Dear Members and Friends of SLA Toronto,

Happy Spring! It is hard to believe we are already in the second quarter of the year. Before I get into things, I need to thank my Executive Board. These talented professionals have devoted their precious free time to the Chapter and its endeavors and I think we have seen some great progress and leadership as a result. I am grateful for their support, innovative ideas, and ability to guide the Advisory Board. Thank you, ladies!

Let me highlight a few of our accomplishments to date:

• The Solos and New Information Professionals groups are continuing to find a sizable audience, with several meetings hosted already this year. The Toronto West group is finding its footing, having issued a survey to the membership to determine the needs of our members working or living in the west end of Toronto. Look for them to start programming events soon.
• We had our first Social of the year, generously sponsored by Carswell, on May 19 and this year we are taking a bit of a different approach by using the occasion to welcome new members who joined the Chapter in the past year. Would you believe there are over 90 new members?! New members will be personally greeted at the event and introduced around, while all members will receive a complimentary drink.
• Our Alignment Ambassadors continue to ‘spread the word’, with Kim Silk and Rebecca Jones hosting an Alignment Session at Kim’s work, the Martin Prosperity Institute at MARS. Look for Kim and Rebecca to continue the Alignment discussions after conference in our new
• Dine-Around series! Stealing a successful idea from the SLA Leadership Summit, our dine-arounds bring a small group of members together over food and good conversation focused on a relevant and timely issue of interest to information professionals.
• Joint-events with CASLIS Toronto and Knowledge Workers Toronto encouraging networking across the broader Toronto information professional community.
• The University of Western Ontario SLA Student Group has fully taken off under the leadership of Erin McDonald, with lots of interest from the student body and interesting events exposing students to the different career opportunities available to them upon graduation.
• Shelley McBride, our Membership Director, has helped to introduce some new benefits to the membership, including electronic access to the 2009 Salary Survey. She is also leading a campaign to reach out to non-members of the Discussion List to encourage them to join SLA.

I would like to do one last reminder to members to inform me if they will be attending the 2010 SLA Annual Conference in New Orleans from June 14-16. Visit the SLA 2010 conference page for more details about the conference. I am pulling together a list of Toronto Chapter members in order to share with those who are attending. Hope to see you there, and don’t forget to purchase a ticket for the Canadian Reception, hosted by the Eastern Canada Chapter!

SLA Toronto would like to acknowledge the generous support from our Partners, without which many of our events and programs would not be possible. This year, our sponsors are CEDROM-SNi, FPinfomart, and Carswell.

FPinfomart is sponsoring the 2010 Student-to-Conference Award and I am proud to announce Elysia Guzik and Shannon McMillan as this year’s award recipients! Elysia and Shannon were selected by the Executive Board on the strength of their resumes and submitted statements about what they expect to gain from attending conference. Both will receive $1,500 grants to attend the SLA Annual Conference in New Orleans this June. Please look for their winning essays in this issue of the Courier, and join me in congratulating Elysia and Shannon!

Please see the Partners page of the SLA Toronto Chapter website for more information about these partners and the resources and services they offer, and consider them as you are reassessing your organization’s services and subscriptions. Look also for the Vendor’s Corner article from Carswell in this issue of the Courier. Thank you to Pam Casey, our Partner Relations Chair, for ensuring our Partners receive the full benefits of their relationship with the Chapter.

Another congratulation is in order for our Alignment Ambassador, Rebecca Jones, who has been named a SLA Fellow, in recognition of exemplifying leadership in her career as an information professional. We are so excited for you, Rebecca!

I look forward to seeing you, our member, at an upcoming SLA Toronto event and to getting to know you better. Note that the Chapter takes a break over the summer months, but please do keep your ideas and feedback coming, and stay tuned for details of the summer social.

Our second issue of 2010 is one of the biggest and best we have ever seen. As usual, the Courier remains the best place to stay informed about the activities and accomplishments of the chapter’s members and leadership. This issue also contains reports on one of the Chapter’s latest events — Dine-Arounds, a wonderful way to combine dining with professional development.

This issue also benefits from a number of first time contributors ranging from student members to librarians. The winners of the 2010 FPinfomart Student-to-Conference Award, Elysia Guzik and Shannon McMillan, have included their statements in this issue. Katya Pereyaslayska and Sandy Iverson both explore the topic of education from different angles. Dana Craig and Peter Duerr of York University explain how GIS technologies can be used to cope with disasters and emergencies. The breadth and variety of these contributions should make for a very stimulating read.

Please enjoy the issue and keep sending in the great contributions!

Sandra Craig

sandracraig@rogers.com

Bruce Harpham

Bruce.harpham@gmail.com

In a recent post on the SLA Executive Connections blog, Janice Lachance reflects on the power of our professional networks. Her reference to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington and the gift that started it all brings the concept of “cross-pollination” to life!

Today, social media makes it easy for us to exchange information and create knowledge with fellow professionals, regardless of time zones and borders. It can supplement face-to-face conversation, but it is not a replacement for it. Once a year, the SLA conference gives us an opportunity to have those conversations and to connect with colleagues from around the world. This year’s conference takes place in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, a musical form that delights in innovation. It is also a city that has faced challenges unthinkable to most of us, in the years following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The tenacity and courage of the people of New Orleans as they rebuild their city in the face of so much adversity is both humbling and inspirational. To this end, SLA is offering three volunteer opportunities, with Habitat for Humanity and Second Harvest, for delegates who want to make a hands-on contribution to the rebuilding effort.

Please consider participating in this year’s conference in New Orleans. It’s an unparalleled opportunity to connect, create, and transform.

Cherry Blossom Time

Janice R. Lachance, SLA CEO

Some of our best ideas are not home grown. Take the cherry blossom trees that are nearing their glorious full bloom here in the U.S. Capital. While it is hard to imagine Washington without them, the first 3,000 trees were planted only 98 years ago, a gift from the mayor of Tokyo. It began a tradition of horticultural and cultural exchanges between the U.S. and Japan that is celebrated each year during the Cherry Blossom Festival. The annual spectacle not only lifts Washington’s spirits — it adds an estimated $126 million a year to the area’s economy.

The exchange of ideas among information and knowledge professionals around the world through SLA holds the same kind of promise. One of my favorite stories comes from one of our members in the upper Midwest who was desperately searching for an outdated engineering standard for her supervisor. After exhausting all her usual free and even paid sources, she posted the request on an SLA listserv — and received the document within two hours from an information professional in Reykjavik, Iceland. She was a hero to her organization, but her secret was having the foresight to join an association that brought her close to her colleagues locally, but gave her access to a world full of colleagues who she could count on. Read more.

SLA Toronto’s Rebecca Jones Named to 2010 Class of SLA Fellows

Five leading information professionals (drum roll, please…..) –Rebecca Jones, Dee Magnoni, James Manasco, Jill Strand and Libby Trudell — have been named as the 2010 Class of SLA Fellows.

“The SLA Fellows are a group of professionals of unrivaled intelligence and dedication, and I am confident that each of these individuals will continue to be an important asset to this organization and the profession,” said SLA President Anne Caputo. “I congratulate and thank them for their service to SLA thus far, and I look forward to seeing what they do with their talent and drive as they move into the next leg of their SLA journey.” Read more.

SLA Toronto’s Ulla de Stricker running for Chapter Cabinet Chair-Elect

The SLA Nominating Committee has identified ten candidates for election to the 2011 SLA Board of Directors. The committee is responsible for soliciting names of potential candidates from the membership and putting together a slate of candidates that has exceptional talent, is professionally diverse, and provides regionally balanced representation.
Read more.

SLA Announces 2010 Rising Star Award Recipients

A coordinator of digital publishing initiatives, a content development officer for education communities, a digitization facilitator for the Smithsonian, an embedded librarian in a design firm, and a patent application researcher are among the five early-career professionals from three countries named as recipients of the 2010 SLA Rising Star Award, given by SLA and sponsor J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.®. Read more.

Zamora and Caputo Commend SLA Public Relations Advisory Council Members

On Thursday January 27, Anne Caputo, 2010 president and Gloria Zamora, 2010 past-president presented the members of the 2009 Public Relations Advisory Council (PRAC) with a 2009 Presidential Citation for their work with the alignment ambassadors. Read more.

Please join me in welcoming the following new members who joined our Chapter between February and April 2010.

