A post about the importance of reading

WE READ TO KNOW WE ARE NOT ALONE

C.S. Lewis

I had a solitary childhood and books kept me company and showed me how different life can be

P L A Y I N G !!!

Gypsy Rose sez

... that playing is an important part of learning and that was the enjoyable thing about wetpaint. I could be anon and write abut my fav fantasy and edit to my little hearts content without treading on anybodies toes. I am reminded of the time I had to do a photography assignment at uni and the amazing result from angle lenses and black & white film.

Wetpaint was not only fun but instantanous as the results of my labour came up as I posted - thanks NSL for the chance to experiment ...

Bokt for now

Wikism

Well Gypsy Rose sez; that Wiki is a bit like the harbour bridge it travels over and beyond knowledge as we know it and gave me an insight into that land named ' cyberspace'

Now I have to admit to being a mite sceptical about wikis and I figure this may have something to do with my teaching background. Q: is this information accurate? ...

But of course the whole thing is well it's sort of not meant to be as wikis aren't necessarily about canonising information but turning it loose on the community and letting them decide what is important to them. And after all isn't that what education is all about? Gathering info, analyzing it and applying it in a practical sense.

So in wikis defence;

information and the spreading of is made more accessible

no special software is needed

it's free

it's a great way to hook up with others (inc library staff)

Thinking about how this could be incoporated into our libraries;

something like myowncafe.org @ Southern Massachusetts Library where the info centre had a homework reference option alongside searching for articles, reviewing books etc, finding library materials AND in the broader community scholarship & careers info. This could be an excellent way to keep up the connection with young adult patrons in particular.

A real bonus it seems is an online community of like-minded folk and I am thinking of the many patrons who come into the library who come to the desk and want reading reommendations and/or contact and a sense of belonging which wikis could provide in a more literary sense.

Something I get asked regularly is what did you think of ... well best practice dictates we don't offer personal opinions. Now then if we had a wiki within the catalogue for library materials to be reviewed how good would that be

also new titles, new authors

and whats happening in NSL including what would you like to see happening in your library? and a reference based FAQ section

how about Are you happy with the service in your library and why/why not - suggestions please ...

WOW all these are great ideas but as Killie points out in her research paper wikis need constant work akin to housekeeping or 'care and pruning' from a 'wiki gardener' as Fichter (2005b) puts it. And the no:1 complaint I came across was vandalism/spam because of the openess of wikis.

So yes there is a more rapid transfer of knowledge and more importantly of power to users and high levels of accessibility (internally & externally) but at what price - could spammers access the library sytem and disable it? Could libraries lose credibility by taking on the latest techo craze ...

Perhaps the answer lies in a buffet-style approach - that is selecting the bytes that each library community (staff & patrons & visitors) require, After all the needs of each group will vary and the articles I've read today are just a sample of suggestions and recommendations. So I guess it all boils down to what is going to work for each group and this comes through in the construction stage - as Blake states in his article it is imperitive to have a purpose in mind when designing and maintaining wikis within the workplace.

So back to the bridge;

-the construction and maintainance of your structure is important

-open access to all traffic

-adherance to the road code for the safety and consideration of all

With all that in mind I'll say bokt for now

and Latcho Drom (safe journey)

Exercise 10

Playing the 2O way -Gypsy Rose asks;
1) What does it mean to me?
2) What have I learnt so far?
3) How can I see it being used in our libraries?

1) At present 2O is a mind expanding exercise I am having to do massive feats of mental gymnastics to comprehend the boundlessness of cyberspace and how to grasp that which is relevant and utilise it. Both personally and professionally I am excited by the many usages both personally and professionally as this vast unknown space unfolds. Most importantly is the great sense of empowerment as I tap into a great wealth of co-operative knowledge (similar to Jung's concept of the 'collective consciousness').

2) So far ... I have learnt that there are many ways to access and organise information and that all have equal value in the learning process. Rather than the conventional rather one-sided way of collectng and collating information based on someone elses criteria, now a more holistic approach is possible yay even encouraged. What a way to make an informed choice! '

3) In Riemer's article 'Better Bibliographic Services', he talks about the need for libraries to embrace the 2O philosophy as to enhance the services to its patrons. He gives the example of encouraging user-initiated services where patrons take control of renewals, reserves and requests to purchase.

This means the handing over of the baton of knowledge and control from the 'institution' to individuals. I see this in action in NSL everyday as more patrons take control of their library accounts by using the library system to request their own items etc etc I get a real kick of seeing someone realsing that they aren't too old or too whatever - to learn new skills and more importantly that they hold a pivotal role in their learning process.

Looking at the NSL draft strategy I would say that we are already fullfilling the objectives of providing access to information and supporting learning for life initiatives through self-direction. And the strategy goes further to act as a safe place within the community where all it's members has access to library resources and guidance to utilise those beyond the four walls that make up the place we call 'our library'.
This leads on to the Nilges article titled'more powerful ways to co-operate' He talks of the key concepts of 2O especially that as a platform “to reach out to the entire web, to the edges and not just the center,” and that this "is critical for the success of the library community in a networked world"1. I look forard to a time when in my workspace that resource sharing networks and virtual refernce co-operatives will go beyond the catalogue we use and be intregal parts of my toolbox and that I can share in with those who visit our libraries.

I think the song goes 'yeah we're all in this together' ... so lets see where this goes!!

Bokt for now

Blogged Out

Gypsy Rose sez -

how much blogging is enough?
how much imformation is enough?

Is technorati about providing a service? and to whom?
While there were some interesting posts on the site there was also heaps of advertising and product placing - I can get that from TV, radio, email, fax etc

Word for today is OVERWHELMED

Am I too old for this? out of touch?


I'm off to talk to a real person

Bokt for now

Exercise 8 - Take 2

Dear blog,
found this cool sign while looking around delishimo (?!). After losing my first post (and don't ask me where in the ethers it is) - I really felt like I needed a sign!!
I found a lot of information and urgings from others doing a similar programme and can now add that support to that I am already receiving from NSL ...

Bokt Gypsy Rose

RSS Feeds - Little Treasures

Dear blog,
after a sizable absence am back on the trail again and feeling slighty apprehensive. Anyway feeds am quite impressed with this organisational system which will prove invaluable in recording links/info useful for my uni studies and to share with my study buddies. Up until now I have saved in favourities which is very limited and in windows Vista - clumsy to manage. I can envisage that these little treasures will be of invaluable assistance within the library infrastructure.