How does the library profession help to grow the skills of a 21st century workforce?

I am following Howard Rheingold's Infotention and the following is a series of posts discussing the skills needed within a 21st century workforce.  There are five short posts, outlining two skills in each, and a quick read will get you thinking about how much influence we have, as a profession, in building many of those skills. 
I have listed the headings below, and you can read the full posts here

1. Sense Making: The ability to determine the deeper meaning or significance of what is being expressed
2. Social Intelligence: The ability to connect to others in a deep and direct way, to sense and stimulate reactions and desired interactions
3. Novel and Adaptive Thinking: Proficiency at thinking and coming up with solutions and responses beyond that which is rote or rule-based.
4. Cross-Cultural Competency: The ability to operate in different cultural settings
5. Computational Thinking: The ability to translate vast amounts of data into abstract concepts and to understand data-based reasoning
6. New-Media Literacy: The ability to critically assess and develop content that uses new media forms, and to leverage these media for persuasive communication.
7. Transdisciplinarity: Literacy in and ability to understand concepts across multiple disciplines
8. Design Mindset: The ability to represent and develop tasks and work processes for desired outcomes
9. Cognitive Load Management: The ability to discriminate and filter information for importance, and to understand how to maximize cognitive functioning using a variety of tools and techniques
10. Virtual Collaboration: The ability to work proactively, drive engagement, and demonstrate presence as a member of a virtual team.

The work that we do in information literacy, critical literacy, and the diversity of resources to which we lead our clientele are crucial in building these skills.  But it looks like a big job, when you put it like this, doesn't it?  How many people in your professional sphere understand what you have to offer?



Have a great Friday - it was nice driving to work this morning and kidding myself that the days already seem longer!

Donna Watt

An idea to use old books and collaborate with your Art Department

If you're anything like me, you're very pleased today is the last day of a very long first term! Here's a creative idea orginally posted on the OZTL_NET about how to use old books to create fantastic art! This would be a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with art teachers and/or students. http://stephenslighthouse.com/2011/03/19/book-sculptures/ Check out #2 - the painted book sculptures. I'd love to know what you think of this very novel (like the pun!!??) idea. I hope everyone has a well-deserved break to do what you like to do when you're not at work :-) Senga

Getting better work stories!

We can all get bogged down in the day to day-ness of life as a school librarian ..... so smile when you picture me in my library last Friday afternoon .....



It was directly after our busy lunch break (an oxymoron in my world, where I NEVER get to eat lunch during lunchtime!) I had a plumber in my office investigating a problem with our hot water dispenser. I had just heated my lunch and was attempting to eat while the dozen or so senior students working at our computer pods were busily beavering away at the keyboards. Peace ..... or so I thought momentarily.



Peace was shattered by the sound of heavy, teenage-boy feet running into the library and loud teenage-boy voice in full volume, sounding very angry. I had only just looked up in response when I heard the yelping of a dog! Yes, a dog! You might be wondering what a dog was doing in my library! So was I. Unfortunately this young man had chased the dog into the library and was proceeding to "teach it a lesson it wouldn't forget". Fortunately I was able to diffuse the situation and refer said "angry young man" to one of our guidance staff.



On returning to my office, I stood in the doorway (glass doorway)

New National Librarian appointed

This today on the NZLibs listserv from Sue Sutherland:

Kia ora

The Chief Executive of the Department of Internal Affairs, Brendon Boyle, has today announced the new National Librarian. He is Bill Macnaught, currently manager of New Plymouth's Puke Ariki.  Bill is very well known to our sector and has a strong understanding of the opportunities and issues facing libraries and the wider sector.  The National Library leadership team joins with me in congratulating Bill on his appointment and we look forward to welcoming him to the National Library on 2 May.

Nga mihi nui ki a Bill.  Nau mai ki Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa


Supplied biography:

William (Bill) Macnaught is the present Manager of Puke Ariki, New Plymouth, a position held since 2005. Before coming to New Zealand, he was the Director, Libraries and Arts and later Head of Cultural Development at Gateshead Council in the north of England. He was awarded a CBE in the UK for services to public libraries and cultural life. He was Chair of the UK Advisory Council on Libraries and was a visiting Professor (Librarianship) at the University of Northumbria

In his five years in New Zealand Bill Macnaught has led a multidisciplinary team at Puke Ariki – the flagship library, museum and visitor information centre in Taranaki.

