Article by Mary Ellen Bates (Bates Information Services)
Originally published in Online 34 no2 Mr/Ap 2010 p. 64 (websource here)
My knowledge of Library Education is rudimentary at best; what I know comes from the articles I've read and the blogs I've perused, and still I have not really obtained a good knowledge of how a modern (modern being within, say, the last five years) MLS or LIS program or however they'd like to title it these days actually functions and what it produces. I have discussed library education with those I've interviewed and those librarians I've just happened to meet, and the answer I seem to get most of the time, when I ask about education, is something along the lines of "Well, things have really changed since I was there (some number of years) ago."
And this is true, things have changed--and according to the author of this article, Mary Ellen Bates, things are still changing and need to change even further still.
As far as I can gather from the article (which, admittedly, is not a lot), Mz. Bates looks quite a great deal from the view of the potential employer of the person of the MLS or LIS or information- or library-related schools. It's something I suppose I had never considered, Librarianship as a competitive venture. That a degree in such programs could be used to look for jobs in fields outside libraries is something I had not thought of.
I suppose what Mz. Bates is looking at in her article is not to introduce the fact that this is a competitive field, for certainly any field of employment is. What she seems to be looking at is what is being "produced" through LIS programs, and whether these programs are producing people with skills that are "marketable," to libraries and otherwise.
As far as I can tell (and I hope I'm seeing this correctly), the author's beef is not with the "product" itself, really, but with the production process. What are LIS programs doing to market their graduates? Are theory and lessons in cataloging and so on as important a learning tool as hands-on experience? Mz. Bates brings up the fact that those looking to practice law, medicine and so forth are all required to have some kind of hands-on experience in their education. So is the lack of practical experience where LIS programs fail in producing marketable employees? I can't say I know a great deal about the job market for librarians or those graduated from LIS programs looking to work outside the library field, so I'm not certain exactly sure how Mz. Bates' argument for change in LIS programs stands. Is the job market a difficult operation for LIS graduates? Or is Mz. Bates simply precipitating a coming difficulty for LIS graduates?
Either way, should I be concerned right now?
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Entry 4 - Reconnecting with Reading
By Robert Rua, Communications Coordinator for Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library; article pulled from website Public Libraries Online
Fairly recently, in 2008, a library system in Ohio—the Cuyahoga County Public Library system (CCPL) began a rather astonishing initiative to re-boot, one could say, and bring attention to what the members of the CCPL system believe to be the “core values” of public library services: “books and reading.” This article is a story of success—or at least the beginnings of a successful campaign—to get the patrons of the CCPL system, as the population of the County itself drops, to revitalize an interest in reading among its patrons.
The initiative started by CCPL, focusing on the “core values,” with a focus on “organization efforts toward finding ways to improve customer convenience, increase accessibility, and, ultimately, connect customers with books” was titled Reconnect with Reading. To help efforts, in 2008, a Cleveland research team was led to conduct phone surveys of adult reading levels in Cuyahoga County, the results of which were to be compared against from the 2007 study to Read or Not to Read, conducted by the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), which examined adult reading levels on a national scale. (A small run-through of the NEA study can be found here.
I feel I ought to step back some at this point to avoid simply summarizing and quoting the entire article, but to talk simply about what I found most interesting in this project—an enormous endeavor on the part of the library staff of the CCPL system—and also try to draw some conclusions from their success story.
What I found most astounding about this project to inspire reading was what as titled “Phase Two” of the project: an enormous ad campaign, driven by celebrities, local and otherwise, as well as the use of internet avenues such as Google Advertising, billboard advertising, airport ads, radio ads—all utilized in order to keep in the public eye the importance and the appealing nature of the “core values” of public library services. And although “books and reading” are the primary values in the mission, one of the Library world’s Superstars was brought in—Nancy Pearl (website here)—to help reinforce the importance of the modern library in contributing to modern literacy, apparently dropping in on library staff of the CCPL system monthly to conduct various workshops for subject specialists, helping to increase enthusiasm among library employees for the initiative. Some “helpful tips” given by Nancy and shared within the article I must also share here, as they feel incredibly relevant to myself, being interested in the works of the reference librarian:
• Always remember that RA (Reference Assistance?) isn’t about the books you think people ought to read. It’s about engaging people and talking with them about the books they enjoy—and really listening to what they have
to say.
