Cyborg Librarian

Bizness of Politicking

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 14:29:00 +0000

What's the bizness yeah???? While the politics of politicking can be crazy-making, it's nice to feel like you are taking part in something greater than the everyday. Even if it's predominately voting for the shadows on the wall, each new election brings a chance to make a difference. Not sure we've got the best way figured out yet, but at least one can have hope that some day we might.

Brushing off the dust

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 15:26:00 +0000

I'm returning to my blogging roots today. After a lively conference with inspiring educational leaders I think it's time. To be honest the reason I have not been blogging consistently the last few years is I've been busy making things happen. Starting a family and a career is no easy task. I thought graduate school was difficult. It prepared me for the non-stop work but it did not prepare me for the never ending challenges of being a full-time professional in addition to being a full-time wife and mother. Thankfully the payoff is beyond words and each day brings new levels of contentment. I hope to carry on this blog by sharing my experiences of negotiating life and striving to make a difference at home and in the office.

Banned Books Week 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 01:16:00 +0000

Individuals must be free to express and consume ideas. Without this ability true democracy cannot take place. In honor of this year's American Library Association celebration of banned books I am posting a manifesto from Ellen Hopkins.

To you zealots and bigots and false

patriots who live in fear of discourse.

You screamers and banners and burners

who would force books

off shelves in your brand name

of greater good.

You say you’re afraid for children,

innocents ripe for corruption

by perversion or sorcery on the page.

But sticks and stones do break

bones, and ignorance is no armor.

You do not speak for me,

and will not deny my kids magic

in favor of miracles.

You say you’re afraid for America,

the red, white and blue corroded

by terrorists, socialists, the sexually

confused. But we are a vast quilt

of patchwork cultures and multi-gendered

identities. You cannot speak for those

whose ancestors braved

different seas.

You say you’re afraid for God,

the living word eroded by Muhammed

and Darwin and Magdalene.

But the omnipotent sculptor of heaven

and earth designed intelligence.

Surely you dare not speak

for the father, who opens

his arms to all.

A word to the unwise.

Torch every book.

Char every page.

Burn every word to ash.

Ideas are incombustible.

And therein lies your real fear.

— Ellen Hopkins

Volunteers extending library hours is a good thing imo.

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 17:10:00 +0000

The Library Journal recently wrote an article about the Charlotte Library's use of volunteers to extend hours. Some have questioned this move stating it could cause funders to believe libraries can operate off of a smaller budget. I think that's an unfounded fear as many institutions both public and private benefit from unpaid labor. Washington D.C. has the highest volunteer rates in the nation, so clearly volunteering for public institutions is not unheard of.

Besides what better way to spend one's time than volunteering at a local library. Some would argue there is no greater cause than facilitating knowledge acquisition. When I set-up a volunteer opportunity in the community college library, I had more students interested than I could place in positions. I think this is a great way for libraries to expand upon their services. While volunteers are manning the desk, staff can be developing new projects and fine-tuning their budget needs to ensure the institution remains vital.

Buying whatever they are pushing.

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:33:00 +0000

Publishing in the Higher Education world receives some of its support from journal subscriptions of libraries. While in the past librarians played key roles in the selection of these items today with the rise of aggregaters like Ebsco, the decision becomes less about content and more about the IR system and the price. With package deals such as Academic Search Elite or Curriculum Essentials, it is difficult to know what exactly one is buying. The vendors push various products claiming more full-text or more images but deciding which one offers the most quality can be overwhelming due to the sheer number of titles. Having access to so many titles is surely a good thing, but not so when the overall quality is lacking. The task of deciding which aggregaters to license is beyond most individuals capacities. These products have not been around long enough for us to truly know how to best to evaluate. Often purchasing decisions are made on usage statistics alone, which may have more to do with product placement than quality content. What’s even more troubling concerning purchasing quality content is how deals are negotiated by vendors. Whereas with the onslaught of electronic publishing journals and publishers dealt with all the major vendors, now we are seeing more exclusive contracts such as the one between Ebsco and Time Inc. Our reliance upon big vendors to tell us what to buy, causes concern for the role of academic libraries in supporting scholarly publishing.

