I almost can't believe the semester is nearly over. Note how I say "almost" and "nearly." It's not over yet, and as I'm not sure if I'm met my "quota" yet, I am going to continue bringing all of you my thoughts on the reading assignments for class. Then again, I'm not even sure if I would stop, as I enjoy seeing the comments and the discussions.
So, with that, I present you with my thoughts on this week's readings. Enjoy!
Weblogs: Their Use and Application in Science and Technology Libraries
So, after all this time of using a blog to share our thoughts and research for the class, we now get to see research showing that we aren't following the trends of the angst-driven teens swarming the blogosphere.
The fact that the article used the term "blogoshere" caused me to chuckle a bit. Perhaps I've read too much xkcd. . .
Interestingly enough, the article starts off with a history of blogging (starting from the first website, at that), which made me think of Lazslo's Linked when it came to linking the sites and the "birth" of the blogosphere.
Overall, the article brings up a few good points regarding the blogging-method as a viable option for group projects (timestamps, little setup, etc), and for reference (usable for finding info on subjects). I do feel as though there are some edges to using blogs over e-mails, but in practice, it doesn't seem to be as effective in some ways. The students I advice have a blog (on blogger, at that), but only a select few use it, while others want the e-mail, facebook, or face-to-face options. Additionally, using the reference-oriented blogs as an outsider may make one wonder the same thing that comes up when one uses the internet for research: "Is this information valid?"
Just tossing that out there for anyone who wants to roll with a discussion.
Using a wiki to manage a library instruction program: Sharing knowledge to better serve patrons
After slugging through the obligatory "What is a wiki?" and "Here is how you start one" sections, the article makes a shift into what the title states it should cover.
Which, sadly, feels like a reiteration of what a wiki is. After reading the article, I felt as though I went through a recursive IF(WHILE()) loop, where I was told one thing (a wiki is a way of sharing information) and saw something very similar later. In my view, the article just showed that a wiki fills in the in-classroom gaps for this field, but honestly, wouldn't that be the case in ANY classroom environment or field of study?
Creating the academic library folksonomy: Put social tagging to work at your institution
Once again, it is nice to see a few things go full circle, as I've found myself having discussions with my colleagues and most of you here regarding folksonomies and even general metadata in the form of subject tags.
Honestly, I don't have much to say about it. There was little here I haven't run into yet (especially with what was discussed in LIS2000), and the most useful section turned out to be the end, as it consisted of suggestions to approaching this idea in an individual library. A few websites were also suggested, but again, nothing that really impacted me in the least.
I can go on a few tangents involving metadata and folksonomies, but I think I've covered those in previous posts.
How a ragtag band created Wikipedia
Video Link
I cannot view this at the moment, as I cannot view videos from this computer. I'll have to find the time to get this done.
I think I can answer your question in regards to using the Internet as a source of information. As a result of this technology, sources of information can easily be published and made available. However, this does not necessarily mean the observations would be professional or the intentions would be sincere. Because anyone can publish information and people are always looking for attention, it should be no surprise that the Internet would be bombarded with junk. Through the use of Blogs, that task has become much easier to fulfill. Most blogs or any other source of information over the Internet seem to have questionable validity. However, they can still provide some form of use by giving readers a general idea about certain topics. If anyone wants to know more about something and plans on doing a more accurate study, the individual's best bet would be going to a local library.
ReplyDeleteAnthony,
ReplyDeleteDo you think wikis would be a good tool for librarians to use to promote information literacy and literacy in general?
-Katie :)
I had never really given any consideration to using blogs in the reference process. I suppose it could be beneficial because you could make more information available to a wider audience. But, I am more comfortable viewing blogs as an outreach tool within the library setting. If your community is tapped into the "blogosphere," why not reach out to where they are at? I just haven't encountered a great deal of users who are ready to turn to blogs as an alternative to a human interface. Also, I don't think that many people would be willing to search through a library's blog to find an answer that was posted three years ago. I can't tell you what percentage of the questions that I am asked are answered on signs in the building or in the FAQ sections on the library's website...needless to say, it is hight!
ReplyDelete@ Lorraine
ReplyDeleteI suffer from the same delema. What can a library blog offer that cannot be answered quicker with a phone call or an "ask-a-librarian" IM? This at least from a public library setting. The advantages I see with blogs in the library is internal communication and instruction (which can be achieved with wikis), a resource for other librarians, or, as the article suggests, a mentoring role for other people's blogs.