Readings- 9/1/09

OCLC report: Information Format Trends-

This article highlights the change in how information is gather and perceived. More often, people turn to the internet for blogs, wikis, etc., that can offer them instant information gratification. The human race has a driving need to know things now, and they will take it from the first available source. That is not to say that they won't pay for content, as the article does point out. In this modern day and age there is a war going on between what is accessible versus what is reliable and accessible wins. With a computer/mobile phone in everyones hand, anyone can find the answers to their questions. Anyone can also publish their own store of knowledge and it can be downloaded by anyone. We are world full of informers and the uninformed all at once. This articles study of the rise of e-books and online publishing only serves to call attention to the end point. Everyone knows that libraries need to change how they are perceived. All we have to decided is how. How does one uphold the high standards people have for libraries when it comes to information quality with the new found need to make it digitally accessible? Libraries need to become a presence in the new digital information scene instead of a background player.

Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy-

The author stresses the difference between information literacy, which to them is anything that contains information, be it text, video, mp3, etc., and information technology literacy, which they define as understanding the technology itself. As in the Lied article, there is a focus on how fast technology changes. This author however, brings to light the fact that ones knowledge must be constantly updated as technology updates. The changing times require the information professional to be improving as much as their systems. While in the Lied article the author seems to take for granted how hard it is to have to be in a state of perpetual re-learning of systems, this author offers solutions. It goes beyond just teaching how a system works, to teaching why a system works. Giving people a base jumping off point from which they can continually expand there own knowledge in a contextual way. Once you understand how something works in a more in-depth manner, the constant updates start to become more understandable. This seems so basic, but is it as easy as it seems? The upcoming generation is used to constant changes in technology, but what about the previous ones? Does technology risk alienating those who use it?

Lied Library-

This article for the most part detailed one library's initial acquisition and then continuous evolution of their technology. It was a university library that had the luxury of time and funding to implement all of the changes they desired with little to no need to disrupt the library's basic functions or patrons usage of their services. Reading this article was a jarring in a sense for me, there was reference to updating to Windows XP, wireless internet was just beginning to be introduced, it was a great reminder that technology is constantly evolving. While a university library has the ability to for the most part keep up with constant changes, other libraries do not have this same luxury. Technology these days is seen as a given and not a perk. What does one do for the library that cannot afford the new computers? Or the staffing? While UNLV is certainly seen in this article as a model for the modern digitized library, what does this mean for libraries in general? With the push towards technology, and with the digital world changing not only every day, but every hour, will it become impossible to provide the best resources that one can? Technology has become such an integral part of our society that in some cases our own technological resources outclass those of our local library.