Seriously Revised Connect Section of the Ebook

Perhaps the most important aspect of Library 2.0 is connecting. John Seely Brown, Chief Scientist at Xerox and director of its Palo Alto Research Center, demonstrated the importance of this aspect through the history of electricity. Although Michael Faraday’s small generator produced electricity in 1831, an entire generation passed before an industrial version of Faraday’s generator was built. It took another 25 years for electricity to find its way to power companies, neighborhood wiring, and appliances. This was an extremely long process for one idea to actually be put to use in daily life. According to Brown, “with the internet that we have today, we do not need to wait generations for an idea to develop into reality. Ideas can spread rapidly, inventors can catch the attention of sponsors and their vision can become a reality much more quickly.” This spread of ideas is generated by connecting to other researchers though the plethora of digital tools available to nearly every researcher on the planet. By contacting other researchers and experts, we can share insights and achieve goals much more quickly than ever before.

It is common to research a topic by looking up articles and news reports from credible websites and databases. While this is a wonderful start, research should not begin and end with sorting through articles to paraphrase on a report or a business proposal. Perhaps the most effective way to research is to find the experts in the desired topic and use them to find the best information without sorting through thousands of articles on a database. One may accomplish this process in several ways.

First, a researcher might search a topic on a database of scholarly articles or look at bibliographies of several works on the subject in order to discover the experts on the subject.

Next, one might find the resources the expert used or is interested in through social bookmarking, Google Plus, Facebook, blogs, or other Web 2.0 tools. As previously discussed, social bookmarking sites allow you to see links used by other researchers for any desired field. By finding the links marked by an expert, it becomes much easier to find more information on a research topic. Experts can usually be found on Google Plus or Facebook as well. These professionals are extremely excited by their area of interest and are likely to post information about it frequently. Some may even create a Facebook page entirely on their topic of interest. Their profile pages can contain a wealth of knowledge for any researcher interested in their work. Another useful tool to find information is to find an expert’s blog. Blogs may not be purely academic, but they will probably contain useful links for more information on their topic of interest.

While this may be very useful to any researcher, finding information is only the shallow end of connecting. In order to truly make research meaningful, one must use these digital tools to contact the experts after reading their material. This process develops an understanding network building and will prove to be a valuable research tool in any type of research as well as the professional workplace. For any researcher who is lacking interest or motivation in their work, connecting to other experts is sure to inspire greater interest in the topic and augment motivation to effectively find the best sources possible and create truly remarkable work. Communicating with experts in the field makes research a far more worthwhile and memorable experience than it might otherwise have been and allows those experts to then comment and improve the researcher’s work.

Although connecting with an expert may seem daunting to the average researcher, current digital tools make it relatively easy to contact experts on any subject. These tools also create much easier methods for experts to respond to requests. For the many experts who teach or conduct research at universities, contact information can be found through university directories. Once an expert’s google plus profile is found, email options are usually provided. It is also relatively easy to comment on Google plus or any facebook page. With properly expressed interest, a comment from a researcher usually elicits a response from the expert in question. Conversation can also be sparked through comments on an expert’s blog.

Researchers could also visit an office which might have more information on the subject. For example, in order to find more information on how technology has influenced education, a researcher could visit any school office and ask what new forms of technology the school had implemented and how it had influenced student learning. Interviews are generally considered scholarly sources and can generally be cited in research papers and other published works. If distance poses a problem, interviews via phone, video conferencing, or video can be effective as well.

My Personal Experience with Connecting

In my first year of college, I was assigned to write a research paper on a recently discovered ant in Australia. As I began my research, I discovered that I needed more information, and the few articles available were written by one expert, who happened to be a professor in Denmark. I found the website of his university and translated it into English in order to find his contact information. I sent him an email, expressing my interest in his work and explaining the research I was conducting. He responded fairly quickly, and we began communicating about my work. He gave me much more information for my research and gave me permission to use all of his images and charts. I then published my work for everyone to use because hardly anyone knew about this incredible species of ant. Making that connection made my research so much more meaningful and created a spark of excitement in my work. That experience led me to write about Library Research 2.0 because I want others to experience that spark that I felt and make their research so much more meaningful.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Yes, we finished filming the Inquiry video today! I had a lot of fun trying to get my interview right and getting odd looks as we filmed students in the library (with their permission of course). It was fun to film, and we think we got some good shots. Basically we filmed different students working in the library. Some worked with computers, some read books, and others studied with friends. We then filmed the main content, most of which will be a voice-over for the video. We then filmed my interview about my experience in Library 2.0. Here is how it goes...


