If you've been reading, you know it's been a busy few weeks after teaching two Enriching Scholarship sessions last week, and preparing for what I'm calling the biggest presentation of my life this past Tuesday. Oh, and there's the MLA Technology and Trends Conference presentation tomorrow.
But, this week's post will focus on the biggest presentation of my life. The presentation was the culmination of my 18-month internship experience at the University of Michigan Library as the University Library Associate in the Knowledge Navigation Center. More specifically, the 15-minute presentation discussed my second year project at the Detroit Center where I helped set up meetings, created a Library Research Guide, and laid the groundwork for the collaborative initiative between the UM Library and the Detroit Center.
I have never worked so hard on a presentation. To be honest, for most class presentations, I'd outline my presentation in a Google Doc, then copy, paste and edit the text into PowerPoint. I'd maybe add an image or two, but then I'd read it over, practice maybe once, and give a decent presentation. However, since this was what I considered to be the biggest presentation of my life, I did quite a bit more work, and I think it paid off.
First, I worked to find images that represented my ideas so that I could decrease the amount of text, or remove it all together. This was both fun and meaningful, as I realized that a picture can be worth 1000 words, and that the words were more beneficial to my remembering what to say, than to the audience. Consequently, I realized that if I practiced enough, I didn't need the words on the screen to remind me what to say. What a revelation that was....
Secondly, I practiced. I practiced alone, in front of others -- edited -- alone again -- edited -- one-on-one -- edited -- and then had my supervisor review my presentation -- and edited again. Lots and lots of reviewing, tweaking, editing. And I was still nervous! I had notes printed below my slides, but.... when I got in front of the 60+ library staff members, I found I knew what I was talking about. Not only did I work on the project for 15 or so weeks (and thus, knew what I'd done) but the countless hours I put into the presentation had caused me to know my stuff. Nervous at first, I found that by the end of the short presentation and during the Q & A, I was comfortable speaking and answering questions from the audience.
It was a great lesson learned that putting the greatest amount of work into the biggest presentation of my life was a good idea. And I learned that its much more fun for me, and constructive to the audience, if I add images and edit both the ideas and structure of the presentation. Finally, and this lesson - no matter how many times I learn it - is most important to me... the work is never done and I can always improve what I'm doing. And that is relevant for anything.
You can check out the presentation here, on my website (it's the first bullet).
Showing posts with label partnerships and collaboration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label partnerships and collaboration. Show all posts
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Creating Campus-Community Connections: The Event
Last Friday was the big event - the event between the Detroit Center and UM librarians. This event aimed to provide a space for in-person explanation of the collaboration possibilities and as a networking event between UM librarians and Detroit Center project leaders.
The event, held at the Detroit Center, did all of that and more. I arrived with my planning colleagues and we started setting up food, laying out placecards at the horseshoe shaped table (strategically placed so that librarians with an expertise would sit by project leaders of that topic), and preparing the little miscellaneous things that come with event planning (do we have cups? what about ice? what if so-and-so doesn't come?).
Finally it was time. The Detroit Center folks arrived first and chatted with one another until they found their seats. The librarians arrived shortly after, said a brief hello to one another and the Detroit Center project managers, and then immediately sat in their suggested place. The UM Outreach Librarian who is leading this effort gave welcoming remarks and then people got food, sat back down, and started networking. It was clear that there were some immediate connections; actually, in most cases it seemed there were.
The conversations appeared, by my observation, lively and engaged. No one seemed to say "why are we here?" or "I'm not sure the library can help me...." Before people were finished eating, the UM Outreach Librarian gave a short presentation on what the Library can provide (including a research guide) and then opened the room up for questions and discussion. This is where my previous assumptions were challenged.
The Detroit Center project managers had great questions, but they weren't - as I had expected - always about library resources such as journals or books. They wanted to know about the services the library could provide, how they could access materials, and they provided suggestions about how the Librarians could assist them. To me, this spoke loudly and clearly to the fact that these individuals see how valuable the library can be. Most of them had used the library previously, but many did not know how to get books sent to the Center, about the possibilities of using the Espresso Book Machine (with the ability to print student work), or Serials and Microforms (where they could view old copies of Detroit and other newspapers) or HathiTrust (where a collection of books about Detroit could be collected).
These were great questions, and it was great to have librarians there to answer the questions... but this also provided us clues about what these folks needed. Not what they thought we needed, but what they actually needed. This was a valuable lesson learned about creating strong collaborations and partnerships.
I look forward to seeing the work that continues to develop as these relationships grow.
