#17 PBWiki

This was supposed to be fun and it was not fun. False advertising!! Ok, I did get an account and log in, hit edit and bracketed my URL and it is on the list of favorite blogs! Woo-hoo. Big downer is that the link is not active and the link widget doesn't work correctly. (And I know how to use them!!) Frustrating.

But looking at the bright side of things, I learned one new thing and found one cool thing. I learned that this symbol "|" is called a "pipe." I'm not sure I ever noticed it on my keyboard before! (and I still don't really know what it is used for . . .) I also found the awesome blog One Minute Writer in the list of favorite blogs. It is a site with a sixty second timer and a writing prompt for each day. The idea is to write for one minute on the day's topic. Awesome!

So after that little adventure with PBWiki, I've decided that this is how I prefer my PB:

Or since this exercise was called a "sandbox" (as in "let's play around and have fun"), the experience could also be put this way:

As advertised:

As experienced:

#16 Wide World of Wikis!

This assignment was worth it just to find this site: This Into That. You have to check it out. I went to the Library Success Best Practices Wiki and under their weeding section found the site as an alternative manner of discarding books. This Into That is the gallery for an artist who makes all kinds of fascinating object with old books. Very clever!

Beyond that, I found this module to be amusing. Prior to starting library school, the only wiki I had ever heard of was Wikipedia and pretty much regarded it with disdain. I assumed information specialists would feel similarly, so I was surprised when in my first semester of grad school the Director of SLIS at UWM talked about the valuable resource that is Wikipedia! Since then I have come to see Wikipedia (and wikis in general) to be a viable starting point for all sorts of queries.

I said I found this module amusing because I think that there are still a lot of professionals in the field who grossly misunderstand wikis and their benefits. Evidence can be found in the PLCMC's own Core Competencies blog comments. One commenter wrote, "Great concept but so open to malicious mis-use. How will we ever achieve a balance of truth and free use for all? Should we view wiki as just a gimmick? Like getting information from a comic book! " They totally missed the point. Wikis do have some weaknesses, but since the possible flaws are known entities, I think in some ways wikis become more reliable than sources with an authoratative gloss, but hidden agenda. A simple Google search of the terms "wikipedia accuracy vs britannica" reveals that numerous tests have been done on Wikipedia's accuracy and it has withstood close scholarly scrutiny.

I also find the debate over controversial topics in wikis to be interesting. A good example is the Wikipedia entries for anything relating to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Of course, heated debate ensues, but I think this gives a broader perspective to the issue. Sources are required so users are given the opportunity to cross reference and determine veracity for themselves. For thinking folks who don't like to just accept the written word at face value, wikis are thought provoking, helpful and as stated before, excellent jumping off points for forays into all kinds of informational adventures.

On that travel related note, in homage to the origin of the term "wiki," and in an attempt at staving off the bitter cold that has blown in -- ENJOY:

#15 Web 2.0, Library 2.0 & the Future of Libraries

The articles for this assignment offered some interesting ideas that I'll unpack briefly here.

One point from Rick Anderson's article "Away from Icebergs" is that libraries need to change the notion of requiring patrons to come to libraries for their information needs. Libraries no longer hold the monopoly on information, so we need to acknowledge the competition, as well as its new digital nature. I largely agree with Anderson on this point. Libraries must strive to be relevant in the digital age and be constantly looking to serve patrons where they are. This is one of the main tenets of Library 2.0 -- to provide useful information service to our patrons wherever they are by making good use of technological resources. That said, I am also a big proponent of the "Third Place" movement, which in some ways is on the exact opposite end of the service spectrum. In brief, it is the idea of making public spaces, such as libraries, a third place after home and work. This concept dovetails nicely into the article by Dr. Wendy Schultz.

Her article "To a Temporary Place in Time" was my favorite since it provided a historical frame of reference for library services all the way from Alexandria (Library 1.0) to the future (Library 4.0). As a former history teacher, this is exactly how categorize, reference and approach information, so her brief article really resonated with me. We are already on the cusp of reality with her description of Library 3D. Schultz describes "digital natives," people who spend as much time in cyberworlds such as Second Life as they do in reality. Libraries are going to have to address this growing population of gamers and avatars perhaps by creating their own avatar presence in these virtual reality environments. This is along the same lines as the article I posted on previously for #7.

But what I found most interesting was her conception of the Neo Library --Library 4.0. Her description of libraries as "mind gyms," "idea labs," "art salons" and "knowledge spas" is highly appealing. She explains the aesthetic experience that will be necessary for libraries to remain relevant in the not too distant future. This is the idea of Third Place coming to fruition and it is this concept in its infancy that first drew me to librarianship -- the sense of belonging to a community, of being an integral part of something larger than self and of fulfilling some sort of societal need. So while library services and the world around us grow increasingly technologically advanced and as libraries strive to keep up with the digital flow of information, I believe that it will ultimately be the human touch added to these advances that saves and preserves our profession.

(And what if Schultz's Neo Library vision comes true -- complete with smooth single malt whisky and fine coffee? All the better! Bring it on!)

#14 Technorati

Oh Technorati, what a love-hate relationship we have! Things I like about Technorati:

1). Sense of humor (ie. "Doh! The Technorati Monster escaped again. We're currently experiencing backend issues and are working to resolve them as quickly as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.")

2). The more focused searching of blogs and the fact that blogs are treated as a possible venue for authoritative information. This is just one more attempt to manage the incredible surge in the creation of new pieces of information.

3). Being able to "claim" blogs and add them for peer critique and review. What I mean by this is that registering with Technorati gets my blogs more into the public eye where they have a better chance of sinking or swimming on their own merits as opposed to languishing in complete obscurity, even if they contain valuable information. (And I'm not saying that they do, but if they ever did. . . you know what I mean!)

4). The ability to search for content categorized by subjects and tags that are both authoritative and on blogs (or news sites). Again, I guess this speaks to the equalizing of the playing field and the acknowledgement of the fact that blogs CAN contain good information.

Mostly the thing I have HATED about Tecnorati is their technical glitches. I have never used Technorati where the "Technorati monster" didn't get loose. Eee gads, keep that thing caged! I have had blank screens, unrecognized account information, freezes and all out Technorati meltdown. Enough. I am a very patient person, but it seems very unprofessional that every time I have used Technorati, there are glitches.

The Technorati Monster:

As an aside, can I just say that almost every time I try to type the word "blogs," I type the word "clogs" instead? This only happens when I am typing the plural form of blog and must be related to the fact that I am half Swedish!!!

Information Overload!

Here's how I've been feeling lately: