Teenie's Musings

Service Learning Outline

2007-11-28T09:23:00.001-08:00

My service learning project has consisted of 20 hours of one-on-one interaction with individual members of the community. In this case, “community” consists of employees and patients of the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, where I currently work in the medical library. I am often asked for assistance that goes beyond the bounds of my job. This is most obvious in that we are a medical library, but the assistance is not often for medically-related tasks. I chose the people that I would assist because they have consistently asked for more help than I could give them in a five minute interaction. These were people who were interested in more specific and individualized help in using the computer in a variety of ways, including:

Buying and selling on Ebay

Filling out online job applications

Job searching on large sites, such as Monster

My reflection paper will focus on these specific interactions, what each person wanted help with and the struggles that came up during the learning process. One of the unexpected issues that I faced while helping them, specifically while helping the man I call “R,” was discovering the number of ways his life had been limited because of his fear and aversion to computers. I will spend a portion of my paper reflecting on the roadblocks he faces everyday, and the ways in which he deals with that.

Since I was personally impacted by this experience much more than I expected to, I will focus on discussions in the literature on the nature and implications of service learning experiences. There is a lively debate on whether it is ethical to ask students to conduct service learning, and how much they are actually getting out of these experiences. Since I have gotten so much more than I expected to, I will definitely be looking at both sides, and then picking a side myself. I absolutely see the value in these experiences.

Though my experiences didn’t personally delve into this area too deeply, I will also look into Service Learning and its impact on democracy and citizenship. This semester, I have been especially interested in the issue of whether one can be a full participant in the democratic process without having access and familiarity with technology. As I have seen the ways in which my friends have struggled with the tasks that they set for themselves, whether using Ebay or applying for a job, it becomes clear that they are also missing out on other aspects of life.

So, I guess if I had to put this in more traditional outline form, it would look something like this:

I. Introduction of the concept of service learning

II. Discussion of theories underpinning SL

III. Discussion of current application of SL and ethical implications

IV. Discussion of my specific SL experiences, tying to theoretical base

V. Wrap-up

The beginnings of a bibliography:

Battistoni, R. M. "Service Learning and Democratic Citizenship." Theory into Practice 36, no. 3 (1997): 150-56.

Carver, R. L. "Theoretical Underpinnings of Service Learning." Theory into Practice 36, no. 3 (1997): 143-49.

Clark, T., M. Croddy, W. Hayes, and S. Philips. "Service Learning as Civic Participation." Theory into Practice 36, no. 3 (1997): 164-69.

Furco, A. "Service-Learning: A Balanced Approach to Experiential Education." Expanding Boundaries: Serving and Learning 1 (1996).

Harkavy, I., and D. Romer. "Service Learning as an Integrated Strategy." Liberal Education (1999).

Hepburn, M. A. "Service Learning in Civic Education: A Concept with Long, Sturdy Roots." Theory into Practice 36, no. 3 (1997): 136-42.

Hironimus-Wendt, R. J., and L. Lovell-Troy. "Grounding Service Learning in Social Theory." Teaching Sociology 27, no. 4 (1999): 360-72.

Hollis, S. A. "Capturing the Experience: Transforming Community Service into Service Learning." Teaching Sociology 30, no. 2 (2002): 200-13.

Kolenko, T. A., G. Porter, W. Wheatley, and M. Colby. "A Critique of Service Learning Projects in Management Education: Pedagogical Foundations, Barriers, and Guidelines." Journal of Business Ethics 15, no. 1 (1996): 133-42.

Paoletti, J. B., E. Segal, and C. Totino. "Acts of Diversity: Assessing the Impact of Service-Learning." NEW DIRECTIONS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING 2007, no. 111 (2007): 47.

Peterson, B. A., J. Yockey, P. Larsen, D. Twidwell, and K. Jorgensen. "Service-Learning Projects: Meeting Community Needs." Home Health Care Management & Practice 18, no. 4 (2006): 315.

