Pedagogical relations in the age of big data [Commentary]

Introduction A pedagogical relationship - the relationship produced through teaching and learning - is, according to phenomenologist Max van Maanen, ‘the most profound relationship an adult can have with a child’ (van Maanen 1982). But what does it mean for a teacher to have a ‘profound’ relationship with a student in digital times? What, indeed, is an optimal pedagogical relationship at a time when the exponential proliferation and transformation of information across the globe is making for unprecedented social and cultural change? Does it involve both parties in a Facebook friendship? Being snappy with Snapchat? Tumbling around on Tumblr? There is now ample evidence of a growing trend to displace face-to-face interaction by virtual connections. One effect of these technologically mediated relationships is that a growing number of young people experience relationships as ‘mile-wide, inch-deep’ phenomena. It is timely, in this context, to explore how pedagogical relationships are being transmuted by Big Data, and to ask about the implications this has for current and future generations of professional educators.

Teacher librarians’ understandings of inquiry learning

This paper presents a study investigating teacher librarians’ understandings of inquiry learning. Teacher librarians have traditionally been involved in information literacy education. For some teacher librarians, this has involved collaborating with the classroom teacher on inquiry learning units of work. For others, it has involved offering a parallel library curriculum. The findings of this study are based on semi-structured interviews with nine teacher librarians in Queensland schools. The study revealed that teacher librarians saw inquiry learning in two ways as (a) student-centred investigation and (b) teaching a process.

Of old and new. Messages conveyed by Australian Universities

On arriving at the University of Queensland, I walked from where the taxi dropped me off towards the Great Court. As I walked I could see the carvings in the sandstone on the façade of the building in front of me. The carvings depict images of land, flora, fauna, settlers, and us. In the corner of my right sight of vision, I could see Mayne Hall. My mind flicked back in what was an instant to a time 30 plus years ago. I remember putting on some of my best clothes when my family would travel form the suburb of Inala to the Alumni book fair held in the Hall. We needed to act ‘discrete’ and like we were ‘meant to be there’. Members of my family would work hard to save money to buy the books that had far more substance than the books at our local community or school library. This was my first interaction with the University of Queensland. On the first day of Courting Blakness, I walked towards and then into the Great Court. I began to explore and engage with the artworks and allow them to engage with me. I was conscious of being in the University of Queensland as I had been on all my past visits. I was conscious of the public and the private aspects of the artworks along with the public observance and surveillance of the viewers of the artworks. The contradictions and struggles that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience are everywhere when moving in spaces and places, including universities. They contain prevailing social, political and economic values in the same way that other places do. The symbols of place and space within universities are never neutral, and they can work to either marginalise and oppress Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, or demonstrate that they are included and engaged. The artworks in the Great Court were involved in this matrix of mixed messages and the weaves of time contained the borders of the Court and within the minds of those present.

Crossing literacy and informed learning boundaries with Manga

This research investigated high school students’ experiences of informed learning in a literacy development workshop. It was conducted in the library of an Australian high school with a low socio-economic population. Building upon students’ fascination with Manga fiction and artwork, the workshop was part of a larger university-community engagement project Crossing Boundaries with Reading which aimed to address widespread literacy challenges at the school. The paper first provides a brief literature review that introduces the concept of informed learning, or the experience of using information to learn. In practice, informed learning fosters simultaneous learning about using information and learning about a topic. Thus, information is a transformative force that extends beyond functional information literacy skills. Then, the paper outlines the phenomenographic methodology used in this study, the workshop context and the research participants. The findings reveal three different ways that students experienced the workshop: as an art lesson; as a life lesson; and as an informed learning lesson. The discussion highlights the power of informed learning as a holistic approach to information literacy education. The study’s findings are significant as students from low socio-economic backgrounds are often at risk of experiencing disadvantage throughout their lives if they do not develop a range of literacies including the ability to use information effectively. Responding to this problem, the paper provides an empirically-based example of informed learning to support further research and develop professional practice. While the research context is limited to one high school library, the findings are of potential value for teacher-librarians, educators and information professionals elsewhere.

"I'm thinking 'bout moving in"... An examination of the issues impacting on the recruitment of secondary school graduates to the library and information profession

In recent years concern has been expressed internationally about the future of the library and information services (LIS) profession: recruitment and retention, changing skill sets and declining numbers of people choosing librarianship as a career are all factors contributing to an uncertain future. One area yet explored in any depth is the topic of why LIS studies are not perceived, let alone promoted, as a good first professional qualification for high school graduates. This paper considers the professional literature that examines the uptake of librarianship as a first qualification by school leavers and discusses, in the context of the Australian library sector, the role of professional associations, library schools, National and State Libraries, as well as individual libraries and librarians. Examples of best practice are presented to highlight the opportunities for inspiring and motivating students through well structured and stimulating work experience programs. The topic is relevant to all librarians who are interested in the future of the LIS profession. It is argued that the focus of the present conference on ‘moving up’ and ‘moving on’ can only have real significance when the profession has a more complete understanding of the barriers to and the opportunities for ‘moving in’.

