Reading List - INF 2196H New Media and Information Practices of the Young

Rhonda McEwen is currently teaching this great new course at the iSchool and has very kindly agreed to let us post the reading list for her class. It's great to see a diverse range of students in the course - students from information studies and knowledge media design, Phd students and the iSchool Registrar!

LEGO COMPUTER -  blog.pcnews.ro/2007/08/10/lego-day/

INF2196H New Media &; Information Practices of the Young

There is no course text, however the following books will be used to provide general context for the course material:

• Braun, Linda (2006) Teens, Technology, and Literacy; Or, Why Bad Grammar Isn't Always Bad, Libraries Unlimited, USA.

• Heggum, Lisa (2006) All Sleek and Skimming: Stories, Orca Book Publishers, Canada.

Required course readings are available electronically on the course blackboard site. Readings include:

• Agosto, E. D. (2001). “Propelling young women into the cyber age: Gender considerations in the evaluation of Web-based information,” School Library Media Research, Vol 4.

• Baron, N. (2008). Chapters 5 & 10, In Always On, Language in an Online and Mobile World. New York, Oxford University Press

 EVEN MORE BEYOND THE JUMP 

(rest of the reading list and online resources)

U of T iSchool Courses that examine CY issues

Last year the CYA worked incredibly hard to encourage the availability of courses examining issues involving children & youth. Thanks to Wendy Newman, Brenda Halliday and Rhonda McEwen for creating courses (at times creating them with lightning speed) that give students the opportunity to learn more about children and youth within the context of information studies.

• INF 2303H Issues in Chidren's and Young Adults' Services (Winter 2010)
  
• INF 2139H Young People: Collection Development
  
• INF 2196H New Media and Information Practices of the Young (Fall 2009)

The following courses is also still found on the course list so we look forward to seeing what next steps can be taken in with these courses in mind.

• INF 2140H Young People: Current and Emerging Information Practices
  
• INF 2180H Archives: Access, Advocacy and Outreach (will not be offered in 2010-2011)
  

 Beyond the Jump - full descriptions of courses

Exhibit: Osborne Collection-Cinderella Went to the Ball (till December 12)

From the iSchool:

Leslie McGrath, who is head of the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books at TPL, and an iSchool PhD graduate, has extended an invitation to iSchool faculty and their students interested in children's literature and publishing, to a talk and exhibition on Thursday Sept. 24

This Thursday Sept. 24th at 8PM, the Toronto Public Library will be opening an exhibition of children's literature entitled "When Cinderella Went to the Ball: 500 years of Fairy Tales."

The exhibition is at the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books, which is housed in the Lillian H. Smith Library on College Street - only a 10 minute walk from U of T!

Michael Solomon, the art director at Groundwood Books (a fantastic children's book publisher in Toronto), will give a talk on light and shadow in children's books.

Thanks to the iSchool, Brenda Halliday & Michele Collins for promoting the event!

CYA 2009-2010 - Ways to get involved

Greetings CYA members,

• What does advocacy meant to you and what expectations do you have about the CYA?

• What issues or topics are you interested in terms of advocating for children and youth?

Keep these questions in mind as you look over my ideas for the CYA Group in 2009-2010 and let me know what you think or any suggestions.

Is there anything you would like to take charge of, the more people involved means the more variety in CYA during the year and give members a great experience that will add to their professional development and resume.

1. Administrative Details

1A) First year Co-Chair:

In first year and looking to get involved?

There is a Co-Chair position available for a First year student (from any stream or area of focus). This can help to ensure the continuation of the CYA Group by establishing a possible line of succession.

Drop an email to let us know that you're interested (cya.ischool@gmail.com)

2. 2009-2010 PROPOSED PLAN

As the 2nd Yr Chair, Kate has proposed using the topic/theme of ACCESS to organize activities for the 2009-2010 year:

2A) Access to quality information by REVIEWING materials

Focus: Build skill in reviewing and analyzing materials for children & youth or information professionals working with them by:

• Provide CYA members with a method to individually advocate for children & youth (now & post graduation)
• Assess materials in terms of critical analysis & collection development (negative & positive perspectives)
  
• Reviewing materials in a range of formats (publishing, technology, Internet links),
• Learn about assessment criteria for journal reviews (genres, age/audience, production, visuals, intention/goal/best uses),
• Provide opportunities to peer review and publishing of reviews by CYA members through meet ups & blog
• Establish an accessible archive of links for: Professional development (Skill building tools and resources on literary analysis, review writing/publishing), Resources (C&Y's literature/film/music/software/hardware/blogs/websites/databases), or Issues & Trends (research/groups/initiatives)

Possible activities:

• BOOK CLUB: monthly or semester, alternate or combine picture books, early readers, or YA (fiction or non-fiction)suggested by CYA members or pulled from awards lists (preferably in the TPL library system so people can access it)

• WORKSHOPS: writing book reviews

2B) Access to RESOURCES

Focus: Resources for information professionals working with youth & children, as well as, resources for youth & children to use.

