Category Archives: Libraries

Oldest OLA Constitution

And yet another gem that I stumbled upon at the Oregon State Library (State of Oregon Library) is the oldest Oregon Library Association (OLA) constitution established around 1942. Our library constitution is modeled after the Washington Library Association (WLA) constitution. I had to chuckle at the .50 cent membership fee that it listed, and I had found another copy in which there was a proposed $1 membership fee. Maybe the Northwest conservative nature won the lower proposed fee because membership fees remained at .50 cents several years after.

If you would like to investigate additional Oregon library history, please check out A Journey Through Time which is posted on the OLA web site.  Enjoy!!!

 

1946 Funding of Libraries Through Oregon Taxes

For those historian out there, here is an interesting snapshot of the Oregon Counties in 1946-47 that funded libraries and their taxable allotment.

Oregon Counties Taxable Property Values, Population, and Support of Libraries 1946-47.

 

Oregon Communities Served by Public Libraries in 1946-47.

 

First Oregon Bookmobile?

Photo of Old Bookmobile

This Allegheny County bookmobile is a larger version of what an early Oregon bookmobile could have looked like. (Photo source: http://aclabookmobile.org/aboutus.html)

During my research at the Oregon State Library (also known informally as the State of Oregon Library), I ran across a fun bit of information for those bookmobile folks out there. Back in 1946, the “Library Board of Various Counties [of the] State of Oregon” inquired about ordering a custom vehicle capable of performing bookmobile service from the Grout Implementing and Truck Company of Vancouver Washington.

It is unknown if this was the only bid submitted–it is likely that there were others. And it is not certain from this bid letter whether a bookmobile was actually purchased, but it is fun to try to imagine it.

So what could this first bookmobile have looked like? It would have been very basic from the trucking company’s proposed description. It was 21 feet long, nearly 8 feet wide, and no taller than 9 feet 4 inches in height. And it cost roughly $7,200 per vehicle.

The frame would have been made of dried fir reinforced with steel, and the exterior would have consisted of aluminum sheets. The walls and ceiling would have had two inches of insulation and been covered by 1/2 inch-thick plywood sheets. The floors made of 1 inch-thick fir wood and covered with “battleship linoleum.” “Safety glass” would have been used on the windshield, door and rear windows. The hood would have been metal and contained asbestos. The wheel housings would have been “dust proof and sealed,” and two windshield wipers in the front and one for the back.

It would have had two adjustable “bucket seats” with possibly a third so that the book mobile could carry a driver and two passengers. The steering wheel would have been vertical to allow the driver to “sit well forward,” along with other custom modifications. Plus it had “two gopher fans” at the windshield for air circulation and defrosting, and a Stewart Warner gasoline heater for heat.

Inside the main part of the bookmobile, “suitable shelving” would have been attached to the walls and floor. The dimensions of the shelves were 10 inches deep, one foot between shelves that would go from the floor to ceiling, and tilted at a 15 degree angle with rubber matting so books wouldn’t slide off of the shelves while driving.

A dome light would have been attached to the ceiling, powered by a separate 32 volt generator that came from “war surplus” or a heavy duty policy-type 32 volt battery.

To view the scanned original document, click here.  It also has some interesting notes about knowing your library written on the back of the document.

1909 OR/WA Library Conference?

Was the first OLA conference actually held in 1909 instead of 1942? 

Well, no…  It turns out that the letter below actually is in regards to the creation of the Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA), which was formally established in Seattle during a three day conference in June 1909, rather than the first Oregon Library Association (OLA) conference that was held in 1942.

I ran across the  letter below in the State Library during a recent search for past OLA conference programs. This 1909 invitation letter is from Cornelia Marvin, the State Library’s first librarian, to Adelaide Lilley, the first librarian of the Carnegie Library of Eugene, better known today as the Eugene Public Library, to attend a “joint meeting of the Oregon-Washington Association in Seattle.”

Some interesting facts about Adelaide is that she trained to become a librarian at the age of 47 after the death of her husband in 1904, and served as a librarian at the City Library of Eugene when it first opened on August 20th, 1906, until she died in 1933.

