By: J.D. Ross
(315) 443-3094
Graduate students in Professor R. David Lankes’ IST 511 class – Introduction to the Library and Information Profession – spent the week learning about librarianship and current topics in the library and information fields. On Friday morning, they gathered in Syracuse University’s E.S. Bird Library to share what they had learned via a poster session.
“The poster session is a summation of the week-long class,” explains Lankes. “There are thorny issues in librarianship that I want them to think critically about. I pick hot topics in the field and in their own time, in the evenings, they’ve been busy researching on the web and in the library to put together these posters.”
Lankes’ class was divided into eight groups that covered eBooks, classification and categorization of books, censorship policies, corporate sponsorship, facility access, patron privacy, immigrant issues and embedded librarians.
The groups each created a poster display and handouts that explained their research, and then discussed their research with students and faculty from the School of Information Studies (iSchool).
IST 511 is a weeklong residency for students, and many of them will be finishing their studies via the online learning program at the iSchool.
“This class is part of our boot camp. They come here for a week, and some of them may not touch campus again. We need them to know each other, learn about University resources, and meet the faculty. It’s an intensive week. We bombard them with a lot of information and opportunities,” said Lankes. “They are meeting new people, forming a cohort, and learning about the community they are working with. They are building a professional network of mentors that will help with the rest of their coursework, as well as their careers.”
Ashley Booth, an online Library and Information Studies graduate student, agrees, “as a distance student, it’s been nice to build connections and relationships with people this week.”