The Company of Readers
I highly enjoyed the Ross reading this week. She provided me with many funny visual moments, like on page 5 when she lists different types of reading such as skimming, professional, pleasurable and reading aloud in a shared reading experience. I realize that the shared learning experience being referred to is most likely referring to adults reading to children in a story-time setting but I envisioned a large group of hippies sitting in a circle and reading aloud. I had to giggle because I have actually done this. When the author Hunter S. Thompson died, my friends decided to get together over some wild turkey while each of us in the group took turns reading our favorite Thompson exerpts aloud to each other. This was a fun shared reading experience and I am that hippie and so reading this made me laugh.
In the beginning of the Ross selection this week, she brought up statistics in opposition to each other. Some statistics show that readers are reading less because of the texting phonomenon. I believe that this may be true to a certain extent becuase of the time spent in our society on addictions to Facebook. I believe that the problem with our increasingly computer driven society is that people cannot seem to spend enough time doing in-depth reading for pleasure or information. They choose instead to watch movies and go online to play on Facebook which just sucks up too much time. But I guess Facebook would be a form of reading, wouldn't it? On the other hand, I know plenty of book addicts who manage to spend tons of time tweeting and Facebooking and still somehow find time for some serious pleasurable reading. Don't mistake me here, I am not saying that Facebook and television are affecting peoples ability to read but I am saying that these activities are taking time away from reading. I agree with the author that reading is practiced. We must practice to become more comfortable and if our time is spent on other things, this simply cannot happen.
Anyway, I feel that many readers get left behind for varying reasons. One reason which I have seen in my own family, is that a person might work a job which does not require reading, such as painting houses or other construction work. Long hours, hard physical labor and little time off may make this person more inclined to sitting and enjoying television rather than taking the time to navigate through a book or magazine. The example above is my father. He is a smart man and a hard worker but he does not read unless he has to and I believe this stems from not being read to as a child (mother was an alcoholic), not being instilled with a passion of reading for pleasure (as Ross's article alludes to), and as a result, he does not feel comfortable when reading today. Also he is just worn out after a hard day at work and wants to enjoy himself in a way that he finds relaxing, which is never reading. When he has been out of work for short periods of time, he doesn't read any more than he did while working. He just does not find it pleasurable. I think this is the same for a lot of people. This could change over time but he has to be committed to changing it.
What is the solution? Well, the strategy that I have taken with my father in particular is to try to introduce readings that he is interested in such as an article from Smithsonian or Nature. Also, I have tried to get him to read through my papers from school. I am trying to force reading on him but in the most benign way possible.
Reading is a social activity
Oh, the models-those models which utterly confused me yesterday were made much more clear tonight in our discussion of them. Neither model really accounts for everything because it is a model. Models are not really supposed to be specific. I guess I never thought of reading groups as having so much power as to constitute their own group. That could be a really scary concept if taken on by the wrong group. There is one in particular that I am thinking of right now, but they don't really read, except for Sarah Palin's books, so I guess we're safe, huh?
Hello! I am finally entering the blogging world so LOOK OUT BLOGGING WORLD!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Unequal legacies: Race and multiculturalism in the LIS curriculum by Christine Pawley
Although I had already read this article before, it was a pleasure to read it again and confirms my good choice to drop everything in Kansas City and move here to study with such a fine faculty open to new ways of thinking about both our past and our future as information professionals.
I read this article when I was researching library schools. I looked at the staff pages of three institutions and picked out Christine as the person who I felt did research that was close to what I planned on attempting to study. As a matter of fact, after reading this, I felt a little anxious because I realized that I was a 30 year old white girl from the midwest who was trying to get into a library studies program. I figured at that point I had better stress the fact that I was from an atypical working class background which most likely set me apart from over half the student population; otherwise I am just another white girl trying to be a librarian. I know that Christine didn't mean it that way, or did she?
