Using Blog Articles as Learning Library

Learning library 

I started collecting information to help me be a better tutor back in 1973. Then I expanded this in 1975 when I began to lead a single tutor/mentor program in Chicago. I used printed newsletters to point volunteers to the information I was collecting, to help them be better tutors, too.

Then when I created the Tutor/Mentor Connection in 1993 I expanded my library to finding information about operating and funding a single tutor/mentor program, and about helping multiple programs grow in high poverty areas of Chicago.

We launched our first web site in 1998 and have added to it every year since then.  I created a set of blog articles to point to the different sections of the library. I encourage you to look at them, and book mark them.

I started writing this blog in 2005 and Mike Traken of the Tutor/Mentor Connection, launched the Mapping for Justice blog in 2008, which he wrote until early 2011.  I've updated it since then.

A few years ago I started using some blog articles, such as this one about the climate crisis, as an extension of the web library. By that, I mean that I've been adding links at the bottom of the original article as I found new articles that related to the topic. These focus on topics that are not the main priority of the Tutor/Mentor Connection, but are important issues, so updating the blog articles is a way to aggregate links to important information without adding them to the main library.

 The concept map below shows articles where I've done this.

These are blog articles which I've updated with additional links 

Another article that I have updated regularly is this one, which focuses on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  I added a link to it today showing work being done in Rio de Janeiro’s favela communities by a group called Catalytic Communities (CatComm), which was started by Theresa Williamson in the mid 2000s.  I was part of the on-line Omidyar network at the time when she was first describing her vision. It's thrilling to see how successful she has been.

All of this information is useless unless a few people take the time to dig into the articles and the library, then take time to tell their friends and network about them.  That's what the graphic below is showing.  Along each spoke of the wheel are people who dig into the library, then help others find the information.

did into the library then tell your fiends, family & co-workers what you found

I wrote an article earlier showing how Sheri Edwards did that with one of her blog articles and how others have been doing this. 

Facebook notifications - click here

At the right I show the Facebook notifications page of the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC which shows  how Layton Olson has been reading and commenting on several of my articles. Layton also made a year end contribution, too. I appreciate that.

Anyone can take this role. In doing so you make more information and ideas available to more people and we build the public will needed to solve some of the problems we talk about.

If you're reading and sharing these articles, thank you.