In recent weeks Knowledge Ontario (KO) was told it will receive no provincial funding this year for its digital services and products – their request for ongoing funding from the Ministry of Culture was not supported.

This decision deals a serious blow to cross-sector library collaboration in this province and creates challenges for libraries, librarians, library users and all taxpayers. Implications are:

•  no  KO licensed e-resources to K-12 schools, college, university and government libraries (current licenses expire Dec. 2010)
•  no funds  for the other four KO programs (Ask (askON), Connect, Learn and Our Ontario)
•  an additional 22 public libraries, 2 university and 2 college libraries are unable to participate in and offer the askON/ONdemande service in September as planned
•  an end to the askON internship program that provides virtual reference training and experience to dozens to iSchool students
•  KO will need to secure “bridging” assistance to ensure that it has sufficient operating funds to continue from January to June 2011

There are some actions you can take if this news concerns you:

Write to the Minister of Education (responsible for school libraries), the Minister of Culture (responsible for public libraries), and/or the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities (reponsible for college/university libraries), or the Premier himself.

A link to a draft letter is available on Kim Stymest’s blog at http://kimstymest.com/2010/06/18/lets-get-agitated-part-2/

•  Blog, twitter (#KOmatters) and work your networks. Let people know and encourage them to act.

•  Join the Knowledge Ontario Matters Facebook group and watch for more calls to action

•  Find out what your local library is doing about it. Have they passed a Board resolution supporting KO?  Have they written their minister yet?

•  Subscribe to KO News to make sure that you have all the current information. See www.knowledgeontario.ca/jointheflow.aspx

Library collaboration, of the kind introduced by Knowledge Ontario, makes not only good financial sense but offers all of Ontario’s libraries and librarians an opportunity to share, develop and use leading edge tools and services to better serve our profession, our clients and ourselves.

Campus Overload – Got a research paper to write? Friend a librarian.

Spring break is over. April is here. Those end-of-the-semester deadlines are not quite as distant as you think. And chances are your to-do list includes at least one research paper.

Ah, college research papers — it takes most students all four years to figure out how to complete them quickly and accurately (especially through hang-overs or Red Bull jitters).

Your secret weapon? The college reference librarian.

No, seriously. And here are some reasons why:

They can help get you started, even if you don’t understand your topic.

As soon as you get a research paper assignment, stop by your library’s reference desk and ask for help, says Barbara Fister, academic librarian at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minn. “The reference desk is an underutilized site for one-on-one individualized help,” she said. “And if you’re not on campus, chances are there’s a chat reference.”

Understanding the assignment is half the battle, says Beth Mark, instruction coordinator at the Murray Library at Messiah College in Grantham, Penn. “We often work with students to either narrow the research topic or broaden it,” she says. “A topic that is too narrow won’t produce the results needed for the student and a topic that is too broad oftentimes overwhelms the student with thousands of results.”

They are Google experts.

Let’s get this straight: Most reference librarians do not hate Google. They just get frustrated when students think a #1 hit means a reliable source.

And if used correctly, search engines like Google can be beneficial, said Priscilla Atkins, library head of reference and instruction at Hope College in Holland, Mich. Plus, Google offers more advanced search options, like Google Scholar and Google Books. Reference librarians can show students how to do that.

“Googling is not a cause for dismay,” she says. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t use Google; but in 2010, it’s still the case that reference books and scholarly articles provide the most authoritative information on most topics.”

But when Googling, students need to take a hard look at the source of their information.

“Think about your sources being your expert witnesses: if you were in court and your expert witness showed up in jeans and flip-flops… do you think the jury would be impressed?” Fister said. “Pick your expert witnesses with an eye on not just what they say, but what impression they’ll make on your audience.”

But don’t think that being tech savvy alone makes you a good researcher, cautions Donna Miller, a librarian at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Penn.
“A cook can be wonderfully adept with the gadgets found in today’s kitchens, but nevertheless whip up dreadfully tasting meals,” says Miller. “It’s very easy to conduct awful information searches, yet be quite proficient with technology.”

They have access to information you didn’t even know existed.

Most college libraries give students access to online tutorials, online research guides, electronic databases and electronic journal subscriptions. Susan McClintock, head of reference at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., said a librarian can help you figure out which ones to use.

“We want them to understand that research is like being a detective. Just looking is not enough,” she says. “To solve the case you need to look in the best places for the clues. Then you need to analyze the results to make sure you have solved the case.”

Calling all academic librarians…

Do you have an idea for a great education workshop of interest to academic librarianship? Does it have appeal to beyond your institution?

Then the CACUL Workshop Incentive Grants may be just want you are looking for. Two grants of $1000 each area available to support continuing education projects taking place between January – December 2010.

Full application details can be found at the CACUL website.

Applications must be received by February 1 2010.

TVO has traditionally shunned advertising-supported sites such as Yahoo! — their mandate for decades has been to provide quality, educational programming that is untainted by traditional advertising, (although supported by corporate sponsorship). As a provincially-funded public broadcaster, up until now they have disdained the mass market approach to media. As a result, as good as TVO programming is, it’s never achieved mass market popularity, online or on-air.