Let us know if YOU have any suggestions.

*LISTSERV:

- Sign up for our LISTSERV (http://groups.google.ca/group/cyaischool?hl=en)

We use it for any time sensitive announcements & to share links (Sharing events, submission requests, seeking or giving advice, and updates on CYA business & blog (on a bi-weekly or Monthly basis).

*BLOG:

The newly created BLOG (http://cya-ischool-utoronto.blogspot.com/) is an archive of resources/information/links and gives CYA members an opportunity to contribute/ publish about CYA issues & resources. The blog is accessible to the general public and contributors could refer prospective employers etc. to the website to see their published work or involvement.

BLOG provides opportunities for CYA members to volunteer/participate.

• LISTINGS (Internet Links, book lists, databases, online tools, professional associations, youth committees, programming) GRANTS
  
• REVIEWS (literature, websites, journals, organizations, programs)
• PROFILES / INTERVIEWS (individuals-authors, illustrators, information professionals, etc..; organizations or events incl. conferences, academic or non-academic/independent or corporate/local or international events)
• ARTICLES or BLURBS on research, issues, trends, current events, technology, strategies (programming, administrative, jobs, )
• CYA (overview of meeting minutes, i-School curriculum & faculty, events, courses, areas of further interest)

*WORKSHOPS:

• What topics interest CYA members for this year?
• Book Reviews &/or Awards
• Literacy Initiatives
• Storytelling / Programming
• Funding or administrative issues for children & youth programs & initiatives (grant writing, government resources)
• Children & youth issues outside of the library setting

*TOURS or SPEAKERS:

Ideas to explore depending on interest:

• North York Central Library,
• Children's Department at Northern District Library,
• a Youth Advisory committee,
• book stores? (Beguiling, Mabel's Fables, etc.),
• Toronto's Gay & Lesbian Archives, Toronto Zine Library,
• Art Gallery of Ontario (Education Division), other museums, galleries,
• Community or Professional Organizations - Storytelling Toronto (formerly Storytellers School of Toronto),
• Faculty of Information Alum or one of the Professional Organizations.
• Authors or Illustrators or Storytellers/Performers - the Canadian Society of Children's Authors Illustrators and Performers,

Cheers,

Kate Johnson
2nd Yr CYA Chair
cya.ischool@gmail.com

Some background info on CYA...

In 2006, the first student group dedicated to issues involving children and youth was launched as YPFIS. Their mandate was the following:

YPFIS is a brand new group formed in 2006 in the hopes of engaging an extracurricular presence, within the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information Studies, for careers in librarianship for young people. We aim to increase awareness of this option, and by extension, the importance of public and school libraries.

Participants worked on:

• attracting guest speakers,
• arranging tours of relevant facilities,
• organizing a children and youth literature focused book club,
• collecting print and electronic resources,
• investigating professional associations, and
• coordinating film screenings.

YPFIS hoped to serve as a means to share knowledge amongst peers, allow for networking with individuals currently working with youth, promote enthusiasm for this career path, and instill an ethic of professional development among participants. Their long-term goal is to implement a program whereby FIS students can gain practical experience serving young people.

Faculty name changes lead to the group adapting their name to the Children & Youth Advocacy Organization or CYA. Over the 2008-2009 academic year, CYA members organized a campaign to address the lack of availability in courses that dealt specifically with children & youth issues in terms of information studies.

In November 2008, a course request was submitted to the Dean asking for the two courses listed on the curriculum to be reinstated in the course time tables. (FIS2140H Young People: Current and Emerging Information Practices & FIS2139H Young People: Collection Development). The research and discussions prompted by this request encouraged Wendy Newman to create (very quickly!) a brand new course, INF2303H Issues in Children's and Young Adults' Services, that is being offered for a second time in Winter 2010.

To keep things moving, CYA members formally approached the Dean and the Faculty of Information with a report addressing the lack full-time faculty to teach children's and young adult services to the Library, Archives, Information Systems and Museum Studies students.

The goal of the report was to:

• Express the concerns of and testimonials from the student body and current information professionals
• Offer research on current issues and scholars in children's and young adult services
• Offer possible solutions to the current coursework shortfall
• Describe benefits to the Faculty of Information from implementing these solutions.

The CYA believe that if the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information wishes to be a true leader for other North American i-schools, it needed to consider strengthening its curriculum of academic programs or courses for information students on children and young adults.

It is exciting to see that the i-School is recognizing the importance of youth within information studies within the new course curriculum. Over the summer, Brenda Halliday returned to teach a Collection Development course for Children and Youth and INF2196H New Media and Information Practices of the Young is a great new addition to the curriculum.