Also interesting to note are the members of the Oregon Library Commission, which include Oregon’s Governor (George E. Chamberlain), State Superintendent (J. H. Ackerman), President of the University (P. L. Campbell), Librarian of the Portland Library (Mary F. Isom), W. B. Ayer, and Secretary of the Oregon Library Commission Cornelia Marvin (and as mentioned before, the State Library’s first librarian).

1909 Invitation

1909 Invitation (Photo taken with phone camera, please excuse the poor quality.)

Past Oregon Library Association (OLA) Conference Programs, 1942 to Present

A few years ago I served on the Oregon Library Association (OLA) Programming Committee to help organize the annual conference. During that time, I was intrigued by the lack of access to past OLA conference programs, even to just the prior year. At the time, as a first time presenter at the conference I was also curious to see what kinds of past programs the Academic College Research Libraries (ACRL) Division of Oregon had sponsored in the past. I was also curious about the conference logos (as a graphic designer hobbyist) and general conference themes.

So I asked around, starting with my committee members. They, however, did not have any copies of past conference programs, except for the committee chair who only had the previous two years. I was sure that OLA would have digital copies of these somewhere. After all, the conference programs reflect the cultural history of this organization and provide context to the important issues facing libraries at the time. But I was wrong and there were no digital copies.

I continued to ask OLA officials, and a few had personal copies of years they attended stashed away in folders. Finally, someone had mentioned that the State of Oregon Library might have copies. So I verified this and setup an appointment to look through their collection. I was a little surprised to find them heaped in several cardboard boxes with thick layers of dust. As I began to look through them, it seemed as if they had been left in these boxes for decades, nearly forgotten in the depths of the building. But on the top was multiple copies of the conference program from the previous year. Thankfully someone had been collecting these over the years, or as I would find out later, had collected selectively.

Why didn’t someone provide copies of the OLA conference programs online? Were they viewed as unimportant? Was it really that much of an issue to scan these and put them online? When I asked these questions, the common answers I received were that “no one had ever felt the need to do so before,” “there have always been other digital projects that were more pressing,” and “maybe it needed to be scanned appropriately to retain the highest quality.” So they sat in boxes on a shelf in a dark room waiting for their chance to reappear. They must have been waiting for me!

So I obtained permission to borrow the boxes of programs from the State of Oregon Library to scan them, and over the course of several days I scanned all of the programs. I provided a copy of the scanned images to the State of Oregon Library as a thank you. And over the next two years of periodic work on this project, I cleaned up the scanned images, tracked down missing conference programs and information about the programs as best as I could, and placed what I had online. Below are the results.

I hope to analyze these programs and write a little more about the OLA conference history on this blog, and perhaps submit something to the Oregon Library Association Quarterly journal for publication. I’m especially excited about the OLA and Oregon Association of School Libraries (OASL) vote at this year’s OLA and OASL Conferences (2012) to merge together. By looking through the past of OLA, the present and future may gain additional synergy and future growth. (Perhaps someone from the OASL would like to scan old conference programs too!) Enjoy these PDFs!

NOTE: While I did scan these documents and the general public may freely access these, copyright of the images and text in the documents belongs to the Oregon Library Association (OLA).  Until they are “properly scanned” and made available to the general public by OLA or another related professional organization, I intend to provide these scanned versions on this site (Libraryshoptalk.wordpress.com).

As you’ll notice, several years are missing, particularly current years. If you have any of the missing conference programs, please contact John Repplinger at jrepplin@willamette.edu.  These are the missing years: 1943, 1945, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1958, 1967, 1971, 1980

Oregon Library Association (OLA) Conference Programs

1946 to present (various date)

 1942 Program Cover

1942, January 24

 Salem

1st Annual

(Mid-Winter Conference)

 Conference Summary & Signatures of Attendees

1943 Conference program is missing

1943 Conference Attendees
 1944 Program Cover

1944, May 6

Salem

2nd Annual

 

1945 Conference program is missing

 1946 Program Cover

1946, May 25

Salem

4th Annual

 

1947 Conference program is missing

 1948 Program Cover

1948, May 22

Portland

6th Annual

 

1949 Conference program is missing

1950 Conference program is missing

 1951 Program Cover

1951, May 19

Eugene

9th Annual

“Let’s Develop”