• Ask, what was the last great book you read? What did you like about it? The way your customer talks about it will tell you how they found the doorway to that book. Then suggest a book with the same doorway.
• Look for openings to get a conversation going. For example, display a book at the checkout desk. People will take a look. This is your opening to start a conversation.
• When you’re giving RA, get out from behind your desk and into the stacks so you can give the person your undivided attention. Don’t let your desk be a barrier between you and your customer.
• Hand your customers the book as you recommend it. Let them hold it and read the flap. Do this and you’ve broken another barrier—and your customer will be more likely to check out the book.
• Prepare a small list of “can’t miss” books that you are comfortable recommending to customers.
With these tips from Nancy, the bond between an initiative for reading and the spark for finding that initiative in a library setting was cemented. I was, initially, concerned for the Reconnecting with Reading initiative as its main focus seemed to be solely on reading—but Nancy’s tips make clear that libraries play an essential role in not only getting people to increase their own intake of written materials and information, but that librarians play a most key role in guiding library-goers toward materials they might enjoy or need and to become more independent readers.
The implementation of advertising technologies is something I thought rather astounding, as its usage is not something one might immediately connect with libraries. But the success of the program, as explained by the article’s author, makes it seem to me that more county and state library systems should begin implementing the same kinds of tools, which are readily available and produce an almost immediate feedback. In my past experience, the extent of advertising libraries decide to utilize seems to be restricted to paper print-outs tacked on signboards within the library itself, or tucked away in the advertising columns of a local newspaper. And not only that, but the advertising for library programs and services seem very self-contained—that is to say, systems don’t seem to work together to advertise; rather, a single library within a system is left alone to advertise whatever it can offer to its particular town or city setting. It is kind of a sad thing to me that these technologies are not being utilized currently; it seems almost the next logical step in a world where libraries are more and more becoming dependant upon technology services to aid patrons.
However, this study being fairly recent (about 2009), I am hopeful that the success of the reading initiative started in Ohio’s Cuyahoga County will soon begin to catch on. If advertisements for library patrons and workshops for library employees are what it takes to get people’s noses in books once more, I do believe this is the logical and progressive step that libraries all over the U.S. need to be making.
Fairly recently, in 2008, a library system in Ohio—the Cuyahoga County Public Library system (CCPL) began a rather astonishing initiative to re-boot, one could say, and bring attention to what the members of the CCPL system believe to be the “core values” of public library services: “books and reading.” This article is a story of success—or at least the beginnings of a successful campaign—to get the patrons of the CCPL system, as the population of the County itself drops, to revitalize an interest in reading among its patrons.
The initiative started by CCPL, focusing on the “core values,” with a focus on “organization efforts toward finding ways to improve customer convenience, increase accessibility, and, ultimately, connect customers with books” was titled Reconnect with Reading. To help efforts, in 2008, a Cleveland research team was led to conduct phone surveys of adult reading levels in Cuyahoga County, the results of which were to be compared against from the 2007 study to Read or Not to Read, conducted by the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), which examined adult reading levels on a national scale. (A small run-through of the NEA study can be found here.
I feel I ought to step back some at this point to avoid simply summarizing and quoting the entire article, but to talk simply about what I found most interesting in this project—an enormous endeavor on the part of the library staff of the CCPL system—and also try to draw some conclusions from their success story.
