OK so it has been established that, to quote Neon Trees and
their incredibly catchy song that I can’t stop singing, “everybody talks.” (I
seem to be developing a theme where I quote songs). We know that knowledge is
created through conversation. That the act of learning involves going over
ideas with others and even yourself, but the real question is how as librarians
are we supposed to start this conversation? The second thread in the Atlas of New Librarianship explains
this.
Librarians
go about facilitating conversation in four main ways. First the librarians must
provide access to that information (show people reference books, helping them
create a blog to express their ideas or directing them to a review of new
concepts in a scholarly journal). Then librarians must make sure the member has
some knowledge about what is being discussed. Next, the librarian must ensure
that the member feels comfortable and safe to be a part of the conversation and
finally the librarian has to be able to encourage that patron to join into the
conversation. Though all four of these
items (access, knowledge, environment and motivation) are very important, I
want to focus on environment and how policies and a level of comfort in the
environment severely effects whether people will be motivated to join the
conversation or not.
The
issue that really resonated with me was the issue of filters, whether they hurt
or hinder. In the Atlas of New Librarianship it was argued that filters, especially
used in schools, can prevent students from being able to participate in
conversation. This is because students using filters don’t properly learn what
online information is credible. If filters completely block out all non-credible
information then how will students learn to distinguish credible information
from non-credible. To a degree I see this point. If a school provides filters
that stop students from going to non-credible
websites then students will get used to the idea that most websites are
credible and they won’t know what they should look for to see if a website
really does have credible information. This could lead to a scenario where the
student gets to college and suddenly is in a panic as they are now faced with
much more information and they are unsure how to navigate it all. However, I
don’t necessarily feel that this scenario will happen. In schools filters are necessary
as it is impossible for a teacher to constantly hoover over every student to
ensure they are not going to inappropriate websites. Nevertheless, even though students are given
class time during the school day to use the computer for their project, report,
etc., most likely many students will end up completely or doing most of the
assignment at home or outside school. Many students tend to procrastinate and
waste class time and must continue the project at home. However, the home
computer may not have those particular filters on it. The home computer or the
computer at the public library may not stop students from seeing negative and positive
examples of credible information. As such, students do get the experience of
deciding what source is credible and what source is not. Also many teachers before
research assignments will sit down with their students and explain ways to tell
the difference between credible and non-credible information. Some teachers will even break down assignments
so students must illustrate they found credible resources before they can
continue the assignment. All of this allows teachers to spot if students are
confused on credible information and try to correct and teach the proper
information.
The
other issue that dealt with environment that resonated with me was feeling safe
and comfortable in the library. Though this means physical safety (you don’t
feel like you’re going to get stabbed for saying the wrong thing) it also means
feeling free to speak up without being treated like your opinions count for
nothing. Anyone who has ever been
assigned to a group in school has probably been in the following scenario. You are in a group and it is your job to
discuss a particular topic. One student feels very strongly about the topic and
takes over the conversation. They completely dominate the conversation and when
you attempt to chime in your views are shoved down. The dominate speaker does
not even allow your views to reach the table. This is a major problem when it
comes to conversation. Librarians should attempt to motivate the members of the
library to join into conversations, however; this may be very difficult if the
member’s first experience was one in which his or her opinions were not taken
serious. I really liked the idea of librarians moderating in-person meetings to
try and keep the conversation going and prevent one person dominating the
discussion or the discussion going completely off topic. Of course when I say
moderating I don’t mean patrolling the room pointing your finger at someone who
goes slightly off topic, I mean being a part of the conversation and at the
same time suggesting we hear from a person who hasn’t talked yet, or that we go
back to the topic of whatever is being discussed. I see this as a perfect way to be involved in
conversations and still working to make sure the members feel comfortable
talking in the first place.
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