Jennifer Abbott, Toronto

Daniel Afzal, Toronto

Mohammad Ahmad, Toronto

Zena Applebaum, Toronto

Lesley Baynes, Ottawa

Jiancheng Dai, Etobicoke

Marjan Farahbaksh, Toronto

Jackie Flowers, Hamilton

Jared Hildebrandt, Toronto

Anete Ivsina, Toronto

Kinga Iwanski, Hamilton

Eva Jansen, Toronto

David Johnston, London

Merritt Kalagian, Wainfleet

Aaron Katzsch, Scarborough

Christina Kim, Toronto

Jennifer Maddock, Toronto

Serge Nekrasov, Toronto

Irina Ovis, Richmond Hill

Katherine Petch, Toronto

Shannon Polk, Ottawa

Amanda Robinson, Montreal

Geeta Thachil, Toronto

Heather Thornton, London

Melissa Troemel, Toronto

Jacqueline Whyte Appleby, Toronto

Amy Widdifield, Kitchener

Shiyi Xie, London

I look forward to meeting each of you at an upcoming SLA Toronto event!

SLA Toronto Chapter is pleased to announce that Elysia Guzik and Shannon McMillan are the winners of the 2010 FPinfomart Student-to-Conference Award. Through the generous support of our Partner FPinfomart, and the co-sponsorship of the Chapter, each of the students will receive a $1,500.00 stipend for travel to and participation in the 2010 SLA Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO in New Orleans, June 13-16.

Elysia and Shannon were selected by the Executive Board of SLA Toronto on the basis of their résumés and the quality of their statements on what they expect to gain from the conference experience.

Elysia graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in Anthropology and Religion & Culture. This spring, she graduates with her Master of Information Studies (MISt) degree from the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto. In addition to her studies, Elysia has worked as a co-op student at the Records & Information Management Office of OMERS, and completed practicum placements at Our Ontario, and Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP.

Shannon graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in Criminal Justice and Public Policy, and Political Science. This spring, she graduates with her Master of Information Studies (MISt) degree at the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto. In addition to her studies, Shannon acted as Co-Chair of the SLA Toronto Student Group at the University of Toronto for the past year. Shannon has also worked with the following organizations: Access Copyright as a Research Assistant, U of T Criminology Information Service and Library as a Graduate Assistant Library Technician, and the Ontario Securities Commission on a practicum placement.

Statement by Elysia Guzik

I am writing to apply for the FPinfomart Student-to-Conference Award to attend the SLA 2010 Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO in New Orleans. As a soon-to-be-graduate of the Master of Information Studies program at the University of Toronto, I am excited about the many opportunities that SLA provides for students to get involved in the profession. I joined the Special Libraries Association last spring after attending an inspiring panel discussion organized by the Toronto Student Group (SLA-TSG) and Toronto Association of Law Libraries (TALL) Student Representative, which hosted professionals — namely, Alison Colvin, Eileen Lewis, Jennifer Toews, Sophia Apostol, and Jennifer Zhang — who have followed “alternative information career paths”. Since joining, I have been fortunate to attend additional Toronto Chapter SLA events, including Ulla de Stricker’s Career Development Series discussion about “fit” and “understanding your career type”, the Annual General Meeting, and the SLA/ CASLIS/ Faculty of Information Alumni Association Holiday Social. The knowledge and passion that SLA members bring to the table(s) at these events is truly invaluable, and they have fun while sharing it with one another. I have also recently joined the Toronto Chapter’s volunteer team of Event Registrars, and trust that my involvement in this role over the coming months will be a rewarding experience.

With that said, I am looking to expand my insights into the profession’s challenges and advantages by networking with members of the international SLA community, and the Annual Conference provides the perfect opportunity to do so. I have been fortunate to have attended two conferences this year — Information Without Borders (a student-run interdisciplinary conference at Dalhousie University) and the Ontario Library Association (OLA)’s Super Conference. While both of these events were superbly organized and included presentations from professionals and students from across North America, the SLA Annual Conference will allow me to explore my particular interest in special librarianship and to meet SLA members from around the world.

Attendance at the SLA Annual Conference will allow me to contribute to the profession in a number of ways. First of all, the FPinfomart Student-to-Conference Award opens the door to serving on the Executive or Advisory Board of the Toronto Chapter during the 2011 Chapter year. Furthermore, the diverse knowledge gained from attending sessions such as Eileen Abels’ “Introduction to Business Research”, Jennifer Boettcher’s “Industry Research”, Jane Dysart’s “Strategy Renewal”, Rebecca Jones’ “Library of the Future”, and Joshua Walters’ “Social Technologies for Collaboration”, among many others, will not only contribute to professional settings to which I may belong, but will also provide a foundation for developing my own ideas and professional publications. And of course, the networking opportunities at the conference are endless! Meeting new colleagues can only set the profession forward in a positive direction, and I certainly look forward to contributing in this way.

