The Long-Haired Librarian

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED...

2007-03-21T09:14:00.000-04:00

... to ilit.wordpress.com/

Information Literacy Misinterpreted Again

2007-01-22T10:43:00.000-04:00

This article from The Washington Post came in through a library list serv. The author, an independent school librarian, laments over his students' lack of interest in reading. His attempts at piquing their interest with eye-catching posters and displays seems only to get the students halfway: watching the film version of the classic tale as opposed to reading the novel.

I agree with the author's assertion that students aren't interested in reading, and I have some very good reasons to agree. Other than personal observations from the reference desk and the Reading at Risk study, the National Freshman Attitudes report suggests that this trend continues from secondary school to college. I also communicate with some local school librarians who are very passionate about what they do and how they help their students become independent, lifelong learners. It's by talking with these librarians and my efforts to create a dialog between school and academic librarians that I've found a fundamental misunderstanding stagnating information literacy progress.

"Information Literacy " is currently a buzzword in the field of library science. But some librarians equate it, as this author does, to "mastering computer skills, not promoting a love of reading and books." While not completely inaccurate, this is a a gross paraphrase which leaves out the most important piece of information literacy.

Information literate people have mastered computer skills because those skills are crucial to retrieving even books (via the online card catalog). From observations and research we know that students can use computers effectively. These students have been exposed to computers from childhood and are masters of the mouse, keyboard and Internet. They may struggle with database searching at the start, but most "get it" with some practical experience. The fundamental skill information literacy instructors are trying to teach is, “Why/when should one use a database or a book or the Internet or consult with an information professional (librarian or otherwise).” We are not discouraging the use of ANY resource, rather we're trying to teach the students to consider their research options and evaluate ALL resources before using them to satisfy an information need. The root of information literacy is a new form of critical thinking that gets students to consider the research process. It is less hands on, and more theoretical than some librarians' definitions. We're not just re-naming bibliographic instruction or "library" instruction here...information literacy as a whole is a core competency that is getting more and more attention by organizations that can make a difference in its implementation in education in both primary and secondary schools and colleges.

I hear my librarians and faculty complain that students aren't using good sources (books, journals, magazines, newspapers), and they're saying the same things as school librarians and teachers. AASL and ACRL standards are eerily similar but the differences can create vast misunderstandings. So let's get on the same page with defining information literacy. I started a “Sister Libraries” project to do just that. Any support, criticism, or feedback about this project is welcome.

Library Website Hall of Fame

2007-01-10T10:57:00.000-04:00

While there's no methodology for the acceptance into the Library Website Hall of Fame (it is a wiki), there are some very attractive designs here with some very innovative uses of technology. I'll be brining this to the attention of my colleagues who are working on redesigning my library's web presence.

LetsPowWow

2006-12-15T16:10:00.001-04:00

I just had a virtual meeting today with a colleague using LetsPowWow. This is a free downloadable app. It has a chat window thats very much like an IM client like AIM, but what makes this free tool really cool is it's ability for one user (of the up to 10 users) to give over control of his or her desktop. This was especially helpful to this meeting because my colleague and I were discussing graphic design elements of library signage and posters.

The only thing I wish LetsPowWow had is voip ability. With two people it wasn't necessary, but in a larger group the IM text could get overwhelming rapidly.

Winging It

2006-12-07T11:29:00.000-04:00

With the increasing pressure from accrediting bodies and now the federal government to focus on measuring student learning it is becoming more important for instruction librarians to perhaps reconsider their teaching models.

Is a librarian's ability to "wing" an instruction session a detriment to student learning? I'm a strong believer in establishing learning objectives before teaching anything, but I admit to winging instruction sessions that I'm familiar with. A librarian may choose to go unprepared for numerous reasons. He may feel he's too busy to prepare. He may feel he's doing himself and the students a favor by maintaining the ability stay on his toes.

This instructional flexibility is especially important when an attentive/interested faculty member attends the session. Many times a faculty member with good questions/intentions completely side tracks an instruction session.

Meebo proves me a fool

2006-11-16T13:10:00.000-04:00

Wow, I amaze myself sometimes. So I see a meeboguest on my blog and decide to send him/her a message asking for thoughts/input on The Long-Haired Librarian. I sent an IM but got no response for a while. I can see this person's been on my blog for 8 minutes and I'm wondering, "Hmmm, is what I'm blogging this interesting?!"

Now I notice the Firefox tab pointed at my blog. DER! I was IM'ing myself!

Boy Scouts Learn Copyright Law

2006-11-02T09:38:00.000-04:00

This is now old news, but a couple of weeks ago an article was published in the L.A. Times and was discussed on NPR. Boy Scouts receive an anti-piracy activity patch after learning the basics of copyright law. They can tour a movie studio so that they appreciate the effort that goes into the creation of a film.

I think making the visit to the studio is a great idea. It makes the interaction between the viewer (and potential pirate) and the film more personal. It would be applicable for the boy scouts to also meet a struggling musical artist, too.

Sirsi...RSS...Someone's Finally Doin' It!

2006-10-23T09:32:00.000-04:00

Post to follow soon!

Meebo

2006-10-23T09:27:00.000-04:00

Well, I've given up on Trillian. It's not that I didn't love Trillian, it's just that I Meebo is just so danged much better! It's totally web-based and runs in a browser. Meebo also has these cool widgets to embed in html. Check out my widget in the sidebar under my blogger profile. If I'm online, send me a message (or reference question)!

2006-10-16T11:22:00.001-04:00

I've been ridiculously busy lately, and my posts have been few and far between. Here's what I've been thinking about lately:

Using Meebo as a replacement for Trillian. Now I can take my I.M. contacts with me wherever I go. Sweet. This may make selling it to librarians easier since there's no software to install etc.

Why are we using online assessments of information literacy (ETS and SAILS) when the instruction provided is in the classroom? I'm beginning to believe that, although it's convenient to assess student learning electronically, there are many advantages to assessing in the classroom. I will elaborate soon!

The perfect library Facebook group. Since Facebook has begun shutting down library profiles my institution has begun a group with the librarians as adminsistrators. While this is not as ideal as an "open" group, it seems to be the only way to control who posts what on our wall, discussion board, pictures etc.

