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Latest and Greatest Latest So We Made It before the Sun!, Short Story The iSchool Is My School, Graphic Just a Snickers Bar, Short Story My Idea of India, Essay Highland Drive, Photography
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Best of Winter Online Tutorials as Tools for Information Literacy, Research
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Best of Spring Mt. Fuchsia, Paper Collage Creating a Professional Footprint through Volunteering, Essay
Mem de Sá, Photography Welcome Home, Short Story
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Best of Fall The Summer Quilt, Poetry Tahiti Study Abroad Seminar on Oral History, Journal The Reference Book’s Tale, Short Story We Will Find This Path Some Day, Painting My Brother’s Wedding, Photography 1
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from the
Editors
Welcome to volume 5, issue 1 of Circulation! This autumn, we are proud to present a celebration of Circulation past and present, with a selection of both the latest submissions and the best stories, essays and artworks from our previous issues. iSchool students past, present and future have all contributed to this issue, to create a comprehensive collage of the finest the iSchool can offer. We would like to say how pleased we are with the amount of participation we’ve received from iSchoolers over the years, and we want to keep the momentum going! New students! Circulation is a great way to showcase your best work to the rest of the student body! The fall and spring issues provide a space
for creative material, while the winter issue is all about academic papers! We are proud to be a platform that allows MSIM, Informatics, MLIS, and PhD scholars to get together. Now that summer has drawn to a close, we hope you had a great adventure, a restful staycation, invigorating summer quarter, or productive planning for the upcoming school term. Before you hit the books, we hope you take a moment to enjoy this specially curated edition of Circulation. Thanks as always to the dedicated Circulation staff, our talented contributors, and you, our faithful readers. Please read, think, dream and most of all enjoy the creative efforts of your fellow iSchoolers. Happy school year!
Miriam Heard & Rose Strickman
*** Creative Contest Winner!! ***
Circulation, Editors-in-Chief
Congratulations to Priyanka Kshirsagar from the MSIM program on winning the $50 bookstore gift card first place prize! We thoroughly enjoyed all of the creative submissions to this year’s fall issue and hope you all do as well! We encourage everyone to keep participating in upcoming issues! 2
So We Made It before the Sun! Priyanka Kshirsagar, MSIM Since the time I have moved to Seattle, the seasons, the days, the trees, the animals, the birds, basically every living organism and the elements that affect its existence have treated me with surprises. Mostly pleasant surprises. For example, I hadn’t seen the sun stay up till 9:30 pm! Cherry blossoms in my imagination were surely not white and grew on Cherry trees! A cool drizzle in June completely altered my definition of a boiling hot summer. All in all I knew I was in for ton load of amusement. One such summer night, sitting around the barbecue pit, we were recalling our summer escapades as kids. We were waiting for the food to grill well. While my hunger and I were being put through an ultimate test of patience, I decided to think out of the plate. Quite recently, I had read about Sunrise Point in Mount Rainier National Park, WA. Considering the fact that the Pacific Northwest offers an entire buffet of stunning cascades, we sometimes are spoilt for choice. However, the pictures of Sunrise Point had a different story to tell. These stood out to an extent that it was hard for me to believe that they were shot without filters. Well what
better way to examine that, than actually visiting ground zero? So, there we were all charged up to drive up to Sunrise Point by 5:15 am! We were in Bothell, and if we had to make it before sunrise, we had to start cruising by 3:00 am! The moment I shared these numbers, I could see the enthusiasm dissipating. It t ook everything that my Communications major had taught me about rhetoric and the art of persuasion, to convince the entire pack to come onboard. Thankfully the two cars that we planned to drive in were full on gas and air-pressure. As I was the one to put the entire pack through this odd (ly) morning experience, I volunteered to carry a flask full of hot tea and some sandwiches. There, we were driving up to Sunrise Point, an elevation of 6400 ft. To add to the trivia, this is the highest point that is accessible by cars in the Mt. Rainier National Park region. What puts this place on the summer bucket list is that the road to Sunrise Point is open only from early July to early September. The drive to Sunrise Point is pleasant and not strenuous. What made it slightly challenging was the 3
Latest View of sunrise from Sunrise Point; photo credit Neeraj Wadhwa, author’s cousin parking area, grabbed our coats and rushed across the street to set up our cameras. Yes we were there! We made it before the sun. It was a clear day with just the right amount of clouds floating in the valley. Neither too many to obstruct the breathtaking view of the Rainier peaks and nor too few to make the place seem anything less than paradise. As the sun started rising, its reflection on Mt Rainier started creating bands of colors. The pink, blue, and violet bands got distinct and clearer. As the sun rose higher, the band of colors transformed into an alloy of copper and gold. I mean every word of it. Once the sun was up and blazing, the sun-drenched Mt Rainier was a breathtaking spectacle. I have often heard stories of how men have moved mountains. But that moment the towering Mount Rainier stirred me. Flipping through the pictures on the digital camera, we drove back with hope. Hope, that the earth that has managed to keep its serenity intact at some places sure has a bright future. Hope, that we as admirers will preserve this serenity to make sure that it needs no filters.
odd time. To make sure that all of us were awake and alert, we sang at the top of our voices and sipped coffee. A wiser thing would be to take a good night’s sleep before the drive and sip coffee. The last lap of twenty minutes was a bit of an adrenaline rush, as we had to drive safe in a race against the sun. 5:10 a.m., we were closer to our destination and were spellbound by the Rainier vistas. 5:15 a.m. we could already get a clear and up-close view of the snowcapped Mt. Rainier peak. But, we were here for more. 5:18 a.m. we parked our cars in the Sunrise Pt. 4
The iSchool Is My School Soichi Tanabe, Informatics This is a graphic I created to represent some of the work we do as Informatics students working with people, information and technology. It showcases the collaborative project my team worked on and got the overall first place award in the main introductory Informatics class (Info200).
