This document discusses how libraries can cultivate participatory learning cultures through transliteracy. It argues that libraries should embrace social media and new media literacies to close participation gaps and engage students. Embedding ourselves in students' lives and learning spaces allows libraries to help students create conversations about multiple ways of reading and writing. When libraries become sites that foster participatory culture and student contributions, they can amplify learning conversations across different mediums.

1. rewriting the story of
libraries and learning
communities through
participatory culture and
transliteracy
buffy j. hamilton
digital media, technology, teaching, children, and schools
the hechinger institute on education and the media
november 2011
cc image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/yives/3392170068/sizes/z/in/faves-10557450@N04/

2. a participation gap exists

3. “the more that the school organizes
literacy teaching and learning to serve the
needs of the economic system, the more it
betrays its democratic possibilities”
deborah brandt

4. vanishing
boundaries

5. how do we disrupt what paulo freire terms the
“banking” system of education that devalues
inquiry?
Image used under a CC license from http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/4034124468/sizes/l/

6. how can educators harness the power of social
media and new media literacies to close the gap and
grow each student’s cultural capital?

7. we can’t cultivate networked learners without
putting pedagogy before tools
CC image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/wheatfields/116732195/sizes/l/in/photostream/

8. CC image via
http://www.flickr.com/photos/willemvelthoven/2620761140/sizes/l/in/faves-
10557450@N04/

9. how to create flexible and
fluid
CC image via http://goo.gl/fHZ85 learning spaces?

10. embedding ourselves in the lives and
learning spaces of students
CC image via http://goo.gl/bNrmp

11. participatory
learning and
culture
constructed
“text” of
libraries and
learning
transliteracy

12. libraries as communal experiences and
“commonplace” texts constructed by
participants
CC image via http://goo.gl/6M6GR

13. library is the story
of the human
experience
CC image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/beth19/4642532960/sizes/l/in/photostream/

14. CC image via
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ari/502329223/sizes/l/in/faves-
10557450@N04/

15. how are we helping students create conversations
about multiple ways of reading and writing today’s
world?

16. libraries as sites of the experience of self-excavation
and discovery through learning
CC image via http://goo.gl/MjZ6d

17. Transliteracy is a “a convergence of literacies”
(Lippincott, 2007: 17) as the boundaries
between medial literacy, digital literacy,
technology literacy and information literacy
become blurred when individuals evolve from
consumers of information to producers of
content.
Dr. Susie Andretta
London Metropolitan University
Source: http://nlabnetworks.typepad.com/transliteracy/Andretta_Transliteracy.pdf and
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM07610.pdf

18. “The most fundamental notion of
transliteracy is the ability to adapt.
It’s creating a literacy and fluidity
between mediums that’s not tied
to space or modality.”
Ryan Nadel
founder of 8 Leaf Digital Productions and an instructor at the Vancouver Film School
Source: http://spotlight.macfound.org/featured-stories/entry/what-is-this-buzz-word-transliteracy-a-qa-with-ryan-nadel/

19. students and teachers contribute to
conversations for learning through libraries
CC image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcwathieu/2979581445/sizes/l/

20. CC image via
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drh/2578799446/sizes/l/in/photostream/

21. Graphic used with permission from Dr. Barbara Stripling

22. http://teachweb2.blogspot.com/2010/01/personal-learning-
environments-student.html

23. CC image via http://bit.ly/r8oa8n

25. “It’s all about learning…
how is this going to fundamentally
enrich a conversation?
There isn’t a part of the library that isn’t
about learning. Learning is a
collaborative conversation.”
CC image via
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcwathieu/2980385784/sizes/l/in/faves
-10557450@N04/
Dr. David Lankes
Participatory Librarianship and Change Agents: http://blip.tv/file/1566813

27. relatively low barriers to artistic
expression and civic engagement

28. strong support for creating and sharing one’s
creations with others

29. what is known by the most experienced is
passed along to novices

30. members believe that their contributions
matter

31. members feel some degree of social
connection with one another

32. participatory
culture is a
catalyst
CC image via http://goo.gl/QNX5P

33. a participatory climate amplifies the possibilities for
creating conversations for learning via multiple
mediums

34. CC image via
http://www.flickr.com/photos/khalidalbaih/5653817859/
sizes/l/in/faves-10557450@N04/

35. connect to people via the sweet spot of attachment
to libraries and learning through experiences and
conversations
CC image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/geoliv/3666637862/sizes/l/in/photostream/

36. CC image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/lesterpubliclibrary/3256457065/in/faves-10557450@N04/

37. CC image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/alltoomuch/3389937799/sizes/l/in/faves-
10557450@N04/

38. it is not
enough to
capture their
minds---you
must capture
their hearts
CC image via http://goo.gl/CPgfo

39. CC image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/tranbina/4772347311/sizes/l/in/photostream/ /

40. traditional and emerging authoritative sources
of authority

42. network and attention literacy

44. network and attention literacy

45. curation

47. collaborative learning and knowledge
building

48. conversations via active reflection and
metacognition

52. conversations via networked learning with
experts around the world

53. inquiry, engagement, and collective
intelligence face to face

54. inquiry, engagement, and collective
intelligence via virtual mediums

55. portfolios

56. digital research “texts”

57. digital storytelling

58. digital citizenship and ethical use of
information

60. mobile computing for learning

63. collection

64. spaces for honoring patron voices,
expertise, and opinions

65. physical space

66. cc licensed photo by The Shifted Librarian: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shifted/3360687295/

67. shared story of “library”

68. enchantment is the nectar
CC image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/da100fotos/490875588/sizes/o/in/photostream/

69. trustworthiness
CC image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisk4u/3523009191/sizes/z/in/faves-10557450@N04/

70. likability
CC image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/brandoncwarren/4164759025/sizes/l/

71. fantastic product or
service
CC image via
http://www.flickr.com/photos/patrickgage/3282273765/in
/faves-10557450@N04/

72. “enchantment
transforms
situations and
relationships.”
Guy Kawasaki,
Enchantment: The Art of Changing
Hearts, Minds, and Actions
CC image via http://goo.gl/V9vO6

73. “No risk, no art. No art, no
reward.”
Seth Godin
CC image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/pure9/2606460947/sizes/o/
Seth Godin, September 2010 http://bit.ly/9Vkh1K

74. CC image via
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xjrlokix/5097846224/si
zes/l/in/photostream/

75. contact information
buffy.hamilton@gmail.com
http://theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com
http://buffyjhamilton.wordpress.com
@buffyjhamilton