What I found most astounding about this project to inspire reading was what as titled “Phase Two” of the project: an enormous ad campaign, driven by celebrities, local and otherwise, as well as the use of internet avenues such as Google Advertising, billboard advertising, airport ads, radio ads—all utilized in order to keep in the public eye the importance and the appealing nature of the “core values” of public library services. And although “books and reading” are the primary values in the mission, one of the Library world’s Superstars was brought in—Nancy Pearl (website here)—to help reinforce the importance of the modern library in contributing to modern literacy, apparently dropping in on library staff of the CCPL system monthly to conduct various workshops for subject specialists, helping to increase enthusiasm among library employees for the initiative. Some “helpful tips” given by Nancy and shared within the article I must also share here, as they feel incredibly relevant to myself, being interested in the works of the reference librarian:
• Always remember that RA (Reference Assistance?) isn’t about the books you think people ought to read. It’s about engaging people and talking with them about the books they enjoy—and really listening to what they have
to say.
• Ask, what was the last great book you read? What did you like about it? The way your customer talks about it will tell you how they found the doorway to that book. Then suggest a book with the same doorway.
• Look for openings to get a conversation going. For example, display a book at the checkout desk. People will take a look. This is your opening to start a conversation.
• When you’re giving RA, get out from behind your desk and into the stacks so you can give the person your undivided attention. Don’t let your desk be a barrier between you and your customer.
• Hand your customers the book as you recommend it. Let them hold it and read the flap. Do this and you’ve broken another barrier—and your customer will be more likely to check out the book.
• Prepare a small list of “can’t miss” books that you are comfortable recommending to customers.
With these tips from Nancy, the bond between an initiative for reading and the spark for finding that initiative in a library setting was cemented. I was, initially, concerned for the Reconnecting with Reading initiative as its main focus seemed to be solely on reading—but Nancy’s tips make clear that libraries play an essential role in not only getting people to increase their own intake of written materials and information, but that librarians play a most key role in guiding library-goers toward materials they might enjoy or need and to become more independent readers.
The implementation of advertising technologies is something I thought rather astounding, as its usage is not something one might immediately connect with libraries. But the success of the program, as explained by the article’s author, makes it seem to me that more county and state library systems should begin implementing the same kinds of tools, which are readily available and produce an almost immediate feedback. In my past experience, the extent of advertising libraries decide to utilize seems to be restricted to paper print-outs tacked on signboards within the library itself, or tucked away in the advertising columns of a local newspaper. And not only that, but the advertising for library programs and services seem very self-contained—that is to say, systems don’t seem to work together to advertise; rather, a single library within a system is left alone to advertise whatever it can offer to its particular town or city setting. It is kind of a sad thing to me that these technologies are not being utilized currently; it seems almost the next logical step in a world where libraries are more and more becoming dependant upon technology services to aid patrons.
However, this study being fairly recent (about 2009), I am hopeful that the success of the reading initiative started in Ohio’s Cuyahoga County will soon begin to catch on. If advertisements for library patrons and workshops for library employees are what it takes to get people’s noses in books once more, I do believe this is the logical and progressive step that libraries all over the U.S. need to be making.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Entry 3 - What a Great Place to Work! by Robert F. Moran Jr.
In reading this article, which deals with finding enjoyment or satisfaction in the library profession, I found myself relating very much to Mr. Moran Jr. I think it’s safe to say that, like me, Moran Jr. is somewhat of an Idealist. There is a terrific quote in which he gives his take on the role of the library:
“Libraries are about service, about helping people.
They exist to help children learn about the value and satisfaction
in reading and investigation. They exist in
conjunction with schools-to help teens develop their
minds and discipline through reading and research. They
exist to help adults solve problems and to grow intellectually.
They exist to provide enjoyment of mind and heart for
seniors. They exist as a bonding force in the community, a
growing force for the community.”
Being an Idealist, of course I would relate to this. This is the kind of thing I like to hear. However, Moran Jr. adds practical thought to his ideals, asking “why shouldn’t librarians enjoy their work?” Specifically, why shouldn’t librarians be satisfied and happy in their work the way an artist finds satisfaction in creation?