Statement by Shannon McMillan

I am writing to apply for the FPinformart Student-to-Conference Award being graciously offered by FPinformart and the SLA Toronto Chapter. As a soon to be graduating student from the Masters of Information Studies program at the University of Toronto, I think this award provides a wonderful opportunity to network with countless other information professionals already working in the field. In the time I have spent at the i-School I have become more and more convinced that special libraries are where I want to be. I love how special libraries provide me the opportunity to be a librarian in a non-traditional library environment. I truly feel that the career opportunities in special libraries are endless and there really is something for everyone.

Spending the last year as a co-chair of the SLA Toronto Student Group, one of the most valuable lessons I have learned from all the SLA Toronto Chapter members is the importance of networking. A good network is a truly invaluable resource especially for someone like me trying to get their start in the information profession. From this conference experience I hope to not only better my networking skills but to expand my budding network. I am also extremely excited by the opportunity to network with librarians from across the globe and get a better understanding of what is happening in special libraries outside of Canada.

I also feel this conference would provide me a great opportunity to further my professional development. This conference will allow me to get a better understanding of where SLA is headed and where I, as a new information professional, fit in this journey. I think this conference will be an eye-opening experience to see the true scale of opportunities available to new information professionals.

This conference will provide me an outstanding chance to expand my learning and education outside of the classroom via the many sessions and continuing education opportunities available. Given that the location of the conference this year is New Orleans, this brings a unique opportunity to not only continue my learning about special libraries but also to take some time out and learn about how the people of this vibrant city are still working to put their lives back together after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. When I received a recent email about opportunities for conference attendees to help out on a Habitat for Humanity or Second Harvest project, it made me truly proud to be part of a community of librarians that are invested in giving back to the community.

I have greatly enjoyed my time working with SLA Toronto Student Group and would love to have the opportunity to play a role in the Toronto Chapter in 2011. I hope to be selected for the FPinformart Student-to-Conference Award and to be able to take advantage of the countless networking, professional development and learning experiences being offered at both the 2010 SLA Annual Conference and as a member of the Toronto chapter.

SLA Toronto Dine-Around Series

This spring, SLA Toronto introduced the Dine-Around series. The first one was held on April 29th and the second one on May 13th. The following reports, by the event hosts, reflect how the dine-around series successfully combine good food with stimulating conversation!

April 29th Dine-Around

By Martha Foote

SLA Toronto’s innovative “Dine-Arounds” got off to a fine start in April when six chapter members met at Le Papillon on Front Street for a discussion about “Personal Information Management: Does Information Technology Enhance Our Lives? The attendees were Martha Foote, a past president of the chapter, Claire Lysnes, current president, Alexei Poretski, Katya Pereyaslavska, Stephen Spong and Genny Jon. We dined on superb Quebecois fare and discussed how technology affects our personal and working lives. The discussion was enriched by having representatives of different generations present. Newer librarians are more likely to have been introduced to technology at an earlier age than their more seasoned colleagues and have a different perspective on the benefits and detriments of technological applications.

Conversational items included the technologies that we use every day, the applications of new technologies such as Twitter, the cost of acquiring all the new technologies (including the so-called must-have iPad), and which are truly critical to our daily lives. The dine-arounds are a great way to network with colleagues, explore topics of mutual interest and explore Toronto’s vibrant restaurant scene.

May 13th Dine-Around

By Katya Pereyaslavska and Stephen Spong

On May 13, several SLA members gathered at a Toronto restaurant as part of a new “Dine-Around” initiative, whereby members meet over dinner and discuss significant issues facing librarianship in the 21st century. Toronto-based SLA members Katya Pereyaslavska, Stephen Spong, Gillian McArthur, Elysia Guzik, George Serhijczuk and Melanie Browne met at Allen’s to discuss the idea of “over-qualification” in the job market, and what it means for information professionals, students, and recent graduates. It is an issue that has enormous resonance in an increasingly crowded and competitive job market, so the conversation was lively, diverse and extremely interesting. The evening started with a brief discussion on the subject of the previous “Dine-Around” discussion ” the role of information in our daily lives” to ‘warm up’ the conversation, which then led into a full-scale discussion of the topic at hand, which took on an informal, conversational format which proved to be tremendously enjoyable. While, at the end of the evening, there was no universal consensus for an issue that defies conventional, straightforward answers or solutions, it is safe to say that everybody had a wonderful and informative evening that will hopefully serve as a harbinger for further successful “Dine-Arounds” in the future!

