I have to admit that I was not really sure what to expect when I first joined the MLIS program at Wayne State. I had a specific goal in mind, and that was to be an archivist. This course only briefly touched on the role of archivist, but I learned much more about what it means to be an LIS professional. I learned a lot about the possibilities that an MLIS could afford me once I finish. I also learned that if I want to get a job, I will need to get a lot of hands on experience. Time and again it was shown to me that what I learn today will most likely be obsolete by the time I finish. However, knowing where those processes and procedures started, will help be better understand where they are when I start my job. They will also help me better to create my own path in the LIS profession.
I also have to admit that I thought of librarians and archivists as working alone. I thought that it would be a solitary job. It does not bother me to work with others though, and I was happy to see that I was wrong about the solitary nature of the job. I found out that librarians and archivist have many social interactions in their jobs and with their colleagues. All LIS professionals should strive to be an active member of the communities that they belong to. It is through their interactions that LIS professionals will find out how to best serve the communities that they work in. Which is something that I think all of us in our class agreed was important.
I was happy to find out that my love of teaching would be something that I could still pursue as an LIS professional. As a librarian and archivist, my job is not just to save history. My job is also to make it available and more usable to my patrons. My job as an LIS professional is to continue to instill in others a love of learning, and to help provide them with all of the materials they need to continue to explore the world in which we live.
As an LIS professional I will have many challenges ahead. I will have to struggle with ethical questions that will challenge me on a career, spiritual, and human level. I will have to dedicate myself to staying abreast of new changes in technology, and try to adapt each to help me in my job. I will have to deal with changes in public attitudes towards my efforts to save history, and struggle with finding funding to support those efforts. I will have to find ways to work with my colleagues and the communities I find myself.
Nothing will be easy, but I have never been one to walk the easy path before. I love to be challenged, and I can see being an LIS professional as a noble challenge. My love of history and my love of sharing knowledge will keep me steady on my path. I end this class looking forward to my next steps, and though I may go slower than many of my classmates, I know I will reach the end. I will not race to the end of my degree because I know even the end of my degree will not be the end of my learning in the LIS field. When I get my MLIS, I will just enter into a new phase, that has a new footnote to my abilities. The challenges will keep coming, and I will keep looking forward to the next challenge.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
ListServ- The Archives and Archivist (A&A) List
I
had never really been apart of a listserv before I joined the LIS
listserv for Wayne State. When this journal assignment asked us to join a
listserv that was outside of Wayne State, I expected to find many of
the same types of posts. I joined the Archives and Archivist (A&A)
List that is sponsored by the Society of American Archivist
(http://www.archivists.org/listservs/change.asp),
and I found that it was quite similar to our own LIS listserv. The
only difference was that many more people were involved with the
listserv, and so the posts were happening more often. Just like any
listserv, the post topics included things like job posts, advice on
archival procedures, interesting stories, new publications, and
events. Over the past months a few posts have really stuck out in my
mind as being different than the LIS listserv, and I wanted to
discuss the importance of each.
On
December 7th , Peter Kurilecz (2014) posted to the
listserv a Huffington Post article titled
"The
Archivist's Dilemma: Q&A With Oddball Films' Stephen Parr"
(Nirenberg, 2014, December 5). This article struck me as important because it challenged my view of what I expected to do as an
archivist. Before reading the article I primarily thought of
archivists working for a museum, a university, or a corporation. Never
had I really thought that a person could start their own archive with
the purpose using it to help filmmakers with hard to find source
material. Though I do not really care to do an archive with old film
footage, it made me interested to see what other archives people are
creating on their own. Now I find myself thinking what really
interest me and how could I turn creating my own archive into a
profitable business as well.
On December 5th,
Trina Purcell (2014) posted to the listserv asking if anyone could
quickly translate some Japanese book covers for her. I thought this
was an interesting use of the listserv. Posting a question like this
to the listserv gives her access to a lot of archivist that may
people able to quickly help her. She could use a translator software,
but rarely are those completely accurate in their translations.
Having a knowledgeable person translate the books titles for her will
definitely be a better option, and since this is such a big list, it
is likely that she would get an answer. Within ten minutes of Trina's
original post, Elizabeth Walters (2014, December 5) answered her and
said she could help. It is great to see such a connected and helpful
community. Using the listserv can help professional get quick, and
reliable answer to important questions.
On November 20th,
Carey Stumm (2014) posted that she was trying to find an article on
the Office of Homeland Security tracking what archivist were
research. Melissa Gottwald (2014, November 20) quickly responded with
the article, but the article itself was really interesting
(Christian, 2006). The post and the subsequent article made me
realize how important contacts like this can be. Rather than an
archivist being surprised by a visit for the government, then
warnings like this can easily be distributed. Also, the more
knowledgeable the archivists are about struggles in their field, the
more able they are to deal with them as a group.
On November 7th,
I got a great example of the awesome resources that are passed along
through a listserv. Leon Miller (2014, November 7) posted about a new
blog that included letters from a young soldier in WWI (“From the
Somewhere”. This post is one that purely was of personal interest
to me, but it could also serve a purpose for me. If I ever decide to
go back to teaching history, I would love to include resources like
the letters in my lessons. It made me realize that I should join more
listservs simply on the off-chance that they may provide surprises
like this.