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Just a Snickers Bar Sim Singh, Informatics I mean it was just a Snickers bar, and it didn’t mean much to me anyways. To any other 7th grader, winning the annual costume contest for Halloween was just like winning prom queen. Popularity at it’s best. Too bad I couldn’t care less, so I walked away with my Snickers bar. I found Joseph, a 6th grader who seemed a little lonely. Talk about the awkward boy from our school; scrawny, alone, autistic, but so innocent. His rolling backpack would follow him, and his jeans would barely reach his ankles. His mom would buy him collared shirts that were a size too big to make him look bigger and his jackets would come down to his pointy knees. He was the lonely kid. He was the innocent kid. So I gave him my Snickers. I mean it was just a Snickers bar, and it didn’t mean much to me anyways. Joseph sits in front of the library with his rolling backpack. Sometimes he reads, and other times he has the courage to talk to the boy or girl reading in front of him. And other times he does what he does best, sit
in solitude hoping that someone talks to him. So I gave him my Snickers bar. I mean it was just a Snickers bar, and it didn’t mean much to me anyways. He was happy. It was a lovely happy, not just an instant happy but happiness that you could see made his heart melt. That maybe people weren’t so bad, and they actually saw him. So he ate the Snickers bar alone, but he wasn’t lonely. I s a w Joseph in the halls every now and then, and he would say thank you. Not once, but every time for giving him this Snickers bar. I mean it’s just a Snickers bar, and it didn’t mean much to me anyways. Then came Valentines Day in 8th grade and as part of the leadership committee of my school, it was my job to lead the leadership card dealing; make as many valentine cards and hand them out during brunch and lunch. First card was
I mean it was just a Snickers bar, and it didn’t mean much to me anyways.
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filled with love and effort. Second card was filled with care and patience. Third card was filled with thoroughness. Fourth card was filled with color. Fifth was filled with a signature. Sixth was lucky to pass as a card. It was brunch and I gave my cards and candy to five friends. Then I saw Joseph and walked over to give him a card with a Snickers bar. I mean it was just a Snickers bar, and it didn’t mean much to me anyways. Then Joseph asked me a question. It was a peculiar question. “Do you know my name?” I was silent for almost a minute. And then I smiled, because I did. “Joseph,” I responded. I’ve never seen a bigger smile in my life. It was the smile that could make wars end. It was the smile that could make a murderer see the happiness in the world. It was the smile that could make Joseph walk away with confidence and dignity. “You are the first friend that knows my name” He said. But, I mean it was just a Snickers bar, and it didn’t mean much to me anyways. But it wasn’t just a Snickers bar, and it meant a lot to Joseph.
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My Idea of India Kushal Shah, MSIM
At the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947 - while the world still slept; India awoke into freedom. It was independence from the colonial masters, where 576 princely states amalgamated into a single entity. India became a nation of people from different casts, creed, religions, cultures, cuisines, customs and idiosyncrasies living together. In a country with such diversity, a one shoe fits all solution was definitely not going to work. India's new leaders had literally no clue how they should run the country and hence took inspiration from the Soviet Union by replicating the Five Year Plan. The economy finally liberalized from the shackles of Licence Raj in 1991 when 8
we encouraged foreign investments and hence people started talking about how this land of snake charmers could be at the forefront of global development. New acronyms started getting coined with experts sharing their opinion on how the world is flat and how India could overtake China as the fastest growing economy. But, it’s not a black and white picture and India is too complex a democracy to replicate initiatives that have worked in the west. In a country where survival is in question, how can one expect improvement in quality of life? The political class is not bothered about the common man. Babus want to fill
their coffers and the businessmen are busy taking loans and stashing it in bank accounts abroad. People at the bottom of the pyramid have become lazy with all the entitlements granted to them and the class system allows some people to take 'secure' government jobs without any effort whatsoever. And we the common man flout rules and complain about how messed up the system is. Why? Because 'Chalta hai'. The funny part is that despite everything, things still work out in India. The economy seems to be doing well, the aspirational middle class is raising the per capita income and the government seems to be initiating interesting projects. I am not sure on how long the concept of nation is going to exist, but I would like to share my views on what my 'Idea of India' is and how could technology contribute towards holistic development of the country. It’s a saying that Amazon of India would be Amazon and Facebook of India would be Facebook. We hate everything Indian, perhaps that is why an Indian brand with an anglicized name Peter England is the leading garment manufacturer. This era should be the era where we celebrate technology companies from India solving problems that India is facing and not replicating ideas that have worked in the west. India should not be 9
ashamed of its cultural heritage despite consistent efforts by her colonial rulers and should embrace modernity through technology at the same time. If India is a land of billion problems, it’s a land of billion opportunities too! Achieving 100% literacy should be the first step towards holistic development. The private sector has as much the role to play as the government. Given the lack of quality teachers in rural areas, technology companies should utilize their CSR spend effectively and partner with organizations such as Khan Academy, Hole in the Wall Project and initiate teaching drives. Government on the other hand should create necessary infrastructure both digital and physical so that the partner organizations could contribute effectively. Skill based curriculum should be encouraged so that students do not drop out in order to earn for their families. Political and Bureaucratic class have misused the powers given to them and there's little or no accountability even with the RTI (Right to Information Act). India should have systems of citizen engagement where the common men can complain about their daily civic issues that they face. The system
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should assign individuals responsible to solve problems and encourage follow up on the existing complaints. Roads are in shabby condition, everyone from peons to collectors would take bribes and unless people are made accountable, we cannot expect to rise above mediocrity. India has to move into a paperless and cashless democracy. Filling of tenders and obtaining licenses has to be done online and offline transactions should not be encouraged. Transactions have to be directly linked to citizen's Aadhar and PAN Card Number so to monitor imprudent activity. Also, a paperless system will encourage data driven decision making where we policy makers can accurately compute development metrics and can make unbiased decisions pertaining to a specific locality. The first impression of anyone who enters India's borders from abroad is how dirty the country is. Corporations and government should leverage the popularity of 'Clean India Initiative' again by utilizing the CSR spend. Can Google not create a new market if it projects public toilets on their Maps platform? Believe me, it’s more difficult to find a public toilet than to find a restaurant in India. Can social media platforms not promote a campaign to launch cleanliness drives? I am sure that there are concerned citizens who would want to spend their weekends for the 10
good of the society? I believe that India has immense potential to rise above the evils haunting her and the present government has shown enough desire to abolish them. The question arises whether we as responsible citizens can contribute towards its growth or would continue inculcating the same habits that we always have? There has to be a bottom-up approach from citizens along with the top down approach implemented by the government. I am now pursuing my Masters at the Information School in the University of Washington, Seattle. My majors will be in Data Science and Analytics and I would like to concentrate the focus of my curriculum and my projects on how I can use technology towards the development of emerging economies, especially India.
