The new issue of LOEX Quarterly is out and part II of my article is published. It isn't posted in Wright State University's CORE (Campus Online Repository) yet, but it will be there soon. Check back here next week, perhaps: http://core.libraries.wright.edu/handle/2374.WSU/5843 Barry, M. (2011). Librarians as Partners in Service-Learning Courses (Part II). LOEX Quarterly: 38(2), Article 4.
I am very fortunate to have the opportunity this week to travel with the Social and Environmental Sustainability in Appalachia (UH 202-203) course to southeastern Ohio (Athens County). We are learning a ton and making lots of new friends as we complete social and environmental projects in the community.
The new issue of LOEX Quarterly is out, and my article is finally published! Thank you, Brad Seitz, Managing Editor, for your patience and guidance while I was working on this article. Part II will be published in the next issue. Barry, M. (2011). Librarians as Partners in Service-Learning Courses (Part I). LOEX Quarterly: 38(1), Article 5. Check it out if your library belongs to LOEX! According to the LOEX Quarterly site: "Only the most recent four electronic issues (i.e., the most recent year) are password-protected.
It's week 4 of the quarter, and I'm almost literally swimming in service-learning projects. In addition to the information literacy course I co-teach, I'm also librarian-partner for two service-learning courses this quarter. The Honors interdisciplinary course about social and environmental sustainability (UH 202-203) and an English composition course (ENG 102). I am also preparing a syllabus for a service-learning course I will co-teach next quarter, UVC 103: Campus-Community Connections in the First Year.
UH 202-203, Environmental and Social Sustainability in Appalachia, students will come to the library for a research workshop next week. This week, I created a libguide to point them to some resources that can help them think of topics (in addition to class material and the novel they are reading, Strange as this Weather Has Been by Ann Pancake). I showed them the libguide at the beginning of class yesterday and told them the more they think about their topics before they come, the more time they will save during the workshop.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how excited I was to dig into Dan Butin's book Service Learning in theory and practice: The future of community engagement in higher education. I've just started the book this evening. Even in the preface, Butin forces the reader to challenge what they know about service-learning. He proposes that service-learning should find a disciplinary, academic "home" in the curriculum. He suggests that service-learning as it exists now is a "social movement" but he believes we need to think about an academic home for service learning so that it becomes an
It's hard to believe it's been nearly a year since I launched Service Learning Librarian. I'm celebrating a little early since I know I'll be in the throws of teaching, etc. in a few weeks on the actual anniversary.
Another article highlighting an example of integrating service-learning and information literacy found me this morning, Combining academic service-learning and information literacy: A new framework for an introductory women's studies course by Solange Simoes and Suzanna Gray can be found in the Eastern Michigan University Digital Commons at http://commons.emich.edu/sotl/vol2/iss1/8/
This article by Fran Smith did my heart some good! Although quite a few service-learning projects were highlighted, the one that stands out to me involved some high school students who did far more than was asked of them. When they discovered that their community partner school didn't have a library, they took matters into their own hands and built one! My favorite paragraph is this one: "Teachers encouraged the kids to think modestly -- collect old books, raise a few dollars to buy wood and brackets, and recruit parents to build shelves.
For those of you stopping by to see more about my Information Literacy Course, the list of posts about the course can be found here. Or, you ca