The group assignment for IST 511 was presented this afternoon as a poster session. My group's poster was discussing the arguments for policies in public libraries that either restrict the use of their public meeting space or do not have any restrictions. The topics needed to be those in which there is not a consensus among librarians, and judging by the wide-ranging policies we found in public libraries across the nation, there is no one standard in use. Although libraries may want to provide equal access to space, there are practical considerations that often result in policies that place restrictions on who or how or why. Our poster explored these issues.
It's been a long week. I'm glad to have been able to devote my whole week, morning, noon and night, to this endeavor. There are several classmates who went home at night to be mommy or daddy or dish-washer or dog-walker, and I can't imagine trying to integrate the week into my home life. However, I *AM* glad that I didn't stay on campus. Driving Rte. 20 each day through the beautiful apple orchards and up and down the rolling hills was a good way to prepare for the day and then unwind again. I miss living in Central NY, and it was a soul-restorative to drive in from Skaneateles to S.U.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The downward slope
One more day left of Library School Bootcamp, and although tired, I have held up pretty well. (Which is more than I can say for my car, which died in Skaneateles this morning, but is hale and hearty again... $229 later.)
I am getting a much better grasp of the multifaceted world of Librarianship, and don't feel nearly as overwhelmed at the prospect of changing careers as I did a week ago at this time. I don't know that a residency is necessary to achieve this introduction to LibraryWorld, but I suppose there has to be some way to verify that we distance students actually exist.
We talked about unrestricted access a lot this week, and especially today. I have trouble accepting the professional ethics that place access above parental authority and common sense (which I have blogged about previously, I believe). Maybe 99% of the time, librarians should provide unfettered, unmediated access to information resources. But to push that "ideal" too far is no service to our patrons.
I am getting a much better grasp of the multifaceted world of Librarianship, and don't feel nearly as overwhelmed at the prospect of changing careers as I did a week ago at this time. I don't know that a residency is necessary to achieve this introduction to LibraryWorld, but I suppose there has to be some way to verify that we distance students actually exist.
We talked about unrestricted access a lot this week, and especially today. I have trouble accepting the professional ethics that place access above parental authority and common sense (which I have blogged about previously, I believe). Maybe 99% of the time, librarians should provide unfettered, unmediated access to information resources. But to push that "ideal" too far is no service to our patrons.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Wiki as life ring
I am new to Librarianship. I love finding out all about this new professional cuture with its ways and means. I love the patron-centered organization of information. I am enjoying hearing from librarians of different stripes about their career paths and job responsibilities and joys. It is, however, a bit disconcerting to have to guess at the meanings of library terms and acronyms and references to professional software systems while digesting the actual point of a lecture as well. In an effort to be a part of adjusting the learning curve, I posted the following in a class discussion board. I am hoping to start a public discussion that encourages and promotes all of our class experiences.
In speaking with some other classmates who don't already have library experience, I've been thinking of ways to ease the transition for newbies into the world of Library acronyms and library-speak. Perhaps a solution for this is a remedial session on iLMS or a wiki with a glossary of sorts. It would be useful to include the names of all these library systems as well (Polaris, etc). The more basic, the better. This way, those with library experience don't wade through an explanation of every term in class, but those of us new to LibraryWorld aren't at sea and struggling to just figure out the terms.
Anyone else have input on this idea?
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Day Two
Day two of IST 511
I love the federated searching of the new SU library site. I'm glad to know that searching technology is headed in this direction. I also learned a term called "pearl-growing" for cultivating the citations in a resource to find further resources. I've been doing that for years, and am glad to know it's an actual research technique!
Two representatives from Razorfish spoke to the class after the regular session was over. I was curious about the concept of librarians helping guide user-centered web development, but discovered that the culture and goals of this and similar companies don't really appeal to me.
I love the federated searching of the new SU library site. I'm glad to know that searching technology is headed in this direction. I also learned a term called "pearl-growing" for cultivating the citations in a resource to find further resources. I've been doing that for years, and am glad to know it's an actual research technique!
Two representatives from Razorfish spoke to the class after the regular session was over. I was curious about the concept of librarians helping guide user-centered web development, but discovered that the culture and goals of this and similar companies don't really appeal to me.
Monday, July 20, 2009
IST 511
Today was the first day of IST 511, the week-long introduction to LibraryWorld. The guest speakers today were really good. I am considering Public Librarianship and so the overview of contemporary issues and insights into that world were very helpful to me as I consider my own future in libraries. I was especially struck by Kate McCaffrey's advice to get outside the library building and into your community to keep a finger on the pulse of the community. I also noted Bev Cholcto-Devlin's statement that the "roots of the public library should not be left behind" in our quest to evelope technology in our services to patrons.
I also had not considered prison librarianship, but McCaffrey worked in a minimum security prison and spoke highly of her experiences there. Considering the concentration of corrections facilities in my home area, it's a distinct possibility as a short-term career choice for me.
Our group is meeting up online tonight to choose our poster topic.
I also had not considered prison librarianship, but McCaffrey worked in a minimum security prison and spoke highly of her experiences there. Considering the concentration of corrections facilities in my home area, it's a distinct possibility as a short-term career choice for me.
