Did you hear this story?
The amazing power of the blog!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89318806
Do archivists blog?
While studying the philosophies and technologies of library 2.0, I was curious about whether the same ideas and tools can be applied to archives, and about what they say about this 2.0 movement in the archival world.
I looked through all the journals in the archives we subscribe to at St. Kate, and many websites of institutions that represent archivists, but I couldn’t find vigorous discussions about 2.0 in this method, although I did find a few articles on the web almost by chance. Next, I tried to find some blogs posted by archivists to see how they embrace this portion of the 2.0 movement. Yes, there are many archivists who keep their blogs. I haven’t looked over many of them yet, but my initial impression is that they are not really active either. Some of them looked too formal and long to be blog posts.
I want to look into LOC’s and Boston Public Library’s flickr projects too because it seems to be an easy and effective way to apply 2.0 technologies to archival environments.
Archives do need to reach out. When I work at the archives, I see that many people don’t even know what archives are. Sometimes, I get very strange inquiries because people think that archives are just for anything old.
I think there are many persuasive reasons to worry about the future of archives. The issue of accessibility to information is even more serious in archives than in libraries. I was glad to find some efforts to apply 2.0 ideas to online finding aid to make it more usable. It is so exciting to think of the possibilities of making collective knowledge of archives users available to other users. It is definitely worth looking into these new technologies to improve services at the archives. I want to go back to my research. It’s really fun.
Diigo
This is truly what I wanted to find.
While surfing the Net, I was often wondering if there was any way to highlight the text and make a note so that when I come back later, I could recognize the part right away.
Diigo is just for that purpose. It allows users to highlight a webpage and attach sticky notes to it. You can either keep them private or share with others. It was listed as one of the top 10 research tools by CNET in 2006. It’s surprising to me that there were other people who had the same desire that I had, and they could transfer the idea to a reality.
There seems to be no impossible in web 2.0’s dictionary.
Paris Hilton or Jane Eyre?
While reading the New York Times article in the Dewey-less library in Arizona, I ran across a somewhat disturbing passage.
….. while even chain bookstores still put out classics like “Jane Eyre,” “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and “Moby Dick” for summer display, at Perry such books have taken a back seat to Paris Hilton’s “Confessions of an Heiress,” a children’s book by the New York Yankee catcher Jorge Posada and Chris Gardner’s “Pursuit of Happyness.”
I know Ranganathan’s five laws. But, is this what he meant? Is this the right way to go? Is there something wrong with the classics? Should a Dostoevsky or a Tolstoy be hidden in the back corner in the library? Doesn’t it imply that a library with Paris Hilton on display is cool and a library with Les Miserable sucks? I know that the library is not merely a place for education. I understand the library should try to serve different people’s different needs. But by putting books on display, the library is recommending users to read Paris Hilton. Am I too prejudicial against Paris Hilton’s book without even having seen it? Should any kind of reading be encouraged? Oh, I should have taken collection development course.
Anyway, I don’t really understand the way the classics are treated. They are so hard to find, and if they are ever available, they are usually a couple of decades old with unpleasant smell, and come in series format with almost illegibly small fonts. They are simply prohibiting. People are pretty conscious about preserving historical sites as can be seen in the activities of UNESCO. I wonder who cares about the literary heritage of mankind.
social networking
I have heard numerous horror stories involving social networking sites, but I seldom paid any special attention to them. But what happened in Eden Prairie High School a couple of months ago was different. It was right in the twin cities metro area, and I knew some kids going there.It started with some kids’ posting their party photos on Facebook. In the photos, many kids were holding alcoholic beverages. According to a local newspaper, more than forty students were questioned, and thirteen of them were suspended from sports and other extracurricular activities. The Minnesota State High School League requires student athletes to sign a pledge that they will not drink alcoholic beverages.Many students protested saying that the punishments were too harsh, and as sports scholarships are at peril, some parents were reportedly considering legal action against the school. One interesting thing in this incident was that many students claimed that the school’s action was “a huge invasion of privacy”. After posting photos on a social website so the whole world to see, they insisted that it was a matter of privacy. I think it could have been a good chance for them to learn to keep private things private.
Second Life
When I was little, I was very envious of
I haven’t downloaded the client program for Second Life yet because I don’t think my old computer has enough memory for it. (1 GB memory is recommended) However, the more I learn about Second Life, the more I marvel at it. I am dazzled by people’s uncurbed creativity, and am amazed to see the creative ideas transform to reality (even though it is virtual reality). Have you heard of Apollo’s garden in Second Life where people can enjoy a perpetual sunset? Perpetual sunset….. Don’t I even need to move a chair?
There are many practical applications using this online platform, among which I am most impressed with the science education programs. One program lets people enter a giant cell to interact with the intercellular structures. In
Another interesting application is using Second Life to treat mental illnesses especially phobias. People can practice facing their worst fears under the protection of “anonymity” in the virtual world. Psychologists and psychiatrists are looking into this new way of treatment, and many of them have already opened their offices in Second Life.
It will be very interesting to keep track of how people’s creativity is extroverted and will eventually change the real world.
virtual community
I forgot what year it was, but I suddenly realized everybody was talking about online forums, and wanted to try some of them. I looked through a list of mailing lists, and chose two of them that might be helpful for my information needs at that time. One of them was about highly gifted kids. I didn’t find this group intriguing enough to spend my time on. There were many active members and vigorous discussions, but I seldom found any topic applicable to my case. The other one was about unschooling. I was mainly curious about the philosophy and principle of this movement. It was pretty interesting to see a variety of reasons why people chose this method, and listen to some of their success stories and philosophical insights.
In both groups I was strictly an outsider. I thought it was a wrong place to be in. But in hindsight, I think the anonymity of virtual space could be a very important factor to some people. The issue of gifted kids is not an easy topic to share with anybody. I learned a long time ago that I had better not talk about it even with my friends. Even though I mentioned that it wasn’t a place for me, in the virtual space, at least I didn’t need to worry about others’ suspicious eyes.
In a very conservative society like the one that I am from, there are many unperceivable taboos – not officially banned, but cannot be openly discussed. When I visited one web site, I found a very active forum for women who have conception problems. Thanks to the anonymity of virtual community, they could exchange valuable information, or try to be of any help to other members. I think this is one of the many ways the virtual community can actually enhance the quality of its users’ lives. People can find a comfort even from a simple fact that there are others out there who are afflicted with the same problem.
Library 2.0
I have been amazed by the societal changes brought by web 2.0 phenomena. Anybody can be a journalist, an author, a singer, or an actor. A boy wielding a golf-stick mimicking a Jedi knight can be viewed by more than four million people. Anybody can become famous. More people can make their voices heard, and it contributes to bring more equalized and democratized society.
When it comes to library 2.0, I have only superficial knowledge about it. For now, I am not really convinced how it can really enhance library services, or how it can support library’s mission and goal. Maybe more extensive reading and surfing could help.
I have one question I want to ask somebody. In many articles, people express their concerns about diminishing role of the library. They lament that people don’t rely on the library any more to find the information they need. I didn’t grow up in this country. When I was living in my country, we had very poor library services. My question is, were there good old days of the library when the library was the first place people turn to in their information seeking? Is the role of library really “diminishing”? What are the differences in the role of library between now and about 10 or 20 years ago? I just want to understand what the real concerns are.
