Librations

Last week I was browsing through the links provided by my friends on Facebook (impressed by the way we are all using these technologies to increasingly share and disseminate information) and I came across a snarky commented link by a former professor of mine from my college years. He had shared a link to an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education  about  “teaching naked”. Whoa! Wait! What? No, it’s not an article about liberating your inner nudist, but actually about teaching without the comfort of certain computer technology (I know… not quite so exciting, huh?). You can read the article for yourself but it’s basically calling for college lecturers and professors to stop using their powerpoint presentations as a crutch and go back to lecturing and creative teaching. This article caught my attention on several levels: as a student who experienced the transition to powerpoint presentations from straight lectures in college, as a graduate student in a School of Information where digital information technology is pervasive and ever present, as a budding champion of information literacy. I personally think this article should be printed out, old-fashioned style, and put in every (SI) professor’s mailbox, but that’s another story. The article has a great point, that I hope I can carry with me as I move through my profession: to really reach people you have to be creative, innovative, and passionate about what you’re sharing. You can’t rely on your slides to push you through your “lesson”. You have to reach inside yourself and [insert cheesy imagery about self-esteem here, personally I see Bastion fighting the Nothing or the Goonies pooling their talents to beat the Fratellis and get the Rich Stuff]. I know this sounds quite idyllic and naive and I know that it can be hard to be “innovative” all the time but teaching and learning isn’t a solo project–it’s an iterative process through which students and teachers share and analyze information. (Right? At least I think it’s supposed to be that way). It’s a challenge to find or create, as we have all discussed, “teachable moments” in a daily professional setting. But the article cites some interesting evidence about how lectures are more memorable if taught in a dynamic way that includes discussion and two-way communication. The article reminded me that no matter how technologies change, the way we as human beings interact and bond with each other doesn’t necessarily change. We all want to be part of the conversation and feel like we have something personal to contribute or to gain from interactions (even in class). This is why I totally agree with the article’s premise: that profs (and any other teachers–librarians, project coordinators, whatever) need to be dynamic and inclusive when they are sharing their knowledge with others. I think we’ve all seen examples of using technology to extend the power of sharing (ahem, what are you reading right now?) and examples of how it can be used as a crutch with narcoleptic results (I will not name names). So as we move forward in our lives and try to share our experiences with others we have to remember not to let our technology control us, but to control our technology. Isn’t there a movie quote about that somewhere?

This weekend, three Librations team members (Emily, Katie, and Hung) began the long process of preparing for the ideal future — that is, a future where libraries are dominated (and known for) Segway Reference. What, you ask, is a Segway Reference? I will do my best to describe the experience:

Imagine if you can a library with wide aisles and lots of room to maneuver. Now add in the obligatory patron or two, quietly or loudly studying, reading, or computing. Pepper in some high ceilings for good measure, and a pinch of natural light. Now, with your mind’s ear, sprinkle in a little humming — it’s coming closer. What is that noise? It sounds like… a floor being waxed in the next room over. Or maybe an electric mixer, bread-hook attachment confidently working through some particularly difficult dough. As the sound grows ever closer, you can’t help but raise your head expectantly, waiting for whatever it is to round the corner, while the book stacks in front of you don’t even tremble at its approach.

Suddenly she shoots out from behind the books, librarian goggles keeping the wind from her eyes, cape flapping behind her, and a giant questionmark emblazoned across her chest. She is laughing! She is zipping through the library, and you realize suddenly that this why you had to sign a liability release form as you entered the building — this is the fabled — the legendary — Segway Reference Librarian. Her steed is, of course — you should have known all along — a gyroscopic, battery-powered human transporter. She glides up to you and pauses, the forward-backward motion of the stop inherently comical. “May I help you?” she asks.

Segway Reference is my dream for the future of libraries. With basic training complete, at least three Masters of Science in Information (Information) are ready for the next step — recruitment.

Let us know what you think of this idea — is it in you?

We hope so.