Library Thing's Efficacy in Libraries

2006-09-06T14:04:00.000-04:00

I'd been thinking of an application like this since I heard about Library Thing. Though this will only work with new books, what a great prelude/appetizer for the new RSS-ready OPAC's like III.

I'm back baby!

2006-09-01T14:22:00.000-04:00

Dang, it's been a while since my last post. I'm still kickin', and not to sound like a broken record...I missed teaching so much!

Taught my first group of students this week at the new job (Statistics Graduate students). I hadn't realized how much I missed it!

Library Signs

2006-09-01T14:15:00.000-04:00

This has been just about blogged to death this week, but I must weigh in. I'm not particuarly fond of library signage simply because most of it is boring which just confirms some patrons' views of the "boring" library.

But these signs are awesome! Witty, eye catching, and practical. I especially like the door knob hanger (which could be distributed in the dorms).

Consumer Information Literacy

2006-06-12T11:59:00.001-04:00

Has anyone else noticed the utter nonsense words being used to peddle shampoo lately? My wife and I have discussed this nonchalantly in the past, but I just realized a possible tie-in to information literacy.

Here's an example from my showering experience this morning: I use Fructis' Sleek and Shine hair products. Every bottle of Fructis claims it contains "nutritive micro oils." What the heck is a nutritive micro oil?!

The American Heritage Dictionary defines nutritive as, "1. Nutritious; nourishing. 2. Of or relating to nutrition." Etymologically speaking, the term comes from the same Latin root as the common nomenclature "nutritious" which means to nurse or suckle. Why does Fructis use an uncommon word for a common purpose? Does "nutritive" sounds more appealing to consumers? It sounds made up to me.

Let's move on to "fruit micro oils." Research exists that proves certain plant oils, namely juniper berry oil, posses antibacterial qualities, but I've been unable to pinpoint any research extolling the benefits of "fruit micro oils" to hair/scalp care.

Product marketing directors have an obligation to provide accurate descriptions of their products.

"New Media" & Information Literacy

2006-04-20T16:42:00.000-04:00

I don't know how I came across this a week ago, but I really didn't give this site as thorough a look as I should have. This time I received the link from a listserv, and I knew it couldn't be coincidence so I went back for a closer inspection.

These guys have some great ideas! I mean, this is stuff I've been thinking in the back of my mind for a while, but I hadn't the ability to express it so eloquently. Also, I've just now realized that our project of creating online information literacy tutorials is an exercise in adapting "new media" to info. lit.

I'd also never considered how "new media" becomes such. Ie., what is "new media"? (I love the discussion of the terms' etymology!) Is it just video iPods, Blackberry's, Streaming video, Increasing broadband access, etc or have these "new media" evoloved from "older media"?

Using IM Bots as V.R.

2006-04-17T12:45:00.000-04:00

Something that just occurred to me... For those libraries using popular instant messaging software as a virtual reference tool, how about using IM bots as automated search help while in db's or the library catalog? This isn't a new idea, but now that Conversagent is being implemented by increasingly numerous for-profit organizations I think libraries should try it. Again, if only I had some of that elusive "free time," this would be a fun project.

PodStories

2006-04-04T14:38:00.000-04:00

I'd thought of this as a public library service when I first heard of podcasting. What a great way to provide outreach to children and parents who can't make it to the scheduled story time at the library. Also useful as a supplement to the bedtime story when Mom and Dad are exhausted/tire of reading the same story night after night!

I'm a Geek (surprise, surprise)

2006-04-03T18:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm sure those who know me personally will not protest, but my score was 48/60! Prospective employers, please keep in mind: this is not a scientific survey!

I actually found this survey while reading "Who's Building the Next Web?" The term "Next Web" is synonymous with Web 2.0 I suppose. Anyways, I was already aware of some of these startups (like Plum, I can't wait for that one), but the rest were news to me. I think any company that contributes to making technology a seamless and integral part of our lives is "building the next web."

I worry that I may need to plan more primitive camping trips (no cell phone, no camp grounds, no nothing electronic) to balance out my techie lifestyle. Will the wilderness soon be crowded full of 20-something geeks trying to "get away?!"

Everything is Information Literacy

2006-03-15T10:59:00.000-04:00

I've come to realize that nearly everything I do when interacting with students is ultimately information literacy. Now. I don't mean info. lit. in it's purest definition (whatever that may be). What I'm trying to say is, I realize that I can't teach a student to effectively search a database in 50 minutes. I can give the student some tools (like understanidng controlled terms, using a thesaurus, and getting Boolean with it), but 50 minutes is hardly enough time. So, relating to my last post, I just try to get the student to come back to the library for more help using my charming personality and ability to relate to their needs.

Rambling About Goals

2006-03-08T20:36:00.000-04:00

A well respected member of the faculty just stopped by my office to wish me farewell, While we were talking I realized (perhaps a little late) what my subconscious goal at HCC has been. Humans usually set goals before embarking on projects, but sometimes it's hindsight that makes us realize our true goals. My true goal has been to connect with the students.

As the only librarian on this campus, I’ve been so busy that I didn’t even realize that this was my main goal. I had goals of implementing an IM-based chat reference service, creating a classroom for library instruction sessions, breaking some librarian/library stereotypes, and basically gaining some professional experience.

How do I connect with the students? I love my students and I think it shows: I don't talk above them, I smile and wave, I listen and give advice, I crack jokes in instruction sessions, I don’t overwhelm them with sources for their research papers, I have the latest Mary J Blige album and roll into the parking lot with my system up, and I sure as hell don’t look like a librarian, I look more like a student (eg. blog title and profile). I have a ton of duties in this position, but I put interaction with my students before all else.

One of my unofficial mottos since taking this job has been, "whatever gets them through the door," and you can take that one to the bank. There've been more "regular customers" in this library since who knows when, and our usage has been up steadily. We’ve also done more official library instruction than ever before. So I guess I’ve realized my ulterior goal of connecting with the students, and I succeeded at accomplishing it. Because before you can teach them anything you’ve got to make a connection.

God I’m gonna miss this job!

