In response to requests to reduce the amount of email received by students, faculty and alumni, the FSU College of Communication & Information is adopting RSS  as way to share information without sending it via  email. RSS is an “opt in” system that lets you specify which specific types of information you would like to receive. News can be read in a wide variety of RSS-enabled programs including Microsoft Outlook, Google and many others. Information vital to our students’ academic progress will continue to be sent by email.

What is RSS?

RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication”. It is an information delivery system that automatically retrieves content from web sites that are updated frequently and delivers it automatically to a piece of software called an “RSS Reader”. RSS feeds save time because you don’t have to visit the web sites frequently to find new content – it is automatically delivered to you in real time. RSS feeds are convenient because all of your updates are organized inside the “RSS Reader”, making it easy to read , search and organize your  updated information. Many people like RSS because it eliminates the need to share your email address in order to receive information, which protects your privacy.

How do I subscribe to an RSS Feed?

This button is the most common indication that information is available by RSS. You will see this button on this website next to the title of the information that is avaialbe for subscription. Click on the button and the feed will be added to your RSS Reader. You can also subscribe to RSS feeds by following text links like the ones at the end of this article describing all feeds available from the College of Communication &  Information.

How do I read the contents of the RSS Feed?

You can choose to subscribe to RSS using Microsoft Outlook or by downloading free RSS reader software. Reader software can be a separate application that can be downloaded and installed on your computer, or one which is added onto your favorite web browser.

What Information Can I Receive from the College of Communication & Information Via RSS?

College of Communication & Information:

• CCI News: Top news stories from Schools of Communication, Communication & Science Disorders and Library & Information Studies as well as news that pertains to the College as a whole
• CCI in the News: Top news stories about the College from local, regional and national sources.
• CCI Events: News about College events
• CCI Alumni News: News for and about College alumni
• CCI Faculty News: News about the College faculty
• CCI Research News:News about the College of Communication & Information research activities
• CCI Clubs: News from student clubs and organizations affiliated with the College of Communication & Information
• CCI Scholarships: An aggregated list of all scholarships available to students enrolled in the Schools of Communication, communication& Science Disorders and Library & Information Studies
• CCI Job Board: An aggregated list of jobs advertised to students enrolled in the Schools of Communication, communication& Science Disorders and Library & Information Studies
• CCI Help Desk News: Information and news from the CCI Help Desk
• CCI Media Archives: Archived webcasts presented by the College of Communication & Information
• CCI Internships: An list of internships advertised to students enrolled in the College of Communication & Information

School of Communication

• School of Communication News: Top news stories from the School of Communication
• School of Communication Events: News about School of Communication events
• School of Communication Alumni News: News for and about School of Communication alumni
• School of Communication Faculty News:News about the School of Communication faculty
• School of Communication Research News:News about the School of Communication research activities
• School of Communication Job Board: An list of jobs advertised to students enrolled in the School of Communication
• School of Communication Internships: An list of internships advertised to students enrolled in the School of Communication

School of Communication Science & Disorders

• Communication Science & Disorders News: Top news stories from the Communication Science &; Disorders
• Communication Science & Disorders Events: News about Communication Science & Disorders events
• Communication Science &  Disorders Alumni News: News for and about Communication Science & Disorders alumni
• Communication Science & Disorders Faculty News:News about the Communication Science & Disorders faculty
• Communication Science & Disorders Research News:News about the Communication Science & Disorders research activities

School of Library & Information Studies

• School of Library & Information Studies News: Top news stories from the School of Library & Information Studies
• School of Library & Information Studies Events: News about School of Library & Information Studies events
• School of Library & Information Studies Alumni News: News for and about School of Library & Information Studies alumni
• School of Library & Information Studies Faculty News: News about the School of Library & Information Studies faculty
• School of Library & Information Studies Research News: News about the School of Library & Information Studies research activities
• Goldstein Library News:News about the Goldstein Library at the School of Library & Information Studies
• School of Library & Information Studies MLS Job Board: An list of jobs advertised to students enrolled in the graduate program at the Library & Information Studies
• School of Library & Information Studies IT Job Board: An list of jobs advertised to students enrolled in the IT undergraduate program at the Library & Information Studies
• School of Library & Information Studies Internships: An list of internships advertised to students enrolled in the Library & Information Studies Program

Nancy Everhart, an associate professor at The Florida State University’s College of Information, has been elected president-elect of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association. Established in 1951, AASL is the nation’s only association for school library media professionals and has nearly 10,000 members.

Her term as president-elect begins in July and she will assume the presidency in July 2010.

“My objective as AASL president will be to get the nation focused on what 21^st century school libraries staffed with certified school library media specialists leaders look like, and what they can do for students. I hope to accomplish this by visiting an outstanding public or private school library media program in each of our 50 states during my presidency and sharing my visits through online social networking both within the AASL community and with the world — hopefully with a major media outlet,” she said. “I will appoint an AASL task force to assist me in identifying amazing sites and leaders.”

As an AASL member since 1981, Everhart has served the organization in many capacities, including as a member of the board of directors; as research editor of the association’s journal, Knowledge Quest, and as chair of numerous committees. 

Everhart’s teaching and research have focused on school library leadership. At Florida State, she co-developed an online leadership program, Project LEAD, for aspiring school library media specialists based on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards tenets. A new grant will follow these 30 potential leaders into their first year on the job to determine the impact of their leadership education. Everhart also directs the PALM Center at Florida State, an interdisciplinary school library research center, in collaboration with College of Education faculty.

Everhart obtained her Ph.D. in 1990 from The Florida State University. She was on the faculty of St. John’s University in New York for 10 years and served as a media specialist in Pennsylvania for 14 years. She is the recipient of the numerous awards in the field as well as the author of several books and more than 50 journal publications. She is also a member of the board of directors of the Florida Association for Media in Education.

Alumna Heather Wakefield will receive a grant from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program to do research in the National Parliamentary Library in Tbilisi, Georgia. The grant will support her year of research beginning in September.

“I know the Georgian and U.S. governments have been working to strengthen their relations and my project fits into the Fulbright mission of cultural exchange,” she said. “For my project, I will start with a cultural exchange as I learn more about Georgian library practices. They have a closed stack system in which patrons request books and the librarians retrieve them. I will set up temporary open stacks with children’s books so that young patrons and parents can browse the stacks.”

Heather will utilize direct observation and feedback from children and parents about the children’s interests in books and reading. She will collect and compare data on circulation of the children’s books with open versus closed stacks. She will attempt to determine if direct interaction with books increases young people’s enthusiasm for, and time spent, reading.

“My experiences at the College of Information have definitely helped me get here,” said Heather. “I have had dedicated professors, supervisors, and colleagues who have set excellent examples, encouraged my ambitions, and helped guide me in my learning process. I could not have come this far without them.”

Press Release:

Mancelona Schools Chooses Media Specialist as this Year’s OPIE

Mancelona, Michigan – May 8, 2009 – In these times when educational positions are being drastically cut, Media Specialists feel especially anxious about the prospect of their jobs. The future of school libraries and the people who run them are at risk. One Media Specialist in Northern Michigan stands out from this trend.

Elizabeth Van Pate, Media Specialist of Mancelona Public Schools, was chosen by her fellow educators as this year’s OPIE (Outstanding Person in Education). Elizabeth Van Pate, a 2004 graduate of Florida State University’s Library and Information Science program, officially accepted the honor at a dinner held on May 7.

“Mancelona Public Schools embrace the concept of teachers working collaboratively,” says Mrs. Van Pate. “Teachers here want to work with me to make learning more engaging for the students.”

With higher expectations from the State’s education department, student success is even more critical than it has been in the past. Mrs. Van Pate incorporated technology into the classrooms, Media Center, and computer labs and has taught teachers and students how to use it.

Mrs. Van Pate says, “so many students live in a technology-rich environment, and when they walk through the front doors of many schools, they become disengaged because we need to do a better job engaging them.” Mrs. Van Pate is completing her second year of teaching in Mancelona.

Contact:
Joe Clark, Principal
Mancelona High School
gclark@mancelonaschools.org
P.O. Box 739
Mancelona, MI 49659
231-587-9764

Jil’Lana Heard (MLIS December, 2002) received the Outstanding Individual Achievement Award for 2009 from the Arkansas Association of Instructional Media (AAIM) on April 20, 2009. The award is given to the AAIM member who has demonstrated leadership in promoting media programs and practices which has resulted in an improvement in media usage in instruction.