Lending more than just books

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:09:00 +0000

I like the idea brought up by Library Journal Insider of libraries lending toys. Apparently this already takes place across the United Kingdom. What a great idea as libraries remake themselves in a digital world. Toys, tools, fishing poles and all sorts of items would be well suited for the library business model of lending to multiple users. I was recently reminded of how convenient and cheap it is to borrow non-books from the library and was very impressed with the collection of movies and music available. What sort of things would you borrow from a library?

Reader's Advisory for Ernest Hemingway

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:43:00 +0000

As one of my favorite authors I thought I would create a list based on what Ernest Hemingway would like to read. Writing in simple sentences with heavy undertones Hemingway is moved by stories of men who must test their virtues. Notions of courage and honor as well as cowardliness and infidelity are often feature plot lines. Morbidity and death are also addressed by Hemingway. Romance is common but from a males perspective such that his descriptions aren't sappy they are cold and direct but still manage to tingle the female reader. Being an avid hunter and fisher many of his stories derive from his experiences. This is also the case concerning his war themed stories as he was an ambulance driver for the Red Cross during WWI. His writings are also reflective of his ex-expatriate status and circle of friends, having spent much time in Europe and Cuba throughout his life. Based on his own life experiences and the types of things he liked to write about I've selected five stories. I mainly used Guys Read and Worldcat.org Genres to find my selections.

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson (2008)

A beautifully written novel discussing growing older (facing death) and coming to terms with one's past, this novel would be a favorite of Hemingway. The writing is simple and descriptive with heavy undertones. Much of the plot is based on the main character's memory of his strong father and the realizations of his imperfections. Also Hemingway did a good job of describing the scenery as does Petterson, making you feel like you are sitting in the woods of Norway or mountains of Spain.

Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (1968)

Hemingway's penchant for war stories and battles with courage would surely put the Red Badge of Courage at the top of his list. Additionally, the author's ability to convey the impact of war upon one's psychological state is a trait well-developed by Hemingway as well.

Ugly American by Eugene Burdick and William J. Lederer (1958)

This collection of short stories provides humorous yet pointed descriptions of Americans abroad and specifically in Southeast Asia during the cold war era. Hemingway's travels, concerns over American foreign policy and love of Cuba would make this a great addition to his collection.

The Whole Sky is Full of Stars by Rene Saldana (2007)

This is the story of a young male who lost his father and now must face manhood on his own. With a boxing competition, underhanded backroom dealings, along with coming-of-age tribulations this story would surely catch Hemingway's attention.

Black Dogs by Ian McEwan (1992)

McEwan's noted abilities are not unlike Hemingway's in their ability to create simplistic yet suspenseful prose. Black Dogs focuses upon matters of the heart intertwined with the realities of the world, concepts Hemingway explores thoroughly in For Whom the Bell Tolls. The French country side setting during WWII would also attract Hemingway.

Green's 1876 look at the profession

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 19:25:00 +0000

I recently read an article for class entitled, "The Personal Relationship between Librarian and Reader" from an 1876 public librarian. It provides a nostalgic and interesting look at how the role of reference librarian was established. The public librarian attempts to argue the importance of mingling among librarians and readers to best serve the needs of the community. He states, "The more freely a librarian mingles with readers, and the greater the amount of assistance he renders them, the more intense does the conviction of citizens, also, become, that the library is a useful institution, and the more willing do they grow to grant money in larger and larger sums to be used in buying books and employing additional assistants."