Podcast without the Pod

2006-02-24T11:32:00.000-04:00

This is the audio commentary .mp3 of an online tutorial I created to test Macromedia's Captivate.

Social Machines

2006-01-30T15:13:00.000-04:00

As the web becomes more integrated into everyday life, it seems that it increasingly reflects human beings' social machinery. This article makes some observations I'm sure many of us were thinking subconsciously, but a lot of the observations hadn't occurred to me.

One particuarly thought provoking quote, "'I feel uneasy about the word 'computing'...have we passed computing?'" I think we have. "Computing" was sooo '90's. Your biggest, most powerful web device might be your laptop, but so many other lifestyle appliances are smaller and more integral than ever before. It seems the word "computing" really doesn't come close to describing what most people are doing with the web. I agree with Hannu Leinonen when he says, "It sounds like counting." You don't have a computer just to do your taxes and make spreadsheets.

Evaporation of Physical Academic Libraries

2006-01-26T18:11:00.000-04:00

<---CAREFUL! This is linked to a PDF doc.--->

Proof that this is a topic in mainstream academia...published in Educause this time.

LOCKSS in CLOCKSS

2006-01-26T18:01:00.000-04:00

LOCKSS made a lot of sense to me when I researched it a couple of years ago. This is its implementation at some very large, prestigious libraries with some big-hitting publisher sponsors. Sweet.

Didn't realize how much I missed...

2006-01-25T12:25:00.000-04:00

...teaching until the beginning of this semester rolled around. This is always the busiest time for library instruction, and the end of the semester is the slowest. Before the winter break, I was consumed with preparing workshops, finishing reports, and placing that final book order of the calendar year.
After a stressful break, coming back to work seemed daunting, but I've found that I really missed interacting with my students in a class-like setting. It's helped me blow off steam by cracking jokes (to an audience other than my dog), and seeing comprehension in my students eyes is always uplifting and edifying.

This is my ideal job!

2006-01-18T18:17:00.000-04:00

I believe I would be a top candidate for this one, but I'm not moving to Detroit. Either way, it's encouraging that maybe there will be positions like this created at other higher education institutions.

Welcome HCC Faculty

2006-01-04T15:41:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the HCC Spring Full-Time Faculty In-Service!

Abstract Collection Descriptions

2005-12-24T12:05:00.000-04:00

So you've heard the term "a rounded collection".Well what about a lumpy collection? This is what happens when you've got a bunch of subject specialists with no authority. I've seen it first person.
A dented collection is still a good one, it just needs to be updated in some areas.

I think in the case of the library in which I currently work, we've got a rather dented collection with one lump. The lump would be our very well developed humanities section thanks to our knowledgable Coordinator, but we're workin on those dents!

A dorky librarian note: I actually awoke from a deep sleep on Christmas Eve and immediately rushed to my computer to create this post. What a nerd!

Innovative gets innovative again

2005-12-05T18:52:00.000-04:00

Innovative Intefaces will launch a Pub Sub-like RSS feature in its new OPAC enabling the results of any boolean OPAC search to be sent to a library user. How cool is that!? For example, when I search for ("Abraham Lincoln" AND rivals) I'll be sure to know as soon as my library receives this brand new book. It's really great to see library services companies begin to adopt technology from ecommerce.

"Collective Intelligence"? NOT!

2005-12-01T15:26:00.000-04:00

Relating to my previous post about Tim O'reiley's comments on the next big life-altering innovation:

This article is a beautiful example of the complete failure of, so called, "collective intelligence". For hundreds of years, the publishing industry has made it very difficult for false information to be disseminated in a medium that's freely available to all. Since the development of the WWW, anyone can publish anything, and with the advent of wiki's, it's only becoming easier.

Will there come a day when valid information no longer exists? There will be no editors (with high or terminal degrees in their fields), there will be no expensive printing presses, no reference books or reference librarians. All information will be hearsay taken as truth, and we will exist in a world of misinformation.

I think Wikipedia has great potential for harnessing the planet’s collective ignorance and promoting it as god-given truth…I’m shaking in my librarian boots.

Invisible Library

2005-11-14T20:28:00.000-04:00

This is so cool. I'm not entirely sure of its purpose or how useful it may be, but I've always wondered where Dean Koontz got the ideas for his quotes from "The Book of Counted Sorrows." I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I'm such a dorky librarian. At least I'm proud.

And another point...

2005-11-10T18:48:00.000-04:00

I'd love to have an open technology forum with librarians and the public held in a public access library! I wish I had time to plan something like this. Sigh...

The Future of Libraries from DaVinci Inst.

2005-11-10T18:21:00.000-04:00

I agree with A Lot of these predictions, and I think much of it has high relevance to the changing social characteristics of young people that I've blogged about before. Technology is accelerating at ludicrous speed, and we're continually expected to do more in less time just to keep up. My thoughts on each prediction:

1. Communication systems will continue to change. The printing press has hung on for a looooong time, relatively.
2. All technology ends. Yup, look at file extensions. Annecdote: nearly once/week I help a student with opening a .wps (Microsoft Works) or a .pwd (Microsoft Portable) file on a WinXP machine running Office 2003.
3. Storage will slow down. Particles can only get so small, but I'm still amazed at just how fast storage is expanding. Three computers ago, I had 500mb of hard disk space. Now I have 100gb!
4. As the planet moves away from text-based knowledge, text searching will become obsolete. Some indicators now...Flikr, Technoraiti, other social tagging projects. Granted, these are mostly text, but to me they point to larger implications for social tagging in other communication mediums.
5. Essentially, what I've been saying: we are exponentially busier consuming information, and it affects other traditional aspects of daily life.
6. Will we become a verbal society? Maybe, but not that fast. 2050?! I find that inconcievable, but hey, who knows?
7. Global information is expanding. Take a look at my post on Wikipedia Print. Perhaps when world poverty is erradicated (hah!) everyone will have access to equal amounts of information of eqaul validity. Maybe (sarcasm)
8. Global systems are the future of data transmission. Totally, look at the incredible growth of the WWW.
9. The transition from product-based society to experience-based society has begun. It is cureently in its infancy as a service-based society, but will eventually morph to experience-based. Observations of the differences between Net-Gen students and past students is a perfect indicator of this change.
10. I sure hope libraries will be full-service cultural centers! I will be on the front end of this screaming train of thought! I love the ideas presented (some of which are already in place across this country): inventing new spaces like performing arts centers, technology centers, etc.