Copyright Sessions

Canadian Copyright Law is the topic of the next SLA Click U online course — begins 26 April 2010. See www.clickuniversity.com or email clicku@sla.org. Also take a look at the upcoming online course on on Global Copyright Issues (CCM 300).

Attending New Orleans ? Don’t miss your opportunity for a free consultation on copyright — June 14 in the Expo Hall. Also, Managing Copyright Issues Seminar on June 12; and Copyright Education Seminar on June 13. I’ll be travelling from Annapolis for the SLA conference and hope to see some of you there!

The developer and instructor of these copyright programs is Toronto born and educated at Osgoode Hall Law School . She is the author of the book, Canadian Copyright Law. Her weblog includes much content on Canadian copyright law.

Lesley Ellen Harris

lesley@copyrightlaws.com

See my new weblog: http://copyrightlaws.com

Something wonderful happened to web search. The change began roughly three years ago at Ask.com and in experimental interfaces from Google and Yahoo. Amazon was another early user. Today nearly every search engine offers search suggestions as we type. In a flash, we get a series of query suggestions, and can select the one that best suits our interest. It saves time, makes for much better spelling, and stimulates thinking.

It goes by a couple of names: autocomplete for when the search engine presents possible phrase combinations, and autosuggest where the search engine goes further to show related topics or even the answer. Either way, this is possibly the best affordance added to web search since the simple query box.

All search engines use their logs of search queries to produce the phrase combinations. Google and Bing will also personalize the list based on the user’s recent search history. Bing will modify further according to hot trends or news. Google responds to some trigger words to show the answer.

Bing’s suggestions show in a sizable window with controls at the bottom to turn autosuggest off. It will use your search history to mark queries that you have already tried in a different colour (works in Internet Explorer). Bing will also adjust the list to give attention to breaking news. In a search for new york news, Bing included hockeybuzz.com because it had news about the New York Islanders NHL team.

Trending topics is another consideration. When Goldman Sachs was making headlines in mid-April 2010 Bing’s suggestions were SEC, fraud, conviction buy list, careers, mutual funds — we could almost see the whole story through autosuggest. (Bing’s posts on autosuggest.)

Yahoo’s Search Assist has autocomplete in the search suggestions, and autosuggest in the Explore Concepts. Yahoo Search has a talent for context. It will show the first word you type in a variety of contexts. In this example, inform is part of health information, information technology etc , and as more words are added, the query suggestions will narrow.

We see it again with goldman — it begins with goldman sachs and emma goldman, and when we add the word sachs, Yahoo shows choices for careers, bonus, stock price, fraud.

Yahoo does further analysis of queries and content to offer concepts to explore — a form of autosuggest.

Users can control use and display of search suggestions by clicking on Settings in the Search Assist area.

Yahoo states that it does not use personal search history, but you do need to be logged into your account to maintain your preferred settings.

Google Suggest is the smartest. Its algorithms will figure in popularity of searches, the user’s search history, the location of the searcher, and the types of words being entered.

• It localizes the search suggestions to your area — type in dentists and Google will list queries with communities near you. In the United States it localizes to the metro area.
• It will show matches from your Google bookmarks and search history.
• It builds on the previous search to show more search suggestions as you compose a new query.
• It can surmise intent. Type in Canadian — Google Suggest shows the Canadian-US exchange rate. Add Tire for Canadian Tire, Google Suggest gives the url for canadiantire.ca.

There are other answers — Toronto weather brings up a four-day forecast. Other shortcuts that are now part of Google Suggest include flight status, local time, area codes, package tracking in the US, definitions, calculator, currency and unit conversions.

What Do You Suggest? is a tool developed by Simon Every to explore patterns. We as searchers can use it to visually explore the Google Suggest pathways.

Not surprisingly, Google Suggest has been the source of great humour as well. Simply entering “should I” can populate a hilarious, though somewhat angst tinged, list of questions. Google had some fun itself in the 2010 Super Bowl ad that began with impress a French girl. There have been parodies since. Watch them all at “Google’s Super Bowl ad good, parodies even better”. http://tnw.to/15eVx

One downside to search suggestions is that the presence of the desired combination of words doesn’t mean it will lead to good results. It could be someone else’s dead end that we are following. And to some users, the suggestions may add to the noise and clutter. Search engines do provide a means for disabling the function.