Works Cited
“From
Somewhere” [tumblr]. Retrieved from www.umarchives.tumblr.com
Gottwald,
Melissa. (2014, November 20). “Re: Homeland Security”.
[Listserv Post]
Retrieved
from: http://forums.archivists.org/read/messages?id=138889
Kurilecz,
Peter. (2014, December 7). “Fwd: The Archivist's Dilemma: Q&A
With Oddball Films' Stephen Parr”. [Listserv Post] Retrieved
from: http://forums.archivists.org/read/messages?id=139609#139609
Michelle,
Christian. (2006). “Archivist and the USA Patriot Act: Are We
Prepared?” Provenance 24(1), pg. 33-53. Retrieved from:
http://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/provenance/vol24/iss1/4
Miller,
Leon. (2014, November 7). “WWI Through the Eyes of Young Soldier”.
[Listserv Post]
Retrieved
from: http://forums.archivists.org/read/messages?id=138168
Nirenberg,
Michael. (December, 5). “The Archivist's Dilemma: Q&A With
Oddball Films' Stephen Parr”. Huffington Post. Retrieved
from:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-nirenberg/the-archivists-dilemma- qa_b_6273140.html
Purcell,
Trina. (2014, December 5) “Anyone Read Japanese?” Listserv Post]
Retrieved
from: http://forums.archivists.org/read/messages?id=139581
Stumm, Carey .(2014,
November 20). “Homeland Security”.
[Listserv Post]
Retrieved
from: http://forums.archivists.org/read/messages?id=138889
Walters,
Elizabeth. (2014, December 5) “Re: Anyone Read Japanese?”
Listserv Post]
Retrieved
from: http://forums.archivists.org/read/messages?id=139581
Monday, December 8, 2014
Blogging About Blogs
Before taking LIS 6010, I never really had attempted to create my own blog or even attempted to read others. When I was asked to create a blog and I saw that I had an assignment that included a post about others blogs, I felt that this assignment would give me some great insights into what a blog is, and what it can be about. I followed along with two blogs for the past month or so, and found that they were similar to what I was doing on my own.
One blog that caught my attention was the "Annoyed Librarian" (http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/page/2/).The Annoyed Librarian portrays each post as a venting session, but often also tells a story that shows a behind the scenes for librarians. At first I was a little scared that a librarian speaking so candidly could lead to trouble for the person behind the Annoyed Librarian. However, librarians are apart of the community that they work in, and their opinions are just as important at the patrons themselves.
The Annoyed Librarian voices their opinion on what is happening to libraries around the world. It may even be some sort of a tactic to deflect criticism on others to make about their own library. Several of her posts deal with misguided changes that are happening in libraries. The Annoyed Librarian attacked a Huffington Post article (Oct. 27, 2014), and mainly because the Annoyed Librarian felt the author was a fake. The Annoyed Librarian also seemed to attack herself, as well as others, in her post entitled "Tone It Down A Little" (Dec. 4, 2014). This post focused on the fact that librarians are excited to make exciting changes to their libraries, because they are afraid of a library being portrayed as boring. However, according to the Annoyed Librarian, boring might be what many patrons actually want from their library.
I like that the Annoyed Librarian gives a voice to librarians that seems more real. The Annoyed Librarian makes what is posted seem more fair in the willingness to not let anyone off the hook. The Annoyed Librarian labels every post as annoyed, and I think it is good to admit that. To pretend everything is okay, or to pretend that problems occur for libraries only from the outside, is to ignore many of the important changes that need to be addressed. Plus, I am sure it will be fun to compare my stories to the Annoyed Librarian on tough days for myself.
The other blog I followed over the course of the semester was "The Darling Librarian", which is written by Gwenyth Jones (http://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/search?updated-max=2014-10-26T15:18:00-04:00&max-results=7). Jones portrays a much happier side to being a librarian than the Annoyed Librarian, but that could have been deduced just from looking at their names. While the Annoyed Librarian will stray from library topics, for example her "A Little Boring is Sometimes a Good Thing" post on Thanksgiving and Ferguson (Dec. 1st, 2014), Jones has many more non-library posts. Over the past two months Jones' posts have covered parenting topics, cooking, technology, libraries and blogging.
Reading Jones' blog made me realize that you can kind of do whatever you want with your blog. Jones' blog is very flashy with lots of pictures, graphics, and videos. The Annoyed Librarian, perhaps portraying an annoyed persona, was minimalist in their approach. Each of their styles helped to portray the attitude that their blog was about. Also, each had their followers and their purpose. Each was focusing on the communities that they were servicing. Just as librarians themselves need to understand and adapt to the people that they are servicing.
Unfortunately for me during the class, but fortunately for me going into the future, Jones had a great post about "11 Reflective Blogging Tips and Ideas" (Dec. 7th, 2014). This post is one that most beginner bloggers should read. If you have already spent time on the Jones' blog none of it will surprise you, but each suggestion is one that made me feel more comfortable about being myself on my blog. Which is what I think the theme is of each of her suggestions. Jones even goes so far as to remind people that blogging is optional (Dec. 7th, 2014). No one, well okay maybe Dr. Maata Smith, makes you blog. So a person should only blog when they want to, and about what they want to. I hope to continue blogging, but I will do so without putting pressure on myself. Instead of focusing on what other people may want to read about on my blog, I will instead just focus on blogging about what I want to instead.
Blogs Cited
"Annoyed Librarian": http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/
Jones, Gwenyth "The Darling Librarian": http://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/
One blog that caught my attention was the "Annoyed Librarian" (http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/page/2/).The Annoyed Librarian portrays each post as a venting session, but often also tells a story that shows a behind the scenes for librarians. At first I was a little scared that a librarian speaking so candidly could lead to trouble for the person behind the Annoyed Librarian. However, librarians are apart of the community that they work in, and their opinions are just as important at the patrons themselves.
The Annoyed Librarian voices their opinion on what is happening to libraries around the world. It may even be some sort of a tactic to deflect criticism on others to make about their own library. Several of her posts deal with misguided changes that are happening in libraries. The Annoyed Librarian attacked a Huffington Post article (Oct. 27, 2014), and mainly because the Annoyed Librarian felt the author was a fake. The Annoyed Librarian also seemed to attack herself, as well as others, in her post entitled "Tone It Down A Little" (Dec. 4, 2014). This post focused on the fact that librarians are excited to make exciting changes to their libraries, because they are afraid of a library being portrayed as boring. However, according to the Annoyed Librarian, boring might be what many patrons actually want from their library.
I like that the Annoyed Librarian gives a voice to librarians that seems more real. The Annoyed Librarian makes what is posted seem more fair in the willingness to not let anyone off the hook. The Annoyed Librarian labels every post as annoyed, and I think it is good to admit that. To pretend everything is okay, or to pretend that problems occur for libraries only from the outside, is to ignore many of the important changes that need to be addressed. Plus, I am sure it will be fun to compare my stories to the Annoyed Librarian on tough days for myself.
The other blog I followed over the course of the semester was "The Darling Librarian", which is written by Gwenyth Jones (http://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/search?updated-max=2014-10-26T15:18:00-04:00&max-results=7). Jones portrays a much happier side to being a librarian than the Annoyed Librarian, but that could have been deduced just from looking at their names. While the Annoyed Librarian will stray from library topics, for example her "A Little Boring is Sometimes a Good Thing" post on Thanksgiving and Ferguson (Dec. 1st, 2014), Jones has many more non-library posts. Over the past two months Jones' posts have covered parenting topics, cooking, technology, libraries and blogging.
Reading Jones' blog made me realize that you can kind of do whatever you want with your blog. Jones' blog is very flashy with lots of pictures, graphics, and videos. The Annoyed Librarian, perhaps portraying an annoyed persona, was minimalist in their approach. Each of their styles helped to portray the attitude that their blog was about. Also, each had their followers and their purpose. Each was focusing on the communities that they were servicing. Just as librarians themselves need to understand and adapt to the people that they are servicing.
Unfortunately for me during the class, but fortunately for me going into the future, Jones had a great post about "11 Reflective Blogging Tips and Ideas" (Dec. 7th, 2014). This post is one that most beginner bloggers should read. If you have already spent time on the Jones' blog none of it will surprise you, but each suggestion is one that made me feel more comfortable about being myself on my blog. Which is what I think the theme is of each of her suggestions. Jones even goes so far as to remind people that blogging is optional (Dec. 7th, 2014). No one, well okay maybe Dr. Maata Smith, makes you blog. So a person should only blog when they want to, and about what they want to. I hope to continue blogging, but I will do so without putting pressure on myself. Instead of focusing on what other people may want to read about on my blog, I will instead just focus on blogging about what I want to instead.
Blogs Cited
"Annoyed Librarian": http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/
Jones, Gwenyth "The Darling Librarian": http://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Revisit Assumptions and Assertions about LIS
One assumption about the LIS profession that I never mentioned in the original or the mid-term post was that of what I thought that a library was. If you look up the definition of library it is defined as "a place where books, magazines, and other materials (such as videos and musical recordings) are available for people to use or borrow" (definition retrieved from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/library). When I started LIS 6010 that is all that I thought a library was, and I do not think that my view of library changed much over most of the semester. I think that is why I focused on the ALA ethics codes rather than this issues in the mid-term post. Now that I am seriously starting to challenge my thought of what a library is, or at least the traditional definition of a library.
I have always seen movies, music, and computers in public libraries growing up, and I considered them fringe additions to the heart of a book-centered library. Over the course of this semester I have learned more about the various services that are offered at libraries, like music courses, G.E.D. courses, interview skills, job skills, life skills, cooking class, programming classes, and maker spaces. As each new service has entered into the library realm, I kept saying to myself, "but a library is a place where books are kept." Surely, libraries will always have a place for books, or they will no longer be a library. However that may not be completely true in the future.
As we discussed maker spaces it was mentioned that one of the reasons why maker spaces were becoming more available was because books were being removed from the shelf and moved into digital format (The Future Libraries, n.d.). As a person who hates reading digital books, I had a depressing revelation that there might be a time in my life that books are no longer printed in physical form. There may be a time when libraries no longer have any books that you can go and borrow from them. The library may offer a digital service where you can borrow e-books, but that would not make it any different than some current internet sites.
Libraries seem to moving more towards spaces where people do not go to seek information, but go instead to apply information. Yes, people have always gone to libraries for some services that allow them to apply what they have learned, but more and more application of learning is being emphasized over the consumption of knowledge. It makes me wonder if in the future libraries will cease to exist and in its place we will instead have public innovation or application stations instead. If more information is available for free on the internet, then people will no longer need to go to a library to find that information. So will the library live on?
As mentioned before, libraries have always offered services beyond books, even though they were book centered. Public libraries have always been community centers, and the community aspect of libraries have been an important theme throughout our entire LIS 6010 course. The public/community space that a public library is will not be destroyed, and the need for it will be present for years to come. However, the traditional purpose of a library will vanish. I feel as those physical "libraries" will be a relic of the past in my lifetime. The internet will be "the library", and borrowing will be obsolete as the internet will contain unlimited and universal access.
I feel as though those who work in the future public community centers will be of a much more varied cast that will include mechanical, chemical, industrial, musical, and computer engineers that can effectively guide patrons in their application of the knowledge they gained from the library of the internet. Information professional will be more removed from the patrons and will work less with them. Their programs will focus on guiding the information to the patron, without any human contact.
It may be the spaces we call libraries today were misnamed from the beginning. It may be that while they often had books in them, their true purpose was something much more. It may also be that the name library will be still be applied to these community spaces, and instead the definition of a library will change. A library will go from a place that is a depot for information, to a place where information is applied in various ways under the instruction of a variety of professionals. I guess I will have to revisit this post years from now and see if it is true.
Works Cited
The Future Libraries . (n.d.). "Why Maker Spaces" [Blog Post]. Retrieved from http://thefuturelibrary6010.tumblr.com/
Works Cited
The Future Libraries . (n.d.). "Why Maker Spaces" [Blog Post]. Retrieved from http://thefuturelibrary6010.tumblr.com/
Technology Sandbox
A constant theme throughout our LIS 6010 class has been that we are LIS professional will constantly need to be evaluating, learning, and incorporating new technologies into our jobs. The technologies that we will use when are finished, probably have not even been created yet, but understanding how currently technology can be effectively used will give us a better understanding of those new technologies can be incorporated into our jobs. I will now go through and assess several different social media, Web 2.0, and other digital tools on their impact on the LIS profession.
Blogging
As an LIS professional blogging will have its important functions. I can use a blog to spread my ideas about my own profession, or I can search other professionals blogs to get my own ideas. I can use it to try to create interest in my artifacts, books, music, etc, that I am working with. I can suggest it to patrons to help them find the information that they need. An added bonus is that blogs are easy to set up and are almost always free to create or read.
Thus giving ample opportunities for all to participate. I can only really think of two downsides to blogs. First, getting people interested in your blog may prove a little difficult. There are so many blogs out there today, and people may have a hard time knowing that your blog exist, or may simply not have the time to fit one more blog into their daily reading schedule. The second is that it can be time consuming to keep the blog going. Once you get people interested in your blog, they are going to expect you to keep posting to it. People may start to lose interest if you post too infrequently.
Instagram/Snapchat
Instagram and Snapchat can serve important functions for an LIS professional, but they are still not that important because of their limitations. Both Instagram and Snapchat are image based which can be very eye catching to young patrons especially, but time and space consuming. In order to have pictures constantly being posted, so just like blogging and really all social media, people will need constant interaction to stay interested in your account for this. This means finding something interesting to take a picture of, taking the picture, storing the picture on some sort of hard drive, and then posting it. Monitoring responses to the picture may also be time consuming, as if the picture is public, anyone can post what they want as a comment.
Instagram and Snapchat strike me as great tools for advertising. If you work in a library and received a new shipment of young adult books, take a picture, post it, and wait for the patrons to arrive. If you work at a museum and students had a great time on their field trip, take a picture, post it, and wait for other schools to see how of an idea it is for them to take a field trip their as well. I do not think Instagram and Snapchat would be good as actual digital preservation tools, but I think that they offer great free public relations tools.
Facebook/Twitter/Other Social Networking
Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter offer text based public relations tools like Instagram and Snapchat, but can also function more effectively as communication tools as well. Groups can easily be formed on Facebook that connect patrons, professionals, students, and staff. Feedback on items, processes, procedures, software, and services, and materials can easily be gotten from maintaining a Facebook page. I have used Facebook extensively as a teacher and as an advisor and it has been very helpful. However, I have also noticed that the population on Facebook seems to be aging, and that the youth are switching to Twitter and Instagram instead. So while Facebook currently is useful, I see it becomes less so in the future.