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Highland Drive Arunabh Satpathy, MSIM
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Best of Winter
Online Tutorials as Tools for Information Literacy From vol. 3(2) Winter 2015
Jessica Dawn Humphries, E rin Ken n ed y, Miria m Heard, Emily Yeaton, MLIS knowledge to find the information that best answers the questions being asked? Research Question: Are online, int era ct ive t utor i als an effective instruction tool for teaching high school sophomores (age 15-16?) to search and evaluate web-based information? We seek to evaluate and identify if online tutorials are effective tools to teach high school students (ages 1516) how to search for and evaluate web-based information. Previous research has shown that interactive tutorials have proven successful for undergraduate students (Sachs et al.) and we hope to find whether these results can be duplicated with high school sophomores. Learning to effectively search the Internet is a skill that is becoming more essential in today’s world. It is important that effective searching and source evaluating skills are taught to more than just those pursuing postsecondary education. To discover the success of online tutorials in teaching sophomore students, many other questions must be asked and answered. What do students’ searching patterns look like before, after, and without an online tutorial? What sort of existing knowledge have students gained from simply growing up with Internet
Introduction Teaching technologies are continually evolving. The tools educators use to bring together young minds and information that will educate them require continual evaluation and critique. The benefits of technological advances to the teaching profession have been apparent; however, to ensure these advances yield the utmost effectiveness in promoting student learning, those who teach must take time to probe the appropriateness of technology’s use in the classroom. Since technology is ever evolving, the process of evaluation must mimic the tools it seeks to understand: it must be continually changing, developing and reflecting. Of all the new technologies currently available, the one that bears most reflection and evaluation is the Internet. The unprecedented scope for information storage and accessibility that the Internet offers provides both a huge opportunity and challenge to educators. The opportunities to improve learning that the Internet provides are clear; never before have so many students had access to such boundless sources of information. Yet it is this vast scope that poses many challenges to the modern-day student. How does one begin to wade through the immense ocean of 12
access? What existing instructions have students received outside of online tutorials? How do students evaluate information they find during the online search process? P rio r to c om pl et in g and analyzing our research, it is our expectation that widespread access to the Internet will have provided students with some research skills. More refined techniques such as using Boolean search terms and how to effectively evaluate online sources may need to be explicitly taught to students. Our goals are three-fold: (a) to determine web-searching behavior of high school sophomores; (b) to evaluate the effectiveness of online tutorials on research and web searching; and (c) to contribute to educational research in hopes of providing more resources to educators in the ongoing success of students.
pedagogical issue, several studies have shown that teachers struggle to integrate these information literacies into their curricula (Houston 16; Asselin 30). In particular, teachers lack the time and necessary knowledge to impart these skills to their students (Purcell et al. 55). New strategies for supporting teachers in information literacy instruction, particularly in the absence of a collaborating library media specialist, could potentially bridge this skills gap among students. The literature reviewed contains a number of studies examining Internet search behaviors of middle and high school students. A survey to analyze Internet search strategies of high school students by Scott and O’Sullivan found that students used only basic search techniques to locate information (21). The study revealed an inability among students to create effective keyword searches, narrow searches, or determine the relevancy and reliability of the information ret rieved . These results are corroborated by a 2009 study of ninth-grade students by Walraven, Brand-Gruwel, and Boshuizen, which concluded that students were concerned with finding information about a specific topic rather than assessing the information for reliability, with 82% of study participants admitting they rarely check information for accuracy (235). A 2014 study by Watson explored the criteria high school students used to judge the relevance and reliability of web-based information. Watson determined that students sought the least challenging path to locate information, relying on the rankings
Literature Review Middle and high school students’ lack of skill in finding and evaluating web-based information, particularly as the use of Internet searches for information seeking has become prevalent among this population, is a concern. In a 2012 study conducted by Pew Research, it was found that “teachers worry about students’ overdependence on search engines; the difficulty many students have judging the quality of online information; [and] the general level of literacy of today’s students” (Purcell et al. 2). Despite acknowledging that instruction in using and analyzing electronic resources has become a critical 13
Winter of search engines to determine relevance. Watson noted that students used superficial criteria when evaluating the accuracy of information, such as the graphics of a website, URLs, and finding two sources that agree (often with Wikipedia as a source). Alarmingly, he determined that students felt their intuition and “impressions of trustworthiness” were sufficient criteria for incorporating information into their projects (Watson 1401). These findings echo the conclusions of a 2009 study by Julien and Barker, which found that high school students exhibited minimal understanding of “critical evaluation criteria such as authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and coverage” (15). Researchers have been working to identify effective methods for instructing students in finding and evaluating information on the Internet. Asselin, Kymes, and Lam found that instruction was most effective with frequent lessons guided by a teacher or librarian (Asselin, Kymes and Lam). Kules and Capra discovered in their 2012 study of college students that video training helped students utilize the facets of an online resource more (133). Barack’s 2014 study found that students’ abilities to find and evaluate web-based information improved most when they received instruction from both a teacher and a school librarian (14). However, these studies do not offer suggestions for teachers who lack access to a certified library media specialist. Houston notes that teachers often have no training in information literacy and
find it difficult to articulate criteria for evaluating web-based information (14). A 2005 study by Asselin concluded that teachers had neither the time nor resources to adequately address information literacy in their classrooms (29), a concern also noted in Pew’s 2012 study (Purcell et al. 55). Web-based tutorials present a possible solution to these instructional dilemmas. A 2013 study showed that online, interactive tutorials have proven successful in improving search practices and information evaluation among college undergraduates (Sachs et al. 339). The study also noted that such tutorials have been used extensively in public libraries, and have grown more effective with continued development, but did not include an assessment of their potential use in middle or high school settings. Throughout the literature and past studies, we can gather that there is a distinct need to address websearching behavior early on in students to foster effective search habits that the students will take with them into later years. Previous investigation into the subject by our peers has resulted in the overall discovery that college and high school students perform better when provided adequate tools. As the focus of this study pertains to high school sophomores, our research aims to supplement past findings by providing insight into the search tendencies of high school aged students, specifically sophomores. High school sophomores, given the rigor of their curriculum, will be required to conduct research either 14
independently, or as a group, at some point in their learning. Our three-fold study will provide a breadth of knowledge as to how students perform and evaluate web content when provided with an online tutorial. Our results will follow on questions and concerns noted in previous studies of high school students’ information literacy when using the Internet.