Wikipedia Print?

2005-11-07T20:44:00.000-04:00

There doesn't seem to be mention of a cost here. Hopefully thsi will be a free project aimed at expanding knowledge to all people. Regardless, a wonderful worthwhile idea. (edit. As long as it's valid!)

Complex Syntax?

2005-11-07T20:37:00.000-04:00

"Even library school students groan when they are first told to learn the complex commands of an 'old-fashioned' power system like Dialog." WHAT?! An in-depth understanding of how search engines interpret natural language-type search terms is crucial for any library science student!I'd imagine this type of very focused, specific search ability is the reason Dialog is referred to as a "power system" in this article. I'm incredulous.

Librarians Rock

2005-11-04T13:17:00.000-04:00

An article forwarded to me by another librarian friend. In someone's words, "the BEST article about librarians." Indisputable.

A thought on blogging in general

2005-11-03T19:24:00.000-04:00

I wonder if I'll ever feel incredibly motivated to do any original research again. It seems like there's so much interesting stuff out there that I can relate to libraries that a lot of my "thinking/synthesizing/idea time" is dedicated to commenting on current/future technologies and applying them to my profession. I'm sure I'll someday learn to manage (or ignore) all (or some of) this information overload(!), but for now I'm quite content with imagining relationships between emerging technologies and libraries.

Pubsub

2005-11-02T19:19:00.000-04:00

This is really cool and has a potential impact on web librarians.

On the Cover of Choice!

2005-10-25T14:39:00.000-04:00

About a month ago I submitted some photos of the interior of my library to Choice Reviews in hopes that they might be cover shots someday. Well, on the cover of a future spring edition they will! How cool is that!?

Tim O'reilly is great, sorta

2005-10-20T17:02:00.000-04:00

The guy that brings us those great compendiums of information on programming languages recently made a statment in the Oct. 24 Time that disturbed me. Now, perhaps I'm taking this out of context, and perhaps Time did the same, but Mr. O'reilly - a publisher of books- thinks the most life-altering innovation that will happen in the next few years will be collective intelligence. Examples given were Wikipedia, Amazon's user annotation, and Flickr. When asked by the interviewer wheth this collective intelligence might risk "harnessing our collective idiocy" he mentions the "success" of Google's (proprietary!) results algorithms. Technoriati and Google and Flickr and Wikipedia are all great places to find information about what everybody else thinks, but not a place to find intelligence. Intelligence comes from literature written by scholars, not the neighbor kid who has access to Wikipedia.

Visual Search Results

2005-10-17T16:30:00.000-04:00

Ok, yet another article about changing attitudes of college students, but this one actually recommends some change. I particuarly like the idea of changing the way search results display (Incorporating Visual Clues). As a "net gen", I love the way search engines like Vivisimo cluster search results so why can't d.b.'s do the same?

Assimilating interactive library pathfinders in course management systems like Blackboard or WebCT is also a super duper idea.

Yet another point made in this article:
"they (librarians) were slow to adopt chat and sometimes developed sophisticated but complex chat software rather than the simpler systems typically used by Net Gen students."
Yes, let's reanalyze Docutek and similar chat reference systems. Are these clunky systems really so great? Could we be reaching more students by simply using freeware I.M. aggregators like Trillian? I proclaim, yes!

I'm Boycotting CD's

2005-10-13T16:05:00.000-04:00

I think I might stop buying cd's. I haven't purchased much music lately anyhoo, but I'm really going to stop now. I'll still consider downloading music from free download sites like the live music archive, but with some thinking on my own, and some research, I'm betting that we're in for a music revolution within the next five years or so. There already exists a strong support for digital music (mp3 players, ipods, pay download sites, super high speed), music lovers may be in a new position to enjoy any music, any time, anywhere. I could theoretically be in my car, with my portable pc-like device with an mp3 player, access my home pc (that I use as a server to store all my music files), and stream that music directly to my player and through the head unit in my car. Or I could listen to any web radio station anywhere. What would companies like Sirius or XM do then? Whine and cry, kick and scream? Sounds feasible to me, though I am something of a technological dreamer. Anyways, I'll continue to stream radio and mp3's from the various free services until my dream of wide area secure wireless access is realized.

Observations of My Generation of College Students

2005-10-12T18:19:00.000-04:00

Just a quick observation relating to my previous post:

I think there's a fundamental difference between people of my generation and those of earlier college attendees. There's a sense of student entitlement felt by educators (but I'm sure it's felt in retail and services, too). People my age do not feel privileged by much. If we're paying for something, we want it - as Burger King so eloquently states - "our way". I think I was witnessing this phenomenon today when one of our staff members was sending out notices to delinquent borrowers. The number of extreme overdue/lost library items seems to have grown in recent years, and I think it's due to a few core reasons:

-Students are busier today than they ever were in the past. This isn't an excuse for never returning library books, it's a reason.
-That sense of entitlement.
-The general disjointed way of life that many young people live. Many of my friends are still moving from apartment to apartment, or buddy's couch as the case may be. They might have a phone one day, but not the next. The same goes for transportation, money, food, or anything else required to live a relatively "settled" life. God I sound old, but many of us need to get our priorities straight.

Network Feud Felt Here

2005-10-06T18:15:00.000-04:00

I can attest to the validity of this problem. When one provider suddenly stops allowing peering, some of the internet can disappear.

SIS Newsletter Correction

2005-10-05T10:05:00.000-04:00

If you've found my blog via the SIS newsletter, I've got a couple corrections. I've been working at HCC for a year as a paraprofessional with an MLIS that I obtained in August 2004 not 2005. I was recently appointed to a professional, librarian position after almost a year of service here as a paraprofessional. I'm still looking for professional work in both Florida and Pennsylvania as my position here is not entirely secure. Thanks for visiting!

The Net Generation Goes to College

2005-10-04T14:54:00.000-04:00

In a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Ed. forwarded to me by one of my peers the author, Scott Carlson, questions traditional college teaching styles in light of observations of "net generation/millennial" students made by educators.

First, let's set a common term for my generation. No one likes to be labeled, and I'm no exception, but for the sake of my carpal tunnel we'll refer to net generation, millennials, or anyone born in the U.S. between 1980 and 1994 as “net gens”.

As a recent college graduate I have a unique view of the subject that many of my professional peers may lack. I entered college at the University of Pittsburgh - a large, liberalish, fairly cosmopolitan, technology-rich city campus - right out of high school with three years of library experience under my belt. I had every intention of obtaining a four year degree in information science, then going straight to graduate school for my MLIS. Unlike many of my fellow students, I actually stuck fairly closely to my chosen path and achieved my goal. However, the comment made by Richard Sweeney, “Many more (students) have changed majors and expect to change jobs and careers…but they often wait until they are already well into a major or career track before they decide to make a change,” rings very true. From personal experience, I only had one other acquaintance in my circle of college friends who stayed in her chosen major for her entire college career. Everyone else changed at least once, and for the most part took longer than four years to complete a baccalaureate degree. I believe this has been a trend in the 1990’s, though I recall reading recently that the 5 year undergrad degree is in decline, and more students are getting it done in the traditional four. Can’t remember where I read that so someone prove me wrong.

I think this behavior stems from one core factor: we have more information to process, and we have less time to do it in. Since we have all this information at our fingertips, it becomes easier to learn independently and research topics of interest. Our worlds are much larger/diverse than our parents’ were, and we experience more of it (digitally, of course). I can relate this to a trend I’ve been noticing in my library instruction classes that I ‘m sure many other librarians can attest to. Increasingly more of my students go to Google to begin research for a school project. They have a hard time comprehending the difference between personal, surface research and in-depth, scholarly research. If they can go to Nextag or Froogle to find out more about the latest Ipod, why can’t they do the same to find out more about Shakespeare? There is a fundamental divide happening here, and I try to end each instruction session with a handout and lecture on evaluating web resources. We’re a consumerist generation, but we do our research before buying. To many net gens a college education is no different. If we’re paying for it, we want customizability and flexibility.

Multitasking is part of the way we deal with this information overload. Educators should listen to students like Stefannie Miller when they make comments. “If net gens are caught working on a paper during a lecture, it’s because they have to maximize what they get done in a given time.” This quote sums up a lot of my opinion on the subject. You may replace “working on a paper” with “chatting, blogging, IM’ing, web surfing, shopping, downloading music” or any other behavior that seems inherent to my generation. I’m sorry if it seems to some professors that we’re not paying attention. As the example given in the article implies, this generation is more prepared to absorb multiple types of input (auditory, visual, written etc) simultaneously, even if the various inputs do not relate to one another. It’s the way we’ve been conditioned. Skipping lectures in lieu of downloading the ppt slides from Web CT or Blackboard is a way to create more time to absorb more information.

We are readying ourselves for a more competitive workforce that values multitasking and computer skills for a large percentage of jobs. Whether you’re a registered nurse or a social worker, you’re going to need to know how to use a pc, access the internet, evaluate information, and balance all that with your assigned duties. I think also that my generation of college fellows is just preparing for a future in an even more finicky job market. We WILL be switching careers more frequently than our parents because our world is moving faster. Skills at one position will be applicable to some other position, or we damned well hope they will. Some professions (like mine) will go through major redesigns during our lifetimes, and we’d better be able to adapt. There will also arise out of new technology many brand new professions whose required skills we’ll hopefully be able to fulfill. As stated by Mark Turner in the article, “the world is moving very quickly, and things change in professions now very quickly.” Right on, Mark.
So, should educators drastically change their curricula, teaching styles, etc to suit the needs of net gens? NO!!! If nothing else, college is a place to learn how to think. College taught me to think critically, be a skeptic, and draw my own conclusions from other people’s ideas. As more net gens filter into higher education, these delivery-type issues will hopefully work themselves out. I’ve been personally trying to introduce net gen technology into my teaching style. I use live internet searching in my classes, ie. we search databases and the web in real time. I do not lecture in any traditional sense. I have a remote mouse to control my pc, and it’s got a built in laser pointer. I can roam the room while talking about what I’m doing on the screen that’s projected on the wall. In this way I’m getting the students visually and auditory. I also cover some resources that they already know. I mentioned before that I cover web resources in all my instruction sessions. While this may sound like blasphemy to some traditional librarians, I do it to engage the students. I point out that they learned how to use the db’s and books first, because that’s where they should start their school research. While it’s perfect for their consumer research, I cover the web last because it’s where they should do their school research last. While I talk about how to evaluate information from Google, I show them good search engines. I demonstrate Google Unclesam because if they’re going to use the web, I’d rather they get government information than from a biased .com.

So fellow educators, please don’t drastically change your styles, but don’t give up on us either. Try not to get exasperated when it seems we’re not paying attention, or because our view’s of what college should be differ from yours. Take a look at Mr. Carlson’s article and this post and then try to alter your delivery slightly. Your students will appreciate it.

My website is back

2005-09-27T19:34:00.000-04:00

I've begun building/updating my website again; this time with an Online Portfolio theme. It will be a place to highlight professional accomplishments etc. Keep in mind that I dislike Flashy, in-your-face, websites, so it's straight HTML all the way baby.

Law and Order: Criminal Intent

2005-09-27T19:17:00.000-04:00

I love this show, but it upset me greatly Monday night. During their search for their nemesis, serial killer Nicole, Bobby and Eames visited the library where she worked (as a GSA or similar). The clerk gladly handed over her online usage history and allowed the detectives to search her desk! I believe they were also granted access to her book/checkout history. No court order, no subpeona or search warrant!

Don't television writers do research? It's exactly this kind of behavior that diminishes the public's perceptions of their first ammendment rights. I'm terribly afraid that some American citizen watching that show, and accepting it as mostly truth (because it's on t.v.) would actually think this turn of events would occur in the real world. Granted, another example of poor depiction of a real world event on television is the very court room behavior found on all Law and Order shows, so I'm not terribly surprised. But they grossly misrepresent the court system to make it interesting to watch; misrepresentation of basic constitutional rights for the sake of quick police work gives the public the impression that law enforcement is even more powerful than it's already become.

Show Me the Software!

2005-09-21T16:53:00.001-04:00

I've got a healthy interest in virtual reference, or digital reference, or chat reference, or IM in libraries, or whatever other synonym anyone's used for "computer-based library reference services" (yet another synonym!). Over the last few years I've played with Docutek's software, various email reference services, almost all the mainstream instant messengers (AIM, MSN, ICQ, Y!M, etc.), and I've at least glanced at others like Rakim and Trillian and Gaim.So, after all this exposure to these various and sundry "computer-based library reference services", what have I learned? That I could be making a damn sight more cash as a software developer than as a librarian!

Why hasn't anyone combined the functionality of all these different types of VR? Here's my charge to anyone with more software development skills than me. Create the all-inclusive library reference software! It should include:

All the IM variants in an agregated view like Trillian.
A Docutek-like feature with full co-browse functionality, page pushing, chat etc.
Email tracking (like Docutek's)
Phone reference question tracking (maybe).

In person reference question tracking (if you're feeling ambitious).

It would also generate meaningful statistics, and save transcripts of all digital interactions. So, library software developers, the proverbial ball is in your court. Serve it back with the ULTIMATE LIBRARY REFERENCE SOFTWARE!

Come on everyone! Jump on the Digitization Wagon!!!

2005-09-20T15:40:00.000-04:00

A fabulous article that presents a great idea based on an anecdotal experience. Idea: focused browsing works. Duh! Keyword searching is great for basic info seeking, but in-depth research requires the keyword searcher to be a human thesaurus. That's why focused browsing will (or should) never die.

Anti Patriot Act in Action

2005-08-29T10:36:00.000-04:00

Well folks, it looks like the Anti Patriot Act is going to be used against libraries for the first time. How absolutely disarming.

Professional Development

2005-08-26T08:28:00.000-04:00

This blog is going to be the focus of a training session at my institution's annual get-together. My presentation will be an intro to blogging for faculty and staff with a focus on using blog and rss technology for professional development. Sounds fun, hmmmm? The title's going to be something like, "THE LONG-HAIRED LIBRARIAN TEACHES YOU HOW TO BLOG."

I've got a new job!!!

2005-08-24T04:35:00.000-04:00

--
Another disclaimer:
This post contains some extreme versions of my personal opinions and views. They mostly stem from my experience in finding the first professional job. I've exaggerated a little to make it interesting and slightly amusing. If you're not amused, please refer to the sidebar and various other disclaimer posts.
D.H 8/2005
--

Yes, it's true. I am now actually employed as a professional LIBRARIAN! "unbelievable," you might say. "Inconceivable!" you may exclaim, but it really is true.

How did I do it? Am I a better librarian than the other 300,000 people with MLS's not working in libraries in this country? Probably not, though I do have a passion for this field that many lack, and I am more tech savvy and motivated than some of the older, dying breed. Am I exceptionally charming and physically attractive? Well, to boost my miniscule ego I'll take that into light-hearted consideration, but realistically the answer is no. The reason I've got a professional job while so many of my fellow MLS-holders do not is.............................drum roll please....................................I was in the right place at the right time.

Granted, that is a very simplistic perspective, but it is a relatively true statement. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I've been incredibly frustrated in my attempts at "breaking into" this profession. I naively assumed that upon graduation from library school, with eight years of progressively responsible work under my belt, I would have no problem finding a full-time, professional job. Could I have been more wrong?! Through my research I discovered that there are very few "entry level" librarian positions advertised, and the people who usually get these entry level jobs are long-time library professionals.

I have a slightly skewed view of the traditional librarian (a Gormanesque, babyboomer, technophobe, who should have retired at 62 but is hanging onto his/her library job until death; yikes. Did I insult anyone there?). This is an unfair, overgeneralization, and is most definitely downright offensive to some older, progressive, tech savvy, well-read library professionals. If you're offended please see my disclaimer in the sidebar to your right and leave a comment. These people need to retire and let in some young blood. There are veteran librarians applying for and attaining entry-level positions that should be going to young, fresh-minded, progressive folks. I have no doubt that in the one hundred or so jobs I've applied for in the past two years, I've been passed up 80 percent of the time for an older librarian with more professional experience but less gumption, technological skill, and passion.

So, how does a young librarian break through this wall of geriatrics? (whew, another terrible overgeneralization that should get me hog tied and basted) Based on observations and experience, my answer is: Wait for someone to die or retire! Get a para-professional position somewhere, and just wait it out. Good luck!!!

Another disclaimer

2005-08-18T18:20:00.000-04:00

I've realized that in my posts I sometimes tend to bash the older generation of professionals in my field. While on almost every occasion this is prompted by a rant about employment (or lack thereof), I'd like to set my actual view on this subject in stone, or in this case binary code.

I realize that there are many, many, many, many (many) librarians older than me. In fact, I was the second youngest student in my graduating class. A goodly chunk of these colleagues of mine are exceptional professionals, embodying the very essence of librarianship in every action they take. Regretably,I have encountered the occasional chronic misanthrope librarian who enraged me to the point of ranting on my blog about stodgy, old, behind-the-times, surly, beehive styling, ninnies (I'll garuntee you those words have never been used in exactly that order. I just googled it).

There have been many influential librarians in my life who've shaped my views and passions into what they are today, and I cannot begin to express my gratitude to them. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! You've had more of an impact than you know, and I truly love you for it! You are the people who keep me from going to culinary school. You continually shatter my unfair stereotypes by breaking the rules on a regular basis and proving I'm a narrowminded twit.

Celebrity Gossip

2005-08-16T16:05:00.000-04:00

Leave it to the British Library to create a searchable database of renaissance celebrity gossip. Well, that's kind of a skewed interpretation, but imagine if these "festival books" were as widely distributed then as gossip mags are now! "Thaddeus, can you beleive the Duke and Duchess are having another young master? That's ten heirs now!"

