I know I've already posted today, but before I forgot about it, I wanted to get this up here. Just a quick rant before bedtime...
Ever since I saw the open letter on Facebook about its new privacy setting, I've been kind of curious, especially since they unveiled them today. So I did some research....
I think this article is one of the best posts I have found about Facebook's new privacy settings.
Although, I have to say that the best privacy setting is to be truly private. As my friend Anne once said, "Don't want someone to see something? Don't put it on the internet." Now that my mom is my friend, she's my new litmus test for anything I post, although I'm sure she still gets offended every now and again.
Although Facebook's mission is to help people connect with one another - we have to remember that they are a business. Any business's number one priority is profit. And if it's profitable to try and spread as much information about you as far as possible, then by-golly they're gonna try.
Oh - and for the record, here is another reason to hate mafia wars...
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Pedagogy Without Borders
So here is an interesting article - especially if you have ever taken an online class.
To sum it up: teachers who teach online classes are better than ones who don't.
It's a really interesting argument, and one I can see the logic behind. I'm sure teaching an online class is way more difficult than teaching a traditional class. As the article states, you are forced to think more and more about the objectives of the course and the best implementation needed to meet those objectives.
I wonder if this could be carried into the library realm? Could librarians offer effective online research instruction? Already libraries have email/chat with a librarian programs" and social networking opportunities (facebook, twitter, etc.) available from their websites. As a distant learning student myself, rarely have I visited a library for my resources - which is ironic since I'm studying library science. This is mainly because my library is in Kansas. All of the materials I have used for classes and research have been downloaded from their website.
In essence, my library is just a website. It makes sense to me if I'm contacting the librarians there electronically anyways, instruction could also be provided electronically. And, if one were to adhere to the rules of logic and correlation, the actual instruction might be better, too.
Something to think about....
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Library Gyro
On my way to work today, I stopped in at the new Pita Pit that opened up on PSU campus to grab some lunch before heading up the hill.
As I was waiting for my lamb to grill, the guy behind the counter asked how my day was going and if I was heading to work or school, one thing lead to another and we starting talking about library school, to which he says "Oh, I love books...."
Sigh.
I didn't want to get into the whole conversation, but as he put together my pita, I quickly said that librarians don't deal with books any more, we deal with information. He looked a bit confused, so I threw out a line about information technology and databases, which he understood. I thanked him for the food and headed out the door.
As I come to the end of my first semester, I now realize that librarianship isn't necessarily about books, and its not necessarily about databases and websites, either (although they both are part of the job). Librarianship is about how we can best meet individual's needs. You never know what questions patrons might ask or advice they need. Although I work in a medical library, a lot of the best questions have nothing to do with medicine. In the past week, at the circulation desk, we've had patrons ask about formatting pictures for power point presentations, how to download and open adobe files, even bus options to get out the Oregon Coast. We literally deal with it all. And there is nothing more satisfying then helping some one find the answer they need...
And the pita was delicious, by the way. Although, for Portland residents reading this, The Pita Pit on SW 10th remains the superior Pita Pit.
As I was waiting for my lamb to grill, the guy behind the counter asked how my day was going and if I was heading to work or school, one thing lead to another and we starting talking about library school, to which he says "Oh, I love books...."
Sigh.
I didn't want to get into the whole conversation, but as he put together my pita, I quickly said that librarians don't deal with books any more, we deal with information. He looked a bit confused, so I threw out a line about information technology and databases, which he understood. I thanked him for the food and headed out the door.
As I come to the end of my first semester, I now realize that librarianship isn't necessarily about books, and its not necessarily about databases and websites, either (although they both are part of the job). Librarianship is about how we can best meet individual's needs. You never know what questions patrons might ask or advice they need. Although I work in a medical library, a lot of the best questions have nothing to do with medicine. In the past week, at the circulation desk, we've had patrons ask about formatting pictures for power point presentations, how to download and open adobe files, even bus options to get out the Oregon Coast. We literally deal with it all. And there is nothing more satisfying then helping some one find the answer they need...
And the pita was delicious, by the way. Although, for Portland residents reading this, The Pita Pit on SW 10th remains the superior Pita Pit.
Monday, November 30, 2009
okay folks. I'm back. srlsy.
Man two months go by fast.
Maybe it wasn't the wisest decision to start a blog and go back for a master's at the same time, but I haven't always been known for making the smartest choices.
For those of you out there who don't live in Portland and are not my immeadiate family, here's a little update of Turner's life in library land.
Working for a medical library has been awesome. At first I thought it was a relatively small library - and physically it is, but the abundance of resources is staggering - and a little overwhelming. Most of the patrons in the library don't realize that A) I'm not a librarian and B) I have absolutely ZERO medical experience WHATSOEVER. Except for watching a kid in summer camp throw up once.
I think the medical students just see a dude with a beard and square glasses sitting behind a desk and they think he knows what he's doing. If only they really knew what was really on my screen. I mean really on my screen. I mean really on my screen.
In all seriousness, I may not understand the content that they are searching for, but I am getting pretty good at pointing them in the right direction. And my coworkers and supervisors are all amazing and supportive. That's the other great thing about working here: working along side fellow library students. The online aspect of library school is great in the relative flexibility it offers, but it can get kind of lonely, too. And its really nice to see other students, even if they aren't in my same cohort or program, on a weekly basis and know that we understand what we all are going through. It's pretty grand.
Along with working in the medical library, I'm also volunteering once a week in a small art school library. Which rocks my world. The library feels like it is a major artery of the school, which has a tiny student body, but they all come through the library - whether it is to research, to document their work, or to eat their lunch. There's artwork everywhere. It's located near the center of the city. It's vibrant.
When I get overwhelmed at the medical library (which is often - it can feel like a behemoth that I will never fully understand), the art library feels safe and comfortable. And while both libraries will continue to grow - the art library feels like a rocket about to take off. There is a lot of potential there and it seems that there is very little bureaucracy to hold it back. Not that there isn't a lot of potential at the medical library, it just feels more like an elephant plodding it's way to the watering hole...
It creates a really nice juxtaposition between the two libraries. I'm gaining invaluable experience from two diverse perspectives, using what I learn through school at work, and what I learn through work in school.
So here we go. Another post. I'm back. And as the semester wraps up, I'll be sharing a lot of the lessons I've learned. For those of you who constantly asked about the blog, thanks for showing that you wanted to read more, and I promise you more to read....
Maybe it wasn't the wisest decision to start a blog and go back for a master's at the same time, but I haven't always been known for making the smartest choices.
For those of you out there who don't live in Portland and are not my immeadiate family, here's a little update of Turner's life in library land.
Working for a medical library has been awesome. At first I thought it was a relatively small library - and physically it is, but the abundance of resources is staggering - and a little overwhelming. Most of the patrons in the library don't realize that A) I'm not a librarian and B) I have absolutely ZERO medical experience WHATSOEVER. Except for watching a kid in summer camp throw up once.
I think the medical students just see a dude with a beard and square glasses sitting behind a desk and they think he knows what he's doing. If only they really knew what was really on my screen. I mean really on my screen. I mean really on my screen.
In all seriousness, I may not understand the content that they are searching for, but I am getting pretty good at pointing them in the right direction. And my coworkers and supervisors are all amazing and supportive. That's the other great thing about working here: working along side fellow library students. The online aspect of library school is great in the relative flexibility it offers, but it can get kind of lonely, too. And its really nice to see other students, even if they aren't in my same cohort or program, on a weekly basis and know that we understand what we all are going through. It's pretty grand.
Along with working in the medical library, I'm also volunteering once a week in a small art school library. Which rocks my world. The library feels like it is a major artery of the school, which has a tiny student body, but they all come through the library - whether it is to research, to document their work, or to eat their lunch. There's artwork everywhere. It's located near the center of the city. It's vibrant.
