'Tis That Time of Year Again...

As the holiday season comes to an end, I am looking over my gifts only to discover I received a ton of bookstore gift cards this year. Now some maybe discouraged to rip open a package only to find a gift card, but not me. After many years of receiving gifts of books I've already read or have no need for, I have finally convinced my friends and family of the value and limitless possibilities of a gift card! So needless to say, I am very grateful this year!

Now comes the hard part of figuring out what to purchase. I have quite a few series I have started and need to continue. Currently, I'm finishing up Fire by Kristin Cashore which I think (and don't hold me to this because I'm not completely finished with it yet) I may like a little more than her previous title, The Graceling. 

                         

My list (so far) of possible titles to purchase (and keep in mind, I tend to lean towards YA titles):
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart
Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare
ArchEnemy by Frank Beddor 
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia

If anyone is reading this and has some possible suggestions of favorites to either add to the list or comments about the titles mentioned so far, they would be greatly appreciated!

Evil Librarians

I am trying to embed a video into my blog for the first time but I'm not sure if it's gonna work.  The video I found via Fuse #8's blog and is about evil librarians abusing power.  It's hilarious!  (I went ahead and linked it just incase this doesn't work!) 

Evil librarians are beginning to become a popular topic.  Brandon Sanderson has evil librarians as the villains of his popular series (see above).  This makes sense to me because librarians are above all else, resourceful and have plenty of time to plot evilly genius plans to take over the world.

However, we can also use our powers for good such as in the "popular" tv series The Librarian with the ever infamous Noah Wyle (see above). 

But who wants to be good when bad has never looked so good...

The First Amendment Congress and the Future of America

I would just like to start off this post by announcing...

I PASSED THE COMPREHENSIVE EXAM!!!

Yes, after months of studying and reading and analyzing I have passed and (bar any further mishap) will be graduating in December!  Yay me!

Okay, so this week I attended the First Amendment Congress where I was priviledged to listen to the great Marvin Kalb speak about the death of the newspaper and the transformation of news.  It was eye opening to say the least!  He discussed the evolution of news from the newsroom of newspapers to the production of TV news to online news and blogs.  He explained how CBS's 60 Minutes program began the death of "news for the sake of news."  This was the first time that those in charge of television stations discovered that they could make a profit from news.  And so, news took on a new purpose and outlook... not to inform people about the goings on of the world but to turn a profit.  News stations used to be a watchdog of government.  Now they are concerned with ratings and statistics.  He explained that there used to be a developed trust between the government and the reporter, as well as the reporter and the viewer.  This trust was earned not given freely.  This trust no longer exists.

With today's ever-growing popularity of online news outlets as sources of information, the death of the newspaper grows more eminent.  People are relying on blogs for their information.  While this can be good due to first hand accounts, it can become a horrible trend.  Who are these bloggers that the public is placing there trust in?  What is their motivation?  Did they go and interview the active players at the center of the conflict they are reporting on?  Are they taking both sides into account?  Did they go there and collect information or are they gathering it from other news sources?  These are things few people consider from the sources they are relying on.

This concept was never more evident than on the Student Day of the First Amendment Congress.  The students were active in discussing their thoughts on their rights and where to go for information.  However, their lack of concern when it came to safety and reliability was disconcerting.  They relied heavily on blogs for information and did not question where the information was coming from, as well as how Google generated its top hits.  They had no concern for the information they were placing on the Internet about themselves.  Instead, they claimed they knew it all and they weren't stupid.  I know this is a strong belief among most teens and always has been.  This perceived invincibility only waivers when unnecessary tragedy strikes too close to home.   

Even with this perceived invincibility and lack of regard for reliable sources among most of the students, I saw a sort of hope among others.  A student debate on the reliability of web sources shed light on the possible future of America.  These kids have grown up only knowing the Internet and easy availability of information.  The students involved in the debate were intelligent and aware.  They were quick thinking and knowledgable.  Even some responses from the crowd were also intelligent and illustrated an awareness of the issues of today.  These responses gave me hope of what our future may look like if students like these are to run America.

Save the Library!!!

I am a long time reader of Scott Douglas' "Dispatches from a Public Librarian."  His stories of his work at a small public library close to Disneyland are usually humorous and totally relatable.  However, Douglas' recent dispath really hit home about the budget cuts that are affecting libraries all over the country in a time when our country needs us the most.

Please check it out here:
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/librarian/notfunny.html

And spread the word!   

Finishing Up the "23 Things"

Between studying for Comps, keeping up with homework, and working on a big project for work, I managed to squeeze in some time to check out the rest of the "23 Things."  Here is my final evaluation.

The "23 Things" really opened my eyes to how information is evolving in format and in use.  Social networking is changing how we form and maintain relationships.  A person can create a blog with a main focus.  They can connect their Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr accounts to it so people who read their blog, people who they may have never met if it wasn't for the blog, can communicate with them and follow them to see what they are up to. 

People can now collaborate and communicate from a distance with tools like wikis and GoogleDocs.  These tools allow for people to meet and work on projects without having to meet face to face.  Students and workers alike can utilize these tools to cut down on travel time and to get projects accomplished.

Speaking of students, they can now utilize tools such as Facebook, podcasts, Flickr, PictureTrail, and Flicks to enrich their presentations.  Digital media is allowing for students to take information they are learning in their classes and share that information in new and creative ways. 

Libraries are getting in on the action too!  By utilizing such services as LibraryThing and social tagging in their catalogs, libraries are allowing their users to make and share their own connections through literature as well as providing a service that will help their library users find not only the information they are looking for but new and relevant information they did not know about but may need.

With my focus in library school being Young Adult Services, I couldn't help but enjoy reading about libraries and gaming.  This is a big draw for teens when libraries hold gaming nights.  My library does it and I think it's a great idea!  It gets teens in the door.  Then it's the librarian's job to show them what their library has to offer.  Not too mention all the Guitar Hero you get to play for free!!!  (on a sad note, I recently came across an article that stated one of my state senators was trying to cut funding for gaming in libraries because it was "unneccessary and a waste of money."  I wonder if he ever used the library as a teen, yet alone now as a senator and grown man...)

I've personally found del.icio.us to be a very helpful service because it allows me to collect helpful articles I come across through my research.  I have them all in one place and can share them and find more through this service!

All in all, I really enjoyed my journey through the "23 Things."  I think that when used with a purpose, they can make life a lot less complicated and projects a lot more interesting looking!  However, I think we, as users, need to discuss and contemplate the implications using these services brings.  What of privacy and confidentiality?  How will that effect a library's policies and procedures regarding Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr?  How can we fund gaming in the library when budget cuts are hanging over our heads?  I think these are great tools that when used for individual use, need to be used carefully and with a purpose.  However, when being used by a library, careful consideration and development of policies need to be addressed before implementation.

And that's my thoughts on "23 Things!"  Back to studying for Comps!

Wikis and the Magic of LibraryThing

So I realized that I'm lagging behind on my 23 Things postings so here goes nothing...

I am fairly familiar with wikis.  I've used three of the most commonly used sites in creating wikis:  PBwiki, Wetpaint, and FrontPage.  I prefer Wetpaint but that's just my personal preference.  I started out by playing around with a wiki in one of my classes.  We had to sign up for assignments on the wiki.  It was fairly easy to use and understand.  I ended up liking it so much, I used it in another class as a way to collaborate with my group members without having to drive somewhere and cordinate schedules.  They save me time and money!!!

I currently created one for a professional organization I have become a part of.  Many of the members of this organization were not familiar with wikis.  I did a sort of training for them, found how-to videos on YouTube, and set everything up so that all they had to do was sign up and join the wiki.  It's been a really big hit!  It has cut down on actual meetings we have to set up.  It's a great tool for collaborating at a distance.  I think it can easily be utilized in the classroom as well.  Group projects, student assignments...you name it and it can probably be done on a wiki. 