Opens with inspirational music and a black screen with "Bringing Research up to Speed: Utilizing Library 2.0" written in white.

Inspirational music fades into the background with a clip of me introducing library 2.0.


"In the modern world research has become vital to success. Whether you are a student, teacher, or any professional in the workplace, you need to know how to find information. Library 2.0 is the key to making the most of the time you spend on effective research through the digital tools we have today. (At this point, my explanation of Library 2.0 becomes a voice over as we flip through different clips of students doing research.) The three tools within Library 2.0 are consuming, connecting, and creating. You can more effectively consume information through social bookmarking sites, google scholar, RSS feeds and other digital tools. You can then use these tools to connect to the experts in order to enhance your research and add a spark of excitement in your work. After you've found your information, you can share your work with those experts and other researchers through ebooks, video, TED talks, and other publishing techniques."


At this point we will show my interview about my experience with consuming, connecting, and creating in new ways to make my research meaningful and my inspiration for this project. We will then show the clip of all the students working in the "no shh" zone and end with clips of students working together (both of these will be shown with the final voice over as the background music slowly gets louder until it is at a normal volume when my voice over ends and we show the last clip of students working together).
 
"If we all use these tools to consume information effectively, connect with the experts, and create our own work for others to use, we can completely revolutionize research as we know it."


This would be the end of the ebook video. We would also like another version to show in the library, youtube, and on the library's website where it ends with a black background and information about where to find more information written in white.

Helping Students Connect

Just realized I did not post this on the 21st when I saved it as a draft, so here this is super late.

Today I found a valuable opportunity to use connecting research strategies to aid a fellow student in their research. This student was struggling to find useful sources for a research paper. She had one extremely useful article but found nothing else to back up her work. I suggested some of the research strategies I have picked up to help her connect to the authors of that article. We found his contact information, and she sent him an email. I do not know if she emailed him back yet, but it was great to see her replace boredom and frustration with excitement and energy as she discovered the joys of connecting in research.

Inquiry: An Annotated Bibliography

My process has been a bit scattered, but I have really learned to use Library Research 2.0 techniques to find the information I need. I searched on Google scholar, Google books, Google plus, social bookmarking sites, and library databases. This is my research so far.
Further Reading

• Brown, John Seely. ("Growing Up Digital: How the Web Changes Work, Education, and the Ways People Learn". USDLA Journal, 2002).This journal article expresses the ways technology has changed work, education, and learning in history as well as in the digital age. History shows us that change takes a long time, but with the internet, change can come much more quickly. This work demonstrates the importance of learning how to navigate the internet to find information. [I found this by searching Google Scholar and realized that it contains excellent information to convince our audience of the importance of utilizing digital tools to find information.]
• Accardi, Maria T., Drabinski, Emily and Kumbie, Alana (Critical Library Instruction: Theories and Methods. Library Juice Press, 2010.) This book explains new theories and methods for library instruction. It includes stories of critical approaches put into practice in institutional settings in the virtual world. [I found information for this book on Maria Accardi's blog and thought it would be an excellent resource for finding new methods of library research in this digital age. 
• ("7 Things You Should Know About RSS". Educause Learning Initiative, April 2007). Covers an excellent overview of RSS and how to use it. [I found a link to this page on a presentation by  Maria Accardi, a researcher interested in Library Research 2.0. I am including it because it is important to know how to use RSS to consume information in Library Research 2.0] 
• ("7 Things You Should Know About Google Apps". Educause Learning Initiative, April 2007). Covers an excellent overview of Google Apps and how to use it. [I found a link to this page on a presentation by  Maria Accardi, a researcher interested in Library Research 2.0. I am including it because it is important to know how to use Google Apps to consume and share information in Library Research 2.0] 
• ("7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking". Educause Learning Initiative, April 2007). Covers an excellent overview of Social Bookmarking and how to use it. [I found a link to this page on a presentation by  Maria Accardi, a researcher interested in Library Research 2.0. I am including it because it is important to know how to use Social Bookmarking to consume information and connect with other researchers in Library Research 2.0]  
• ("7 Things You Should Know About Zotero". Educause Learning Initiative, April 2007). Covers an excellent overview of Zotero and how to use it. [I found a link to this page on a presentation by  Maria Accardi, a researcher interested in Library Research 2.0. I am including it because it is important to know how to use Zotero to consume and cite information in Library Research 2.0]  