When I get overwhelmed at the medical library (which is often - it can feel like a behemoth that I will never fully understand), the art library feels safe and comfortable. And while both libraries will continue to grow - the art library feels like a rocket about to take off. There is a lot of potential there and it seems that there is very little bureaucracy to hold it back. Not that there isn't a lot of potential at the medical library, it just feels more like an elephant plodding it's way to the watering hole...
It creates a really nice juxtaposition between the two libraries. I'm gaining invaluable experience from two diverse perspectives, using what I learn through school at work, and what I learn through work in school.
So here we go. Another post. I'm back. And as the semester wraps up, I'll be sharing a lot of the lessons I've learned. For those of you who constantly asked about the blog, thanks for showing that you wanted to read more, and I promise you more to read....
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Stephenie Meyer is the worst ecological catastrophe of the 21st century
I went in to work the other day and to see that her publisher released another paperback edition of New Moon (the sequel to Twilight) with a movie tie-in cover. Just in case the fans did not own enough junk.
I think that 10% of our books in the store are written by a Mormon who uses vampires as an analogy for angels (not that I have anything against Mormons. Just the bigoted ones). Seriously though, that is a lot of books. And multiply that by all of the big box corporate bookstores out there. Add in Amazon. Throw in a few independent stores for good measure. It all adds up
The lorax is weeping...
..and not just over Stephenie Meyer. Nora Roberts, James Patterson, Nicolas Sparks. I don't want to censor bad literature. We all need a little garbage in out lives. Once you think about it though, all those trees add up.
It got me thinking about eReaders again. One of my readings for class talked about the information infrastructure, liking it to our transportation infrastructure. There are dozens, if not hundreds of components that let individuals (and commodities) travel around, almost anywhere we want to get. The infrastructure of information is similar, and mobile technology such as the Kindle and the iPhone are additional components to our information systems. Not everything can be on them, but maybe some stuff should.
PS - found a blog on eReaders. teleread.org Maybe some of you already know about it. If you don't, check it out.
I think that 10% of our books in the store are written by a Mormon who uses vampires as an analogy for angels (not that I have anything against Mormons. Just the bigoted ones). Seriously though, that is a lot of books. And multiply that by all of the big box corporate bookstores out there. Add in Amazon. Throw in a few independent stores for good measure. It all adds up
The lorax is weeping...
..and not just over Stephenie Meyer. Nora Roberts, James Patterson, Nicolas Sparks. I don't want to censor bad literature. We all need a little garbage in out lives. Once you think about it though, all those trees add up.
It got me thinking about eReaders again. One of my readings for class talked about the information infrastructure, liking it to our transportation infrastructure. There are dozens, if not hundreds of components that let individuals (and commodities) travel around, almost anywhere we want to get. The infrastructure of information is similar, and mobile technology such as the Kindle and the iPhone are additional components to our information systems. Not everything can be on them, but maybe some stuff should.
PS - found a blog on eReaders. teleread.org Maybe some of you already know about it. If you don't, check it out.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
In which our protagonist lands a job...
It really looks like I am going to be a librarian...
When I first started thinking about getting my MLIS here in Portland, I had a former coworker who was enrolled in the program I wanted to join leave the bookstore for a position with a prominent medical university here in town.
"Hmmm," I thought to myself, "I bet that would be a great job to have while going back to school. In fact, I think I would love to work there..."
With the process of getting into and starting school underway, I turned my attention to getting a job that would start my career as a librarian or information specialist. Fate smiled upon me, and I bumped into the former coworker, and she let me know that the prominent medical university was hiring student workers AND she would put in a good word for me. She is an angel. After applying and having a great interview, I start work on Tuesday.
It's going to be fascinating to work in a medical library, since I've never had any intention on being a doctor. Yeah, they make a lot of money, but blood is gross. Really gross. At least when I am bored at work I can research various debilitating medical conditions. Whenever I or a loved one receive a diagnosis, I'll certainly have the resources to find all the worst case scenarios possible and give the doctor a run for their money. Good thing I'm not a hypochondriac!
