The Impact of Learning 2.0 Programs in Australian Libraries

Warren and I are launching the post-programme survey for City Libraries Townsville next week. This is the video I made for the staff.

http://www.caval.edu.au/michael_stephens.html

Includes:

Presentation
Powerpoint Presentation [PPT] 12MB

Audio Recordings
Presentation [MP3] 45.7MB
Questions & Answers [MP3] 28.7MB

Reprinted from an original post at ALATechSource

I am pleased to announce that the first paper from the 2009 CAVAL Visiting Scholar project was published as part of the proceedings of VALA 2010, a conference held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia two weeks ago. VALA – Libraries, Technology and the Future Inc. is an Australian non-profit that promotes the use of technology in libraries, museums and other institutions originally “established as the Victorian Association for Library Automation in 1978 in response to the emergence of automated library catalogues and other technologies that were revolutionising the industry at the time.”

http://www.vala.org.au/about/aims

http://www.vala.org.au/about/history

Sadly, I was not there in person – I’d be happy to be away from the Midwest winter for a few more sun-drenched Aussie days. But I was there via technology, presenting and interacting with the crowd. The whole process of doing the research and the way we’ve used technology every step of the way has got me thinking about the bigger implications for conferences and learning.

The research project is ongoing, examining the impact and success of Learning 2.0 programs in Australian libraries. Why Australia? As Warren Cheetham, my co-investigator on the project, said at VALA: The Yarra Plenty Library was the first library in the world to adapt Helene Blowers “23 Things” program in mid to late 2006. From there, the program has grown exponentially. Helene recently wrote:

Don’t ask me the number of libraries or organizations? With programs having been run by the National Library of Norway, the State Library of Victoria, Maryland public libraries statewide, 23 Things on a Stick for multiple libraries and organizations, I really have no way of knowing the total impact or number of organizations that have adopted the program. But from my delicious links and growing communications folder I can tell you this… the number is definitively over 700 and more then likely hovers somewhere just under 1000 organizations worldwide.

http://www.librarybytes.com/2009/02/wj-hosts-23-things-summit.html

Last year, we ran a national survey for program participants, a survey for program administrartors and during my 5 week visit last fall, we conducted focus groups with library staff of various libraries. Working with Warren and Richard Sayers, our “project leader” for CAVAL at that time, has been wonderful! The data set is huge and will be published in various articles over the next year or so – VALA being the first.

Which brings me back to the tech that helped us along the way. Warren and I recently wrote a short piece called “From a Distance” in the Jan/Feb edition of inCite, the news magazine of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA).

http://research.tametheweb.com/?p=95

In it we described our use of technology tools like Skype, Dropbox, Flickr, etc to plan the research and study visit. For VALA, I added a few more tools to our aresenal. Worried that Skype or other VOIP tech might fail us during our presentation, Warren, Richard and I decided that my portion would best be done via pre-recorded video.

I’ve been meaning to do more with video and this was a perfect opportunity to test the tools and my abilities. I experimented for a day with my Flip Video Ultra HD but found the sound quality lacking. Using a USB microphone and Apple’s iMovie, I was able to record within the application via my big iMac’s iSight camera. It yielded 1024 X 576 video that I could edit and manipulate. I shot one 3 minute clip of me welcoming the group to our talk and talking a bit about the project background. Built into iMovie is a spiffy map feature that creates slick world map animations – a perfect way to let the folks watching in Melbourne know where I was.

What I learned – recording 3 minutes of video is HARD! It seemed to take forever as I started, flubbed and started over again. It’s one thing to speak to a group – I do that all the time -  but it’s different when the speech is being recorded. I think I finally said to myself “Get a grip” and just did it!

The other two sections were created with exporting our Keynote slides to iMovie. I then recorded an audio track with Garageband to overlay on the slides, matching my timing up and saying “Warren, please go to the next slide please.” Warren was able to advance the slides as I spoke, creating a seamless experience. We put the video files in the Dropbox folder we share for the project.

