Month: October 2012

On Informania, Monday, October 22, from 9:00-10:00am, Deb the Librarian interviewed Shawnalee Whitney, UAA Professor of Communication and Discourse Studies, about Information Literacy.

Information literacy is the ability to know when you need information, how to find information, how to evaluate the information and how to apply it effectively and ethically.  Plus, remember, information is created!  When you do research and write your essay, you are adding to that body of knowledge we call information!

More detail about information literacy in higher education can be found at the Association of College and Research Libraries’ web site:                            Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education

On September 11, 2012, Governor Sean Parnell signed Proclamation declaring October 2012 as Information Literacy Month in Alaska!  View it here:        October 2012 Information Literacy Month Proclamation for Alaska

Mayor Dan Sullivan declares October 2012 as Information Literacy Month in Anchorage!      Information Literacy Month Proclamation for Anchorage

Books mentioned during this Informania show: 

Historical information about information literacy came from:           Information Literacy:  Essential skills for the information age, by Michael B. Eisenberg, Carrie A. Lowe,  Kathleen L. Spitzer                                            AND                                                                                                                                  The analogy about research as the conversation on a topic that you contribute to when you write your paper came from:
They say / I say : the moves that matter in academic writing by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein

Information Literacy Assessment anyone?

Professor of Psychology Jon Mueller of North Central College, and author of the Authentic Assessment Toolbox, has conveniently collected Assessments of Information Literacy Available Online and posted them at  infolitassessments.htm. Professor Mueller’s background can be found at: http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu.

The October 15, 2012 Informania radio show included an interview with Steve Johnson, Director of the Seawolves Debate Program about watching the presidential debates critically.

He recommended the following tips to enhance your ability to think critically during the debates:

Write down the questions ask and listen for answers.  This will help you see if the candidates actually answer the questions.

Listen to the debates instead of watching them.  This way the words candidates are saying will have a greater impact than the presentation of them.

Check facts following the debates.  A good site to check is factcheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Songs played during this edition of Informania include:  Information, by Dredg;  Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off by Rosemary Clooney, and We Can Work it Out, by the Beatles.

Library Science Professor Trina Carter has organized displays and activities to engage students in learning about the censorship of books and music.  This week on Informania, Deb the Librarian talked with Trina about censorship, and the importance of celebrating Banned Books Week.

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to have access to and read books that everyone may not approve of.  Learn more about Banned Books Week from the American Libraries Association: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek

Listen to Bill Moyers talk about Banned Books Week:                         http://vimeo.com/49944167

Songs played during this show were all challenged by a at some point in history.  Songs titles and artists include:  Brown Eyed Girl, by Van Morrison, Rocky Mountain High, by John Denver, The Pill by Loretta Lynn.