The event, held at the Detroit Center, did all of that and more. I arrived with my planning colleagues and we started setting up food, laying out placecards at the horseshoe shaped table (strategically placed so that librarians with an expertise would sit by project leaders of that topic), and preparing the little miscellaneous things that come with event planning (do we have cups? what about ice? what if so-and-so doesn't come?).
Finally it was time. The Detroit Center folks arrived first and chatted with one another until they found their seats. The librarians arrived shortly after, said a brief hello to one another and the Detroit Center project managers, and then immediately sat in their suggested place. The UM Outreach Librarian who is leading this effort gave welcoming remarks and then people got food, sat back down, and started networking. It was clear that there were some immediate connections; actually, in most cases it seemed there were.
The conversations appeared, by my observation, lively and engaged. No one seemed to say "why are we here?" or "I'm not sure the library can help me...." Before people were finished eating, the UM Outreach Librarian gave a short presentation on what the Library can provide (including a research guide) and then opened the room up for questions and discussion. This is where my previous assumptions were challenged.
The Detroit Center project managers had great questions, but they weren't - as I had expected - always about library resources such as journals or books. They wanted to know about the services the library could provide, how they could access materials, and they provided suggestions about how the Librarians could assist them. To me, this spoke loudly and clearly to the fact that these individuals see how valuable the library can be. Most of them had used the library previously, but many did not know how to get books sent to the Center, about the possibilities of using the Espresso Book Machine (with the ability to print student work), or Serials and Microforms (where they could view old copies of Detroit and other newspapers) or HathiTrust (where a collection of books about Detroit could be collected).
These were great questions, and it was great to have librarians there to answer the questions... but this also provided us clues about what these folks needed. Not what they thought we needed, but what they actually needed. This was a valuable lesson learned about creating strong collaborations and partnerships.
I look forward to seeing the work that continues to develop as these relationships grow.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Refreshed and Ready to Roll - Community Connections Happening!
There's something about spring break as a student... knowing that the first half of the semester is over, getting a chance to unwind, and then coming back refreshed and ready to finish the term strong.
This is a busy time of year and a very exciting one at that... here's a preview of some of what I'll be doing, and subsequently writing about this term.
This week, I'll be participating in a meeting at the Detroit Center that includes Detroit Center project leaders and U of M Librarians. The aim is to start finding connections between their work and how the library can assist their work. The meeting is a short introduction to the many possibilities that can come from this parternship.
Later in March, I'll be working with Arts of Citizenship on putting together lunches for their Engaged Scholarship Initiative which aims to civically engage graduate students.
I'm looking forward to moving into the summer with a lot of possibilities ahead, and one Master's degree behind me. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
This is a busy time of year and a very exciting one at that... here's a preview of some of what I'll be doing, and subsequently writing about this term.
This week, I'll be participating in a meeting at the Detroit Center that includes Detroit Center project leaders and U of M Librarians. The aim is to start finding connections between their work and how the library can assist their work. The meeting is a short introduction to the many possibilities that can come from this parternship.
Later in March, I'll be working with Arts of Citizenship on putting together lunches for their Engaged Scholarship Initiative which aims to civically engage graduate students.
I'm looking forward to moving into the summer with a lot of possibilities ahead, and one Master's degree behind me. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Collaboration: Explaining what we mean
One of the projects on which I'm working is assisting in starting collaborations. To many people, this sounds very vague, and I don't blame someone for dismissing the term. Many people talk about partnerships and collaborations, but significantly fewer are actually part of partnerships and collaborations that embody the true sense of those words.
To have a partnership or collaboration, all involved parties must see the value. They must be invested. They must share leadership, be held accountable and they must have a stake in decision-making. This means that all parties must come to the table and dialogue about what's needed and what will be meaningful for their organization.
This is quite difficult from both the standpoint of those initiating the partnerships and those being asked to participate. For those trying to establish collaborations, the intent must be clear. Those being asked must be able to see, understand and question the idea of the partnership because without full buy-in by both parties, the collaboration won't be as meaningful for either.
I'm still learning how to do this - and thoughts are welcome on how to empower partners being asked to buy-in. It seems difficult when one party sees "exactly" how this collaboration could work, when the other is somewhat clueless. My current thoughts are that asking the question of "what would you like to get out of this?" could be a good starting point. What are some other ways to get started?
Hopefully I can follow up on this post later, and share a story that discusses best practices from my own experiences, and the experiences of others.
P.S. Blog will be off-line next week. Enjoy your break :)
To have a partnership or collaboration, all involved parties must see the value. They must be invested. They must share leadership, be held accountable and they must have a stake in decision-making. This means that all parties must come to the table and dialogue about what's needed and what will be meaningful for their organization.
