Service Learning Librarian

Flexibility is extremely important in service learning partnerships.  And anyone who teaches undergraduates knows that students often lack flexibility.  That is one of the challenges of service-learning courses. This week, we encountered an unexpected challenge.  For months, we have been planning a service opportunity for our students to go sort books at a local book distributor who donates books to Project READ, our partner, to distribute to their tutors and clients.  Unfortunately, the warehouse owner recently decided to move locations.  The warehouse will be in ... Continue reading

Our class didn't meet during Week 5 due to the ice storm. We have noticed that some of our students have been finding sources (for homework) that are NOT relevant to the research topic.  For example, some students are turning in citations for articles that focus on computer literacy skills (rather than reading skills), or they find articles that address reading skills among college students (rather than K-8, as Project READ needs).  We spent a lot of time in classes 4 and 6 going over the topic and discussing how articles they found for homework do or do not address their ... Continue reading

Last spring, I approached an English composition instructor, Stephanie Dickey, about integrating a research component into her English 102 service-learning intensive course.  I sent Stephanie Jennifer Nutefall's article: "The relationship between service learning and research."  (see Recommended Reading for the full citation).  Jennifer had done something similar with a composition instructor at George Washington University. Stephanie enthusiastically agreed that I could become librarian-partner for her class, and we are now in the second quarter of our partnership. ... Continue reading

Homework due today, 1/25:  Students viewed the Information Cycle tutorial, produced by Penn State University Libraries; Students also submitted three articles related to their research topic (reading/writing assessment for K-8 students) to a dropbox in the learning management system. Class content:  This morning, our students took their second READINESS ASSURANCE TEST(RAT).  Like the first RAT, the students took the test individually, then took the same RAT as a group.  The group scores, again, were higher than the highest individual score.  The questions for the ... Continue reading

During Tuesday morning's class, our students discussed the web sites they found for homework.  They each found three web sites relating to assessing reading skills for K-8 students.  They decided in groups which they would deem the "best" and discussed with the entire class what criteria they considered in choosing the best web site.  After this practice in evaluating the web sites they chose, we provided a brief introduction to the Education Research Complete database, so they were prepared to find 3 articles on the same topic for homework. We overheard great discussion ... Continue reading

I am pleased to be part of a learning community of faculty members who teach SL courses at Wright State.  In our second meeting today, we discussed the origins of SL and differences in terminology.  Many SL experts have tied the origins of SL to John Dewey and public education; however, some are making arguments now that it ties back to our forefathers, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, asserting that public education is a right.  SL is a relatively "young" pedagogy.  SL, as it is taught today, really dates back to the early 1990s when higher ... Continue reading

Week 1 was full of logistics and housekeeping.  An experienced SL instructor and faculty liaison to the Office of Service Learning, Dr. Sarah Twill (Social Work), presented "What's this service learning thing Cheryl and Maureen are making me do?" The students also met Becky Garvin, the interim director of Project READ, who explained to them what the agency does for our community.  She thanked them for the work they are about to do for Project READ and our community. During tomorrow's class, Week 2, we will introduce the students to the concept of the "invisible web" so they ... Continue reading

This week, I've spent most of my time preparing for my EDT [Educational Technology] 110:  Community Research Connections course.  My co-teacher and I have been in conversations with our community partner, Project READ, since August.  Our students will research assessment tools that reading tutors can use with their students, compile research portfolios and make recommendations to Project READ (PR) based on their findings.    This is a need PR has had for some time, but they haven't had the time to do the research themselves. Starting next week, you' ... Continue reading

Service learning (SL) has been an important part of my career for the past two years.  I devoured SL literature, and discovered that SL is discussed infrequently in the library literature (although I have discovered a few more SL fans in library land).    I integrated SL into four models of  information literacy & library instruction. I hope to share my experiences with other librarians, and start a conversation about the connections between SL and information literacy.  I must admit,  I hope this blog will help propel SL ... Continue reading

My journey with SL began two+ years ago when a colleague and I decided to integrate Service Learning into our credit IL course.  We hoped our students could do research for a local nonprofit that needed it.  Most nonprofit agencies are sorely understaffed and overworked.  It seemed obvious to us that they would appreciate our students' work since it would leave them time to do other things.  It also seemed obvious to us the connections between information literacy curriculum and service learning curriculum.  Both aim to make students active, engaged citizens and ... Continue reading