Comments on: Is Lifelong Learning an Academic Library Core Value? http://acrlog.org/2008/11/12/is-lifelong-learning-an-academic-library-core-value/ Blogging by and for academic and research librarians Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:32:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Barbara http://acrlog.org/2008/11/12/is-lifelong-learning-an-academic-library-core-value/comment-page-1/#comment-107812 Barbara Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:53:28 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1094#comment-107812 I think we've let vendors and publishers call the tune far too much. We once built collections; now we rent access for a limited time for a restricted population. And more and more of our budgets goes toward this rental scheme. What drives me bonkers is the fact that libraries pay vendors for repackaged public resources, such as PubMed and ERIC, and don't teach students that these resources are available after college. I think we’ve let vendors and publishers call the tune far too much. We once built collections; now we rent access for a limited time for a restricted population. And more and more of our budgets goes toward this rental scheme.

What drives me bonkers is the fact that libraries pay vendors for repackaged public resources, such as PubMed and ERIC, and don’t teach students that these resources are available after college.

]]> By: Steven Harris http://acrlog.org/2008/11/12/is-lifelong-learning-an-academic-library-core-value/comment-page-1/#comment-107777 Steven Harris Fri, 28 Nov 2008 18:30:44 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1094#comment-107777 There is some irony in encouraging lifelong learning but not offering access to all of the library's collectios. I can't see most vendors being very willing to offer this kind of access without a considerable price increase, which most libraries would be unable or unwilling to pay. Which makes you wonder if it is really core value. There is some irony in encouraging lifelong learning but not offering access to all of the library’s collectios. I can’t see most vendors being very willing to offer this kind of access without a considerable price increase, which most libraries would be unable or unwilling to pay. Which makes you wonder if it is really core value.

]]> By: IL Course Credit Does Not Equal Credibility http://acrlog.org/2008/11/12/is-lifelong-learning-an-academic-library-core-value/comment-page-1/#comment-107432 IL Course Credit Does Not Equal Credibility Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:50:57 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1094#comment-107432 [...] e-resources to providing authentic learning opportunities and even the value of our old friend lifelong learning - it’s all good. I only have two issues with Badke’s article. First, with most of his [...] [...] e-resources to providing authentic learning opportunities and even the value of our old friend lifelong learning – it’s all good. I only have two issues with Badke’s article. First, with most of his [...]

]]> By: Amy http://acrlog.org/2008/11/12/is-lifelong-learning-an-academic-library-core-value/comment-page-1/#comment-105662 Amy Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:49:23 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1094#comment-105662 I think lifelong learning should remain a core value for academic libraries. In terms of information literacy instruction, the topic becomes more relevant to the students when we emphasize the lifelong value of learning information literacy skills. Librarians can focus on how information literacy skills are relevant in the academic setting (research and report writing) AND also in their daily life and future careers. When we showcase the benefits of the information literacy skills as applied in real-life settings, I think that students are more apt to pay attention. I think lifelong learning should remain a core value for academic libraries. In terms of information literacy instruction, the topic becomes more relevant to the students when we emphasize the lifelong value of learning information literacy skills. Librarians can focus on how information literacy skills are relevant in the academic setting (research and report writing) AND also in their daily life and future careers. When we showcase the benefits of the information literacy skills as applied in real-life settings, I think that students are more apt to pay attention.

