Tag Archives: access

A library is not just about books: it’s also a place for the vulnerable | Angela Clarke | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

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Read the full story at the link below. The author’s story underscores the importance of libraries not just to the average person but those with disabilities, health issues and unique needs.

A library is not just about books: it’s also a place for the vulnerable | Angela Clarke | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk.

In April 2013 the genetic condition I suffer from, Ehlers Danlos type III, rendered me immobile. Unable to type, read, watch television, or work, I quickly exhausted my dwindling freelance earnings on spoken word stories. After several weeks of intensive physiotherapy I was allowed to add a gentle stroll to my day. Bored, in pain and lonely, I headed back to the library.

When I saw the aisles full of spoken word CDs, I nearly wept. The man at the information desk assured me I could also order any specific disc I wanted. Having been trapped in my home with little human interaction, chatting with staff about the books was a balm. Embarrassingly, I had to ask how to use the electronic checking-out system. I then had to be issued with a new library card: my original, solidarity-inspired one had never been activated. Shakespeare’s words rang through my head: “O, I have ta’en Too little care of this!’ But the library and its team weren’t concerned by my absence. There was no judgment. I was always welcome.

Collection of Links: MOOCs

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Got MOOC?: Massive open online courses are poised to change the face of education | The Digital Shift
Although it’s clear that there’s a flurry of interest in MOOCs among universities, higher-ed students, the tech industry, and pundits, these free online courses are also likely to have a significant impact on K–12 librarians and other educators. 

From the EDUCAUSE Library on MOOCs, the report What Campus Leaders Need to Know About MOOCs and many more additional resources.

California Universities Aggressively Expand Online Courses, Finds Failure Rates Drop | TechCrunch
The largest university system in America is aggressively expanding its experimental foray into Massive Online Open Learning (MOOCs), based on an unusually promising pilot course. 

The iSchool’s First MOOC: Lessons Learned | Information Space
There is much that still needs to be figured out about MOOCs. 

For Libraries, MOOCs Bring Uncertainty and Opportunity | Wired Campus
A lot of the discussion about massive open online courses has revolved around students and professors. What role can academic librarians play in the phenomenon, and what extra responsibilities do MOOCs create for them?

What Do Librarians Need to Know About MOOCs? | Stephen’s Lighthouse
“The following article appears in the March/April 2013 issue of D-Lib Magazine.”

Chronicle of Higher Education Blog Highlights Key Points from MOOCs and Libraries Event  | Stephen’s Lighthouse
“The “MOOCs and Libraries: Massive Opportunity or Overwhelming Challenge?” event, hosted by OCLC Research and the University of Pennsylvania on 18-19 March, featured thoughtful and provocative presentations about ways libraries are getting involved with massive open online courses (MOOCs), including the challenges and strategic opportunities they are facing.”

MOOCs and Libraries Event | The OCLC Research Channel (YouTube)
Playlist includes videos of the sessions from the “MOOCs and Libraries: Massive Opportunity or Overwhelming Challenge?” event that took place 18-19 March 2013 in which OCLC Research and the University of Pennsylvania Libraries presented thoughtful and provocative presentations about how libraries are already getting involved with MOOCs.  Also see this SlideShare presentation from OCLC: MOOCs & Libraries: Massive Opportunity or Overwhelming Challenge.

10,000 Free Courses Listed in a Massive Open Courses Directory | iLibrarian
The OEDb has just launched a massive Free Online Open Courses Directory organizing nearly 10,000 free courses in the liberal arts and sciences. The courses are available in a variety of formats including full courses, video lectures, audio lectures, text articles, and mixed media.

10 Incredibly Interesting Free Online Courses I’d Like to Take for Fun | iLibrarian
It’s amazing just how many colleges and universities are offering free open education courses that people can take from the convenience of their own computers. I’ve been investigating the offerings at many of these including MIT, University of Notre Dame, UC San Diego and others, and there are many classes that I’d enjoy taking just for fun. Here are ten of my choices, but click into the programs for listings of hundreds more!

Dewey-It-Yourself: How to supplement your library school education | Hack Library School
No matter how great a MLS/MLIS program is there just isn’t enough time and courses to learn everything.

Lynda.com, NYPL Explore New Library-wide Access Model | The Digital Shift
Patrons visiting the New York Public Library’s Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) now have free access to the entire catalog of more than 1,500 instructional online training videos offered by Lynda.com.

Emerging Student Patterns in MOOCs: A (Revised) Graphical View | e-Literate
Describes four student patterns emerging from Coursera-style MOOCs.

Massive Open Online Courses: Legal and Policy Issues for Research Libraries | ARL [Brief]
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) raise significant legal and policy questions for research libraries, which are often asked to support the development of MOOC courses.

Women, Mobility, and Libraries | American Libraries Magazine

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“Long before there were such devices as smartphones and tablets—or personal computing, for that matter—women in librarianship were bringing reading material to people beyond the four walls of a physical library” via Women, Mobility, and Libraries | American Libraries Magazine.

ALA Officials Ask for ‘Equitable Access to E-books at Fair Prices’

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After an eventful week in the press, ALA officials and publishers engaged in a cordial exchange over e-books yesterday at an event hosted by the Association of American Publishers at their Fifth Avenue offices. Under a strict admonishment not to talk about specific business models or policies, due to antitrust concerns, ALA president Maureen Sullivan explained the basis of an ALA open letter published this week, before opening up the floor for an open exchange with the 70 or so publishers in attendance.

via ALA Officials Ask for ‘Equitable Access to E-books at Fair Prices’.

The Digital Reader — Free Library of Philadelphia Lawsuit Casts a Pall Over eReader Lending Programs Everywhere

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Free Library of Philadelphia Lawsuit Casts a Pall Over eReader Lending Programs Everywhere – The Digital Reader

Quotable: “In any case, libraries are going to have to come to terms with the fact that they need to support all patrons with their programs.”

PCMag.com | News & Opinion — Harvard, MIT to Offer Free Online Classes

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Harvard, MIT to Offer Free Online Classes | News & Opinion | PCMag.com.

Quotable: “EdX courses will be available to anyone with an Internet connection…The first set of courses will be announced this summer, and begin in the fall of 2012.”