But in most queries, search suggestions guide us in refining the query and getting to the answer faster. It’s instant and unobtrusive. We just need to stop for a split second to look over the suggestions.

Gwen Harris Information Services

Information Consultant and Internet Specialist

E-Mail: goharris@websearchguide.ca

Web-Based Courses about Searching the Web: http://www.websearchguide.ca

It doesn’t matter where we look, old copies of Time, Popular Mechanics, daily newspapers or even our favorite science fiction magazines. All their many visions of the future included one particular element: the personal flying car. Where is it? More importantly… Why isn’t it?

Yes, we have air travel, even more than most people believe or can imagine. At any moment in time, there are more than 1,000,000 people in the air. That’s a small city in flight. Yet it’s not the flying car vision of the past. That vision was one of the personal flying car. An advance that would replace the all too familiar automobile. It was of the average citizen of the street, flying in ordered flowing streams to work and picking up the groceries. That hasn’t happened. Sadly(?), it will never happen.

That’s a strong statement, audacious, even pretentious, yet I believe it to be true. The ‘flying car’ vision is an example of a “poorly coupled” prediction. There’s no path from today that we can travel, to arrive at this envisioned tomorrow. Between today and the tomorrow of our dreams, lie insurmountable obstacles which are an integral part of who we are.

Most people would suggest the reason we don’t have flying cars has something to do with technology. They’re only half right. Technology only limits what is possible; human nature limits what we attempt.

Drive the main highways of a major city at the height of rush hour. Note the irrational stop and go, the swerving, the rampant inattention to a life and death activity, the growing trend of road rage, the madness of hurtling steel leviathans, the honking of horns, and the unexpected rushes of adrenaline. Now imagine this maelstrom a thousand feet above your home… every hour – of every day.

“But!” the objections are shouted from the back row, “It doesn’t have to be that way! Technology has solutions! Guidance and control systems can solve all those problems. Anti-collision devices can make accidents impossible.” Etc. etc.

Let’s assume the technologists are right. Let’s pretend for the sake of argument that all of the above is true. Even with all this as a given, will we ever see flying cars replace the automobile? Not a chance – for several different reasons.

The first? No community would allow a flow stream over their backyard. NIMBY (not in my backyard) would quickly change to NIMAS… Not in my air space. Second? A flow stream would have to be placed over a non-residential corridor… and it would have to be significantly wider than existing highways. Flying cars a thousand feet up need a lot more space for emergency landings than do Ford pickup trucks. Simple real estate economics makes mass consumer use of personal flying cars impossible.

There’s another mundane, yet insurmountable reason. How would we take that huge step from being land bound to being airborne? Regardless of assurances that flying your own car would be as safe as driving, how do we get to the point where enough people believe this to be true, for us to allow a single, never mind tens of thousands of flying cars to swoop and swerve like swallows downtown during normal business hours?

This is the “poor coupling” of the flying car prediction. Between the reality of today and our vision of tomorrow, there is a chasm we have to cross. One we can’t traverse with little steps. Those steps are not technological ones, but ones of belief, trust and even a minimal level of acceptance.

In science fiction, we’re allowed one, even two, suspensions of disbelief. In real life, the first one you come across when analyzing a prediction… destroys its validity.

© 2010 Peter de Jager — Peter is a keynote speaker on the subject of Change… sometimes he explores those things that drive change. You can read more of how work at www.technobility.com

Part One appeared in the Fall 2009 issue of the Courier (vol. 47, issue 1). Part Two expands on the characteristics of the adult learner and the role of the instructor to maximize successful learning.

Understanding our customer is a key tenet in sales, marketing and information provision. It is also key in designing effective learning programs. Our attempts to provide valuable learning opportunities will be improved if we take the time to understand common characteristics of adult learners and how they tend to learn.

Start with what they know

Adults bring to the learning environment their own rich experiences. As teachers we are well advised to respect this rich resource and integrate the student’s life and work experiences into the learning. This means taking a minute to get to know your students and what they might bring to the table.

Remember that, by and large, adults have a purpose for their learning and generally they are motivated learners. But again, it is important to find out what their purpose is and design our instruction accordingly. Too often we decide what we are going to teach based on what WE think they should learn, rather than on what THEY want (or are currently willing) to learn.