experimental and control groups, it has many attributes that make it particularly appropriate for the study. A nonequivalent control group design will allow the researchers to observe t he st ud y subjects in their classrooms, eliminating the artificiality of a laboratory experiment. The use of naturally occurring groups in the field strengthens the external validity of the study’s investigation of online, interactive tutorial’s applicability in realworld settings (Wildemuth 94). Furthermore, the use of already formed classes as the study’s units of analysis will ease recruitment of subjects, the high school sophomore students, and ensure a relatively stable study sample over the course of the experiment. A weakness of the nonequivalent control group design is the potential lack of functionally equivalent groups as represented by the selected classes (Krathwohl 500). Because individual students will not be randomly assigned to groups, there may be significant variation in the makeup of the classes, such as students’ past experience with web-based searches and socioeconomic status. The design’s use of a pretest, or pretreatment observation, will help to identify any variation between the experimental and control groups, and adjust our data analysis accordingly.
Research Methods We will employ a nonequivalent control group experimental design to determine whether an online, interactive tutorial is effective in teaching high school sophomores to search and evaluate web-based information for academic purposes. The research method will allow us to compare students’ informationseeking and evaluation behaviors across two groups: an experimental group completing an online tutorial and a control group receiving no supplemental instruction. The study sample will be drawn from two high school sophomore classes in one school, taught by the same instructor, with each class randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. As noted by Krathwohl, an experimental research method will provide the best evidence of a causal relationship between the tutorial instruction and any improvement in students’ ability to find and evaluate information on the Internet (501). While this design does not offer the highest level of control achieved through random assignment of ind ividual students into t he
Conclusions Our aim in conducting this study is to provide a practical, applicable tool that will aid teachers and other educators in helping students learn to search effectively. We have found, in our literature review and preliminary 15
Winter efforts, that high school students often exhibit behaviors when conducting online searches for educational purposes that lead them to less trustworthy sources, or to evaluat e trustwort hy sources incorrectly. On the information thus far, there is general consensus that these behaviors exist, and this lack of information literacy skills could affect the students’ education and ability to learn in the future, both in further education and outside the bounds of high school or college. Our question, therefore, is how to go about solving this problem.
studies with other groups would be helpful in discovering the applicability and generalizability of such research. Second, we discussed earlier that similar studies have been done with undergraduate college students, and part of our goal was to extend the data that has been gathered to include a younger group of students. In addition, it seems potentially helpful to continue extending that data to include middle school, or even grade school students as well. Since the current generations of these students have grown up with these Internet resources and have never known school without them, they could exhibit search behaviors that other groups of students in the past had never been able to access, and the findings of such studies could tell us more about the trajectory of Internet resource use by other, similar groups. As information professionals, we believe research of this nature to be of great importance. The path that information access and use has taken to get to where it is now has been unpredictable in many ways, leading to an under-serving of the information literacy needs of the younger generation. In the future, it will be helpful to have a thorough understanding of how students are likely to use the search tools provided to them, in order to figure out how to meet their needs and how those tools will evolve over time.
If our research concludes that the tutorial helps students learn to search in ways that will further their education more effectively than the ways in which they are currently searching, we believe we will have accomplished something worthwhile. To be able to claim that the tutorial has been shown to be helpful to some group of students, and could be helpful to others, is the eventual aim of this research. This is not to say, however, that this research would be the end of the line in this area of study. In the future, we would love to see others build off our research, particularly in a few key areas. First, our limited subject samples and methods could prevent applicability to other schools or populations of students, and the potential variance is significant. We acknowledge the possibility of questions such as whether the data would vary between socioeconomic groups, between grades, types of schools, location, etc. To conduct similar experimental, tutorial-based 16
References Anderson, Stacy, and Emily Mitchell. “Life After TILT: Building An Interactive Information Literacy Tutorial.” Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning 6 (2012): 147-158. Taylor & Francis Online. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. Asselin, Marlene. “Teaching Information Skills in the Information Age: An Examination of Trends in the Middle Grades.” School Libraries Worldwide 11.1 (2005): 17-36. Education Source. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. Asselin, Marlene, Angel Kymes, and Virginia Lam. “A Critical Examination of Information Literacy Instruction During Grade 9 Research Projects.” Simile 7.4 (2007): 1-18. Library & Information Science Source. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. Barack, Lauren. “Good Research Habits Pay Off.” School Library Journal 60.9 (2014): 14. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. Houston, Cynthia. “Commonwealth Schools in the Information Age: The Status of Information Services in Kentucky Middle Schools.” School Libraries in Canada 26.3 (2009): 9-19. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. Julien, Heidi, and Susan Barker. “How High-school Students Find and Evaluate Scientific Information: A Basis for Information Literacy Skills Development.” Library & Information Science Research 31.1 (2009): 12-17. ScienceDirect. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. Krathwohl, David R. “Experimental Methods and Experimental Design.” Methods of Educational and Social Science Research: An Integrated Approach. 2nd ed. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, 1998. 498-547. Kules, Bill, and Robert Capra. “Influence of Training and Stage of Search on Gaze Behavior in a Library Catalog Faceted Search Interface.” Journal of the American Society for Information Science & Technology 63.1 (2012): 114-138. Business Source Complete. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. Ping, Li. “Science Information Literacy Tutorials and Pedagogy.” Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 6.2 (2011): 5-18. Library & Information Science Source. Web. 10 Oct. 2014. Purcell, Kristen, Lee Rainie, Alan Heaps, Judy Buchanan, Linda Friedrich, Amanda
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Winter Jacklin, Clara Chen, and Kathryn Zickuhr. “How Teens Do Research in the Digital World.” Pew Research Internet Project. 2014. Pew Research Center, 1 Nov. 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. Sachs, Dianna E., Kathleen A. Langan, Carrie C. Leatherman, and Jennifer L. Walters. “Assessing the Effectiveness of Online Information Literacy Tutorials for Millennial Undergraduates.” Proving Value and Improving Practice: Assessment Strategies for the Small Academic Library. Spec. issue of College & Undergraduate Libraries 20.3-4 (2013): 327-351. Taylor & Francis Online. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. Scott, Thomas J., and Michael K. O’Sullivan. “Analyzing Student Search Strategies: Making a Case for Integrated Information Literacy Skills Into the Curriculum.” Teacher Librarian 33.1 (2005): 21-25. Education Source Publications. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. Walraven, Amber, Saskia Brand-Gruwel, and Henry Boshuizen. “How Students Evaluate Information and Sources When Searching the World Wide Web for Information.” Computers & Education 52.1 (2009): 234-246. ScienceDirect. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. Watson, Curtis. “An Exploratory Study of Secondary Students’ Judgments of the Relevance and Reliability of Information.” Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology 65.7 (2014): 1385-1408. Print. Wildemuth, Barbara, and Carol Hank. “Quasi-experimental Studies.” Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information and Library Science. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2009. 93-104.
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Mt. Fuchsia From vol. 4(3) Spring 2016 Lou Wainer, MLIS
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Best of Spring
Creating a Professional Footprint From vol. 2(2) through Volunteering Spring 2014
Tiffany Couls on, MLIS Professional development for many grant, and I have volunteered to gathMLIS students naturally occurs in the er data and report on its success. (LIS workplace. Some students may find an 570) internship or DFW that provides that After being overwhelmed by inwork experience. However, for others, formation about integrating Inforfinding opportunities to create a profes- mation-Communication Technolosional footprint may be a more difficult gies (ICTs) in libraries while on a UW process to map. Exploration Seminar in Denmark One of the most practical aspects of (LIS 568), I wrote to a friend at MLIS classes are projects which home, lamentlet us apply what we’re learning ing the need in a real-life context. Over the I enlisted the help of for library serlast two years I’ve spent time at a community vices and the Senior Citizen’s center researchlack of skilled ing the information behaviors of members and two professionals baby boomers , (LIS 510), I’ve in our rural helped a local principal learn Eagle Scouts to Washington more about opening the school physically transform school disfor community use in the evetrict. As soon nings , (LIS 550), and I’ve had a two elementary as I was home, paper published on how citizens I enlisted the can participate in the federal reg- libraries help of comulatory process online. (LIS munity mem526). But what happens when you get bers and two Eagle Scouts to physireally excited about something you have cally transform two elementary lilearned, and there is no project for braries with puppet theaters, book it? I’m afraid I can’t keep it to myself; browsing stations, and rain gutter so I leverage my small town influence wall shelves for books so readers and volunteer for my own projects in could choose books by their covers. I the community. volunteered to start a blog for teachLast fall I found a modest digital ers offering information on digital literacy grant from Washington State literacy in the library, and taught an Libraries. With the cooperation of the information session on resources to local high school, I was able to write a guide their students during library grant for collaborative learning using time. (LIS 560) my online experience at UW as a modMy favorite volunteer project el. The high school was awarded the grew out of an assignment for Beth 20
Patin’s Multi-Cultural Youth Services class (LIS 564). I evaluated one library for multicultural literature involving Latino, Native American and biracial children. My findings from this project revealed that less than 2% of the library collection could be considered authentic multicultural literature in a district that is 95% Hispanic. In fact, I learned that some schools had purged their collections of bilingual books in an effort to follow an “English-only policy” in the district. I located a foundation online called First Book that provides deep discounts to organizations that are in need and then received a matching grant from the Disney Corporation. I was able to purchase over 100 titles for the library, many of which I had learned about in class. Buying books – who wouldn’t want volunteer work like that? My Capstone project was based on my first attempt to volunteer online (INFX 595). I analyzed data for a global women’s organization out of Portland called “World Pulse”. I evaluated data from journal entries women send in on digital access, digital literacy and digital empowerment. (LIS 500, 560, 570) I read entries from 41 different countries, and my work will be reported at two global information summits, one for the United Nations in Geneva and another at the Internet Governance Forum in Istanbul this November (LIS 584). In fact, I have been asked to volunteer as a virtual panelist in Istanbul on women’s digital access issues. World Pulse is a volunteer project I want to continue after graduation. The need will continue and I can do it from anywhere.
