6th Annual LILi Conference
"Creating Connections: Extending Our Instructional Reach
Through Collaborations and Community Partnerships"
Friday, August 2, 2019, 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
California State University, Northridge
Schedule of Events
9:30-10:00: Registration & Refreshments
10:00-10:15: LILi Conference Welcome
Mary McMillan, LILi Chair
10:15 - 11:30: Presentations
Empowering Comunidad: Latino Civic Engagement
Presented by Jennie Quinonez-Skinner (California State University, Northridge) & Juan Guillermo Garcia (Glendale Library and Arts)
Latinos are the largest minority in the United States. The inclusion of Latino working families in federal, state and local elections is essential to their empowerment through political, social and economic advancement. Voting is one aspect of civic engagement, but there are other ways to empower and involve community members with issues like Education, Health, Immigration, Economic Stimulus, Civil Rights and Labor Rights. In this flash presentation, we will showcase events and programming across two different library systems, public and academic, designed to build stronger connections between the community library and college library. From film screenings to city-wide Dia de lo Muertos event, to Chavez Day, both librarians will share the challenges and opportunities for connecting Latino families to their local government.
Becoming an Informed Consumer of Information
Presented by Sharell Walker (Borough of Manhattan Community College)
Whether students realize it or not, they are constant consumers of news. They absorb information about the world around them through various social media posts and internet sites. It’s often difficult to discern whether or not information they are receiving is factual or fraudulent, especially if it’s from a link a friend has shared on Facebook. BMCC is trying some different ways to teach students about credible sources, fake news and how to learn the difference. Through our digital literacy LibGuide and various presentations to student cohorts we are initiating a discussion on how students can tell credible sources from fraudulent sources. One interactive feature we have put to use is a game called Factitious, which is free from the internet. Factitious test the users skill to identify fake news stories. We have also used a variety of relevant examples and stories that appeal to our student base. By opening their minds to the idea that not all news is credible news, we help them to better develop their analytical and critical thinking skills.
More Than a Pile of Books: Reading Aloud as Collaborative Engagement in a Banned Books Readout Partnership
Presented by Liz Cheney, Elizabeth Blakey and Coleen Martin (California State University, Northridge)
This talk will discuss and model the collaboration between an academic Library, an academic department and students within the department, in the production of an annual Banned Books Readout. This collaboration, now in its fifth year, addresses issues of censorship and freedom of speech (ACRL Standard 5.1.c). The presenters will explain how this collaborative event employs active learning methods. The students read aloud from censored books which encourages them to actively engage with censored materials. This collaborative event yields better instructional outcomes because students and other patrons experience the reality of censorship and books that could be removed from libraries, instead of merely discussing the underlying principles of free speech in the abstract. Many students and other participants in the Banned Books Readouts have expressed their surprise about the books that were censored and the impact on social life and civic engagement. These are learning outcomes that come to life, through reading aloud and sharing stories about books, both contemporary and classic, which have been challenged at libraries. The presenters will cover the background of this type of annual event, which is supported by ALA, as well as modeling a reading from a recently banned book, and will provide resources to conference attendees interested in pursuing a similar event and collaboration. This model can be used in collaborations with more than one type of library, different organizations, patrons, and communities.
11:30 - 12:00: Lightning Talks
Down the Rabbit Hole: YouTube in the Age of Misinformation and the Road to Absolution
Presented by Maria Roxana Cruz (University of North Texas)
YouTube is one of the most popular social media platforms, but also one of the most dangerous. It's recommendation algorithms and autoplay facilitate the spread of misinformation and "computational propaganda," as well as threaten users' safety from children to adults alike. As a result, my presentation will propose harnessing the power of YouTube in order to convert it into an instructional tool that counters the negative effects of the platform. I will showcase a YouTube video I have been working on that engages viewers to evaluate the authority of YouTube content using the principles of metaliteracy. The video will also be accompanied by a worksheet that can be adapted to fit the needs of different types of libraries.
