Monday, March 18, 2024

Dealing With Controversial Material

Preer, J. L. (2014). Prepare to Be Challenged. Library Trends, 62(4), 759–770. https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2014.0018  11 pages

McKenna, Charmagne


Preer wrote this article about a controversy that happened at West Bend Memorial Library over homosexual content in the young adult section. It eventually went as far as a public hearing in which the library required support from the Deputy Director from the ALA office for Intellectual Freedom. The Library Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read Act was referred to in terms of the necessity of presenting all points of view from different members of the community. In response the complainant stated they felt their values were being put on trial. In the end the board ruled to keep the work in question, but revised their challenge policy and procedure. This situation demonstrates how important it is to have a reasoned collection development plan, and a challenge policy and procedure that is complex enough to handle controversial situations, is expeditious, fair, and focused on the offending work, not the offended patron. The language of the challenge form even sets the stage- using the term complainant instead of concerned patron, for example, is adversarial in nature and can change how things are perceived. This article gives further examples of collection development plans, challenge forms, policies and procedures from other Wisconsin public libraries, gained through an online survey. Patrons were also surveyed about intellectual freedom and most seem to be in support of the concept but didn’t understand how that translated to concerns with library materials and procedures in place to address those concerns. 

This article gives a great deal of good information about how to handle controversial book content in the collection and ensuring a library has the policies and procedures in place to deal with any challenges. There are examples of appropriate and useful formats and wording for book challenge policies and procedures as well as good advice on how to maintain and support freedom to read with diverse material from all walks of life.


Best Platforms for Diverse E-Books

Lear, B. A., & Pritt, A. L. (2021). “We Need Diverse E-Books:” Availability of Award-Winning Children’s and Young Adult Titles in Today’s E-Book Platforms. Collection Management, 46(3–4), 223–247. https://doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2021.1908194  24 pages

McKenna, Charmagne


This article by Lear and Pritt discusses a research project by the two authors to compare the availability of award winning and professionally recognized PreK-12 titles on 7 different platforms. These included: EBSCO, Follett, Hoopla, Mackin, Overdrive, ProQuest, and Tumblebooks. The authors looked specifically at topics including themes about gender, race/ethnicity, disability diversity and LGBTQ+. COVID was the impetus for Lear and Pritt to begin this project as the importance of curating digital children’s and young adult (YA) material became evident. These authors included 2000 juvenile book titles with awards/honors or on a best books list (2015-19) recognized by professional organizations for teachers or librarians. These included ALA, ILA, NCSS, NCTE, and NSTA. The conclusions found there was disparity by grade level and publisher, but in terms of topics it was generally similar to what was available on all other titles in the database. The results by platform were that EBSCO and ProQuest had 37% and 33% of these topics available. It was speculated though that these platforms tend to serve older students and might have better availability of titles in an older age range. School based platforms Follett and Mackin were similar in providing access to about 75% of the titles. Tumblebooks only provided access to about 5% of the titles. Overdrive and Hoopla usually serve public libraries but had quite a discrepancy. Overdrive had the best access with 80% and Hoopla provided access to 24% of the titles.

This information would be very useful for a teacher or librarian, particularly considering the expense to subscribe to book platforms and the need for inclusive and diverse material for children and young adults.


Sunday, December 10, 2023

How AI might change academic library work



Hannah Prince



Cox, A. (2023). How artificial intelligence might change academic library work: Applying the competencies literature and the theory of the professions. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 74(3), 367–380. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24635


This article focuses on how AI can be applied to knowledge discovery. It analyzes eleven different potential approaches libraries might adopt - and these “applications are analyzed and their likelihood evaluated”. The paper also assesses how outside factors might influence how AI is adopted by those in academic libraries.

The paper covers a variety of topics, including analyzing the “theory of professions” and debating different iterations of what they call, “hybrid professional” roles - where a librarian can use AI to meld the skills of a librarian, a researcher, and an archivist all into one role. I did appreciate the multiple table examples used throughout the paper, it was a useful representation of data and helped to communicate the range of approaches that people are taking when incorporating AI into their profession.

Despite initial pessimism, this paper comes to the eventual conclusion that AI is inevitable in libraries, but doesn’t necessarily have to come at the expense of librarians' jobs. In fact, AI can integrate into librarians’ roles and the author goes as far as to say that, “it might be considered fair to be optimistic, therefore, that librarianship will adapt, even be strengthened through this process.” Increasingly we see librarians playing a hybrid role that is part managerial, part customer service, part academic - but often less of the “classically trained librarian”. AI can be incorporated into that hybrid role better than into the classical librarian role. As with most think pieces about AI, it summarizes ways that the library industry will be irrevocably changed by AI, but professes that the individuals in the industry will adapt rather than be wholly replaced. I did not think that this article was necessarily groundbreaking or saying anything new, but I liked how they approached the subject and how the author broke down the different sections. And as mentioned previously, I thought the use of tables was super helpful to get the author’s point across.

