Articles posted by Bruce Gilbert

Earlier this Summer we here @CowlesLib welcomed our new STEM Librarian (Dan Chibnall). Now we are equally pleased to introduce our new Campus Engagement Librarian, Samantha (Sam) Becker. Sam comes to us from the University of Nevada-Reno. We are very happy to have her as a member of our faculty! Find out more about Sam: http://www.iowaacrl.org/content/node/675

Cowles Library is happy to welcome two new Librarians this Summer. Dan Chibnall (Twitter: @BookOwl ) started on 1 July and is Drake’s new STEM Librarian. Dan is already very active in the Des Moines community (he was at Grand View University prior to coming to Drake) and has a wide variety of interests, one of which was highlighted recently on the Science Center of Iowa’s website: Dan is a volunteer who supports the Center’s “Star Parties.” We hope you get a chance to meet and welcome Dan soon!

P.S. Watch this space for background on the Library’s other new Librarian, coming soon!

Cowles Library is having roof repair done this week (from the 25th through the 29th). It’s possible that the noise level may be intrusive during that time; thank you for your patience while this important maintenance is done.

Also, steam line maintenance is being done across campus for the next couple of weeks. This may have an impact on our ability to cool the facility; if that happens, we will post a notice; we will take more serious steps should we lose cooling altogether (which is not anticipated).

Thanks for your forbearance!

The University Archives honors the installation of Earl F. Martin as Drake’s 13^th President with a special exhibit: Drake Presidential History, Inaugurations 1881-2016.   Created by Archives Assistant and Drake senior, Cecilia Panella, the exhibit is in Cowles Library’s Collier Room (2nd floor).   Along with reproductions, the exhibit also includes original documents and historical photographs.  The President’s mace and medallion will also be on display just outside the Archives.  The exhibit, viewable through the summer, is free and open to the public during regular Library hours.

Henry Harmon is installed as Drake’s 7th President in 1941

• Visible Body
• World History in Video
• Writing Workshop
• Speaking Center
• Student Center (IT?)
• Drop fines, 24/7 space

• ITS website
• New student information
• Computer recommendations
• Support Center information
• LMS, Blackboard

Everyone at Drake is invited to attend one or more thirty-minute sessions designed to give you a brief overview of some of the many new resources and initiatives at Cowles Library! Refreshments will be served! No RSVP necessary; there are three sessions, which are each given two times, so come to whichever suits your interests and schedules:

Drake University’s staff, in collaboration with Cowles Library, announce a “pilot run” of an All-University Book Club! The purposes of this book club are simple: Encourage reading for the sake of reading, and increase conversation among faculty, staff, and students across campus through the medium of books!

Cowles Library has eleven copies (hint: Ask for the book on reserve for Library 301) available for “The Kind Worth Killing,” a well-reviewed 2015 mystery that will be our first book. Details are in the flyer that follows (click here for a print-friendly version); the book is available in audio format from Audible.com, at various DM-area Public Libraries, and Amazon, in addition to the Cowles Library copies.

So, read the book and let Sara Heijerman know about your interest in discussing; the face-to-face discussion sessions will be in January (with the possibility of more than one, if there is enough interest), so happy reading!

INFO LIT: KEY TO COMMUNITY BASED / EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING – CRN: 1660 – LIBR 042

Below is the course description for an Information Literacy (AOI) course for Jterm 2016.

The course is designed for first- and second-year (and transfer) students, and satisfies the Info Lit AOI. It is offered by Cowles Library Professor Bruce Gilbert, who must approve all student enrollment in this course; his contact information is at the bottom of this post.

———————————————————————————————

Course description:

Modern students and modern learning are enmeshed in the various communities that give education its context. This course will explore the relevance of information literacy in the community-based environment and impart an understanding of how intelligent use of information resources can benefit both the student and the community.  Emphasis will also be placed on preparing students for experiential learning (both within the academic curriculum and as a lifelong perspective).  Students will be challenged to engage and research community-based resources, create at least one artifact of that involvement (such as an interview, oral history, or research project) and reflect upon the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to marshaling information, especially in the context of experiential learning and community engagement. NOTE: This course takes a “blended” approach to course delivery.  In this case, that means that most of the course is transacted online, but there are also mandatory in-class sessions at the beginning and end of the course.

Texts and Readings:

Deschooling Society by Ivan Illich. Other selected readings will supplement core texts.

Learning Objectives:

•       Gather relevant information to support and address a research topic
•       Demonstrate the use of critical thinking and information literacy skills
•       Analyze and interpret information relevant to his or her needs
•       Retrieve, evaluate, synthesize and cite appropriate information
•       Articulate the social and ethical implications of information use and misuse.
•       Select and employ the appropriate method and data for disciplinary research, problem-based learning, experiential-based research, and/or reflective/integrative coursework.

Projects and Assignments:

Students will visit one or more cultural organizations in their home community and gather background information about that organization.  The primary assignment will be to use the results of that information to create an informative artifact (such as an electronically-captured interview, oral history, or research project) that will further awareness of the organization. Finally, the students will write a brief reflection paper about the process of learning about their community through engagement; both of these projects will require proper attribution of information resources.

Please contact Professor Gilbert (bruce.gilbert@drake.edu or x4821) if you would like to be added to the class and if you have any specific questions about the class.