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Are you curious about creative, non-traditional ways that academic, public, and school librarians might be using learning management systems such as Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, etc.? If so, we encourage you to come to the LIRT Midwinter Discussion Forum. The discussion will begin with 4 lightning presentations from librarians who will share information about their non-traditional use of learning management systems, followed by a brief period for questions and answers. Then we’ll have some guided small group discussions, with the small groups reporting back to the larger group on interesting ideas or challenges that emerged from those discussions.
The lightning talk presenters are:
- Kate Conerton, Distance Learning Librarian,
Information Literacy Tutorials in the LMS -- Handout
Research and Instruction librarians at the University of Wyoming, like many others, value embedding library instruction within credit courses. One-fifth of our library users work at a distance so presence in the LMS - which is used by both face-to-face and distance classes - is crucial. In order to make library learning objects easy to include in Canvas courses, we built a course shell to include all the library's video tutorials along with simple instructions for embedding them. This is especially important for more interactive videos hosted on screencast.com, which makes embedding difficult for everyone except the video owner.
We also updated our Tutorial for Info Power, a general education information literacy requirement at our university, and embedded it in Canvas. Our instructors now add it to their own classes and student scores go directly to their gradebooks - a huge improvement for the libraries over the previous system in which library staff looked up student scores and sent them to instructors. The Canvas modules also allow instructors to choose which parts to use and when students should encounter each module and quiz.
- Kim Copenhaver, Reference, Instruction and Access Services Librarian,
The Training Trifecta: Learning Management Systems, Gamification and Library Student Employees -- Slides
Engage library student employees and revolutionize public services training using learning management systems and the principles of gamification! This presentation will highlight the utilization of the Moodle learning management system to create and host compelling training modules designed to transform the training experience for library student employees integrating the principles of gamification and a digital badging component available via Moodle. For the Eckerd College Library, transitioning the library student work scholar training program to a learning management system served as a low cost initiative to promote student employee skill development, assess achievement, encourage professional development, and support library learning initiatives. With wide applicability and appeal, tiered entry points for multiple skill levels, content supporting multiple learning styles and students serving as both producers and consumers of training components, the Moodle based training program was a big winner with both staff and students. Interactive activities served to engage students beyond the initial training session and encourage advanced skill acquisition throughout the entire term of a student’s tenure with the library. A list of resources used to develop these training sessions is available on this .
- Beth Hatch, Special Projects Manager,
Learning Management Systems Uses in Public Libraries --
CLEVNET is a consortium of 43 public library systems in Northeast Ohio. Each individual library is responsible for training their own staff. Consortia-wide training usually only occurred at the launch or update of a new application or implementation of an electronic resource, which meant that new staff or those unable to attend would have to rely on their own in-house training or learn by PDF instructions. The Training Special Interest Group discovered that many libraries were creating the same training for many of the shared applications and electronic resources for the entire consortium. Using Moodle, they were able to create courses that were available to all CLEVNET consortia staff, beginning with Office 365. Using an LMS for consortia-wide training allowed for consistency, interactivity, and discussion, as well as the opportunity to use digital badging. Other public libraries have begun using Moodle for in-house and public training. Beth Hatch, as the former Virtual Services Manager for CLEVNET and co-chair of the Training SIG can speak to the implementation of Moodle, some of the challenges, and potential uses for public libraries.
- Barbara Hopkins, District Library Media Specialist,
Learning Management Systems in K-12 Libraries -- Slides
Learning management systems (LMS) have many uses in school libraries; staff training, student assessment, and collaboration with colleagues are some of the benefits we have discovered over the past three years since our district purchased our LMS. The universities in our state also chose to use this same system, which has made a seamless transition for our students as they move onto higher education.
Additionally, we’ve discovered that one of the most important facets of a good system is its user interface. Canvas has an interface that most of our students and staff master quickly. Part of this is because library teachers have developed a set of online courses inside the system that are designed to train staff members to use it on multiple levels of proficiency. For example, mastering the blue course shows a novice level of ability with the LMS, gold requires knowledge of some advanced features, and black diamond is like having a black belt in LMS use. Rewards for finishing each level also increased staff motivation and skill level.
Because of its multifaceted uses, the LMS has helped our libraries become an indispensable resource to all stakeholders in our school community and that has been worth the resources we have invested into it.
Please mark your calendars and join us for a lively, interactive, and informative discussion.
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