His description of a reference assistant gives insight into the political correctness of the time:

"Now, the policy advocated of freedom of intercourse between librarian and readers, when adopted in the conduct of these departments, does much to give efficiency to the efforts of the officers to get readers to take out wholesome books and such works as are adapted to their capacity and the grade of enlightenment to which they belong. It is a common practice, as we all know, for users of a library to ask the librarian or his assistants to select stories for them. I would have great use made of this disposition. Place in the circulating department one of the most accomplished persons in the corps of your assistants--some cultivated woman, for instance, who heartily enjoys works of the imagination, but whose taste is educated. She must be a person of pleasant manners, and -while of proper dignity, ready to unbend, and of social disposition. It is well if there is a vein of philanthropy in her composition. Instruct this assistant to consult with every person who asks for help in selecting books. This should not be her whole work; for work of this kind is best done when it has the appearance of being performed incidentally. Let the assistant, then, have some regular work, but such employment as she can at once lay aside when her aid is asked for in picking out books to read. I am confident that in some such way as this a great influence can be exerted in the direction of causing good books to be used."

http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/jrichardson/DIS220/personal.htm

Poem in your Pocket Day 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:59:00 +0000

Take a moment to enjoy a nice poem today...here are a couple of my favorites:

As You Go Through Life

Don’t look for the flaws as you go through life;
And even when you find them,
It is wise and kind to be somewhat blind
And look for the virtue behind them.
For the cloudiest night has a hint of light
Somewhere in its shadows hiding;
It is better by far to hunt for a star,
Than the spots on the sun abiding.

The current of life runs ever away
To the bosom of God’s great ocean.
Don’t set your force ‘gainst the river’s course
And think to alter its motion.
Don’t waste a curse on the universe –
Remember it lived before you.
Don’t butt at the storm with your puny form,
But bend and let it go o’er you.

The world will never adjust itself
To suit your whims to the letter.
Some things must go wrong your whole life long,
And the sooner you know it the better.
It is folly to fight with the Infinite,
And go under at last in the wrestle;
The wiser man shapes into God’s plan
As water shapes into a vessel.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Circle of Life

We are connected
one another, every moment,
every place, every cell,
every movement, every utterance
each action, reverberates
echoes, across time,
through space
splits, echoes back
in millions of waves
from different points
on the expanding sphere encircling
each speck, each tiny spot
each one of us, infinitesimal
members clinging to the web
for dear life

Raymond A. Foss

The Competitive Edge for Libraries

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 01:38:00 +0000

All the survey's say information seekers routinely turn to Google because its fast, simple and familiar. One of the reasons libraries have struggled to provide a definitive role in this new information jungle is their failure to adopt competitive strategies such as simple search results. Today's library users must navigate through a haggard collection of information silos scattered virtually across a website and physically across a building. In addition to selecting a silo the user must recall how to execute the search function for a variety of interfaces, some offering the full content others requiring additional tricks to discover the golden text.

While libraries diligently offer assistance in navigation and continually seek improvement of current information portals and traditional catalogs, much consternation is being wasted when really what we should be doing is uniting behind a common interface and search mechanism for the entirety of a library collection. WorldCat offers the size and scale needed to compete and as Mark Dahl (2009, 7) highlights " With WorldCat.org, OCLC takes a lesson from Google and Amazon and understands that Web scale matters. In order for library content to be noticed on the Web, it needs to be presented by a global player, not in a diluted fashion from thousands of separately managed library catalogs."

By adopting a standard interface such as WorldCat, libraries can offer conventional search features much in the same way as Google and provide well created metadata for everyone on the web Libraries benefit from mimicking strategies of their competitor but at the same time enhancing that which must be their core competency: providing quality descriptive metadata and facilitating understanding of it.

While others may have lost faith in the role of libraries in my own experience I can still identify the necessity and importance of providing access to information and information literacy instruction to the public. There must always be an alternative organization offering access to proprietary information resources and offering assistance in making sense of it all.

Libraries adopting standard virtual spaces and forming networks at the size allowable with today’s technology would mean increased satisfaction rates for constituents and increased buying power with vendors. The ability to provide specialized collections through libraries which are searched again in a familiar manner will also strengthen the competencies of libraries.

