Describes motivation process for creativity with emphasis on intrinsic motivation by Corey K Katir

Abstract: Purpose A This paper aims to analyze the opinion of young and senior library and information science (LIS) professionals in Pakistan on LIS curricula and its relevance to market needs to enhance employability. Design/methodology/approach A A mixed research method was used to collect data from professionals through two questionnaires, focus group and personal experiences. Findings A The findings reveal that the LIS curriculum offered at the University of the Punjab (PU) is up to date and well designed but it is not fully meeting the needs of young graduates and employers. Both groups were dissatisfied with employability skills due to lack of implementation of LIS curricula and shortage of specialized faculty members at the time of data collection in May 2008. The employers complained of weak communication, practical and presentation skills. They expect graduates with more multidimensional and market oriented skills. However, the school takes a lead in introducing new curricula among the rest. Research limitations/implications A The paper only focuses on the graduates of Department of LIS, University of the Punjab, among the eight library schools in Pakistan. Practical implications A The study divulges very valuable information for the planning and revision of the LIS curriculum and change in teaching practices in all eight library schools of Pakistan. It will also be helpful for LIS graduates to learn more market oriented and multi dimensional skills to meet the changing demands of the information marketplace and enhance their employability. Originality/value A This is first ever study in any library school of Pakistan about the employability skills of its graduates. (Source: Library Management : Table of Contents)

Today, 24 people showed up for our winter board game day! Groups played all kinds of games, including Life, Apples to Apples, chess, checkers, and Scattergories.  A group even tried out my new random game Quelf, with rave reviews.  The deal was that if a group played a game by the rules to the end, the winner would get a box of movie candy.  (For games like chess and checkers, you could only get candy once, even if you played multiple times.)  I gave away 26 boxes of candy, plus we ate our way through four bags of potato chips, several pounds of other candy, and a bunch of soda and lemonade!  The best moments of the day included Saranjeet needing two cars to carry her family in Life, Owen naming one of his Life children “Ke$ha,” Kathy singing “Rawhide” while waving her scarf in the air like a lasso, and Janae thinking McCain was a U.S. President.  I also had fun teaching a group how to play Scattergories with the rules.  And, thanks to Jasmine for bringing in Tutti Frutti…dinging that bell was a lot of fun! If you like board games, we’ll have them out at the Random-A-Thon in February.  Be sure to sign up! (Source: Sellers Library Teens)

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” I was teaching a library-science class about a decade ago when a student snaked her hand into the air. “You know how no good deed goes unpunished?” she asked. “No,” I said, and continued lecturing. I knew where she was going with that question, because I knew her from another context, where she was the self-designated killjoy who approached every project confident of its failure–which, for the record, is an excellent way to ensure failure happens. She’s the one who will ask, “Just to play Devil’s advocate”–as if Satan needed any help. And we have all sat in meetings where this personA dwelled ad infinitum on every possible thing that could go wrong with a good idea that hadn’t even been launched, or itemized in exquisite detail the inevitable failings of any good idea in progress. There have been times when I have been this person (and will be again in the future), and for this I humbly repent. I was reminded of this moment recently when I read the (relatively mild) commentary on an article in Library Journal, “Netflix-inspired Pilot Program for Borrowing in California Library Languishes,” and then, reluctantly, prodded from a Tweet, turned my eyes to this post by the Annoying Librarian (yes, I know that’s not her real fake name). It was at that moment I realized why I loathe her: because I’ve suffered her kith and kin at nearly every library job I’ve ever had. Which leads into a response I’ve wanted to post for a while about what directors do for a living. …

Since early December there has been a lot of controversy about an article published in Science about bacteria using arsenic in their DNA. A number of people pointed out that this was a useful case to use for an information literacy article. For example, Bonnie Swoger, a Science and Technology Librarian, did a post on 10 December about using the arsenic bacteria story as a teaching moment for undergraduates. As well as the original article there is much online commentary and other pieces of evidence, for example an interview with the first author of the paper, published later in the month, also in Science.Pennisis, E. (2010) “Exclusive Interview: Discoverer of Arsenic Bacteria, in the Eye of the Storm.” Sciencenow, 20 December. http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/12/arsenic-researcher-asks-for-time.htmlPhoto by Sheila Webber: roses at Christmas. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