This is quite difficult from both the standpoint of those initiating the partnerships and those being asked to participate. For those trying to establish collaborations, the intent must be clear. Those being asked must be able to see, understand and question the idea of the partnership because without full buy-in by both parties, the collaboration won't be as meaningful for either.
I'm still learning how to do this - and thoughts are welcome on how to empower partners being asked to buy-in. It seems difficult when one party sees "exactly" how this collaboration could work, when the other is somewhat clueless. My current thoughts are that asking the question of "what would you like to get out of this?" could be a good starting point. What are some other ways to get started?
Hopefully I can follow up on this post later, and share a story that discusses best practices from my own experiences, and the experiences of others.
P.S. Blog will be off-line next week. Enjoy your break :)
Monday, January 30, 2012
Story Collider: Community + Campus Collaboration
Last Thursday evening I witnessed an amazing example of a community/campus collaboration: The Story Collider. I heard about this event via Open.Michigan and decided to check it out.
The Story Collider is a group out of New York City that brings stories of science to real-life situations. This is vague sounding, yes, so let me try to explain. The Story Collider event I attended was produced through a partnership between Open.Michigan, the Ann Arbor District Library, and The Story Collider group. This was not the first time The Story Collider had been in Ann Arbor, but it was the first time I had seen the performance, so I'll speak to that event.
Last Thursday's Story Collider featured two emcee's; one was a founder of The Story Collider Brian Wecht, the other was University of Michigan staff member Erik Hofer. The emcee's introduced six different speakers who told a story about their life and science. Now, let me preface the rest of this entry by saying I am not a "science person." I've taken science, yes, but am by no means an Chemical Engineer, or a Cosmologist, or an English professor, like a few of the speakers were. Yet, through their storytelling, I was taken to a place where science made sense, in the real world that we all live in.
One storyteller explained how she became to realize why she felt the way she did about science, another told about a time when they had an ephiphany about science and was able to express that to a professor, before they were even in college. Another speaker talked about wikipedia editing, and yet another about a wild trip to Haiti to do relief work. The other stories reflected the speaker's interactions with science then and science now (how could a museaum be wrong about something?), and about what it's like to live with a real, live scientist.
These stories touched me, and made me realize that events such as this can bring together the unlikelist of partners. I would love to know more about how this collaboration came together, but it showed me that the opportunities for outreach are endless.
You can read more about the speakers, and check back for the podcasts of their stories. And, if The Story Collider comes your way, be sure to check them out!
The Story Collider is a group out of New York City that brings stories of science to real-life situations. This is vague sounding, yes, so let me try to explain. The Story Collider event I attended was produced through a partnership between Open.Michigan, the Ann Arbor District Library, and The Story Collider group. This was not the first time The Story Collider had been in Ann Arbor, but it was the first time I had seen the performance, so I'll speak to that event.
Last Thursday's Story Collider featured two emcee's; one was a founder of The Story Collider Brian Wecht, the other was University of Michigan staff member Erik Hofer. The emcee's introduced six different speakers who told a story about their life and science. Now, let me preface the rest of this entry by saying I am not a "science person." I've taken science, yes, but am by no means an Chemical Engineer, or a Cosmologist, or an English professor, like a few of the speakers were. Yet, through their storytelling, I was taken to a place where science made sense, in the real world that we all live in.
One storyteller explained how she became to realize why she felt the way she did about science, another told about a time when they had an ephiphany about science and was able to express that to a professor, before they were even in college. Another speaker talked about wikipedia editing, and yet another about a wild trip to Haiti to do relief work. The other stories reflected the speaker's interactions with science then and science now (how could a museaum be wrong about something?), and about what it's like to live with a real, live scientist.
These stories touched me, and made me realize that events such as this can bring together the unlikelist of partners. I would love to know more about how this collaboration came together, but it showed me that the opportunities for outreach are endless.
You can read more about the speakers, and check back for the podcasts of their stories. And, if The Story Collider comes your way, be sure to check them out!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
What the new year shall bring - Detroit-based work
The winter/holiday break that academics and students receive is much needed, but the itch to get back to work is just as important. As such, 2012 is shaping up to be a fantastic year.
One of the initiatives on which I'm most excited to work is at the Detroit Center. There are many connections to make, many collaborations to develop, and many people to meet. The UM Library is just starting work there to connect librarians to the projects at the Detroit Center. Many of the projects are health-based, social work and leadership based, connected with urban planning, engineering, and much more. There are many ways that librarians can assist this work; as UM is a research institution, the projects it supports need to be research-based. UM librarians can work with the project coordinators to inform their work so that it can benefit the UM community, Detroit community, and citizens worldwide.
