Libraries Lead!

Episode 31 (March 2024) Ack! School Libraries Under Attack!

What could be less controversial than school libraries? School libraries - dedicated to children and American values. School libraries- keeping school information collections & technology up-to-date and secure. School librarians - seeking to  promoting literacy and ensuring that students gain essential information & technology skills. Mom, apple pie, and school libraries, right? Wrong. School libraries are being challenged across the country with politically-motivated, organized book bans in the thousands along with efforts to demonize libraries and librarians (including the American Library Association). At the same time, we see significant declines in the number of schools that have professional school librarians and libraries. But, school librarians are one of the the only group of educators directly charged with addressing the serious information & technology issues facing children and their parents and teachers; issues like social media use, mis/dis-information, information access & use, AI, and critical information & technology skills. What gives? As Scooby would say, “Ruh roh!!”In this episode we take a look at the current and future situation of school library programs and school librarians. Beth and Mike both come from a school library background, and Dave has been involved with K-12 education for much of his professional career. Listen in as we seek to better understand what’s going on, why, and what can be done about it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For References & Resources for this episode visit us athttps://1n2.b2c.myftpupload.com/episode-31-march-2024-ack-school-libraries-under-attack/ For References & Resources  of All Episodes Visit us athttps://1n2.b2c.myftpupload.com/

Episode 30 (February 2024): INFORMATION Everywhere All At Once

Information and technology are a ubiquitous part of our lives. We cannot escape. Many of us walk around with multiple devices, receiving hundreds of notifications, emails, alerts, texts each day. Much like the 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once  we are all navigating a multiverse of devices and information sources. We used to talk about and experience the world in real life (IRL) through our digital presences. But is it now the opposite? Do we experience our lives digitally more than in the real world? Does real life exist without the digital nowadays?  According to Truelist, in 2023, the average US smartphone user receives 46 app push notifications per day.* Collectively, an estimated 333 billion emails and 34 billion texts are sent and received today the average person is spending 2 hours and 24 minutes on social media while for teens in the US, the average is double that - 4.8 hours.  iExhausted? iOverwhelmed and scared as hell? We are too. So, In this episode we are going to take a deep breath, reflect on the situation and share our own practices and strategies, life hacks if you will, for developing healthier habits around our technology use. And of course, we emphasize how libraries can help too. *NOTE: The sources for any statistics, facts, or quotes offered are listed on the Libraries Lead Resources Website.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For References & Resources for this episode visit us athttps://1n2.b2c.myftpupload.com/episode-30-february-2024-information-everywhere-all-at-once/For References & Resources  of All Episodes Visit us athttps://1n2.b2c.myftpupload.com/

Episode 29 (Jan 2024) Deaths of Despair: Isolation and Despondency

ContentWarning: This episode includes discussions about mental health, addiction, and suicide. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling with these issues, please seek professional help. It is important to prioritize your well-being and the well-being of those around you.In this episode, we get serious about a serious problem: despondency and despair across all age groups – middle age, young adults and seniors too. For example, going against all the statistical norms, people in their middle ages are increasingly dying from suicide, drug overdoses and alcohol related illnesses. First observed in middle aged white men, the trend is now seen across gender and racial boundaries. The one predictive factor? The deaths are rising in those without 4 year college degrees. For older adults, social isolation or loneliness is associated with a 50% increased risk of developing dementia. And among youth, post-pandemic statistics point to a decrease in loneliness, but overall levels of depression have not fallen as much as one would hope. What’s the possible connection to our information-overloaded and increasingly online and technologically-mediated world? And most importantly, what can library and information professionals and institutions do to help?For References & Resources for this episode visit us athttps://1n2.b2c.myftpupload.com/episode-29-jan-2024-deaths-of-despair-isolation-and-despondency/ For References & Resources  of All Episodes Visit us athttps://1n2.b2c.myftpupload.com/

EPISODE 28 (Dec 2023): More AI: 'I’m Afraid I CAN do that, Dave'

In recent weeks, Dave's gone down the AI rabbit hole and, in this episode, we’re following him. Besides using AI for creating graphics, Dave’s is using an AI app called Poe to create “answer bots” – AI chats based on one's own content. This differs from ChatGPT and others which are based on large language models of massive amounts of general content from the web. With Poe, Dave used transcripts of this podcast (Libraries Lead) to create a Libraries Lead "bot" - Lib_Leader bot - https://poe.com/Lib_Leader.  In this episode ask Beth to take Lib_Leader for a test drive, look under the hood, and consider the short- and long-term implications of this and other customizable AI tools. Riffing off of the intelligent computer HAL 9000 quote from the film 2001 – A Space Odyssey ("I afraid I can do that, Dave"), what are the implications of computer that might be able to do just about everything, that is, “I’m Afraid I CAN do that, Dave.”For References & Resources for this episode visit us athttps://1n2.b2c.myftpupload.com/episode-28-dec-2023-more-ai-im-afraid-i-can-do-that-dave/  For References & Resources  of All Episodes Visit us athttps://1n2.b2c.myftpupload.com/

EPISODE 27 (Nov 2023): EDUCATION IS THE ANSWER! Now, what was the question?

We - Beth, Mike, & Dave - are educators, so naturally we all believe deeply in the value of learning at all stages of life. We advocate for “education” as an answer to many if not most questions, problems, concerns, and issues that people face individually and collectively. But, let’s get more specific about what this really means today and tomorrow specifically in library and information science education, in formal school settings, and even more broadly in society. In this episode we delve into the nature of education as well as the various means to gaining desired knowledge and skills.This episode also includes, in addition to our Main Topic,  our other regular features: Wazzup?AI WatchAwesome Library ThingyEnjoy!For References & Resources for this episode visit us athttps://1n2.b2c.myftpupload.com/episode-27-nov-2023-education-is-the-answer-now-what-was-the-question/For References & Resources  of All Episodes Visit us athttps://1n2.b2c.myftpupload.com/