Focus on the practical

Adult learners tend to be impatient with unfocused rambling. Their time is precious and they prefer to be focused; cover the material quickly and thoroughly; and as much as possible EXPERIENCE their learning. They often do not need to understand the concepts before they will take the risk of using skills.

Let the student(s) guide the learning. Adult learners are generally not afraid to ask questions. As questions arise you will have opportunities to explain underlying concepts important to the skills you are teaching. Teaching these as they arise from student’s questions will contextualize their learning which is extremely important for the adult learner.

Create positive learning environment

Adults regard the learning process as a social process and will respond better in a non-formal social environment. Create a respectful professional environment that acknowledges each learner as a successful individual who brings valued experience to the learning experience.

Teacher vs Facilitator

Attempting to simply transmit information to our ‘students’ will often have very mixed results. I’m sure we have all had the unfortunate experience of seeing our audience’s eyes glaze over, or even worse, close completely. As noted earlier, adults learn best when they are treated as active participants in their own learning. The role that we should assume is one of facilitating the learning process.

Establish Context

Learners need to clearly see how the learning will affect them in a very concrete way. A good way to start a session is through story-telling; question asking; and social interaction. You might tell a story that illustrates why they might find the information/skill you are teaching useful.

Flexibility

Be prepared to change and adapt on the ‘fly’. You may have prepared a presentation or written a curriculum and are proud of how organized you are… you are planning on presenting point A, followed by point B, and then point C. However, putting your student(s) in charge of their own learning means finding out what they are interested in knowing; what they know already and what questions they have. It may be that they already understand point A and aren’t interested in point C… but have a lot of questions about point B. Be prepared to reorganize and be responsive to where your students are at. If they show interest in a particular point or area… spend more time on that point.

Facilitate Information Exchange

Encourage learner participation by asking questions and encouraging the exchange of information and experience. Engaging the learner in the learning experience acknowledges their individuality, illustrates respect for their experience, creates a more social environment, and it makes life easier for you!

Sandy Iverson is a consultant, researcher and educator based in Toronto. She holds graduate degrees in information science and adult education and is currently undertaking research on information literacy with senior citizens. She can be reached at sandy@sandyiverson.info

“Are you ready?” — How many times do we hear this question? Maybe once a day? Once a week? Many of us have a quick and short answer to this question, but very few have an answer to “Are you ready for a disaster?” Of course, the latter question doesn’t just come up in everyday conversation, however, the answer to it has motivated many people across the globe to become involved in disaster management. This article will present some developments that are taking place in the field of disaster management touching on new technologies, new programs and new initiatives.

New technologies have greatly increased our ability to understand, analyze and prepare for disasters, and Geographic Information System (GIS) is a perfect example of this. GIS is software that manages, analyses and displays geographic information and it has become a very important tool in disaster management. GIS provides tools that allow you to identify risks and potential threats and offers the capability of mapping and visualizing geographic information. GIS uses geospatial data and it is becoming more and more recognized as an important and vital component of our geographic understanding. GIS and geospatial data are complex and costly products, however in the last 10-15 years, they have become more accessible and available, especially in educational institutions such as York University. ESRI is a prominent software development and services company, which provides GIS software and management applications. Below are three examples of how ESRI, GIS and geospatial data are used in emergency preparedness and disaster management.

Manitoba’s Red River is well known for its floods and the vast damages that take place every time the overflow happens. Major and very damaging floods took place in 1950, 1997 and 2009. GIS has been used, and continues to be used, to manage the overflow of the Red River. Knowing the flooding possibilities of the river, measurements were put in place to minimize the potential damages. Collaborative work takes place continuously between a number of players including ESRI Canada and the Office of Disaster Management in Manitoba that put together geospatial data, satellite imagery, topography and real-time weather data in order to develop decision-making and problem-solving tools to be used in case of flooding. New developments in GIS data, its collection, storing and sharing make collaborative planning possible.

Hurricane Katrina was a terrible natural disaster that had a devastating impact. After the hurricane, many facts about the preparedness of the rescue mission become known to the public and many opinions were formed about its shortcomings. One factor in the poor management of the response units came from the fact that more damage was being done by the very people that were there to help. Waterlines were poorly managed and more flooding was caused by the rescuers when they were hitting and breaking water pipelines. The rescue units became much more efficient after the city provided them with GIS based maps indicating the right locations of fire hydrants, valves and waterlines. The delay come from the fact that data was not accessible to the right people, making data sharing and data accuracy key points in preparedness.

