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Shelfie

Shelfie is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Shelfie rather than just read about it. In short: Shelfie is a neologism from the English language, whose etymological meaning is: shelf + i.e. The suffix "ie" was added to the morpheme "shelf", resulting in the word - "Shelfie".

Shelfie — main illustration
Shelfie — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Shelfie belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Shelfie to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Shelfie from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Shelfie is a neologism from the English language, whose etymological meaning is: shelf + i.e. The suffix "ie" was added to the morpheme "shelf", resulting in the word - "Shelfie". The word “Shelfie” emerged in 2014, as a lighthearted alternative to the better-known “selfie”, nominated as the word of the year. The shelfie emerged on Instagram, with the first posts by internet users who preferred to show off their taste for objects such as books, cups, flowers, mugs, pens, diaries etc., instead of their visage. Internet users could choose to photograph and display their literary tastes through a curated collection of books. Instead of displaying ‘faces and expressions,’ and being accused of narcissism. The shelfie photo represented literary choices or tastes that the person wished to communicate on Instagram or other social media. No scientific research was found on the use of shelfies in distance education as a mechanism to create a social presence. Instead the idea has been popularized in library promotions and contests which award prizes for the best shelfies. The mobile literacy project adopted the Shelfie as a mechanism for the construction of meaning making among fellow librarians.

References

Illustrations

Shelfie: A collection of shelfies taken by COJ librarians at a mLiteracy workshop
A collection of shelfies taken by COJ librarians at a mLiteracy workshop

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Shelfie

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Shelfie claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Shelfie before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Shelfie ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Shelfie

In research
Shelfie appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Shelfie in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Shelfie is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Digital photography, Internet culture, Libraries, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Shelfie outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Shelfie in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Shelfie means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Shelfie out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shelfie in simple terms?

Shelfie is a neologism from the English language, whose etymological meaning is: shelf + i.e. The suffix "ie" was added to the morpheme "shelf", resulting in the word - "Shelfie".

Why does Shelfie matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Shelfie?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Shelfie.

Tags

  • Digital photography
  • Internet culture
  • Libraries

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