Scout

I do not like Internet Scout Portal.

I hope I never have to use it again.

That is all.

Zoom, zoom, zoom...

That wasn't quite what I expected. It wasn't difficult to create the clouds, but they don't work the way I thought they would. It's pulling parts of URLs into the cloud. Doesn't seem right to me.

del.icio.us

To steal a subject from a professor, "Because Procratination Can be an Art" I have finally gotten around to finishing up the del.icio.us assignment. I've been collecting (and e-mailing to myself from work or bookmarking) links for a while and now that the cloud is due, I have finally entered them all.

It took much longer than I expected.

Now, off to figure out Zoom Cloud!

RSS?

Perhaps I missed the RSS bandwagon. I really don’t see what is so great about it. I have made use of the RSS “Live Bookmarks” feature of FireFox. I have some of the course blogs and a news feed. By the time I click on the bookmark and read the subjects, I could have navigated to the actual website and glanced at the entire article. I really don’t see what all the hype is about.

This week’s discussion (which I remembered!) is on the use of RSS in the library. But if I can’t find a good reason to use it myself, why would I use it in the library?

I suppose RSS can be helpful in showing recently published books or articles. But I’m just not seeing it.

Responses

These weekly discussions are going to be the end of me. It's only Monday and I just remembered the response to this week's question.

Excuse me while I go take care of that.

Wiki isn't so wiki anymore

Many of the course blogs have had links to articles about Wikipedia and other wikis. Here is an article from the New York Times about limits added to Wikipedia. I believe you need to register to view it. Sorry about that.

The general point of the article is that some entries (like Albert Einstein, human rights in China and Christina Aguilera) have been protected from all editing due to "repeated vandalism." Other entries have been limited to editing by users who have been registered for at least four days.

Has this change to Wikipedia resulted in something fundamentally different? What ramifications does this really have? How important is it?

Only time will tell.

Wednesdays

I must have a mental block on Wednesdays. This is the second week in a row in which I almost missed a posting.

I haven't really gotten anywhere with Scout Portal yet. I feel like I'm falling behind, but I'm really not sure what we're supposed to do. I don't see how this is different from the del.icio.us assignment. Yes, it's different software with different data to be added, but couldn't it be the same content?

Almost forgot.

Here's an amusing blog. I hope it makes you smile.

Baker and Lesk

Well, the last 100 pages didn't really clear anything up. Baker makes a very interesting point (one I happen to like -- for the most part), but his argument is lacking. The book should get like-minded people angry and perhaps convince them to do something, but I don't think the book will get any converts.

As for Lesk, a much drier read. Much of it felt like the text for LIS 2600. Lots of detail about the history of digitization, etc. Did I really need to see a chart showing the changes in price of storage media?

Double Fold

This book is so much easier than Kuhn. I have about one hundred pages to go, and I don't really see where he's going. Obviously, Baker wants libraries to stop destroying original materials. His method of argument seems to be telling horror stories of things that have been destroyed and the conspiracy that destroys them. The book definitely reads like a conspiracy theory book. I'm just waiting for Baker to bring in the Book Depository and the grassy knoll.

But what's his point? So far, there isn't a solution to the problem except not destroying materials and buying/building/renting more shelf space. That's not really a solution. It may be what's needed, but he hasn't yet explained how to make it work or how to change the destroy to preserve mindset he describes.

Maybe the last hundred pages will clear it all up. I hope so.

Yikes!

I almost missed a group discussion post! I hope a few hours won't make a difference. There's so much going on, so many things to keep track of. I always feel like I'm missing something.

My problem today wasn't that I missed the assignment posting or that I didn't write it on my calendar. I actually forgot that today is Wednesday! That's a sure sign that I'm working too hard. (And I don't mean school.)

At least I remembered that little slip before too late, and it gave me content for this blog! So by almost forgetting one assignment, I got material for another. Tricky world, this.

Podcasts

Those podcasts are incredibly difficult to follow.

I don't like talk radio. Why? Because just audio is difficult for me to follow. I suppose I get distracted too easily. I've never been able to listen to audio books either. I prefer video so I can see the speaker and follow his or her body language. Better yet is actually being in the room with the speaker. My mind keeps wandering with audio only broadcasts.

It's also difficult because there are so many silent moments when the speaker pauses or is showing something on the computer screen.

In the first podcast, Americ Azevedo talks about the differences between live instruction and instruction through podcasts and the like. One point he makes is that the use of the internet and distance learning (even just Power Point presentations) destroys immediacy, spontaneity, and thinking. I wholeheartedly agree with him.

The wee hours of the morning.

I have just deposited the first review assignment for LIS 2000 in the Digital Drop Box. While reading Kuhn, I felt left behind by his numerous science examples. Before Kuhn, I didn't know who Lavoisier was. And there are names I still can't really identify.

I get the same feeling reading the discussion board comments and other blogs. I have no library experience. How can I accurately discuss the following topic:

Historically, librarians have served as custodians of recorded knowledge and gatekeepers to information resources. To what extent has the rise of networked information services begun to change the roles that librarians play? What other factors, if any, are contributing to changes in the roles of librarians?

I really don't know the answers to those questions. I'm looking forward to reading other students' responses so that I can learn.

There's so much to do. I just hope I can retain it all.

Good night.

Discussion Boards

Now that the first week of official group discussion is over, I read through everyone's posts and responses. Overall, it was a valuable exercise; however, I am beginning to wonder how well I will fit in. I have NO experience in libraries. And so much of the discussion is about experiences working in libraries. It's a very different perspective on information technology than I currently have.

I'm looking forward to being able to share that "insider" perspective after graduation. And before if I can find a job. Does anyone have any openings they'd like to share?

Finally

Although I still have many things to do, I finally feel like I'm getting into the swing of things.

I have tags to choose, podcasts to watch, books to read, discussion threads to follow, recorded chats to read.

There's never a day off.

I want to be able to post some substantial content, but I barely post on my private blog. It's even harder to develop content for a specific topic.

Where else?

I've been reading the text for 2600. My first impression is that the book is written for people who have never laid eyes on a computer. Is it really necessary to explain that, "you can purchase application software from a store that sells computer products"*? Where else would one buy software? The clothing store perhaps?

I shouldn't complain. Perhaps the simplicity of this text makes up for some of the more complicated assignments. And perhaps the remaining chapters are not so simple.

I'll let you know when I get there.




*Shelly, Cashman, Vermaat. Discovering Computers 2006: A Gateway to Information. page 16.

Science? What's that?

Although I haven't gotten very far yet, I'm really enjoying The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. I have to admit, it's the first book I've ever bought that is shelved in the science section. I've always been focused in the humanities.

Overall, while I'm enjoying the readings, I'm slightly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of postings. Aside from the required articles and books, there are so many other links posted in the various blogs (even some distributed by e-mail).

So much to read and so little time!

In the beginning...

I suppose I should begin by introducing myself. However, I have already posted three introductions on three different discussion boards. I'm running out of things to say.

So rather than bore you all (again) I will just leave you some links to sites I enjoy.

This is True

True Stella Awards

Get Fuzzy a comic by Darby Conley

The library of my childhood