The Media Smart Libraries grant project # LG-07-14-0045-14, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library services, is wrapping up. This website will be archived and hosted by the University of Rhode Island and will no longer be live. In the archived state, the resources will still be available for public access and use, they will just no longer be updated.
Although the grant period is ending, the impact of the Media Smart Libraries project will continue to be felt. The goals of the grant will be sustained in the following ways:
Continuing Education in digital and media literacy:
- 4 – 6 continuing education workshops a year in digital and media literacy in partnership with the RI Office of Library and Information Services. Please email Mary Moen if you have ideas for a workshop you’d like to attend or one you’d like to facilitate mary_moen@uri.edu.
- The development of three free online self-paced modules that will be hosted on WebJunction: 1) Media Literacy for Children and Youth, 2) Film Education and Production for School and Youth Librarians, and 3) Computational Thinking and Coding
- The development of an online 12 credit post-baccalaureate Media Smart Libraries certificate.
Advancing the digital and media literacy skills of children and youth:
- The implementation of programs, lessons, and workshops in school and public libraries, influenced by what the Media Smart Libraries cohort members and other librarians learned at our workshops and at the URI Summer Institute in Digital Literacy
- Media Smart Library cohort members’ use of digital kits earned by completing the digital badge program. These kits will provide increased access and equity to digital and media literacy learning opportunities for children and teens.
LIS Curriculum Updates to better prepare future librarians: Newly revised curriculum at the URI Graduate School of Library and Information Studies that includes the revision of two existing courses and the development of a new course, Media Smart Libraries.
Increasing the public’s awareness of the importance of digital and media literacy. Through our extensive outreach efforts, we predict that with their new knowledge and skills librarians will advocate for and influence the public’s awareness of the importance of digital and media literacy education. A summary of our outreach during the grant period of 2015 – 2017 follows:
- 613 = total number of librarians and educators who attended our free workshops and events
- 41 = total number of workshops/events
- 40 = librarians who completed digital badge program and earned digital kits worth $1000
- 19 = conference presentations and exhibits of MSL work locally, nationally, and internationally
- 26 = total number of MSL cohort members who attended URI Summer Institute in Digital Literacy tuition free.
- 9 = National Advisory Board members and 14 Local Advisory Board members who contributed their time and expertise either as guest speakers, workshop facilitators, and/or on Curriculum Revision Committee.
- 4 = Total number of GSLIS Graduate Students who worked on the MSL team.
- 4 = Total number of MSL best practices videos produced
Dr. Valerie Karno, Principal Investigator; Dr. Lauren Mandel, Co-Principal Investigator of the grant and I would like to give special thanks to our grant partners, the Providence Children’s Film Festival who provided workshops and materials to advance our knowledge and skills around children’s independent film, critical film discussion, and use of the FilmHub resources; and the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services for their assistance in promoting the workshops, securing locations and facilitators, and handling of the registration process. We’d also like to acknowledge the support of the Harrington School of Communication and Media, the URI School of Education, the College of the Arts and Sciences, Dr. Renee Hobbs and the Media Education Lab, and the Office of Sponsored Projects, as well as organizations outside of URI including the National Association of Media Literacy Education (NAMLE), Rhode Island Library Information Network, (RILINK) the Rhode Island Library Association (RILA), the School Librarians of Rhode Island (SLRI), Internet Safety for Kids and Families, IntraCity Geeks, Fab Newport, and the long list of individuals who supported this project. This grant would not have been successful without the generosity of the workshop facilitators who dontated their time and expertise, the library venues that provided a rent free space audio/visual services, the expert advice from the advidoary board members, and assistance of our amazingly talented graduate students, Alyssa Taft, Allison Barker, Samuel Simas, and Elena Hughes. Most of all, a huge thank you to the Institute of Museum and Library Services for funding this incredible project.
Media Smart Libraries has been a hugely rewarding experience for me to learn and connect with so many wonderful people. I think one of the best things about the grant was that it created a common space for many like-minded people and organizations to collaborate and share knowledge. I believe that our combined efforts under this one initiative created a more powerful impact on our libraries and the communities we serve than we could have done individually. If anyone has any questions or information to share about this project, feel free to contact me at mary_moen@uri.edu. I would especially be interested to hear about the impact of the project moving forward on people’s practice and ultimately their library communities.
It's been an honor working with you all!
Mary Moen