One last example of note is the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. After the tremor, GIS was used to assist in identifying areas of extreme danger based on analysis of the geography of the area before and after the earthquake. The software was used to identify the impact of the rescue infrastructure put in place. These included best routes for mobile medical units, hospital placement, population density, areas suitable for food and water distribution which was crucial in decision making processes. ESRI generated maps dealing with the earthquake and the recovery process which they shared with the media and the public supporting an open access environment. GIS was also used to analyze potential damage consequences.
GIS will continue to be an important tool in managing natural and man-made disasters. New developments in sharing geospatial data, such as major servers and educational institutions making data available to researchers, will make disaster management more convenient. The following diagram represents the hopeful future of data sharing and disaster management.

The importance of disaster and emergency management has been recognized by York University which is offering the only Master of Arts in Disaster and Emergency Management program in Ontario. There are only two such programs in Canada and their design meets the need for knowledgeable, skilled professionals in this important field. In most cases, the aftermath of a disaster is reactive. Professionals in the field of Disaster and Emergency Management are entrusted with the hard task of anticipating a man-made or natural disaster and know what to do in order to ameliorate the consequences. Today we have a better understanding of disasters and their emotional, physical and economical costs, and a manageable disaster should follow the diagram below where the disaster is just one point in a perpetual disaster and emergency management schema.

York University also has an Emergency Preparedness Program (EPP) which “is based on the 4 principles of emergency management as established by Emergency Management Ontario. The 4 principles include mitigation/prevention, preparedness, response and recovery” (http://www.yorku.ca/epp/overview.htm). This program deals with emergency planning for York’s two campuses and it focuses on drafting emergency plans, public awareness and carrying out education, training and exercises dealing with various possible emergencies. In a short interview with Kathy Branton, Manager, Emergency Preparedness Program, we touched on the many programs taking place at York that are part of the university’s plan. There is the Emergency Response Warden Program which has as its main mandate the safe and timely evacuation of students, faculty, staff and visitors in case of an emergency or drill. The wardens are volunteers from the York community and they undergo comprehensive training and refresher training on an annual basis to keep current with new practices and policies. York’s EPP has also developed extensive training materials freely available on their website such as “Get ready at home”, “Get ready at work”, “Get ready in class”, “Get ready in the car”, “Get ready on public transit” and they provide links to valuable information such as Emergency Preparedness Guide for People with Disabilities /Special Needs. Their website contains up-to-date information about pertinent events such as H1N1 Influenza and is a great source of information.

References:

ESRI (2010). Emergency/Disaster Management. Retrieved April 27, 2010 from
http://www.esri.com/industries/public_safety/business/disaster.html

ESRI (January 20, 2010). ESRI Assists Haiti Earthquake Response. Retrieved April 27, 2010 from http://www.esri.com/news/releases/10_1qtr/haiti.html

ESRI Canada. Case Study Visualization and Analysis Tool
Mitigates Risk to Manitoba Residents. Retrieved April 27, 2010 from http://www.esricanada.com/documents/EC1_0017_0906_7A_ManitobaFlood%283%29.pdf

GIS Development. GIS approach for disaster management through awareness – an overview. Retrieved April 27, 2010 from http://www.gisdevelopment.net/application/natural_hazards/overview/nho0012.htm

Recovering from Katrina (November-December 2009). Government Engineering. Retrieved April 27, 2010 from http://www.govengr.com/ArticlesNov09/Katrina.pdf

York University (2010). Emergency Preparedness Program. Retrieved April 27, 2010 from http://www.yorku.ca/epp/index.htm

York University (2010). Graduate Program in Disaster and Emergency Management. Retrieved April 27, 2010 from http://www.yorku.ca/graddem/

Dana Craig graduated in 2009 from the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto and is currently working at York University in the Map Library and Library Accessibility Services. Dana’s interests include GIS and adapting visual media, as well as making adaptive technologies more accessible.

Peter Duerr has an Honours BA, Major – English Literature, from York University and a MLS from the University of Western Ontario. He has worked at the NYPL in Manhattan; NRPL in Suburban NY; Algonquin College and the Office of the Auditor General in Ottawa. Currently he is working at York University and his responsibilities include: Domestic Government Documents, Disaster Management, and he assisted with Women Studies as a sabbatical replacement. Peter’s interests include Victoriana, Environmental studies and reducing carbon footprint.