 
 1952 Program Cover

1952, May 9-10

Ashland

10th Annual

“Our American Heritage”

 
 1953 Program Cover

1953

11th Annual

“Facing the Future: Books Speak for Themselves… Let the Librarians Speak, Too”

 
 1954 Program Cover

1954, April 30-May 1

Corvallis

12th Annual

“Oregon Libraries in Action”

 
 1955-cover

1955, April 29-30

La Grande

13th Annual

 
 

1956, April 17-28

Salem

14th Annual

 
 

1957, May 3-4

Portland

15th Annual

 

1958 Conference program is missing

 

1959, May 8-9

Bend

17th Annual

 
 

1960, April 29-30

Eugene

18th Annual

 
 1961-cover

1961, April 28-29

Medford

19th Annual

“The Challenges of the Sixties”

 
 1962-cover

1962, April 27-28

Pendleton

20th Annual

“The Book in the Picture”

 
 1963-cover

1963, April 26-27

Portland

21st Annual

“The Library Meets the Community”

 
 1964-cover

1964, April 23-25

Salem

22nd Annual

“Libraries – Oregon – 1964″

 
 1965-cover

1965, April 22-24

Coos Bay

23rd Annual

“Design for Progress”

 
 1966-cover

1966, April 28-30

Klamath

24th Annual

“Planning for Progress”

 

1967 Conference program is missing

 1968-cover

1968, April 25-27

Gearhart

26th Annual

“Vanquishing Boundaries in Librarianship”

 
 1969-cover

1969, April 9-12

Salem

27th Annual

 
 1970-cover

1970, April 16-18

Portland

28th Annual

“Libraries in the 70s are for people and books”

 

1971 Conference program is missing

 1972-cover

1972, April 27-29

Roseburg

30th Annual

“Cushion Conflict with Cooperation”

 
 1973-cover

1973, April 26-28

Pendleton

31st Annual

Action in Today’s World

 
 1974-cover

1974, April 25-27

Corvallis

32nd Annual

 
 1975-cover

1975, April 10-12

Medford

33rd Annual

 

& Revised Schedule (PDF)

 1976-cover

1976, April 28-May 1

Lincoln City

34th Annual

 
 1977-cover

1977, April 21-23

Marylhurst

35th Annual

 
 1978-cover

1978, April 20-22

Eugene

36th Annual

“Statistics are the Beacon of Our Happy Life”

 
 1979-cover

1979, April 19-21

Portland

37th Annual

“Looking Toward the 80′s”

 

1980 Conference program is missing

 1981-cover

1981, April 22-25

39th Annual

 
 1982-cover

1982, April 14-17

Portland
(1st OLA/WLA Conference)

40th Annual

“Libraries – Pure Gold”

 
 1983-cover

1983, April 7-9

Eugene

41st Annual

“Making Libraries Fit”

 

& Handout (PDF)

 1984-cover

1984, April 11-14

Welches

42nd Annual

“OLA 1984″

 
 1985-cover

1985, April 10-13

Pendleton

43rd Annual

“Oregon Libraries on the Next Frontier: Communication, Credibility, Creativity”

 
 1986-cover

1986, April 20-23

Gleneden Beach

44th Annual

“Dewey Did – Do We? Or Back to Basics”

 
 1987-cover

1987, April 22-25

Portland

45th Annual

“Libraries: Pure Gold2″

 
 1988-cover

1988, April 6-9

Eugene

46th Annual

“Libraries: Window to the World”

 

& Handout (PDF)

 1989-cover

1989, April 5-8

Sun River

47th Annual

“Libraries Give us Wings”

 

& Map (PDF)

 1990-cover

1990, March 28-31

Portland

48th Annual

“50 Year Celebration: 1940-1990″

 

& Handout (PDF)

 1991-cover

1991, April 10-13

Ashland

49st Annual

“Oregon Libraries: Together into the Future”

 
 1992-cover

1992, April 8-11

Portland

50th Annual

“Innovate!”
(3rd OLA/WLA Conference)

 
 1993-cover

1993, March 31- April 3

Eugene

51st Annual

“Ideals into Action”

 