Twitter limits tweets to 140 characters which can be frustrating and very limiting in the information one tweets, but the hashtag function allow for people to easily track "trends." Tracking trends could be very important to many information professionals, and could even be used by librarians when making choices about the books, videos, magazines, and music that they order for their library.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is probably one of the most important tools for LIS professionals today. Information is being moved from physical hard drives, CD/DVD's, and floppy disks to be stored in a a network of servers that help to disseminate and protect an institutions information. Cloud computing is a relatively cheap form of storage and allows for the data to be easily shared among different users. Patrons are becoming very comfortable with cloud computing as well as most modern phones, tablets, and computers are also using cloud storage.
While I think cloud storage is great and is better than any other current digital storage alternative, there are some negatives to its use. First, anything stored on a cloud can only be accessed if the person wishing to access it has an internet connection. Secondly, being that cloud networks are constantly connected to the internet, they can be vulnerable to cyber attacks. Lastly, there are some issues over copyrights and ownership of cloud materials that need to be sorted out.
Audio and Video Programs
Many LIS professionals seek to get out as much knowledge as they can to as many people as they can. Using the various audio and video programs can be great tools for doing this. Podcasts can be made to help give instructions, lectures, audio books, teleconferencing and much more. There are a plethora of cheap/free audio recording and transmission tools (Skype, Ventrilo, Google Chat, Audacity, and Garage Band to name a few). Creating and posting videos can be just as easy and can be used for similar means, especially if it is important to see what is happening for instructions. Youtube is the most popular video sharing site, but Vines are becoming more prominent as the Twitter of video sharing.
Not only are audio and video programs good for sharing information, but they can also be very important for the advertisement aspect that Instagram and Snap chat also afforded LIS professionals. By being able to post podcasts, videos, and other audio/visual material, LIS institutions can show off their services and skills. Once the public knows what they have to offer, they will be more likely to use the services provided by the LIS institution.
However audio and video programs also have some of the same issues as Instagram and Snapchat. Each podcast and video takes time and space to complete the entire process. Accessibility can be a problem as both audio and video downloads need strong internet connections to be used effectively. Copyright issues can come into play as to who owns the podcast and videos, and how they can be redistributed after being uploaded to a site for the public.
MAPS
Maps can be useful in many ways to LIS institutions. To begin with, using Google Maps or some other mapping program, LIS institutions can better direct patrons to their buildings. When giving information about other institutions or places that can further help their patron, they can once again use one of the digital mapping programs to help them reach their new destination. Books and artifacts can be connected to maps based upon where the story takes place or where they were created. Google maps allows people to explore the geography of the Earth and expand their knowledge of where things are in the world.
I would not say that maps are an essential part of the LIS profession, but they are simple to use and can be used as relatively easy by anyone with an internet connection. There is no real down side for them except for accessibility. They can be very beneficial, but there are more helpful tools such as audio/visual tools, cloud, and social network sites that I would think are more essential to LIS professionals today.
LinkedIn
I think LinkedIn is a tool that is important to LIS professionals as professionals, but is not necessarily important to them on an institutional level. Unless you are the person who is hiring an new LIS employee, LinkedIn is really just a tool to keep in touch with other professionals. It is generally not used a discussion or advertising tool in the way that other social networking sites are used.
I think that the most important Web 2.0 technologies that are in use today are those that help the LIS professional connect with their patrons. Almost all Web 2.0 technologies can achieve this, but some are better than others. For the time being I think Twitter and Facebook are important as social networking, but that soon Facebook will be replaced by something else or be pushed out by Twitter and Instagram. I think the use of audio/visual sites are incredibly important as more people are looking to the digital aspect of an LIS institution rather than the physical space. Using the audio/visual tools allows the LIS institution to give patrons a similar experience to an in-person visit, while the patron stays at home. Lastly, I think that the cloud is the next step in storage. I can see cloud storage as being a stable platform that will allow for many patrons to access even more information than before.
In my own LIS institution I would definitely embrace the Web 2.0 technologies. I do not see them as a fad, and I do not see them leaving anytime soon. While the main tool might change, for example Facebook being replaced by Twitter, people are constantly looking for ways to connect using the internet. To push aside Web 2.0 technologies would mean pushing aside many patrons, rather than embracing their need and want to connect with the institution through the internet.
Blogging
As an LIS professional blogging will have its important functions. I can use a blog to spread my ideas about my own profession, or I can search other professionals blogs to get my own ideas. I can use it to try to create interest in my artifacts, books, music, etc, that I am working with. I can suggest it to patrons to help them find the information that they need. An added bonus is that blogs are easy to set up and are almost always free to create or read.
Thus giving ample opportunities for all to participate. I can only really think of two downsides to blogs. First, getting people interested in your blog may prove a little difficult. There are so many blogs out there today, and people may have a hard time knowing that your blog exist, or may simply not have the time to fit one more blog into their daily reading schedule. The second is that it can be time consuming to keep the blog going. Once you get people interested in your blog, they are going to expect you to keep posting to it. People may start to lose interest if you post too infrequently.
Instagram/Snapchat
Instagram and Snapchat can serve important functions for an LIS professional, but they are still not that important because of their limitations. Both Instagram and Snapchat are image based which can be very eye catching to young patrons especially, but time and space consuming. In order to have pictures constantly being posted, so just like blogging and really all social media, people will need constant interaction to stay interested in your account for this. This means finding something interesting to take a picture of, taking the picture, storing the picture on some sort of hard drive, and then posting it. Monitoring responses to the picture may also be time consuming, as if the picture is public, anyone can post what they want as a comment.
Instagram and Snapchat strike me as great tools for advertising. If you work in a library and received a new shipment of young adult books, take a picture, post it, and wait for the patrons to arrive. If you work at a museum and students had a great time on their field trip, take a picture, post it, and wait for other schools to see how of an idea it is for them to take a field trip their as well. I do not think Instagram and Snapchat would be good as actual digital preservation tools, but I think that they offer great free public relations tools.
Facebook/Twitter/Other Social Networking
Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter offer text based public relations tools like Instagram and Snapchat, but can also function more effectively as communication tools as well. Groups can easily be formed on Facebook that connect patrons, professionals, students, and staff. Feedback on items, processes, procedures, software, and services, and materials can easily be gotten from maintaining a Facebook page. I have used Facebook extensively as a teacher and as an advisor and it has been very helpful. However, I have also noticed that the population on Facebook seems to be aging, and that the youth are switching to Twitter and Instagram instead. So while Facebook currently is useful, I see it becomes less so in the future.
Twitter limits tweets to 140 characters which can be frustrating and very limiting in the information one tweets, but the hashtag function allow for people to easily track "trends." Tracking trends could be very important to many information professionals, and could even be used by librarians when making choices about the books, videos, magazines, and music that they order for their library.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is probably one of the most important tools for LIS professionals today. Information is being moved from physical hard drives, CD/DVD's, and floppy disks to be stored in a a network of servers that help to disseminate and protect an institutions information. Cloud computing is a relatively cheap form of storage and allows for the data to be easily shared among different users. Patrons are becoming very comfortable with cloud computing as well as most modern phones, tablets, and computers are also using cloud storage.
While I think cloud storage is great and is better than any other current digital storage alternative, there are some negatives to its use. First, anything stored on a cloud can only be accessed if the person wishing to access it has an internet connection. Secondly, being that cloud networks are constantly connected to the internet, they can be vulnerable to cyber attacks. Lastly, there are some issues over copyrights and ownership of cloud materials that need to be sorted out.
Audio and Video Programs
Many LIS professionals seek to get out as much knowledge as they can to as many people as they can. Using the various audio and video programs can be great tools for doing this. Podcasts can be made to help give instructions, lectures, audio books, teleconferencing and much more. There are a plethora of cheap/free audio recording and transmission tools (Skype, Ventrilo, Google Chat, Audacity, and Garage Band to name a few). Creating and posting videos can be just as easy and can be used for similar means, especially if it is important to see what is happening for instructions. Youtube is the most popular video sharing site, but Vines are becoming more prominent as the Twitter of video sharing.
Not only are audio and video programs good for sharing information, but they can also be very important for the advertisement aspect that Instagram and Snap chat also afforded LIS professionals. By being able to post podcasts, videos, and other audio/visual material, LIS institutions can show off their services and skills. Once the public knows what they have to offer, they will be more likely to use the services provided by the LIS institution.
However audio and video programs also have some of the same issues as Instagram and Snapchat. Each podcast and video takes time and space to complete the entire process. Accessibility can be a problem as both audio and video downloads need strong internet connections to be used effectively. Copyright issues can come into play as to who owns the podcast and videos, and how they can be redistributed after being uploaded to a site for the public.
MAPS
Maps can be useful in many ways to LIS institutions. To begin with, using Google Maps or some other mapping program, LIS institutions can better direct patrons to their buildings. When giving information about other institutions or places that can further help their patron, they can once again use one of the digital mapping programs to help them reach their new destination. Books and artifacts can be connected to maps based upon where the story takes place or where they were created. Google maps allows people to explore the geography of the Earth and expand their knowledge of where things are in the world.
I would not say that maps are an essential part of the LIS profession, but they are simple to use and can be used as relatively easy by anyone with an internet connection. There is no real down side for them except for accessibility. They can be very beneficial, but there are more helpful tools such as audio/visual tools, cloud, and social network sites that I would think are more essential to LIS professionals today.
I think LinkedIn is a tool that is important to LIS professionals as professionals, but is not necessarily important to them on an institutional level. Unless you are the person who is hiring an new LIS employee, LinkedIn is really just a tool to keep in touch with other professionals. It is generally not used a discussion or advertising tool in the way that other social networking sites are used.
I think that the most important Web 2.0 technologies that are in use today are those that help the LIS professional connect with their patrons. Almost all Web 2.0 technologies can achieve this, but some are better than others. For the time being I think Twitter and Facebook are important as social networking, but that soon Facebook will be replaced by something else or be pushed out by Twitter and Instagram. I think the use of audio/visual sites are incredibly important as more people are looking to the digital aspect of an LIS institution rather than the physical space. Using the audio/visual tools allows the LIS institution to give patrons a similar experience to an in-person visit, while the patron stays at home. Lastly, I think that the cloud is the next step in storage. I can see cloud storage as being a stable platform that will allow for many patrons to access even more information than before.