Most of this article has the feel of being addressed specifically to library managers, with Moran Jr. suggesting ways in which personal fulfillment and job fulfillment should be able to overlap. On the first page under the heading “What Have We Learned About Personal Fulfillment and Satisfaction in the Workplace?” Moran Jr. posits some ideas about the workplace that would make staff “feel more human and less like unthinking tools.” His workplace assessment seems rather general and applicable to almost any working environment. So how does he make the library a particularly special place to work?
The truth is, as far as I can see, he really doesn’t. Besides his savory, Idealistic view about the library that I quoted, most every instance where suggestions are made to improve the library work environment, the word “library” could be replaced by almost any other kind of job. So although Moran Jr. makes some great suggestions to help librarians in their environment, this article could just as easily have been about job satisfaction in any other environment.
“Libraries are about service, about helping people.
They exist to help children learn about the value and satisfaction
in reading and investigation. They exist in
conjunction with schools-to help teens develop their
minds and discipline through reading and research. They
exist to help adults solve problems and to grow intellectually.
They exist to provide enjoyment of mind and heart for
seniors. They exist as a bonding force in the community, a
growing force for the community.”
Being an Idealist, of course I would relate to this. This is the kind of thing I like to hear. However, Moran Jr. adds practical thought to his ideals, asking “why shouldn’t librarians enjoy their work?” Specifically, why shouldn’t librarians be satisfied and happy in their work the way an artist finds satisfaction in creation?
Most of this article has the feel of being addressed specifically to library managers, with Moran Jr. suggesting ways in which personal fulfillment and job fulfillment should be able to overlap. On the first page under the heading “What Have We Learned About Personal Fulfillment and Satisfaction in the Workplace?” Moran Jr. posits some ideas about the workplace that would make staff “feel more human and less like unthinking tools.” His workplace assessment seems rather general and applicable to almost any working environment. So how does he make the library a particularly special place to work?
The truth is, as far as I can see, he really doesn’t. Besides his savory, Idealistic view about the library that I quoted, most every instance where suggestions are made to improve the library work environment, the word “library” could be replaced by almost any other kind of job. So although Moran Jr. makes some great suggestions to help librarians in their environment, this article could just as easily have been about job satisfaction in any other environment.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Entry 2 - General Interview Questions for Library Employees!
Hey! So here's what I've got.
Of course, there’s no predicting how these interviews will go precisely, but I’ve drafted 10 questions for potential Interviewees, which I hope focus in enough on the Realistic and the Now, as opposed to the Ideal to which I'm always inclined to focus on.
1) Please briefly describe your Title/Position.
2) Can you describe what a typical work week would be like for you?
3) [At this point I will probably ask about the demographics particular to the library I am focused on. Questions will most likely focus on age, gender, and racial statistics and how they effect how that particular library operates.]
4) Since you’ve entered this field, do you find that it is what you expected? How so?
5) How do you view the need for Degreed Librarians?
6) What kinds of changes would you like to see in the future, pertaining both to [this library] and the greater library system? Why?
7) Are there any kind of changes happening now that you are excited about? Why?
8) Do you have any particular regrets concerning your job? What would you have done differently?
9) Do you have any advice for an aspiring librarian—particularly for one who is perhaps more Idealistic than Realistic?
10) What is your view on Graduate programs for Library Science? If you see them as necessary for someone wanting to enter the field, do you have any advice regarding finding the right program/getting accepted/[anything else]?
I hope these questions are straight-forward enough! And realistic. Let me know if I need to go over them further!
Dana
Of course, there’s no predicting how these interviews will go precisely, but I’ve drafted 10 questions for potential Interviewees, which I hope focus in enough on the Realistic and the Now, as opposed to the Ideal to which I'm always inclined to focus on.
