LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE NEWS The School of Information Studies at Syracuse University The Original Information School ************************************************************************ Dean von Dran heads pioneering i-Conference
At major universities across the nation, a revolution is under way in teaching and learning in information technology. Old departmental silos are toppling, discipline lines are being crossed, and a whole new breed of information school-"i-school"-is emerging. In response, more than 250 deans, faculty members and students from across the country - including Dean Raymond von Dran of the School of Information Studies - converged at Penn State September 28-30 for the First Conference of the i-School Community. Under the leadership of von Dran, Dean James B. Thomas, Penn State School of Information Sciences and Technology, and colleagues John L. King, University of Michigan; Debra J. Richardson, University of California, Irvine; and Harry Bruce and Mike Eisenstein from the University of Washington, and representatives from 18 i-schools sought a common understanding of what makes the i-schools unique, what they offer society, and the challenges they face. Joining representatives from the convener schools were conferees from the University of California, Berkeley, UCLA, Drexel, Florida, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, and Texas. Sessions at the i-schools conference were built on faculty and graduate student papers organized around essentials of the field of information, grand challenges, identity, and i-school life. A centerpiece of the conference was von Dran's presentation, "i-School Grand Challenges," which included talks by von Dran, as well as breakout sessions led by faculty members from other universities. According to the i-Conference web site, "These challenges include themes associated with security, community, decision making, medical care, and education (among many more) - the fundamental challenges faced by our society in this century." Addressing the theme "Bridging Disciplines to Confront Grand Challenges," the conference was sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation. A book to be released by MIT Press will distill the results of the conference. ************************************************************************ S.O.S. for Information Literacy expanded with support from IMLS grant With support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Syracuse University will extend its successful S.O.S. for Information Literacy program to grades 9-12 and create a higher education version. The expanded program will begin on October 1, and S.O.S. for K-8 will be launched at a special event on October 7 in Pittsburgh at the AASL national conference, with AASL collaborating. S.O.S. for Information Literacy is a dynamic, multimedia, Web-based and freely accessible resource for K-8 library media specialists and classroom teachers. S.O.S. (Situation, Outcomes, Strategies) is a database of standards-based information literacy lesson plans and other teaching materials, emphasizing collaborative planning and delivery with classroom teachers and integrated with the curriculum, that can be used "as is" or adapted to specific needs. "S.O.S. is unlike other lesson plan databases because of its emphases on collaboration, motivation, and quality control," said Ruth Small, one of the project's directors. S.O.S. for Information Literacy is a project of the Center for Digital Literacy at Syracuse University and IMLS, in collaboration with the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). In addition to project directors Dr. Ruth Small and Dr. Marilyn Arnone of the Center for Digital Literacy at Syracuse University, there is an S.O.S. advisory board, consisting of college faculty, pre-service graduate students, practicing teachers and library media specialists, and consultants, including such luminaries as Pam Berger, Sharon Coatney, Bernie Dodge, Alan November, Kathy Schrock, Ross Todd, and Julie Walker. ************************************************************************ Brown Bag lecture series kicks off Two of the School of Information Studies' most prolific researchers, professors Catherine Arnott Smith and Scott Nicholson, came together on Friday, September 16 to present the inaugural Brown Bag lecture for the new academic year. The lecture focused on the Web of Science database, a recent addition to the array of electronic resources provided by Syracuse University Libraries that provides a citation index to more than 8,000 journals. Titled "Web of Science in Context," the talk examined the practice of citation research with relation to that database and a variety of other electronic resources. Smith presented first, focusing her presentation on "impact factor," a quality metric found in the Web of Science Product "Journal Citation Reports." She stressed that while impact factor ratings can provide useful information for researchers, they are not the last word on the quality of a journal. She recommended that researchers use Web of Science to identify journals, scholars, and articles, but reminded listeners that they should keep the database in context by comparing journals within a particular field and comparing the productivity of scholars publishing in the same journal. Nicholson spoke during the latter half of the hour, expanding the topic of citation research to include free Web resources, such as CiteSeer, GoogleScholar, GooglePrint, and Amazon's A9, all of which allow searchers to track down elusive citations that might not be contained in traditional databases. Using the Web, Nicholson demonstrated searching practices using each of those tools and explained that good citation research allows students and professors to put together all the pieces of a puzzle by examining the impact a certain scholar has had on a particular field. Nicholson said web resources can be used to complement Web of Science, which indexes a subset of citations and includes few non-periodicals. ************************************************************************ A faculty profile: Gisela von Dran As director of the Library and Information Science program, Gisela von Dran takes on a host of essential activities at the School of Information Studies, from leading the LIS program to teaching graduate students the ins and outs of organizational management. In the role of program director, von Dran works closely with nearly everyone at the School of Information Studies. Along with the assistant dean for student services, she focuses on admissions, student advising and career and internship opportunities. She leads the Faculty Program Advisory Committee for LIS and works with faculty and other program directors on marketing, curriculum, and course offerings. von Dran also helps the School connect with the greater library and information science community by serving as the primary contact for professionals in the field and for prospective students considering degrees in information studies. As a member of Syracuse's faculty, von Dran teaches organization management courses on the graduate level, as well as teaching the School's freshman gateway course. This semester, she taught IST-601: Information and Information Environments with Dean von Dran and the other department heads during opening weekend, and currently teaches IST-614, the School's core management course. von Dran conducts research on information-based organizations, information interfaces, and quality web design. She has also published several articles and three books about library management issues, organizational change, and employee empowerment in the public and private sectors. A research project she conducted in 2004 explored Organizational Cultures of Libraries as a Strategic Resource. Most recently, von Dran's research focuses on culture as a competitive strategy in information organizations. von Dran joined the IST faculty in 2003. She received a PhD in Public Administration from Arizona State University in 1992, a Master's degree in public administration from Tennessee State University/University of Tennessee at Nashville in 1981, and a Master's degree in library science from Vanderbilt University in 1975. Before becoming director of the LIS program, von Dran served as an assistant professor of management at Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management. She has also worked in the professional sector as a public service librarian at the University of Tennessee at Nashville/Tennessee State University and as a library science librarian at Vanderbilt University. ************************************************************************ Visit the School of Information Studies at NYLA! Wednesday, 10/26 -- Friday, 10/28 Booth #32 Alumni and Prospective Student reception: Thursday, October 27, 2005 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Deco Restaurant, at the Adam's Mark Hotel 120 Church St. Buffalo, New York ************************************************************************ For more information. . . Amy Sloane-Garris Executive Director of Communications and Enrollment Management Syracuse University--School of Information Studies Tel: 315.443.6885 Fax: 315.443.6886 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.ist.syr.edu
