Category: News

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Atlas Companion Site is Moving

UPDATE: The URL has been redirected (though it can take up to a day for the change to take effect).

New Atlas Screen ShotThe contents of the Atlas of New Librarianship’s companion site are moving from a stand alone server to my site to join all the other New Librarianship activities.

You can access all that content now here: https://davidlankes.org/?page_id=7071

Next week I will begin redirecting the URL http://www.NewLibrarianship.org to the New Librarianship pages of my blog. So you can use that URL to get information on the Atlas, Expect More, and all related activities.

I’d like to thank the IT folks at ALA for hosting the site to this point. I’d also like to thank Liz Crowder, my great Faculty Assistant for doing the moving.

Please let me know if you see any issues with the new site.

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Announcing My New Book: The Boring Patient

The following is information about my new book, but I wanted to start out with a thank you to the readers of this blog. Thank you for all your support through my cancer journey. Thank you for your input and ideas on the book and the encouragement to write it up. If you read my cancer posts you have a sense of the tone and humor in the book. However, the book is much more than just a compilation of blog posts. It tells my story, and speaks directly to caregivers and medical professionals. It also has my standard rants, jokes, and sermons. I hope you enjoy the book.

To my librarian friends, I need your help. Please help me get out the word on the book. Let’s show the world that librarians and libraries are indeed friends to authors.

Now available:

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This book is not about cancer. It is about how David Lankes, professor and father, responded to being diagnosed, living with, and being treated for cancer. That is an important distinction because cancer is not funny. Cancer sucks. Cancer does not teach, cancer does not preach, cancer does not comfort, or inspire, or inform. Cancer kills. How one responds to cancer? That is a completely different matter.

In this cross between memoir, case study, and a lecture, Lankes takes the reader on a humor ladened trip through a Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosis, chemotherapy, and ultimately a bone marrow transplant (technically an autologous stem cell transplant).

This book is for others living through a journey with cancer. and those in the business of delivering health care like doctors, med students, nurses, and medical administrators.

You can buy it now via CreateSpace (my preference) and Amazon. You can also get the eBook via Amazon (and Amazon Unlimited).

Check out the book’s homepage for a sample chapter and additional information.

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New Website

Screen Shot 2014-09-17 at 2.03.31 PMSo while you’re waiting for iOS8 to install – or whatever normal people do – take a look at my new home on the web. It’s prettier. No real new content, just a new look and feel. All the old links should still work. Let me know what you think.

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Expect More…Audio

StereoFish[TL;DR version: Working with Circulating Ideas and the NerdAbsurb podcasts I’m making an Expect More Audio book.]

There are some great reasons for doing books with publishers. You get great editorial and design assistance. There is no way I could have done the Atlas of New Librarianship without MIT Press and ACRL. However, there also a lot of benefits to self-publishing. One of them is complete control of your intellectual property. So I can decide to make Expect More free to download: prioritizing reach over income (it also helps to have a day job). I can also use something like Expect More to try new things which brings me to today’s post.

I want to try and make an audio book. I want to learn about the whole recording/editing/publishing thing. I thought some of you might want to come along for the ride. So, I am recoding Expect More as an audio book. Based on suggestions from you folks, starting next week I’ll be releasing the book as a set of podcasts a chapter every two weeks.

Rather than starting a new podcast, I am lucky enough to partner with some fantastic sites. Circulating Ideas and the NerdAbsurd podcasts will be publishing the chapters throughout the fall. I also plan to compile all the recordings and sell it as an audio book through Audible.

Here’s the anticipated schedule:

Sept 9: Introduction and Chapter 1. The Arab Spring: Expect the Exceptional
Sept 23: Chapter 2. The Argument for Better Libraries: Expect Impact
Oct 7: Chapter 3. The Mission of Libraries: Expect More Than Books
Oct 21: Chapter 4. Facilitating Knowledge Creation: Expect to Create
Nov 4: Chapter 5. Improve Society: Expect Grander
Nov 18: Chapter 6. Communities: Expect a Platform
Dec 2: Chapter 7. Librarians: Expect Brilliance
Dec 16: Chapter 8. Action Plan: Expect More

Along the way I plan on posting some information on what I’m learning in the process.

Here is some more information on the Circulating Ideas and NerdAbsurd podcasts:

Circulating Ideas is the librarian interview podcast hosted by Steve Thomas. Since 2011, it has facilitated conversations about the innovative people and ideas moving libraries through the 21st century and beyond. Find the show online at www.circulatingideas.com and on Twitter @circideas.

NerdAbsurd started in September 2012 with some friends who met at the Dallas Makerspace. The podcast began with four members and was based on science, technology, and cultural topics from the standpoint of semi-hip 20-somethings.   Now, two years later, half of us are in our 30?s, and we still stand by our motto: Not in enough for the in crowd, not out enough for the out crowd.  We are NerdAbsurd.

Have other ideas or advice on an audio book, please share.

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Nerd Absurd’s 100th Podcast

I’m a big fan of the Nerd Absurd podcast and had a blast talking to Virginia, Nick, Leland, and Andrew. We talked libraries, maker spaces, MOOCs, tenure and academia. Perhaps that’s why I have such a good time….they let me ramble.

Take a listen and check out their other great episodes at: http://nerdabsurd.com

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I Want Your Blood…Donated

As many of you know, I have been battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma for the past year. I’ve been through chemo and most recently a stem cell transplant. Throughout this entire ordeal, I have received numerous blood transfusions that have enabled me to keep fighting. Through the kindness of others, I have been able to live.