St Clair, L., and M. Tschirhart. "Service-Learning Programs: What Are Universities Selling to Students?" (2007).

Zlotkowski, E. "Successful Service-Learning Programs. New Models of Excellence in Higher Education." (1998).

Matthew Lesko

2007-11-27T14:59:00.001-08:00

This isn't actually part of my service learning 20 hours, because it's happening right now, but it fits in with what I have said in the past.

I work in a medical library, and one would expect that I would be answering questions regarding medicine, or medication, or treatments, or something along those lines. But in fact, a patron and I have been discussing Matthew Lesko for the last 30 minutes.

You know Matthew Lesko. He's the annoying guy on late night commercials whose book can tell you how to get the government to pay your rent, pay for school, etc. Always yelling at the screen and going on about all of the "free money" out there, just waiting to be discovered.

Anyway, in my discussion board posts this week I talked about how Web 2.0 would require librarians to step outside their comfort zones. There was a time, maybe 10 years ago, when no librarian in my library would have answered these questions. That's what the Detroit Public Library is for. But today, with the introduction of new technologies into new places, of course I am expected to answer these and any other questions that come my way.

Frankly, I applaud the change. I spent a good portion of the afternoon searching the literature on intracerebral hemorrhage, so this has been a good change of pace. It's nice to mix it up, once in a while.

My buddy "R"

2007-11-26T13:36:00.001-08:00

One of the people that I have been working with for my service learning project is “R.” “R” works in the hospital, as a tech in the radiology department. He isn’t completely unfamiliar with technology, as the radiology department is full of machines that are all controlled by computers, but “R” is really only able to do exactly the tasks that he is taught. He comes at computers the same way that young children do. He can do the things he has been shown how to do, but can’t really take that knowledge and apply it further.

The greatest challenge in helping “R” isn’t his lack of knowledge, but his fear and trepidation. He knows that there is a world of information out there that he is cut off from, but he is afraid of looking silly when he asks for help. For the last two years, he has been coming up to my library to search on the web for information about scary movies, ventriloquist dolls, and horror movie paraphernalia. He has finally gotten the hang of opening the browser, navigating to Google, and typing in what he is looking for. But that has been the extent of his skill, and he has been two embarrassed to ask for or accept further help. I have offered many times to show him how to email, even to help him set up a free email account. He hasn’t been interested, because he doesn’t want to look silly.

This has been one of the most interesting aspects of the entire service learning project. “R” is a smart guy, he uses technology, and he can follow directions. But he is incredibly resistant to asking for help, and as resistant to accepting the help that is freely offered. The only reason he accepted my help in this instance was that I explained that I needed to complete it for school. Once I showed him that he would be helping me as much as I would be helping him, then he was open to learning, though he was still convinced that he looked stupid.

Service Learning

2007-11-13T10:08:00.001-08:00

I have been sadly neglectful of this blog as of late, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. It was my intention to conduct my 20 hours of service learning with a seniors center here in Michigan. Unfortunately, I couldn't work that out, but instead of been doing one-on-one computer training with several different people.

Honestly, I have enjoyed the one-on-one work more than I think I would have enjoyed conducted a class. I have more than 5 years of substitute teaching experience, and while I like teaching a group of people, working with an individual is much more rewarding. These experiences have been especially rewarding because these are people that I have been trying to work with for years.

First, some background. I work in a medical library in Detroit, MI. In the evenings I work the main information desk. In the three years that I have been there, I have assisted doctors, nurses, patients, cafeteria workers, and administrators find what they are looking for, both in our collection and online. I have also been called on, more times than I can count, to answer questions that have absolutely nothing to do with medicine or the hospital:

* How do I sell stuff on ebay?
* How do I create a resume?
* How do I become a candidate for the state legislature?

Over the last three years, I have also gotten to know several people that would really benefit from computer instruction. Unfortunately, the demands on my time as well as their own reluctance to learn, have made it difficult to give them the instruction they needed. But, having an assignment that I needed to complete for school gave me a reason to set-up some one-on-one time with them.