In my own LIS institution I would definitely embrace the Web 2.0 technologies. I do not see them as a fad, and I do not see them leaving anytime soon. While the main tool might change, for example Facebook being replaced by Twitter, people are constantly looking for ways to connect using the internet. To push aside Web 2.0 technologies would mean pushing aside many patrons, rather than embracing their need and want to connect with the institution through the internet.
Comparative Analysis of Professional Journals
As students we are constantly seeking out new information that might help us learn important skills, insights, and knowledge about what we are studying. For this assignment we were encouraged to seek out two LIS journals to compare them, but I secretly suspect it was actually assigned to us so that we would begin exploring the various journals related to our field. No matter what the actual purpose of the assignment was, in the end I will have both compared the journals and become more knowledgeable about the wealth of literature that exists about the LIS field. The journals that I chose to compare were American Archivist and the School Library Journal. In our assignment we were challenged to pick two journals, and one being not in the field we intend to study. The American Archivist was an easy choice as I intend to purse a job in an archive, however, my history and love of teaching sometimes pulls me towards being a school librarian. Thus I chose the School Library Journal as my other journal. I found that they have many differences and few similarities, but both hold important places in the part of the LIS field that they cover.
The American Archivist journal was started in 1938 as an extension of the Society of American Archivist. American Archivist is a scholarly journal that produces two peer reviewed issues per year (Ulrich 2014). American Archivist issues contain informational essays on archivist practices and information on integrating archives with the rest of society, case studies produced by archivists, and reviews of books about the archival profession (Ulrich 2014). Subscriptions be either a online, in-print, or both. An individual gets access to one form of the journal for $169 and access to both forms for $199. Institutions get one form of access for $209 and both for $259.
The School Library Journal was started in 1954 as Junior Libraries, but changed its name to School Library Journal in 1961. The Library School Journal publishes an issues every month and focuses on issues facing school libraries (Ulrich 2014). The Library School Journal publishes stories on new techniques, technologies, and resources that can help school libraries. Information on how to increase literacy and how to integrate the school library into the classroom are also often topics for the journal. Book reviews of young adult literature are also included in every issue. A single subscription, which includes both print and online versions of the journal, can be found for $89. If a subscriber wants extra access to more reviews and resources they can pay to $130 for the upgraded subscription.
The American Archivist is just one branch of the Society of American Archivist association, and so not as much seems to be dedicated to it on the website for the American Archivist. Being that the American Archivist is a scholarly peer-reviewed publication, it seems almost as they take for granted that people respect the importance of it, that they do not need to add extras for it. They do have a social media presence, but that is more because the Society of American Archivist has that as an association. The Library School Journal, on the other hand, seems completely devoted to its journal. Which make sense because it is the whole of the entire operation. The Library School Journal website is filled with constant updates, post, and blogs specific to their journal, unlike the American Archivist. The Library School Journal seems to be more active in connecting to their subscribers, and even charge less, for more issues than the American Archivist. Though the Library School Journal may need to charge less as primary and secondary schools usually have smaller budgets than the colleges and museums that the American Archivist would be selling subscriptions to.
The American Archivist and the Library School Journal are also different in the audiences that they are trying to reach. The American Archivist focuses on those working in archivist positions, while the Library School Journal is focusing on school librarians. The differences in the websites could come from the different personalities of those working in primary and secondary school libraries compared to more scholarly archivists. It could also come from the more scholarly focus of the articles in peer-reviewed American Archivist than the more practical focus of the non-peer reviewed articles of the Library School Journal.
While I think both journals are important to their respective fields, it is interesting to see the differences in how each portrays their journal on their websites. The Society of American Archivist is a large organization that produces the American Archivist as a research and development arm of the archival field. It is a prestigious and peer reviewed article that portrays itself in a stuffy yet entitled manner. In contrast, the School Library Journal presents a more youthful, accessible, and energetic approach that is a perhaps a little more representative of their intended subscribers.
Works Cited
Ulrich's Web Global Series Directory. (2014).
Retrieved from: http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/?libCode=EYW
The School Library Journal was started in 1954 as Junior Libraries, but changed its name to School Library Journal in 1961. The Library School Journal publishes an issues every month and focuses on issues facing school libraries (Ulrich 2014). The Library School Journal publishes stories on new techniques, technologies, and resources that can help school libraries. Information on how to increase literacy and how to integrate the school library into the classroom are also often topics for the journal. Book reviews of young adult literature are also included in every issue. A single subscription, which includes both print and online versions of the journal, can be found for $89. If a subscriber wants extra access to more reviews and resources they can pay to $130 for the upgraded subscription.
The American Archivist is just one branch of the Society of American Archivist association, and so not as much seems to be dedicated to it on the website for the American Archivist. Being that the American Archivist is a scholarly peer-reviewed publication, it seems almost as they take for granted that people respect the importance of it, that they do not need to add extras for it. They do have a social media presence, but that is more because the Society of American Archivist has that as an association. The Library School Journal, on the other hand, seems completely devoted to its journal. Which make sense because it is the whole of the entire operation. The Library School Journal website is filled with constant updates, post, and blogs specific to their journal, unlike the American Archivist. The Library School Journal seems to be more active in connecting to their subscribers, and even charge less, for more issues than the American Archivist. Though the Library School Journal may need to charge less as primary and secondary schools usually have smaller budgets than the colleges and museums that the American Archivist would be selling subscriptions to.
