News Report 5

April 15th 2009
"Economy highlights libraries"
Bucks County Courier Times
Amanda Cregan
http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times/courier_times_news_details/article/28/2009/april/15/economy-highlights-libraries-1.html

This story was focused on how public libraries, namely Bucks County Free Library, have seen a rise in visitors. The cause for the surge is the recent economic recession which has struck, and left many citizens a lot worse off in the wallet. A lot of newcomers are visiting because they cannot afford to buy the books they used, when they can just read them for free now. Others have come for the free computer access, which enables them to do anything from learn how to use it, to look for jobs online. With not everyone having access to a computer it certainly helps bridge the divide. A lot of people are realizing that the free alternatives the library provides are greatly needed in this time of economic turmoil. The recent surge in numbers has left some library personnel stretched a little thin, but some workers, like branch manager Dianne Malvoso, is happy that these people are “taking advantage of them more than ever.”
I found this story really uplifting because almost every other story I have come across recently relating to libraries has been a negative one. Most stories are about either libraries being downsized or disbanded altogether, so to see a library really doing well in these times is good to hear. I also think it is a good thing that people are starting to use these public libraries and their resources; the story about the woman who bought a book from Borders only to ask herself why immediately after resonated with me, too. I have been doing that a little bit lately, and I think a lot of often forget how accessible and price-friendly these public libraries are. I just hope that these library personnel do not get taken advantage of at these jobs now, as most of them are seemingly wearing several different hats every day they come to work.

News Report 4

The New York Times
“In Web Age, Library Job Gets Update”
Motoko Rich
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/books/16libr.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
February 15th 2009

This article was once again about libraries and the struggle they face with attempting to mesh with all the new information technology. Also, in this recession we currently face, a lot of librarians are the first workers to be cut when the budget needs restructuring. A lot of parents have expressed outrage over this, as librarians are not just keepers of the library, rather they are teaching students, especially young kids, how to think with an open-mind. Most school librarians are realizing that in this new information age it is better to get with the times than to be left behind. Therefore many of them are implementing new ways to make learning and reading fun. Stephanie Rosalia, a librarian in New York, teaches her young students information literacy skills, for instance. Her take on all of this is that if you can at least get children wanting to learn and read anything, then they will probably eventually come to want to read books.
I found the article relevant to a lot of our class discussions. I also thought it was sad that almost always the first job to get cut in school budgets is the librarian job. These librarians obviously play a pivotal role in today’s information age, because we all know that the information that is so readily available to us is not always reliable. Without anyone to tell young people this, they may go on assuming that everything they read is true, which is not a good premise for life or learning. I think it will be interesting to see how libraries and librarians’ roles evolve in the coming years. Already we have begun to see a shift in their job description, because when I was coming through grade school the librarians did not teach the students the types of things outlined in this article. Also, I do not believe this class I am currently taking would have been available to me years ago.

Reading Report 5

This latest reading was also about information literacy. It presented a number of differing opinions, with some scholars and professors believing the innovative techniques presented to students should be taught more, as part of a curriculum sometimes, while others feel it is a lost cause. A lot of academics feel students have actually regressed in terms of the information they are finding for research, even though the abundance of such information is far greater than in the past. Part of their problem lies in the easy accessibility of sites like Wikipedia and Google. While these sites allow students and professionals the ability to delve through information faster than ever before, the reliability and accuracy of some of these sites are inferior when compared to a school library or another database. In the past, and still today, the library’s materials are checked by academic professionals to ensure their accuracy, whereas information on a site such as Wikipedia is able to be altered by anyone.
I think it is important for schools to test students on their information literacy, as some schools in California are doing. While most students can find a slew of websites using Google, these sites are not always reliable. Only after being exposed to the numerous databases at UNCW did I realize how much better they were than Google at finding respected articles. The next time I do research of any kind, I am pretty sure I will use these databases at least as a reference. If all students knew about the opportunity to use the archives, the content of their papers would surely improve. I am not even sure I could pass the test some of these schools make students take, but the idea of testing is a good one to me. The ability to access tons of information is increasing by the minute, but if you are unable to use this ability, or are unfamiliar with it, then it might as well not even exist to you.

