Commonalities

Today’s Commonalities discussion was lively, focusing on the usefulness of electronic textbooks and if they are of interest to faculty and students.    Most of the comments focused on the ease of use and the need for the information to be free of a specific type of device. It has been noted in some articles that the best device is still the laptop, it is preferred by students because of its versatility.  Other areas that were discussed were: access vs ownership, enhancing the information found in the text, how to still have “open book” tests without giving student complete access to the web, cost (still not cheaper than print in some cases), standard books vs customizing content for a class.

The next Commonalities Program will be on October 25 at noon on the 4th Floor of the IC. The topic will be the Digital  Humanities.  More information to follow.

Commonalities Blog Post

On March 17^th we met in a beautiful reading room on the third floor of the Klarchek Information Commons for a conversation about a digital repository at Loyola University Chicago.  As we enjoyed wine and hors d’oevres, Dean Robert Seal started off the conversation with some brief words about digital repositories and initial parameters for a new digital repository initiative at Loyola.  Initial projects will include the creation of a digital repository of faculty created works, Loyola dissertations, and selected primary source collections.  Soon everyone chimed in with their questions as well as ideas for materials worth saving in a digital repository.    It was a great conversation in which one question or idea led to another.  It’s clear that there will be plenty of material to consider for future repository projects.  Eben English, the Libraries’ new Digital Services Librarian, was present to share his expertise. If you are interested in learning more about the plans for a Digital Repository at Loyola University Chicago, you can contact Robert Seal (rseal@luc.edu) or Eben English (eenglish1@luc.edu).  Eben has kindly provided us with his recent White Paper, “A Digital Repository at Loyola University Chicago” to share with readers of this blog.  Enjoy!

On February 11 Fr. Kevin Gillespie facilitated a conversation about electronic textbooks and other media that have found their way into the classrooms here at Loyola. Attendees discussed the options that are available and how they impact the way they teach their classes.  In addition to the discussion the following links were provided to attendees:

We Robots (Jonah Lehrer, New York Times, Jan. 21, 2011)http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/books/review/Lehrer-t.html

  As the Web Goes Mobile, Colleges Fail to Keep Up (Josh Keller, Chronicle of Higher Education, Jan. 31, 2011)
http://chronicle.com/article/Colleges-Search-for-Their/126016/

Re-’Kindling’ Amazon’s EDU Mojo (Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed, Jan. 24, 2011)
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology_and_learning/re_kindling_amazon_s_edu_mojo

Students Remain Reluctant to Try E-Textbooks, Survey Finds (Jeff Young, Chronicle of Higher Education, October 26, 2010)
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/students-remain-reluctant-to-try-e-textbooks-survey-finds/27866

To Save Students Money, Colleges May Force a Switch to E-Textbooks (Jeffrey R. Young, Chronicle of Higher Education, October 20, 2010)
http://chronicle.com/article/The-End-of-the-Textbook-as-We/125044/

 All In the Delivery (Steve Kolowich, Inside Higher Ed, August 31, 2010)
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/08/31/ebooks

On February 2, Frontline rebroadcast their show entitled: Digital Nation.  Follow this link to view the show online and review related content. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/