I'll go into the details of each experience later. For now, just an overview:

I worked with four people. "R" had incredibly limited computer experience and was very reluctant to ask for help. Even though We have known each other for years, he always felt that he was bothering me every time he asked for help. The only reason that he agreed to take mu help this time was that I told him I was desperate to complete my assignment. That may have been a slight exaggeration (or a very large exaggeration) but at least I finally got him an email address. We also spent quite a bit of time learning Ebay and Paypal.

"P" and "J" are sisters who have worked as RNs in the hospital for more than 30 years. They both wanted assistance with resume editing, job hunting, and applying online.

Finally, "B" was also looking for resume help. She had actually come up into the library to create a resume and a job profile online, and after spending some time at it and not getting anywhere, she was desperate for assistance.

The most amazing thing about all of these experiences is that I can't claim to be an expert of any of these topics. I don't know that much about Ebay, though I have used it. I have my own resume and have applied for jobs, but I am definitely not a career counselor. But, I didn't need to be an expert. I just needed some experience and patience. In the end, I learned as much as they did.

Whew, long post. Sorry.

Service Learning

2007-10-11T15:44:00.001-07:00

I am in the process of nailing down my service learning project for this semester. I have decided to break it into two parts. The largest part of my project will be done (hopefully) with senior citizens at my local senior center. I say hopefully, because I am still playing phone tag with my contact person.

I could actually do the entire project there, but I have decided to save a small part of time to do one-on-one computer training with a friend of mine. My friend works with me at the hospital, and for the last 2 years he has been coming up to the library to get help with the internet. He refuses to do email, and he shops on Ebay but he doesn't have his own account. Just recently I created an account for him with his information, but then I actually do the order for him. He has been completely resistant to the idea of me showing him how to do this stuff on his own.

Anyway, once I framed it as a school assignment, he gave in. He wants to help me out, so he is going to let me show him email, and maybe even the finer points of shopping on Ebay. It will probably only take a couple of hours, but I know that it is going to vastly improve his computer experiences. He gets so embarrassed when he doesn't know how to do something, and he is afraid of looking silly. But this is the opportunity that I have been waiting for! It will be a great day when he can send his own emails, rather than using my account.

A new morality?

2007-09-17T15:25:00.001-07:00

The blog this semester will be dedicated to a class on the Digital Divide, or the divide between those who are able to adopt new technologies and those who are not. For this class we are reading several books on the subject, and I have just started another one. This is called "Inequality.com: Power, Poverty, and the Digital Divide" bu Kieron O'Hara and David Stevens. I am barely two pages into the Preface, so I still have no idea what the authors have to say, but they did state one thing that really struck me:

"ICT (Information and communications technology) does not, for the most part, raise any fundamentally new social and political issues. It therefore does not require us to jettison our moral, ethical, or political framework, as numerous commentators have suggested, though it might require us to rethink parts of it."

As I said, I am only two pages into the Preface, so I really have no idea how the authors will support this position. But it seems to me that, at first glance, this entire statement is wrong. ICT does seem to raise new social and political issues. One of the main concepts of this class, revolving around the Digital Divide, is a discussion of the "haves" versus the "have nots" and whether or not that situation is acceptable. That discussion, it seems to me, calls into questions our current ethical and moral framework. Can we accept that only some people have access to the latest technology? Should we tell the "have nots" to wait until computers / the internet / etc are cheaper, or should we take steps to bring prices down to more affordable levels.

Perhaps the authors see this conversation as merely "rethinking our moral, ethical or politcal framework." As I said before, I haven't read very far yet. And I suppose that I see that the argument could be made that way, that these are merely the latest issues in the great chasm between the "haves" and the "have nots, " issues that include access to television, radio, telephones, and even the telegraph. Perhaps the internet is exactly like the telephone only bigger, connecting more people.