]]> By: Herman A. Peterson http://acrlog.org/2008/11/12/is-lifelong-learning-an-academic-library-core-value/comment-page-1/#comment-105578 Herman A. Peterson Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:17:22 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1094#comment-105578 “Developing lifelong learners is central to the mission of higher education institutions. By ensuring that individuals have the intellectual abilities of reasoning and critical thinking, and by helping them construct a framework for learning how to learn, colleges and universities provide the foundation for continued growth throughout their careers, as well as in their roles as informed citizens and members of communities. Information literacy is a key component of, and contributor to, lifelong learning. Information literacy competency extends learning beyond formal classroom settings and provides practice with self-directed investigations as individuals move into internships, first professional positions, and increasing responsibilities in all arenas of life. Because information literacy augments students’ competency with evaluating, managing, and using information, it is now considered by several regional and discipline-based accreditation associations as a key outcome for college students.” (Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education) This last sentence suggests how this is evaluated. It’s clear that Information Literacy by itself does not produce life-long learners, but rather is a key component in the institution’s goal. Just because you don’t agree with something that ACRL suggests doesn’t mean it lacks clarity. “Developing lifelong learners is central to the mission of higher education institutions. By ensuring that individuals have the intellectual abilities of reasoning and critical thinking, and by helping them construct a framework for learning how to learn, colleges and universities provide the foundation for continued growth throughout their careers, as well as in their roles as informed citizens and members of communities. Information literacy is a key component of, and contributor to, lifelong learning. Information literacy competency extends learning beyond formal classroom settings and provides practice with self-directed investigations as individuals move into internships, first professional positions, and increasing responsibilities in all arenas of life. Because information literacy augments students’ competency with evaluating, managing, and using information, it is now considered by several regional and discipline-based accreditation associations as a key outcome for college students.” (Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education)

This last sentence suggests how this is evaluated. It’s clear that Information Literacy by itself does not produce life-long learners, but rather is a key component in the institution’s goal.

Just because you don’t agree with something that ACRL suggests doesn’t mean it lacks clarity.

]]> By: Marc http://acrlog.org/2008/11/12/is-lifelong-learning-an-academic-library-core-value/comment-page-1/#comment-105468 Marc Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:28:14 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1094#comment-105468 "According to the ACRL documents, life-long learning is an outcome of an Information Literacy program." How would you evaluate that? Should we tell students and faculty that we are trying to develop life-long learners? I think our audience would see our efforts of trying to instill "life-long learning" as flaky. I do not agree with everything that ACRL says an academic library should be doing. Each library will determine its priorities and mission and can follow the guidance of ACRL to a certain point. I do want our audience to see the value of libraries but I feel the priority is contributing to student achievement and to faculty research. “According to the ACRL documents, life-long learning is an outcome of an Information Literacy program.” How would you evaluate that? Should we tell students and faculty that we are trying to develop life-long learners? I think our audience would see our efforts of trying to instill “life-long learning” as flaky. I do not agree with everything that ACRL says an academic library should be doing. Each library will determine its priorities and mission and can follow the guidance of ACRL to a certain point. I do want our audience to see the value of libraries but I feel the priority is contributing to student achievement and to faculty research.

]]> By: Barbara http://acrlog.org/2008/11/12/is-lifelong-learning-an-academic-library-core-value/comment-page-1/#comment-105411 Barbara Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:45:30 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1094#comment-105411 It's in our institution's mission statement, too, and is one of the most relevant places where the library can play a role, it seems to me. And I agree with Marc that we should push for access - the current walled gardens we put up with are frustrating because once our students graduate, they can't come back in. But then, this is what the OA movement is all about, taking down the walls. And maybe unwalled gardens may be the future for publications other than scholarly. There's an interesting commentary by Georgia Harper at Collectanea (http://chaucer.umuc.edu/blogcip/collectanea/) on the Google settlement in which she says "open will win over closed in general, for many, maybe most types of books, in a marketplace where free overwhelms paid by orders of magnitude. So, no surprise, I'm betting more open will return more revenue." It's slowly happening to newspapers and magazines. I sure hope this is the future. It’s in our institution’s mission statement, too, and is one of the most relevant places where the library can play a role, it seems to me.

And I agree with Marc that we should push for access – the current walled gardens we put up with are frustrating because once our students graduate, they can’t come back in. But then, this is what the OA movement is all about, taking down the walls.

And maybe unwalled gardens may be the future for publications other than scholarly. There’s an interesting commentary by Georgia Harper at Collectanea (http://chaucer.umuc.edu/blogcip/collectanea/) on the Google settlement in which she says “open will win over closed in general, for many, maybe most types of books, in a marketplace where free overwhelms paid by orders of magnitude. So, no surprise, I’m betting more open will return more revenue.” It’s slowly happening to newspapers and magazines. I sure hope this is the future.

