David Loertscher and Robin Williams: How can librarians get back in the information game? (AUDIO)

The learning commons has been defined as a learning laboratory where books don't get in the way. In the face of digitalization and the dominance of Google, the question is, "How can librarians get back in the information game?" The idea of a learning commons is now being tried in a number of academic libraries and the idea is being discussed for school libraries. This lecture will go on the offensive to push the library into the center of teaching and learning K-20 in the areas of competing directly with Google, collaboratively building high-level learning experiences with faculty, making the learning commons a one-stop place for expert assistance, developing a 24/7/365 presence, and experimenting to build in the library models of the very best teaching and learning. We will join Andrew Keen in his book The Cult of the Amateur in examining the role of expertise in information but with the realization that we must aggressively push in different ways if we are going to keep this profession relevant. A captioned version is available on the SLIS Website.