If that is the case, then I see another problem. If the issue of connectivity with regards to the internet is the same as the issue of connectivity with regards to the telephone or the telegraph, then why are we still having this debate? In the Wilhelm book, "Digital Nation," he explains the steps taken to insure that rural customers would have access to telephone lines, namely the surcharge added onto all telephone bills to fund the lines being run out into rural areas. If our "ethical, moral, and political framework" is acceptable, then why didn't it forsee the solution to internet connectivity immediately? Why would we even need to debate the relative merits of internet access to everyone?

A moral or ethical code is a set of rules that can be applied in most cases. It should work most of the time, and should not require constant debate and discussion over whether the rules are useful or correct in every instance. Perhaps the only problem with our moral and ethical code is that we don't use it as a set of guiding principles, but rather as a suggestion, something that would be nice to do if it's not too much of an inconvenience to the rest of us.

That's probably completely rambling, and maybe I should have read more than two pages before posting on it, but it just really jumped out at me.

I'm Back!!

2007-09-04T09:39:00.001-07:00

A new class, a new project. This semester I am taking a class called Digital Citizenship, and keeping a blog is one of the assignments.

More details to follow...

Sad

2006-07-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

This will probably be my last post, since my class officially ends this weekend. I'm kind of sad, though I am definitely looking forward to a few weeks off. The end of this semester really got crazy. Ever since I cam back from Pittsburgh I have been confused and lost. For some reason, I thought there was another week in the semester. Ugh, time off here I come.

I am also sad because I bought a new laptop and it arrived yesterday. So now I am all ready to spend hours online and I don't even have anything left to do. Boo, I guess I will just have to use this fancy machine to read blogs and play solitaire.

I wasn't super thrilled about having this blog at the beginning of the semester. I thought, and was partly right, that remembering to blog three times a week would be difficult. Plus, there were many times that I didn't have much to say, as was probably fairly obvious by some of the posts. But, in the end, I am glad we did it. It was much easier than I thought it would be. I can't imagine right now when I would use this, though I am pushing at my library for us to start a blog. But, even if I amnot ready right now to run out and start another blog, I would have no problem blogging if my director asked me to. The technical part of starting one up would easy, as I now know. I would just have to think of something interesting to say.

I see the end, and it is near

2006-07-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know that this is supposed to be a blog about LIS 2600, but can we just talk about LIS 2000 for a second? Yesterday, I submitted my final book review. I clicked the button to send it and the heavens opened up and angels started dinging. Ok, not really, but I did go to my fridge, get a large glass of milk and the biggest piece of chocolate pie know to mankind, and eat the whole thing. I am not ashamed to admit it, either.

The first semester of my graduate school career is coming to a close, and all I can say is this...I really need to work on my dedication. I was great for the first month or so. I had a calender, my assignments were color coded, and I checked Blackboard a hundred times a day. Then it got warmer, I got lazier, and assignments started to back up. Thankfully, I was able to play a lot of catch up before Pitssburgh, and then the very nice professors adjusted some of the final assignments, which gave me even more time.

However, I know that I can't count on other people supporting my procrastination habit forever. Next semester will be different, better.

I promise.

Peformancing

2006-07-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

So, after spending the week on-campus listening to Dr. Tomer sing the praises of portable firefox and all of its add-ons, I decided to give it a try. As a long time IE user, firefox is taking some time to get used to. However, I do like the idea of having all of my bookmarks with me everywhere I go.

Plus, there is Performancing. This is the add on that let's you publish a post to your blog without actually having to go to your site. I am trying it out right now. If everything works correctly, this is going to make the switch worth it. With Performancing, I don't have to actually leave the site I was looking at, because the blogging tool just pops up on the bottom half of the screen.

I'm in love.

Zzzzzzz

2006-07-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I haven't posted anything in almost a week, but I have a good excuse. No, really, I do. I just spent the last 6 days having my "on-campus experience" in Pittsburgh.

Would it be annoying for me to say that it was better than I thought it would be?

Seriously, meeting the other people in the cohort was great, even if I didn't officially meet all 50 people. It was great to sit face-to-face, and over the course of the week we discovered that we had a lot in common, and I am not just talking about our hatred of Nvu.

Speaking of my favorite program, my webpage is almost done. Have you checked it out yet? if not, click the link: http://www.pitt.edu/~cmb74/. Once its done, there will actually be a feed from the blog on the webpage. But for now, that is a work in progress.

Sorry if you've missed me. I will do better with this, I promise.

Ciao.

Whew!

2006-07-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, our first on campus class was held today, and all I can say is, whew! Not only did we clarify some instructions that were a little vague, we all learned a valuable lesson. We, as a class, have been way over-thinking these assignments. After having met the professors, we should really just chill out.

No details, all I'll say is that I am no longer sweating the web page assignment. Except for the fact that I am having trouble logging on with my laptop, which is of course where all of the webpage stuff is stored. But that is a problem for tomorrow.

Did you miss me?

2006-07-09T04:33:00.000-07:00

Hi, I'm back. Did you miss me?

Darn holiday, falling in the middle of the week and screwing up everything. I don't want to sound like a whiner, but I think July 4th should always be on the weekend, or at least Monday or Friday. Tuesday just messed me up.

Ok, whining done.

Unfortunately, I have been working on my webpage for LIS 2600, so the blog has sort have been pushed to the side. Kind of like having a second child, and then all of a sudden you don't have as much time for the first kid anymore. I promise I love them both equally (yeah right).

Access

2006-07-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

I didn't think that a book about access to research would be interesting, but I am fascinated by "The Access Principle." I think it comes from working in a medical library. Medical journals are, for lack of a better term, our bread and butter. Most of our patrons only want the most current research from the most prestigious sources. We have a small book collection, but it's nothing exciting.

So open access is a really fascinating topic from my point of view. We constantly struggle with journal subscription prices. In recent years we have discovered that for many titles it is cheaper to order the articles through interlibrary loan than to actually have the journal on site. Cheaper, but more frustrating for the patrons. Many staff members run in here to copy an article that they need, only to discover it will take 3-5 days to get it from somewhere else. I know they are wondering why we don't just have these titles here, but we are a small library with limited shelf space (Lesk!?!) and limited resources.

Now, with open access, we have the opportunity to offer our patrons more. Unfortunately, this is a concept still very much in its infancy, but I can see many wonderful applications just in my everyday work life. The publishers have become much too comfortable running the show. It is time to expect more.

Ooh Aah

2006-06-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Since I believe that I am the only Cohort 6 member from Detroit, I want to let you all in on a little secret...we have the absolute best fireworks. Here in D-town we are celebrating the International Freedom Festival with our friends to the north, though from here Canada is technically south. Crazy, huh?

There is not better way to see fireworks than on either bank of the Detroit River.

For more info check out http://www.theparade.org/freedomfest/

RFID

2006-06-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

I didn't know much about RFID when I started this class. Ok, I had never heard of it before. But, as someone who works in a library and has devoted a fair number of working hours to conducting inventory or shelf reading, its possibilities are immediately attractive.

For those of you lucky enough to have avoided these fun activities, inventory involves taking every book off of the shelf and scanning it, which is fairly obvious. Shelf reading, on the other hand, involves reading the label on the spine of every book and making sure that all of the books are in the correct order.

How can I describe this activity? B-O-R-I-N-G! Not just, oh I wish I wasn't doing this boring. More like, I want to stab my eyes out with a pencil boring. And though I work in a medical library whose only patrons are doctors and nurses (read: highly educated professionals), of course we can't expect people to put the books back where they belong. Or better yet, they can leave them sitting on the side and I will put them back where they belong.

Anyway, if every book had an RFID tag in it, then in theory I could scan an entire shelf of books at once and see which books were missing or in the wrong spot. My manager loves the idea, though she did point out that this technology would mean one fewer reason to keep employing me.

On second thought, let the shelf reading commence!