Thought Leaders

• Maria Accardi (Presentation about Library Research 2.0 Techniques and Critical Library Instruction: Theories and Methods) Ms. Accardi is a librarian instructor at Indiana University Southeast. She is a leader in Library Research 2.0 and provided the base of our research. [I found Ms. Accardi's presentation through a blog post by Professor Gideon Burton and discovered that she was the key to discover what Library Research 2.0 truly is.]
• Casey Bisson ("Designing an OPAC for Web 2.0," a presentation at Innovative Users Group meeting at ALA Midwinter). Bisson has written several useful blog posts about Library Research 2.0 and gave a presentation at an important conference about the effects of Web 2.0 in libraries. [I found Bisson's information and blog through a post on The Shifted Librarian and chose to include him because he has written and presented much information on Library 2.0]

Actual Results of My Pitch

As you may have guessed from the earlier blog post, I pitched our idea to a First Year Writing professor because he has a major meeting with librarians from our school and Utah State on Monday. His job is to give them feedback and any suggestions for the library's course in the First Year Writing program. Needless to say, I was really nervous, but I believe it went rather well.

He was really interested in our idea and would love to incorporate Library Research 2.0. He was particularly interested in students connecting with experts after reading their articles. He said he would ask to have all of our "connection" points incorporated into the library days because that is closely tied to the articles they find. However, he said that all of our other points are more for First Year Writing professors because the library only has two days to talk to the class about research. Therefore, all of their research instruction must be library related and all other research instruction is given by the professors in class. He recommended that we contact Brian Jackson. He is either a coordinator or a co-coordinator in the English department. He also instructs the graduate students in the English Department. It also happens that he is incredibly interested in digital literacy and has used a wikipage to compare teaching techniques in the department. I was told that he would definitely be the best one to talk to if I wanted to add to the First Year Writing curriculum.

He also told me tips about connecting to graduate students so they can teach future classes with Library Research 2.0 techniques.

He also suggest that we present our pitch as a simple lesson plan that can be incorporated into about half a class day's instruction. In the lesson, he suggested that we focus on creating/connecting and show 3 links of quick videos where students have displayed their ideas in a short of video "tweethis." We can then suggest that students create their own videos of their work and comment on each other's videos.

After hearing our pitch, this professor said that he would like to incorporate connecting and social proofing in his class by having his students post their research thesis on Facebook and sharing the feedback they received. We also talked about having students publish their work or at least being taught how to publish their work, so they can publish more polished research papers in the future. We talked about ebook pages, youtube videos, and presentations. Students could also shorten their work and publish it in the Daily Universe.

Pitch to a First Year Writing Professor

Library Research 2.0 is less about complicated web tools and more about connecting, consuming, and creating information through social media in order to be more effective, efficient, and meaningful in finding sources and writing research papers. There are many free resources available that students should be encouraged to incorporate into their research.

Consume: The library currently has excellent databases which allow students to consume scholarly information. We propose the following tips and sources to aid students in finding information for their research.

• RSS feeds keep you updated on new information being posted on any subject.
• Zotero can be used to find bibliography information although Ref Works is a great citing resource for scholarly articles.
• Google scholar is a great resource for finding scholarly material and can be connected to the library. (Tips for using Google can also be included. See blog post. http://digiciv-hammondlynsie.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-to-do-real-research-on-google.html )
• Students can find out what others are saying about their topic and what is currently being done about a certain issue by exploring blog posts and websites from enthusiasts.

• Connect: Students should connect to other researchers on their topic using digital tools. This makes students’ time more effective, since they can build off of articles and sources found by others, jump-starting the research process. They can also personally contact experts and researchers to gather content. This helps students learn how to build networks, and will prove to be a valuable research tool as students and as professionals.
• Connecting can be as easy as speaking to an expert in addition to reading their work. This can seem daunting to students, but with the digital tools we have today, it is relatively easy to contact experts on any subject.
• Students can find contact information through university websites
• If a student finds a scholarly article relating to their topic, he or she can usually find the author’s blog and comment to find more information. This may even spark a conversation with them on the subject, which will add both quality to the research paper and value to the student’s experience in writing the paper.
• Students can also go into an office which might have more information on the subject. For example, if a student was researching how technology has influenced education, he or she could go to an office of a nearby school and ask to interview someone on any new forms of technology their school has implemented and how it has influenced student’s learning. Interviews are generally considered scholarly sources and can generally be cited in research papers.
• Note: tell my story about connecting with the Danish expert on a certain species of Australian ant for my First Year Writing paper
• One great connecting tool is delicious.com. This site allows students to access sources from others who are researching a particular topic. The student can use these sources and build on their research by publishing a new list of sources on that topic for others to use.