Libraries failed to recognize the changing modes of information production and lost their comparative advantages to innovative business models and competencies such as those offered by Google. The slow and at times moralistic fight against adoption of new modes has left the library at a disadvantage. However recognition of core competencies in accordance with the changing information environment could provide the competitive edge libraries need.

Dahl, Mark. 2009. The Evolution of Library Discovery Systems in the Web Environment. Oregon Library Association Quarterly 15(1): 5-9

Full Circle - Why we do it

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:03:00 +0000

Wow so I just wrapped up another session with my new volunteer. She's just getting started in community college and is helping out in the library to gain volunteer hours for the Tulsa Achieves project. So far I think its going to be a great opportunity for us to learn from one another. She's helping with tasks like shelf reading and weeding. Meanwhile I'm helping her get trained up on computer and information literacy with hopes she might be able to help us teach other students and better understand how students use the library. Today she went through some Word and Ebscohost tutorials and then wrote up a little review. I must say I almost cried upon reading it. How awesome to see it from her point of view and to see her learning! Yay its all coming full-circle this is why we do it!

Libraries and Competitive Intelligence

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:21:00 +0000

In my recent class discussion regarding the differences between strategic intelligence, and competitive intelligence, the statement that libraries should act like businesses reminded me of why they are not, but how they can make use of knowledge management tactics for decision-making.

Strategic Intelligence most accurately describes a information related to the plan of action of competitors (i.e. basis for decision-making). Competitive intelligence seems to be a more codified approach to gathering and making-use of information to make one more competitive. Codified in the sense that clear ethics are defined and policies adhering to best practices for CI are implemented. Because strategic intelligence is often invoked in a National security setting, realist principles of behaving dominate at times blurring the boundaries of ethics.

In regards to the library an important reason why it is not run like a business is its role as providing accessing to information. While a public library may supplement its funding through books sales, and community fundraising, decision-making cannot be based on a profit motive. The same is even more true for academic libraries where knowledge generation is the priority. Because places like Barnes and Noble or Blockbuster may at times censor certain materials to acquiesce to shareholders acting like a business is not always desirable. After all a library as an arsenal of liberty cannot be beholden to corporate interests.

A library however can embrace the benefits of CI through understanding market forces and positioning the institution in a favorable manner. An example in which the library world needs to be most aware of the political, social, and economic factors affecting the progress of libraries is evident in the case of Google. Libraries as others have stated, should have long-ago sought to offer an alternative to the dominance of one corporation in control of the worlds information. Libraries have the ability to organize and coordinate efforts to ensure access to information whether it is digital or not. As we move forward academic libraries must be front runners in understanding how information is collected, organized, and decimated as this is their business and must seek to learn from the success of other competitors such as Google.

Librarians must realize it behoves us to market ourselves as information brokers. In addition to fulfilling the role as an alternative to a single corporation providing all access to information, we must realize our importance of information professionals in giving context to and making sense of the information.

Before the onslaught of technology the general public agreed libraries serve the public good by offering this access. This sentiment must be invoked once again to understand the monumentous but essential task of continuing to provide that access as well as making sense of the never-ending information flow.

Nerd Fest 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:10:00 +0000

These last two days have exposed me to so much nerdom I feared whatever trace of coolness I had left would disappears never to return. Then again I've really enjoyed seeing nerds in their native environment and realize I wasn't so different but that was okay. Thursday night I went to see MC Chris with my best friend Catherine. The lyrical styling of MC Chris is of the Nerd Core hip-hop genre. Generally rapping about that which nerds find cool like comic books and video games.

The show was great, but with an interesting mix of teenie boopers sporting their hoodies and super-hero tees. The openers also followed this genre with the Nintendo rock group I Fight Dragons and a rap/punk rock trio named Whole Wheat Bread. Catherine bought me a t-shirt and after the show MC Chris signed it...as I told him I was a librarian...to which he replied "awesome very awesome" and thought "another crazy."

