Introducing Transliteracy: What Does It Mean to Academic Libraries?

Our very own Tom Ipri has an article about transliteracy in College & Research Libraries News

Transliteracy is recent terminology gaining currency in the library world. It is a broad term encompassing and transcending many existing concepts. Because transliteracy is not a library-centric concept, many in the profession are unsure what the term means and how it relates to libraries’ instructional mission and to other existing ideas about various literacies. Transliteracy is such a new concept that its working definition is still evolving and many of its tenets can easily be misinterpreted. Although this term is in flux, academic librarians should watch developments in this new field to continually assess and understand what impact it may have on the ways they assist and interact with their patrons and each other.

 

Read the whole article

The resources he makes reference to:

• Transliteracies Project: Research in the Technological, Social, and Cultural Practices of Online Reading
• Sue Thomas, Chris Joseph, Jess Laccetti, Bruce Mason, Simon Mills, Simon Perril and Kate Pullinger, “Transliteracy: Crossing Divides,” First Monday, December 3, 2007,
• Susie Andretta, “Transliteracy: Take a Walk on the Wild Side”, The International Federation of Library Associations Conference 2009,10,
• ALA: Committee on Literacy

 

Scholars’ Use of Digital Media

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The Chronicle of Higher Education summarizes an interesting study by Ithaka which surveyed how academic faculty use various digital media. The study focuses on three areas:

• how faculty members use and perceive their campus libraries
• how they are handling the print-to-digital shift in scholarly work
• how much they have or have not changed their professional habits in an increasingly electronic environment

Many of the findings will probably not be very surprising to academic librarians. Scholars are less likely to begin their research at the library (physically) or at a library catalog. They have a preference for access to electronic journals rather than print; however, they have been slow to adopt e-book readers. Scholars put more faith in traditional publishing avenues rather than in open-access journals.

The full report can be found here.