& Handout (PDF)

 1994-cover

1994, April 6-9

Sun River

52nd Annual

“Commitment, Connection, Clout”

 
 1995-cover

1995, April 26-29

Portland

53rd Annual

“Creating New Connections”

 
 1996-cover

1996, April 26-27

Portland

54th Annual

“Oregon’s Promise: Intellectual Freedom”

 
 1997-cover

1997, April 23-26

Portland

55th Annual
(OLA/WLA Conference)

“Get Wired, Get Inspired”

 
 1998-cover

1998, March 30-April 1

Eugene

56th Annual

“Reboot, Refresh, Restore”

 
 1999-cover

1999, March 31-April 2

Seaside

57th Annual

“Make a Wave: Educate, Advocate, Lead”

 
 2000-cover

2000, April 5-7

Portland

58th Annual

“Libraries: A Proud Tradition, A Bright Future”

 
 2001-cover

2001, March 28-30

Seaside

59th Annual

“Libraries: A Proud Tradition, A Bright Future”

 
 2002-cover

2002, April 17-20

Portland

60th Annual

“Building Bridges”

 

& Additional Program Information (PDF)

 2003-cover

2003, April 23-25

Corvallis

61st Annual

“Steering the Flexible Course”

 
 2004-cover

2004, April 14-16

Eugene

62nd Annual

“Diversity, Not Window Dressing”

 
 2005-cover

2005, April 6-8

Portland

63rd Annual

“The Power in Collaboration”

 
 2006-cover

2006, April 5-7

Salem

64th Annual

“Thriving on Change, Embrace the Possibilities”

 
 2007-cover

2007, April 18-20

Corvallis

65th Annual

“Civics, Cyberspace, Change”

 
 2008-cover

2008, April 16-18

Vancouver

66th Annual

“OLA/WLA: Sharing More Than a Boarder”

 2008 Exhibitor List
 2009-cover

2009, April 1-3

Salem

64th Annual

“One State, Many Stories”

 

2010 Cancelled

Due to PLA Conference in Portland

 2011-cover

2011, April 6-8

Salem

69th Annual

“Libraries Build Communities Build Libraries”

 
 2012-cover

2012, April 25-27

Bend

70th Annual

“Right at the Heart of Things”

 

Notes on the 2011 Oregon Library Association Conference

 

OLA 2011 Logo

I attended the 2011 Oregon Library Association Conference (PDF of program), and came away with the following notes.  It was a wonderful conference!  One nice aspect about the OLA conference is that most of the programs load their PowerPoint presentations and handouts into the Northwest Central web site.  For those who are not familiar with Northwest Central, it is a very nice resource for continuing education networking for library staff in the Pacific Northwest. I attended these programs:

 

They Blinded Me with Science: Turning Qualitative Research into Action
Presenters: Hannah Gascho Rempel, Uta Hussong-Christian and Margaret Mellinger
April 8th, 2011.

http://www.nwcentral.org/files/2011_OLAPresentation.pptx

Basically, this program talked about the Oregon State University Library’s experience of gathering qualitative data through surveying & performing case studies of students and using the info to help support their push to create a physical space within the OSU library specifically for graduate students. It covered different types of information (qualitative versus quantitative), the different types of gathering and evaluating information (using SWOT & TOES analysis, Action Research analysis which is related to the education field, and participatory research analysis).  They focused on the themes of space, services & support for graduate students.  The project was not successful in pushing for the short-term, so they placed this on a medium to long-term list of goals.  The presenters also talked about the importance of communication & networking throughout various stake holders.

All Textbooks on Reserve in the Library!
Presenter: Tony Greiner
April 8th, 2011.
http://www.nwcentral.org/files/OLA%20Textbook%20Presentation.pptx

Abstract from the ACRL-OR web site.  Using grant money, in the fall of 2010, Portland Community College Library tried an experiment at its Cascade Campus Library. It established the goal of the library having at least one copy of every required text for every course taught at the campus that fall. The concept was that putting the texts on reserve might reduce the environmental impact of students buying books, and it would provide immediate access to the texts for students waiting for financial aid. This program will be in two parts- a ‘how we did it’ and a ‘what happened.’ The ‘how we did it’ will give details on how to manage such a project and lessons learned, and ‘what happened’ will present data on changes in circulation, gate count, and anecdotal evidence from the students.

