The future of libraries, with or without books
John D. Sutter
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/04/future.library.technology/index.html
The stereotypical library is dying -- and it's taking its shushing ladies, dank smell and endless shelves of books with it. Books are being pushed aside for digital learning centers and gaming areas. "Loud rooms" that promote public discourse and group projects are taking over the bookish quiet. Hipster staffers who blog, chat on Twitter and care little about the Dewey Decimal System are edging out old-school librarians. And that's just the surface. By some accounts, the library system is undergoing a complete transformation that goes far beyond these image changes.
Authors, publishing houses, librarians and Web sites continue to fight Google's efforts to digitize the world's books and create the world's largest library online. Meanwhile, many real-world libraries are moving forward with the assumption that physical books will play a much-diminished or potentially nonexistent role in their efforts to educate the public.
Some books will still be around, they say, although many of those will be digital. But the goal of the library remains the same: To be a free place where people can access and share information.
"The library building isn't a warehouse for books," said Helene Blowers, digital strategy director at the Columbus [Ohio] Metropolitan Library. "It's a community gathering center."Think of the change as a Library 2.0 revolution -- a mirror of what's happened on the Web.
When I read this article the first thing that came to my mind was the other day at work. An older man came into the store and was asking for an ebook. At first I looked confused and thought about our service on campus. Then I realize he was talking about the ebooks that Sony and Amazon makes. The older gentlemen easily said, “I hate to go away from the standard way of reading but this ebook is pretty convenient when you are older because having the ability to read in dark is a plus and you don’t have to worry about carrying two or three books around. The article is discussing trends that are according around the country. People now don’t want to wait and read a book about information. It’s now a time in age where getting the information as quickly as possible and the old school way is no longer needed. I feel like libraries are going to stay around with some making the change especially in those rural areas were the library is the place of history for that town.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
“Can Wikipedia Ever Make the Grade”
John T. Carr
September 17, 2009
Reading 2
“Can Wikipedia Ever Make the Grade”
Brock Read
Chronicle of Higher Education 10/27/2006
The article main purpose is to see if Wikipedia could ever be used as a reliable source or not. Wikipedia is similar to an online encyclopedia. Many people think it’s not a great source or reference for anything because anyone can update or alter the information. On the other side other claim it has been said that it is 90% correct just like encyclopedia. Speaking from my own experience my friends and I once tried to update a search ourselves. As soon as it was submitted, about two minutes later it changed back to its originally form because of the information we put in was wrong. Wikipedia stays updating its site continually. Wiki knows that people are doing that so there regularly updates are plus to keep the site operating.
I feel personally that Wikipedia is a source that you can use in research. If you are to use it as a resource just be sure to cross reference it. I do that with all sources. It’s just like an encyclopedia so either one is not a source any scholarly paper that I do will not be accepted as a reliable source. I use wiki about everyday to first get a glimpse of something I’m looking for. It’s fast and easy and since I started using it, hasn't given the correct information. From something scholarly I wouldn’t use because wiki doesn’t provide any material like that. To me it gives you a general background for you to start your information. One last fact that this article shows is that Britannica Encyclopedia has one less error that wiki does.
September 17, 2009
Reading 2
“Can Wikipedia Ever Make the Grade”
Brock Read
Chronicle of Higher Education 10/27/2006
The article main purpose is to see if Wikipedia could ever be used as a reliable source or not. Wikipedia is similar to an online encyclopedia. Many people think it’s not a great source or reference for anything because anyone can update or alter the information. On the other side other claim it has been said that it is 90% correct just like encyclopedia. Speaking from my own experience my friends and I once tried to update a search ourselves. As soon as it was submitted, about two minutes later it changed back to its originally form because of the information we put in was wrong. Wikipedia stays updating its site continually. Wiki knows that people are doing that so there regularly updates are plus to keep the site operating.
I feel personally that Wikipedia is a source that you can use in research. If you are to use it as a resource just be sure to cross reference it. I do that with all sources. It’s just like an encyclopedia so either one is not a source any scholarly paper that I do will not be accepted as a reliable source. I use wiki about everyday to first get a glimpse of something I’m looking for. It’s fast and easy and since I started using it, hasn't given the correct information. From something scholarly I wouldn’t use because wiki doesn’t provide any material like that. To me it gives you a general background for you to start your information. One last fact that this article shows is that Britannica Encyclopedia has one less error that wiki does.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Hawaii Board Rejects Monthly Two-Day Closures, Furloughs
Gordon Flagg 09/14/2009
http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2009/september2009/hawaiiplanbstalls090409.cfm?persistent=&expy_dt=
The Hawaii Board of Education failed to approve a proposal September 3 to address a $5.7-million cut in funding by closing all public-library branches at least two days a month and furloughing employees twice a month. The plan also called for the elimination of 72 vacant job positions (which would curtail use of temporary workers in those posts), a reduction in operating hours, and intermittent temporary branch closures due to staff shortages. The plan was submitted by State Librarian Richard Burns after the board rejected a proposal in July to permanently shut five branches and directed him to present a new plan to that did not include library closures.
Cutting libraries down is now something states are doing. It’s either dealing with shutting some down, closing some for a period of time and also making changes with how their books are arranged and disbursed. According to the article the Hawaii Board just rejected another plan brought towards them to help with their library crisis. With this happening now people in the system are being temporary laid off twice a month and branches being close two days a month. That hurts people with families they have to take care of. I thought a library would never be the one that has to shut down. It’s a public and state operated. People use it mostly everyday to check on something from current news to even thing in the past that may be relative today. I feel as there are other ways to help the Hawaii Librarian system rather than just closing some branches. Students lose the ability to go to library now and not worry if its going to be close tomorrow or if the library in their city will be close for good.
Gordon Flagg 09/14/2009
http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2009/september2009/hawaiiplanbstalls090409.cfm?persistent=&expy_dt=
The Hawaii Board of Education failed to approve a proposal September 3 to address a $5.7-million cut in funding by closing all public-library branches at least two days a month and furloughing employees twice a month. The plan also called for the elimination of 72 vacant job positions (which would curtail use of temporary workers in those posts), a reduction in operating hours, and intermittent temporary branch closures due to staff shortages. The plan was submitted by State Librarian Richard Burns after the board rejected a proposal in July to permanently shut five branches and directed him to present a new plan to that did not include library closures.
Cutting libraries down is now something states are doing. It’s either dealing with shutting some down, closing some for a period of time and also making changes with how their books are arranged and disbursed. According to the article the Hawaii Board just rejected another plan brought towards them to help with their library crisis. With this happening now people in the system are being temporary laid off twice a month and branches being close two days a month. That hurts people with families they have to take care of. I thought a library would never be the one that has to shut down. It’s a public and state operated. People use it mostly everyday to check on something from current news to even thing in the past that may be relative today. I feel as there are other ways to help the Hawaii Librarian system rather than just closing some branches. Students lose the ability to go to library now and not worry if its going to be close tomorrow or if the library in their city will be close for good.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Web Hoaxes, Counterfeit Sites, and Other Spurious Information on the Internet"
Our first reading report title Web Hoaxes, Counterfeit Sites, and other Spurious Information on the internet is about sites that are made to mimic and misled information by using the web. It also it used as a tool to make people lose their beliefs and opinion on issues and even people. The article goes into detail explaining what is the different in each one of the different malicious sites that are out there. The sites that do this fall into these categories: counterfeit, malicious, product, fictitious, parodies/spoofs/entertainment, hacks and disinformation.
The article starts by talking about how counterfeit sites attempt to pass themselves off as real sites. These sites mimic the feel of the original site but are geared for misleading information trying to catch those doing research. The example they use in the article was the Martin Luther King website. It tells about how he supposedly was with several white women the night he was murdered. If you looked onto the site in more detail you would notice links to other pages and emails. Clicked upon them and you would be taken to pro-White America webpage.
The article goes into farther detail about how you could publish more malicious and misleading information. People do this by hiding behind the first amendment, which is the freedom of speech and by using the web to show it off.
I really didn’t know it was that many ways to mislead people. I honestly don’t see the enjoyment out of doing something in ways to misled or to slander someone else’s name and legacy. Its good that we do have agencies out there that monitor sites that try this. I always would maybe see pop-ups about joining something about getting a free computer or some type of electronic. People do the thing with those sites also. The web is a huge book with a lot of misleading information. Truly I think there should be violations and for those who do more harm than good to someone by doing this.
Our first reading report title Web Hoaxes, Counterfeit Sites, and other Spurious Information on the internet is about sites that are made to mimic and misled information by using the web. It also it used as a tool to make people lose their beliefs and opinion on issues and even people. The article goes into detail explaining what is the different in each one of the different malicious sites that are out there. The sites that do this fall into these categories: counterfeit, malicious, product, fictitious, parodies/spoofs/entertainment, hacks and disinformation.