First of all, I like how she writes about "race-neutral spaces,"; although I feel that it is very important to talk about inequalities in our society, it's a nice thought. We cannot make these issues go away by ignoring them. We need to put them out in the open and pinpoint where we went wrong and then try to imagine ourselves in a better and more equal place where everyone gets to play the library game in the same building and even the same room. I agree with her about the blanket term "multiculturalism" and how it serves to hide the problems from us that still face us as a nation and as future librarians.
Page 60 of the text hit me particularly hard, when Christine points to subject headings for "public libraries/Services to minorities" and then lists 7 minorities which do not include German and Irish Americans.
Christine points to the vast technological changes that libraries warmed to so quickly and learned with as much speed and grace as is possible in that situation. Could we also change parts of our curriculum to study these issues. I guess that is partially what we are doing now, in this class but we may need more.
I read this article when I was researching library schools. I looked at the staff pages of three institutions and picked out Christine as the person who I felt did research that was close to what I planned on attempting to study. As a matter of fact, after reading this, I felt a little anxious because I realized that I was a 30 year old white girl from the midwest who was trying to get into a library studies program. I figured at that point I had better stress the fact that I was from an atypical working class background which most likely set me apart from over half the student population; otherwise I am just another white girl trying to be a librarian. I know that Christine didn't mean it that way, or did she?
First of all, I like how she writes about "race-neutral spaces,"; although I feel that it is very important to talk about inequalities in our society, it's a nice thought. We cannot make these issues go away by ignoring them. We need to put them out in the open and pinpoint where we went wrong and then try to imagine ourselves in a better and more equal place where everyone gets to play the library game in the same building and even the same room. I agree with her about the blanket term "multiculturalism" and how it serves to hide the problems from us that still face us as a nation and as future librarians.
Page 60 of the text hit me particularly hard, when Christine points to subject headings for "public libraries/Services to minorities" and then lists 7 minorities which do not include German and Irish Americans.
Christine points to the vast technological changes that libraries warmed to so quickly and learned with as much speed and grace as is possible in that situation. Could we also change parts of our curriculum to study these issues. I guess that is partially what we are doing now, in this class but we may need more.
Who are we and how do we change that???
Wayne Wiegand, "Tunnel vision and blind spots: What the past tells us about the present; Reflections on the twentieth-century history of American librarianship," in Library Quarterly
Wiegand states that we, in libraries, lack a solid body of scholarship because most of our studies are uncritical of the past and celebratory of our history. I totally agree and if I didn't before I read this, I certainly did after.
Wiegand also writes on page 5 of the text that Melville Dewey and his allies in the library field "pressed their colleagues to expand services to more Americans" and these Americans were of all races and genders. Although he also wanted to make sure that these citizens did not read "trash" and elevated their reading from unintelligent fiction to more solid reading materials which were approved by the scholars in the appropriate fields. I would argue that in some situations, in some places this still happens today and I am sure that this was a point that Wiegand was trying to make in his writing here as well. I agree with Wiegand that we have to be critical in evaluating booklists and reviews (such as Choice) instead of just assuming that these sources check out okay because they seem to be respected among scholarly communities.
Marie L. Radford and Gary P. Radford, "Librarians and party girls: Cultural studies and the meaning of the librarian," library Quarterly
This leads me into the next reading for this week authored by the Radfords. I am a huge fan of the movie Party Girl and I have seen it way too many times. I will prove this now by bringing up something that the authors left out: The character of Mary in this film exhibits an organizational urge before she begins working in the library for Judy. In a scene after she agrees to work for Judy in the public library where a friend of hers is looking through her wardrobe while they all play music and get ready for a nite out dancing, Mary freaks out at her friend for messing up the order of her jeans. She is quite obsessive and knowledgable about vintage fashion and is actually quite a savvy business woman through the beginning of the film. This is not something that magically happens to her when she starts REALLY working in the library as the authors allude to.
So our authors here tell us that Stuart Hall believes it is possible to challenge stereotypes by using three approaches, 1) reversing stereotypes; 2) substitute positive images for negative ones; 3) contesting the stereotype from within the stereotype.