I have volunteered to teach online project management skills to the high school ASB during lunch time trainings, (INFX 595) I’ve shown teachers how to use primary resources from the Library of Congress website, (LIS 520) and have volunteered at library conferences. The latest conference I attended, I had the opportunity to present as a lightening talk speaker sharing my experiences of –you guessed it – volunteering! As a second year student volunteer, I feel that I have been able to develop my information skills (LIS 580) in ways that would never have been available to me in a remote community. My volunteer work has really kept me motivated this year. I may not get a grade, and my volunteer work may not put me any closer to needed graduation credits, but I have definitely been able to create a path that will lead me toward my professional goals by translating academic knowledge into professional skills. –
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Spring
From vol. 3(3) Spring 2015
Mem de Sรก Gary Smith, Informatics I took this photo in the bohemian neighborhood Lapa of Rio de Janeiro, at 5:19 a.m. James Arias (seen above) and I were exploring Lapa, which is known as the central nightlife spot of Rio. I used a Sony RX100iii, a powerful point-and-shoot camera that fits in my pocket, and perfect for the type of pictures I like to take. I am interested in photography that borders on photojournalism, so a small camera works great for capturing moments on my study abroad in Brazil.
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From vol. 4(1) Fall 2015
The Summer
Gathered around her worn kitchen table, grooved and strewn with the minutiae of everyday life, we stepped gingerly into summer. I unpacked bags brimming with crisp cotton- stripes and paisleys, polka dots and gingham checks, florals wildly abundant; she dug through closeted recesses, unearthed years of carefully clipped remnants- flour sacks and well worn denim, flannel pajamas with the feet cut off, the strain still visible at the ankles. Settled in her mismatched chairs, we stared at stitches like an ancient language, sipped blackened coffee as the rising sun bathed the room in cherry blossoms. Days spread out like wheat fields as we lost ourselves in golden slabs of yeasty bread with winedark jam, peanut butter cookies with those neat
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Best of Fall
Quilt Rachel Wade, MLIS
fork lines, hand-rolled caramels coated in coarse sea salt. She taught me how to do crossword puzzles, and I could see exactly how those lines had formed in the gentle space between her eyes; I wondered if I concentrated hard enough if I may, someday, trace those same lines in the mirror. We finished almost by accident; one afternoon it was simply done. Stretching aching muscles, we ran untethered fingers over our patchwork garden, eyes lifting as the tired sun rested for a moment in the window casting an appreciative glance over the warmth we had created, then silently slipped away.
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Welcome Home From vol. 3(3) Spring 2015 Vivyan Woods, Informatics Stay perfectly still. If I just stay it. The two cheap painted landscapes perfectly still, I can escape this nailed to opposite walls are miserable room. The other patients don’t seem excuses for windows. to notice the confining white It’s the individual rooms that walls. There’s open space so why cause fear. The walls of those rooms should they feel the need to escape close in on one, the hideous beige, the from this oversized one tiny window, I haven’t been called to a trap? They can and the door move about the therapy session or activity locking from the today or at least not yet. I room, between the outside. That is perfectly aligned get to watch everything that why I need to tables bolted to the transpires in this fortress. escape. This floor. It’s the common room room’s sad attempt at organizing the brings all of our hopes up, making us chaos in the patients’ minds. They all think that today will be different, that smile and laugh with each other here, today we won’t have to go back to several people are even playing a solitary confinement. But we’re all game that resembles chess, but no m o n i t o r e d for violent one knows what rules they’re playing behavior. We’re obligated to stay. I by. TVs in opposing corners each have been sentenced to live and die blare a different program, battling for within these white and beige the attention of the patients. In this walls. The beige walls are always room they can move about more watching, protecting the others from freely, talk more openly as if this me. The white walls have doors that were a home to them. But nothing produce nurses and orderlies poised here is comfortable to me. My chair and ready to restrain me. But I will alone is covered in a 30 year-old defeat this system. These walls, the fabric that reeks of the body odor of psychiatric staff, they will not invade every person that has ever sat in my mind. So I’ll defy them, I’ll sit
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Spring here, perfectly still. The other patients enter and exit the doorways, always escorted by staff. They go down the left hall for therapy sessions and come back either smiling or crying. Groups go down the right hall for scheduled group activities. Laughter floats out of that hall with the occasional patient yelling. I haven’t been called to a therapy session or activity today or at least not yet. I get to watch everything that transpires in this fortress. As I’m watching, the door that leads to the long hallway out of here clangs open. I smell fresh meat. The orderlies drag the new patient in as he protests against his shackles the whole way. This patient gets quite an entourage. Two orderlies, a doctor, a police officer, and people I can only assume to be his family, escort him to a nearby table. A plastic table with all rounded edges, his resistance will do no good here; they don’t make escape easy. “Roy, we just want to help you,” a member of the entourage speaks. “No! You want me to rot in here,” he snarls. They keep talking, not quite loudly enough for me to hear much of it, but I still get snippets. This patient, Roy, keeps trying to reason with them, trying to convince them that he doesn’t belong here. But can’t he see that it’s too late? This building has already welcomed him, shown him to
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its very heart. He is too late to try and resist, the rest of his entourage seems to know that. I watch him until he’s left alone at the table. His head slumps forward to bang against the table. I feel the need to go over to him, to lie to him and tell him that this will all be over soon. I stand, slowly gliding through the open space to hover behind the seat across from him. I step into the chair, squatting with my knees to my chest and just look at him. His fiery red hair is sprawled across the table. “Roy?” I know that’s his name, but I’ll say it anyway to let him know he’s not alone. Roy sits bolt upright at the sound of his name, staring at me. I let his green eyes fixate on me as I move my gaze over him, sizing him up. He can’t be more than 16; his lack of facial hair and soft facial features say he’s still growing. My face probably relays the same message. We stare at each other a moment longer in our unspoken battle before I use my voice. I say to him what I say to every new patient, something he couldn’t possibly want to hear. “Welcome home.”
Tahiti Study Abroad Semin Journal Entries from
August 1st, 2013 – Punaauia, Tahiti (district of home base) Dear diary, I don’t know where to start. So much has happened today and over the past week and it would take too long to recount it all. Maybe I should start making lists: Today 8am: breakfast of some sort of savory bread pudding with strange red sausage. It was delicious. Mamma (term of affection for women here, in this case, one of our hosts) is the best cook. 8:30: house chores. on sweeping duty today in the everlasting fight against keeping the beach outdoors. 9am: Tahitian language class with Mana learned useful phrases, mispronounced a word and accidentally said something embarrassingly dirty. 10:30: Dance lessons with Evy Afternoon: fieldtrip hike to a waterfall. Tried to shake a star fruit out of a tree. Didn’t work, tree too big/me not strong enough.