14-year-old baseball die-hard Kevin Boland is stuck at home with mono. To pass the time, his father, a writer, thinks Kevin might also want to write some things down. Readers learn a lot about Kevin in the passing months as he experiments with poetry using a book “smuggled” from his father’s den. His mother has recently died, for one thing. Also, that he’s a pretty good athlete and he’s made out with girls in the bamboo. Details about life in middle school are slipped effortlessly in lines of haiku, free verse, sonnets, and sestinas. Kevin eventually meets a pretty girl named Mira with whom he is not embarrassed to admit that he enjoys writing poetry, although he would still like to keep it from his baseball team. When they do find out, he earns the nickname “Shakespeare”. Recommended for grades 6-10 for fans of baseball and/or poetry. The book might even encourage a few readers to try writing poetry for themselves. Koertge is so clever in explaining how each style of poetry works that readers won’t even realize they are learning something, and he makes makes it seem so effortless that you feel like you can do it too. That it is also humorous is an added bonus. This is short and easy-to-read, and would be a good choice for reluctant readers. Teachers might also find this useful in teaching poetry. (Source: Teen Scene from Wright Memorial Public Library)

Professor and Director of the Harrington School of Communication and Media (University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island) The University of Rhode Island (www.uri.edu) is the state’s largest university, with an enrollment of about 13,000 undergraduates and 3,000 graduate students on four campuses.  With nationally and internationally renowned faculty engaged in a broad range of research, teaching and outreach activities, URI is a land grant, sea grant and urban grant institution.  The University’s 1,200 acre main campus is located in Kingston, about 30 miles south of Providence and six miles from the coast. …

Whining PhD students are nothing new, but there seem to be genuine problems with the system that produces research doctorates (the practical aprofessional doctoratesa in fields such as law, business and medicine have a more obvious value). There is an oversupply of PhDs. Although a doctorate is designed as training for a job in academia, the number of PhD positions is unrelated to the number of job openings. Meanwhile, business leaders complain about shortages of high-level skills, suggesting PhDs are not teaching the right things. The fiercest critics compare research doctorates to Ponzi or pyramid schemes. Read more at: http://www.economist.com/node/17723223?story_id=17723223 (Source: The Kept-Up Academic Librarian)

No matter where you stand on the various issues surrounding the future of publishing, one thing is clear: without readers, what we do doesn’t matter very much. We sometimes take the privilege of our bookish lives for granted, forgetting how many people out there would give anything to be able to pick up a book and read it. Yet, this is the season of giving (and, yes, tax deductions). Every year, we here at Booksquare make a pitch for our favorite causes, hoping some of you, like us, will find a little something extra to give this now and in the future. If you have a favorite cause that relates to literacy, reading, or education, let us know in the comments. ProLiteracy — As always, our list is topped by Proliteracy.org. You can contribute either financially or by volunteering as a literacy tutor. When you are a reader, a to-your-soul reader, it’s almost impossible to imagine a world where people can’t read. The reasons vary, and the solution is not simple. Helping others learn to read should be the primary goal of the publishing industry — any way we can. If you can’t donate money, can you donate time? First Book — Just as teaching the world to read is important, getting books to children is essential. First Book gets books to children who need them. You remember your first book, you remember reading as a child. Help share that joy. Bonus! through December 31, your donation will be matched book-for-book by Random House. Girls Write Now: Girls Write Now is a non-profit organization devoted to mentoring the next generation of women writers. Focused on New York’s underserved and at-risk high school girls, this program helps them find their voices through creative writing. Donors Choose — The problem with growing up the child of a public school librarian is that you know how completely screwed up our public school financing priorities are. …