All three of these approaches brought to mind for me our first reading this semester This Book is Overdue. I found this book so compelling that I just could not seem to limit myself to writing a paragraph about one story, so I picked my first issue (which I wrote down a week before classes began) and ran with it in my blog, putting my own thought patterns and strings on it and reading my own fears into it. This Book is Overdue is a good book; it is a good book because it does precisely what this article states in the last few paragraphs: to break down stereotypes sometimes we need to teach others. Librarian as radical tatooed and Zine collecting revolutionary is a good way to start breaking those stereotypes down!
Wiegand states that we, in libraries, lack a solid body of scholarship because most of our studies are uncritical of the past and celebratory of our history. I totally agree and if I didn't before I read this, I certainly did after.
Wiegand also writes on page 5 of the text that Melville Dewey and his allies in the library field "pressed their colleagues to expand services to more Americans" and these Americans were of all races and genders. Although he also wanted to make sure that these citizens did not read "trash" and elevated their reading from unintelligent fiction to more solid reading materials which were approved by the scholars in the appropriate fields. I would argue that in some situations, in some places this still happens today and I am sure that this was a point that Wiegand was trying to make in his writing here as well. I agree with Wiegand that we have to be critical in evaluating booklists and reviews (such as Choice) instead of just assuming that these sources check out okay because they seem to be respected among scholarly communities.
Marie L. Radford and Gary P. Radford, "Librarians and party girls: Cultural studies and the meaning of the librarian," library Quarterly
This leads me into the next reading for this week authored by the Radfords. I am a huge fan of the movie Party Girl and I have seen it way too many times. I will prove this now by bringing up something that the authors left out: The character of Mary in this film exhibits an organizational urge before she begins working in the library for Judy. In a scene after she agrees to work for Judy in the public library where a friend of hers is looking through her wardrobe while they all play music and get ready for a nite out dancing, Mary freaks out at her friend for messing up the order of her jeans. She is quite obsessive and knowledgable about vintage fashion and is actually quite a savvy business woman through the beginning of the film. This is not something that magically happens to her when she starts REALLY working in the library as the authors allude to.
So our authors here tell us that Stuart Hall believes it is possible to challenge stereotypes by using three approaches, 1) reversing stereotypes; 2) substitute positive images for negative ones; 3) contesting the stereotype from within the stereotype.
All three of these approaches brought to mind for me our first reading this semester This Book is Overdue. I found this book so compelling that I just could not seem to limit myself to writing a paragraph about one story, so I picked my first issue (which I wrote down a week before classes began) and ran with it in my blog, putting my own thought patterns and strings on it and reading my own fears into it. This Book is Overdue is a good book; it is a good book because it does precisely what this article states in the last few paragraphs: to break down stereotypes sometimes we need to teach others. Librarian as radical tatooed and Zine collecting revolutionary is a good way to start breaking those stereotypes down!
Additional Missouri Stories
God, I am lucky to be from such a corrupt state! I just had too much fun looking for stories on Missouri libraries and I found a few that I cannot use for our State of the Libraries project.
Missouri Governer's wife forces the library to open on Mother's Day so that her pre-teen son can study so the head librarian has to come into work to accomodate.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=m3k0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=6pYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4093,47339&dq=state+library+missouri&hl=en
I hope this link works, I have had so much trouble accessing the Kansas City Star for free, even through our UW Library system.
The Missouri State library is full of politics; but not how you might expect.
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=KC&p_theme=kc&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF40A5E929A3D7&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
...and I will end with a lovely and strange story about how the public library, which was denied funding for a new library, decided to spend a few dollars on a book locker and book drop to be placed outside of a popular (I am guessing) gas station in a small town in Missouri. Enjoy.