So, to pay it forward, my wife, friends, and I are coordinating a blood drive with the American Red Cross on Wednesday, June 4th. It will take place at Holy Cross Church in Dewitt, NY from 1:00-7:00pm. We are asking everyone to please consider coming out and donating blood that day. It’s such a wonderful thing you can do for those who really could use your help. It takes about an hour of your time although the actual donation takes about 10 minutes.

You can contact my wife directly (AMDLRDL@YAHOO.COM) to set up an appointment or call the American Red Cross. Please join us in giving back to our community!

I’d also ask my area librarian friends to post a flyer (download it here) on any community boards you may have. And feel free to pass this along to others who may be able to help. Together we can make a difference! Thank you.

Blood Drive

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IMLS Grant Funding Program to Boost Library Workers’ Online Teaching Skills

A press release on a new IMLS grant we’re doing with the fantastic folks at South Central Regional Library Council

Original story at http://ischool.syr.edu/newsroom/index.aspx?recid=1620

IMLS Grant Funding Program to Boost Library Workers’ Online Teaching Skills

By: Diane Stirling
(315) 443-8975

3logosThe School of Information Studies (iSchool), as a partner with the South Central Regional Library Council of Ithaca and The 3Rs Association, Inc., will be developing a program to strengthen the teaching and learning skills of library workers who provide outreach education using online learning environments.

A grant of $336,665 has just been awarded to support the three-year project by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) via its Laura Bush 21st Century Librarians Program. The monies will enable development of a program to guide transfer of in-person teaching skills and pedagogy to the online environment; help librarian-trainers evaluate and gain experience with various online delivery platforms; and teach library workers how people learn effectively in online education situations.

Project principal investigator is Mary-Carol Lindbloom, executive director of the South Central Regional Library Council. She conceived the skill-building program and invited the iSchool to participate. iSchool Professor R. David Lankes is Syracuse University’s liaison to the project. He will provide input into course development and delivery and oversee graduate assistant and hourly students who will be hired to help implement the program. iSchool faculty members Marilyn Plavovos Arnone and Jill Hurst-Wahl, plus WISE distance-education coordinator Alison Miller, also will help formulate program content.

The group plans to develop “train the trainer” materials for 120 librarians who are responsible for providing continuing education through their libraries. They also will develop an online learning segment, to deliver to 240 librarians from throughout New York State that illustrates best practices to support online learning.

Finding What Works

As more teaching changes from in-person classrooms to online platforms, there is a need for clear guidelines on what works and what doesn’t in terms of the pedagogy, technologies, and devices used in the online environment, according to Professor Lankes. “What’s happening is that people are saying, ‘I’ve taught this in person for 10 years; I’ll teach it online.’ Yet, it’s not like ‘shazam’, and you can teach it online. What we’ve learned at Syracuse since we began doing online education in 1993 is that there is no ‘shazam’ to this; there is a lot to think about when you make the transition to online teaching and learning. There are a lot of good instructors who do very interactive things when everyone’s seated around the table. The question then is, how do you do something like that in the online environment?”

Transferring Skills

Professor Arnone said that librarians are experiencing situations where the outreach and education they do increasingly involves online elements. The program will help develop skills for online teaching and unique aspects of learning via an online environment. The goal is to boost presentation and technology skills which library workers can use to conduct effective online sessions. “This is about being able to teach effectively and transfer what you know into an online environment, and understanding the differences in online learning, since not everyone likes it,” Arnone noted.

Those who teach online need to understand how to gain attention, make content relevant and interesting, and build learners’ confidence, while also setting clear expectations for the experience, she added. In addition to addressing those aspects, workers will learn how to offer “multiple means of representation–opportunities to present information in ways that learners can feel good about–so it’s coming to them in the way that they prefer. Addressing disability issues and accessibility for online learners, and the adjustments that can be made for online learning, also will be incorporated, Professor Arnone said.

Materials and presentations created for the program’s 10 informational modules will be available to the worldwide library community through the project’s LibGuides website, via WebJunction, and as disseminated through library conferences and publications.

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No More Speaking Engagements for the Year…and Cancer

The short version: I am not accepting new speaking engagements for the next year.

The longer version: I am accepting no new speaking engagements beyond those I have already committed to, unless they can be pre-recorded.

The long version: On Friday I am having surgery to find out if a recent “suspicious” scan indicates remaining cancer. Hopefully, it is nothing. It could, however, indicate the need for additional treatment. In any case, it has become clear in the past month that I cannot simply return to life as usual following my chemo. To remove some uncertainty, and to prevent leaving folks in a lurch, I’m not taking any new engagements.

For now, the plan is to keep those few dates that I have accepted (assuming a negative biopsy). I will only accept new engagements that I can videoconference into, and where a recorded version of my remarks is acceptable as a back-up.

Last year I had to cancel too many engagements. I have organized conferences, and I know how hard a last minute cancelation is. Even if this biopsy is negative, I know that for the next few months (years really) it will be a wait and see situation.

I still hope to be involved in the field, and hope to travel to conferences. However, my focus is on my family and recovery first. I will let you all know how I am doing as well.

I will also never write an “all clear” blog post again…they appeared to be cursed.

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Expect More at SXSW

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The Digital Public Library of America announced the availability of LibraryBoxes throughout the SXSW conference (and Austin). Folks can connect wirelessly to these boxes and download books, videos and other digital files. We’ve included my Expect More book for those attending the conference. Thanks to Rachel Frick and Margy Avery for making this happen. Enjoy.

More can be found on their blog post: DPLA, LIBRARYBOX AND SXSWI (http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/dplaalpha/2013/03/09/dpla-librarybox-and-sxswi/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter)