Balancing Act

"The narrow path still leads, as it must, to crowded public rooms where the sunlight gleams on varnished tables, and knowledge is embodied in millions of dusty, crumbling, smelly, irreplaceable documents and books."--Anthony Grafton, author of "Future Reading: Digitization and its Discontents"

I couldn't say it better than Grafton did. His recent article in the New Yorker discusses the Google Libraries project and the possible consequences for information access. He makes many excellent points, specifically that paid access is going to widen the information gap. He also discusses the quality of information in digitization projects, both human and computer error are possible. In any record keeping, this is possible, but massive digitization could mean errors on a grand scale.

Technology is an excellent tool, but it cannot replace the feeling of leafing through an old first edition and wondering who else gleaned information from its pages. The computer cannot provide the same experience. Technology is amazing, but it cannot become our only record--the Internet has changed the lives of many, but it cannot provide for each and every information need. Balanced collections still need to have precedence in the practices of information professionals. To paraphrase Grafton and quote a famous poet, "The road less travelled by" is the one we should take in the digital age if we want to have the most informed view of information.

Tales of the Receipt

Riley Harmon, an OU student, is engaging in some personal cataloging. As part of a project for class, Riley is chronicling his life by keeping his receipts and posting them online. He writes short comments that tell the reader something about what he was doing that day or at the time of purchase. An article in this weeks Oklahoma Gazette by Allison Meier tipped me off to Riley's website. This project is a spectacular, off-the-cuff look at personal records. It made me think about what I buy and have bought--would I want to keep my receipts? Would I display them online? Do I want people to know that I tried Sonic's new Whoppers shake for lunch or the reason I stopped by CVS last night? Maybe not, but Riley's website does make for some extreme and often humorous reading. This is a whole new twist on journaling. What I love is the quote from his homepage, "I am a 2o year old with hopes, dreams, and a Visa Check Card." Way to go, Riley. I hope this project is a huge success!!! Here's the link the Riley's site for those of you who want to see this yourselves: http://proofpurchase.com/

The ESP addiction

I am not much of a gamer. When I was seven, I would get what my parents called Nintendo thumb from playing Mario Brothers at the next-door-neighbors for hours at a time. I loved it simply because we did not have a Nintendo system at my house. My real passion was, and has always been reading. I don't even like to play solitaire online. Although, online Jeopardy is okay. As part of an assignment this week, we were asked to play the ESP game. I thought that I probably wouldn't like it, but I logged on anyway.

The challenge in the game is that you don't know who your partnered with or what they're thinking. It makes you realize how subjective cataloging could be because it takes a while to come up with the same label, if it happens at all. The other element is that the game is timed so you want to get as many matches as you can before you have to start over. I played for over an hour last night just to see if I could establish a rhythm--think outside the box. Sometimes the most off-the-wall images in the picture provided a match. It was at times mildly frustrating, but I loved the randomness of this game. When you hit the same wavelength with someone you don't even know, it's rewarding.

Check it out:

http://www.espgame.org/

Perspective

When I decided to go to library school, I had finished my English education degree the year before. I had a hard time learning to look at information from a different perspective. I was definitely used to interrupting the author's meaning from his or his words, but somehow trying to define what information actually was wasn't as exciting for me. When we started studying how people see information differently and how they seek it, I found something I wanted to know more about. When we talked about user needs, wants, gatekeepers and information pathways I was hooked.

Recently, I went back and reviewed papers and materials from my first classes. I reread articles which made so much more sense to me now. My perspective changed. I know understand the importance of information rights and of explaining concepts so patrons can understand them. For me, the importance of being a librarian is not about defining information itself, but making it available for people to define for themselves.

WIKI Ideas

As part of our class, we are required to post to a wiki having to do with libraries. I think I would like to do something on library instruction, particularly how it is useful to college students. After a recent conversation I had with a professor about library instruction sessions being "boring", I wondered if students benefit from library instruction and in what ways.

I think students would benefit if they are engaged in the topic being explored. Asking students to suggest topics might be a good way to have them share interest in what is being taught.

Library instruction also depends on how computer literate students are since we often teach them to use the database. A quick show of hands about how many people are comfortable accessing basic web pages could tell the librarian how to proceed with the session. One on one instruction might be more beneficial for some students. Librarians should make this service available if possible.

Librarians should ask what makes students uncomfortable with searching or what they look for when searching. I find many students I work with employ Zipf's principle of Least Effort.

Being friendly goes a long way. Students listen better to those who seem to have their best interest at heart.

I realize I am not being groundbreaking here, but I think basic costumer service goes a long way in service the college population.

Toddlers and Information Access

My sister and her husband are expecting in early April. As a result, this future Aunt is paying attention to toy commercials in an effort to spoil the new baby. One toy on the market that caught my eye is the Fisher-Price Easy-Link Internet Launch Pad. While it will be a few years before my niece or nephew explores the Internet, this tool provides controlled Internet access to the very young. By placing a figurine of their favorite character (Elmo, Thomas the Tank Engine, Dora, etc.) into a specialized slot on the launch pad, a child can access the site that corresponds with that character. The selling point is that kids can access their favorite site without messing with mom and dad's files or the whole of the Internet.

Ten years ago, kids I babysat (ages three and five at the time) could use the VCR and start a CD-ROM of their favorite computer game. With computer skills becoming more and more essential to daily life, I can see vast marketability for this concept. Most parents want their toddlers to learn about computers as much as them to practice writing with crayons or to "read" their favorite books. While I hope parents don't leave their child's early education up to the computer or Fisher Price, I think this is a fun, inexpensive way for parents to introduce their children to information access on the Internet.

Here's a link to Toys 'R US in case you're interested: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2678325&cp#prod_prodinfo