“Small Teaching” and Library Instruction

By Elena Azadbakht, MSI, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg.

I’m a big fan of books on the science of learning and developing effective study skills. Currently, I’m reading James M. Lang’s Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning. Some of the ideas he explores in the book appeared in a series of articles Lang wrote for The Chronicle of Higher Education in 2016. Small Teaching focuses on modest strategies instructors can easily put into practice to improve student learning in big ways. Lang’s suggestions are all supported by research on cognition, memory, and learning. Of course, much of what’s in the book wouldn’t work in a one-shot instruction context, which – if you’re like me – is what your library instruction program chiefly consists of. A few of the ideas, however, have made me consider ways in which I might tweak my workshops.

Honorary Membership Award

It’s Honors and Awards season again and here’s another great award to consider nominating someone for! A couple of weeks ago, a call went out for applications/nominations for the T. Mark Hodges Award. Please consider applying or nominating someone for this award! The next award to consider is Honorary Membership, which recognizes a retired member.

Honorary Membership is for any member who, upon retirement from active service, has made significant and consistent contributions to SC/MLA or the profession. They must hold a current membership in the Chapter at the time of retirement. Significant contributions can include serving in elected or appointed offices, on chapter committees, or developing chapter meetings. They can also include publications, presentations, mentoring, and more. For more information, please see here.

Applications or nominations are due April 10.

Please submit the completed nomination/application with supporting documentation to Justin Robertson, Chair Honor & Awards Committee. 

Upcoming Learning Opportunities!

Block off a little time in your schedule to learn something new! Below is a selected list of offerings, but please share other learning opportunities in the comments.

Big Data in Healthcare: Exploring Emerging Roles
Sponsor: National Network of Librarians of Medicine (NNLM), Southeastern/Atlantic (SEA) and Mid-Continental Region (MCR) Regions
Format: Self-paced, asynchronous course
Date: February 27 – April 28, 2017
More details, and registration: https://nnlm.gov/class/big-data-healthcare-exploring-emerging-roles/7070

MedlinePlus vs. PubMed
Sponsor: National Network of Librarians of Medicine (NNLM), Greater Midwest Region
Format: Webinar
Date: February 17, 2017
Time: 10-11am Central / 11-12pm Eastern
More details, and registration: https://nnlm.gov/class/medlineplus-vs-pubmed-february-2017/6744

Show me the money: Growing grants-related services in the library
Sponsor: Reference and User Services Association (RUSA)
Format: Webinar
Date: February 23, 2017
Time: 10-11am Central / 11-12pm Eastern
More details, and registration: http://www.ala.org/rusa/onlinece/grants-related-services

Health Disparities: You Know There’s a Need, Now Prove It!
Sponsor: National Network of Librarians of Medicine (NNLM), Middle Atlantic Region
Format: Webinar
Date: February 24, 2017
Time: 11-12pm Central / 12-1pm Eastern
More details, and registration: https://nnlm.gov/class/health-disparities-you-know-theres-need-now-prove-it/7049

Visualizing (and Finding!) Funding for Libraries
Sponsor: WebJunction
Format: Webinar
Date: February 28, 2017
Time: 2-3pm Central / 3-4pm Eastern
More details, and registration: https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/visualizing-and-finding-funding-for-libraries.html

Essentials of Usability Design for Library Research Guides
Sponsor: Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL)
Format: Webinar
Date: March 8, 2017
Time: 1-2pm Central / 2-3pm Eastern
More details, and registration: http://www.ala.org/acrl/essentials-usability-design-library-research-guides
section!

Happy Learning!

Job Opportunity: Research and Education Services Librarian/Informationist (two positions available)

The Medical University of South Carolina Libraries invites applications for the position of Research and Education Services Librarian/Informationist (two positions available). Applicants are encouraged to apply for both positions if interested. Did you know that Charleston was recently voted best city in the world?!?

The Libraries seeks an energetic and self-motivated individual to fill the position of Research and Education Informationist. The Research and Education Informationist will provide research and knowledge management services to teaching, clinical, and research faculty and health professions students. This position reports to the Associate Director of Libraries and will work in a flexible, team-oriented, highly collaborative environment. A broad scope of work and activities are within this position, including expert search services, teaching and education, research consultations, and community engagement to MUSC students, faculty, and staff in the health sciences. An ALA-accredited Master's degree in Library Science or equivalent degree is required. New Librarians are encouraged to apply.

Review of applications will begin March 1, 2017 and will continue until the position is filled. Preferred qualifications, application procedures, and other information are available in the complete position description on the MUSC Jobs website. 

The Medical University of South Carolina is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Online Security and Privacy

When talking tech, security and privacy are very important points to discuss. Passwords, EULA, permissions, cookies; they’re terms we’ve all heard, but what do they mean to you? What do they mean to your faculty, students, physicians, and other patrons?

Many of us blindly accept the EULA (for apps and programs) or terms of service (for websites and services) and the permissions needed for apps. These agreements can be intrusive, a lot more intrusive than you may think. What can we do to ensure our security and privacy? What would we do if we couldn’t use Snapchat or Uber because we didn’t like the permissions needed to make those apps work? Password creation has more requirements than in years past; most sites now require combinations of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, special characters, and who knows what else to have a password deemed to be strong or secure.