During the presentation, I listened via Skype and monitored the Twitter chatter about the session, answering questions and pointing people to our research site. We think that some in the audience might even have thought I was live on the big screen because the transitions were so smooth.

After seeing how EDUCAUSE can create such an open, engaging conference via various technologies last month and the experience with VALA, I’m becoming more sold on the idea of these tools breaking down the barriers of space, time and money for conferences and for learning. I would like to see more archived video and more encouragement of real time interaction beyond the walls of the convention center for all of our conferences.

When I finally got the video thing right, I also recorded two quick shout out posts to my classes for our class sites. It was easy to do – I just pretended I was suddenly in fron of the class and had a few things to share. Bumping into two students this week in the hallway at Dominican, one remarked that she was very happy to see me on video during our month long breaks between class meetings. Note to self, I thought, do more video. I’m rather excited now to explore recording lectures this way, and asking my students to contribute video as well.

I’m excited to share more of the research and also excited to see where all of these tools take as we continue to learn and explore. Please share your tech and presentation/teaching success stories here! I’d like to include them in a future post and in my teaching.

CAVAL: http://www.caval.edu.au

Michael, Richard Sayers (from CAVAL Ltd) and I started work on the research project in September 2008. How we managed to organise a multi-faceted research project, a five-week international visit, and three speaking engagements when we were over 14,000km (as the crow flies) and 16 time zones apart is the subject of a short article in the Jan/Feb edition of inCite, the news magazine of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA).

The article is reproduced here with the kind permission of ALIA and inCite:

From A Distance inCite Jan/Feb 2010 (  PDF 682 KB)

Photo by Ben Quinney

http://www.vala.org.au/vala2010/papers2010/VALA2010_93_Stephens_Final.pdf

Our presentation at VALA2010 is Thursday morning (Wednesday night for me).

This presentation outlines the development and research methodology of the CAVAL 2009 Visiting Scholar Research Project, Measuring the Value and Effect of Learning 2.0 Programs in Libraries. Created to include all staff in a learning activity and offered to all via a Creative Commons license, some LIS practitioners have lauded Learning 2.0 programs as a successful way to engage staff. Replicated more than 500 times across the globe in various types of libraries and over 30 times in Australia alone, this project explores the true impact of the program on Australian libraries

Ask questions via Google Moderator:

http://www.google.com/moderator/#15/e=39db&t=39db.40

We’ll be sure to include one in our Q & A.

For my portions of the presentation we used iMovie, Garageband, Keynote & Quicktime Pro.

This year has been most magical. I traveled a bit, had some wonderful students in my classes, and learned so much from everyone I encountered. I also spent much of the summer with our new dog Cooper in Traverse City hiking and sitting by the fire.

One of the most magical and life changing events, however, was spending five weeks in Australia as the 2009 CAVAL Visiting Scholar, researching and speaking in the great land Down Under. Reflecting, as I do in the final days of each year, I can’t begin to describe how the time spent on the other side of the world touched me. The landscape, the blend of cultures, and the people were all so incredible. But I do realize it’s time to make some very public formal thank yous to those who made it all possible.

A heartfelt THANK YOU to:

Richard Sayers at CAVAL for orchestrating and organizing the whole trip. He was instrumental for both of my sojourns in Australia – and made this trip a smooth sailing dream. He worked to make sure every flight, every hotel, every cab ride and every last detail was perfectly coordinated. This was also the first time we got to meet in person, break bread and share a sip of fine wine. This trip would not have happened without his participation and that of CAVAL. Next time, I hope we get to do some kayaking.

Warren Cheetham at Townsville City Libraries who took on the huge role of co-investigator for the “Measuring the Value and Effect of Learning 2.0 Programs in Libraries” research project. Warren’s help and insights have been invaluable. I was also lucky to share an office with him for 5 days in Townsville, sitting across the table from him talking libraries, technology and human connection. His positive attitude about the possibilities of library service utilizing technology inspires me.

