on Music Reference (Due to Missed Class)

As I wasn't in class in our last session, I instead did a little research on music reference in libraries. One of the first ways I experienced the pleasure of geeking out about something via extensive Internet research was getting really into music as a high schooler. I loved the process of learning to contextualize a musician in a particular overlap of genres and historical moment, and how as I learned more about labels and important concert venues I'd find new ways to understand and connect with the music I loved.

And yet, I don't really know how librarians relate to music, in terms of items in collections or working with special music libraries. How do core reference skills like the reference interview and problem-solving with the customer play out when working with a very specific type of resources? And what are the particular challenges and concerns in special music collections?

Christensen, Du Mont, and Green (2001) describe how music libraries tend to elicit requests that require a great degree of domain knowledge, often to find a very specific item. In this setting, librarians and paraprofessionals appear to do quite well, outperforming other academic library departments on the whole. However, this environment is challenging for student workers -- and whether they were music majors or not did not affect the outcome. I wonder whether this sense of specialized knowledge and an intimidating environment for student workers might reinforce the music library as being the domain of highly educated, "elite" music librarians. I wonder, then, if there is an implicit devaluation of other forms of music, such as punk or rap, and the bodies of knowledge required for those types of music. Also, how might a student musician have a different experience at a music library than a student writing a paper about opera?

Kirstin Dougan's 2012 paper focuses on music student information seeking behavior, and makes the interesting claim that performers and music editors have more in common in their search behavior than musicologists and other researchers investigating music. Across these different needs and search strategies, Dougan notes a general lack of information literacy and search skills when it comes to music collections. Given the separate disciplinary silos between the players/educators and researchers -- pragmatic research for playing and education versus more free-form investigation for meaning and context -- perhaps more education about music tools would be a way to expose all users to more dynamic skills and search experiences. Lai and Chan's (2009) study suggests that libraries could respond to these disparate needs by more carefully crafting their collections and developing targeted reference services for each audience - for example, helping conductors find scores more easily. I like the idea of users driving new types of reference interventions a lot - and for me this also sparks other opportunities for exposing users to types of resources they may have never even considered before.

To what degree should libraries attempt to create serendipity? When should librarians serve the conductor by providing prompt, exactly-as-requested scores and targeted resources, and when might they have the opportunity to introduce them to musicology research that would inspire an entirely new direction in their work? This may be overstating the role of libraries in explicitly guiding discovery - but there seems to be an opportunity lurking here for some types of programming or services. Maybe something like "musicology for guitarists" -- I'd go to that workshop! :)


Sources:


Christensen, Beth, Du Mont, Mary and Green, Alan. (2001) Taking Note: Assessing the Performance of Reference Service in Academic Music Libraries, A Progress Report. Notes: 58(1), pp. 39-64. https://doi.org/10.1353/not.2001/0127

Lai, Katie and Chan, Kylie. (2009). Do You Know Your Music Users' Needs? A Library User Survey that Helps Enhance a User-Centered Music Collection. Academic Librarianship, 36(1), pp. 63–69.

Dougan, Kirstin. (2012). Information seeking behaviors of music students. Reference Services Review, 40(4), pp. 558 - 573. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00907321211277369

8B: Reflections on Readings (Diverse Populations)

Both "Reference Services for Diverse Populations" and the ALA Code of Ethics provide a lot of context for the different ways we've engaged with diversity and libraries over the semester so far.

I appreciate how Cooke clarifies that equitable service delivery requires an attention to the particular needs and experiences of underserved populations and not simply a "be inclusive across the board" approach. Indeed I think this really succinctly describes the difference between equity and equality -- which is also beautifully demonstrated in this meme:

Source: OutFront Minnesota via Everyday Feminism. Full article here

Cooke then goes on to illustrate what attentive inclusion means for particular groups of patrons. Reading this definitely led me to reflect on working with recent immigrant communities in Saint Paul. I remember working with a Hmong father who was working hard to get his daughter into our reading tutor program (which had an unfortunately huge waiting list). We eventually were able to add his daughter to the program, but in the chaos of the scheduling process I neglected to communicate things clearly and consistently to him, which made him extremely frustrated. I didn't initially realize he was so frustrated because he was showing me a degree of respect as somebody working in a library -- but when I asked my Hmong coworker to help translate our interactions, she later told me that he was masking his frustrations and that I should instead consistently confirm with a Hmong speaker. The whole experience reminded me that while I had perceived myself as both "doing the best I can and handling mistakes with good cheer!" and "I had solved the problem of placing his daughter, so we should be good!", it wasn't until I really involved other folks with more cultural and linguistic backgrounds that I could actually provide him and his family with service that matched his expectations. To be honest I was pretty embarrassed by how much I had missed, and how much I had coasted on belief that my own approach was enough, and I've tried to really learn this lesson and express it in practice ever since.

What would it look like for a wide variety of library services - including technology in library contexts - to regularly listen to its diverse communities and incorporate their perspectives in the heart of their work? How much the insights of user research and other HCI methodologies help in this sense, or perhaps other continuous evaluation/community based research approaches?