Competency 9: webpage

http://www.homeedmag.com/
This is the home page for the Home Education Magazine. I found this website by searching Google. The term I entered for my search was “homeschooling and the public library use.” An article from the January-Feburary 2002 issue, lead me to this webpage. The article “Homeschool Resource Center in a Public Library” by Kathy Wentz encouraged me to continue browsing through the webpage. This website is informative for the those interested in homeschooling, want to start homeschooling, or already are participating. This magazine offers many options such as posting the article, offering a Q&A section, and links to other helpful web pages. This can be a positive website for those looking a nontraditional education for younger school-aged students.

Competency 8: Research visual/ multimedia

In their annual report the Clive Public Library produced a pie graph showing the usage of circulation material for 2007-2008. I chose to use this graph because it allows for people to see the types of material used at a public library. While children’s material is the largest, the second largest is Adult Non-fiction. The large quantity of Non-Fiction material used shows that people use the public library to further their education. The part this graph fails to represent is the type of people how are using these materials.

Library Using Statistics. Clive Library. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cityofclive.com/departments/library/images/piegraph.png&imgrefurl=http://www.cityofclive.com/departments/library/usage-statistics/index.php%3Fcatid%3DLibrary&usg=__VjIMBpWitjJgGvhBuhleia6ZNHY=&h=537&w=1023&sz=162&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=8kV1k6CExKzi_M:&tbnh=79&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpublic%2Blibrary%2Buse%2Bstatistics%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1, (accessed Aug. 5, 2009)

Competency 7: Image

This image was chosen to represent the students who use the public library. This girl might be a homeschool student, a distance education student, or even someone who desires to learn about any topic. The Ocean City Public Library offers computer classes, as many public libraries do. Public libraries act as a great source of information for any of the above mentioned. The public library produces many educational options for students such as classes, free materials, computer use, and a quite place to study.

Free Computer Training. Ocean City Public Library. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.oceancitylibrary.org/images/services/computer_training_sm.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.oceancitylibrary.org/services/technology/computertraining.html&usg=__m2M9XdfvDwWB2xj_8Fe7aC8QnNs=&h=384&w=576&sz=48&hl=en&start=126&um=1&tbnid=6l_L5JQl4hhWhM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlearning%2Band%2Bthe%2Bpublic%2Blibrary%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D108%26um%3D1,

(accessed Aug. 3, 2009)

Competency 6: Pearl Growing

The final database which I searched was ERIC. With this database I determined to use the Pearl Growing Method. I started with an article “Public Library Services for Home Schooling” by Denise G. Masters. While the Descriptors varied to include several different terms, I determined that I would continue to remain using the same terms, but also included the term “access to information.” This allowed for me to retain a very small number of hits. I appreciated this search method, because it helps the user determine other terms to use. It is especially helpful in the ERIC database, which has a large amount of documents. ERIC is relatively easy to use. Each of the databases tested are easy to use if some knowledge is obtained about searching and the database itself.

Competency 6: Specific Facet First

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Using world cat I determined to focus my search on distance education and the use of the public library. I started the search by using distance education or nontraditional education. This resulted in a large number of results, but less than the number retrieved if I would have started with the public library as my original search term. I then determined I must add another facet, as suggested by the specific facet model. This limited the number of hits retrieved. Many of the hits did not seem geared toward the meaning of my search, but I was able to find several that worked well. WorldCat is a great database to negotiate. I was able to move between tabs easily, and the refine your search tool can be extremely helpful to users. The database also allows for the user to narrow the search easily once it is created. Using successive fraction model would be the most helpful on this database. Though specific facet worked as well.

Competency 6: Building Block

Library Lit allows for many search options. I specifically enjoyed the smart search option. This allowed for the program to be intuitive to my needs. I was able to find 49 documents, and many of these were documents that were helpful to my search. With this database I originally included distance education as part of the Boolean search, but removed it after a large number of irrelevant documents were retrieved. By narrowing the focus to strictly homeschooling and the use of the public library I was able to narrow my search to retrieve relevant documents.

Competency 6: Successive Fraction Search

I found that LEXIS was very simple to use. I was able to complete a successive fraction search in a simple manner. While it did not retrieve as many hits as I would have preferred, I was able to narrow the search to a limited number of hits. With only adding one more facet I was able to go from 1000 hits to ten hits. While ten hits is a more manageable number to search through, it is my opinion that the 1000 hits might have produced results that were not produced when the search was narrowed.

Competency 5: Tagging/ Cataloging

Library thing tags: 2007(1) 2008(7) adult(3) adult nonfiction(6) anecdotes(4) anthology(1) biography(6) books(3) Books and Reading(2) Borchert(2) borrowed(3) buy(2) California(5) customers(2) essays(2) funny(2) h(1) humor(31) humour(2) librarians(32) librarianship(3) libraries(52) library(29) library science(3) los angeles(5) memoir(27) nf(2) non-fiction(58) own(2) Paseo Verde Library(1) patrons(4) Public libraries(18) public library(9) public service(3) read(10) Read in 2008(7) recommended(1) to read(3) Unreviewed(1) wl


Library thing link: http://www.librarything.com/work/3924999

Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert might seem like an odd title choice based on the title for this blog. I, however, picked this book because I believe it would be a good insight for people first entering public libraries. Librarians now must deal with a wide variety of patrons which includes students. Those nontraditional students who use the public library are surrounded by these new patrons while they study and do research. One type of nontraditional student is the adult learner. This first book which I was hoping to use was Serving Adult Learners: a Public Library Tradition by Lynn E. Birge. Unfortunately, Library thing did not contain this title. I originally selected this book for the history which it traces. Birge’s book would be a great addition to this blog so I am including it as well.