1) Please briefly describe your Title/Position.
2) Can you describe what a typical work week would be like for you?
3) [At this point I will probably ask about the demographics particular to the library I am focused on. Questions will most likely focus on age, gender, and racial statistics and how they effect how that particular library operates.]
4) Since you’ve entered this field, do you find that it is what you expected? How so?
5) How do you view the need for Degreed Librarians?
6) What kinds of changes would you like to see in the future, pertaining both to [this library] and the greater library system? Why?
7) Are there any kind of changes happening now that you are excited about? Why?
8) Do you have any particular regrets concerning your job? What would you have done differently?
9) Do you have any advice for an aspiring librarian—particularly for one who is perhaps more Idealistic than Realistic?
10) What is your view on Graduate programs for Library Science? If you see them as necessary for someone wanting to enter the field, do you have any advice regarding finding the right program/getting accepted/[anything else]?
I hope these questions are straight-forward enough! And realistic. Let me know if I need to go over them further!
Dana
Friday, October 8, 2010
Start Again! Entry 1 - Analysis of Reading: "Perceptions of Libraries and Information Sources"
Hey! Back to business. For my first reading, I chose to take a look at the article "Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources". I downloaded this report as a .PDF and was surprised to find that this report is rather... lengthy. About 290 pages of lengthy. It is, however--mercifully--split into five sections, with an Introduction and Conclusion. As I don't think I'd be doing it (or my brain) much of a service by trying to summarize or interpret 290 pages in one post, I've decided to cover my analysis in parts, as well, starting today with the Introduction.
Introduction to Perceptions of Libraries and Information Sources
As readers, we are first introduced to a concept apparently first presented in a report from 2003, that posits an overall "dissonance" between "library consumer" and Libraries, I suppose, as a person-less entity. This dissonance is derived from what the library consumer seems to desire from a library experience but which the Library--or the 2003 Library-Entity--does not seem to provide. The idea of a disconnect between library consumers and Libraries causes some rather probing questions in the author(s) of the PLIS report (we're calling it that now): How are libraries perceived by today’s information consumer? "Do libraries still matter? On what level? Will library use likely increase or decrease in the future?"
To answer these and other questions, the OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) Market Research Team with the aid of other OCLC staff and hundreds of Librarians conducted a study, the goals being to know more about " . . . people’s information-seeking behaviors, how familiar people are with the variety of e-resources libraries provide for their users and how libraries fit into the lives of the respondents."
In large part, the study seems to deal primarily with the library consumer's awareness of electronic resources available and how library consumers perceive what the author(s) refer to as the "Library" brand. Though I think the technicalities of the survey for the most part were well over my head, I did gather that the availability of Internet resources and the library consumer's awareness was key in the study--which, in the end, proved more to "confirm" ideas than to illuminate.
As I said, a great deal of the Introduction was well over my head as it discussed results of the various surveys, even though there were several helpful (and colorful!) charts provided. If I have more to add to the reading of the Introduction I certainly will do so, but I feel I should probably end here, as there is a great deal to wade through in Part 1 of PLIS!
As readers, we are first introduced to a concept apparently first presented in a report from 2003, that posits an overall "dissonance" between "library consumer" and Libraries, I suppose, as a person-less entity. This dissonance is derived from what the library consumer seems to desire from a library experience but which the Library--or the 2003 Library-Entity--does not seem to provide. The idea of a disconnect between library consumers and Libraries causes some rather probing questions in the author(s) of the PLIS report (we're calling it that now): How are libraries perceived by today’s information consumer? "Do libraries still matter? On what level? Will library use likely increase or decrease in the future?"
To answer these and other questions, the OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) Market Research Team with the aid of other OCLC staff and hundreds of Librarians conducted a study, the goals being to know more about " . . . people’s information-seeking behaviors, how familiar people are with the variety of e-resources libraries provide for their users and how libraries fit into the lives of the respondents."