Now, before about a month ago, I was not too familiar with LibraryThing.  I knew it was a website that allowed people to review books and create their own tagging of those titles.  Recently, my library invested in LibraryThing tags and titles for our catalog.  It was a great move because many of our customers have found these helpful.  However, I think there is room for improvement.  I am an avid Young Adult fiction reader.  Because YA fiction is now becoming a booming industry, no one is really sure how to label the books other than Young Adult.  Titles such as Hunger Games and Life As We Knew It are listed in similar categories as Twilight and Harry Potter.  This is not because they have similar elements but because they are all popular YA fiction novels.  LibraryThing needs to address that YA is not the only tag to place on these books.  Since the tags are user-generated, we as readers need to put more thought into our tagging of titles, particularly YA titles.

Encyclomedia, Twitter Ninjas, and More 23 Things...

So this week was incredibly busy for me, thus the really late blog post.  This week was the two day annual conference called Encyclomedia.  Teachers, librarians, counselors, authors, illustrators and the like get together to talk about new tools and trends in education.  I always love going to this conference because I get to catch up with people I don't get to see to often from classes, former coworkers, and in my case, family members who I love to see!

This year, there seemed to be a big movement towards Web 2.0 tools in the classroom.  Almost every presentation I went to this year was presented on a wiki.  I thought this was a great move because many of the people presenting were from different areas of the state and wikis are a great way for them to collaborate without wasting gas!  However, because the presentations were on wikis and many of the people attending were not familiar with wikis, a lot of time was taken away from the presentation because they had to explain what it was and how they set it up.  I know I probably sound like a snob in bringing this up but it was frustrating to go to a presentation on new ways to promote the YA collection and having to stop and take 25 minutes of an hour long presentation to explain what a wiki was and how the presenters set up their presentation on it.  If you want to know what one is, go to the presentation on wikis and don't detract from the current presentation!!! 

One presentation I attended was called Twitter Ninjas and discussed the Twitter craze that has been catching on more and more these days.  The presenter talked about how it can be used as both a personal and professional tool and the benefits of both.  Now, personally I've never understood the need for Twitter.  A 140 character message sent to everyone about what I'm eating or that I'm sitting on the couch watching the latest episode of Lost does not seem worth it to me.  However, in this presentation I learned how Twitter can be used as a tool of customer service.  Through using Tweetdeck, customers can tweet in their problems or concerns and whoever is monitoring the account can respond to them and help them out.  I could see this being used on the reference desk or inter-departmentally (is that even a word???). 

Twitter, to me, seems like a very massive text messaging service.  People can sign up and follow your account.  From your phone, you can send a mass message to everyone about anything, as long as it fits in 140 characters.  This could be a very powerful tool to use in promoting a business, particularly a library.  I know my library has a Twitter account that is used to promote jobs and programs.  Now I'm wondering how we can take it further.  But with this type of thinking, I'm wondering how we manage that.  Will the library start paying for all of the text messages?  Will we be compensated for our Twittering, because 10 cents a text ain't cheap!

All of this Twitter text messaging talk made me think about other forms of communication.  I grew up in the days of snail mail. when receiving a letter in the mail was something to get excited about.  Now, I impatiently check my iphone for any new email.  I have my Facebook account on my phone to see if I have any new messages several times a day.  I text rather than talk.  Communication is changing, shifting into a more constant, detached form of connection.  We share anything and everything on our Facebook accounts.  Pictures on Flicker, Twitter with strangers... all to reach out to the world and feel more connected.  Even blogging is an attempt to communicate with the world from a safe, familiar place.  But our we really as safe as we think?  Are we really as connected as we like to think we are?  Do we ever see the people on the other side of our communications?  Do we really share who we are? 

I feel as we become more "connected" with the rest of the world, we wade further and further into unknown territory.  I mentioned above how my library has a Facebook and Twitter account.  More and more businesses are adopting this technology for their own uses.  However, as we become more familiar with this technology, we have to consider the implications of what this all could mean.  Policies have to be put in place to protect ourselves, our employees, and everyone involved.  It's ironic to think about but as we become more "free" in our communications we become more restricted in our limitations of what we can do with it.  This would probably be a good debate for my Comps!