Grantwriting for Youth Services Librarians (and others!)
Presenter: Deborah Hopkinson
April 8th 2011

http://www.nwcentral.org/files/Deborah%20Hopkinson%20Grantwriting%20for%20Youth%20Services%20Librarians%20OLA%202011.ppt

Abstract from Online Northwest.  This presentation provides an overview of the process of grantseeking and proposal writing, and lists some specific resources that may be applicable to youth services librarians. The presenter, also an award-winning children’s author. is vice president of advancement at Pacific Northwest College of Art and former director of foundation relations at Oregon State University Foundation.

Mash-it Up: Cool Tools for Collection Management
Presenter: Robin Paynter
April 7th, 2011.

Abstract from the ACRL-OR web site.  Data mash-ups (data sources pulled together to create new useful information) can be developed on either the local library level or by professional library groups to suit the needs of collection development librarians. Mash-ups are increasingly easy to produce and can be useful in working with faculty, informing collection analyses, and providing additional information during journal cancellation projects. Laurel Kristick (Oregon State University Libraries) will discuss an OSU project using Journal Citation Report and SHERPA RoMEO data to facilitate discussions with faculty to help them make informed decisions on depositing peer-reviewed journal articles in their ScholarsArchive@OSU. Robin Paynter will discuss the ACRL EBSS Psychology Committee Task Force project she lead which developed a new data-rich methodology to create the latest edition of the Committee’s longstanding publication, Core Psychology Journals.

Watzek Rocks: Marketing the College Library
Presenter: Elaine Gass Hirsch & Nikki Williams
April 7th, 2011.

Abstract from the ACRL-OR web site.  Interested in better promotion of the Lewis & Clark College library, the Watzek Library Marketing Team was formed in 2004 to coordinate outreach to our primary clientele of undergraduates and faculty. Building on the team’s successes and with the subsequent creation of a librarian position with focus on library advancement activities, the library’s marketing approach continues to evolve. Additional constituencies, including staff, alumni and donors, are included and there is a developing partnership with the college’s division of institutional advancement. This session will discuss Watzek Library’s marketing successes and learning experiences and showcase our promotional materials.

About the Book Banner

Jumbled Book Banner, 2010

Jumbled Book Banner, 2011

About the new banner.  To put your fears at rest (or not), these books really are in a jumbled pile and are sitting outside in the sun.  In fact, they’re in a very large dumpster with thousands of other journals.  But don’t worry–they are supposed to be there!

During the summer of 2010, my library withdrew 15-20,000 journal volumes.  I can’t remember the exact number off the top of my head, but it was an incredible amount which equates to thousands of linear feet.  It was sad to see them go, but we have digital copies of these journals as part of the JSTOR collection, and were in desperate need of space.  We also have a library policy (paraphrased) that says we’re to avoid duplication as much as possible.

Library staff spent weeks prepping the withdrawn journals, identifying appropriate journals, talking with faculty that would be affected by this withdrawn items, organizing volunteers, pulling journals from shelves & placing them on book carts (we used every available book cart in our building & had them stacked & ready to go for the Big Day).

The Big Day came, and a large dumpster was deposited in the middle of the campus parking lot instead of right in front of our library building. The reason for putting the dumpster in the middle of the parking lot was that it was the easiest spot to leave & pick up the dumpster.  I wasn’t sure if it was to be a little more subtle about the project (lessen the likelihood of people asking why the library’s putting a ton of journals in a dumpster), but the dumpster was so large that it was impossible to miss.

All library staff for the most part were on deck, ready to help. We also had a large crew from our facilities department with two small motorized carts to help.  We filled both of the motorized vehicles to the point of almost blowing tires, then took the journals out to the dumpster to be pitched.

It took all morning during that hot summer day, but we filled the gigantic dumpster. The problem was that we were only half way done!  We had thousands of volumes left to discard.  So we got another gigantic dumpster the following day, and repeated the process with even more people involved.

Overall, the entire process went very smoothly.  We only had one journal series that were accidentally removed.  Those were eventually found half way under the mound of journals in the dumpster and quickly restored to their rightful place on the shelves.  There were also a number of people who were dumpster diving for the old classic.

After many hours of moving books (what a workout!), we began the long process of shifting journals.  This took a week to complete even with shifts of people working together.  I took pictures throughout the entire project–it’s not every day you see thousands of journals in a dumpster!

Feel free to use these images.  I just ask that you don’t sell these photos though and to cite them; you got them from the Library Shop Talk blog.  Thank you and enjoy the photos!

 

Journal Mound 1

Journal Mound 2

Red Book Spine in Day Light

 

 

Books in the Blue Sky

Loaded Book Carts

The Dumpster

Yellow Electric Cart

Journal Stacks Before Removal

The Stacks

After Removal

 

 

E-Books Through HarperCollins

HarperCollins Publisher LogoThe e-book world was shaken up by recent policy changes from HarperCollins regarding their e-book collections.  In February and March, messages from various library-related email started to fly that a major book publisher, HarperCollins, had placed a limit on the number of times (twenty-six times) an e-book could be viewed before it would be withdrawn from a library’s electronic collection.  After this number is reached, libraries and consumers would then be obligated to purchase the e-book again.

Many individual librarians have threatened to boycott HarperCollins if they do not change this new policy.  The American Library Association’s President, Roberta Stevens, issued an official press release that criticized HarperCollins for the decision, and encouraging the publisher to work with libraries to develop contemporary policies that are in the best interest of publishers, libraries, readers, and authors alike.

It is understandable that publishers want to make money from selling books, and e-books are considerably different than their print counterparts.  They do not take up valuable shelf space, they do not physically wear down as traditional books do, they do not cost as much to produce and distribute (see former post on this topic), more people have mobile devices to access e-books than ever before and are accessing e-books (see former post on this topic).

Part of the issue is the timing of this new policy.  The decision by HarperCollins comes at a time when library resources are scare, and librarians are upset that their money-strapped institutions will be asked to pony up more money for a book that they already purchased, especially without first being consulted. I also recognize that the e-book industry is changing and growing very rapidly, and that publishers want to harness control of this growth before it gets out of hand.

Also, during economic hard times, print books can last much longer than 26 uses if there is the need (and if ever there is a need, it is now).  Then ask why place a limit that exists (artificially) for print books on e-books which have extremely different limits to time and physical space (or access).

From the amount of complaints and national attention (international really) against this new pricing scheme, one should ask if this new policy is really worth pursuing for HarperCollins.  The publisher might make more money in the short-term, but may tarnish their good-standing relationship with libraries and the hard-working tax paying public that support libraries.  Hopefully, this decision does not backfire on the publisher, and that HarperCollins will visit this controversial policy at a more appropriate time.

Below is an email from Mr. Josh Marwell, President of Sales at HarperCollins Publishers.  This was distributed publicly on the Libs-Or email list:

10 East 53rd Street
New York
, N.Y  10022-5200
Telephone: 212 207-7000
Fax: 212 207-7909

HarperCollins Publishers

March 1, 2010

HarperCollins is committed to libraries and recognizes that they are a crucial part of our local communities. We count on librarians reading our books and spreading the word about our authors’ good works. Our goal is to continue to sell e-books to libraries, while balancing the challenges and opportunities that the growth of e-books presents to all who are actively engaged in buying, selling, lending, promoting, writing and publishing books.

We are striving to find the best model for all parties. Guiding our decisions is our goal to make sure that all of our sales channels, in both print and digital formats, remain viable, not just today but in the future. Ensuring broad distribution through booksellers and libraries provides the greatest choice for readers and the greatest opportunity for authors’ books to be discovered.

Our prior e-book policy for libraries dates back almost 10 years to a time when the number of e-readers was too small to measure. It is projected that the installed base of e-reading devices domestically will reach nearly 40 million this year. We have serious concerns that our previous e-book policy, selling e-books to libraries in perpetuity, if left unchanged, would undermine the emerging e-book eco-system, hurt the growing e-book channel, place additional pressure on physical bookstores, and in the end lead to a decrease in book sales and royalties paid to authors. We are looking to balance the mission and needs of libraries and their patrons with those of authors and booksellers, so that the library channel can thrive alongside the growing e-book retail channel.

