Lissette at Tame The Web

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When I first enrolled in Professor Stephen’s Participatory Service & Emerging Technologies I never imagined I’d learn so much and love it too. This course has lead me to embrace technology and inspired me to learn more. So I must be on my way to becoming a Librarian 2.0… This semester I signed up for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, My Space, Meetup.com, Second Life, got a year subscription for SliderRocket, GooglePlus and I’m in the process of getting long term hosting for my WordPress blog and personal domain names too. And I’m being more personable to my Android phone! This is just the beginning, and if this class had an advanced portion I would definitely take it because library user’s will need librarians to to be familiar with these social formats.

Also, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that technology isn’t all that impersonal afterall. So thank you Professor Stephens for your positive personality and insight about this. Before the class, I was repelled by the thought of technology  because I imagined I couldn’t possibly connect with people in such a cold, machine-like way -but it hasn’t felt like that at all.  Everyone in this course has put forth so much interest and enthusiasm and I’m happy we had the chance to interact through blogs,  comments and reflections.  I think this class has definietly laid a strong foundation for the tech-friendly future librarian in me.

I wish you all great success and happiness in your endeavors.

Growing A Library 2.0: Resources

When I thought about the issues in Libraries today the first thing that came to mind was “funding”. I’ve had the pleasure of volunteering and interning at several organizations and if there is one thing they all share in common its the need for newer technology and the services associated with them. So I’ve based my research paper around the funding issues librarians are facing today, other factors influencing them and the changes that have an impact on the organizations they rely on for survival. The Library 2.0 model requires a well informed librarian and in this paper I explore ways information professionals can receive the most benefit from various resources.

My Paper: LiIBR 287 StMichele Final Paper w corrections

Presentation:

http://portal.sliderocket.com/BGCFT/Growing-a-Library-2.0–Resources

This week’s Panopto recording made my eyes watery because it reminded of my old job. I was always told “Bringing your heart to work” was a No, No by my brokers during my 12 years as a realtor. Actually, I was dubbed the “hippie” at my office just because I wouldn’t paint my nails, carry a Louis Vuitton or behave in a competitive or aggressive manner. And when I bought a Honda Element they freaked. The only thing that mattered was how much I made, not how much I cared about people, animals or God. So during the real estate bubble in 08 I realized I was actually happy about the possibility of finding something else to do. I had always thought of libraries as a fun place to be.  When work was slow, I spent countless hours in libraries and bookstores. It was always a place I resonated with and where I could always find the answers to the world around me. So one day I asked the Librarian how she got her job and began mapping my life from there. Since then I have felt a sense of joy that I can help others and be myself too. Kindness is an essential trait for librarians to have. And why wouldn’t anyone want to be nice anyway? We get what we put out (reflect).  Professor Stephens says the world is changing faster than ever due to technology and its our humanity that patrons/people will feel and react to. I’ve heard it said that “Knowledge is Power”.  And as Librarians we are the gate keepers. So may it be an empowering one that inspires patrons in their explorations. We may carry the title of librarian but in many ways we are so much more when we bring our hearts to work. Anyone can point the way to information, but a caring librarian is capable of changing people’s lives with her tone, that extra tip or hyperlink that adds dimensions to someone’s narrow road down the stacks.  Sure it was a librarian that gave me resources for how I can obtain an MLIS degree, but it was her humanity that encouraged me during a doubtful time in my life that I would make a wonderful librarian someday hippie or not. People like her are priceless and to me she is the heart of the library.

The Librarian’s name is Mrs. Monica Martinez,  Coral Gables Library, Miami, FL.

Some professionals question the inclusion of gaming in libraries and others how to curate such artifacts. Weider’s mentions many universities across the country that are making big changes and gathering resources needed to re create and curate gaming areas in their libraries. These projects are a huge undertaking and can hike the preservation costs of any library. But at the same time bring in another type of library user with a long following. I recently learned a little about how video gaming is an important contribution to the cultural artifacts associated to a society. It should be preserved so experts can look back years from now to better understand the technological level of that society and how technology was integrated into their homes, offices and public spaces. In fact, how these games were played, costs, associated themes all tell a story that cannot be read about in a book or seen in a film.

