The Librarian's Comic Strip of the Month

From Girls with Slingshots. 

Originally published on 02-08-2011.

What do Librarians Need to Know About MOOCs ?

 

Abstract

Over the past several months, the proliferation of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) has been hailed as a potent defense against the rising cost and insular culture of attending a traditional college. The courses, which are generally taught by experts with affiliations to elite universities, are characterized by their unique pedagogy and unlimited enrollment. To date, no course has been accepted for transfer credit at a major on-campus institution; however some administrators and higher-education experts predict their gradual integration into university curriculum. This article examines the MOOC phenomenon, identifying aspects that academic librarians should consider in the coming years, including how these courses interact with scholarly resources and library services. Methods for integrating library services in these courses are evaluated, with recommendations for the best course of action.

 

Introduction

While technology has facilitated access to distance education for over a decade, 2012 witnessed a seismic shift in attention to this platform for learning, typified by the November 2nd New York Times article, "The Year of the MOOC," as well as the October 29th issue of Time Magazine devoted to this topic. The four letter acronym, MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), has been hailed as a potent defense against the rising cost and insular culture of attending a traditional college. Recent interviews indicate that teachers praise MOOCs for their ability to distribute lectures to very large audiences, while students enjoy the flexibility, free tuition, and access to elite university faculty (Ripley, 2012). Companies hosting MOOCs are also responding to this sudden demand by expanding their course offerings. For example, Coursera cofounder Daphne Koller recently stated that within five years, Coursera will expand from around 200 courses to 3,000. This is roughly the same number of courses offered in the academic catalogs of large research universities (Koller, 2012). Given their apparent early success, MOOCs are likely to be part of the higher-education landscape for years to come. Therefore, academic librarians need to be aware of how these developments may impact their responsibilities and role within a university. 

This article aims to inform librarians and information professionals about developments related to MOOCs that are of unique interest to them. This includes how universities are involved in creating or sanctioning MOOCs, descriptions of the major MOOC providers, and how scholarly resources are used in their curriculum. I will then offer an evaluation of current models for library services in distance learning that may apply to the support of MOOCs. I believe it is important for librarians to consider these issues in the early stages of this phenomenon, because not only are MOOCs here to stay, but they represent a new challenge in the shifting relationship between library services and online learning that will continue to play out in the future of higher education. 

το πλήρες άρθρο εδώ

Θέσεις Εργασίας για βιβλιοθηκονόμους (Ιούλιος 2013)

2 βιβλιοθηκονόμοι ΤΕΙ ή ΠΕ στο Οικονομικό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, υποβολή αιτήσεων ως 220-07-2013 περισσότερο εδώ

1 βιβλιοθηκονόμος ΤΕ στην Α.Σ.ΠΑΙ.Τ.Ε τηλέφωνο επικοινωνίας: 2102896734  



5 θέσεις εργασίας, με σύμβαση εργασίας ιδιωτικού δικαίου ορισμένου χρόνου διάρκειας οκτώ μηνών, για την κάλυψη εποχικών ή παροδικών αναγκών του θα προχωρήσει το ΤΕΙ Δυτικής Ελλάδας , που εδρεύει στην Πάτρα, και συγκεκριμένα των παρακάτω ειδικοτήτων:

ΠΕ Διοικητικού - Οικονομικού 2

ΤΕ Διοικητικού - Λογιστικού 2

ΤΕ Βιβλιοθηκονόμων 1


Οι ενδιαφερόμενοι καλούνται, από τις 16 έως και τις 26 Ιουλίου 2013, να συμπληρώσουν την αίτηση με κωδικό ΕΝΤΥΠΟ ΑΣΕΠ ΣΟΧ.2 και να την υποβάλουν, είτε αυτοπροσώπως είτε με άλλο εξουσιοδοτημένο από αυτούς πρόσωπο, εφόσον η εξουσιοδότηση φέρει την υπογραφή τους θεωρημένη από δημόσια αρχή, ή ταχυδρομικά με συστημένη επιστολή, στα γραφεία της υπηρεσίας μας στην ακόλουθη διεύθυνση: ΤΕΙ Δυτικής Ελλάδας, Μεγάλου Αλεξάνδρου 1, ΤΚ 26334, Πάτρα, απευθύνοντάς την στο Τμήμα Διοικητικής Μέριμνας και Πρωτοκόλλου, για τις θέσεις του ΤΕΙ Πάτρας, υπ' όψιν Κωνσταντίνου - Γεράσιμου Ακτύπη & Ολγας Καρβουνιάρη.


Για πληροφορίες, οι υποψήφιοι μπορούν να απευθύνονται στο Τμήμα Προσωπικού του ΤΕΙ.Δυτικής Ελλάδας (Αικατερίνη Αθανασοπούλου, τηλ. 2610-369109 & Κωνσταντίνο Γιαννόπουλο, τηλ. 2610 - 369111).

Is It Time to Get Rid of Libraries?

άρθρο του Daniel Greenfield 

στο frontpagemag.com

Despite the general leftward trend of librarians on an organizational level, libraries once served a useful function. Once. If the New York Public Library experience can be generalized, the modern library is a place that has few books and a lot of internet terminals and free laptops for homeless people who want to check their Facebook accounts (yes that’s a thing) or watch YouTube videos.

The latest begging letter from the library urging politicians not to cut funds emphasizes the role of the library in
1. Teaching English to immigrants
2. Providing financial literacy courses
3. Teen hangouts

Books aren’t even mentioned. And with good reason. If you can find your way past the stacks of DVDs and random handouts and begging letter table, the computers terminals and the teens squatting on beanbag cushions with their library laptops, you may eventually be lucky enough to find some books. Probably you won’t.

Libraries are cutting their book collections. But you will find libraries being used to push the latest social agendas. Including ObamaCare.

The nation’s librarians will be recruited to help people get signed up for insurance under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Up to 17,000 U.S. libraries will be part of the effort to get information and crucial computer time to the millions of uninsured Americans who need to get coverage under the law…

Libraries equipped with public computers and Internet access already serve as a bridge across the digital divide, so it made sense to get them involved, said Julie Bataille, spokeswoman for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services…

Libraries also have public spaces where meetings can be held. And they already provide health information to 28 million people a year via public access computers, according to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal grant-making agency, which will coordinate the new effort with CMS. The two federal agencies also worked together during the rollout of the Medicare prescription drug benefit, experience that should help with this effort, Bataille said.

Libraries will be particularly important in conservative states that are not making much effort to promote the health law’s opportunities.

The library is rapidly becoming a community center rather than a place with books. This is just the natural next step in the process. Being a book lover, it’s hard for me to say this, but if this is what the librarians have in mind for libraries, then it may be time to kill the funding and shut them down.

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