In large part, the study seems to deal primarily with the library consumer's awareness of electronic resources available and how library consumers perceive what the author(s) refer to as the "Library" brand. Though I think the technicalities of the survey for the most part were well over my head, I did gather that the availability of Internet resources and the library consumer's awareness was key in the study--which, in the end, proved more to "confirm" ideas than to illuminate.
As I said, a great deal of the Introduction was well over my head as it discussed results of the various surveys, even though there were several helpful (and colorful!) charts provided. If I have more to add to the reading of the Introduction I certainly will do so, but I feel I should probably end here, as there is a great deal to wade through in Part 1 of PLIS!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Illness, Anxiety, and the Lot: How This Just Became Personal
I know that I started this blog with a mission: to complete a guided course, worked out for myself so that I might have a better understanding of the career I was getting myself into. By the end of Winter Term 2010 at WOU, I was supposed to have completed a number of blog entries, interviews with library employees, job shadows, and a couple papers in order to receive a grade. However, things fell through. I got sick. I got very, very sick. I did not receive a grade at the end of the term.
Over the past few months, however--during bouts of fever, stomach viruses, pneumonia, panic, depression--I was giving this blog a lot of thought. I was giving my chosen career path a lot of thought. Some days, too sick to move and too tired to even blink, I thought about libraries. I began to think of becoming a librarian as my mission in life. It began to seem almost like a heroic destiny. By becoming a librarian, I would help people. Long before I was born and to this day, people fight injustices. People seek to right the wrongs in the world. Some travel to other countries to provide clean water, because humans, as a right, should have clean drinking water. People have fought in wars, big and small, so that people could exercise the human right to be free. People fight and have fought for equality on all levels, regarding race, class, the right to speak freely, the right to practice religion on one's own terms, the right to live comfortably and without fear.
I thought about these people, the ones who give themselves wholly to a cause. I think about the people in trouble, people in crisis who everyday face injustice. In some of the worst hours of my illness, I would station myself in front of a TV, a book, a magazine, learning as much as I could about these people. They had help in many varieties, but it never seemed to be enough. A few cents donated to build a well in a small African village; some old coats to go to children who need them; some volunteer work at a shelter. But the unfairness of the situations of the people in need still hurt. Why do bad things happen in the world? I wondered. I'm not a cynic; I don't believe that people have evil in their nature, to begin with, but that people, intrinsically good, can be misguided. Some don't know that there is anything better.
Watching a documentary one day on WWII, it was presented as fact, with the face of Mister A. Hitler himself on screen, that those in power are those who control the information presented to the people. Information can be presented falsely, it can be controlled, and it can be taken away. And suddenly I was struck with an idea that had been brewing in my head for a very, very long time: it is in every way inhumane to deny people the right to educate themselves. For almost countless centuries, those in power have sought to control those in their charge by keeping them ignorant. If people do not know they are being mistreated, if they do not know that there is any other option, it is unlikely the people or subjects will revolt. Re-reading the novel Germinal recently, it struck me that the phrase "Knowledge is Power"--a phrase that, over the years, has taken on almost humorous connotations because of its relations to children's programming--was far more powerful than I had thought. As the protagonist of the novel, who was not by any means an intellectual but was, at least, literate, began to teach the illiterate citizens of a French mining town, ideas were stirred. Injustices were no longer to be born silently; concessions had to be made, rights had to be fought for. This, all because the education of a people.
It has become my opinion that the right to be educated, to be able to educate oneself on one's own terms, is as much a right to be fought for as anything in history ever has been. Knowing this, I feel I more deeply understand what the purpose of the library is: to provide, indiscriminately, information and education to those who would seek it out. Ignorance should not be tolerated; it is my profound belief now, as I've had these few months to let it stew in a sometimes feverish mind, that ignorance, that the unavailability of information to a people, is one of the main causes for injustices throughout history and in even now. Schools and make-shift classrooms across the globe do what they can to provide a base for a person's education, but a library can take a person further. a librarian can help a person to expand and to refine their education in a manner suited to them. Even those who have access to a good education and who see libraries as more of a place of recreation, of a quiet respite from the troubles of daily life, are in a way taking their education into their own hands, choosing themselves what they seek to put in their minds, if somewhat unconsciously.
