Exploiting Synergies Among Digital Repositories, Special Collections, and Online Community

Reyna, Lisa

IL - Media Literacy

Huwe, T. (2009). Exploiting synergies: among digital repositories, special collections, and online

community. Online, 33(2), 14-19.

Summary/Evaluation

Huwe elaborates on how only just a few years prior to the writing of this particular article, there were only a couple of leading research facilities (E.g. Library of Congress) capable of developing an online presence of high-quality digital library collections. Further discussion into the article depicts that today in current times, this ideal is no longer the case. Huwe speaks of the rise in development of digital collections not only emerging among research libraries, but also other organizations as well as various museums. Research libraries and librarians are evolving with the constant change of advancement in digital media technologies and are becoming familiar with open-source web development tools specialized in digitization, although most collections are of a smaller scale. 

Emphasis is expressed when referencing the importance of historical collections and how an online presence will not only benefit libraries and librarians, but also have the capacity to reach new scholars and experts trying to obtain rare materials within a searchable online environment. Huwe also ventures into the realm of social networking, blogs, and community websites such as MySpace, Facebook, and Bebo, which are currently responsible for enabling managers of digital repositories to merge technologies utilizing web 2.0 applications, therefore symbolizing the effect of creating new synergies. I found this article to be quite interesting as Archivists and scholars now have the ability to be involved in newly developed trends surrounding the accessibility of historically valuable collections through the opportunity to take on leadership roles in scholarly communities.

Repackaging Research: Rigor and Relevance for 21st-Century Learners

Nadine Loza
Jaeger, P. (2014). Repackaging Research: rigor and relevance for 21^st-century learners. School Library Monthly (1)31 pp. 5-7.

Summary: Jaeger begins her article with a quote from Zora Neale Hurston, “Research is formalized curiosity. It is poling and prying with a purpose.”  Jaeger is Coordinator of Libraries in Washington state.  Her article calls upon teacher librarians to take the wise words of Hurston to heart.  She advocates that teacher librarians take the lead at their school to “just say no” to research packets that do not require deep, rigorous thinking.  Jaeger tells her librarians and classroom teachers, “if your assignment is answerable on Google, it is void of higher-lever learning”.  To prove her point, she discusses key standards in the Common Core that compels teachers to create research projects that provide students with rigorous questioning and deeper learning.

Evaluation: Jaeger call to teacher librarians is valid and necessary.  Both teachers and teacher librarians should turn to the Common Core standards to revise their lessons.  The new standards call on teachers to create lesson that fully engage students in their learning.  Today’s students are rooted in technology and social media.  Educators must adapt to what students know.  The Common Core standards are a good starting place to help educators understand what will be required for our students to be college and career ready.

Teaching Google Natives To Value Information

Elizabeth Brown

CO

Heick, T. (2014). Teaching google natives to value information. Retrieved from
http://www.teachthought.com/technology/teaching-google-natives-to-value-information/

Summary
Heick suggests enlightening millennial's (who grew up computer savvy) on  the importance of information and research. This generation has used Google, specifically, to answer all of their questions, thereby appreciating information less (because of its simplicity). Heick acknowledges that this not a black or white issue, but maintains "while neurological functions may not [be] change[ing],
how students access, use, share, and store information is." The logical answer is to be cognizant of this reality and provide practical advice. Heick suggests the following:

"1. Is sounds counterintuitive-intuitive, but periodically create information-scarce
      circumstances that force students to function without it.
 2. Illuminate - or have them illuminate - the research process itself.
 3. Do entire projects where the point is not the information, but its utility.
 4. Use think-alouds to model the thinking process during research.
 5. Create single-source research assignments where students have to do more
     with less."

Evaluation
This article is provides an interesting analysis of a complex issue. Heick concludes that she does not have all of the answers, but she does include some insightful examples. The main point of the article is that we cannot expect students to ignore technology, (nor do we want to), but they can be more thoughtful in their research.