The article starts by talking about how counterfeit sites attempt to pass themselves off as real sites. These sites mimic the feel of the original site but are geared for misleading information trying to catch those doing research. The example they use in the article was the Martin Luther King website. It tells about how he supposedly was with several white women the night he was murdered. If you looked onto the site in more detail you would notice links to other pages and emails. Clicked upon them and you would be taken to pro-White America webpage.
The article goes into farther detail about how you could publish more malicious and misleading information. People do this by hiding behind the first amendment, which is the freedom of speech and by using the web to show it off.
I really didn’t know it was that many ways to mislead people. I honestly don’t see the enjoyment out of doing something in ways to misled or to slander someone else’s name and legacy. Its good that we do have agencies out there that monitor sites that try this. I always would maybe see pop-ups about joining something about getting a free computer or some type of electronic. People do the thing with those sites also. The web is a huge book with a lot of misleading information. Truly I think there should be violations and for those who do more harm than good to someone by doing this.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
News Report 1
News Report 1
“eBay Sells Most Of Skype For $1.9 Billion”
W. David Gardner , InformationWeek
September 1, 2009
http://www.informationweek.com/news/services/voice/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=219500766
A move by eBay (NSDQ: EBAY) to drop its planned IPO and unload control of its Skype Technologies VoIP unit to a group of private investors for $1.9 billion would likely eliminate sticky litigation with Skype's founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, who have been seeking to purchase Skype. eBay will retain a 35% equity position in Skype in the deal, which values Skype at $2.75 billion."Skype is one of Europe's greatest startup success stories," said Volpi Tuesday. "In 2004, we recognized its potential as a global telecommunications leader and we've been captivated by the business since we first invested." In addition to London-based Index Ventures, the investors acquiring Skype include Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm led by Marc Andreessen, a co-founder of Netscape, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB.) When eBay purchased Skype in 2005 for $2.6 billion and later considerations for a total estimated at $3.3 billion, the online auction company neglected to obtain rights to important underlying software for Skype, whose founders recently initiated litigation against eBay. The peer-to-peer software in question is owned by Joltid, a firm controlled by Skype's founders.
Wow, Skype being sold. I guess money does really talk. Skype has grown to become a program that everyone uses and loves. It’s now install on more than half the new computers being sold. In the article though it looks like there are some legal issues trying to be worked out that eBay forgot to obtain in their purchase of the program in 2005 dealing with software. It seems as eBay didn’t get all the rights for the software. I didn’t know that Skype was developed in Europe and now is world known. Now with eBay selling most of Skype I wonder if you will get the same benefits of the program you got before because everything was actually free and paid for by advertisements. Now the question will someone ever become the sole owner of both the software and programs. Several companies have brought their share of the company. I hope you can get the same benefits and even more with more companies buying into it.
“eBay Sells Most Of Skype For $1.9 Billion”
W. David Gardner , InformationWeek
September 1, 2009
http://www.informationweek.com/news/services/voice/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=219500766
A move by eBay (NSDQ: EBAY) to drop its planned IPO and unload control of its Skype Technologies VoIP unit to a group of private investors for $1.9 billion would likely eliminate sticky litigation with Skype's founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, who have been seeking to purchase Skype. eBay will retain a 35% equity position in Skype in the deal, which values Skype at $2.75 billion."Skype is one of Europe's greatest startup success stories," said Volpi Tuesday. "In 2004, we recognized its potential as a global telecommunications leader and we've been captivated by the business since we first invested." In addition to London-based Index Ventures, the investors acquiring Skype include Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm led by Marc Andreessen, a co-founder of Netscape, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB.) When eBay purchased Skype in 2005 for $2.6 billion and later considerations for a total estimated at $3.3 billion, the online auction company neglected to obtain rights to important underlying software for Skype, whose founders recently initiated litigation against eBay. The peer-to-peer software in question is owned by Joltid, a firm controlled by Skype's founders.
Wow, Skype being sold. I guess money does really talk. Skype has grown to become a program that everyone uses and loves. It’s now install on more than half the new computers being sold. In the article though it looks like there are some legal issues trying to be worked out that eBay forgot to obtain in their purchase of the program in 2005 dealing with software. It seems as eBay didn’t get all the rights for the software. I didn’t know that Skype was developed in Europe and now is world known. Now with eBay selling most of Skype I wonder if you will get the same benefits of the program you got before because everything was actually free and paid for by advertisements. Now the question will someone ever become the sole owner of both the software and programs. Several companies have brought their share of the company. I hope you can get the same benefits and even more with more companies buying into it.
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