The End, Again....

So what have I learned...a lot.

The first time around Web 2.0 was so foreign to me that this activity contributed to several mini breakdowns and embarrassing tantrums. But in the end I'm glad for it because I discovered that I had erected so many mental road blocks to unfamiliar technologies that I was in danger of becoming a techno-phobe. I found out that most of the Web 2.0 platforms out there make it very easy and I had caused myself frustration for no reason. 

I was also forced to confront my tendency to be inflexible. And as they say awareness is half the battle. So now even though it may a format or service I will never use I realize I owe it to myself and have an obligation to the future library patrons I will serve to be knowledgeable and skilled. 

As for Information Literacy, I think it is central to any and all librarianship. There are so many resources available to us as teachers and learners. And Web 2.0 allows us to be really creative in making information literacy compelling and interesting. It seems like we live in a world saturated with information but it can really challenging to filter through it. Ultimately, the information is only as good as our ability to find and critically evaluate it. 

Like the old adage...

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

 

I say...

Give a person the information and you feed their mind for a day. Teach a person to find the information and you feed their mind for a lifetime.

Or something like that :)

Social Networking...

Social Networking...I think we are all familiar with it by now. Who or what doesn't have a Facebook page nowadays?

I work in a small academic library and the office manager has a Facebook page she uses to keep in touch with all the student assistants. I think that concept could be expanded to a forum for all students to have access to library information and resources. 

Since I am already familiar with FB I poked around a Ning page for Law Librarians. Ning is a nifty platform for professionals to create a site. It allows for groups, photos, blogging, videos. While it isn't completely free for small groups up to 150 members it only costs $2.95 a month or $19.95 a year.

The site I looked at can be found at 

http://lawlibraries.ning.com/

 

My first impression is that this is a great tool for librarians and Information Literacy teachers to network, collaborate, and share ideas. There are multiple group pages for local librarians, various topics, and issues. They have an Information Literacy group where members can contribute and comment on teaching legal research skills. 

 

I thought this was a great way to have a dialogue about ways to teach IL and to learn from each others experiences.