Painter, film-maker and teacher who inspired his studentsJohn Jones, who has died aged 84, was a painter, film-maker, teacher, Joyce scholar and magic-lantern expert. Unusually for a senior lecturer who could have talked for Britain, he was never one to trumpet the true scope of his knowledge and interests. The fine art department at Leeds University, where he spent most of his teaching career, was a peculiar hybrid a part art history and part practical art, disdained by some, but loved by many a that John in his own practice and by his own example almost came to embody. He was in overall charge of studio instruction, but was closely involved in most aspects of the department, where he created and ran a course in the history of film and taught film-making.John was born in Bristol. His studies at the city’s West of England College of Art were interrupted by call-up in 1945, and he served for three years in the Royal Engineers. He completed his studies in 1952, then spent two years under the tutelage of William Coldstream at the Slade school of art in London, where he won the history of art prize. He also met the Argentinian niece of the art historian Rudolf Witkower, Gabriela, later accompanying her to Buenos Aires in 1956, where they married and where John spent three years painting, teaching and lecturing. Returning to the UK, he was appointed lecturer at James Graham College, Leeds, and in 1962 was appointed lecturer at the Leeds University fine art department by Quentin Bell.Life drawing was central to John’s work. He thought deeply, not only about the way we draw, but about why we draw. Talking about art was as vital as art itself, so life classes under him tended to be very conversational as well as observational affairs. He was a highly accomplished draughtsman, always ready to share his skills, and had an unusual willingness to listen to his students. John never imposed his opinions. …

WWII pilot who forever repaid rescuers dies at 94: Islanders healed Fred Hargesheimer who returned to Ea Ea to build schools Fred Hargesheimer got a second chance at life after being rescued by villagers of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. He’d been shot down by a Japanese fighter in World War II and was nursed back to health and hidden by the villagers until his returning to the US. The story could have ended there, a story of adventure to tell the grandkids. But Hargeshiemer did something far better–he returned to the village and spent decades building schools, libraries, helping create jobs, and even teaching the children there. He involved his family throughout that time, and tried to give back to the community as much as he could. On his last visit, in 2006, Hargesheimer was helicoptered into the jungle and carried in a chair by Nakanai men to view the newly found wreckage of his World War II plane. Six years earlier, on another visit, he was proclaimed “Suara Auru,” “Chief Warrior” of the Nakanai. “The people were very happy. They’ll always remember what Mr. Fred Hargesheimer has done for our people,” said Ismael Saua, 69, a former teacher at the Nantabu school. “These people were responsible for saving my life,” Hargesheimer told The Associated Press in a 2008 interview. “How could I ever repay it?” (Source: The Rabid Librarian’s Ravings in the Wind)

SABER Astronomy (searchable annotated bibliography of education research) is a database of astronomy education research.SABER is an online, searchable database of astronomy education research. The database contains full bibliographic references to published research articles in the areas of science education, science teaching, teacher education, curriculum and instruction, cognitive science, and informal education. For each reference we provide an annotation, consisting of a short description of the article’s content, study focus, and key findings. (Source: New)

Time Magazine recently announced that Mark Zuckerberg was selected as their “Person of the Year.”A A A It seems a rather peculiar choice, since not only is Facebook “old hat”A but also because Facebook has not been the best player in regards to user privacy. So I have my own end of the year suggestion for Time Magazine–how about making teachers the “Person of the Year”? Yes, teachers.A A After 29 years in education, both as a teacher and librarian, I”ve known a great number of educators.A And what I’ve seen demonstrated again and again by so many of my colleagues is how much, despite all the recent hype to the contrary, they care about children. So instead of this being the year of software mega-giant or of the likes of Michelle Rhee or Davis Guggenheim,A or the year of union busting in education–perhaps this should be the year we begin simply to honor and celebrate teachers. Teaching is a complex job.A There’s the subject matter, which is complex in and of itself;A there are the students, who are complex in all the ways every human being is, and there’s the place in between where you figure out how to bring the two together for real understanding and growth.A And again, despite claims to the contrary about experienced teachers, you could spend a lifetime as an educator honing your skills and still not master any one of these areas, no matter how dedicated you are. Being a teacher means reinventing yourself daily and annually to meet the needs of the students in front of you, whether it’s figuring out a way to reach a particular student or learning the latest ways to connect your students to a global learning environment. …

