So long, farewell...

To 1311! Thanks especially to Gord, who made the class enjoyable for a room full of IT phobic students! I now read and understand articles in The Globe and Mail which I had always studiously avoided, and have strong opinions on things which, 3 months ago, I didn't even know existed! Have a wonderful vacation everyone; see you in January!

Prepaid

In accounting there's a concept known as a prepaid. It's when, well, you get the idea. I have tried to keep this blog fed and watered at least once per week this term, but as I look toward next week and the number of assignment balls to be kept in the air simultaneously, I've decided to blog tonight in order to have one less ball to juggle (or drop, as the case may be)! Do you, gentle readers, think that age 49 is too late to learn to like coffee? As we're all bent over with the weight of the work, it is a comfort to know that we're all in this together, and to see all of your smiling faces at dear old FIS. See you in the library!

Software Evaluation Conclusions

Prior to this week, the only way I've ever evaluated software was to offer my opinion as to whether or not a software package met my needs. It was actually quite interesting to drill down and see what a software project is all about! Here is my conclusion:

Dspace would be an excellent software choice for digital archives. There are many positive reasons to choose Dspace, and the few negative issues are likely to exist with any other project, and can be addressed and resolved with minimal difficulty. Dspace meets all criteria of the Open Source Software Maturity Model evaluation and is recommended for implementation. The first step of this implementation should be the Dspace Early Adopter Program, which will allow a pilot project for a trial period on a small scale to ensure the suitability of the software for this institution by task based user testing.

You can check out any time you like but you can never leave!

I was taking a (well-deserved!) break from writing papers last weekend when I sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and The Globe and Mail. Within 2 minutes I was absorbed in a fascinating article by U of T philosophy professor Mark Kingwell. The purpose of this post is not to discuss the substance of his article, but let's just say he refers to such topics as scholarly work, Web 2.0, blogging, citation, copyright regulations, ownership, authorship...some break! (refer back to blog title!)

What I found even more compelling than the arguments in his essay though, is the concept that these issues are being debated at all. My heart beats faster south of Bloor St. I've been looking forward to being back on this campus for a long time. It's astonishing how much has stayed the same in 27 years, but it's remarkable how much has changed too. Good minds look at problems and search for answers. The status quo isn't just swallowed whole, and big questions are debated with relish and energy! We're rooted in the past but we're looking at the future. In a place full of good minds and good intentions, it's easy to be optimistic.

OK, now back to those papers!

If you're interested: Kingwell, M. (2007, October 13). The end of the single author, student-brain-on-paper essay. The Globe and Mail, pp. F8.

Do Libraries Matter - You Bet They Do!

The Talis white paper issued a call to action to all librarians to technologically transform their libraries or risk becoming irrelevant or even obsolete. From the provocative title to the final paragraph, the authors use strong language to convince their audience that the library's salvation lies in the use of cutting-edge technology. While they discuss numerous creative ideas, many of their assumptions are questionable, including the premise on which the paper is based, that libraries as they are have become outdated in the modern world. Technology, while a transformational tool, is not an end in itself. Libraries have always made use of technology throughout history, from card catalogues to MARC records, to serve their patrons. It is in this progressive way that librarians should approach the ideas in the white paper. Technology alone will not affect the future of the library. Libraries offer a unique service which cannot be replaced by a search engine. Not all technologies suggested by Library 2.0 may be an optimal fit for libraries. It is always good to challenge the status quo to keep an institution vibrant, but change inspired by panic or fear, without a strategic plan, may not be appropriate or sustainable.

Readers & Writers

In her October 3 post, Rachel Beattie discusses how libraries are not like Starbucks, and how, in many ways, they shouldn't aspire to be like Starbucks (Beattie, 2007). This made me think about my experience a few weeks ago, when I went to a reading at a local book store.

The store had set up a roped off area with a podium and a lectern and approximately 100 chairs. The reading drew a crowd of at least double that amount of people, and by the time I got there, the patient staff was very busy corralling the overflow into an SRO area well back of the chairs, because they had to leave an open walkway to allow people to come in to the store. Needless to say, it was very difficult to see and hear, because shoppers kept loudly walking in front of half the audience! (Most of them would actually stop walking and inquire of one another: "ooh, I wonder what's going on here?").

While I decided (perhaps rationalized) that I was still glad I went to the reading, I continually asked myself why this couldn't have been done in a library. As Rachel says, there is a time for quiet, or at least whispering, not to mention that writers belong with readers, and where, better than a library, can readers be found?

References

Beattie, R. "Shhhhh!!!!" (2007) Retrieved October 4, 2007 from http://rebeattie1311.blogspot.com/

On Epiphanies and Boomers

I am a boomer, although I admit that I've never felt like a boomer. Despite the fact that during the summer of love the only "be-in" I was a part of was "be in the house when your mother calls you for supper", a birth-date in 1958 definitely qualifies me for membership in that infamous demographic known as the baby boom. I've never felt like a boomer, that is, before last Thursday. That's when I had the epiphany.

I was sitting at a computer when I rapidly got my knickers in a twist jumping in to try yet another new technology. And then it hit me. I am not an experiential learner. Forget Ms. Frizzle's Magic School Bus mantra of "take chances, get messy, make mistakes!" - I just don't learn well that way. I like lectures. I like written material (on paper!). I like to take notes that can be reviewed and reflected upon. I read manuals and mark them up with marginalia. When shown how to use a new piece of technology, I take notes, file them carefully, and refer to them often.

So what does this epiphany have to do with boomers? I have 2 kids in university, and they deal with technology very differently from me. Library 2.0 is right in line with their needs as digital natives, but what about the boomers, the digital immigrants? There are a lot of people like me, and if history is an indicator of the future, the boomers aren't going to fade away quietly. As the most educated generation in history jogs toward retirement, the library could be perfectly positioned to fill many of the needs of these future senior citizens. Already built for accessibility, the library can keep minds active to ward off Altzheimer's, run special interest programs, and act as a social forum, just to name a few possibities.

Although I'm not heading to my rocking chair any time soon (after all, I'm here on campus in my skinny jeans and ballet flats!), I think I may pursue this as a theme as I continue this blog.