[Air-L] The Open Scholar: Professors Are People Too

[Gerry Mckiernan]

***Apologies for Receipt of Duplicate Postings***
Friends/

>>A Top E-Mailed  Story From The NY Times<<

March 20, 2008
The Professor as Open Book

By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM

IT is not necessary for a student studying multivariable calculus,
medieval literature or Roman archaeology to know that the professor on
the podium shoots pool, has donned a bunny costume or can*t get enough
of Chaka Khan.

Yet professors of all ranks and disciplines are revealing such
information on public, national platforms: blogs, Web pages, social
networking sites, even campus television. 

[snip]

There was a time when professors did not outrank music premieres on
television. They were buttoned-up authority figures, like the legendary
fictional Professor Kingsfield, portrayed by John Houseman in *The
Paper Chase.* The personal lives of professors could only be imagined
from the sparse clues of clothing, handwriting and the contents of
offices.

These days, the clues are usually digital and are broad invitations to
get to know the person behind the Ph.D. It is not uncommon for
professors* Web pages to include lists of the books they would take to
a deserted island, links to their favorite songs from bygone eras, blog
posts about their children, entries *written* by their dogs and
vacation photographs. 

[snip]

Certainly, professors have embraced the Internet since its earliest
days, using it as a scholarly avenue of communication, publication and
debate. Now it is common for many to reveal more personal information
that has little connection to their work. 

Some do so in hopes it will attract attention for a book or paper they
have written; others do so inadvertently, joining Facebook to
communicate with students and then finding themselves lured deeper by
its various applications. 

Many, though, say that by divulging family history and hobbies, they
hope to appear more accessible to students. 

[snip]

Mr. Irwin updates his Facebook page with photos and titles of books he
is reading, but he misses what he calls the Las Vegas feel of MySpace.
Still, his postings ignite a conversation with students. *Anything I
can do to kind of meet them halfway,* he said, *I try to do.* 

[MORE]

Excerpted Story Available at 

[
http://onlinesocialnetworks.blogspot.com/2008/03/open-scholar-professors-are-people-too.html
]

Happy Full Day of Spring!

/Gerry

Gerry McKiernan
Associate Professor
Science and Technology Librarian
Iowa State University Library
Ames IA 50011

gerrymck at iastate.edu 

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