Brett's Blog

news report #5

2009-04-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

A Discussion of Libraries, Second Life and Education with Joe Sanchez
April 14, 2009
http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/april2009/techsourcejoesanchez.cfm

Technology has been bringing people together for years. It has constantly been making the world smaller and making it easier to learn and communicate with others. Libraries are now becoming part of this phenomenom by using the program Second Life. Second Life is avirtual world where students can meet up, communicate, and learn from one another. This program is being introduced to different schools around the nation to help students be more social and educated. ALA is presenting its first virtual world event, a discussion of virtual worlds, libraries and education with Second Life expert Joe Sanchez. Sanchez, a doctoral candidate at the University of Texas, is the author of February’s issue of Library Technology Reports, Implementing Second Life: Ideas, Challenges and Innovations.
An exclusive interactive discussion and presentation of his work will be held on the ALA Island at 9 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 15. The discussion will focus on virtual worlds and their potential to impact library service and freedom of information, as well as Sanchez’s work with LIS students using Second Life. One of the main topics that will be brought up is the effects of the students role playing. Second Life is a virtual world owned by Linden Lab with more than 15 million users. It is currently one of the most popular 3-D social virtual worlds. The use of Second Life by libraries and universities has become a hotly debated topic in Library and Information Science circles. Early adopters of Second Life have been called evangelists, while nonusers of Second Life have been called Luddites who “don’t get it.”

news report #4

2009-04-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

http://w"ALA: U.S. Rep. Fortenberry’s legislation will protect books from regulation." (2009): ww.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/march2009/wofortenberry.cfm

Government, throughout time, has tended to put laws on products to protect the citizens well being. One example of this is the use of lead based paint on certain products in the U.S. The use of lead paint on products has shown to effect and hurt children. This law affected libraries because older and imported books from other countries has and lead base in them. This caused the government to exclude libraries and ordinary books from this rule do to their little to no danger to children.
The American Library Association supports legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry to amend the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act to exempt ordinary books from the lead limit within the act. This is a welcome step toward ensuring libraries will not be adversely affected by the law. This was able to happen testing has shown that finished books and their component materials contain total lead content at levels considered non-detectable, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has determined that there is little risk to children from lead in ordinary books. The president of the ALA had this to say about the situation, “We are grateful for this bill since it supports what the ALA, libraries, teachers and parents know to be true – books are safe and should not be regulated by this law.” This exception to this law is great for libraries. This allows libraries to continue to keep old children books and imported books. This also benefits kids in the community. In this economic crisis it is hard to obtain sources of entertainment for kids. This step for libraries allows children to keep their books in libraries where they can read them for free.

reading 5

2009-03-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

A lot has changed over the years in technology. College student’s everyday are using cell phones and the internet to contact each other and get information. The world has changed from only having the library for information, to having tons of information at your fingertips. Now the internet has over 100 million different websites. Today students use improper websites that don’t have the right, proper websites they need for research. Most college students rely on Google and Wikipedia for their information. Libraries and college professors are trying to get college students to use library databases to get information for research. These databases use scholarly journals and articles that are well cited and proper. College students need to be able to identify proper and improper information. This epidemic not being able to identify information is known as information literacy. Professors and librarians across the nation are trying to stop this epidemic by showing students what it means to be information literate. Schools and different agencies are using programs and classes that help students become information literate and use databases. These databases libraries use are simply to use once taught how to use and they are increasing in amount. There have been over 8,000 more databases in the last fourteen years. This increase in databases and awareness about information literacy is causing students to change their ways and use proper, cited sources to receive their information

reading #4

2009-03-03T10:07:00.000-08:00

There are many different problems with today’s youth using the Internet. One of these problems is the constant use of Google to receive information. In this article, the author tries to argue that Google is a good search engine but it gives bad information to students. He also says that the Librans and faculty should strive to help students to receive good information through using catalogs and library databases.
Students are using Google too much to receive information for projects and everyday life. The campus library is clearly not the way the students receive and get there information from anymore. The use of Google and other search engines have taken this spotlight do to its easy access of information. What most students don’t know is that the information from Google and these search engines are usually very weak in accuracy and quality. Libraries are trying to change this by promoting campus databases, which gives a lot of good quality information to students. One major struggle in this strive to use these databases is that they are not as easy to use as Google.
I do agree that faculty and librarians should try to get students off of Google. Students don’t realize how weak the information from Google really is. The information students can receive from library databases and catalogs is much richer in information and approved by professors. I also think that libraries should try to make the databases easier to use. If the databases were easier to use and can still keep its information, it would be an unstoppable force.

reading report 3

2009-02-19T10:11:00.001-08:00

Libraries have been and are important institutions in today’s society. They have been used to store and hold knowledge for hundreds of years. An example of this is how D Vinci’s collection of paintings and other sort of items were kept preserved over time by libraries. Without libraries information, such as D Vinci’s collection would be lost forever. Throughout this time though, libraries have changed, and are continuing to change in their ways of keeping and giving information to the public. In today’s age there are many new trends that libraries have done to keep up with the world’s constant change in technology and spread of information.
Libraries have taking many different steps to keep up with the constant spread of information. Some of the major trends that libraries have to keep up with are; communication, storage, technology change, searches for technology, time, and demand for global information, economic change, change from center of information to the center of culture. These trends are accurate, important, and inevitably. Changes like communication and technology are important for libraries to keep up with. With the constant change in technology it is important that libraries are always up to date this way they can receive the information the y need. Also storage is important for libraries. With the speedy spread of information and the need to receive it fast, libraries need to store more information for the public. Able to keep up libraries have changed their technology, the way they store information, and the speed in which they get it to the public. These constant changes in trends are making libraries from the source of information, to the source of culture in society.

news report 3

2009-02-17T10:27:00.000-08:00

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6637647.html
stimulus bill passes, could have a major impact on libraries
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 2/13/2009

There are a lot of different strategies that libraries are taking to gain funding from the federal government. On February thirteenth, the nearly $800 million federal stimulus bill was passed by the House of Representatives aand the senate. This bill gives money to state governments and becomes relayed to organizations that benefit the community and need funding. Now the ALA is saying that it is up to librarians and the public to help and show how important libraries are to the community. The money that libraries can apply for will hp the libraries and community a lot in the long run. Notably, $7.2 billion (down from $9 billion) will increase broadband access and usage around the country. Within that sum is $200 million in competitive grants to expand public computing at public libraries and community colleges. Also, the bill allocates $650 million for the digital television transition; libraries can apply for the $90 million assigned for education and outreach to vulnerable populations.
This is a great time for people to start supporting there libraries so that the y can get the funding they need. Libraries are a great source of information for students and working people. The use of free books, DVDs, internet, and other forms of entertainment is a great commodity in this difficult time. The use of online databases is also extremely useful to the public. These databases are used so that people can receive information. These databases also help people to find news and info in different languages. Libraries are a great commodity to the U.S today. This money from the stimulus bill will help libraries and continue to help the public.

news 2

2009-02-05T10:04:00.001-08:00

Business Brisk at Area Libraries
By Annie Gowen
http://mobile.washingtonpost.com/news.jsp?key=346145&rc=me
In these years tough economic crisis, free resources have become a very important commodity. One place to obtain this rare and great quality is at your local public library. This is shown in this article where the Washington post talks about how with the economic crisis, the use of libraries is going up. Also in the article it states that the use of libraries in Washington has gone up twenty three percent in the region in the last six months. But also because of these hard times, budget cuts are happening to libraries. This is same because people need these free sources especially now in these hard times. It was said that libraries would become a commodity of the past with the high rise of the internet, but instead people are using libraries to access the internet. I found it ironic and a shame that libraries are being used the most right now and are being forced into budget cuts. Libraries are a great source of information for students and working people. The use of free books, DVDs, internet, and other forms of entertainment is a great commodity in this difficult time. The use of online databases is also extremely useful to the public. These databases are used so that people can receive information. These databases also help people to find news and info in different languages. Libraries are a great commodity to the U.S today. It has been proven that over sixty eight percent of adults now have a library card, the most ever since the ALA began tracing in 1990.

reading 1

2009-01-27T10:09:00.000-08:00

The creation of the internet has open people’s minds to countless amounts of information. Yet as time has gone on, people have created websites with misleading information. These sites are considered a plague on the internet do to their false information and deformation to others. This sites fall into three main categories, fictitious, counterfeit, and spoof. All these types of websites are bad for the internet but I believe some are worse than others.
After reading this article I websites realized that fictitious and counterfeit websites are plague upon the internet. Counterfeit websites give out information that can lead to deformation people’s names and provide false information to the public. Theses websites I believe are very misleading and bad for the public. Theses counterfeit websites provide false information to students and other people. This info can greatly affect a student’s grade or a business person’s presentation. Fictitious websites are used to try and get information such as medical, credit card, identity information. This hoax can be very severe to a person’s life. This information, in the wrong hands can lead to identity theft, and credit card theft.
Other hoax websites, such as spoof websites are less detrimental on the internet. These websites generally make fun of other websites by copying them I a funny way. These websites usually have political intensions and seem to make fun of things going on in the public today. I believe that these websites are not so bad for the public do to their blatantly obvious jokes and misleading information. I for one go on spoof websites for laughs and political humor often.

asignment 1

2009-01-20T10:08:00.000-08:00

"Survey Finds Texas Voters Support More Funding for Public and School Libraries"
1/16/09

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6630282.html

This article talks about the public’s support in the budget of libraries. In Texas, a survey was taken voters in whether or not they supported the public libraries. More than eight in ten Texas voters support increasing funding for school and public libraries, according to a new state wide survey that was released. Most of the people that took this survey stated that libraries played a very important part in there neighborhoods. Also it is said that it helps with resources during this economic crisis. 83% of the participants in the survey agreed and said public libraries support the economy through job skills training, career and job information, and resources for local businesses communities need this means of support for students and working people in this economic crisis. I agree with the public’s view on libraries. The library is a public source of research and knowledge that is easy for anyone to access. This makes it easier for average people and students to receive the information they need to help them with their problems. In this economic crisis, it is tough for people to buy books and other means of information. Instead people are now using their free resources at public libraries. The library is a great place for people to go to obtain books, movies, CDs, and magazines because it is completely free of charge as long as they are on time with their returns. While libraries may not be as up to date on the latest media as say Barnes & Noble, it may still be worthwhile for consumer to wait a an extra week or so to save a few bucks. It is really good though to see that American’s are still in support of public libraries because although many local governments are proposing that they shut down liraries to save money, more use of these libraries may prevent that from happening.

My first post

2009-01-13T11:59:00.000-08:00

i love blogging