Reading Report 4

The reading report dealt with the current alternatives libraries possess to counter the Google mania taking place today. While few would argue the overall superiority of these databases in terms of search depth, the convenience of other sites, predominantly Google, is causing students to take the easy way out. The effect of this means often sloppy research for college term papers, and overall simplified information, compared to its alternatives. The author, Stephen Bell, partially believes libraries are not focusing enough effort into making these alternative search engines, such as EBSCOhost, more attractive to students. He also ascertains that the reason for this is the lack of understanding of these sites by the library faculty.

I thought this article was extremely relevant to our class. Often times I feel I do not learn anything useful that I can use in everyday life in my classes, but I know that the search engines which were introduced to me in this course and detailed again in this article will definitely come in handy when I have to do research on any given topic, which I am sure I will do countless times in my future. I thought Bell had a great point about making the other search engines and databases look more appealing or “smell like fast food” in attempts to lure the students in. This may sound like false advertising, but I think once most students see what these alternatives are really all about, they will begin to use them on a more regular basis. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, maybe apathy, these search engines will probably never be as successful in terms of hits as Google. Google is simply too convenient. For instance, just to find this article I had to do a lot of searching, or at least a lot more than I would have used had I used Google. In today’s world where everything is all about speed, I am afraid Google is simply too guilty a pleasure to turn down.

Reading Report 3

The article was an outline of the early beginnings of libraries and where they will end up in the future. It also touched on other forms of media and technology, where they have been, and where they too are going. Libraries in the medieval period were extremely important all over the world. The history of the great Leonardo Di Vinci’s artwork is well documented throughout time and the protection of it has always been deemed important. Libraries helped to store his work and other great important documents throughout the years. The invention of the Gutenberg printing press and the endowment of Andrew Carnegie helped to spawn equally important library revolutions in their time, with Carnegie’s loan helping to establish over 2,000 libraries worldwide. Coming from all of this, we are left to wonder where the future of libraries are headed. With all the new information technology becoming more and more available, and with the trend of all forms of technology having limited lifespans, the question is outlined with several trends which to expect over the coming years.

I could definitely see libraries becoming a quasi museum in the future. The “culture center” analogy they used in the article really struck a cord with me and I think that is probably indeed the future of libraries. They will in some way always have a purpose, as the housing of books in my mind will always be necessary. Also, the ability to put books online and onto handheld things is becoming ever more so available, but I am one of those who believe that the physical tangible asset of a book will always be wanted by a great number of people. The only trend I really disagreed with was number 6, as I do not really believe literacy will ever be “dead.” Maybe Dr. Crossman is right, but I think that is an awfully soon timeframe for literacy to be completely dead. I think books and written information have far too great an impact and use to ever be fully defunct.

News Report #3
“Closures loom for UA libraries”
Nathan Mitchell, The Arizona Daily Wildcat
02/02/09
http://media.wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2009/02/02/News/Closures.Loom.For.Ua.Libraries-3607944.shtml


This story is an appropriate one concerning the current situation our economy is in. It seems even the libraries are affected by the downturn, which makes sense, because nothing really goes by unscathed. The libraries at the University at Arizona are the topic here, faced with the decision to either raise tuition or downsize one library and eliminate two more. The likely scenario will include both the libraries being cut and an increase in the money students pay. The fee which students currently pay is at $30 and will go up nearly $150 more than that. In addition to the libraries being cut, people will also be getting laid off at the university. It appears as the 15% cut which the government is enforcing is in a way a loan from the university, as 10% of the taken money is supposed to be given back at a later date. The cost of reopening one of the closed libraries is estimated to be about $50 million, so other alternatives need to be looked at. In addition to this disappointing news, the cuts are expected to continue in the years to come.
First of all I was surprised to find out how many different libraries this university had. I mean I know the University of Arizona has a good deal more students than us, but if they are closing this many libraries they probably have at least a few more, leaving them with a lot more than us at one point. On one end I can see where the government is coming from concerning their wanting to close the libraries. The economy has truly affected everyone, and maybe Arizona had a few too many libraries that were not fully being utilized. But to close them just to reopen them later seems like a dumb idea. The cost of reopening is astounding, and if they are truly planning on reopening the closed libraries as they have indicated, they should find ways to severely minimize the cost of doing so. To me it just seems like a whole bunch of wasted money in a time where we cannot afford to do so.