A constructivist approach to media literacy education: The role of the library

An informed citizenry is essential to the effective functioning of democracy. In most modern liberal democracies, citizens have traditionally looked to the media as the primary source of information about socio-political matters. In our increasingly mediated world, it is critical that audiences be able to effectively and accurately use the media to meet their information needs. Media literacy, the ability to access, understand, evaluate and create media content is therefore a vital skill for a healthy democracy. The past three decades have seen the rapid expansion of the information environment, particularly through Internet technologies. It is obvious that media usage patterns have changed dramatically as a result. Blogs and websites are now popular sources of news and information, and are for some sections of the population likely to be the first, and possibly only, information source accessed when information is required. What are the implications for media literacy in such a diverse and changing information environment? The Alexandria Manifesto stresses the link between libraries, a well informed citizenry and effective governance, so how do these changes impact on libraries? This paper considers the role libraries can play in developing media literate communities, and explores the ways in which traditional media literacy training may be expanded to better equip citizens for new media technologies. Drawing on original empirical research, this paper highlights a key shortcoming of existing media literacy approaches: that of overlooking the importance of needs identification as an initial step in media selection. Self-awareness of one’s actual information need is not automatic, as can be witnessed daily at reference desks in libraries the world over. Citizens very often do not know what it is that they need when it comes to information. Without this knowledge, selecting the most appropriate information source from the vast range available becomes an uncertain, possibly even random, enterprise. Incorporating reference interview-type training into media literacy education, whereby the individual will develop the skills to interrogate themselves regarding their underlying information needs, will enhance media literacy approaches. This increased focus on the needs of the individual will also push media literacy education into a more constructivist methodology. The paper also stresses the importance of media literacy training for adults. Media literacy education received in school or even university cannot be expected to retain its relevance over time in our rapidly evolving information environment. Further, constructivist teaching approaches highlight the importance of context to the learning process, thus it may be more effective to offer media literacy education relating to news media use to adults, whilst school-based approaches focus on types of media more relevant to young people, such as entertainment media. Librarians are ideally placed to offer such community-based media literacy education for adults. They already understand, through their training and practice of the reference interview, how to identify underlying information needs. Further, libraries are placed within community contexts, where the everyday practice of media literacy occurs. The Alexandria Manifesto stresses the link between libraries, a well informed citizenry and effective governance. It is clear that libraries have a role to play in fostering media literacy within their communities.

neXus2. An investigation into the library and information services workforce in Australia: The institutional perspective. Final report prepared for the Australian Library and Information Association and National and State Libraries Australia

The neXus2 research project has sought to investigate the library and information services (LIS) workforce in Australia, from the institutional or employer perspective. The study builds on the neXus1 study, which collected data from individuals in the LIS workforce in order to present a snapshot of the profession in 2006, highlighting the demographics, educational background and career details of library and information professionals in Australia. To counterbalance this individual perspective, library institutions were invited to participate in a survey to contribute further data as employers. This final report on the neXus2 project compares the findings from the different library sectors, ie academic libraries, TAFE libraries, the National and State libraries, public libraries, special libraries and school libraries.

Academic faculty’s teaching social networks : what is the extent of library faculty’s inclusion?

Collaboration between academic and library faculty is an important topic of discussion and research among academic librarians. Partnerships are vital for developing effective information literacy education. The research reported in this paper aims to develop an understanding of academic collaborators by analyzing academic faculty’s teaching social network. Academic faculty teaching social networks have not been previously described through the lens of social network analysis. A teaching social network is comprised of people and their communication channels that affect academic faculty when they design and deliver their courses. Social network analysis was the methodology used to describe the teaching social networks. The preliminary results show academic faculty were more affected by the channels of communication in how they taught (pedagogy) than what they taught (course content). This study supplements the existing research on collaboration and information literacy. It provides both academic and library faculty with added insight into their relationships.