Create: Students’ work will become more meaningful to them if it can be read and used by others. There are many fields in which an online presence will help with career opportunities and collaboration. Teaching students to share their work online will not only give them a chance for social proofing their ideas, it will also help them develop skills that may be crucial for their future careers.

• Publish their papers into Wikipedia articles. This is what my First Year Writing professor had us do. Knowing that others would be able to read and edit my work over time really motivated me to put my best effort into my research paper. However, I recognize that this is not possible for all research topics.
• Students can publish their work through eBooks. This is an easy way to publish a 8-10 page paper.
• Students could also turn their work into a Prezi presentation. They could design the presentation to be explored on its own or create a video where they explain their research while using a Prezi as a visual aid.
• The class could produce a TED talk where all students could take turns making a brief presentation of their topic and direct the audience where they could find more information if they are interested. A single student could also produce a TED talk to fully explain their research.
• Students can present their research as a video and publish it on You Tube.
• Information could also be presented as an infographic.
• Students can publish their research as a blog.
• A student could both create and connect by presenting their research to an expert on their topic and ask for suggestions on publication.

Growing Accessibility to Information

I recently read an article from the ERIC database, comparing the development of the printing press and technology today. I am not sure the link will work if you are not logged into BYU's library system, but here it is. http://www.eric.ed.gov.erl.lib.byu.edu/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED474051 .

This article claimed that the printing press was evolutionary not revolutionary. It just added to what had been developed over years and assisted in the ageless effort to make information accessible to the general public. It mentions the humble beginnings of the printing press and how it took 300 years to make printed materials fully accessible to the general public. We can see the same thing (but on a shorter time scale) with the integration of automobiles, telephones, and television. They each took about a generation to be accessible to everyone. I think it is no surprise that the same theory can be applied to the humble beginnings of  the internet. In the past few years we can see surprising growth in the accessibility the general population has to the internet. I would be as bold to say that every American has access to the internet, whether it be through work, home, or school. Anyone can simply walk into a public library to have unlimited information at their fingertips.

Now we see an increase in use of social networks to consume, create, and connect the information we use. How much more can the accessibility to internet grow?

How to Do Real Research on Google

In universities, many professors snub Google, but it can actually used to find great information...if used correctly. The disadvantage of Google is that it doesn't always give you scholarly sources. However, if you know how to find the sources you want and utilize Google scholar, you can definitely find some good information. The advantage of Google over traditional scholarly databases is its advanced search system. The problem is that about 75% of students don't know how to use it. Due to a handout created by Professor Cheri Earl of my HONRS 290 course, I have found some great tricks to using this resource.

• How to Google
• Example of what you want to find: New York Times articles about test scores in college, but not the SATs, written between 2008 and 2010
• How to Google it
• site:nytimes.com ~college "test scores" -SATs 2008..2010
• site: only searches for pages of that site
• ~ will also search related words such as "higher education" or "university"
• "" searches for the exact phrase, not each of the words separately
• - excludes this item from the search
• .. shows results from the designated date range
• Another example: A report on the different air speed velocities of common swallows
• Don't type questions into Google
• filetype:pdf air speed intitle: velocity of *swallow
• filetype: searches only results of the file type you designate. You can use this for pdf, doc, jpg, etc
•  intitle: only shows results with that word in the title (in this case, velocity)
• * replaces itself with common terms in your search
•  Google Scholar: only academic and scholarly work
• Example: papers about photosynthesis by Dr. Ronald L. Green and Dr. Thomas P. Buttz

• author: green photosynthesis "tp buttz" 
• author: searches for this word only in the author of the article instead of the entire article
• Just typing it in (like photosynthesis) works like a normal Google search
• "" more specific results 

• More tips for Google
• for quick definitions
• define: depart
• calculator: works for basic functions
• (2*3)/5-41+2

Hopefully these tips make Google more useful. Happy Researching!

Who Am I Talking To?: A Question of Audience

Taylor, my fellow leader in my inquiry project group, brought up some really good points about targeting our audience and how we can influence them. So here are my thoughts on possible audience members and how we could make a difference with our project. 

If we target students: We could post our info online (maybe a BYU site) and ask the library to play our video on their TVs on the third floor. I could also ask the other Peer Mentors to host workshops with your information to help students in the First Year Writing Course.

If we target teachers or librarians: We could present a proposal to include our information in the Library instruction course or mention our information when the First Year Writing class is doing their research unit. We could also speak to Advanced Writing professors (I have a relative who teaches advanced writing, so maybe I could do some social proofing.


