Reading Response 3: The Infodiet: How Libraries Can Offer an Appetizing Alternative to Google

Steven Bell’s article published in the Chronicle of Higher Education was a spot-on article that clearly stated how Google is competing against academic libraries for university students’ use in research. Bell stated most of the reasons why students are more inclined to using Google than complicated databases and on-site research in libraries. Academic libraries pay a lot of money for subscription to these databases, but students rarely take advantage. Bell made the point that Google does not always provide accurate information on the questioned topic; Google was designed to provide the most hits on the search topic, but it not always trustworthy to use when writing research based papers. Databases are not as user-friendly as Google and it can be intimidating for university students especially when a lot of the time they are not shown how to use them. Bell believes faculty members should play a part in getting students to use the valuable resource databases provide.

I believe like most of my classmates that Google is the way to find information; it produces lots of results and is extremely easy to use. Although, when trying to find information for school projects and papers Bell is right… Google’s information rarely is substantial enough to even think about using in that context. I think it is a good idea to make databases more like Google. Not a lot of students like to ask for help at the library; we are a technology-savvy generation and it makes us feel incompetent when we can’t find what we are looking for. Asking for help is admitting that we have given up. Bell made a point to get professors to require database articles in papers and I have already seen that at UNCW in some of my classes. It has been helpful when librarians have come into our classes and demonstrated how to use the library website and databases. It has not happened a lot, but it would definitely be a better resolution than making a library class required for graduation. I think UNCW is moving in the right direction to make more students information literate by providing classes, but simplification of databases could really help students prioritize research engines. (Word Count: 364)

News Report 5: A California Library Steps Out of the Box

Onell R. Soto, of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote an article with a basis on a new library located in Encinitas, California that has challenged the mundane design of libraries, as well as the items they carry for patron check-out. The library has been designed around the fact that the ocean is in such close vicinity. The new library boasts much more room than the older library which it replaced, making it more comfortable to hang out and read and do other things. The designer of the library wanted it to be a place that was welcoming and embracing the ocean atmosphere of the California coast. The new library is among one of the first libraries to have video games available for check-out. It is a major attraction for kids to come to the library where they will be surrounded by books, which will hopefully encourage them to check-out books and read more. The new library is intended to be a community gathering place and encourage everyone to be more involved in reading and stimulation of the brain.

I think that this new library and all its features is an excellent way to get the community more involved and active. The design and aesthetics is a very important part, it is what attracts people to the building and keeps them inside. The ocean views will add to the serenity of an already peaceful place and keep the citizens of the community coming back to experience a getaway. The items that the library carries are what bring the people to the library in the first place. I think it is a good idea to have video games to check out; kids will want to go to the library and this will increase their exposure to books. Even if they are only going to check out games, they will hopefully draw their attention to books also and keep returning for more. In the future I hope to see more libraries like this one in California that aim for difference and pleasing the everyday person. (Word Count:342)

Original Article: Brand-new library features books, games, great views
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20080224-9999-1mc24library.html

News Report 4: Publishing Co. Posts Free Online Books

HarperCollins Publishing Company is planning on utilizing the internet to boost web sales. The publishing company is beginning to post entire books online; these are new books to the market. Hosting the entire book online will give the interested reader the opportunity to read it before they buy. This is no different than going to a book store, perusing, flipping, and reading through books. HarperCollins Publishing believes, “The best way to sell books is to have the consumer be able to read some of the content.” They are hoping that this will increase the sales of books. Amazon.com does something very similar, but they limit it to the table of contents and only one or two chapters of the book. The books will not be available for an extended period of time, only about a month, and they also will not be downloadable or printable. One of the featured authors will have a new book on the site every month.

I believe this is a good idea to offer books online for free to look through. Recently, I purchased a book through amazon.com that I browed the first couple chapters and the book was a lot different than those two chapters. I was disappointed in my purchase. However, this will give readers a good chance to really see what the book is about. If readers like the book, they will be enticed to buy it because it is only available for a limited time and they would probably like to have it to reference in their personal library. This also gives authors greater exposure and since the website will be linked to amazon.com perhaps the books will have a higher chance of purchase. I think it is a good idea and if it ends up being profitable for HarperCollins, which is already a big name publishing company, I think in the future we will see more publishing companies beginning to do the same thing. (Word Count: 324)
Article: HarperCollins Will Post Free Books on the Web by Motoko Rich posted February 11, 2008 at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/business/media/11harper.html?ref=technology

News Report 3: Amazon.com's Kindle Ebook Viewer

On November 11, 2007, Chloe Albanesius, a writer for PC Magazine wrote about Amazon.com’s introduction of the Kindle wireless reading device. It has the ability to hold up to 200 ebooks and it has access to over 90,000 different choices. The retail price of the Kindle is $399. It has 256 Mbytes of storage capability and owners can buy additional storage through SD memory cards. The Kindle wanted to give the reader the experience as similar to that of reading an actual book; the dimensions are small and comparable to that of small books. The device contains Wi-fi which provides access to newspapers, wikipedia, blogs, and many other informative websites. Books can be purchased through amazon.com.