Webcasts

2006-06-28T16:16:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about taking classes online, instead of on campus, is watching the lectures as webcasts. Now, many would say that watching these webcasts is not the same as being there, in the classroom. To that I say, you are absolutely right. I just spent 55 minutes watching Dr. Tomer talk about a whole series of things that had nothing to do with the lecture for that week.

Don't get me wrong, it was a pretty exciting discussion, but come on. At the risk of seeming nerdy, have you ever watched Star Wars? Near the end of the movie, the rebels are attacking the Death Star. In once scene, one of the pilots is calling in for help because he's got a baddie on his tail. He's freaking out, and the guy that he's talking to keeps saying, in this very authoritarian voice, "STAY ON TARGET."

Where am I going with this? The entire time I was watching this webcast, that is what I felt like yelling. It was a very interesting discussion that bounced around and was completely off target. Now, since I was watching it as a webcast, I could pause it, get up and walk around, get a drink or a bite to eat. These 55 minutes took over an hour and a half, but at the same time I did not throw anything at the computer. The students sitting in class, on the other hand, were stuck.

FastTrack Rules!

Celebration!

2006-06-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

Finally! Finally we had an LIS 2600 assignment that didn't cause me to break out in hives when I first looked at it. The assignment - create a tag cloud. Did I know what a tag cloud was? No, though once I got through the process I realized that I had seen them before and just not know what they were called. But, this assigment was much easier than the others, or maybe I am just getting better at this stuff. I created my two clouds, no problem. The assignment said that later we would be putting the cloud from our blog onto out web page, but I decided to go ahead and put it on the blog, too, as you can see from the box on the right.

Check it out. Click on a tag that looks interesting. This is a blog about a technology class, so if you are wondering what that has to do with Alanis Morrisette, click on the tag and find out.

Unshelved

2006-06-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

The natives are getting restless

2006-06-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

Ahh, technology. It makes life better, except when it doesn't. The books we are reading right now for the next review are all about making technology more responsive to the user's needs. The situation as of right now is this...

Designers create interfaces and such the way they want and users learn to adapt to them. The books are arguing that developments on the internet should be made with the user's needs in mind. That, in effect, users should be dictating developments. If only it were so.

Which brings me to the natives. The discussion board for LIS 2600 is genenerally a happy place, but every now and then the postings get a little snarky (as a note, snarky is a word that we use in my family, but I realize that not everyone understands it. Think a cross between snotty and sarcastic). Several people have complained (and I agree with them a little, ok maybe more than a little) that the FastTrackers are getting little or no direction. We are doing projects, like blogging and Internet Scout Portal and Connotea, without any idea what we should be getting out of it. Also, we are doing these projects without any sort of direction. Personally, I don't think that "go to this site, open an account, and then use it" counts as direction.

It's cool. Like I have said before, I am figuring out alot of stuff on my own, which makes me pretty happy. But, I understand the grumbles. This is really frustrating, especially since this is the first class of the program. I don't think I am quite ready at the outset to be sent out on my own. Maybe the point of all of this is that, in the "real world," there won't be a person with instructions telling us what to do. If that's the point, then I get it.

But, it's still frustrating.

Music freak

2006-06-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have a confession to make. I am addicted to internet radio. I work at a desk all day long, and one of the only things that keeps me growing crazy is my internet radio. I have actually shelled out money to pay for what is, essentially, a free internet radio station just because it got rid of the ads. Ads are annoying, which is why I almost never listen to the radio in my car. Anyway, I have found a new radio obsession.

It is called Pandora, and is found at www.pandora.com. It's like a radio that thinks, which is just brilliant. When you get to the site you tell it one song or artist that you really like. It plays that, and then begins to build a station based on similar musical tastes. With every song that plays you give the music a thumbs-up or -down, and the station continues to adjust itself based on your choices.

I love it. Lately my musical tastes run to Girl-indie-rock. Think Alanis Morissette, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, etc. Unfortunately, traditional radio stations are not devoted to this type of music. So, now I have created my own radio station.