This partnership with Yahoo!Canada signals that there’s been a shift in thinking within TVO. It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out.

An excerpt of the TVO release is as follows (full release here):

“The dramatic increase in demand for online content creates exciting opportunities for partnering with content providers like TVO,” said Iain Wilson, Director Business Development, Yahoo! Canada. “Tapping into the web through Yahoo! Canada gives TVO the ability to greatly expand its reach and wow new audiences with fresh, innovative educational content whenever they go online.”

TVO is currently implementing a “going digital” strategy with the goal of reaching new audiences using a multi-platform content distribution approach. To meet the growing needs of viewers who prefer to access their favourite programs based on their own unique daily schedules, partnering with a trusted online content provider like Yahoo! Canada made perfect sense.

“TVO is focused on increasing our impact in the digital space with our unique, educational media resources,” says Lisa de Wilde, TVO’s Chief Executive Officer. “Working with Yahoo! Canada aligns with TVO’s digital strategy to make our content accessible to new audiences through alternative distribution channels, while exploring new revenue streams and business models.”

Although TVO creates a wide range of educational resources for people of all ages, its initial efforts with Yahoo! Canada will be aimed at engaging web-savvy parents who look online for resources related to their children’s learning and success in school. TVO will deliver content on subjects ranging from managing homework time to dealing with bullying, including a compilation of resources for parents of children with autism and a complete inventory of TVO’s Your Voice, the first and only online interactive program for parents built on education issues .

“At TVO, we’re committed to empowering people through knowledge, and that includes partnering with parents in their children’s education,” says de Wilde. “By integrating our parent-focused educational content with a major online content provider like Yahoo! Canada, we can reach more people, while showcasing the relevance of our trusted brand.”

Thursday, March 6, 2008
The Boiler House Restaurant, Distillery District

4 pm – Chalk Mobile chalkboard™
5 pm – eLATED eLIXIR: Mix, mingle, share, learn

Click here to directly RSVP or alternatively at www.elated.ca.

March 26-28 2008
The Carlu – 444 Yonge Street
Toronto, Canada

Register at www.ice08.com

The Hon. Aileen Carroll, Ontario Minister of Culture will be on hand for the formal launch of   Knowledge Ontario’s askON online research and virtual reference service.  The launch will be held on Thursday January 31, 2008 at 5pm at the Knowledge Ontario exhibit booth (813/815) at the OLA SuperConference being held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

askON is a leading edge virtual service that allows Ontarians to chat, in real time with expert library staff who can help them find information, answer questions, deliver articles and improve web searching skills.  askON, in its first phase, is a collaboration of 10 public and 7 post-secondary libraries. Using state-of-the-art software askON will offer 40 hours a week of chat reference service to public library visitors (10 hours in french) and over 60 hours a week to post-secondary students.  Visitors to askON will access the service via the askON link from the web sites of the participating libraries.

askON began operation on January 7, 2008 and has responded to over 150 information requests in the first three days of service. There are over 200 askON information specialists from libraries around the province trained to provide askON real-time chat reference services on a rotating schedule.

“We are thrilled that the Minister of Culture will be joining us to celebrate the launch of askON”, said Virginia Roy, project manager. “Libraries and librarians from around the province have invested hundreds of hours since June working on the implementation, technology and service details of askON.” “It is a true collaborative effort and demonstrates the strength that libraries can collectively deliver to the province’s knowledge economy.”

About askON
askON is a new information service, managed by Ask Ontario, that will help Ontarians connect, using real-time chat over the internet, with library staff who can help them find authoritative digital information and improve their online search skills. The first phase of askON involves 10 public library systems and 7 post-secondary libraries from across Ontario.

About Ask Ontario
Ask Ontario is the project of Knowledge Ontario focused on planning, delivering and managing province-wide, real time library information and research services. Knowledge Ontario is the first ever province-wide collaboration of libraries (public, school, college and university) working together to create an integrated and interactive digital environment about and for Ontarians. The Knowledge Ontario initiative is supported by the Province of Ontario. For more information visit: www.knowledgeontario.ca or www.askon.ca.

Users can:

• Search by keyword from a database of over 100 CSC-evaluated resources.
• Browse through titles with full descriptions and keywords to help pinpoint the
• best resources for lesson plans. Collect resources and build a CultureSpace.
• Share a CultureSpace and Collection with the CultureSource.ca user community.

All websites found on CultureSource.ca have been evaluated by CurriculumServices Canada (CSC) for consistency with curriculum, content relevance and balance, current methodologies, bias and inclusiveness, and appropriate format. All websites have been approved, receiving the CSC red Seal of Quality, meaning users can rely on CultureSource.ca for learning resources that are safe to use in the classroom.

Curriculum Services Canada is the Pan-Canadian standards agency for quality assurance in learning products and programs. This not-for-profit organization offers a wide range of standards-driven services that support and complement its core business of learning resource evaluation.

For further information: Cristina Katipunan, Coordinator, Marketing and Public Relations, Curriculum Services Canada, (416) 591-1576 ext. 237, ckatipunan@curriculum.org