Thrilling information tasks?

Just a few minutes ago I read the interesting article "Long lost information".

In the current-day liturgy of teaching, it seems that motivating students is key. Once you have students motivated, supposedly, they will easily absorb what may otherwise seem dry or mundane. So a teacher’s plan should not be to transmit the material, but to motivate the students to learn the material for themselves while acting as a guiding frame. For librarians who teach, then, the challenge is to motivate students to be interested in searching for and critically thinking about information.

The author raises the question how to manage in particular to get the students motivated. As I am after this problem for the optimization of LOTSE I am interested in a fruitful discussion about it. So hurry up, guys! ;)

art as an important learning factor

How to reach sustainability regarding taught things? How do we as librarians manage that the stuff we showed and the things we taught are used in future?
We know from neuroscience that we keep things in mind that touched us in a sense. Art is an important factor to reach this.

Thomas Glatt underlines that art is neutral. Hence it allows stresses and disturbings which create emotions. - It`s not only about a surprise effect but it`s about a change in perspectives. To reach that people get to know a new perspective it is necessary to create a disruption. With this method we are able to tap the full potential regarding learning.

We have to ask ourselves if teaching is too less playful. In Glatt`s opinion there are good ideas to combine learning and art but it has to be further tested. In eLearning, for instance, visualization and sound is used but the chances are not exhausted until now.

One reason for less linkages between art and learning can be that art is not be seen as target-oriented. And if one takes part in a further training there should be a success in the end: this one should reach another level regarding his/ her skills. Another problem is that art is used by many organizations in a commercial way.
An efficient method to get new ideas can be a so-called flow-performance. This method is used at the conference LEARNTEC



(a comprised and translated (German to English) interview with Thomas Glatt, an eLearning-expert)

Librarians´ ethics

Well, do you sometimes think: ´What for a silly question?´ - and then you have to remind yourself: There are no silly questions. What about ethics in librarianship? (Ethics is the scientific concentration of human's attitude and behaviour) Is it an important topic? Or is it already implied in todays librarians´ attitude?
In my opinion it is a crucial thing in reaching success in reference services. But its the very heart of the first law of a reference librarian: offering openness.

- my new (professional) situation -

It has been several weeks since the last posting. But other things were more important ;) My life changed insofar that I am now situated as a reference librarian at the ULB Münster :)


Besides my job in the information unit I am involved in the optimization of LOTSE (an online tutorial).

So this position equates to my wishes and goals (being in direct touch with the customers and bettering services) ;)
The good thing is I get new insights and can offer practical experiences (of the challenging reality) in this blog. The bad thing: I may have less time to write postings :(