Novel Knowledge

Since we're talking about learning, as a librarian and avid reader, I want to discuss the concept of learning from reading fiction. It seems like an oxymoron and some would argue that reading novels is, indeed, a waste of time. I met a high school English teacher not long ago, however, who earned her Master's degree with a thesis that showed how much can be learned from reading fiction. I had to agree with her, because I have accumulated a good bit of what I know from my habit of reading novels. I have discovered that many writers of fiction conduct vast amounts of research before and during the process of writing a novel. Some of them even call their local public library's reference desk for help. Sometime, just read the acknowledgments section in the front of a novel and you will get an idea of the work involved to form a work of fiction into an authentic representation of real life situations.

So, why would it be surprising to anyone that reading a well-constructed novel can be a learning experience? I may never travel to China, but I know from the work of a Chinese novelist just what goes into a typical family dinner in Shanghai and how it is prepared. I was watching a British movie with my wife, who was confused by the police talking about their "grasses." I was able to tell her that they were talking about their informants, or what we would call "snitches," because I picked up the slang from reading British crime novels. I have learned how people fighting forest fires protect themselves from the phenomenon know as a "firestorm." I've learned all about the city of Edinburgh and the history of Ellis Island. Well, you get the idea. Reading fiction can often be another means of acquiring knowledge, even if you don't realize it's happening.

Habits of Long Term Learners

This blog is "Thing Three" in the Learning 2.0 Project at the Nebraska Library Commission, in which we will all learn 23 new things. During Thing Two, we read about the habits of successful learners, but I believe I have formed my own learning habits over a lifetime of being intensely curious. Before the Web existed, before hyper linking was invented, I used my own form of following links by letting my curious nature lead me on a trail from one new concept to another. I am one of those people who will actually look up footnotes and bibliographic entries to see where they lead. A story about building shelters for refugees could lead to a reference to building a yurt, to an article in Architectural Record about designing a new type of temporary shelter using cardboard, to a book about building your own geodesic dome, and so on.

In the library I worked before joining NLC, we made an effort to become a Learning Organization. Many meetings began with a learning activity where we took turns teaching the group something new. We started scheduling an annual in-service training day that involved the entire staff. This commitment to learning as an organization made a huge difference in our ability to keep up with
emerging trends and the needs of our users.

So, it appears I have joined another Learning Organization and I couldn't be happier about it.