Thursday, December 7, 2023

 Vongdeuane, Johnny 


Archives in News 

In this CNN news, this new 3D scan technology will help digitize 3D materials in the archive's collections. The archives have other materials besides paper records. Archivists must manage the digital collections, so it does not overshadow the physical collections. Archivists must create “indexes that refer to the contents of a physical collection, in the hope that they will entice researchers away from their computers to travel far and wide to see tangible artifacts. While the Internet boom has made information more accessible and widespread than ever, that very ubiquity also threatens records and artifacts that do not easily lend themselves to digitization — because of cost, but also because Web surfers and more devoted data hounds simply find it easier to go online than to travel far and wide to see tangible artifacts” (Hafner, 2007). 

There are many pros and cons about digitization. Traditional analog materials can last a long time if they are well preserved and rarely used, but archivists want the collections to be used. The handling of the records will eventually cause wear and tears over time. "Digitization would allow much broader access to the contents...without exposing the physical manuscripts to added handling" (Hafner, 2007). Physical records can be easily destroyed when the unexpected happens like war. Digital files will last longer and do not take up physical space in the archives’ storage. Having a digital archive will allow more accessibility worldwide. The “new generation of researchers prefers to seek information online” so “putting collections online, for both preservation and accessibility” will help preserve “history that are at risk of disappearing or being ignored in the digital age” (Hafner, 2007). 

Archivists understand the importance of digitization but the issues for archivists are due to staffing, time and most importantly funding. Most archives cannot digitize everything in their holdings. Larger archives with huge collections do not have the time and staffing to do this, even though they have larger staff because archivists have other duties, they are responsible for. Also, “technology and copyright complications are huge impediments” (Hafner, 2007). For a digitization project, a team might include the archivist, a metadata librarian, a preservation librarian, a subject specialist, a programmer, or systems librarian, and/or a cataloger. Due to the rapid advancement of technology, checking if the software is up to date is necessary. “Working with the IT department is crucial to ensure that researchers can use these materials today and tomorrow. Technical metadata to detail file formats, resolutions, color profiles, and other information identifying a file's type and characterizing its content, it becomes really challenging to provide access to these records. If files are migrated, it is strongly recommended that the original file format be preserved to allow verification of success or other conversion actions in the future” (Prof. Lawrimore). The problem for digitization is cost. “Archivists at the Library of Congress say. Plans to digitize The National Intelligencer, a newspaper published in Washington during much of the 19th century and filled with colonial script not easily recognized by digitizing equipment, eventually had to be put on hold because of the high expense” (Hafner, 2007). 

The archivists' goal is to preserve history and to share it with present and future generations. If digitization will help promote and bring in funding, archivists will do it. Also, funding is required before digitization can be accomplished. 

 

References 

CNN. (2022, February). See how 3D scans could save Ukraine's culture. https://www.cnn.com/videos/style/2022/05/10/backup-ukraine-heritage-sites-lon-orig-na.cnn 

Hafner, K. (2007, March 10). History, digitized (and abridged). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/10/business/yourmoney/11archive.html 

Prof. Lawrimore. (2023). INFO 256 lecture.

Holistic Collection Development and the Smithsonian Libraries

 Bethany Hadlock


Summary


This article focuses on Smithsonian units that do not have a dedicated librarian staff. It suggests that a holistic methodology, especially in lower staffed areas, leads to better results in collection management than just focusing on data. Collection management is labor intensive and constant, and certain places can not keep up. When collections are specialized or understaffed, data is not something that can always be relied on since it might not tell the whole story. In this particular study, they look at how these smaller Smithsonian units may not have constant usage, but they are still necessary to keep because they keep collections that have high usage during special occasions such as yearly festivals or other specific research needs. Since these collections are also largely unstaffed, they still have items that are not cataloged and used, These instances also make it hard to keep accurate data on what is being used. Overall, they found that there is no one size fits all collection management strategy for the libraries and museums within the Smithsonian and that the collections should be looked at and considered case by case by taking into account what and who the collections serve.



Evaluation


I found this article to be very informative and it made me think broader about collection development.

