I recently accepted the role of “chair” (I prefer “facilitator”) for our Library Forum meetings. I made the video below in an attempt to set the tone and establish a new direction for this important staff meeting. I know that the video won’t have a wide appeal (since most of you don’t work at U of G); however, it’s my first shot at using Camtasia so I thought I’d post it.
Archive for the 'learning' Category
The “expert” trap
Published July 29, 2010 information literacy , leadership , learning Leave a CommentTags: expertise, experts, information literacy, lead by example, research help
I’ve been reading more and more recently about the problem of the “expert” (which is an interesting term in its own right, but I digress…). In The Power of Positive Deviance the authors claim “The outsider’s ‘expertise’ spares the community from the essential trial and error of learning” (p. 49). In other words, when an “expert” parachutes in to solve a problem, the community misses out on the opportunity to engage, the chance to own their solution, and, ultimately, the learning journey itself.
This might be another reason why we (librarians) should be careful about how we use the term “expert.” I’m not suggesting that we’re not skilled in what we do. We certainly have a lot of knowledge (e.g. the research process, information architecture, information production, etc.), but we should be careful in how we apply it. We want to make sure our “expertise” doesn’t get in the way of someone’s learning.
Innovation Boot Camp
Published February 8, 2010 ideas , innovation , learning Leave a CommentTags: boot camp, IBC, innovation
Robin Bergart and I recently started a little social experiment called Innovation Boot Camp. Our library is currently undergoing a shift in its service model (from liaison librarians to functional teams). As part of this process, the library has revisited some of its core values, which has sparked many interesting conversations among the staff on the nature of libraries and educational professionals. We’ve been looking at what we’ve done in the past, what we do now, and what we expect to do in the future.
Robin and I were particularly interested in our library’s commitment to innovation. We claim it as a core value, but can we really say were “innovative”? What does innovation look like in an academic service environment? Are people inherently innovative or creative? Can people learn to be more innovative if they’re given the right environment or processes? We decided to test some of these ideas and see what we might learn about innovation in the process.
We created a 12-week program based loosely on Tom Kelley’s Ten Faces of Innovation. We managed to draft six other recruits to join us as we study one of the faces each week. At this point we’re only about three weeks in, but so far things are running extremely well. The recruits are active, engaged and curious about the process of innovation as much as we are.
We’ve established a blog to share (some of) our experiences with our library and the broader library community. If you’re interested in the program, follow along at:
http://innovationbootcamp.wordpress.com/
I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!
Intersections
Published January 31, 2010 book reviews , ideas , learning , libraries Leave a CommentTags: creativity, cross-pollination, innovation, intersectional ideas
A few weeks ago I read Frans Johansson’s The Medici Effect: What Elephants & Epidemics Can Teach Us About Innovation. I stumbled upon this book in the public library when I was actually looking for something else (thank you Dewey Decimals!). At the time, I was intrigued by the subtitle, but now I can’t remember much about elephants or epidemics from the book. What I do remember is his concept of intersections.
For Johansson, intersections describe the places where different fields meet. For him:
“Fields consist of concepts such as knowledge and practices. Changing a tire can be called a concept. So can the item tire, in and of itself. These two concepts are both included in a field called mechanics. In order to understand a field, one has to understand at least some of its concepts. The more concepts one understands within a field, the more expertise one has built within the field.” (p.16)
When you work in a field, you’re likely to generate ideas and processes that stay within the field (he calls these directional ideas). But if you strive to find the intersections you’ll generate ideas and processes that go in entirely new directions (intersectional ideas–obviously!).
Johannson goes on to say that the opportunities for intersectional ideas are increasing because of three forces:
- The movement of people (travel, refugees, etc.)
- The convergence of science (interdisciplinary knowledge creation)
- The leap of computation (increasing capabilities of technology)
While these three forces are intriguing (and I’ll buy his arguments), I think there are everyday opportunities to step into the intersection (safely of course!). For example, I work in a library that employs a number of learning and educational professionals – and it’s no secret that we approach our work differently. Instead of letting these differences cause friction, we should figure out a way to operate in the intersection.
The more intersections we have the more vibrant and creative our spaces will be. We may not have the patronage of a wealthy Medici family, but there is no reason we can’t encourage (and support) an explosion of ideas on our campuses.
