I’m Autistic. One of the things that has changed for me when I switched universities is that now I attend most of my classes in person instead of online. This change has materialized in many ways, but one of the most interesting to me has been the impact on discussions that I have with my … Read more
What it is SQ3R is an acronym describing a process for better retaining information read from a textbook. It stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review. This multi-step process offers advantages over reading through the text of a chapter from start to finish linearly. The survey step is similar to developing a qfocus as in … Read more
As part of my reference services class, we got to practice providing reference service by email. After each of the two questions, I do my best to understand the question, questioner, and context of the request. I describe the approach I would take to find relevant resources to address the information need, and using the … Read more
This class assignment asked me to examine a news article through the lens of an information organization specialist, relating it to the skills and principles we’re learning about in class. While most of our coursework is focused on the conceptual understanding and practical skills of information organization, it’s also important to think carefully about ethical … Read more
What it is The Question Formulation Technique is a set of skills designed primarily to improve one’s ability to craft a useful, effective question. Secondly, they serve to engage one’s mind with a particular topic in an inquisitive manner, such that the mind will be more receptive to learning information about that topic. To this … Read more
As Gerald Holton said, “we are now uniquely privileged to sit side by side with the giants on whose shoulders we stand.” Knowledge management is an emerging field of study with widespread interest both inside and outside the academe. In order to get a sense of the direction the field is taking as it evolves, … Read more
Setting the scene So, you were trying to put a skeleton Santa Claus on your roof to knock out decorations for the rest of the year, but you fell off the ladder and broke your leg. The paramedics show up, scoop you up onto the stretcher, and load you into the back of the ambulance. … Read more
My Autism and ADHD often feel like two sides of the same coin. If I am interested in it, a topic can easily become a Special Interest, and I can easily funnel hours of attention into it to learn everything I can about it. This is usually at the expense of other things in my … Read more
What it is When studying, the environment can be a large factor in success, because it can shape your ability to focus effectively on the material. By creating an environment that is specifically for studying, you can optimize retention and recall as well as extend your focus attention span. This has really helped me with … Read more
Digital publishing has some major advantages. Digital copies of articles can be produced at essentially zero cost. As many copies can be made as needed by readers. Readers can access materials over great physical distances. Digital text has advantages in search and accessibility. Web links make it easy to follow citations. One of the biggest … Read more
