Sunday, August 2, 2009

Thing 15 - Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and the Future of Libraries

The video A Vision of Students Today was an eye-opener. Even though I could relate to some of the things students wrote, I didn't realize how much of an information era we are in until I saw the video. One quote that was stated was "If students learn what they do, what are they learning sitting here?" It makes me think twice about teaching "from the chalkboard." Other quotes that were intriguing were about writing 42 pages for class but 500 pages for e-mails, reading 8 books but 2300 web pages and 1200 Facebook profiles. That means that most students would rather read material on-line than in a book. That's where blogs, wikis, and podcast come in.

After reading the articles I realized that the library is ever-changing. Some articles called it a community or an experience. Sure, we still have books in our catalogs, but that is not the only material we should have for our patrons. The library must evolve and provide patrons with what they are interested in. This reminds me of Ranganathan's 5 Lawa of Library Science. The fifth law is "The library is a growing organism." Even Ranganathan knew that times change, people change, and technology changes and the library must change right on with them. We don't want people bypass the library as an archives of books, but to be drawn to it as the place to be in the information age.

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About Me

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Is it possible for one person to be many things? First off, I am a wife. I married the most wonderful man in the world on January 17, 2009. His name is Victor. We are currently enjoying our time getting to know each other even more as husband and wife. I am a daughter. My parents have been happily married for 41 years. Their names are Cutberto and Esther. I am a sister. I have the most amazing pair of sisters. Their names are Maria and Minerva. I also have 3 brothers whose names are Ramiro, Cutberto, and Orlando. I am the youngest of the six! I am an aunt. I have 5 nephews and 5 nieces. I am a teacher. I teach 2nd grade and love it. I teach bilingual (Eng/Span) education, self-contained. Those kids can always make you smile! I am a student. In January 2009 I began the Masters in Library Science program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. I am enjoying my classes very much. You wouldn't believe how much I have grown and learned in the past 6 months. Which brings me to my last "I am"... I am an aspiring librarian. I have always wanted to be one. I would like to find a job in the district that I work in now, but we shall see where God will take me!