Library to go
The Columbia Tribune announces the opening of a strange new sight in the gas stations of Hallsville, MO; a set of library lockers, where patrons can pick up their holds. http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2010/aug/28/library-to-go-arrives-in-hallsville/ Because of financial problems, a library could not be built in this location and so the library just payed a one time fee to install these lockers to keep the books coming to the local patrons.
Missouri Governer's wife forces the library to open on Mother's Day so that her pre-teen son can study so the head librarian has to come into work to accomodate.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=m3k0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=6pYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4093,47339&dq=state+library+missouri&hl=en
I hope this link works, I have had so much trouble accessing the Kansas City Star for free, even through our UW Library system.
The Missouri State library is full of politics; but not how you might expect.
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=KC&p_theme=kc&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF40A5E929A3D7&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
...and I will end with a lovely and strange story about how the public library, which was denied funding for a new library, decided to spend a few dollars on a book locker and book drop to be placed outside of a popular (I am guessing) gas station in a small town in Missouri. Enjoy.
Library to go
The Columbia Tribune announces the opening of a strange new sight in the gas stations of Hallsville, MO; a set of library lockers, where patrons can pick up their holds. http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2010/aug/28/library-to-go-arrives-in-hallsville/ Because of financial problems, a library could not be built in this location and so the library just payed a one time fee to install these lockers to keep the books coming to the local patrons.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Library Stories from the Show-Me State: Missouri
The People vs. the BIG people: How Money Changes People's Minds in Public Libraries
http://www.pitch.com/2008-11-13/news/life-of-kemper/
Above is a link to an article from a local news rag in Kansas City called the Pitch Weekly. The pitch is just about the only newspaper with the guts to write about the story of how Crosby Kemper III, former CEO of UMB bank became the director of the Kansas City Public Library system without any previous library experience or training. One of our classmates brought up the idea of the NYPL as corporate entity and I thought this may be a good article to read and contemplate while thinking about the complexities of that kind of situation.
The questions are: Does the very active leader of a large public library system need to know the jargon and complex history behind American libraries or just how to raise money and bring more people to the library? The second question has to do with the intended audience: does bringing people in to the library who might not normally visit mean anything significantly good if those people aren't actually utilizing the library services?
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6261442.html
Crosby Kemper III basically lobbied to get a law changed in Missouri that stated that any director of a Kansas City library system hold a master's degree in library science. I personally think that this law was a good thing to have; it no longer exists in Missouri. Kemper asked Jane Cunningham, a St. Louis republican to sponser the bill, which is tacky since St. Louis and Kansas City are very different cities. Mr. Kemper used his charm and his name to get this thing passed so that he could take over. This being said, he has done many wonderful things for the library; He brings attention to it, donations are up, but we have to think about what the purpose of this library is. Is the central branch in downtown K.C. serving the people with money who want to come and party or is it serving the people who frequent the library most from the area? I have to admit that I probably went to the central branch more often after Kemper took over five years ago but I don't really go to the special events. I think these events are nice and I like what he is doing in the way of adding to the conversations that are being built with the scholarly communities in the area. I just think that it is odd to sit and sip an expensive cappucino in the new coffee shop within the central library and then walk out and see that a majority of the patrons sitting in the seats throughout the library are homeless with nowhere else to spend their days. I stopped frequenting the cafe; it just seemed to strange.
KANSAS CITY BOOK ROBOT: Academic Libraries
Both the Kansas City Star and the Columbia Missourian, here at http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/06/05/space-starved-umkc-library-adds-retrieval-robots/
featured write-ups about the new innovative book retreival system which will help to save space at the University of Missouri, Kansas City's Miller-Nichols Library. This system was implemented in the summer of 2010 and books are still being added to the "robot."
