MASTER OF INFORMATION STUDIES
I am, of course, still studying towards my Master of Information Studies and this is really helping to bring my professional knowledge up-to-date. I'm currently studying 'Research in Practice' which is opening my eyes to the theory and philosophy, as well as the practice, of academic research. Understanding the theories and practice of the research studies that are reported in academic papers enables scholarly articles to be thoroughly evaluated by the reader. This will help me, in my role as Reference Librarian, when I'm evaluating whether a particular scholarly article will be appropriate to a student's or member of staff's needs.
Other recent professional development opportunities have included:
LIBRARIES FOR TOMORROW 2014
I attended the Libraries for Tomorrow conference in October with my colleagues, Azlinda, Xiao Mang, Vani, Zana, Yati and Jaaziel. Both Azlinda and Xiao Mang, my colleagues from the Senior Library, have already written very interesting blogs about the conference:
Azlinda - Libraries for Tomorrow 2014 Conference by LAS
Xiao Mang - Library for Tomorrow 2014
All the presentations can be accessed on the Libraries for Tomorrow 2014 website.
- Stretching the boundaries to enhance library user experience and self-services - Experience from the National Library Board (by Choo Thong Tiong, Kia Siang Hock and Ramachandran Narayan, NLB)
So, as always, I found it interesting to hear about the latest NLB projects. I love the way the NLB are always looking for the next way to move forward. This is key for libraries to remain relevant to our users and NLB are so good at it!
- Sharing on NIE "Library as Space' project (by Chew-Ooi Lian Ping, Hilary Ho, Jacky Wong & Douglas Lau - NIE Library)
The National Institute of Education (NIE) Library is currently embarking on a five-year plan to transform into a teacher education library that is relevant in the 21st century. This transformation is involving a number of areas covering human resources, library buildings and facilities, library resources and services etc.
One project that was recently completed is their 'Library as Space Project' which ran from 2011 -2013. An overview is given here:
Level 2 - Service Space - includes:
One-stop Service Point
Touch Screen WebOPAC
Reserves section
Self-check machines
24 hour bookdrop
Research Commons
Interactive Digital Signage
Private Media Viewing Room
Private discussion pods
Smart room
Elegant gallery
Makerspace with 3D printer
Learning Hub lounge for students
Lounge for staff
Spacious cafe integrated with the Learning Hub lounge
It was particularly interesting to hear about this space, as it is similar to the one that is currently being developed in our library.
Level 4 - Knowledge space, includes private study area and an open area for group study.
The library has received a lot of positive feedback about the changes they have made.
These are just two examples of the interesting presentations from the Libraries for Tomorrow 2014 Conference, you can view more presentations here.
Another event that I attended recently was:
FOBISIA INFORMATION LITERACY JOB-ALIKE WORKSHOP
On Friday 7th and Saturday 8th November Jacqui and I attended a Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA) workshop on Information Literacy, which we hosted here at Tanglin Trust School. Other participants from our school included Celeste (Junior School Teacher Librarian) and Ben (Infant School Teacher Librarian). Our Head of Integrated Technologies for the Infant School, Kim Vernon, also gave a very interesting presentation.
This wordle was created by one of the attendees to give an overview of many of the terms and topics that were covered over the course of the workshop:
Jacqui, Celeste, Ben and I have created an information literacy framework, which is a continuum of the information literacy skills that we expect our students to learn, from Infants right through to Sixth Form students and staff.
This framework is now being taken and put into practice, by using a three-pronged approach:
1. Online support - a number of libguides have been created to support various aspects of information literacy including Research Skills, Referencing and Academic Honesty.
2. Use academic honesty as a vehicle - we have been involved in the creation of a comprehensive academic honesty policy for the school. There have also been presentations on academic honesty for students and professional development workshops for staff, including support staff.
3. Embed i-skills into the curriculum - specific information literacy skills are being explicitly taught by particular faculties. The skills are also being incorporated into inquiry based learning and research projects, and integrated into assessment requirements and rubrics.
As mentioned, in the title of our presentation, this is "a work in progress" and we also covered the various plans we have to continue the progress of integrating information literacy into everyone's lives at Tanglin Trust School.
Information literacy in the UK - Laura Taylor, Junior/Senior Librarian at Dulwich College, Singapore, gave a very interesting overview of information literacy as it currently stands in the UK.
Digital literacy in the curriculum - Kim Vernon, Head of Integrated technology at Tanglin Trust School, talk about how Tanglin has integrated digital literacy into the curriculum and the resources that were used to support this.
Information literacy in the curriculum - Richard Marlow and Peter Dulborough from British International School of Ho Chi Minh, focused on the information literacy curriculum that they have developed across the primary years and the resources that were used to support this, including their own website.
Information literacy in the primary curriculum at Tanglin Trust School - Ben Farr and Celeste Fisher talked about how information literacy has been implemented at the infant and primary level.
It was a very interesting and worthwhile workshop, lots of information was shared about what is going on at different schools in relation to information literacy, with everyone sharing thoughts and ideas.