Since 2006 he has been a Commissioner on the Library and Information and Advisory Commission (LIAC) advising the Minister for the National Library. He is the 2010/11 Chair of the Association of Public Library Managers and the Deputy Chair of Museums Aotearoa.

Bill Macnaught is a founder member of the Governance Group for the Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa programme which was inspired by a UK project in which he was involved. He initiated the discussions that led to the National Library supporting the current Kotui project, designed to deliver better value for public libraries through the collective procurement of library management IT services

Donna Watt
Communications Leader, SLANZA

Christchurch Earthquake - Part 2

This is a wonderful piece of trans-tasman solidarity in the aftermath of the Christchurch Earthquake and has been posted on the OZTL_NET listeserve yesterday:

It is one week since the devastating earthquake that has shattered Christchurch and its people and there would be few schools in Australia that do not have a student or a staff member with a Kiwi connection.

Psychologists say that the trauma can be intensified by a feeling of wanting to help but being unable to do so, so to help overcome this a group of Kiwi teacher librarians teaching in Australia is proposing
ALL BLACK DAY

We are suggesting that on March 22, 2011 students be allowed to wear all black instead of their regular school uniform and pay a gold coin for the privilege.

If school regulations demand students remain in uniform, then an alternative could be to create a coin trail over the words ANZAC, Aotearoa, Christchurch, or Otautahi (Maori for Christchurch).

Any other form of fundraising would also be welcome. If you have ideas, please share them with us to share with everybody.

The money raised will then by donated to the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal http://www.christchurchearthquakeappeal.govt.nz/ through whatever financial procedures schools have to follow to do this.

Amounts raised would then be reported to a state co-ordinator who will tally them so we can determine the total contribution of Australian schools and share this with participants. We are planning to establish a Facebook page so state and national totals are available and even photos of students participating can be posted.

We need you to
· publicise this event as widely as possible, sending it to any network you belong to
· consider volunteering to be your state co-ordinator which will just involve receiving emails from schools with their tallies and sending the total to a central co-ordinator. We already have co-ordinators for NSW and Queensland, but no doubt they would appreciate help.
· spread the word about your school’s activities with any media connections you have

Barbara

Barbara Braxton
Teacher Librarian
COOMA NSW 2630
AUSTRALIA
barbara.288@bigpond.com
Together, we learn from each other

Christchurch Earthquake

We at SLANZA are deeply concerned for our colleagues affected in so many ways by the terrible events last week. You are constantly in our thoughts, and we extend our deepest sympathies to those who have been bereaved, or are still waiting to hear news of friends and loved ones. There are fundraising efforts going on all around the country, and people everywhere are doing what they can to support the people who have been bereaved, displaced and are suffering in so many ways. What many of us feel, however, is a sense of helplessness and guilt as our lives continue on with relative normality.

As we observe two minutes of silence today, we honour the memory of those lost, and the suffering and discomfort of those left to clean up and carry on with their lives as best they can. We are with you in spirit, and you know that our collegial support network will do its utmost to help you in the coming days, weeks and months.

Kia kaha

Merry Christmas everyone!

It is that time of the term/year where we are in the midst of the flurry of the last weeks of activities. I envy those of you who have closed your libraries and already completed stocktake. I still have three classes to take before the end of tomorrow, and stocktake is next week's delight to look forward to. However, we also have our Hargest Library Xmas Party to look forward to next Thursday as well, which is a really lovely way to say goodbye to 2010.

If you're anything like me, you are now hanging out for a long-anticipated summer break and I would just like to take this opportunity to congratulate you all for getting to the end of what, I'm sure has been an exceptionally busy year. I hope you are planning to spend at least part of your holiday time doing something that makes you happy and replensishes your soul so that you can face 2011 with all the vigour and enthusiasm you are all known for!

For myself, I am looking forward to spending lots of time with my family, especially my boys, doing some exploring of our lovely Southern hillsides, and of course, catching up on reading some of those books that I just haven't got to this year.

I want to say a big, heartfelt thank you to those of you who toil away on SLANZA National Executive with me. It is fantastic to have such an awesome team to work with. Your talents, ideas and enthusiasm constantly amaze me!

I look forward to hearing how everyone's summer has been when we're all back on deck for Term 1, 2011!

Cheers

Senga