My question is if people who have used this system for a while might think that maybe, browsing library shelves was a great option for some students. I know that in my undergraduate studies, when I went to my library shelves to pick up a book that I had found in the catalog, I usually found more books sitting next to my intended read on these shelves; this was indespensible in building my bibliography for projects and papers. Researching on the computer alone is just not my style. I know that because of this new stacks management system, shelving won't be as much of an issue and since at libraries like this one, shelving is sometimes done by work-study students who couldn't care less about the order of the books or even care to ask questions about what they don't know about shelving procedures. I have, more than once, had to suppress my inner panick as I walk to the reference desk and ask for a shelf-check on a book that was supposed to be there only to find out that the book had been mishelved. So, part of the problem with shelving may be fixed temporarily but what happens when this robot breaks (because you know it will)? Are they going to have to fly in a specialist to fix the contraption or send a young unsuspecting library intern from MU up the ladder to fetch it? This, to me seems like a temporary fix that might bring about more problems in a system that still relies heavily on the physical book.
Here is a link to the Kansas City Star article which I can't seem to get any other way, except by paying for it which I refuse to do.
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=13028810E8A169B8&p_docnum=120&p_queryname=1
Springfield, Missouri Builds a Community Library for the Visually Impaired-Special Library
I thought this was wonderful to read. I feel a bit insensative now because I hadn't thought of a special and public library like this. It's nice to know that if an institution in a small town wants to help a segment of the community, it is possible to do so. My question is how many libraries for the blind are there in the United States? I am sure that there are not many and I am willing to be that they are mostly located in smaller communities with private funding. I am glad to know that the Wolfner library has tried to provide materials to visually impaired in Missouri for years.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=l8QfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=h9gEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4341,958687&dq=wolfner+library+for+the+blind+missouri&hl=en
http://www.pitch.com/2008-11-13/news/life-of-kemper/
Above is a link to an article from a local news rag in Kansas City called the Pitch Weekly. The pitch is just about the only newspaper with the guts to write about the story of how Crosby Kemper III, former CEO of UMB bank became the director of the Kansas City Public Library system without any previous library experience or training. One of our classmates brought up the idea of the NYPL as corporate entity and I thought this may be a good article to read and contemplate while thinking about the complexities of that kind of situation.
The questions are: Does the very active leader of a large public library system need to know the jargon and complex history behind American libraries or just how to raise money and bring more people to the library? The second question has to do with the intended audience: does bringing people in to the library who might not normally visit mean anything significantly good if those people aren't actually utilizing the library services?
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6261442.html
Crosby Kemper III basically lobbied to get a law changed in Missouri that stated that any director of a Kansas City library system hold a master's degree in library science. I personally think that this law was a good thing to have; it no longer exists in Missouri. Kemper asked Jane Cunningham, a St. Louis republican to sponser the bill, which is tacky since St. Louis and Kansas City are very different cities. Mr. Kemper used his charm and his name to get this thing passed so that he could take over. This being said, he has done many wonderful things for the library; He brings attention to it, donations are up, but we have to think about what the purpose of this library is. Is the central branch in downtown K.C. serving the people with money who want to come and party or is it serving the people who frequent the library most from the area? I have to admit that I probably went to the central branch more often after Kemper took over five years ago but I don't really go to the special events. I think these events are nice and I like what he is doing in the way of adding to the conversations that are being built with the scholarly communities in the area. I just think that it is odd to sit and sip an expensive cappucino in the new coffee shop within the central library and then walk out and see that a majority of the patrons sitting in the seats throughout the library are homeless with nowhere else to spend their days. I stopped frequenting the cafe; it just seemed to strange.
KANSAS CITY BOOK ROBOT: Academic Libraries
Both the Kansas City Star and the Columbia Missourian, here at http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/06/05/space-starved-umkc-library-adds-retrieval-robots/
featured write-ups about the new innovative book retreival system which will help to save space at the University of Missouri, Kansas City's Miller-Nichols Library. This system was implemented in the summer of 2010 and books are still being added to the "robot."
