CIRI Blog

Published: April 30, 2017 by Michael Stephens

Dr. Michael Stephens explores a recent study that investigates the benefits of a community blogging platform for students in an online LIS program.

This post will briefly explore a recent study that investigates the benefits of a community blogging platform for students in an online LIS program. Using a web survey and descriptive content analysis methods, the study empirically addresses how student blogging communities can effectively foster connections amongst instructors and students, and enhance perceptions of learning performance.

Published: October 31, 2016 by Michael Stephens

We have explored the foundations of socio-technological change and what the library as learning laboratory looks like.  Just as the availability of new ways of learning are possible, so have libraries begun to use networked capabilities to change their approach to satisfying the learning needs of the people in their communities. The library profession has also made strides in describing and typifying the learning needs of those they serve. Information literacy skills have long been taught by librarians across diverse settings in various institutions. Recent years have brought other designations to describe the impact of technology on such skills, such as transliteracy, metaliteracy, and digital literacies. Jenkins (2009) utilized  the term trans-media navigation as a descriptor for the new skills required for the new media landscape, including moving through multiple channels of media to learn about current and past events or experience stories. It could be argued, however, with ubiquitous access to networked communication technologies, these skills are now simply life literacies or how we make sense of the world. Simply, general human interaction with information. 

Published:August 3, 2016 by Dr. Chris Hagar

The proposed Globalization and Information interdisciplinary course will examine issues of globalization within the context of an information society.

I was delighted to be awarded a Global Citizenship and Engagement Faculty Stipend from the SJSU, College of Applied Sciences and Arts, to aid the development of a Globalization and Information course. This interdisciplinary course will provide Master of Library & information (MLIS) and Master of Archives and Record Administration (MARA) students with a broad overview of the influence of globalization on the generation, organization, access, transfer, and use of information. It will examine issues of globalization within the context of an information society and focus particularly on political, economic, technological and socio-cultural issues. The course will engage students in global conversations, help prepare students to think globally, to be global citizens, and to play an active role in a multicultural world. It will prepare students to pursue alternative career paths as information professionals.

Published: February 12, 2016 by Dr. Chris Hagar

I was invited to present a poster at the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) Science & Technology Conference, Geneva, Switzerland, January 27-29. The conference focused on the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. This Framework outlines targets and priorities for action to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risk. “It aims to achieve the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries over the next 15 years” (UNISDR, 2015). The conference brought together over 700 participants (scientists, experts, policy makers, researchers and practitioners) from the science and technology community from many geographical regions and partnerships.

Published: September 30, 2015 by Dr. Lili Luo

International collaboration is always a refreshing and even enlightening experience to me. I have worked with two librarians from Tsinghua University Library in China on a couple of projects and absolutely enjoyed it. I have known them for more than 10 years so we have a very efficient and pleasant relationship. Last year when I was at IFLA, I met a librarian from Ghana and we had good conversations about library research. This spring we worked on a project together to evaluate the reference services at University of Education, Winneba (UEW) in Ghana. We decided to approach the evaluation from the user perspective, and identified the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) based on the RUSA Guidelines for Behavioral Performance.

Published: August 25, 2015 by Dr. Chris Hagar

One of my main research interests focuses on information perspectives of digital volunteering in humanitarian aid. My work with colleagues Dr. Nina Laurie, Chair in Development, Newcastle University, UK and Dr. Matt Baillie-Smith, Professor of Development, Northumbria University, UK concerns international medical volunteering. Cross-disciplinary collaboration (medical, geography, sociology and information science) is urgently needed to better understand global health volunteering. My expertise in crisis information management helped my colleagues (mentioned above) to identify a gap in their work and, as a result, we have discussed ways in which we can take forward a joint agenda on information/knowledge sharing and digital volunteering in international development settings.

Published: April 9, 2015 by Dr. Lili Luo

A couple of months ago I gave a talk at SJSU Gateway PhD students’ virtual residency about how to set the research agenda. To prepare for that talk, I looked back in the past 11 years and thought about how I have been planning, conducting and disseminating my research since I was a doctoral student. I was able to summarize a few useful (hopefully) tips from my experience and share them with our PhD students. I’m posting them here too.