The next day I attended Tulsa Tech Fest 2009. Which was a total grown-up nerd fest. There were hundreds of people but probably only ten females. This made for an interesting day as the restrooms were never busy and gathering the attention of everyone in the room was an easy task. Really this was a great event, free aside from the two cans of food you had to donate. A pizza lunch was provided and there were a ton of "door prizes." I was amazed by the difference in funding where corporations have something to gain out of the event aside from the tax right-off. I learned a lot and enjoyed being around other techies which makes me realize what a nerd I really am. I can't help it, I love seeing the latest trends in tech software and hardware. Windows 7 Surface Touch Pack demonstrated their newest applications, which involved a young hipster who as design manage for Surface held a dream job of many in the audience. Overall good times and really Nerd is the new black!

My Julia Child Cliche

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:44:00 +0000

So I've been on a Julia Child kick lately and today I got very cliche. I watched Julie and Julia with my mom a few weeks ago and we both really enjoyed it. We love Julia Child and Amy Adams (although her character left more to be desired). The day we went to see the movie my mom brought me a first edition of Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. In order to acquire the book, she hid it behind the shelves of the used bookstore until she could purchase it at a later time! She said it was for my birthday (which is in December and it was summertime) either way it was a really nice gift. I'm now reading the book the movie was based on...and so on and so on.

Tonight while grocery shopping I decided to pick up some leeks and potatoes having thought earlier how cool it is to create something out of so few ingredients. This is of course the first recipe in the book. I wonder if Julie really serendipitously came upon those ingredients or if it just worked well for the beginning of her book. Either way it sounded simple and tasty to me.

I picked up a couple of Idaho potatoes and some leeks. Chopped it all up, cut my finger once, called my mom to confirm what the tender green part of the leek really included, placed in pan, added filtered water, and some salt. I then let it cook for 45 minutes and resisted adding other ingredients (just a little garlic, maybe some chicken bouillon (my mom had a great suggestion of bacon)). When 45 minutes had passed I took my crank egg beater and gave it a beating. Worked well.

I added butter, pepper and more salt. After a few tastes in it is purity, I gave-in and added some shredded cheese and more salt. This time smoked Alder wood salt which just happens to make everything better. I also added a few plain lays potato chips and pondered the risk of mad potato disease. Sitting down to eat, I had a great dish at hand, and only had to fight one cat for bites.

Church of Google and Information Seeking Lesson Learned

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:27:00 +0000

Church of Google

HA! Wow this site makes me laugh but I must admit I've sounded like a fanatic myself at times. Mainly I appreciate the information organization and communication tools offered by Google such as email, chat, calendar, documents, reader, and blog. Also there are very cool things going on with Google FastFlip, Google Health, and Google Wave. I do fear repercussions from becoming so dependent upon one corporation but so far so good ? :S

Information Seeking: Google is not God

While it seems one only has to rely upon Google to acquire all information needed this is not the case. Ultimately you have to rely on all sorts of information sources to successfully complete research. At times Google is helpful but cannot be relied upon solely. There are much savvier ways of searching the net that many in the general public are not familiar with. This is where information professional come in handy. I'd like to design a web search strategies workshop but I have a lot to learn myself.

The other day I spent an hour with a student researching an amendment for a recent bill being debated in congress. We were making use of Thomas a Library of Congress database for federal legislative information, but it is complex with many types of information being archived. We went back and forth from news stories found on the web providing some overview to the Thomas database trying to identify the exact text in this proposed amendment.

I found the Thomas database, by the way, from doing a keyword search to "matthew shepard hate crime prevention act" and finding the link in a Wikipedia article. The student didn't see me do this at first and then she was like, "how'd you get there(Thomas)" and I'm like "ah I'm not telling." Because you don't want students thinking that's the "be all to end all" resource. I told her eventually, but showed her how I accessed the much more legitimate database.