Are these requirements really necessary to make your passwords strong? The answer, of course, is a resounding yes. We all know not to share our passwords or other sensitive information on social media such as Twitter, but for those of you who may be less privacy- or security-aware, we’ve listed several steps you can take to strengthen your passwords and keep your information secure.

1.  Actually read the terms of service or EULA and agree to them before clicking that little box and submitting.
2. Know what permissions apps require. If you don’t like the permissions, choose not to share all of your information or don’t download the app.
3. Look into do-not-track settings on your browser. You won’t get those amazing targeted ads that give you links to similar items that you recently viewed or bought, but that’s okay. For more information that’s specific to your device and browser, check out the All About Do Not Track website.
4. Have a different password for each site. Honestly, this one’s hard. I have logins for so many sites and apps and ones for work and home. How can anyone manage so much information
5. Answer: consider using a password manager. LastPass and 1Password are two of the more popular password managers but others exist. Password managers select random, long passwords for every site you create a login in for and synchronize them across your devices.
6. So these password managers are on to something. Your passwords need to be random and long; think of them as phrases instead of words. John Oliver and Edward Snowden gave a couple of amazing examples in the video linked below.
7. The answers to your security questions are just as important as your passwords, so you should use the same techniques for creating them. Guess what? You can lie; you don’t actually have to use your mom’s real maiden name or the street you grew up on. As long as you know what you listed as your answer, you’re good to go.
8. Use a two-factor authentication process. Two Factor Auth (2FA) provides information on who does and does not use two-factor authentication and how to enable this method on sites or services that do. As a bonus, they also provide ways to contact organizations that do not support two-factor authentication.
9. Last (on this list anyways), but not least, encrypt your information. Encrypt your computer’s hard disk, and encrypt calls and messages on your phone or tablet. In some cases, encryption is automatic; however, in others, you may be required to turn on encryption. The same is true for certain apps.

This list is by no means comprehensive. There are other ways that you can secure your information and there may be better ways to create strong passwords. Below are some videos on the topic of passwords and privacy that may shine more light on the topic and answer some questions that weren’t addressed in this post.

Edward Snowden on Passwords (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzGzB-yYKcc

#PrivacyProject (Silent Circle) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcjtEKNP05c

Lorrie Faith Cranor: What’s wrong with your pa$$w0rd? (TED Talks) - http://www.ted.com/talks/lorrie_faith_cranor_what_s_wrong_with_your_pa_w0rd?language=en

Glenn Greenwald: Why privacy matters. (TED Talks) - http://www.ted.com/talks/glenn_greenwald_why_privacy_matters

Member Spotlight: Beth Wallace

Every month, we would like to take a moment to learn more about a fellow librarian and SC/MLA member. For February, we interviewed Beth Wallace, a library student whose poster at SC/MLA annual conference on bringing yoga to her library inspired us to rethink some of our own wellness programs.  

Name: Beth Wallace

SC/MLA Member Since: 2016

First Professional Position:
temp circulation lackey

Current Position:
Medical Library Assistant, East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine

Education:
BS, sociology, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; MSIS (in progress), University of Tennessee

Favorite website, blog, or twitter feed:
I’m more of an Instagram girl: aladyinlondon, nypl (#letmelibrarianthatforyou), cats_of_instagram

JoVE Librarian Travel Award

Are you interested in attending the MLA 2017 meeting, but concerned about financial costs? There are funding sources available that can help support attendance costs, one of which is the JoVE Librarian Travel Award.

The JoVE Librarian Travel Award provides funding for 3 librarians to attend MLA ’17. This award is for librarians who are taking leadership roles to raise awareness about Scientific Research Reproducibility in their communities. Each librarian will be reimbursed up to $1,500 for conference related expenses. Applicants must be currently employed in an academic, medical, or research institution. 

To apply, please go to the JoVE Librarian Travel Award page located here. A one-page essay is required. This essay looks at the librarian's initiative to raise awareness on the reproducibility crisis. The deadline for applications is February 24, 2017. 

T. Mark Hodges Award: Now Accepting Nominations!

The SC/MLA Honors and Awards Committee is accepting nominations/application for the T. Mark Hodges Outstanding Service Award.

Criteria for the award are:

• Nominees must have been a member of the Southern Chapter and the Medical Library Association for at least 10 years.
• Nominees must be well known within the Southern Chapter membership for dedicated and continuing service to the chapter and must have served the chapter with distinction in several different capacities, such as
• serving in elected or appointed office
• serving as committee chairman or active committee member
• representing the chapter on national or regional organizations
• actively participating in annual meetings by presenting papers or posters, chairing concurrent paper or poster sessions, organizing special sessions, or otherwise sharing his or her professional knowledge and values.

The nomination/application must be accompanied by a detailed description of the nominee’s qualifications, a curriculum vitae, and two supporting letters from chapter members.

The completed nomination/application with supporting documentation may be sent to: Justin Robertson, Chair Honor & Awards Committee. 

Deadline for submissions is April 10, 2017.

For more information go to: http://www.scmla.org/home/hodges_award.