This technology is one more thing that is contributing to more and more books becoming paperless. This device sounds great, but it is a bit expensive. I wonder if it is really worth the $399. With that much money one could buy at least 40 books if they cost $10 a piece. Then you have to purchase books from amazon.com to read from the device, which is probably not very comfortable. I would much prefer cuddling up with a book as opposed to a hard piece of technology. Furthermore, it is not a device that would be optimal if you like to make notes in the book or margins. Also, the amount of e-books offered currently comes no where close to the mass amounts of books published. It might be difficult to find exact titles that you want to read from the Kindle; my suggestion is to just go to the library and check it out for free. It sounds like a good idea, but does not sound too promising. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2219176,00.asp (Word Count: 286)

Reading Response 2: Information Navigation 101

In the article retrieved from Chronicle of Higher Education, Information Navigation 101 explains how the majority of college students are information illiterate. College students depend on searches through Google and Wikipedia for their source of information when doing research. Many college students are very technologically savvy, but when it comes to performing scholarly searches they are ill-equipped and unprepared to find relevant information. University libraries offer access to many online databases and college students usually do not know how to use them. Universities are now trying to measure the adequacy of students’ knowledge in finding information through tests and courses. They will combat the lack of researching skills with classes and presentations offered by librarians to equip the students.

Before coming to college I had never used online databases as a way of finding information for papers and things related to classes. Since I had no experience using them, I reverted to what I did know... using search engines to find information. I agree with the article that most students just do not know the new resources available to them once they reach University level, much less do they know how to use them. These resources are not self-explanatory, but somewhat difficult to navigate. I do not think that schools should require a course about research, but perhaps every freshman should be informed of the tools available at their disposal. They need to be taught about online databases and how to use them. I have seen in the past two semesters a librarian coming into my business classes and explaining the good databases to use and how to use them. These sessions were very informative, but somewhat late on delivery. I am a senior and it is a bit late in the education career to be learning all this information. We should have been told at the very beginning so as to take full advantage during our college careers. I agree with this article that most students are somewhat information illiterate and that Universities should take some course of action to make them aware of tools they can use for research. (Word count: 350)

News Report 2: Golden Compass Controversy

The article found from the American Libraries website entitled “Golden Compass Returned to Calgary Schools” mentioned the removal of The Golden Compass from library shelves at Catholic schools. The book was originally taken off shelves near the release of the book’s feature film to the theaters. Reasons for removal were due to the book’s negative views towards organized religion and church. The book also contained “underlying themes of abuse, torture, and death.” Parents were concerned with the book being available for their children. The book has now been returned to the shelves in Calgary schools and it is a job of the librarians to monitor books and inform teachers of books containing potentially offensive content. The decision to place the book back on the shelves was made because this book could be used in a sensitive manner. The themes of the book could be taught and discussed in reverse way at these schools under strict guidance by teachers.

Due to my experience in Christian school for the majority of my educational career, I can definitely see where parents and teachers would be concerned with having a book accessible to children that could be negatively influential if taken seriously. I remember questions being raised when the first Harry Potter book was released. Some parents forbid their children to read the book, but it was never taken off shelves. I think these books are valuable education tools. They are written extremely well and themes can be picked out that can be used to teach morals. If children want to read the book they should be allowed; it would be a good idea to have the child read it along with the parent so if a sticky situation arises they will be there express their view and discuss the topic. I don’t believe that books should be taken off shelves. Everyone should have free access to all books to help broaden their knowledge. If books were taken off shelves it would be possible for people to have a narrow view of subjects making them almost naive to other subjects. (Word Count: 346) http://web1.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2008/january2008/goldencompass.cfm

Reading Response 1: Will Librarians Become Obsolete?

The article by Will Sherman, 33 Reasons Why Libraries and Librarian are Still Extremely Important really opened my eyes to the need of libraries and librarians in the technology-driven world that we now live in. As the internet becomes more accessible and houses more and more information with each passing day, the library and librarians still hold incredible value. Libraries are embracing technology and using it to help their searches; librarians are one of the best teachers to help people with their searches. Librarians are trained to help people find information; the internet is a good tool with plenty of valuable information. Librarians can use this tool and guide people in their internet searches through databases and web searches. There is a need for libraries because the resources they carry are more than just books. They provide access to databases and archives which can only be accessed through libraries; these databases are not publicly available on the web and provide great scholarly information important to research. A library is a much easier place to retrieve information than the internet, librarians are available to help patrons search and they are able to get information that will actually be of use. Not everything is accurate and reliable when found on the web. Books and articles have to pass certain set standards to be in a library; therefore providing information that does not have to be questioned.

Libraries are adapting to the culture changes by providing an atmosphere for group studies and social interaction. The library will also continue to be a safe haven for learning and reading. A physical book is an approach to learning that cannot be replaced; it’s a different medium that is much more comfortable to read in any setting. E-books are not something that a person can just cuddle up with a on a rainy day. Furthermore, book accessed through libraries are completely free of charge and internet access is not. Therefore the library provides service and products that are available to everyone.

The article was very interesting. Before I read the article, I thought that in this age of technology the library would soon lose the need for existence. After reading this article, I believe that the need for libraries and librarians will be long-term. I do not believe they will become obsolete, at least not for a severely long time. Information is very easily accessed through the internet, but the article brought up several points that had not crossed my mind. I think I will have a new appreciation for the library and the many things they offer to the mass public. (Word Count: 436)