Our group is meeting up online tonight to choose our poster topic.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Gateway Course
Distance students need to complete an i-School gateway course as an introduction to the school, and I've just completed this requirement. I must say that it was not necessarily what I had expected. I was pleased at the practical application of the group project PowerPoint presentation (despite the obvious difficulties that group projects can present) and the topic of innovation was very thought-provoking. I look forward to applying the lessons on innovation to my future career. I was also pleasantly surprised at the way in which working with students from the other two degree programs provided additional perspectives and enriched our group discussions.
Tomorrow we begin the week-long Intro to LibraryWorld class and I have the distinct feeling that, after acquiring a good night's sleep, I may even enjoy myself.
Tomorrow we begin the week-long Intro to LibraryWorld class and I have the distinct feeling that, after acquiring a good night's sleep, I may even enjoy myself.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Reader's Response
This assignment was to locate a scholarly reading about social networking and libraries and post a "reader's response." The article I chose was:
Farr, Greg. (2009) "Mad Magazine to Facebook: What Have We Learned?" Teacher Librarian, 36(5), 30-32.
The very first sentence – uppercase and larger font for emphasis – of Farr’s article boldly states his counterintuitive premise: that he believes “all schools should allow students access to all forms of technology and their educationally beneficial applications.” (Farr, 2009. p.30) This seemingly reckless statement is not simply a misleading teaser headline, but rather previews a well-reasoned argument in favor of taking education out of its ‘time-warp’ and embracing the technology that student are already using outside the school walls. While his article doesn’t exclusively address the expanded use of Web 2.0 by libraries, his premise relates directly to the school librarian, who often feels or meets resistance to the integration of the less easily controlled technologies with information access. Farr’s argument in this article, while unsettling in the extreme at first, has some merit.
The obvious desire of students for the integration of technology and education is illustrated in a YouTube video the author references within the article: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5D_1mNASgs). One can imagine these students from Texas as anywhere in the nation. The potential problem of students in the library logging onto Facebook or MySpace and meeting up with friends for non-educational chatting during school hours while they should be conducting research are acknowledged by Farr, but characterized as ‘distorted misconceptions rather than demonstrated truths.” (Farr, 2009. p.32) Perhaps the fear is greater than the reality, but it is a fact that students (like most adults) will try to get away with as much as they can, and while many Teacher-Librarians and classroom teachers are alert and in control of their classrooms, there are still those who are lax or oblivious. A demonstrated educational benefit needs to be weighed against the responsibility to limit access accordingly. Apparently, my feelings are closer to the established view and less radical than the author’s.
Alternately, however, the argument in favor of using technologies such as Facebook or cell phone texting or Twittering for educational purposes in school libraries and classrooms does invite further exploration. The author acknowledges, but doesn’t explore, the challenges of implementation – which are where my thoughts immediately go. Balancing safeguards with effective use seems to be a nearly insurmountable obstacle to me. The article has certainly stretched my understanding on the subject, though, and I will probably be more open to the use of social networking and other technologies within the school library setting as a result.
Farr, Greg. (2009) "Mad Magazine to Facebook: What Have We Learned?" Teacher Librarian, 36(5), 30-32.
The very first sentence – uppercase and larger font for emphasis – of Farr’s article boldly states his counterintuitive premise: that he believes “all schools should allow students access to all forms of technology and their educationally beneficial applications.” (Farr, 2009. p.30) This seemingly reckless statement is not simply a misleading teaser headline, but rather previews a well-reasoned argument in favor of taking education out of its ‘time-warp’ and embracing the technology that student are already using outside the school walls. While his article doesn’t exclusively address the expanded use of Web 2.0 by libraries, his premise relates directly to the school librarian, who often feels or meets resistance to the integration of the less easily controlled technologies with information access. Farr’s argument in this article, while unsettling in the extreme at first, has some merit.
The obvious desire of students for the integration of technology and education is illustrated in a YouTube video the author references within the article: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5D_1mNASgs). One can imagine these students from Texas as anywhere in the nation. The potential problem of students in the library logging onto Facebook or MySpace and meeting up with friends for non-educational chatting during school hours while they should be conducting research are acknowledged by Farr, but characterized as ‘distorted misconceptions rather than demonstrated truths.” (Farr, 2009. p.32) Perhaps the fear is greater than the reality, but it is a fact that students (like most adults) will try to get away with as much as they can, and while many Teacher-Librarians and classroom teachers are alert and in control of their classrooms, there are still those who are lax or oblivious. A demonstrated educational benefit needs to be weighed against the responsibility to limit access accordingly. Apparently, my feelings are closer to the established view and less radical than the author’s.
Alternately, however, the argument in favor of using technologies such as Facebook or cell phone texting or Twittering for educational purposes in school libraries and classrooms does invite further exploration. The author acknowledges, but doesn’t explore, the challenges of implementation – which are where my thoughts immediately go. Balancing safeguards with effective use seems to be a nearly insurmountable obstacle to me. The article has certainly stretched my understanding on the subject, though, and I will probably be more open to the use of social networking and other technologies within the school library setting as a result.
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