I added a link to Pandora to the sidebar. Check it out.

I'm finally getting it

2006-06-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

I am finally starting to get the hang of this blogging thing. The biggest thing holding me back up until now has been fear. I don't want to make too many changes because I don't want to mess this up. My biggest fear is that once I try to change something and it turns out horribly wrong, I won't know how to fix it. But, the panic is starting to diminish.

My advice, start small. I changed the font color, which doesn't seem like a big deal, but it was to me. Adding the comic strips was also a big step forward, because I actually had to manipulate code, which I had never done before. I think it turned out ok. I modified the links and added a blogroll. Finally, today, I added a site meter. It was simple, and took less than 5 minutes, but it is a big deal because I went out into the web, found the information, and followed the steps. All By Myself! Yay me!

I have checked out other peoples' blogs, and some look very professional, especially compared to mine. But, this is my baby, and everything on it was put there by me. So, I am very proud of the work, even if it isn't all that much.

Unshelved

2006-06-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

Sign of the Apocalypse

2006-06-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

If you are interested, here is a link to the blog that I mentioned yesterday.

http://the-reaction.blogspot.com/2005/07/sign-of-apocalypse-12-libraries.html

According to this guy, libraries without books is the 12th sign of the apocalypse.

Just can't kick the paper habit!

2006-06-11T17:28:00.000-07:00

After reading the books for the review as well as some other writings, I have to agree with some of my classmates that I can't imagine a library without books in it. I read a post on a blog the other day that said that the University of Texas has removed most of its books from the library. Now this building has a coffee shop, network portals, and comfy couches. But it is missing the one thing that made it a special place.

Computers are great. I personally have two of them in my tiny apartment. I couldn't possibly live without them. But I also love books, which is probably why I want to be a librarian instead of computer programmer. Of course, I feel like I will be a computer programmer by the time 2600 is over, Yikes! Anyway, I think that a library without books would be sad. Like it is missing something that defines it. I know that Lesk would disagree. Well, tough. Sure I can look up anything I need on the internet. Yes, in my medical library many of the doctors have probably never pulled a book off of the shelf. But, and this may just be the dorky librarian inside me talking, nothing compares with the smell and feel of a brand new book. Nothing is as wonderful as a book full of smooth, uncrimpled pages, with brand new binding and no marks on the cover. Heaven is full of books, shelf after shelf. If I get to heaven one day and discover row after row of computer terminals, I may have to look for new real estate.

Blogger's Back

2006-06-10T07:27:00.000-07:00

So, in keeping with the theme of things not working when they should, Blogger was down this week. It appears to be all systems go for now, and I guess now is all that we can worry about.

If anyone is interested, the comic that I posted a few days ago is called "Unshelved." It is, obviously, a comic strip set in a library, and is written by a couple of librarians. Some days it is scary how accurately they refelct what is going on at my work. I guess some stuff is just universial. Anyway, the strip is located at www.overduemedia.com and you can set it up so that it emails you a strip everyday. I have found that opening my email everyday and seeing this brings me just a little bit of joy. Well ok, that strip and Dilbert, which is just so darn funny.

Unshelved

2006-06-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

A plan in action

2006-06-03T16:04:00.000-07:00

So maybe there is a method to all of the madness. The past two weeks have featured discussion board questions on technology in the library. The books for the next book review in LIS 2000 are also about new technology in libraries. After looking into this topic from many angles, I have learned that, as with most things, it is more complicated than it first appears.

Technology seems like a good thing. And it is, at first. But, as I discovered firsthand this morning, making your life easier also means that you have become dependent on that technology. I got into work at my medical library this morning ready to complete anumber of tasks that needed to be finished. I started up the patron computers and discovered that, of course, the internet was not working. I swear I am cursed this week!