In other news...
Found this great article on cnn.com about the future of libraries. What I like about it is that it is not super alarmist. There is no "THEY'RE BURNING BOOKS" mentality. The article states that the way society gathers and devours information is changing, and libraries need to change to stay relevant. I especially like the end of the article where the funding issue is mentioned. There is a real catch 22 to the fact that updating libraries is super expensive, but with the current economic shenanigans we're going through, libraries can't afford to remain competitive.
When I first started thinking about getting my MLIS here in Portland, I had a former coworker who was enrolled in the program I wanted to join leave the bookstore for a position with a prominent medical university here in town.
"Hmmm," I thought to myself, "I bet that would be a great job to have while going back to school. In fact, I think I would love to work there..."
With the process of getting into and starting school underway, I turned my attention to getting a job that would start my career as a librarian or information specialist. Fate smiled upon me, and I bumped into the former coworker, and she let me know that the prominent medical university was hiring student workers AND she would put in a good word for me. She is an angel. After applying and having a great interview, I start work on Tuesday.
It's going to be fascinating to work in a medical library, since I've never had any intention on being a doctor. Yeah, they make a lot of money, but blood is gross. Really gross. At least when I am bored at work I can research various debilitating medical conditions. Whenever I or a loved one receive a diagnosis, I'll certainly have the resources to find all the worst case scenarios possible and give the doctor a run for their money. Good thing I'm not a hypochondriac!
In other news...
Found this great article on cnn.com about the future of libraries. What I like about it is that it is not super alarmist. There is no "THEY'RE BURNING BOOKS" mentality. The article states that the way society gathers and devours information is changing, and libraries need to change to stay relevant. I especially like the end of the article where the funding issue is mentioned. There is a real catch 22 to the fact that updating libraries is super expensive, but with the current economic shenanigans we're going through, libraries can't afford to remain competitive.
Friday, September 4, 2009
things are changing...
A big thanks to my sister for pointing this article out to me.
Cushing Academy, an elite New England prep school, is entering into a very interesting academic experiment: removing the books from their library...
click here to read the article from boston.com
I don't really know what to say. It's scandalous, but could it also be the vanguard?
Last weekend in class, a cohort member raised the question: why don't all libraries digitize their collections. The room got hot. Not many people agreed with him, brought it brought up a lot of things to think about.
Will the change from reading a book to reading a devise have any affect on cognitive development and the way we learn? What about phyisical affects, such as the affect on the student's developing eyesight?
Why spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to preserve a few books when you could spend the same amount of to upload all of the information to a hard drive? Will books simply become cultural artifacts? I think back to the invention of the written word, and how many papyrus scrolls must have been in circulation, relative to the global population, and how few of them remain in museum collections.
What is going to happen when electronic readers are obsolete?
my stomach hurts....
it will be interesting to revisit Cushing Acadamy at the end of the school year, in five years, in ten, to see how things pan out...
Cushing Academy, an elite New England prep school, is entering into a very interesting academic experiment: removing the books from their library...
click here to read the article from boston.com
I don't really know what to say. It's scandalous, but could it also be the vanguard?
Last weekend in class, a cohort member raised the question: why don't all libraries digitize their collections. The room got hot. Not many people agreed with him, brought it brought up a lot of things to think about.
Will the change from reading a book to reading a devise have any affect on cognitive development and the way we learn? What about phyisical affects, such as the affect on the student's developing eyesight?
Why spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to preserve a few books when you could spend the same amount of to upload all of the information to a hard drive? Will books simply become cultural artifacts? I think back to the invention of the written word, and how many papyrus scrolls must have been in circulation, relative to the global population, and how few of them remain in museum collections.
What is going to happen when electronic readers are obsolete?
my stomach hurts....
it will be interesting to revisit Cushing Acadamy at the end of the school year, in five years, in ten, to see how things pan out...
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