We spent many months examining the issues before making this change. We talked to agents and distributors, had discussions with librarians, and participated in the Library Journal e-book Summit and other conferences. Twenty-six circulations can provide a year of availability for titles with the highest demand, and much longer for other titles and core backlist. If a library decides to repurchase an e-book later in the book’s life, the price will be significantly lower as it will be pegged to a paperback price point. Our hope is to make the cost per circulation for e-books less than that of the corresponding physical book. In fact, the digital list price is generally 20% lower than the print version, and sold to distributors at a discount.

We invite libraries and library distributors to partner with us as we move forward with these new policies. We look forward to ongoing discussions about changes in this space and will continue to look to collaborate on mutually beneficial opportunities.

To continue the discussion, please email library.ebook@HarperCollins.com

Google’s Digital Literacy Tutorial

I recently stumbled upon an information literacy tool put together by Google for educators called the Digital Literacy Tour.  It appears to have been around since at least September 15, 2009.  I’m not sure how I ran across this resource, but the parallels with educating users about the digital environment caught my attention and deserve discussion.

Image source: google.com/educators/digitalliteracy.html

This is an excellent resource for educators who want to discuss aspects of safety, ownership (copyright in disguise), courtesy, honest, and how to avoid some of the threats or dangers of the Internet.  It is also tied into the larger Google for Educators site, which has resources classrooms, classroom activities and posters, an educator’s discussion group (email list), and information about a Google certification program for the professional development of teachers.

The three “Workshops” provided on the Digital Literacy Tour includes the topics of detecting lies and staying true, playing and staying safe online, and steering clear of cyber tricks.  Each consist of four or five resources (videos, guidebooks, handouts, and a presentation to accompany a lesson).  The workshops are geared toward K-12 primary & secondary education students and educators of those age groups.  Parents should also take a look at the Digital Literacy Tour so that they are aware of the issues (plus they may even learn a thing or two)!

While the videos are short in length (roughly under 2 minutes long–see example), they do a good job of educating students on the basics of being a responsible Internet citizen in entertaining ways.

The instructor guidebooks are under 30 pages, and packed with useful info.  Below is a sample table of contents from the Playing It Safe Online guidebook.  There are a few lesson plans with subsections of topics for educators to cover, and all of the lessons are short and to the point which make them ideal for working these topics into the curriculum on the side OR devoting an entire class(es) to the topic at hand.

Image source: google.com/educators/digitalliteracy.html

Sample Overview of the Playing It Safe Online Guidebook
Teaching Tips 1
Lesson Plan 1: Personal is Personal 2
Lesson Plan 2: Be Respectful to Yourself and Others 5
Lesson Plan 3: Be Street Smart 8
Instructor Toolkit:
Lesson 1: I Know/I Want to Know 13
Lesson 1: Video Summary Staying Safe Online, Part 1 14
Lesson 1: Guidelines for Creating Strong Passwords 15
Lesson 1: Password Activity: Answer Sheet 16
Lesson 1: Reputation Management: Profile 1 – Answer Sheet 17
Lesson 1: Reputation Management: Profile 2 – Answer Sheet 18
Lesson 1: Reputation Management: Profile 3 – Answer Sheet 19
Lesson 2: Video Summary Staying Safe Online, Part 2 20
Lesson 2: Online Citzenship Rules 21
Lesson 2: Actions to Take with Online Bullies 23
Lesson 3: Video Summary Staying Safe Online, Part 3 24
Lesson 3: Street Smart Activity: Answer Sheet 25

Image source: Google's "I Keep Safe document"

The student handouts (see example) include activities that help students identify key characteristics of digital information and the Internet, such as a checklist comparing three different web sites and common domain name extension (e.g. .edu, .com, .org, .gov).

And to round out the resource, there is a PowerPoint document for each of the workshop topics that educators can use for classroom presentations (see example).  The outline of each parallels the videos that students watch.  This allows the educator to go at their own speed to cover the topic at hand.

Overall, this will be a very useful resource for educators (and parents) to educate their students on “digital literacy.”

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