Cobimet Inc

THE CONSORTIUM OF METROPOLITAN LIBRARIES (COBIMET) WITH ITS 16 MEMBER INSTITUTIONS, THE PUERTO RICO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (PRDE), AND LIBRARIES WITHOUT BORDERS (LWB), WILL DEVELOP AND DELIVER ONLINE SYNCHRONOUS WORKSHOPS FOR LIBRARIANS ON THE APPLICATION OF NEURO-LEARNING IN TEACHING INFORMATION LITERACY. NEUROLEARNING REFERS TO THE STUDY OF HOW THE BRAIN LEARNS, INTEGRATING INSIGHTS INTO NEUROSCIENCE TO IMPROVE TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESSES. AS INFORMATION LITERACY EDUCATORS, LIBRARIANS CAN APPLY THESE CONCEPTS TO ENHANCE USERS' ABILITIES TO SEEK, ASSESS, AND UTILIZE INFORMATION EFFICIENTLY. THIS PROJECT WILL DESIGN, TEST, AND REFINE WORKSHOPS AND AN EDUCATIONAL TOOLKIT TO EMPOWER LIBRARIANS WITH THE NECESSARY SKILLS TO IMPROVE HOW THEY TEACH INFORMATION LITERACY, PERSONALIZING LEARNING EXPERIENCES BASED ON THE LEARNING CAPABILITIES OF THEIR COMMUNITIES. THE MATERIALS WILL ALSO BE ADAPTABLE, GENERALIZABLE, AND USABLE BY OTHER INSTITUTIONS THROUGH A PROJECT WEBSITE AND DISSEMINATED TO THE FIELD THROUGH CONFERENCES AND PUBLICATIONS. BY FOCUSING ON TECHNIQUES THAT ENHANCE ATTENTION, MEMORY, MULTISENSORY ENGAGEMENT, EMOTIONAL CONNECTION, AND NEUROPLASTICITY, LIBRARIANS CAN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE STUDENTS' MASTERY OF INFORMATION LITERACY.

THE CONSORTIUM OF METROPOLITAN LIBRARIES IN PUERTO RICO WILL CONDUCT A THREE-YEAR PROJECT TO ENHANCE ITS EXISTING DIGITAL LITERACY COMPETENCE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM, BASED ON AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT COMPLIANCE STANDARDS. THE PROJECT WILL MAKE THE DIGITAL LITERACY COMPETENCE CERTIFICATION COURSE FULLY ASYNCHRONOUS AND IMPLEMENT THE COURSE IN BOTH SPANISH AND ENGLISH TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION AND ACCESSIBILITY. K–12 PUERTO RICAN SCHOOL AND ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS WILL BENEFIT THE MOST FROM THIS PROJECT, WHICH ALSO SEEKS TO EXPAND THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE TO LIBRARIANS IN THE U.S. WORKING WITH BILINGUAL OR SPANISH-SPEAKING POPULATIONS.

THE CONSORTIUM OF METROPOLITAN LIBRARIES (COBIMET) WILL PERFORM A DIGITAL PRESERVATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES IN PUERTO RICO’S METROPOLITAN AREA USING THE DIGITAL PRESERVATION COALITION RAPID ASSESSMENT MODEL. THE PROJECT WILL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A BILINGUAL, FREE-TO-USE ONLINE DATABASE TO MAKE THE DATA PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE. THIS INITIATIVE AIMS TO ENHANCE DIGITAL PRESERVATION CAPABILITIES, BENEFITING NOT ONLY PUERTO RICO, BUT ALSO OTHER U.S. STATES AND TERRITORIES. KEY DELIVERABLES INCLUDE A COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT REPORT, A DATABASE SYSTEM, WEBINARS, AND A WHITE PAPER ON DIGITAL PRESERVATION BEST PRACTICES. THE PROJECT WILL SUPPORT LONG-TERM PRESERVATION AND ACCESS TO PUERTO RICO’S DIGITAL CULTURAL HERITAGE AND HISTORICAL RECORDS.