Understanding how to properly preserve them is a story in itself due to the challenges that come with the laws governing their era, the countries involved and the sociological themes embedded into their life span that may or may not have defined their existence or extinction. Without them the people of future generations will miss out on the impact they had on our media, films, literature and even music. Just think of how many movies and books have inspired video games and what a gold mind of information our special collections would be missing out on if we didn’t include them.

Experts like Dr. Henry Lowood, Michael Mates and Zach Vowell are constantly seeking ways to bridge the gap of the present to the past eras of when these programs were devised. Preservation is time consuming and the work involved in is costly and requires a knowledge of gaming history in order to make educated decisions about which to keep or not. Personal investment and collaboration amongst libraries is essential if they are to properly build a network of gaming libraries and collections that is complete in order to for future generations to understand and experience their impact on our cultural history. I am still new to this area of preservation but I am in Lowood’s class and the following book is an excellent that gets the reader acquainted in everything to do with mixed media and curation: The New Media Reader, edited by Wardrip-Fruin and Montfort.

The other day I saw a vegetarian food truck with a QR code on the back and remembered this article was on our reading list. To be honest I hadn’t really noticed them much before and until I read this had a vague understanding of how Quick Response codes work– not to mentionI finally signed up for Facebook and Twitter. So yeah, I’m just barely connecting the dots on how they connect us.

Well Nate Hill clarified much of it in some brief and easy to understand examples. As a Librarian her aim was to bridge a gap she says exists in her community. I gather that most people (like me) who have only scratched the surface of social networks and basic smart phone technology haven’t learned enough to make them sync together for their maximum benefit.  But Hill and others collaborate to use QR codes with the libraries GPS poetry program and by using their own personal experiences to help others learn. It’s great that she walks the talk and teaches the reader through telling of her story.  How a simple morning tweet from the park bench’s QR code rippled through the big city in just minutes. At first I thought, it’s a code, it takes a minute or 2 for me to scan this, convert it and then use it as I fiddle with my phone….why go through the trouble? But if it’s already converted and I’m ready to tweet my message with it then it would be an amazing way to link my world online instantly to anyone else that walks by that particular spot. Finally I grasped what Hill was talking about and well I will never again half glance a QR code again. I want to see them work their magic within the library beyond catalogs though.  Hill doesn’t go to in depth about this so I’m going to have to explore this a bit more on my own. But I did get a glimpse of me picking up Stephenie Meyer’s “Breaking Dawn” and scanning the QR code, commenting on it or attaching a critical essay and linking it to my FB, Twitter and onto several literary blogs sites that logged QR codes of the same book.The horizon seems endless and I guess the question is not how can it bridge the online to the physical world better – but now that it’s bridged how many doors to other worlds are there? There are many exciting possibilities here and Hill’s enthusiasm and vision for her library will inspire library users to discover the library with no walls.

My first reaction when reading these policies was to make mine as progressive or liberal as possible while using a relaxed and positive tone. And I had to ask myself why it’s socially ok or politically correct to use the word liberal or democratic and not be heavily ridiculed like one would if they used conservative? Well, maybe I took in too much information about Social Media Policy and the issues associated with them that I felt compelled to invent a library where anyone could say or post whatever they wanted with no implications –user or librarian. What a dream. So many things can happen to make a mountain out of a mole hill these days that I understand the importance of a clearly stated social media policy. So I curved my imaginary library then surfed the web for policies that were not library related just to get a feel for the threats and opportunities that some had to deal with while skimming blogs. So much has changed with the internet in just a few years. In hindsight it was once considered a “free zone” for communication outside the spoken word. Not anymore. The legal implications, red tape, bureaucracy and drama makers have changed everything. And so, here we are drafting rules upon laws and trimming at the corners of our freedom of speech. These were just some of the thought processes (or ravings) going through my head.  And well I hope that users and staff who read my Social Media Policy can proceed with good will to their social networking sites without feeling like their mental processes were manipulated by a friend of Big Brother. Take a look, my policy is brief and leaves room for changes as needed.

