Last night half of my class gave their project presentations; I appreciated their willingness to present early and the opportunity that those students gave the rest of us to learn not only about their projects but about the possibilities of the Elluminate software.

As I'm still in the process of developing my own presentation, I'm fairly confident that I can describe what I've been doing as a feedbacker for the IPL. But I'm still considering how best to articulate what I've taken...

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This week I was unsure how best to answer an IPL Rescue Reference question. The question was asked by a woman who wanted to learn how to use a compass for an upcoming camping trip. She'd dismissed the websites she'd already seen as unhelpful and requested military guides to compass use and orienteering. My difficulty arose from the fact that while I was easily able to find the field guides she requested, they personally struck me as less than user-friendly. In assembling my answer to her question,...

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As I've been providing feedback to my fellow students regarding their answers to IPL questions, I've found myself struggling with if, when, and how to address issues related to grammar, usage, and--perhaps most problematic--writing style. On one hand, most of the grammar errors I've seen have been minor, and most answers do not contain them in abundance; additionally, most of those I have encountered have not greatly detracted from the answer's content. But on the other hand, at times such issues...

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As I've been searching through the inactive IPL questions looking for answers to post to the Answerboard, I've been thinking about how the Answerboard might be improved.

Namely, I think that while the Answerboard's organization by subject works overall, perhaps other categories could be added to include answers that are exemplary for how they negotiate tricky issues irrespective of their subject matter. For example, the other day I read a wonderful response from a librarian trying...

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On Tuesday I participated in the group QuestionPoint session, and I've got a few observations.

First, I was glad that I'd seen Cara's post about how coming to the session prepared with questions would be helpful; I ultimately asked all three questions I'd prepared. At the same time, I only answered two questions, pouncing on them as they entered the queue--there really seemed to be more answerers than askers in my group, too.

Second, I found my experience as a QuestionPoint...

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