News Report 2

"Sex offender arrested for violating parole on Myspace"
Elinor Mills, CNET
February 4th, 2009
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10157193-93.html?tag=mncol;posts


Myspace has recently caught a pandemic of sexual offenders who have created accounts in attempts to solicit underage persons. The recent count of violators numbers 30, but over 90,000 sex offenders were suspected to have personas on the social networking site. While the man in question did not yet attempt anything explicitly illegal on the site, his parole contained provisions which prohibited him from making a page. Four other men, who did not yet appear to be registered sex offenders, were arrested for trying to solicit sex from undercover agents posing as minors. Myspace has since handed over the names of these people to the Connecticut Attorney general, who requested their submission. In an attempt to get the bad spotlight of them for a minute, Myspace called out rival networking site Facebook and accused it of having over 9,000 sex offenders registered. Some argue that both sites contain accounts which appear to be sex offenders, but are really just fake profiles made up in attempts to raise the total number of users or lure potential predators into capture.

First of all, the number of supposed sex offenders on Myspace especially, and Facebook, is astounding, if those numbers are indeed true. I do not know much about Myspace, but that seems like a ton on people. It just reiterates how careful young people and especially girls should be on the internet, and hopefully parents are involved in these accounts. And while I am glad that the authorities are taking measures to clean these sites up, I do sometimes have reservations about their tactics. The way they described catching these predators reminded me of a show I sometimes watch on television, called “To Catch a Predator.” Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the show, and the people they catch truly are disgusting most times, but it just seems so low in a way. Is there no better way to stop these people? Maybe not, and the important thing is that they are caught after the way they handle the situation, but sometimes these officers posing as minors can initiate the conversation and throw themselves at the offender. I am certainly not condoning what happens after the initial invitation, but at times it seems like a big scheme to set someone they don’t like up. I just wonder how the dialogue the agents use parallels that used by real underage girls. Nonetheless, it is gratifying that these guys aren't going unnoticed, and perhaps the crackdown on the sites and the TV show will deter other adults from conducting similar behaviors.

Reading Report 2

"Can Wikipedia Ever Make the Grade?" By Brock Read. Chronicle of Higher Education (10/27/2006)

I was aware the use of Wikipedia was swiftly growing, but I did not think of all of the possibilities of where it could go. The site seems boundless. It makes sense though after you get into the article, because it is extremely logical that a next step in our technological maturation would be to have fully functional web encylcopedia that is as trusted as say Encyclopedia Brittanica.

There are both detractors and supporters of the website, and even the academic community is split as to whether Wikipedia is truly gaining ground as a leading source of reliable information. It seems to differ as to who you ask. For instance one professor posed as a "troll" to try to sabotage Wiki because he felt it was easy to do so and needed to be dismissed as a serious site. But after his efforts were thwarted, he is now an active contributor of serious, true information. Other have stated that they feel superior to a site which allows and encourages submissions from, in their mind, unqualified persons, and sometimes disparages "true" academians from posting themselves. Some have even claimed to have posted great information on their matter of expertise, only to find it erased by the Wiki editors. The future of the site is uncertain, seeing as some aspects of the site are scant in knowledge while others rival those of any publication.

