Embedded Files
Diversity Audit Project
Diversity Audit Project
LIS 7210 - Library Materials for Children
In LIS 7210 (Library Materials for Children), the class as a whole partnered with ISLA for the Diversity Audit Project. The class decided that the three project groups would all work with ISLA's school library collection and each focus on a different facet of diversity representation in the collection. The projects included Race/Ethnicity Representation (Allison Beebe, Naw-Amelia Kacher, Nicole Fischer, Raena Lamprecht), Disability Representation (Erin Abel, Rita Baldwin, Avery Breiland, Daniel Kilkelly), and Indigenous Representation (Laura Grimm, Laura Schwartz, Liam Kiehne, Rachel Johnson). Groups determined the criteria for their analyses, and the collection was split among the class so that each student used the criteria from all the groups to evaluate and categorize their list of titles. Then groups used the final list to conduct their analysis and create a presentation that presented their analysis and a plan to improve the collection's representation for their aspect, including suggesting specific titles to be added to the collection.
Cell Phone Ban Guide
Cell Phone Ban Guide
Jesse Brown, Katie McEachern,
Evan Powell, Nick Pyzdrowski, Michael Schmidt
LIS 7270 - Information Literacy in the Digital Age
"The idea for this information guide was conceived from research our group did on the emerging debate over whether cell phones should be banned in schools. Our research revealed that 91 percent of American children aged 14 or older have a smartphone, with 42 percent owning a smartphone by as early as age ten. Among those American children between the ages of 11 and 17 who own a cell phone, 97 percent report using their device while in school for a median of 43 minutes per day. Concerned about the escalating use of cell phones by students in school, the implications of such use for educational achievement, and the effect of social media on teens, state governments and local school districts across the United States have begun to restrict cell phone possession and use during the school day. While proponents of cell phone bans have embraced banning mobile technology in schools, emphasizing reduced distraction and improved well-being, critics highlight implementation challenges and the potential loss of educational opportunities. As schools across the country reconsider how - and whether - cell phones belong in the classroom, parents play a vital role in understanding and shaping the conversation. To prepare parents to take an active role in advocating for evidence-based cell phone use policies in their own school districts, our guide is designed to serve as a learning tool for caregivers interested in familiarizing themselves with the different aspects of the controversy over cell phone bans in schools. Throughout our guide, we referenced a collection of books, videos, articles, podcasts, and web resources that examine the benefits, challenges, and ongoing discussions surrounding cell phone use in schools. Each section of the guide offers different ways to engage with the issue - from expert opinions and research findings to firsthand stories from educators and students. Our goal for the guide is that it helps parents explore the debate about cell phone bans in schools from multiple perspectives so that they can make informed decisions about what's best for their families." - The Group
Information Literacy Program Lesson Plan
Information Literacy Program Lesson Plan
Katie McEachern, Evan Powell, Nick Pyzdrowski, and Michael Schmidt
LIS 7270 - Information Literacy in the Digital Age
"The idea for this information literacy program was conceived from research our group did on the academic experiences of first-generation college students (FGCS). Our research revealed that FGCS often face unique academic, social, and technological challenges in higher education, including navigating unfamiliar academic systems and adapting to new digital learning expectations. Despite challenges, FGCS bring unique “funds of knowledge” to their learning experiences, including their own life experiences, areas of knowledge, resilience, and practical problem-solving, which can support their learning when understood by information literacy instructors. With the rapid rise of AI use in academia, primarily by students for homework, writing assistance, and research as well as by educators for lesson planning, grading, and administrative tasks, it is imperative college students be well versed in the ethical dimensions and uses of AI, especially as it pertains to academic integrity considerations, data privacy practices, and the need for human-in-the-loop oversight. In response to this need, the purpose of our AI literacy program is to provide college students generally and FGCS specifically with an understanding of the concepts of fairness, bias, transparency, accountability, privacy, and data governance as they pertain to AI, as well as the potential uses and dangers of using AI in academic contexts. With a more informed understanding of the safety, robustness, applications, and limitations of AI, students will be better able to use AI tools in more responsible and informed ways. Additionally, college students need to learn how to consult AI on academic assignments in ways that are mindful of academic integrity considerations. To that end, our AI literacy program consists of exercises that are designed to help college students identify ethical issues surrounding Gen AI, contemplate the advantages and disadvantages of using AI as a creative assistant for academic work, apply key principles relevant to AI to an analysis of AI ethical dilemmas, and evaluate AI-generated output for ethical concerns. Our goal for this learning sequence is that it helps students strengthen their ability to ask critical questions about the technology they use, and adopt responsible habits of technology use." - The Group
Banned Book Database
Banned Book Database
Maddie Cammack & Rebecca Carrison
LIS 7510 - Database Management
"We put together a database for their final project in LIS 7510 that used public data tracking banned books. Using techniques learned in the course, we were able to compile the data into a database that allowed us to look at the who, what, when, where, and why of book banning. We were able to take something that was a little unwieldy and turn it into a database that helps look at specific regions of the country and reasons why books would be banned." - Maddie & Rebecca
Support Services Database for Veterans and Community Organizations
Support Services Database for Veterans and Community Organizations
Stephanie Way
LIS 7510 - Database Management
"LIS 7510 deepened my understanding of systems design and allowed me to apply that knowledge to a real-world problem. As a female Veteran, I have felt the challenges of locating support services– which often requires extensive research, navigating bureaucratic systems or relying on word-of-mouth to find programs. This creates unnecessary barriers for veterans and contributes to misalignment across organizations trying to serve them. My goal was to bring program information and veteran population data into one structured system to improve visibility, support long-term planning, and ultimately help connect veterans to the services they need as demographics and needs shift over time. The next step will be translating this backend system into a more accessible tool for veterans and service providers." - Stephanie
SCP Series I Database
SCP Series I Database
Eli Baumann, Antonio Risso & Nadia Sullivan Nightengale
LIS 7510 - Database Management
"We all liked it because SCP materials were already written like a database, so it seemed an interesting format to handle within SQL formats. The part which took the longest of all was simply adding in the authors, just because so many different people helped create things within the earliest days that you often had to add new author entries with every single SCP you'd enter. A big problem I had to figure out was displaying author names on the main table, because it seemed as if it would be more visually interesting rather than just having the numbers (same with the names of SCP categories or types), so using what we learned in class, I was able to set up a view (I believe it's scp_full on the database itself) which allowed me to showcase all of the authors in a prettier format. I think the author table ended up getting to 40 or so unique names which was crazy for a list of 90+ entries." - The Group
"Know Your Neighborhood - Your Guide to Saint Paul's Past & Present" Website
"Know Your Neighborhood - Your Guide to Saint Paul's Past & Present" Website
Katie McEachern
LIS 7530 - Web Design and Accessibility
"I am a proud resident of Saint Paul, and I have an interest in local history as well as a passion for community involvement, so when we were given the opportunity to come up with our own concept for a website based on an observed need, I knew I wanted to come up with something that could bring together multiple resources already available online and put them in one place. Know Your Neighborhood is meant to act as just that -- a one-stop-shop where people find history on their neigbhorhood, ways to get involved, as well as resources for doing their own neighborhood research.
I had little familiarity with html coding prior to this course (outside of when I used to code my MySpace page way back in the day), and so I was quite suprised to find I enjoyed the process of learning to code from stratch! It was particularly satisfying to apply these new skills to create my very own website. I also appreciated that this class focused on accessibility, and I took pains to make sure my website encorporated as many aspects of website accessibility as possible (given my skill level)." - Katie
Page updated
Report abuse