Google link: http://books.google.com/books?id=EERpAAAAIAAJ&q=%22public+library%22+AND+nontraditional+education&dq=%22public+library%22+AND+nontraditional+education

Common terms and phrases:

adult education activities Adult Education Board adult education services adult independent learners adult learners Adult New Reader Adult Services advisers advisory services agencies ALA Bulletin American Library Association American public library assistance available basic education Center Chicago clientele collection College Entrance Examination Commission commitment community concern cooperation development educational opportunities educational program evaluation experience function Fund goals group services guidance Helen Houle Ibid Illiterate Independent Learning Projects Independent Study individual information institution interest knowledge learning activities librarians library adult education Library and Adult Library Journal library programs library resources library's Lyman materials Milwaukee Public Library need nontraditional number offered organized participation patrons percent personal planning potential prepared problems profession professional promotion provide public library service public service Readable Books reading courses reading lists Report responsibility role school self-education serve Service to Adult skills special staff suggested support survey training undereducated undertake University users Wilson Library Bulletin York

Competency 4: RSS feed

The RSS feed I added is from the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. I choose this feed because it was not only on a public library, but because of what it states in the about section:

“PLCMC Community Forum hosts conversations between the library and the local community. We hope you will share your opinions on issues important to the future of your library and to the Charlotte/Mecklenburg area” (Public Library of Chrlotte and Mecklenburg County. (2009). Community Forum Blog. Retrieved from http://plcmcforum.wordpress.com/)

This RSS feed not only tells the viewer what is going on in the local public library, but also what is happening on a larger scale. The page also asks for feedback from the patrons who visit libraries on improvements. I think that because there is an openness to the topics being discussed this RSS feed can help me to see that the public libraries must be open in the communication between librarians and patrons. I believe that this feed will also help others to see the communication that should be available between all librarians no matter the field. Patrons are the people who use the library. If something in the library is going to be changed it will affect them, and they will know what needs to be made more accessible.

Competency 3: Podcast

In this podcast video a student shares his views on how a library can be used as a form of education. The student who presents his views attended a public school, and was not a nontraditional student at the time the podcast was made. He does, however, make an argument towards using public libraries as a replacement for being a traditional student. While I do not agree with everything this young man comments on, I do believe this video podcast shows the uses a nontraditional student may look for in a public library. This podcast was found through www.youtube.com. The video is entitled “Public Libraries vs. Public Schools,” and can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHYzIp_EH44.

Competency 2: Related blogs

Home schooling is the form of nontraditional education which I will focus on during this posting. Through Google.com, I was able to find a large amount of blogs focused on this particular subject; very few, however, focused on the use of public libraries. I was able to find a blog run by a home schooling family. This blog shares a multitude of information such as projects, articles, and other great websites. This particular blog has several postings which are focused on the use of the public library. One posting, discuses being able to flip through old texts on the British Library webpage, while another focuses on her vision of improvements the public library could make. The following excerpt will show how the public library is a necessary component for nontraditional student and there families.

Excerpt is chosen from the Spotty Banana Electric Home School Portal: Public Libraries and Education webpage located here:

http://spottybanana.com/2009/02/02/public-libraries-and-education/:

As homeschoolers, we rely, no depend, on the public library system for all sorts of learning materials. Sometimes we wish books and video collections were more up-to-date, that there were more or even any cozy ‘reading’ chairs, and that they were open late on Friday and Saturday night. I have a wish list of things I would like my public library to be, but I am not sharing that today. I am sure that many other homeschool parents (and even public school parents) have wish lists as well. This weekend, I witnessed something that convinced me that public libraries had better start asking homeschool and engaged public school parents and children what they would like to see in a public library, because the public libraries’ role is being hijacked!

Blog 1: Introduction

Libraries are used for many different facets in life. A child may be taken for story time, while an adult may go for a new book. A student may use the library for research, internet access, or both. Through this blog, I will be looking into the ways a nontraditional student uses the public library. The term nontraditional student may also be categorized as an atypical student. This student may be home schooled, a distance education student, an online student, or a student not participating in a set curriculum. Unlike those attending traditional classes, these students lack a school or academic library, which is more significantly framed for their use or age. Instead, these student rely on there public libraries however small or large they are. They use them for study material, text books, internet access, reference material, social interaction, study guides, databases, and journals; along with general reading material, DVDs, and CDs. The public library is able to provide for these nontraditional students, especially the home schooled student. As a nontraditional student, I wish to explore how the public library is able to meet the needs and replace the school and academic libraries for students in similar circumstances.