Sustainability in Information Literacy: Key Takeaways
Presented by Gary Shaffer, Ph.D. (City of Glendale Library, Arts & Culture; Marshall School of Business, USC)
This presentation explores how sustainability as an interdisciplinary field can be integrated into information literacy practices for instruction librarians. From one shots to embedded librarianship, sustainability issues can be addressed within library instruction to promote important issues ranging from environmental to economic to indigenous justices. The presentation will also highlight key takeaways on implementing the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals in library services and instructional practices, and demonstrate how to raise awareness to such global goals in local contexts.
Engaging Students Through Instagram
Presented by Jamie Johnson (California State University, Northridge)
The session will examine how librarians use Instagram to promote library services, resources, and market events through the Spring 2019 semester. This includes potential strategies to gain followers, building entertaining but useful content, highlighting collections/services, and incorporating insta-stories. The goal of this insta-project is to utilize social media as a tool to increase student knowledge of library services, decrease library anxiety, and encourage students to engage with the library in new ways. These strategies can be used in any library setting and hopefully inspire others.
12:00 - 12:30: Poster Presentations / Networking Break
Implementing a Cultural Competence Framework into Information Literacy Instruction
Presented by Alexis Recto (University of California, Los Angeles)
Literature on Information Literacy has focused on the shifting landscape of the information field’s attempt to keep up with information abundance and to keep students interested and literate in using primary source materials. However, the literature does not seem to cover much on the use of primary source materials in a culturally competent and ethical manner, nor on the use of primary source materials that are not necessarily found in mainstream repositories such as community archives. Providing instruction dedicated to the access and use of such primary source materials on underrepresented communities and cultures could widen students' historical perspectives and sense of cultural competency, which should be highly valued in our increasingly pluralized and multicultural society. My poster will offer brief recommendations on how to approach and properly consult these primary source materials using a cultural competence framework based on existing literature and professional guidelines.
Open Access Resources for School Libraries and Educators
Presented by Christina Cicchetti (University of California, Riverside)
Many schools do not have access to paid database subscriptions for their students to use for research papers and projects. As a result, many students resort to using internet resources that may be of dubious quality. While the California State Library has now made a limited number of databases available to public schools, not all schools have implemented these databases, nor are these databases available to private schools. The Open Access movement has made increasing numbers of books and journals freely available online, but such sources are not widely known by educators. The presenter will share a LibGuide created to promote the use of these resources, particularly in middle and high schools, which is used in collaboration with several local educators to introduce their students to research with academic library resources. This supports many of these students who are unable to return on their own for further research due to transportation issues, parking costs, etc. The LibGuide provides them with reliable, high-quality information sources they can use for research -- resources they will be able to access anywhere they may have internet access.
Bringing the Public Library to School
Presented by Lucy Ballamy (Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Games & Animation)
My poster presentation will illustrate how I integrated the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) into an information resources toolkit. I will share the motivation for reaching out to LAPL, how I utilized Google Chrome's "Library Extension" as a creative collection development and money-saving tool for the library AND students, and worked with faculty to recommend select databases from LAPL for assignments. Bridging the two institutions is a natural progression of the development of lifelong information literacy skills, introducing students to information resources they can use to enhance their course projects and continue to use to further their personal and professional interests.
Down the Rabbit Hole: YouTube in the Age of Misinformation and the Road to Absolution
Presented by Maria Roxana Cruz (University of North Texas)
YouTube is one of the most popular social media platforms, but also one of the most dangerous. It's recommendation algorithms and autoplay facilitate the spread of misinformation and "computational propaganda," as well as threaten users' safety from children to adults alike. As a result, my presentation will propose harnessing the power of YouTube in order to convert it into an instructional tool that counters the negative effects of the platform. I will showcase a YouTube video I have been working on that engages viewers to evaluate the authority of YouTube content using the principles of metaliteracy. The video will also be accompanied by a worksheet that can be adapted to fit the needs of different types of libraries.