Towards an understanding of the participatory library

Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to debate the evolving relationship between libraries and users, justify the idea of participatory library and the use of the "participatory library" term. The paper also discusses the development trend of the participatory library and calls for empirical research on this area. Design/methodology/approach - Various sources of literature are collected and examined. Together with the inclusion of personal ideas and experience, a wide range of opinions on the contemporary library is compared and synthesized. Findings - The paper presents changes in the relationship between libraries and users in various periods of library development. It indicates an excessive attention on Library 2.0 while neglecting the participatory nature of the contemporary library. It also suggests that the term "participatory library" should be used as this term reflects the true nature of the contemporary library, and calls for empirical work on participatory library. Originality/value - This discussion is moving forward and challenging our thinking about the participatory library. It provides librarians, library managers, scholars, and the library community with a fresh perspective of contemporary library.

Building the profession together : towards holistic library and information science education

How can a holistic approach to library and information science education encompassing vocational and university sectors that meets the future information workforce requirements be achieved? This paper will outline a twelve month national project that considered this very question. Funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC).

Non-combinatorial library screening reveals subsite cooperativity and identifies new high-efficiency substrates for kallikrein-related peptidase 14

An array of substrates link the tryptic serine protease, kallikrein-related peptidase 14 (KLK14), to physiological functions including desquamation and activation of signaling molecules associated with inflammation and cancer. Recognition of protease cleavage sequences is driven by complementarity between exposed substrate motifs and the physicochemical signature of an enzyme's active site cleft. However, conventional substrate screening methods have generated conflicting subsite profiles for KLK14. This study utilizes a recently developed screening technique, the sparse matrix library, to identify five novel high-efficiency sequences for KLK14. The optimal sequence, YASR, was cleaved with higher efficiency (k(cat)/K(m)=3.81 ± 0.4 × 10(6) M(-1) s(-1)) than favored substrates from positional scanning and phage display by 2- and 10-fold, respectively. Binding site cooperativity was prominent among preferred sequences, which enabled optimal interaction at all subsites as indicated by predictive modeling of KLK14/substrate complexes. These simulations constitute the first molecular dynamics analysis of KLK14 and offer a structural rationale for the divergent subsite preferences evident between KLK14 and closely related KLKs, KLK4 and KLK5. Collectively, these findings highlight the importance of binding site cooperativity in protease substrate recognition, which has implications for discovery of optimal substrates and engineering highly effective protease inhibitors.

And the winner is...? : Thinking about Australian book awards in the library

Among their many duties, librarians occupy and must negotiate a space between the dreamed-of library and the all-too-real culture industries. This is perhaps most visible in the competition between pragmatism and idealism in text selection and collection development, and in one commonly-used tool thereof: the book award. This paper considers the possibilities and problematics of Australian book awards in libraries and librarianship.

User participation in the categorisation of the State Library of Queensland digital image collections: characteristics, motivations and experiences

In 2010, the State Library of Queensland (SLQ) donated their out-of-copyright Queensland images to Wikimedia Commons. One direct effect of publishing the collections at Wikimedia Commons is the ability of general audiences to participate and help the library in processing the images in the collection. This paper will discuss a project that explored user participation in the categorisation of the State Library of Queensland digital image collections. The outcomes of this project can be used to gain a better understanding of user participation that lead to improving access to library digital collections. Two techniques for data collection were used: documents analysis and interview. Document analysis was performed on the Wikimedia Commons monthly reports. Meanwhile, interview was used as the main data collection technique in this research. The data collected from document analysis was used to help the researchers to devise appropriate questions for interviews. The interviews were undertaken with participants who were divided into two groups: SLQ staff members and Wikimedians (users who participate in Wikimedia). The two sets of data collected from participants were analysed independently and compared. This method was useful for the researchers to understand the differences between the experiences of categorisation from both the librarians’ and the users’ perspectives. This paper will provide a discussion on the preliminary findings that have emerged from each group participant. This research provides preliminary information about the extent of user participation in the categorisation of SLQ collections in Wikimedia Commons that can be used by SLQ and other interested libraries in describing their digital content by their categorisations to improve user access to the collection in the future.

The continuing relevance of the library as a third place for users and non-users of IT : the case of Canada Bay

The purpose of this paper is to consider how libraries support the development of community networks both physically and digitally. To do this, a case-study methodology was employed, including a combination of data about the library and qualitative interviews with library users considering their experience of the library. This paper proposes that libraries act as ‘third places’ spatially connecting people; libraries also build links with online media and play a critical role in inclusively connecting non-technology users with the information on the Internet and digital technology more generally. The paper establishes the value of libraries in the digital age and recommends that libraries actively seek ways to develop links between non-technology users and activity on the Internet. It addresses the need to reach these types of non-technology users in different ways. Further, it suggests that libraries utilise their positioning as third places to create broader community networks, to support local communities beyond existing users and beyond the library precinct.