video games + library = AMAZING

"At libraries, fun and games now the lure"
Mike Musgrove
The Washington Post
November 22, 2009

To keep up with the youth of the eMedia generation, libraries have started to house video game systems, controllers, and games. The ALA (American Library Association) supports and annual Gaming Day event that recently had its second celebration. Some libraries hold regular events for patrons to come and play video games together in the library. All of this is part of an attempt to attract a hard to reach demographic: young adult males. Patrons need not be shocked by this addition to the library collection as "libraries also carry CDs and DVDs." Musgrove also quotes the President of the ALA Camila Alire as saying, "We've always tried to meet the needs of users as new formats come out." In addition to video games the library also has many board games and other fun, family games available to anybody interested. Musgrove also points out that in general parents are very pleased with this new idea, one mother in his article is quoted as saying, "Getting kids into the library is a good thing... They're in the library and not out doing other stuff."

Something I found especially interesting in this article is a recent study mentioned by Musgrove about gamers and their reading habits: "video-game fans spend four times as much time reading reviews, blogs and strategy guides as they spend with a game controller in their hands." That is a lot of reading. I have also thought this was true, as a gamer myself I read forums and tutorials all the time and I am frustrated by people who say "people are reading less because of video games and computers." I don't think people are reading less I think the forms of what they read are changing; instead of reading a book a person might keep up with 5 different blogs and correspond with friends through e-mail and facebook. In any case, I am very excited to see libraries evolving with technology, this can only end well. Library as a place is becoming more and more important and fostering these sorts of activities are strengthening the libraries place in the hearts of the masses.

Libraries!

http://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/3623/Webster.pdf?sequence=2
Peter Webster
"Interconnected and Innovative Libraries: Factors Tying Libraries More Closely Together"
Library Trends (Volume 54, number 3, Winter 2006)


Peter Webster is a grad student at the University of Chicago studying library and information science. In his article "Interconnected and Innovative Libraries: Factors Tying Libraries More Closely Together" he discusses how new technology has changed the way libraries work on both small and large scales. Technology expands possibilities for libraries to be more effective but it is still a challenge to keep up with the fast paced technological flow. The technology we have already is being refined and reworked providing great opportunity for collaborative work between libraries and the more libraries that are collaborating the better the service will be (ILL, blogs and news feeds). New technology makes these already existing systems more cost and time effective. Webster is very supportive of the open software movement "for libraries to share software resources." He also discusses Centralized Services and how the ability and readiness of libraries to work together has developed these services all over the world. New services coming to light because of shifts in the publishing world along with a new openness to cooperate among libraries encourages people to start "building communities of interest for their products." This puts a lot more emphasis on user satisfaction and encourages user participation. Webster suggests that all of these things together are creating an "interconnected interdependent" new library.

Webster is on to something here and I think that this is the direction libraries are heading. In previous posts I have discussed the future of libraries and how library as place will be more important. Webster offers another dimension of the lasting library. There are really exciting things happening in the world of information science and I'm especially enthusiastic about the new relationships between publishing companies and libraries, I think this development could revolutionize the way people look at publishing companies.

Informaiton literacy

Information Navigation 101
Andrea L. Foster

My response:
In today's world college aged students are thought of as tech-savvy, advanced computer users. Unfortunately this is not the case when it comes to academic research. There is a huge problem with students whose research ability extends only to Google and Wikipedia. As Foster points out in "Information Navigation 101," librarians all over the world are very focused on increasing students' ability to find and evaluate scholarly information. Information literacy programs are springing up on campuses everywhere! Librarians are attempting to get the word out there about online resources: journals, book reviews, articles, primary sources... etc. There have been standardized tests created to evaluate student's information literacy skills. Some librarians think that standardized tests will not accurately show a person's ability to do meaningful research; instead they suggest a student be judged on research papers and different sorts of projects.

I totally agree that there is a huge problem among college aged students who don't know about all of the great online resources and how to obtain and access those resources. Standardized tests are horrible and don't work so I really think that is a horrible idea. The amount of information showing the ineffectiveness of standardized testing is present and growing and it is sad that anybody would want to continue in this awful tradition of rewarding fact memorization and punishing creativity and innovation. There are other ways to get a good reading of a person's level of information literacy like the projects and electronic portfolios talked about in the article, and those should be further explored.

Infoissue?

In the article "The Infodiet: How Libraries Can Offer an Appetizing Alternative to Google" Steven J. Bell addresses students' growing inability to conduct any sort of meaningful research. He compares the Google search engine to fast food; it's fast, easy, and not the best way of getting what you need. The library seems to have been lost in a world of paper, ink and complicated search engines that students don't understand. Bell suggests that libraries try to make search engines more like Google so that students are less apprehensive about learning to use them. It would seem that students of today are suffering from information overload where the information they have isn't even the information they want. With better designed search engines Bell thinks students will be able to edit out for themselves the information that is less desirable and keep information that is relevant and scholarly.