12:30 - 1:20 Presentations
Headlines to Hashtags: Creating a Gallery Walk to Teach News Media Literacy
Presented by Suzanne Maguire (Mt. San Antonio College)
Project Information Literacy conducted a yearlong study of how U.S. college students gather information and engage with the news. The study shows that while most students are aware of "fake news" many of them are overwhelmed by the overload of news sources and are not prepared to critically engage with the news. One of the recommendations from the PIL study is to "bring the value of context back to news coverage". The presenter will be work-shopping a timeline gallery walk that will help to bring context to news media literacy instruction. A gallery walk is a way to make news media literacy education interactive and collaborative, using auditory and visual techniques. A gallery walk can be set up using available space within your library, and can be customized to fit your library’s needs. It may be integrated into a library workshop, tour, and can also be a self-guided walk. A gallery walk can also be easily adapted into a slideshow for distance learning students. The gallery walk can begin with the printing of the Declaration of Independence in the Pennsylvania Evening Post, and include milestones such as the passage of the first amendment in the Bill of Rights, the introduction of news radio, the passage of the Freedom of Information Act, the introduction of broadcast media, cable news, online news, and concludes with examples of current news sources. Students will be able to walk through time to gain a better understanding of how news media has evolved. The gallery walk will consist of a series of stations spread out along a wall within the library. Each station will include a visual and/or auditory representation of news media examples during a specific time period. Each station will include additional contextual information such as relevant legislation or events at the time, circulation statistics, technological innovations, and a list of resources for further learning. This creates a great opportunity to collaborate with other departments. Potential collaborations include journalism, history, political, science, and others. This is also a great outreach tool and a way to promote library resources to students and faculty.
Beyond the Classroom: Bringing National Media Literacy Week to Your Campus
Presented by Bobbie Eisenstock, Ph.D and Isabelle Ramos (California State University, Northridge)
How do you empower students with 21st century life-long learning skills? Connect the classroom to the campus with service learning, a community partner, and library resources. That’s what we have been doing for the past two years. Participants will learn about our student-driven National Media Literacy Week events that they can bring to their campus, ranging from a “Screen & Tweet” to a “News Salon,” to engage students and help them practice their digital media, news and information literacy skills. Meet the faculty-librarian collaborators whose model activities have got them award-winning recognition on campus.
1:20 - 1:45: Lightning Talks
"Maps, Murals and Sustainability: Using Archives and Digital Media Collections in the Classroom"
Presented by Stacy Williams (University of Southern California, Helen Topping Architecture and Fine Arts Library)
This presentation will discuss how two librarians collaborated with a writing faculty member in an undergraduate writing class. This collaboration introduced many of the students to archives, handling archival materials, and metadata fields in digital library collections.A writing assignment was developed as well as a GitHub page where students shared their final essays and images that they took during site visits. Several library instruction sessions and research consultations provided additional time for the librarians and students to talk about themes that emerged from close examination of the archival files and the metadata fields for the online collections. As they prepared for their essays, the students were expected to use the physical archives, the digital collections, and go out into the neighborhood using public transportation or ride shares to explore how gentrification impacts a neighborhood.
Connecting Students to the Public Library
Presented by Lucy Ballamy (Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Games & Animation)
As a librarian at a small visual arts college, our collection is geared towards supporting coursework in specific industries (e.g., animation, visual effects, games). For students taking general studies courses, faculty often do not require textbooks. However, they recommend titles for students to reference for assignments. For students on a tight budget, purchasing additional books to complete course assignments can be especially difficult. As a longtime patron of the public library, I wanted to investigate whether a similar connection to the public library was possible for students. I found the solution when Google launched its "Library Extension" tool.
Installed on the Chrome browser, the Library Extension (LE) tool helps users to "instantly see book and e-book availability" from their local public library. LE works when Amazon or Barnes and Noble is used to shop for books. LE search results display the availability of searched for titles at the user's designated libraries. For small, specialized libraries like Gnomon, the "Library Extension" tool has helped to create a bridge between our students and the public library.
1:45-2:00: Closing Remarks & Evaluation Form Completion
No-Host Lunch Off-Site (optional)
An opportunity for participants to continue discussing takeaways from the conference and network.