A call to the IT department informed me that, yes they were aware of the problem and yes they would fix it...EVENTUALLY! The best he could promise me was that it would work sporadically all morning until they got the problem taken care of. So, this whole list of things that I needed to get done was put on hold. It turned out that everyone one of these items needed the internet in one way or another. Ugh!

Eventually, the internet did start working. And while it was only about 90 minutes of waiting, it was torture. Technology was supposed to make life easier, but it's failure had stopped me in my tracks. I took an American History class in college and the professor said that technological developments in the first half of the 20 th century, such as the washing machine and the vacuum cleaner, had been intended to make housewives'lives eaiser. Now you would just throw clothes in and let the machine do all of the hard work. Instead, life had become more difficult for housewives, because they ended up being responsible for more things with all of their new free time.

Technology is a double-edged sword, and we need to all be careful that we don't fall on it.

Yes!

2006-06-02T05:39:00.000-07:00

Internet crisis over! After four long days without it, the nice WOW! cable man came and got me back online. And now it is back to obsessively checking Blackboard 15 times a day. Does anyone else do that? I feel like I need someone to get between me and my computer and say "back away from the Blackboard." I am not sure why I think something earth-shattering will happen every hour, but just n case, I feel compelled to check the discussion boards a hundred times a day. Sigh!

Can I just tell you how glad I am to be done with Kuhn? I know I am not the only one. That book was crazy! I have been very excited to find that Kuhn is an anomaly (his word!). Baker was great to read, and Lesk isn't bad either, though I kind of feel like he is trying to sell me something. Kind of used-car-salesman. Maybe I just completely bought the arguments that Baker was laying down, and now I am biased against Lesk. Ooh, a topic for my next review.

That's all. It's been 15 minutes since I checked the discussion boards. I had better go see if there are any new posts!

I am only half-joking! Sigh again.

Pop quiz

2006-05-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

Here's your question. After beginning an online graduate program, what would be the absolute worst thing that could happen? Answer: having your internet go out on a holiday weekend! The second worst thing would be to have your internet provider then tell you that it will be 4 days before they can get out to fix it.

That's ok. I am reaching a zen place where I only worry about the things that I can actually do something about. So, I will patiently wait for the cable guy to come fix my connection, and in the meantime I will grab the internet where I can find it.

Moving on. After completing the first round of discussion questions and responses, I was fascinated by the different and varying responses. One of the great things about this program is that the people in the program have a vast array of experiences in libraries. I wrote my initial post with respect to the medical library that I work in. But the posts from others covered all different kinds of libraries, and many people discusses issues with technology that I had never even considered. When we talk about upgrading technology in our library, we never have to consider that we will have to directly teach each and every user how to use this new technology. There will always be some people who need help downloading articles and such, but school librarians are obviously coming at this from a completely different perspective. I really enjoyed the peek into other people's experiences.

ISP anxiety

2006-05-26T05:57:00.000-07:00

I can finally say that I am starting to feel better about graduate school. However, as I mentioned below, that comfort comes at knowing that everyone else is having the same problems as me. Internet Scout Portal? Still haven't figured it out. And, if the discussion board is any indication, neither has anyone else.

Which brings me to my next question. What are we missing? This is an online class, which I understand means that alot of what we do is self-directed. But, there are students in this program on campus. They go to class every week. So, what are we missing? What are they getting in class that we aren't getting here? Is it just background and details, or are they getting more hands-on instruction then the FastTrackers?

Aaaaaaaaaaargh!

2006-05-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Seconds after the first assignment for LIS 2600 went up on Blackboard the panicking began. Fortunately it was lessened a bit by the fact that I was not the only person freaking out. Misery definitely loves company. I can honestly say that I have learned more in the last 48 hours than I have in the previous few months. I just hope this entire course isn't set up this way. I am all for learner-driven education, but sometimes a little outside guidance is needed.

My first post!

2006-05-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the beginning of what I hope will be a long and beautiful career of blogging, at least for this semester. I have no idea if I am doing this correctly, but I guess diving in headfirst is the only way to handle it.