My question is if people who have used this system for a while might think that maybe, browsing library shelves was a great option for some students. I know that in my undergraduate studies, when I went to my library shelves to pick up a book that I had found in the catalog, I usually found more books sitting next to my intended read on these shelves; this was indespensible in building my bibliography for projects and papers. Researching on the computer alone is just not my style. I know that because of this new stacks management system, shelving won't be as much of an issue and since at libraries like this one, shelving is sometimes done by work-study students who couldn't care less about the order of the books or even care to ask questions about what they don't know about shelving procedures. I have, more than once, had to suppress my inner panick as I walk to the reference desk and ask for a shelf-check on a book that was supposed to be there only to find out that the book had been mishelved. So, part of the problem with shelving may be fixed temporarily but what happens when this robot breaks (because you know it will)? Are they going to have to fly in a specialist to fix the contraption or send a young unsuspecting library intern from MU up the ladder to fetch it? This, to me seems like a temporary fix that might bring about more problems in a system that still relies heavily on the physical book.
Here is a link to the Kansas City Star article which I can't seem to get any other way, except by paying for it which I refuse to do.
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=13028810E8A169B8&p_docnum=120&p_queryname=1
Springfield, Missouri Builds a Community Library for the Visually Impaired-Special Library
I thought this was wonderful to read. I feel a bit insensative now because I hadn't thought of a special and public library like this. It's nice to know that if an institution in a small town wants to help a segment of the community, it is possible to do so. My question is how many libraries for the blind are there in the United States? I am sure that there are not many and I am willing to be that they are mostly located in smaller communities with private funding. I am glad to know that the Wolfner library has tried to provide materials to visually impaired in Missouri for years.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=l8QfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=h9gEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4341,958687&dq=wolfner+library+for+the+blind+missouri&hl=en
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Information Science
"Information Science"by: Tefko Saracevic
I welcomed discussion on this one because several of the terms used in this reading just confused me more. Tefko explains the differences in librarianship and information science well, including giving us some insight into the important figures in the fields of information and computer science. As Sunny Kim explained as the guest lecturer this past week, the definition of information science has become more blurry in the last couple of decades. Sunny stated in her lecture that in the 1980's many of the figures in the field of information science tried to make themselves for people oriented and to align themselves more with library science. As technology advanced, users could find more information for themselves meaning that the focus of the information scientist had to change to meet these needs. Library science is simply more focused on the intersection of the people, information, and technology and how they work together. I believe I just needed a diagram to understand these complex concepts. Tefko did a good job explaining these descrepencies but it seems that I come from a different world than he does and may need a little more help to understand his thoughts completely.
I welcomed discussion on this one because several of the terms used in this reading just confused me more. Tefko explains the differences in librarianship and information science well, including giving us some insight into the important figures in the fields of information and computer science. As Sunny Kim explained as the guest lecturer this past week, the definition of information science has become more blurry in the last couple of decades. Sunny stated in her lecture that in the 1980's many of the figures in the field of information science tried to make themselves for people oriented and to align themselves more with library science. As technology advanced, users could find more information for themselves meaning that the focus of the information scientist had to change to meet these needs. Library science is simply more focused on the intersection of the people, information, and technology and how they work together. I believe I just needed a diagram to understand these complex concepts. Tefko did a good job explaining these descrepencies but it seems that I come from a different world than he does and may need a little more help to understand his thoughts completely.
Australian Confusion
"Traces: Documents, record, archive, archives" by: Sue McKemmish
This reading started out as a lovely venture in to sentimental poetry and ended as a grim history lesson which we all know too well by this point in our lives. A picture or letter, on its own, and taken out of context can lead to embarassing misunderstandings. Oral records which provide insight into the beliefs and passions of the people in a particular time and place in history are vastly important and must be preserved and possibly shared with the world. This is why I get so excited about the possibilities of digitization and integration of systems into hybrid libraries, like Rusch-Feja explained in his Encyclopedic contribution to The International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences.