PDF: 287 Wk 8 Social Media Policy

This was truly a great article to read. Especially since my experience with learning techniques and the psychology behind them is minimal. Cooper gives some easy to understand descriptionsof Mezirow’scomplex transformational learning theories and of other professionals as well. How this plays into the role of librarian and how we influence and connect with one another using new media is a fascinating concept that had never occurred to me at this level before.  I especially enjoyed the depth of spiritual perspective theories by Bache and Roberts that describe how the energy we send out is absorbed or felt by the learner. Cooper goes on to explain how the environment and activities in an education site are tools that can be used to influence cognitive processes, memory, behavior, perceptions in mind-body experiences.

The discussion this week on Learning and New Literacy’s is very much about how we relate to our environments in new media. For me, it’s been an incredible wake-up call to the fact that online sites like Twitter (which I’ve been using more) and other social networking sites are invaluable platforms to teaching, influence, absorbing and expansion of the mind. Prior to this semester I didn’t think so at all and really doubted my ability to learn online for my MLIS. But I can say now that I’ve been re-wired and didn’t even know it was happening. So in looking closely at Mezirow’s “meaning schemes” as part of the transformation learning it’s easy to see that  one’s world view or perceptual filters very much define the ability to process and learn material in given environments.  How we communicate to each other as teachers, learners, how we influence and guide one another on multiple technology channels affect us in person and how we expell that information beyond us.

Cooper briefs us on the ethical challenges involved with transformational learning with regard to student rights. But it is clear to see that the positives in this field of study are of greater exploration and and that it’s opening up more possibilities as our modes of communication in technology 2.0 is concerned expands.

Wayne has a good handle on the User Experience for Librarians to consider. It’s not a scientific formula we have to discover and can be easier to understand if we just start by getting to know our users one on one. In my first semester at SJSU we had to come up with a small library survey with the help of our local librarian. It was surprisingly simple; I suggested a comment box that I could help sort every week. Most people just wanted better technology, longer online access and popular books. The majority of users really aren’t that complicated and it just seems the red tape begins with the library’s budget constraints and finding ways around the brick walls. A few comments about keeping the library’s website up to date and after hours questions online.  And sympathy? Well, Wayne mentions a comment about Adam’s opinions and again, it all comes down to the librarian’s ability to connect to the users in their library.

I’ve been to libraries where the Library staff are just filling space and to others where I could sense this person was resourceful and passionate about their position. Ever tried randomly walking into a library without looking at the signs in the aisles and looking for a particular book? This is what it feels like when Librarians aren’t aware of their own users needs. The Librarian is the life force between the aisles, the information checkpoint for all questions and concerns within those walls. The good ones aren’t confused with UX because they are constantly connected like Twitter is to tweets. It’s the human element that connects the technology to the people, the imagination thats injected into it that makes it appealing to patrons - without these we have just empty space and a lack of focus. This is what I can gather from Wayne in his article and I agree with his opinions.

Since I have been using my Nook for reading, I find myself wondering why on earth I must keep a dusty old bookshelf in my living room. And I also get annoyed at some professors who still make us buy a text book when there are so many available in e-book format. The truth is I’m hooked on the convenience and expandability of e-books that Stephens talks about in “Scanning the horizon”. If I had read this article prior to getting my Nook I would have argued that nothing beats having a real book but its too late. I can take my ebook shelf on the train, to a friend’s house or to a restaurant by just slipping it into my bag. I can share it and see other books similar to it without having to get lost in the stacks. The process is time efficient, cost effective and practical. Heck, I wish I had thought of this last year I wouldn’t have 30 books still waiting for me in Italy.

Another great feature is being able to shift to the internet, look up a word or make a note all in one spot as I mail a friend an excerpt of something I just read that bled into something we had talked about, and so forth…it really broaden ones’ horizon and adds a new meaning to the word multi-task. What can I say except that my habits in life will never be the same. My brain is now reformatted to think along these lines and going back to a dusty old book is not possible anymore. The only problem now is stopping myself from buying the next best Nook or Kindle every year!