Local info from locals

2005-07-29T12:25:00.000-04:00

An article at search engine watch covers Judy's Book, "a site that's blending the ideas of local search and social networks, tapping into the knowledge and experience of residents of cities across the U.S. to provide a guide to local businesses and services." Sounds like Craigslist to me. On the record, I am a huge supporter of Craigslist!

Google's new AdWords campaign

2005-07-29T12:19:00.000-04:00

Google's attempting to make ad's more relevant to searchers. There are now just two states ads can hold, active and inactive. On the surface it sounds more or less "fair", we shall see.

Anti-Patriot for another ten years

2005-07-22T13:18:00.000-04:00

Jeebus Cripes! Did I not just finish saying how elated I felt since the proposed slight loosening of the patriot act two weeks ago? Why does freedom have to be so oppressive?

Sui Limiti della Rete

2005-07-21T13:40:00.000-04:00

Relating to my previous post, I think I'd really enjoy reading Gianluca Miscione's book, Sui Limiti della Rete. I wish, while studying at said university, I had taken more than two years of Italian!

Disassociation and The Internet

2005-07-21T13:28:00.000-04:00

Thinking back on my days as a sociology student at a large university in a fairly liberal city, I remember the theories of the industrial age. Summarizing, "technology and industry only serve to disassociate man from society... essentially isolating and dehumanizing him." I know, that was probably the vastest overgeneralization anyone has ever made, but it's what I've surmised from my readings of the old sociologists.

Anywhoo, I was thinking about gaming in libraries today and how many libraries are using online games to bring comunities closer together. I think this is a wonderfully socially-enriching endeavor, and I just love how it smashes the old time industrial sociological theories (in this one particular aspect). Don't get me wrong, a lot of the rest of our strange, commercialized lives prove their points, but libraries continue to represent a piece of the glue that holds our stinking nation together. As long as I believe that, I'm in the right place.

More creepy Google

2005-07-14T13:40:00.000-04:00

Either my paranoia is finally squashing my optimism, or I need to buy some stock (at $300 a share!!!) and jump on the bandwagon to Hell.

A UN-run Internet

2005-07-14T13:30:00.000-04:00

Ok, I see the point made by the other UN nations. But aren't there already root servers in London, Stockholm, and Tokyo? Ok, that's not many compared to the number in the US, and I suppose ICANN still decides what stays and what goes. I'm not sure how I feel aboot the implications of a divided (or fragmented) root.

Vlogging and online instruction

2005-07-14T13:04:00.000-04:00

I can't help postulating about the possibilities this new, easy to use format opens up for online library instruction. If one's library already had a Blog, links to Vlogs on the use of different databases, catalogs, ...whatever could be added to the sidebar as quick references. Imagine librarians producing short videos entitled, "How to find a book on the shelf at GENERIC Library." What fun, and oh the possibilities! I'm such a nerd.

Rocketboom

2005-07-13T15:10:00.000-04:00

Vlogging is expanding and Rocketboom is tounge-in-cheek hilarious.

BPL Broadband

2005-07-11T13:47:00.000-04:00

Soon Raleigh, NC, Kentucky, and Indiana broadband subscribers will have a new choice over DSL and Cable. BPL (broadband over power lines) is a new technology to me, but it's apparently been around since the fifties-at least as basic data transmission. Anyhoo, Google has partnered with a Maryland media conglomerate and some others to pioneer this technology and actually roll it out to consumers. We shall see if it's successful. At 30 bucks a month for up to 5mbps, it's quicker and cheaper than my DSL. As an aside, I'm just a little more creeped out by Google's involvement. Perhaps Google is taking over the world?! Or maybe some people are more paranoid than me. Time will tell.

Google Earth

2005-07-08T15:31:00.000-04:00

This is my new facorite toy. I was impressed with Google maps when they added the USGS stuff, but Google Earth blows that away. The resolution is not as great in some locales, but who needs 1 meter res?!

This software uses a TON of computing resources, so be prepared. I'm also concerned about it's impact on world terrorism. This is an amazing, impressive tool, but the potential exists to use it for evil. Nothing has yet to budge my stance on freedom of information, but this comes close. I will need to mull it over for a while...I'm definitely shocked by how easy it would have made the 911 attacks. Just that alone makes me wonder whether this tool should be so readily available.

Security Guards meet their match

2005-07-08T13:45:00.000-04:00

Oh no, Robot X, don't shoot smoke at me! Will this deter criminal activity and replace the traditional, human security guard? Probably not, but it's neat to see RFID and Robotics technologies come together to create a true, um, something.

IPOD Cellular merge

2005-07-08T13:31:00.000-04:00

How long was this in the making? The technology was in place, and all that was needed was a handset with the capabilities. Motorola is working with Apple to develop it...cool.

Catassing

2005-07-08T13:08:00.000-04:00

What a wonderful word. The syntax of American English is just marvelous!

Should libraries be enablers of this potentially smelly disorder? I think so! Perhaps not as important in the academic realm, but gaming offers great potential for community/library integration and-preliminarily- seems to be an effective marketing tool for teens and adults alike... From the MLS Chicago.

Podcast the Alexandria project

2005-07-07T15:20:00.000-04:00

Pretty cool. All of the content there is free, and now you can subscribe to a podcast. Now, if headphones didn't make me look "unaproachable" at the reference desk...

I'm such a nerd...

2005-07-05T19:16:00.000-04:00

...but I love this! I've played with other Yahoo vs. Google tools, but this one appeals to my nerdyness. Ok, so if you think about it, the angle of the lines from the level indicates how much variance there is in the results. Wouldn't it be cool to calculate this? Too bad I hate calculus and suck at mathematics. If anyone has done this, please let me know!

GCensus

2005-07-05T18:53:00.000-04:00

This is why standardization is great. (Am I a dorky librarian-type or what?) The FIPS55 standard used by the USGS made this project possible, and it is totally, awesomelly, cool! Scrolling and panning work just like google maps, and some really valuable (and valid) data can be extracted with much less work than using American Factfinder, or the like. Granted, this is not an in-depth reference tool, but for ready-reference questions, this rocks!

