digital short.

My video begins with some graphics, setting the scene and introducing the main point: the library is where homework happens.

Then, I have several shots of students in the library.  Some show students working on homework.  Then, there are some shots of students in the atrium late at night, since most of what happens that late isn't homework.  It's more of a social gathering than anything.

After several shots of students working in different places, I have a shot of an aisle in the stacks, with nobody to be found.  I put in some cricket sounds for added effect, to highlight that people in the library are generally spending their time doing anything but looking at or reading books.

The video ends with another graphic, again pointing out the theme of homework in the library.


Here's a screenshot of the storyboard in iMovie:

project update.

My project is coming to a close, and I can see some ideas coming together in unexpected ways.  I've taken a look at the library's vision statement: "to promote lifelong learning in a dynamic environment, inspiring critical thinking, inquiry and discovery."

In all my time spent in the library, I can't say that I've seen anything that looks like it's "inspiring critical thinking."  I don't know that I've seen students inquiring or discovering anything more than the answers to their homework or maybe the right source for their paper due the next day.  It's more of a culture of homework than a culture of learning.

I think I'll use that idea--that homework is what happens more than anything else at the library--as the centerpiece for my digital short.

methods.

I've been working on a Methods section of my paper.  Here's a bit of what I have so far:

I went to the library to observe students using the space as much as possible.  Because using a laptop is very common, I decided to take notes in electronic form while observing.  These notes varied from quick storytelling of events that I saw to simple descriptions of what I heard and thought while there.  I made an effort to spend time in every room, watching for any differences as I moved around, and to observe in the library at different times.  Because it is open 24 hours throughout the work week, I was not able to observe at every open hour, but I intentionally observed students in the early morning, throughout the day, and very late at night.

In addition to observation of students, I conducted several interviews with students regarding their use of the library.  These interviews were via Facebook messages, and the responses I received were understandably short and direct.  I interviewed one student in person who works at the library desk, knowing that she spends more time there than I was able to.  This interview was very helpful, as many of the hours in which she works were times that I was regularly unable to be there, and she gave valuable insight into what happens in these hours.  I also spoke with one of the librarians about her personal involvement with the students and how she and the other librarians go about helping students with their research. Her insight will be very useful.

archives.

It's a bit interesting to go looking for archives about the archives.  Or literature about the library.  But, I've found a couple things that will be useful to my project:

--documents from '06 to the present detailing the plans for increasing Information Literacy in the student body
--floor maps of the library building
--an online repository of digital scans of antique documents important to Belmont history
--journal articles about the recent history of academic libraries in American universities
--books on the same subjects

Lives on the Boundary

Lives on the Boundary was truly an informative read.  Much of what Mike Rose writes about sheds a new light on my own educational experiences.  I am his target audience: that group of people who assumed too much about the education of their peers and never thought twice about students who struggle in education.  "They aren't working hard enough," or, "They just don't seem to care."  Maybe even, "They just aren't smart enough to understand..."

Such were my experiences.  Rose points out the hard truths: these "working-class children, poorly educated Vietnam veterans, underprepared college students, adults in a literacy program...lived for many of their years in an educational underclass."  He tells stories of his own experiences growing up not learning much in school.  Going to college on that rocky foundation.  Aside from a handful of caring and insightful teachers and professors, he never would have made it.

But my use of the words "made it" are exactly what Rose is critiquing.  What has he "made it" to?  Yes, he graduated.  But that's not what I meant.  He is successful.  He wrote a book, with no grammatical errors found in a first read-through.  Despite growing up in an "educational underclass" of his own, he now teaches the struggling students.  Has he really "made it" somewhere?  Or is education just some special example of being socialized into another class--those with a liberal arts degree?

Rose argues that even these students in an educational underclass are intelligent.  He proves it by giving them an opportunity to write, to enjoy poetry, to read Shakespeare.  They might not get the syntax perfect, but those things will come with time.  He lets them enjoy their freedom before cracking the whip of the grammarian.

I really enjoyed reading Lives on the Boundary.  Rose has a special knack for seeing through another person's eyes, and understanding why they make the errors they make.  It shows up in his writing, as he relates story after story.  At times, I felt that I was reading fiction, only to turn the page and find an argument for educational reform.  If you can weave story and analysis this well, you've made it...somewhere.

online. (community?)

Today I found that the library has a wiki: http://bunchlibrary.pbworks.com/w/page/6284024/FrontPage

It has several pages discussing the library, and appears to be mainly geared toward faculty, as much of the content discusses how they ought to teach several General Education courses like First Year Seminar and First Year Writing.  The site is very old.  The last thing posted on it was uploaded over a year and a half ago, so it doesn't seem to be a very popular place.

Continuing around the site, I realize why it's been so neglected.  A new online space has taken its place: http://belmont.libguides.com/content.php?pid=221098&sid=1835350

This one is not only more aesthetically pleasing, it also looks like it gets a bit of traffic.  It has research guides for every major imaginable, offering suggestions on first places to look for information and contact information for more one-on-one help.  While the first page hadn't been updated in almost two years, this one has had research guides updated in the last few days.  To be honest, I'm impressed.  The view count on the Pharmacy guide is over 13,000 views in the last year.  For a library website, that has to be a lot.  But, for as many views as the site has, I can't find any sort of discussion.  Almost every box on the page has a "comment" button at the bottom.  But every one that I see reads, "Comments (0)."  As useful as the site is to those 13,000 students, they didn't stick around to talk about it.  Likely, they were a bit too busy, with a deadline fast approaching.

glossary.

I've compiled a short list of terms that are important to the library:

Atrium -- area above the first floor lobby, on the second and third floors

Bruin Grounds -- cafe offering food, coffee, and other drinks, located next to the circulation desk in the first floor lobby

Circulation Desk -- desk where books can be checked in and out, located in the first floor lobby

CubCat -- online catalog of library materials

Multimedia Hall -- information literacy classroom available for use by classes located behind the circulation desk

Reference Desk -- desk where students are encouraged to ask the librarians for assistance with research and other academic tasks, located on the first floor, next to the computers which are available for student use