]]> By: Mary Paige Smith http://acrlog.org/2008/11/12/is-lifelong-learning-an-academic-library-core-value/comment-page-1/#comment-105394 Mary Paige Smith Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:19:15 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1094#comment-105394 When your University's mission statement includes the phrase "life-long learning" (http://www.nova.edu/cwis/about-nsu/mission.html), you'd better believe that the libraries' core values will reflect that mission! You raise good questions, and I would just add this comment: there are different kinds of academic libraries. Our core values of necessity reflect those of our parent institution. When your University’s mission statement includes the phrase “life-long learning” (http://www.nova.edu/cwis/about-nsu/mission.html), you’d better believe that the libraries’ core values will reflect that mission! You raise good questions, and I would just add this comment: there are different kinds of academic libraries. Our core values of necessity reflect those of our parent institution.

]]> By: Marc Meola http://acrlog.org/2008/11/12/is-lifelong-learning-an-academic-library-core-value/comment-page-1/#comment-105393 Marc Meola Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:49:17 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1094#comment-105393 Steven, I agree that "a commitment to supporting student academic success and faculty productivity" seems to be a basic core value shared by academic libraries, but you'd have to add something like "with high quality information sources" to distinguish the library from other services on campus. "Integrating the library into learning spaces" sort of assumes that that the library isn't already the primary or one of the primary learning spaces on campus. Maryilyn thank you for confirming my suspicion that "lifelong learning" is often used as a stand-in word for things like "liberal arts education, critical thinking, finding information." That's part of what I was trying to say. Aren't people who go to college most likely to have lifelong intellectual curiosity anyway? Our job is to nurture it and let them pursue their curiosity while they're here, but it's misplaced self-importance to think that we are the primary cause of it. As for the databases, we can only do so much, but as a profession we want to push as much as we can to provide more access, which seems to be in keeping with the ethos of librarianship ever since we took the chains off the books. Steven, I agree that “a commitment to supporting student academic success and faculty productivity” seems to be a basic core value shared by academic libraries, but you’d have to add something like “with high quality information sources” to distinguish the library from other services on campus. “Integrating the library into learning spaces” sort of assumes that that the library isn’t already the primary or one of the primary learning spaces on campus.

Maryilyn thank you for confirming my suspicion that “lifelong learning” is often used as a stand-in word for things like “liberal arts education, critical thinking, finding information.” That’s part of what I was trying to say.

Aren’t people who go to college most likely to have lifelong intellectual curiosity anyway? Our job is to nurture it and let them pursue their curiosity while they’re here, but it’s misplaced self-importance to think that we are the primary cause of it.

As for the databases, we can only do so much, but as a profession we want to push as much as we can to provide more access, which seems to be in keeping with the ethos of librarianship ever since we took the chains off the books.

]]> By: Marilyn R. Pukkila http://acrlog.org/2008/11/12/is-lifelong-learning-an-academic-library-core-value/comment-page-1/#comment-105389 Marilyn R. Pukkila Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:47:14 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1094#comment-105389 Reading this discussion made me realize that I have been using "lifelong learning" as a synonym for "critical thinking" and "finding information". I think all three are part of a liberal arts education, and I think that what I do in the library furthers all three of them. So perhaps a clearer statement of this core value would be "educating library users for lifelong learning", which implies that they go on to do it without us. We often get e-mails from recent grads asking if they can have access to LexisNexis, JSTOR, and others of their favorite databases and services (RefWorks is another popular one). Our answer, of course, is "no", due to contractual agreements. I haven't felt particularly bad about that, figuring that database access is one of the things their tuition pays for (and feeling a bit of regret that they may not realize this until after they graduate!). Reading this discussion made me realize that I have been using “lifelong learning” as a synonym for “critical thinking” and “finding information”. I think all three are part of a liberal arts education, and I think that what I do in the library furthers all three of them. So perhaps a clearer statement of this core value would be “educating library users for lifelong learning”, which implies that they go on to do it without us.

We often get e-mails from recent grads asking if they can have access to LexisNexis, JSTOR, and others of their favorite databases and services (RefWorks is another popular one). Our answer, of course, is “no”, due to contractual agreements. I haven’t felt particularly bad about that, figuring that database access is one of the things their tuition pays for (and feeling a bit of regret that they may not realize this until after they graduate!).

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