I thought it was cool to see how quickly irrelevant and false, and even hard to decipher, statements were taken off the site. I always wondered how that was done and it was nice to figure it out. It was interesting to find out that the site actually has serious creators and editors who work round the clock, and hold events to try and improve the site. It seems like a pretty noble idea. It makes sense though because to be even considered moderately reliable, as most would contend for Wiki, you have to have some sort of immediate overrides in certain situations, seeing as it is so easy to erase and post comments.

Reading Report #1

The report, written by Paul Piper, was in reference to the Internet and how certain websites are not necessarily what they seem. It divided these spurious sites into different groups as well, with all of them falling under the code name of misinformation. Piper was quick to point out, though, that his problem was not with the sites or information that were accidentally wrong, or typos, or unintended omissions. His problem was instead with the sites which contained malicious and intentional misinformation. (82) For instance he compared these faulty sites to a counterfeit twenty dollar bill attempting to feign its way into our United States currency system and pass itself off as real. His research appears very thorough, and he gave numerous examples of these sites. Some of which, in his opinion, were white power sites disguised to seem neutral at first, but under his further review were revealed to be propoganda. One such site was dedicated to the memory of Martin Luther King Jr., but it contained information about him which was not flattering. He lists all of his misinformation subgroups and gives examples of each, and at the end of his essay even gives information to the reader telling him what he should do if he encounters a site he believes may be fake. (208)


The paper was a bit long for what I was expecting but it was pretty easy to read and I enjoyed it. I think it was appropriate to see in clearly expressed writing what many of us have wanted to say for a long time. I know we have touched on Wikipedia some in class, and that website is something I continually thought about while reading this article. While the information on Wiki appears to gospel to some, including myself, we sometimes forget, or neglect that anyone can post reports on that site. I try not to believe what I hear all the time anyways, and the Internet for me is little different than TV in that respect. I stay glued to ESPN, and I cannot believe half the things they gossip about on there anymore. It is always nice to be given the reminder that what we see or hear all the time is not true, though. Maybe I am different than most though in my indifference to the sites being allowed to stay on the web. I believe in freedom of speech and know it is impossible to fully dissect which sites are real and which are not. For example, my blog was just given the label of a spam blog, which it certainly is not. His detail of all the misinformation types was quite impressive and my favorite category of his was probably the "disinformation" genre, and how we sometimes believe this junk anyways.

Kyle

News Report #1

"Don't touch that book!" Children's products must comply with new federal lead standards by February 10.

01/17/2009

Marietta Homayonpour

NewsTimes.com

http://www.newstimes.com/localnews/ci_11481614



Coming very soon, within the next month, libraries seemingly may have to begin deshelving much of their inventory it attempts to comply with new regulations passed by Congress. This past August the Congress passed a bill which inhibits the sale of children's products containing more than 6 parts per 10,000 total lead. And yes, this includes books. And yes, this includes not just new books, but books already in existence, too. Many, such as the executive director of the American Library Association, Emily Sheketoff, are outraged. She contends libraries are in the business of providing our young minds with the materials necessary to expand their horizons and jumpstart them on the path of learning. The average small business owner, such as Nora O'Neill, could see the downside of this recent decision as well. O'Neill owns a company which buys and sells adult and children's books. This law could potentially devastate her business, as she does not forsee the ability to potentially deal with the revenue loss anticipated. The good news for both of these women, libraries in general, and most importantly, the children, is that word has come down from American Libraries Association to wait until further clarification of the law is given specifically to them.

I found this story particularly interesting because it touches on a variety of topics to me, whether it intended to or not. I think it is nice to see that we as a country are becoming far more aware of the things we bring into our country from overseas. Especially when the products come from a nation such as China, who is certainly not our best friend at the moment, and is angling for the top spot in food chain which we currently hold by most accounts. I am surprised that a provision of some sort has yet to be passed though allowing for things such as books to be allowed. Perhaps this hasn't happened yet because of the freshness of this story. I would hope that Congress would allow for such an admission; if libraries were forced to relinquish the right to hold children's books, it would be a sad day.

First Post

Well I just created my first blog today. It is an amazing feeling and was easier than I expected.