The Google issue is obviously something that needs to be addressed and I think Bell provides some good suggestions for libraries and others to contemplate. I especially liked the "information-literacy initiative" idea because that addresses the heart of the issue: a student isn't going to use something they don't know about. When a group of people is putting on a play or performance they have to post information and posters to let everybody know what is going on... these scholarly search engines are relatively new and need the same sort of publicity. One issue I think Bell didn't touch on was the growing divide between the intellectual elite and "regular people." Some of the most tech-savvy people might not know about sites like EBSCOhost because they aren't really talked about within the general public. I think something like an "information-literacy initiative" would be the best way to close that gap.

The Future of Libraries

The Future of Libraries
Thomas Frey
November 2nd, 2006
http://www.futuristspeaker.com/2006/11/the-future-of-libraries/

When I talk to people about libraries one of the questions that always comes up concerns the future of libraries. Thomas Frey addresses this issue pretty completely in his article "The Future of Libraries." He starts off discussing the role of libraries in the past as a place to archive information mostly for those who could not afford books because they were very expensive. More recently libraries have shifted more toward a place for people to go who enjoy reading for the sake of reading. Today information is everywhere and can be easily found on the web, this means people go to the library less and less for the purpose of research. Frey brings up some really interesting points in this article. He talks about how books and writing are really just a form of technology and all technology has a "limited lifespan." This means that books eventually will be phased out of popular culture. With new ways of storing information the process of actually finding the information you are looking for will become more and more difficult. Librarians will play an integral role in the libraries of the future. At the end of the article Frey gives libraries some tips about surviving the transition into the future.

I found this article really interesting. The way the library of the future is depicted in this piece sounds really fun and exciting. I would love to be able to hang out and study in library like the one Frey describes. I think that Crossman guy is totally wrong about literacy being dead and the future being totally verbal. One of the main reasons I don't think that will happen is that people simply enjoy silence sometimes. I have a hard time studying when there is music playing that have lyrics... If the world becomes ONLY verbal and all the computers are operated by voice it would be impossible for people to really focus on anything. I do think there will be a verbal aspect but I think Crossman goes a little too far in saying that it will only be verbal and that literacy will be dead by 2050.

A Different Point of View

Finding Censorship Where There is None
Mitchell Muncy
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204518504574420882837440304.html


Banned Books Week is here! Every organization from the ALA to the New York Times is posting articles, scheduling events, and talking about banned books. Chief operating officer of the Institute for American Values, Mr. Muncy, has a few unorthodox views concerning this week's intended and actual outcomes. Most groups support Banned Books Week because they want to show their disapproval of censorship and their support for the first amendment. Mr. Muncy believes that while these groups fight in the name of the first amendment they are really fighting against it, making people feel like they should not speak up at all when it comes to concerns about books. He asks, "'True' patriots, presumably, would have kept quiet. Who, then, is afraid of discourse?" He points out that there are actually NO banned books in our country. There is a difference between government censorship and local library or school challenges. "In only 10% of the 186 cases... was a book permanently removed from a library," Muncy points out. And even in the cases of removal a person need not go too far to find another copy of the same book. Using the Banned Books Week's own language he calls these organizations zealous and argues that what they are really doing is stifling free speech.


I've never heard somebody speak out so harshly against the ALA or Banned Books Week. The article presented a view point that is not put forward very often and Muncy makes some very interesting points. I think that people should have the right to challenge books but I am also against censorship... where does this leave me? Wanting to remove books from a public place because they offend your belief system or might possibly corrupt the innocence of some unnamed (or named) child is selfish, but I think it would be just as horrible if we didn't have a system where people could voice their opinions about such topics (even if I don't like those opinions).I am glad to have found and read this article, it was refreshing.

"Libraries Enter the Digital Age"

"Libraries Enter the Digital Age." Talk of the Nation. NPR. May 11, 2007.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10136882

In this interview from NPR with Ira Flatow some key figures in the world of book digitization were interviewed: Michael S. Hart, Brewster Kahle, and Michael Keller. Michael S. Hart is part of the Gutenberg Project which is a volunteer based program that has transformed over one hundred thousand books into eBooks. Brewster Kahle is the director of the Internet Archive he has worked with the Gutenberg Project and mostly deals with books that have fallen outside of copyright laws and books that have been abandoned (orphan books). Michael Keller is part of the Google effort but does a lot of side projects. The discussion mainly focused on the issues concerning digital information and the future of libraries. A book can be digitized for about $30, which isn't that expensive, on the other hand Hart is part of a project that digitizes all kinds of information for free through the help of many, many volunteers. Either way it is clear that price is not an issue. The digitization of books is great news for libraries because it means a wider audience is able to access the information that is relevant to their questions. A big problem with this is copyright laws. Google is facing many lawsuits for digitizing books that are still within their copyright. Other organizations (like Hart's and some of Kahle's side projects) focus primarily on texts that have fallen out of the copyright. Unfortunately copyright laws are being more and more of an issue because they keep getting extended. Many of the people on this program expressed concerns for a future where everything is copyrighted permanently.