This reading started out as a lovely venture in to sentimental poetry and ended as a grim history lesson which we all know too well by this point in our lives. A picture or letter, on its own, and taken out of context can lead to embarassing misunderstandings. Oral records which provide insight into the beliefs and passions of the people in a particular time and place in history are vastly important and must be preserved and possibly shared with the world. This is why I get so excited about the possibilities of digitization and integration of systems into hybrid libraries, like Rusch-Feja explained in his Encyclopedic contribution to The International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences.
in the future....
"Libraries: Digital , electronic, and hybrid." by D.D. Rusch-Feja
Rusch-Feja provides a very good overview of many of the issues of digitization, digital librarianship and hybrid libraries, while skimming over some of the problems such as overpriced subscriptions to scientific literature, archiving of these websites and databases. It seems we are all on the information ride of our lives. These overarching problems and setbacks seem to be so daunting but I suspect that with increasingly efficient continuing education in these areas of interest, we, as a team, can conquer most of the problems set before us.
Rusch-Feja provides a very good overview of many of the issues of digitization, digital librarianship and hybrid libraries, while skimming over some of the problems such as overpriced subscriptions to scientific literature, archiving of these websites and databases. It seems we are all on the information ride of our lives. These overarching problems and setbacks seem to be so daunting but I suspect that with increasingly efficient continuing education in these areas of interest, we, as a team, can conquer most of the problems set before us.
Overload
"This Book is Overdue: How librarians and cybrarians can save us all," by Marilyn Johnson
I felt that this was a very interesting book to begin this course with. The author hits on some very important issues and just skims the surface, leaving us wanting more from each story that is told here, for the most part. I was particularly shocked to read about the Deadwood, South Dakota librarian and all that she does. She has to deal with annoying gunshot outside and tourists, she is the only full-time cataloger, purchaser, she runs the technology side of things, archives, deals with rare books, geneological records and probably security issues too. This lady deserves a medal, seriously. I have to ask myself, is this woman a control freak? She is either a superhero or an overachiever. Our author here, Marilyn Johnson may tend to exaggerate to add flavor to her text but seriously, is this where librarianship is headed?
I previously worked at a smallish special art library in Kansas City, MO who kept a full-time staff of 8 and they were always terribly behind in our daily work. I have since heard stories of other libraries who had been reeling from budget cuts and only had two or three staff members to perform all of the duties.
Anyway, I hope Miss Jeanette Moodie is a seriously special case.
I do agree that the author focuses too much on the interesting goings-on of extraordinary librarians when she could have written more about the mundane everyday life of a struggling broken budget librarian who probably couldn't afford to go to conferences but still does little amazing things all day that generally go unrecognized.
I felt that this was a very interesting book to begin this course with. The author hits on some very important issues and just skims the surface, leaving us wanting more from each story that is told here, for the most part. I was particularly shocked to read about the Deadwood, South Dakota librarian and all that she does. She has to deal with annoying gunshot outside and tourists, she is the only full-time cataloger, purchaser, she runs the technology side of things, archives, deals with rare books, geneological records and probably security issues too. This lady deserves a medal, seriously. I have to ask myself, is this woman a control freak? She is either a superhero or an overachiever. Our author here, Marilyn Johnson may tend to exaggerate to add flavor to her text but seriously, is this where librarianship is headed?
I previously worked at a smallish special art library in Kansas City, MO who kept a full-time staff of 8 and they were always terribly behind in our daily work. I have since heard stories of other libraries who had been reeling from budget cuts and only had two or three staff members to perform all of the duties.
Anyway, I hope Miss Jeanette Moodie is a seriously special case.
I do agree that the author focuses too much on the interesting goings-on of extraordinary librarians when she could have written more about the mundane everyday life of a struggling broken budget librarian who probably couldn't afford to go to conferences but still does little amazing things all day that generally go unrecognized.
Quick Summation of Library History
"Libraries" authored by Christine Pawley in 2001
In this reading, we are taken through a rapid summation of library history. This reading led me to consider, in public libraries in particular, the question of whether or not we are alienating certain library users by pushing foreward with increasing information technologies. Although providing access and instruction in computer literacy is much needed and necessary to keeping up with a rapidly changing society, especially in the public libraries, I fear that we may be leaving some of our patrons behind.