A new manga novel lightheartedly depicting the two as everyday young men may inadvertently raise interest in religion in JapanWhat would Jesus and Buddha do if they were suddenly thrust into contemporary society, and how would they react to what they found?Japanese author-illustrator Nakamura Hikaru has sketched an answer to this provocative question in a very popular manga, or illustrated serial novel, entitled Saint Young Men (Seinto oniisan).Nakamura (her surname) depicts the adventures of the two religious founders as they room together in Tachikawa (a suburb west of Tokyo) while vacationing in Japan.Humour, rather than veneration, sets the tone for the series, which is replete with visual gags and puns. For example, when the roommates discover that the prizes they have won at a shrine festival are cheap imitations of coveted handheld videogames, Nakamura quips: “The two were enlightened as to the true flavour of Japanese festivals,” playing on a double sense of the word daigomi, which can either mean sublime Buddhist teaching or a more colloquially a the “true charm” of something.Similarly, quirky interactions that juxtapose episodes from Jesus’ ministry with hilarious social faux pas provide opportunities to chuckle. When Jesus says that he “just wants to wash his [disciples'] feet,” a local gangster who overhears him misinterprets this phrase in its figurative sense as an indication of one’s desire to start afresh after a life of crime. Jesus, oblivious to this misunderstanding, unwittingly gains notoriety among the mob as a particularly tough villain.Nakamura’s protagonists, though saintly, are hardly infallible. Jesus’ all-encompassing love makes him excessively enthusiastic (Nakamura portrays him as a compulsive shopaholic), while Buddha’s ascetic tendencies make him seem a as the back of one volume states a like “the parsimonious lady next door”. …

1.Initiates, develops, and implements procedures for efficient operation and use of the media center. 2. Prepares and administers media budget; evaluates, selects, orders, and catalogs all media center resources. 3.Develops, administers, and maintains a balanced collection in accordance with the district’s materials selection policy. 4.Provides literature appreciation, reference, and readers’ advisory services to a diverse student population; serves as an information resource to staff and as a link to resources outside the media center. 5.Trains and supervises adult and student volunteers. 6.Works cooperatively with teachers to plan and implement lessons and projects that make use of media center resources; collaboratively plans instructional units incorporating content-area and information literacy skill objectives. 7.Develops and deliver lesson plans for teaching information literacy skills, the information search process, and literature appreciation. 8.Participates in curriculum development and implementation through service on building and district committees; demonstrates knowledge of the Massachusetts State Frameworks. (Source: MBLC Job Listings)

Library Automation Manager (SEARCH EXTENDED) (University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Wisconsin) The Polk Library at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh seeks an accomplished and innovative information professional for the position of Library Automation Manager (LAM).  The Library Automation Manager (LAM) is responsible for managing the information technology resources of Polk Library to maximize their positive impact on teaching, learning and research for the students, faculty and staff of the University.  This position will be responsible for the overall installation, operation and maintenance of all automated library systems and services. …

Librarian – Reference (North Orange County Community College District, California) Job #FCF711 Tenure-track position, 100% contract. STARTING DATE August 10, 2011   MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Master’s degree in library science or library and information science; OR Valid California teaching credential authorizing service in a community college in the appropriate subject matter area; OR The equivalent.  Equivalent qualifications may include related education, training, employment and professional experience that would be equal to the required degree(s) and experience in the field as determined by the District Equivalency Committee. All degrees and course work used to satisfy the required minimum qualifications must be from accredited postsecondary institutions (see www.nocccd. …

Webinar provided by WebJunction. Topic title: New Technology Training Materials (link to archived presentation and materials here).Event date: December 14, 2010.  My notes:What makes an accidental tech trainer? Some features:You teach in a computer lab. You provide webinars. You help patrons with things like e-mail or finding articles online. If you work in a library, odds are good you are already doing technology training. Factoid presented: 5,400 public libraries in the U.S. offer free technology classes. 4,000 businesses offer computer training (for a fee). With close to 15,000 people taking free library classes, that is about $629 million dollars in retail value of the courses.  It is important to have a good attitude as a trainer. This is also helpful to the participants, projecting confidence and being positive.In teaching, keep in mind that people take in the world in different ways. Three basic styles of learning (this is something that is simple and easy to remember): visual, auditory, kinesthetic. As a trainer, try to incorporate styles as much as possible.To motivate, provide examples of what users could use the new technology/material for. You can have sample products made with the new technology. Do give the audience some “time to play” (hands-on).The times when the technology fails, show what happened (if possible, such as if you opened a wrong window. Obviously, you lose power or the Internet, that is a different issue. Personally, I recommend using some humor at that point). Think in terms of creating a learning community with the workshop. Start with simple things, let class members share names and what they wish to learn from the workshop. Again, provide hands-on time. Also, providing some time for reflection is important. (Source: The Gypsy Librarian)