The American Archivist and the Library School Journal are also different in the audiences that they are trying to reach. The American Archivist focuses on those working in archivist positions, while the Library School Journal is focusing on school librarians. The differences in the websites could come from the different personalities of those working in primary and secondary school libraries compared to more scholarly archivists. It could also come from the more scholarly focus of the articles in peer-reviewed American Archivist than the more practical focus of the non-peer reviewed articles of the Library School Journal.
While I think both journals are important to their respective fields, it is interesting to see the differences in how each portrays their journal on their websites. The Society of American Archivist is a large organization that produces the American Archivist as a research and development arm of the archival field. It is a prestigious and peer reviewed article that portrays itself in a stuffy yet entitled manner. In contrast, the School Library Journal presents a more youthful, accessible, and energetic approach that is a perhaps a little more representative of their intended subscribers.
Works Cited
Ulrich's Web Global Series Directory. (2014).
Retrieved from: http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/?libCode=EYW
Monday, November 3, 2014
Popcorn and a Movie
"The Hollywood Librarian" is a documentary film that covers the complete history of libraries and advocates for them as being an important part of society that must be kept in existence. It is filled with great interviews, film clips, and sound bites that elegantly get their point across with little sense of preaching to the viewer. While watching "The Hollywood Librarian" I feel as though the movie flowed between three different themes about libraries. The first theme was the importance of libraries, the second theme was cultural image of the library versus reality, and the third theme was the challenges that libraries face today. Each theme was important in its own right and helped to make the case to support libraries for as long as humans continue to exist.
The first theme of the importance of the library looks not only at its historical importance, but also its role in society as an equalizer. The documentary's section on Andrew Carnegie and his support of libraries helped to inspire the modern use of the library. Where as in the past a library was a place to store information and be used by the elite to help them in the research, those same enriching opportunities have now been passed on to the less fortunate. People, rich and poor, old and young, educated and illiterate, free or imprisoned, have benefited from the equalizing nature of free access to information. The use of the library has empowered many to educate themselves, to be innovative, to create wonderful works of art and literature, and to inspire others. Librarians are not only conduits for information, but are organizers and purveyors of information. Librarians are teachers and community organizers. Librarians and their libraries are symbols of a society and status, and they are a great benefit to the general good.
The importance of the library is proven time and again during the documentary, and even Hollywood even agrees to the importance of the library. Many characters find their power and their identity at the library or in the books that they get from the library. However, Hollywood has not been as kind to the librarians that are running the library. Hollywood often portrays librarians as shrewd, uptight, lonely, and introverted. When not being portrayed as such, they can be cast in a more demeaning manner as sex objects. Rarely are librarians cast as exciting or even common folk though. While it may be true that librarians are extraordinary people, it is not true that they are the detached and withdrawn shooshing disciplinarians that they are depicted in the media. Librarians are highly personable and have to have great interpersonal skills to be able to provide the multitude of services that libraries provide to help their communities. Instead of quieting their patrons, librarians are ever finding disruptive ways to give people the opportunity to advance their knowledge of the world. Libraries offer job training, music lessons, robot programming, gaming, and more to their communities. This documentary serves to portray a more correct and positive view of what it is to be a librarian.
The last theme of the movie is that while libraries are incredibly important, that while librarians are much more amazing then the media portrays them, that America's libraries are in danger of being defunded out of existence. Libraries in the late 1800's and early 1900's were funded by great philanthropic gifts by people like Andrew Carnegie, and later the government took responsibility for supporting libraries. Currently though, neither the philanthropist nor the government, are doing enough to keep these wonderful institutions alive. While libraries are not yet in a downfall, they may soon be if the attitude is that the government needs to spend more on prisons or wars, than it does on betterment of its society through public libraries. The movie does a good job of making one feel as though the current state of library funding is a great disservice to the American society, and that funding needs to be increased to keep the institutions that are the keepers of the flame ours and past civilizations.
After being in LIS 6010 there was not much that was surprising to me in the movie, but it would have been much more of an eye opener before I started this class. While in my own assumptions and assertions post at the beginning I focused on the importance of libraries, I did not really outline the difference in how the media portrayed libraries versus how they are in reality. I also never really touched on our even thought about the difficulties that libraries face. Which is odd as libraries face many of the same issues with funding as the public schools that I used to work in. I guess I just took it for granted that libraries would always be around. While I now fear that public schools could be replaced by charter and private schools, the same could be said of public libraries. I would also have to say that I now feel as though public schools and public libraries hold equal footing in my mind as being the most important institutions in a society. For each serves the general good of giving all the opportunity to reach their greatest potential. That goal of empowering others to be the best that they can be is why I wanted to be a teacher, and why now I am also drawn to the LIS profession as well.
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