Many of our libraries are a part of larger organizations whether it is county, state, academic, or a multi state

organization. These multi library systems should not all have the same approach when it comes to collection

management because they do not all need the same things nor do they all serve the same exact community. For

example, if one library is in an area with a large Hispanic population and another is in an area with a small

Hispanic population, both libraries will have very different needs when it comes to what books, movies, music,

and resources they need. If those libraries relied on the exact same collection management strategy, or even a

collection management strategy that combined their data to determine what to weed and what to add, both

libraries would be missing what they truly need and they would not be able to accurately serve their communities.

While data is important, it is also important to remember what needs your community will have - even if some

items will only heavily circulate once a year or once every five years.



Reference

Abumeeiz, S., & Wingreen-Mason, D. (2020). Holistic collection development and the Smithsonian libraries. Library Resources & Technical Services, 64(1), 26–38. https://doi.org/10.5860/lrts.64n1.26 

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Library Storytimes Can be "Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors"

 Naomi Wolfrey

Storytime programs as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors? Addressing children's needs through diverse book selection. 

Summary:

This study, which was part of a larger study, investigated the diversity of public library storytime programs. Their study was made up of rural, suburban, and urban libraries and evidence was collected through direct observation of the storytime program at each library. Researchers examined the main character or subject of each book read based on preselected parameters. They found that in all categories they investigated (parallel populations, categories of books, gender of leading character, sexual identity, disabilities, developmental differences, and chronic illnesses, religion, and language) the storytimes were lacking in diversity. They make note that having a diverse collection is not enough; librarians need to include diverse books in their programs, their recommendations, and in displays. They end the discussion portion of the article by suggesting librarians conduct diversity audits in order to see how they are truly faring in promoting diversity. 

Evaluation: 

This article was interesting to read as it purports to be the first study done on the ways in which librarians promote diverse books through their programs. I have read quite a few articles on this subject but this was the first one with actual research and methodology. I appreciated the article's reference to and focus on Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop's concept of books as "mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors" (Bishop, 1990), which emphasizes the equal importance of all of these concepts. It is equally important for children to see themselves in books as it is for children to see people with different backgrounds and experiences. The article makes note that children as young as three show racial biases, and introducing "windows" to them early can help them to appreciate and understand other cultures. Likewise, showing children from historically marginalized groups books that serve as "mirrors" help them to feel valued and proud of themselves. I appreciated this article as yet another reminder as to why diverse books are so important for children. As someone who reads to children for work multiple times a week, I want to be representative not only of the children I'm serving, but of all the children they may come into contact with in their lives outside the library. I hope that storytimes can serve as a positive experience in helping children understand cultures other than their own as well as a way for children to see themselves represented in media when historically that may not have been the case. 

References:

Bishop, R. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives 6(3). 9-11. 

Cahill, M., Ingram, E., & Joo, S. (2021). Storytime programs as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors? Addressing children's needs through diverse book selection. The Library Quarterly 91(3). https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.1086/714317

Librarians can play a key role implementing artificial intelligence in schools.

 Author: Andrew Bauld

Citation: Bauld, A. (2023). Librarians can play a key role implementing artificial intelligence in schools. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/story/Librarians-Can-Play-a-Key-Role-Implementing-Artificial-Intelligence-in-Schools

Overview: In the ever-evolving landscape of modern classrooms, the fusion of innovation and creativity is significantly shaped by the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This article emphasizes the pivotal role played by AI tools in the daily planning activities of educators, shedding light on the subtle yet profound influence of technologies like Canva, which may go unnoticed by some educators until explicitly highlighted. While ChatGPT stands out as a widely explored AI tool, a diverse range of programs offers substantial support to optimize time management and enhance efficiency. Notable examples include Grammarly, renowned for its language refinement capabilities, and specialized tools like LessonsAI, MusicPod, MathPod, Questionwell, and Winston, among others.

Looking ahead, the article delves into the intentional integration of AI in two distinct classroom settings—one at the primary level and another at the secondary level. Through these case studies, the outcomes and impacts of purposefully leveraging AI are illuminated, providing valuable insights into the transformative potential of these technologies within educational contexts.

Implications for the Future: While educators in Humanities disciplines may initially express reservations about their students utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, numerous academic domains have seamlessly incorporated AI into their content. Rather than avoiding AI as a supplementary resource, there is merit in introducing students to these technologies and imparting skills for their effective utilization. An illustrative approach involves integrating AI, such as ChatGPT, as a collaborative partner in addressing assignments. For example, an essay on the Civil War could be assigned with the assistance of ChatGPT, prompting students to critically evaluate multiple essays generated by the AI. This strategic engagement enables students to discern nuances, identify errors, and augment information overlooked by the AI program, fostering a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.