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Fall
ar on Oral History Ceradwen Bacon
Ceradwen Bacon, MLIS
From vol. 2(1) Fall 2013 9 August 2013 – Moorea (closest island to Tahiti) Been eating Noni to try to get rid of this sore throat. It is a fruit that looks like a pale green-yellow potato and people eat it for health. It smells rotten, like really stinky cheese, and tastes like licking a sweaty goat (or what I imagine licking a sweaty goat tastes like). It does make me feel better but sometimes I feel like I’m going to throw up when I try to swallow the pieces. I haven’t but others haven’t been so lucky… Nono is the fruit’s Tahitian name (I think Noni is the Hawaiian name) which I think is much more fitting.
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Some animals I’ve seen: lion fish giant eels (fresh water and salt) sharks wild pig (dead) electric colored hermit crabs and clams box fish (puffer is a type of box fish)
octopus geckos
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Fall
Drawn postcard sent to friend: 11 August 2013 – Fare Hape, Tahiti (the Heart of Tahiti, a valley in the mountains) Tonight I thought to myself, “Today was a good day” and I realized I’ve been saying this to myself every night. Even the hard days (when I’m sunburnt and crabby and feel like I’m on The Real World Tahiti living in a house with 14 other students) are good days.
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8 August 2013 – Punaauia, Tahiti We spent the morning on the Faafaite, a 72 foot double hulled canoe with two masts that is a mix of tradition and modernity in materials and use. The crew use twin solar powered engines for docking and emergencies but otherwise use traditional navigation and sailing techniques developed and utilized by their ancestors. Like their predecessors the Faafaite crew navigate 1000’s of miles around the Pacific (from Tahiti to Hawaii to New Zealand) using the sun, stars, wind and waves patterns, all without the aid of instruments, such as compasses or maps. Onboard is a GPS and charts (as required by international maritime law) but during a voyage these are stashed away and only pulled out in an emergency.
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Fall
The Faafaite in its berth in Papeete, the main city of Tahiti. Photo by Jenny Rathmell. The full name of the va’a (canoe) is Faafaite I te Ao Ma’ohi meaning Reconciliation of the Maohi people. This speaks to the mission of the non profit that supports the Fa’afaite and its voyages, which is to reconnect the island people of the Pacific who have a long history of trade, visitation, and similar cultures. This cross-ocean communication and exchange was forcefully interrupted by colonizers who prohibited va’a and local languages. The Faafaite has become a focal point for cultural revitalization in Tahiti and the Pacific as they practice traditional craft and rebuild the knowledge of their predecessors, much of which was lost since French intervention. When they are on voyages the crew will connect with school groups and cultural institutions through blogs and Skype via satellite. Calls can cost enormous amounts (did I hear $20 a minute?) but these connections are immensely powerful for the isolated crew and people on the other end of the line. 32
The crew was so great with us, showing us some of how they sail and live when on voyages. It must be intense to sail for weeks at an end with no land in sight. All of the crew were so nice, we all enjoyed spending time with them. It is amazing to think that they do this work all in their spare time, on top of their regular jobs.
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Fall
19 August 2013– Punaauia, Tahiti
My time in Tahiti, so far, has been so amazing. I’ve learned so much and made connections with really incredible people. Whenever I write I use so many adjectives I feel silly but it is hard not to with all the exciting things we are taking part in. The place and experiences have been different than I had expected but almost all of the surprises have been pleasant. Except, maybe, the storm at 4 in the morning when we had to move all the beds and furniture in the balcony room to keep them from getting further soaked. Even that, though, was a bonding experience and something I won’t soon forget. I don’t want to think about leaving here so when I go I’m going to do as the Tahitians do and not say, “goodbye,” but say, “see you soon.”
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iSchool 2013 Tahiti Seminar group
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Fall
The Reference Book’s Tale Sometimes the reference book wished she were not a reference book. The only other book near her that understood was an old dictionary, but the jeers of the encyclopedia usually kept them from discussing the subject. She felt satisfied, mostly, offering her information and then returning to her shelf. The librarians guarded her carefully, but very few people wandered into the reference section anymore. They stuck to novels and how-to books, spending far more time on computers than in the reference stacks. Recently, though, a teenager had brought her over to a table and with a large stack of other books. It looked like he had scooped up an entire call number and she gathered he was writing a paper. They settled down to her favorite kind of afternoon. He switched often between sources, referring continually to the reference book to confirm dates and names. She tied the other books together. The reference book felt doleful as the librarian began flashing the lights and announcing closing time. At this, the young man gathered up the materials and went to the circulation desk t0 check most of them out. Of course, she was left to the side, not available for loan. As she sat on the cart, waiting to be reshelved. Some of the other books with her, told her she should feel lucky to stay. 36
Becky Rams ey, MLIS
From vol. 3(1) Fall 2014 “You don’t know what it’s like out there,” a bedraggled copy of Madame Bovary told her . “They don’t put you on bookshelves. You get dropped on a table or a chair or worse.” “At least you’re adult fiction!” exclaimed a battered volume of The Hobbit. “I swear, some children should not touch books!” The other books on the cart looked scandalized. Eventually, a stained copy of A Child’s Guide to the Presidents of the United States that responded to the reference book. “It can’t be easy,” he noted. “Never having seen inside someone’s home, sat on a nightstand, or taken to the park on a sunny day.” The reference book thought hard about this. She did not know what a nightstand was, but it sounded wonderful. It was early fall, when the reference book was taken down next, having not been used all summer. A middle-aged woman with frizzy hair grabbed her and the reference book thought how nice it was to be in someone’s hand again. Near her were two of her companions from the teen boy’s research project. Others she had never met before.