It is stated on pg. 8808 of this reading that "The digital environment is also transforming reference (the personal assistance provided by librarians). Traditional walk-in reference, long augmented by telephone service, is now supplemented, and sometimes replaced, by email and web-based reference, thus reducing services to those without computers." This statement addresses the concerns of the the patron at home but I think it also says a lot about the idea of personal contact between patron and librarian.
In my opinion, one of the major jobs of a librarian is to make patrons feel welcome, and to feel comfortable in this environment, many of these individuals may need more face to face contact. If they do not feel that they are recieving the help that they need or do not feel comfortable in a certain environment, they may not bother to ask those important and tough questions that they need to ask to get started in this sometimes scary new world. We need to be concerned about the problems associated with taking away that interpersonal connection that so many patrons need to feel open to addressing their concerns with their lack of skill in this new computerized world. What I am saying is that we need to keep in mind that although these new technologies are wonderful and will improve our lives, our patrons may feel that they are being left behind and we need to keep lots of human help on hand, in person to ensure that all patrons are attended to in a meaninful way.
Later in this same reading, reference is made to "library access to print as essential to an informed citizenry," and the collection of both what are considered to be 'high' and 'low' cultural items. I bet you know what I am going to type here next because by this point, it is obvious that I am a proponent of equal information available to all persons regardless of race, sex, gender, age or socio-economic status, (as I am sure we all are). We need to ensure that especially in our public libraries, everyone has access to as many different kinds of information resources as possible, financially speaking whether they are considered to be 'high' or 'low'. If books are purchases on 15th century renaissance painting, lets make sure that equal attention is paid to items and databases supporting urban graffiti movements or folk art. In these public institutions, we need to ensure that everyone is represented.
In this reading, we are taken through a rapid summation of library history. This reading led me to consider, in public libraries in particular, the question of whether or not we are alienating certain library users by pushing foreward with increasing information technologies. Although providing access and instruction in computer literacy is much needed and necessary to keeping up with a rapidly changing society, especially in the public libraries, I fear that we may be leaving some of our patrons behind.
It is stated on pg. 8808 of this reading that "The digital environment is also transforming reference (the personal assistance provided by librarians). Traditional walk-in reference, long augmented by telephone service, is now supplemented, and sometimes replaced, by email and web-based reference, thus reducing services to those without computers." This statement addresses the concerns of the the patron at home but I think it also says a lot about the idea of personal contact between patron and librarian.
In my opinion, one of the major jobs of a librarian is to make patrons feel welcome, and to feel comfortable in this environment, many of these individuals may need more face to face contact. If they do not feel that they are recieving the help that they need or do not feel comfortable in a certain environment, they may not bother to ask those important and tough questions that they need to ask to get started in this sometimes scary new world. We need to be concerned about the problems associated with taking away that interpersonal connection that so many patrons need to feel open to addressing their concerns with their lack of skill in this new computerized world. What I am saying is that we need to keep in mind that although these new technologies are wonderful and will improve our lives, our patrons may feel that they are being left behind and we need to keep lots of human help on hand, in person to ensure that all patrons are attended to in a meaninful way.
Later in this same reading, reference is made to "library access to print as essential to an informed citizenry," and the collection of both what are considered to be 'high' and 'low' cultural items. I bet you know what I am going to type here next because by this point, it is obvious that I am a proponent of equal information available to all persons regardless of race, sex, gender, age or socio-economic status, (as I am sure we all are). We need to ensure that especially in our public libraries, everyone has access to as many different kinds of information resources as possible, financially speaking whether they are considered to be 'high' or 'low'. If books are purchases on 15th century renaissance painting, lets make sure that equal attention is paid to items and databases supporting urban graffiti movements or folk art. In these public institutions, we need to ensure that everyone is represented.
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