At the end of the hour all we had located was a new story discussing how the bill had passed but this particular amendment dealing with the death penalty had not. After the student was gone I realized Thomas had pretty advanced search options and I was able to take the senator's name (learned from the last article) and search by that and the type "amendment" along with keywords "death penalty" and located the specific text of the amendment. Regardless the student was gone and I didn't even know her name. While I am glad to know about such a great resource for federal legislation and how to search it, I wish I would have been able to do so when the student was there (and not immediately jumped to keyword searching as has become so habitual). I also wonder how much of it should be left up to her to discover.

Libraries and Censorship

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:52:00 +0000

A poster hanging across from my desk reads, "Libraries are the second defense of freedom. Reading is the first!" The founding fathers, well aware of the danger of censorship and tyranny, promoted rights such as freedom of expression and religion. Democracies are dependent upon the free exchange of ideas so that the greater good may arise. Institutions which provide unbiased access to unbiased materials are essential to the free exchange of ideas. Libraries, positioned away from profit motives, came to serve this purpose and over time established principles guided by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Freedom of speech grants authors and publishers the right to produce literary works of expression (Rubin 2004, 187). In addition to expressing oneself freely the First Amendment also entails the ability to receive a diverse set of view points. The goal of libraries is to create policies which support this intellectual freedom. Various personal, social, professional obligations tend to restrict or increase access to information. As a result the American Library Association established policies to provide guidance and reduce these pressures. In 1939 the ALA adopted the Library Bill of Rights to ensure the development of diverse and unrestricted library collections (Rubin 2004).

Libraries are charged with providing access to the flow of information while librarians must guard against censorship. It is not the responsibility of a librarian to decide what is true and useful; rather it is the responsibility of a librarian to ensure non-useful falsities are also included in the flow. It is up to individuals to debate the validity of the information and decide what is right. Swan (1986, 52) states, "The knowledge of truth and the knowledge of untruth, like the knowledge of good and evil, are indissolubly joined. Our cause, professionally and politically, is with both of them."

Rubin, Richard. 2004. Foundations of Library and Information Science. New York: Neil-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

Swan, John. 1986. Untruth or Consequences. Library Journal 111(12): 44-52, via Ebsco (accessed April 23, 2009).

READ.KNOW.SPEAK

Precautionary Principle

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:14:00 +0000

As I drive by "Cancer Center's of America" their flashing sign really makes me consider the medical industrial complex. Advertisements for such places make cancer treatment sound like a blue light special at the Kmart. With all the marketing that goes on cancer treatment must be big business and therefore why would anyone in that industry want to prevent cancer. Most corporations big and small in the United States focus solely on the bottom-line and frankly the business of cancer prevention just does not pay as well as cancer treatment. Other parts of the world embrace the Precautionary Principle, which promotes the idea of proving something is safe prior to its release in the world. This means manufacturing processes and resulting end products are conducted in manners proven safe to humans rather than waiting until millions are diagnosed with incurable cancer. If we in the United States embraced this idea, cancer treatment would not be a growth industry but rather a last resort measure for the few unfortunate in which cancer was not preventable.

A good movie highlighting the harmful effects of the chemical industry is Blue Vinyl

Glance at Oklahoma from the Past

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:15:00 +0000

Here is a great quote from one of the first field guides on Oklahoma, Washington Irving's Prairie Sketches.

In the often vaunted regions of the Far West, several hundred miles
beyond the Mississippi, extends a vast tract of uninhabited country, where
there is neither to be seen the log house of the white man, nor the
wigwam of the Indian. It consists of great grassy plains, interspersed with
forests and groves, and clumps of trees, and watered by the Arkansas,
the grand Canadian, the Red River, and all their tributary streams. Over
these fertile and verdant wastes still roam the Elk, the Buffalo, and wild
horse, in all their native freedom. (Irving, 1835)

Information Broker

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:10:00 +0000

My experience with reference assistance in a community college setting has led me to consider the task of information broker. Many students find struggle to successfully find information via library resources and will turn to Google options instead. Fortunately many do seek assistance from library professionals who typically guide the student in use of information retrieval systems. At times it seems more appropriate to asses what sort of information package the student is seeking and do the majority of searching for them. Providing them with several options so as to best approximate their needs. This enhances the valued-added services provided by librarians, and aligns with expectations of digital natives. While enabling lazy tendencies among searchers many not be desirable, providing it as an alternative when students feel they have exhausted their skills is not a bad thing. Acting as an information broker just might be the answer for an information overloaded society.