OpenID is working

2005-07-05T18:35:00.000-04:00

OpenID is now up and running on LiveJournal. While this may save a lot of people some keystrokes and memorization during their average day, it does not seem secure enough for important identity verifications (banking, credit cards, car insurance etc.) But that's not the idea anyways. OpenID really could cut down on the number of usernames/passwords each internet user maintains. It could save a ton of time/frustration. While it could be used for evil (which is addressed in the OpenID "How's it Work" section), who cares? As long as you're using it to post comments and blog, so what? Message boards already allow people to fake identities and seriously, how easy is it to get a free webmail account at www.pickyourfavoritewebmail.com?

I will be following this one closely, mosdef.

YES!

2005-07-05T18:11:00.000-04:00

Check this out! It's a small step in the fight for our civil informational rights in the "land of the free." Granted, it does not reverse the parts of the Patriot Act concerned with internet usage history, but at least one's reading may not be monitored/tracked.

If this Act hadn't been passed in a fit of passionate (but understandable) zealousness, maybe some of its content would have raised eyebrows four years ago.

Ironically, a representative from Florida stated, "If there are terrorists in libraries studying how to fly planes, how to put together biological weapons, how to put together chemical weapons, nuclear weapons ... we have to have an avenue through the federal court system so that we can stop the attack before it occurs."

Yes, good idea. Stop the attack before it occurs. Use law enforcement and the traditional, tried and true court system to obtain search warrants, but don't turn college chemistry students into terroists. I love this country because I am free to research/read about any topic I desire...I think that makes me a patriot, not a terrorist.

Just another reason for me to want to get out of this backward State ASAP! I need a job in Pittsburgh, please!

IMG_2719

2005-06-30T13:37:00.000-04:00

IMG_2719
Originally uploaded by bobbypirsig.

Chillin w/Dylan Thomas in the stacks.

Is blogging a smart "career move"?

2005-06-29T14:51:00.000-04:00

I recently read this article surmising ten reasons blogging might be good for one's career. It's nice to hear someone else's thoughts here because I've been percolating on it for a while.

In fact, blogging can probably help you be a better employee, mother, student, minister, (name a lifestyle...) etc. While you're honing your writing skills, you're also becoming a better-informed, more open-minded human being. You see, by posting articles and websites and whatever else you're interested in with your comments/musings, you're contributing to something much greater than any individual Blogger. This vast communication network exists for everyone to feel more connected, so use it!

I'm sure blogging couldn't hurt one's chances at a job. Even if it doesn't help, you're still having fun and becoming a more enlightened, knowledgeable human. So, blog for a job!

Unbelievable

2005-06-28T18:20:00.000-04:00

"Verifiable" Instant Degrees

If I wasn't already feeling overeducated, this just put me over the top.

Dated portals

2005-06-23T13:45:00.000-04:00

How 5 years ago is this? My instiution just got a portal for internal communication. Wow. Now we need to hire somebody titled "webmaster". What's that?!

OCLC MetaWiki

2005-06-21T15:57:00.000-04:00

OCLC has begun research project examining wiki and how it relates to libraries. I can't wait to watch how this project turns out. I both love and fear wikipedia, so I'm interested in how OCLC will adapt to wiki.

MetaWiki

Creepy Media in 2014

2005-06-21T14:57:00.000-04:00

Watch it.

Wireless libraries and cell phones

2005-06-20T12:44:00.000-04:00

Just got my Nextel invoice (yippee!), and noticed that they are offereing another Bluetooth enabled phone that's actually reasonably priced. I'll have to review the literature and do some searching, but I wonder if any libraries in the US have patrons searching their OPAC's with cell phones. PDA's, notebooks and the like have been doing it, but now that cell phones have B.T. ability and web browsers, I'd think this would be happening someplace.

Edit:
As an aside, I just tried Google's SMS search. Been waiting for a response for a couple of minutes. If the response rate is this slow it might seriously hinder the Google SMS useability. Google states that responses should take less than a minute.

Fellows, brothas, gents, chaps, homeys...What's next?

2005-06-17T11:41:00.000-04:00

Just saw a job posting for an Information Literacy Fellow. What a great title! I will be applying for this one mosdef. I suppose I'll need to find a smoking jacket and rosewood pipe. Hmmmm, I wonder where Heff gets those red velour robes? Not exactly the thing to be wearing while teaching an info. lit. class, but it could break the ice with a little humor/partial nudity (jk!).

Over-educated...Under-employed? Forget Librarianship!

2005-06-15T17:08:00.000-04:00

Are you a middle-aged professional looking for a new career? Maybe you're a school teacher or college professor. Maybe you're an engineer or a home maker with a degree or two. You think..."I need a new job. Hmmm, I like helping people, I like books, and I like to read. I should be a librarian." I beseech you, PLEASE DON'T GET AN MLIS!!!

This post has been a long time coming, but a few experiences in particular have spurred it into blog status:

*My experiences in graduate school:
While there were a good many of us who were enthusiastic students with many years of prior library experience, there was also a large number of students with absolutely no library experience. At first I could not for the life of me figure out why these students paid $40,000+ to get an MLIS. They were-as a generalization-over forty, on their second/third/etc. careers, and had little to no proficiency with even some basic computing/internet technologies.

*The job market is flooded:
The number of positions (full time and part time) in the U.S. is something like half the total number of people holding MLS degrees. You’re applications for jobs are burying the applications submitted by people who are really zealous about their work.

Why would anyone want to get into this field without being totally driven and passionate about it? Because on paper it looks easy; the degree is (comparatively) cheap, doesn't take long to complete, and a lot of people in other fields simply don't know what being a good librarian entails. Customer service and reading skills are required, but they are just an infinitesimal part of providing quality services to your users. So, please, do some research before you take the plunge into library school...after all, research is what you do best, right?

2005-06-15T13:26:00.000-04:00

Yo, this is the first post on my new blogger blog. I've used some others, but being a librarian I have a certain love/hate for Google. I love all of it's services, but some just shake the grounds of my professional philosophy. Don't get me wrong, change is a great thing, and Google makes more information available to more people everyday! It's just that the informational revolution is moving so fast that sometimes it's difficult to just hang on for the ride. So welcome to my space yunz! It will change often in the coming weeks so check back often.