Shifting gears, I'd like to mention the RSS feeds I subscribed to this week.  My library just started using RSS feeds to promote the new items in the collection.  I subscribed immediately to all my favorite catagories:  Young Adult, Movies, Music, Mystery, and the latest news on what's going on in the system.  I use Google Reader which was easy to set up and customize.  This is an excellent way to keep up on all of my blogs that I read and all the new materials and activities going on at work.

Well, I need to go study and read Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol.  Until next time...

Bad Dreams, Metadata, and Library 2.0 Madness...

I had a dream last night that I failed the comprehensive exam.  The test was unlike the one I am preparing to take because it was all fill in the blank (the type of test I loathe!) and essay.  It asked me math questions, old locker combinations, and things in a strange foreign language that I'm not familiar with.  Needless to say, in the dream I failed miserably.  Then some person I remember not liking in high school came up to me and rubbed it in that I failed.  WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!! 

I chalk it all up to over worrying...

So I've been reading up on the importance of metadata during my studies.  While most people treat metadata like a dirty word (it wasn't too long ago I was part of this group), I've come to appreciate the concept.  Working in a library setting, I come to use metadata everyday to find my information.  However, an article by Karen Markey about the changes that need to be made to the classic catalog, along with some reading I've been doing about the Google Book Settlement have got me thinking.  Maybe a change is in order.

Currently, the way we search a library catalog is the standard surrogates:  Title-Author-Keyword search.  Sure we may throw in an ISBN every now and then, but the catalog tends to make us work for the answer.  Same goes for databases.  What would be a simple search on EBSCO, takes plenty of "tweaking" in order to find the magic set of terms to get the number of correct hits you are wanting.  As information professionals, this is not really a problem, cause let's face it... we live for the search!  But let's take a minute to think about our customers.  Most of them work on a NOW schedule.  They don't have the time it really takes to complete a successful information search.  Most would say this is where information professionals come in, but our society has shifted from an "ask a professional" mentality to the ever popular "self-serve" way of life. 

Most people, excluding those stuck in the digital divide, are familiar with Google searching by now.  It's obviously a successful everyman approach to information searches.  Why shouldn't our catalogs and databases search like Google does.  If they did have similar search capabilites, I'm certain more customers (and potential customers) would use it and feel more welcome in the library.  Also, searches from a library catalog or database would yield a higher quality of sources than a simple Google search. 

This small rant has led me to the Library 2.0 information that is required as the "2nd thing" of my 23 Things.  From what I'm understanding, Library 2.0 is the movement that's trying to bring these people who need Google-like search capabilities back to the library.  Through blogs, social networking, game nights, etc. people will begin to feel welcome again in the library.  They won't be scared off because they don't know how to use the catalog or find what they need.  Instead, they will see what their library has to offer which is FREE SERVICES AND INTERNET!!!

Well, at least that's my take on it, in a general sense!  Back to studying, and trying to finish Catching Fire by the end of the weekend!

The Markey article can be found here:
Markey, Karen. 2007. The online library catalog: Paradise lost and Paradise regained? D-Lib Magazine 13(1/2). Available at http://www.dlib.org/dlib/january07/markey/01markey.html

And for more on Library 2.0, check out this blog post my friend Jen found:
http://www.blyberg.net/2006/01/09/11-reasons-why-library-20-exists-and-matters/
I found it incredibly helpful in my understanding of Library 2.0 madness!!!

And to start off...

In the beginning...

This blog will begin by being dedicated to the accomplishment of the 23 Things as assigned by Doc Martens as well as my place to post my thoughts on what I come across literature wise while I study for the Comprehensive Exam that I will be taking this semester. The first "thing" is to create a blog and make the first post. Eventually, I hope to turn this blog into a book review/share my thoughts on the field of library work/my random comments on pop culture blog. Until then, you will have to settle for my posts on how my 23 Things are coming along.

Enjoy!