Responsibilities of librarians concerning access and diversity

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 19:04:00 +0000

Friday I attended the Community of Oklahoma Instruction Librarians (COIL) unConference at NSU, Muskogee where the focus was upon "Participatory learning in the age of the unengaged." One workshop was very thought provoking as the presenter described the use of controversial topics to promote information literacy. He began by explaining how not being from Oklahoma he found many of the laws and attitudes narrow minded and discriminatory. Specifically he spoke of the concealed weapons law which keeps making an appearance in the Oklahoma Legislature. The use of a "hot topic" immediately engaged the students but also brought to bare the place of bias teaching. He suggested librarians should not be afraid to show their views as attempting to be neutral may backfire. Of course overall he emphasized the need to instruct students on the use of legitimate sources, such that it did not matter which side you took so long as you could back it up. His presentation engaged the participants and created its own controversy. Interestingly he broke us up into pros/cons and we had to develop points. One of the women in my group stated, "I'm so pro on this I can't even think of a con." I felt that discouraging since being information literate means being able to consider all sides. At one point in his presentation she turned to me and said, "if he doesn't like it here, why doesn't he just leave." paraphrasing..."those of us born here like it this way." To which I replied, "well I was born here and I agree with him." She pretty much said I needed to find my way out too then! She did suggest that in her own teaching she discourages "redneck papers" and while she may let it be known her view she leaves it up to the students to make their own judgments by instructing on valid sources. My blood pressure was rising this entire time but also made me realize the need to speak peacefully about controversial views and how being intolerant towards intolerance is just as bad. Bringing this back to my responsibilities/obligations this experience reminded me of the need to assist students in finding a wide array of legitimate information sources regardless of their views. If I were in a position of collection development I must also ensure I included books like "Glen Beck's Common Sense" right along with "A People's History of the United States." In the words of John Swan (1986),“The knowledge of truth and the knowledge of untruth, like the knowledge of good and evil, are indissolubly joined. Our cause, professionally and politically, is with both of them”

Waiting

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:26:00 +0000

Waiting always fretting. Thinking there should be more when alas there is none. Hearing explicitness, nullifying wonderment. Believing specialness to be applied only to the gilded when in fact the bark of the tree is more special and free. Only once the drizzle of rain upon the window becomes the focus will waiting be content.

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:37:00 +0000

Chicago Manual of Style...you're not that special.

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:49:00 +0000

Got to love small town Oklahoma.

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:09:00 +0000

check out this awesome website featuring really old and famous books from the British Library http://ping.fm/MRrf3

Documentation of Culture

noreply@blogger.com (Cyborg Librarian) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:35:00 +0000

Websites such as ibiblio and the Internet Archive have a positive impact on the sharing of information and knowledge creation. It allows for the organic documentation of culture. The preservation and cataloging of information on the internet by a mutlitude of users including professionals and amateurs is an on-going experiment that shows many positive potentials. Previously history was written by the winner and the dominating society often destroyed information of the people they conquered. Allowing anyone with internet access an opportunity to document and index anything could result in the creation of a repository reflective of humanity and not just the privileged few. Downfalls of such a movement include the confusion generated from shear amounts of information along with issues related to validity and origins. Considerations of the quality of infrastructure and maintenance of such archives is important. Nonetheless just as cultural artifacts and products of folklore provide informal insight into civilizaition, public libraries and archives provide valuable content. These types of depositories offer an egalitarian approach to the preservation of knowledge in a way not previously achievable.