Booktrust’s schemes to give free books to children in crisis after public subsidy axedBooktrust, the independent charity set up to encourage reading, is to lose all government funding for its children’s gifting programmes Bookstart, Booktime and Booked Up, in England, it was announced today. Former children’s laureate Michael Rosen said that he was “absolutely appalled and utterly enraged” by the news.Booktrust was told on Friday that the APS13m it received towards its programmes from the Department of Education this year will be cut completely in the next financial year. Chief executive Viv Bird said she was “immensely surprised and disappointed” by the decision, adding that she knew that families, teachers, librarians, health visitors, publishing partners “and many others up and down the country” would share her feelings.The charity’s national book-gifting programmes are well-known and wide-reaching. Bookstart gives a free pack of books to every baby in the UK, Booktime donates a book pack to children shortly after they start school, and Booked Up enables each child starting secondary school to choose a book for themselves. The charity’s aim is to give everyone the chance to experience what it calls “the delight and power of books and the written word” regardless of income, literacy skills, disability or culture.The government’s APS13m was used to generate a further APS56m-worth of sponsorship for the bookgifting schemes from publishing partners and corporate sponsors.Rosen said the decision to cut funding to the bookgifting programmes was “an indication of where the government’s priorities lie”, and “a classic case of them talking the talk but not really walking the walk.”"All they [the government] can talk about are teaching methods,” he said. “They are not interested in actually putting books into children’s hands. …

State: Indiana Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Helmke Library (http://lib.ipfw.edu) seeks an experienced, innovative, and energetic leader to work closely with librarians, library staff, faculty, students, administrators, and the community to continue to develop the library’s initiatives to integrate information literacy programs across the curriculum, provide expert information and research services, expand digital initiatives, build physical and electronic collections, and conceptualize the future of academic library public services within a rapidly changing information landscape. Interviews will be conducted for a 12-month, tenure-track position to begin July 1, 2011. Responsibilities Reporting to the Dean of Helmke Library, the Head of Public Services provides leadership in managing library services and programs to support teaching, learning and research at IPFW. Specific responsibilities include: aC/ Coordinating and supervising the Information and Instruction Services unit within a team environment aC/ Coordinating between other public access service units such as the Service Desk and Document Delivery Services aC/ Promoting collaboration and effective working relationships with IPFW Learning Commons partners in developing, implementing and assessing an integrated approach to student academic success at IPFW aC/ Expanding partnerships with faculty to integrate and assess information literacy competencies across the curriculum aC/ Empowering staff, encouraging innovation, and embracing new technologies that enhance instruction, learning, and research aC/ Engaging the university community with digital scholarship and scholarly communication issues aC/ Developing strategic directions for the libraryas Information and Instruction Services unit Qualifications: An A.L.A.-accredited master’s degree in library or information science is required. An additional graduate degree is preferred. …

State: Indiana Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Walter E. Helmke Library (http://www.lib.ipfw.edu) seeks an energetic, knowledgeable, and collaborative individual to work independently and in a team environment to provide high-quality, innovative, and effective information and instructional services and programs to a diverse university community. Librarian will provide liaison services to the Richard T. Doermer School of Business, Public and Environmental Affairs, and Labor Studies. Interviews will be conducted for a 12-month, tenure-track position to begin July 1, 2011. Responsibilities: Successful candidate will contribute substantially to the library’s initiatives to integrate information literacy programs across the curriculum, provide expert information and research services, expand digital initiatives, build physical and electronic collections, and conceptualize the future of academic library public services within a rapidly changing information landscape. As part of the IPFW Learning Commons team, will promote collaboration and effective working relationships with IPFW Learning Commonsa partners in developing, implementing, and assessing an integrated approach to student academic success at IPFW. Within liaison-area assignments, is responsible for providing research-consulting services; developing innovative information services and programs; teaching and assessing information literacy competencies in partnership with faculty; developing outreach activities for students and faculty; evaluating, selecting, and using printed and electronic resources; and contributing to IPFW’s digital initiatives. Other duties may be assigned. Qualifications: An A.L.A.-accredited master’s degree in library or information science is required. Preference given to candidates with experience in academic library settings, especially liaison-area assignments. …

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