Allison Druin, Associate Dean for Research, iSchool
One night recently, I was reading an online book to my girls: Elinda who Danced in the Sky, an Estonian folktale about a sky goddess. Since I was unusually awake, I was especially enjoying the words of author, Lynn Moroney: “With me you will not remain fixed in one place, but come and go. You will not take a narrow path, but travel the whole sky."
Elinda Who Danced in the Sky which can be accessed in the International Children's Digital Library
I’m sure you won’t be surprised when I say that these words reminded me of how our iSchool faculty and students travel the whole sky with their research. Over the last few months the grant awards, books, articles, and more have not come from “one place” or a “narrow path” but seemingly the “whole sky.” For example, Associate Dean Ann Weeks received a research award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to lead a team to study the demographics and skills of district library supervisors, who have not been the subject of extensive research since the late 1960s. This research will explore the current roles and responsibilities of district library supervision offices in 100 largest and 100 mid-size school districts in the United States. Ann’s research team will include doctoral student, Jeff DiScala, newly appointed iSchool lecturer, Sheri Massey, and Special Assistant to the Dean, Diane Barlow
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Another exciting part of the research sky has been taken by our iSchool’s Paul Jaeger who was just named co-editor (with Sandra Braman, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) for a Policy Book Series published by MIT Press. The book series will cover significant information policy challenges in the context of laws, regulations, policies and decision-making principles that affect any form of information creation, processing, flows, access, and use. This interdisciplinary book series is already inviting manuscripts from authors in any field with an interest in the making, implementation, and effects of decision-making about information policy.
And another book project from the iSchool comes by way of Scott Paquette, who focuses on Knowledge Management (KM). Scott co-wrote with K. Desouza, a colleague from U of Washington, the book Knowledge Management: An Introduction published by Neal-Schuman Publishers. This book balances the theory and practice of KM by examining fundamental and emerging concepts. They consider the issues that organizations encounter in the global marketplace, and it is one of the first books to integrate social media and networking into KM practice.
Knowledge Management: An Introduction published by Neal-Schuman Publishers
In addition, iSchool faculty member Mega Subramaniam, (along with Ann Ryu Edwards from the College of Education) received a university ADVANCE seed grant for a one-year research project: Leveraging Technology for Mathematics: Exploring Instructional Collaboration between School Librarians and Mathematics Teacher. This ADVANCE grant will serve as a pilot study for the development and deployment of a collaboration model between math teachers and school librarians that helps underrepresented, disadvantaged and underserved youths in middle schools increase engagement and achievement in math.
Mega has also been busy working on a recently awarded seed grant with Paul Jaeger: The Museum Experience of Children with Autism and Their Families: Improving Access through Web and Electronic Resources. Jointly funded by the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Maryland, Pino Monaco from the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies and Beth Ziebarth from the Smithsonian Institution Accessibility Program (SIAP) will be working with Mega and Paul on this research. What is so exciting about this project is that it is one of the first concrete efforts to explore the integration of the web and other electronic resources as a means to promote greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in museums.
And still one more… the iSchool’s Trudi Bellardo Hahn has co-authored a very interesting summer article for the Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science & Technology. It asks the question: Has the revolution in scholarly communication lived up to its promise? In it the authors discuss Open Access channels of publishing and how they can support authors in transforming the traditional system of scholarly communication.
So when I think about traveling that research blue sky, I am certain the paths we’re taking at Maryland’s iSchool can eventually lead to a whole sky of possibilities.