The good folks at the Australian School Library Association – including my contact Lexie Duncan – for inviting me to keynote their meeting in Perth and spend some time talking about emerging trends for learners and the people who serve them. This was one of my very best conference experiences in the years I’ve been speaking. After my sessions were done that day I sat in the public space of the conference center for the entire afternoon chatting with ASLA attendees and listening to their stories. I learned so much from them!

The fine people at Queensland Public Library Association – including Ron Store and everyone on the panel and organizing committee who in co-sponsorship with the Public Library Association of Australia invited me to keynote their meeting as well. Another excellent conference experience filled with networking, a fine meal and evening music (sadly, I didn’t stay for the dancing) and an engaging group of public librarians facing change and challenge with a “bring it on” attitude.

Janette Wright, CEO of CAVAL, who drove me out to Yarra Plenty for a meeting and showed me the sites of Melbourne as we zipped around the city. We also toured the CAVAL offices, checking out some of the very special collections they store – such as Kylie Minogue’s dresses (who knew?)!

Craig Anderson, Sue Owen, Paul Cardwell, Julia Leong at RMIT’s library in Melbourne for hosting focus groups and the presentation I did to the CAVAL members on the research. The facilities were perfect and the interaction with staff and members lead to some fascinating conversations.

Sue Henczel at Deakin University Library, who hosted a focus group of staff for the research project. The space, refreshments and technology were perfect! The lunch after the work was wonderful as well.

Susan Coker, Executive Manager, Library Services, Community and Environmental Services for Townsville City Libraries and her incredible staff for opening up their libraries as the case study site for the project. Multiple groups chatted with me openly and honestly about their experience with Learning 2.0 so far. We’ll be surveying them again in the new year to see how things went.

Kathryn Greenhill, Special Services Librarian at Cottesloe-Peppermint Grove-Mosman Park Library in Western Australia, who invited me to the Library Camp in Perth and hosted such a lovely breakfast to start the day. Listening to her enthusiastic ideas always fire me up and seeing her in action at the unconference was brilliant. And a big shout out to all who attended the unconference!

Christine Mackenzie and everyone that took time for a meeting at Yarra Plenty Library to share with me the genesis of Learning 2.0 in Australia – the reason for the research in the first place. I was flattered and floored when I asked Christine “How did you first hear about Learning 2.0” and she said: “I read about it on Tame the Web and thought, Oh! We can do that here too!”

Anne Beaumont from the State Library of Victoria, who treated me to a wonderful Japanese lunch and some wonderful talk about library work AND life with dogs. Dog people are the same no matter what hemisphere you find yourself visiting.

Paul Hagon of the National Library of Australia whose outstanding work mashing up local digital content with Google-enabled location services just made so much sense to me.

Ellen Forsyth, Consultant for Public Library Services at the State Library of New South Wales and her colleagues Mylee Joseph and Leanne Perry, who invited me to a meeting to chat about researching the impact of Learning 2,.0. They’ve been conducting their own studies of the programme offered by the State Library. They shared some interesting insights and fascinating conclusions.

David West, senior manager at Moreton Bay Region Libraries, and president of the Queensland Public Library Association, for sharing the story during our panel presentation about encouraging Runescape play amongst a group of young boys at his library, which lead to them feeling “engaged in the life of the library.”

Ben Quinney at CAVAL who helped me all of my IT needs for the entire trip, including the invaluable Internet access dongle and Aussie cellphone. He also did support for the focus groups in Melbourne.

Neal Thorley at Townsville Libraries, who insured technology requirements were perfect for the focus groups and who gave me my Google Wave invite.

Finally – to all the good Australian library folk I chatted with, tweeted to, facebooked, and Flickr’d throughout the journey. THANK YOU for your support, insights and encouragement.

The new year will bring various presentations and articles about the research and I can’t wait to visit Australia again sometime soon. Best to all for 2010!