I also made a point earlier that the those teaching the library research portion of First Year Writing seem to be stuck on scholarly articles and books rather than web tools. However, I think if we focus on how to use web tools to enhance those sources and allow others to view student research using Library Research 2.0 techniques, they would be very interested. If we focus our attention on a student audience, we would have to shift our project to focus on using Library Research 2.0 to save time with research and convince them to put in the necessary time to publish their work in such a way that other students could use. 


Their are clear benefits to both. However, I feel like we should choose our audience soon, so we can focus our research better. My personal choice? I am not sure although I am leaning towards teachers and librarians. I feel like they could influence students in the work they do, and our work would have much higher chances of actually making a difference in the academic world.

Technology Takes its Tole

I recently read a fascinating article by Sherry Turkle, a professor of the social studies of science and technology at MIT, about how technology is making us more antisocial and substituting real lives for virtual ones. People live an entire virtual existence, designing their dream mansion and perfect life on the computer. The shy get to live bold, and everyone gets to live the life they've always dreamed of. The problem? IT'S NOT REAL! People get obsessed and emotional attached to a virtual life which holds no actual meaning. Furthermore, this often leads to a depression when reality finally sets in.

Even for those who do not create virtual lives for themselves, technology still manages to steal time away from us. If we have a few minutes before class starts, we check Facebook or text instead of taking time for personal reflection or noticing those around us. Devices like laptops and smart phones were invented to multitask and save time. However, it seems like we fill up every available minute using these gadgets and have lost valuable time to take our time. It is no longer normal for people to take time to ponder, reflect, and simply appreciate the world around them.

One way I have tried to counter this is by walking to school. While I walk, I put my cell phone and iPod deep in the bowels of my backpack and take the time to think. I notice the beauty of fallen snow on a tall pine tree or reflect on my experiences. No matter what I think about, I always make sure to take the time to think. Hopefully the rest of the world catches on before we completely transform into the horror described in Surrogates, living lives that aren't truly ours in fast-paced world.

JFK loves TV!

I had a lot of fun imitating John F. Kennedy in class today, but it made me realize how much a new medium of information (like television) can shape history.

John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon were close in the polls for the 1960 election. What gave our iconic president the edge he needed? Television. In the first televised presidential debate in American history, JFK worked with the camera using makeup and an overall stellar appearance. Nixon did not. In fact, he looked rather sweaty and gross, but he did very well with the debate. Radio listeners were in agreement that he had won the debate while television viewers believed JFK stole the show. The difference? An ability to use technology for your benefit. 

Watch JFK Own the Camera in Nixon's Sweaty Debacle

Look at the difference between George W. Bush and Barrack Obama. Bush was slammed by the media and acted like a child on camera. Obama has perfected his TV personality and has online chats with anyone who wants to listen. Although Obama still has a long way to go before he gains JFK's level of approval, his digital literacy certainly helps. Online chats with government officials also allow us to become better participants in our country. How much more effective would government be if government adopted Web 2.0 to allow us to communicate back to them? Being more digitally literate wouldn't hurt Congress approval ratings either. HINT TO CONGRESSMEN: Get on the Web 2.0 bandwagon!

Research Tips from Professors

In an interview with a couple First Year Writing professors about they have been able to maximize their research time.

• Use subject librarians. They know specific terms and research in your subject and the best ways to find the information you are looking for.
• Search one particular aspect at a time. For instance, if you are studying a comparison between public transportation systems, you should first search specifically about environmental impact. Then research differences in cost, etc. 
• Remind yourself of your topic as you read abstracts of articles. If it is not completely relevant to your topic (even if it is interesting), do not read it. 
• Keep a schedule. For the earlier example, you could spend one hour on researching differences in environmental impact and one hour on differences in cost. 
• Keep a research log. Write down the particular aspect of your project you are researching and how much time you are spending on it. This makes you accountable for sticking to your schedule and evaluate where you need to go next in your research. This also allows you to keep track of your sources and how you got there (key phrases and databases used in an EBSCO search etc.)
• Have a research buddy to keep you on track and help find sources.
• Use university websites to find experts
• Google scholar has great sources most of the time, but it takes a lot of time to find what you need. Google books is usually more helpful and has lots of great sources.
• Take time to get off the computer and out of the library. Talk directly to people in offices that can supply useful information. Interview sources, collect stories, and distribute surveys to wide groups of people. You will be surprised at the amount of information you can gather from real people as apposed to journal articles.