I really enjoyed listening to this interview. One of my favorite parts was something Brewster Kahle said when asked what this whole project is about. He said, "the dream is universal access to all knowledge." What a great dream! Keller made a great point toward the end about those who publish their works (blog, draw, etc.): "All those who create content should allow that content to be thoroughly indexed. And the active indexing of that content should not be a criminal act." I agree with Keller and Kahle about the importance of access to information and the role both parties (the creator and the receiver) must take to insure that access.

I'll give it a B+

Wikipedia is a site struggling to gain credibility when its very nature is hopelessly erroneous. Brock Read's article "Can Wikipedia Ever Make the Grade?" highlights the main points of Wikipedia's history from its conception to its current fight for accuracy and acceptance amongst scholars. There have been a lot of complaints against Wikipedia's methods of obtaining information and the absence of a serious scholarly review board. Brock outlines some of the more epic mistakes of Wikipedia and why such mistakes occur. While there are teams of people checking pages for errors all the time there are some pages that do not get checked for months. Such was the case for John Seigenthaler Sr. whose article on Wikipedia contained some very false information about his involvement in the Kennedy assassination (he wasn't involved at all). Other problems the site faces is its lack of stability. "Someone can cite Wikipedia, but there is no guarantee that the entry will remain the same over time," how can Wikipedia hope to be used in an academic setting if it cannot be cited or cannot assure the information found on a page one day will not be there the next day?


I was surprised to hear a lot of the facts Read presented in this article. The fact that there have been studies about Wikipedia was really interesting to me. Everybody jokes about Wikipedia but really it isn't too bad of a place to find information. All I know is that when I find something from Wikipedia I always check to see if it is anywhere else before trusting it. Personally, I use Wikipedia as a place to find general information about a topic that I know nothing about, scanning a page for basic details that will help me understand what to look for elsewhere.

A library is not a daycare center

"A Library's Approach to Books That Offend"
Alison Leigh Cowan
August 19, 2009
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/a-librarys-approach-to-books-that-offend

In today's politically correct world libraries are seeing an increase in complaints about books deemed inappropriate by concerned parents. All libraries have ways for patrons to express their qualms concerning questionable content, and while it is important that these voices be heard it is also important for librarians to do all they can to keep books in the library. There are many ways to acknowledge legitimate complaints and still house them in the library, for example: a change in shelving, moving the book to a harder to access area, or possible revisions (as was the case for Herge's "Tintin.") As Alice Knapp says, "You do walk a fine line, making sure your materials are accessible, while being respectful of community standards." Knapp was the president of the Connecticut Library Association where she had to handle many such complaints. The secret of how to accept a complaint about a book and avoid censorship is an art most librarians know by heart: simply explain, politely, the library's policies about complaints and objectionable subject matter. Often times a patron wishes only to be heard -to send his/her complaint out into the world and be on their way; unfortunately, this technique does not always work.

Reading this article helped me understand what a difficult job librarians have, having to speak up for books and other information which some people find horrifically offending. There were some books named in the article as being challenged that surprised me a lot, specifically "Eloise in Paris" by Kay Thompson and "Looking for Alaska" by John Green. How people have come together with the intention of removing these books from their children is a little disturbing. It is one thing to not allow your own child to not read a certain type of book but to then assume that all other children are not capable of dealing with say, depictions of art from the Louvre with images of naked people ("Eloise in Paris") is ridiculous. A library is not a daycare center and I don't think its contents should be catering to the perceived innocence of today's youth. Information is not inherently dangerous. If a parent doesn't want their child to read a book that deals seriously with the issues of death and adolescence ("Looking for Alaska") then that is something they need to communicate to their child, not to the library.

In Response to the Piper reading

There is no doubt that Internet disinformation is becoming a big problem in today's web-based world. Piper has provided a great resource for distinguishing honest websites from hoaxes and counterfeit sites. I find the very idea of sites like martinlutherking.org appalling and distasteful. A big problem I have noticed is the general ignorance of the way sites are formed and maintained, once a person is informed it is so much easier to distinguish the bad sites from the good sites. Luckily there are sites like register.com that can help people on their search for accurate information.

While these false sites do cause a lot of problems for people they are also a great source of fun and entertainment. There are a lot of very funny sites created in collaboration with different forums meant for entertainment. One of the great things about the Internet is how easily it can transform if you know how to use it. April Fool’s Day on the Internet is so much fun! Almost every major forum puts up false homepages or false stories. Of course, a lot of people may be unaware of this kind of Internet culture which is dangerous in terms of what they then believe to be true. A great example of this is the year-round website for Onion News. Onion News is solely dedicated to providing false news in a convincing and entertaining way. Recently a lot of actual news sites (CNN, ABC, NBC, etc.) have been citing stories from the Onion unaware that it is a hoax website and almost always completely false. Perhaps they should read Piper's fine assessment of such "Web Hoaxes, Counterfeit Sites, and Other Spurious Information on the Internet."