To the reference book’s surprise, the woman went straight towards the circulation desk. She only went there when someone was dropping her off to be reshelved. But she had only just met the frizzy haired woman! At the desk, the woman smiled at the librarian who returned the look, business-like. “Card, please?” he asked. The woman handed it to him. One by one, he scanned the items. He stopped when he came to the reference book. “I’m afraid you’re not allowed to check these out,” he said. “Really?” the woman asked. “Library policy.” “Couldn’t you make an exception?” “I’m sorry. We ask that patrons consult reference materials inside the library.” A wild hope left the pages of the reference book as the librarian pushed her aside and finished checking out the other volumes. As the woman gathered up her books, however, another patron approached the desk and began asking for directions. Suddenly, the reference book slid off the desk. She landed with a quiet thud into the woman’s bag and they soon crossed the large atrium and left through the double doors. An alarm went off as the woman passed through the detectors, but the children’s section was noisy and no one noticed them. From the top of the bag, the reference book gazed up at the blue sky. The sun was warm on her cover and the air had a quality unlike anything she had ever known. The she felt both elated and terrified. What if she never returned? What if she came back damaged like the novels had
been? What if the librarians replaced her? The reference book was not like the almanacs, she had expected a long, quiet life on her shelf. In a dark office that night, reference book lay on a large desk littered with handwritten notes and scraps of paper. The books around her and chatted genially. They came from libraries, bookstores, and the woman’s friends. None considered themselves reference books. “I’m about history,” one of the house books explained. “It says so on my back cover. And on one of my first pages.” “She likes to organize us by project, you see,” explained a thin volume from a nearby shelf. “She used us for a series of short stories about travel in Southeast Asia.” “Other stories?” the reference book repeated incredulously. “Yes, silly, she’s a writer.” The reference book was astounded. She had never met a writer before. In her section at the library, a biography collection had once told her about them. Some books revered writers as parents, but she had so many attributions she never personally thought much about them. Now, a leather-bound book filled with mostly blank pages was telling her about being born. It felt wonderful, he said, words carefully drawn, scratched out, and added, tiny in the margins. From a small case near the window, journals claimed to be filled also, telling many different stories. A laptop, glowing dully on the desk, told her how the writer transferred these stories onto him. At the library, the computers did not usually acknowledge 37
Fall the books. The next day, and every day for weeks after it, was filled with busy activity and long, frenzied silences. The writer would consult several books at once, jotting notes in blank notebooks. When she wasn’t reading, she was writing. Stooped over her leather journals or hunched over her laptop, the library books were all in awe of her dedication. Even the most cynical among them felt exhilarated to be near her as she produced word after word and page upon page. The reference book loved her new home. The books shared all they could with one another. Those that were not part of the writer’s permanent collection nevertheless felt important and needed. This was where she belonged, she thought. Then one cold evening, the writer gathered the library books together. Some noted haughtily that they must be seriously overdue. The reference book panicked. “It means we’re going home,” explained an exasperated book of Edward Hopper artwork. “And a good thing, too, we ought to be available to others.” The reference book thought bitterly of how infrequently she was consulted at the library. “The story is nearly finished,” a leather book told her more gently. “The writer will be done soon, and then she must move on to another book.” “What if she needs me for that one?” the reference book asked wildly. “She knows where to find you.” “No! You don’t understand! I will never get another chance to be checked 38
out again. Never!” “She seldom looks at us again, though,” a fat history of London interjected from a far shelf. “Once we’ve finished our usefulness, we gather dust on these shelves. If we’re lucky, we may be loaned to a friend, but mostly we just reminisce together about the stories we helped create.” The other books agreed sadly, but it did not comfort the reference book. The writer dropped them off without leaving her car. Inside the box, it was dark and DVDs were complaining about the cold. Picture books swapped stories about messy nurseries. The reference book ignored them. When the librarians retrieved her, they clucked about how she should not have left the building, thought it was the first time they had noticed. The reference book was grateful, though, that the librarians had not replaced her. She was not ready to be part of the Friends of the Library Sale. Surprisingly, the other reference books said nothing about her absence. She suspected the encyclopedias had bullied them into this reserve. Still, the books beside her pressed her familiarly as she returned.
We Will Find This Path Some Day Jyothirmayee Mocherla, MSIM
From vol. 4(1) Fall 2015
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Fall
My Brother’s Wedding Divya Kothari, MSIM My elder brother got married this June, so this was him riding in on the mare, entering the area for all the main religious ceremonies.
From vol. 4(1) Fall 2015
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call for submissions
Winter 2017 Submission Guidelines
Theme Diversity in Scholarship Inspiration Circulation wants to see your best academic work. We encourage all students and faculty to submit academic papers and other materials that will make us think and broaden our understanding of information science and related fields of study. Keeping the iSchool’s efforts to foster diversity and innovation, we are particularly interested in any hot topics that speak to methods in how to address, approach, and implement diversity in the information field. Of course all papers are welcome to add diversity within the issue itself! A note to iSchool faculty: We welcome any nominations you have for outstanding academic work. You know better than anyone what needs to be shared. Don’t have a paper but want to contribute? Circulation is seeking peer reviewers for the academic issue. Keep an eye out online for more information! Contact Send submissions to circulationmag@gmail.com. For more information, visit us on the web: www.circulationmag.wordpress.com Deadline Please have your work in by December 11, 2016. 41
Mission Statement Circulation is the student-run journal of the Information School at the University of Washington. We seek to foster and publish student creative expressions and academic work. We also support student interest in literature, scholarly communication, and publishing through special events and partnerships with organizations within the Information School and beyond.
Staff Co-Editor-in-Chief
Miriam Heard
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Rose Strickman
Academic Editor
Candy Boerwinkle
Copy Editor
Alanna McAuley
Creative Editor
Anastasia Tucker
Blog Editor
Erin Nettifee
Designer
Jyothirmayee Mocherla
Publicity Coordinator
Huda Shaltry 42
Circulation is the student-run journal of the University of Washington Information School
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