This age we live in now, the age of the internet, of satellite television reaching millions, of books being published in every medium possible, is the most important time for the library. Libraries are not an institution for the intellectual or the elite, and should never be. As information becomes wider and more available, it should the job of a library to be as an escort, guiding those who crave some kind of enlightenment.
For these past few months, through clouds of sickness and sometimes delusion, I feel I've been led clearly to the conclusion that the way--my way--to help those I so desperately feel for and sympathize with is to become a librarian--to help others help themselves. When one is educated, one is empowered; when one is empowered, incredible things can happen. Access to information is where change can begin.
I must admit that I was not expecting to rattle off this post tonight, but I feel so keenly right now the ideas that have been welling up in my head. As I start to really recover, I hope to start conducting interviews again with librarians and others, and I hope to start posting more of my own observations in this blog again. I hope this will ease some of the tension of the curriculum, and make my transition back into daily education after a long illness much smoother. Janeanne, if you're reading this, I hope you've enjoyed it and don't think I'm just a mental case. But this has become deeply personal. Librarianship for me, now, is no longer just a career choice, but a cause! I really hope that's understandable.
Cheers,
Dana W
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Did You Know?
First off: Apologies, Janeanne! I've been trying my best to keep this updated but, as you can see, it's been tough. And although I know this isn't assigned, I thought this was not only interesting, but highly relevant in thinking about the evolution that information technologies--including Library Science--has been undergoing in just the last few years.
What inspired this post was this video: Did You Know?
It's a rather fast-paced and packed look at the developments in Information Technology. What caught my attention was the section that looked briefly at Google: in just four years, the number of Google searches has risen from 2.7 billion searches annually to 37 billion in a single month.
Has the demand for information increased over that time, or just the availability of almost anything a person could dream up?Either way, this would seem to be a terrific time to be entering into jobs in the information field. Some might think access to technologies like Google and all the information therein might be over-saturation; should we really have all this information open to just anybody? And just what are people getting out of emerging technologies? Faster internet, online archives, internet access on mobile phones--are these creating a smarter society, more earnest to learn, or a more vapid one, drowning in a flood of too much, perhaps unimportant, information?
Myself, I have always believed that access to information--the ability to educate oneself--should be considered as important as any other of a human being's inalienable rights. It's my hope that technologies progressing today will see benefit all over the globe. Access to information should not be a privilege kept by those in industrialized nations but a right to all those who should want it. I could say much more on this subject, but I'll keep it here for now!
What inspired this post was this video: Did You Know?
It's a rather fast-paced and packed look at the developments in Information Technology. What caught my attention was the section that looked briefly at Google: in just four years, the number of Google searches has risen from 2.7 billion searches annually to 37 billion in a single month.
Has the demand for information increased over that time, or just the availability of almost anything a person could dream up?Either way, this would seem to be a terrific time to be entering into jobs in the information field. Some might think access to technologies like Google and all the information therein might be over-saturation; should we really have all this information open to just anybody? And just what are people getting out of emerging technologies? Faster internet, online archives, internet access on mobile phones--are these creating a smarter society, more earnest to learn, or a more vapid one, drowning in a flood of too much, perhaps unimportant, information?
Myself, I have always believed that access to information--the ability to educate oneself--should be considered as important as any other of a human being's inalienable rights. It's my hope that technologies progressing today will see benefit all over the globe. Access to information should not be a privilege kept by those in industrialized nations but a right to all those who should want it. I could say much more on this subject, but I'll keep it here for now!
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