The University of Michigan is dedicated to working in Detroit. Just today, as I was searching for UM-based Detroit work, I came across a very interesting website from The Office of the Vice President for Communications at UM entitled The University of Michigan and Detroit: A Parternship for Progress. The website details UM's commitment to work in Detroit and discusses the "base of operations" (the Detroit Center) and lists projects associated with UM's work in Detroit.
The Partnership for Progress and the Third Century Initiative are just two of the many reasons that the Library should forge forth with creating a partnership with the Detroit Center. The possibilities for collaborations are abundant, and it will be exciting to see and be a part of what's to come.
One of the initiatives on which I'm most excited to work is at the Detroit Center. There are many connections to make, many collaborations to develop, and many people to meet. The UM Library is just starting work there to connect librarians to the projects at the Detroit Center. Many of the projects are health-based, social work and leadership based, connected with urban planning, engineering, and much more. There are many ways that librarians can assist this work; as UM is a research institution, the projects it supports need to be research-based. UM librarians can work with the project coordinators to inform their work so that it can benefit the UM community, Detroit community, and citizens worldwide.
The University of Michigan is dedicated to working in Detroit. Just today, as I was searching for UM-based Detroit work, I came across a very interesting website from The Office of the Vice President for Communications at UM entitled The University of Michigan and Detroit: A Parternship for Progress. The website details UM's commitment to work in Detroit and discusses the "base of operations" (the Detroit Center) and lists projects associated with UM's work in Detroit.
The Detroit Center is the base of operations for many of U–M’s Detroit–focused programs. Established in 2005, the 10,500 square–foot facility provides space for offices, classes, meetings, exhibitions, lectures, and collaborative work while serving as a home base for students and faculty working on projects in the city. The U–M Detroit Admissions Office is also located here.UM's work in Detroit also relates to UM President Mary Sue Coleman's Third Century Initiative which I learned about through Arts of Citizenship's Associate Director, Elizabeth Werbe. The Third Century Initiative aims to, "use $50 million in existing funds during the next five years to develop innovative, multidisciplinary teaching and scholarship approaches to such topics as climate change, poverty and malnutrition, energy storage, affordable health care and social justice challenges. It will encompass teaching, research and service efforts" (http://www.ur.umich.edu/update/archives/111005/thirdcent).
(Source: http://vpcomm.umich.edu/issues/detroit.html)
The Partnership for Progress and the Third Century Initiative are just two of the many reasons that the Library should forge forth with creating a partnership with the Detroit Center. The possibilities for collaborations are abundant, and it will be exciting to see and be a part of what's to come.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Connecting Developments - Detroit Center
Last week was busy and exciting for many reasons. On Wednesday, I visited another library, which I wrote about here and Thursday I had a chance to go to the Detroit Center, a UM-sponsored center downtown that houses UM projects such as UM Semester in Detroit, School of Social Work Technical Assistance, the Ginsberg Center, and many more that you can read about on their website.
The work at the Detroit Center is something in which I'll be engaged through May 2012. As part of my internship, I'm required to commit to a project in my second year of my graduate program that not only enhances my own professional development, but also helps fulfill a need in the library. I've always been interested in outreach and knew that the outreach librarians here at UM were doing interesting work. Once I learned more about their goals and projects, and started thinking more about my higher education degree, I was even more excited to work with them.
The library is at the Detroit Center to provide research assistance to the projects. Part of the work we're doing now is thinking about how to connect the correct librarian to the appropriate project. It's exciting to see things coming together. Other goals for the library at the Detroit Center include providing resources for grants, and helping the project leaders think about how they can use library resources to enhance their work.
This relates to my visit to the nearby academic library last week in one direct way. One of the Dean's visions was to create more partnerships and collaborations. UM is not perfect and thus one of my career goals is to create more partnerships between university libraries, university resources, and the surrounding communities that need them. The Detroit Center is a great example of how this is happening NOW and has a lot of potential to develop further.
The work at the Detroit Center is something in which I'll be engaged through May 2012. As part of my internship, I'm required to commit to a project in my second year of my graduate program that not only enhances my own professional development, but also helps fulfill a need in the library. I've always been interested in outreach and knew that the outreach librarians here at UM were doing interesting work. Once I learned more about their goals and projects, and started thinking more about my higher education degree, I was even more excited to work with them.
The library is at the Detroit Center to provide research assistance to the projects. Part of the work we're doing now is thinking about how to connect the correct librarian to the appropriate project. It's exciting to see things coming together. Other goals for the library at the Detroit Center include providing resources for grants, and helping the project leaders think about how they can use library resources to enhance their work.
This relates to my visit to the nearby academic library last week in one direct way. One of the Dean's visions was to create more partnerships and collaborations. UM is not perfect and thus one of my career goals is to create more partnerships between university libraries, university resources, and the surrounding communities that need them. The Detroit Center is a great example of how this is happening NOW and has a lot of potential to develop further.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Continual Professional Development
Professional practice means something different with each new professional development. This week, I had the valuable opportunity to visit another academic library, talk with their instruction coordinator, observe an instructional session, and have a conversation with the library's Dean. Having only spent time at the University of Michigan Library and one public library, this experience was both eye-opening and a great lesson learned.
Each of the pieces of my visit to the other university library was worthwhile in it's own way. The discussion with the instruction coordinator allowed me to peer into the inner-workings of how another library structures it's staff and views instruction. The instructional observation showed me how an actual lesson was constructed and executed at another library. The conversation with the Dean provided me with an inside view of an administrator's priorities and vision for the changing world of academia from the perspective of libraries and higher education.
The structure of this other academic library was very different from UM's library. The staff there are tenure-track faculty which allows them different challenges and opportunities within their work. The person I spoke with discussed their own goals and the goals of the instructional staff, but said that because there is no supervisor telling them what to do, that they have a lot of freedom in their positions and can focus on what they feel is important.
Another interesting piece of our discussion focused on the instructional goals that this librarian identified. Information literacy came up several times in the conversation which led me to believe that this was a large focus for his/her work. Additionally, the focus for this person's work was on the research process and helping students understand that process, as well as sources, in a more embedded way meaning that they believed the focus should not be on "one-shot workshops" but rather on intentional learning that included follow up.
The instructional observation also provided me a different view of this type of work. The instructional session was held in a large lab and the instructor "took over" the computers because there was not a large projection screen on which to show the demonstrations. There was time left over for students to work on their research while the instructor floated around.
The conversation with the Dean was very interesting to me, as I like to take a big picture view of situations. Without revealing too much, the focus of her/his vision was on partnerships and collaborations. They believe that the future success of libraries on university or college campuses depends on this. For me, this was exciting because it's exactly what I want to do in my career.
I probably could have written about 10 pages of reflection after my visit yesterday in conjunction with my visit today to the Detroit Center (which I'll focus on connecting next week) but for now I'll leave it at this and the overall value add to my professional development. The greatest lesson I learned was how continually learning and expanding my view of libraries and higher education can only enhance my career. The networking is key, yes, but especially because it's a great way to see what's going on on the ground in these fields which will continue to inform my work as I move forward.
Each of the pieces of my visit to the other university library was worthwhile in it's own way. The discussion with the instruction coordinator allowed me to peer into the inner-workings of how another library structures it's staff and views instruction. The instructional observation showed me how an actual lesson was constructed and executed at another library. The conversation with the Dean provided me with an inside view of an administrator's priorities and vision for the changing world of academia from the perspective of libraries and higher education.
The structure of this other academic library was very different from UM's library. The staff there are tenure-track faculty which allows them different challenges and opportunities within their work. The person I spoke with discussed their own goals and the goals of the instructional staff, but said that because there is no supervisor telling them what to do, that they have a lot of freedom in their positions and can focus on what they feel is important.
Another interesting piece of our discussion focused on the instructional goals that this librarian identified. Information literacy came up several times in the conversation which led me to believe that this was a large focus for his/her work. Additionally, the focus for this person's work was on the research process and helping students understand that process, as well as sources, in a more embedded way meaning that they believed the focus should not be on "one-shot workshops" but rather on intentional learning that included follow up.
The instructional observation also provided me a different view of this type of work. The instructional session was held in a large lab and the instructor "took over" the computers because there was not a large projection screen on which to show the demonstrations. There was time left over for students to work on their research while the instructor floated around.
The conversation with the Dean was very interesting to me, as I like to take a big picture view of situations. Without revealing too much, the focus of her/his vision was on partnerships and collaborations. They believe that the future success of libraries on university or college campuses depends on this. For me, this was exciting because it's exactly what I want to do in my career.
I probably could have written about 10 pages of reflection after my visit yesterday in conjunction with my visit today to the Detroit Center (which I'll focus on connecting next week) but for now I'll leave it at this and the overall value add to my professional development. The greatest lesson I learned was how continually learning and expanding my view of libraries and higher education can only enhance my career. The networking is key, yes, but especially because it's a great way to see what's going on on the ground in these fields which will continue to inform my work as I move forward.
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