Life and libraries

Out of chaotic lives there are always libraries



Oh wow, it has been a while since I blogged, but then I had a few reasons. As you know, life is busy (actually chaotic), studies are full-on, work....you know, family commitments are there, friends are busy, you are busy, time is always a worry .....and so on. Mind you, I am still staying busy.....

But then, I was thinking today, truly if one was not busy, one would be bored, maybe tired, maybe sleepy, maybe grumpy or maybe not. Every person experience different levels of  boredomness, right? I might add, it would be nice in a while (maybe once in a blue moon) to be bored.....so I am waiting for that moment. Unfortunately, it has not arrived yet.

OK, so I was thinking a bit further, what if I am really bored, where would I go, what would I do? Do I have to do something? Would I be socially acceptable if I don't do something? What about the 'social expectations' guidelines'? Does it really matter?

Photography by Lizelle

A light bulb moment.....if a person could just for one moment relax.... unwind.... and think where they can think. They will soon discover that a library (in the mist of chaos) is still the place to go to relax, and to rest the mind. It is a place where you can look bored, be quiet (or not) or just be you.

That said, I cannot see myself without that backup support, that life-link that connects me to books (real books), history, memories, sadness, laughter....real moments. That's what count, right?

Hope you will also find a library in your chaotic life :)

Libraries need to change

Back to basics

Image from iStockphoto

It is clear, libraries of the 21st century is not the same as what it was thirty to forty years ago. With the advent of the Internet, the Web, Web 2.0 platforms, iPhone, iPod, iPad, Blackberry, and all the other new devices and technologies – libraries had to adjust quickly.

However, sitting in a library conference a few weeks ago, I realised that libraries and library professionals are missing the point. It is obvious, that technology is part of our everyday life...and it is unlikely that it will disappear into thin air either. We have to live with it...or change with it.

But.... Where do library patrons fit in? Most importantly, where do the older library patrons fit in? Where does social culture fit in? Are libraries still considered as the desired ‘Third place’ of our community?

I argue that libraries need to return to the basics – good solid customer service. Of course there are library patrons that want to get their own books and issue them through the self-issue machines. However, there are patrons that prefer to be served by staff. They do not embrace new technologies, especially the self-issue machines.

That said, I am for technology. It is vital for us to be updated (otherwise we miss out).

But, for me it is important to provide warm heath-felt customer service too. We need to change! We need to hug more, listen more, care more – that’s what libraries need! First and foremost, libraries are and should be about people!

Topic 3.3 - Future Trends

Future Trends


Web 3.0 - the future

Wow, I cannot believe it, I came to the end of the Web 101 unit and what a way to finish it off - Web 3.0.

Firstly, I have enjoyed this unit so much, and I have learned a great deal! To be honest, I have never distinguished between Web and Net as two applications. Secondly, I have learned that when the Internet was first introduced by Tim Berners-Lee in the 1990s, this was only the beginning to a future of Web communication and collaboration. Data is escalated rapidly, everyday on the Web. 

Web 2.0 brought forth social networking applications. However, it seems, the cherry on the cake is Web 3.0. A Web that really know all our ins and outs? What we like, what we eat, what we wear, what our water and electricity meters are doing at home....really??? Kevin Kelly explained the concept so nicely, stating that even our shoes would have little computer chips in - everything will be monitored in future. The more information about us, the better it seems. In the future people will refer to the Web as the Semantic Web - a Web about us. Maybe we should change the Web 3.0 concept to 'We are the Web 3'.

To be honest, I cannot see us living without the Web. Information is part of us, actually everything we do is part of the Web and the Internet. So, let us rejoice all the new media and the future Semantic Web.

Topic 3.2 - Social Me(dia) Rivers

Rivers of social media?

I have never really heard of the term, Social Me(dia) River. However, after reading our course notes and listening to the lecture, I now realise that Twitter can be seen as a non-stop river of information.

We (the users) are like little boats in the  same river (sea), with just different little cargoes on our way to somewhere (well.. nowhere). I was also introduced to the term 'micro-blogging' - little pieces of information we share on twitter or other social networking sites.  

According to Java, et al. (2007) "Microblogging is a new form of communication in which users can describe their current status in short posts distributed by instant messages, mobile phones, email or the Web. Twitter, a popular microblogging tool has seen a lot of growth since it launched in October, 2006". 

Yet, we can bring all our little bits of information together on a site called Friendfeed. We can get all our social networking contributions in one place by subscribing to our own feeds. Friendsfeeds can be great if you want to have everything under one roof. You can inform your friends and family what is happening in your life by just providing one link to them, instead of all your online social networking links.

Reference

Java, A., et al (2007). Why we Twitter: Understanding Microblogging usage and communities. Procedings of the Joint 9th WEBKDD and 1st SNA-KDD Workshop 2007, August 12. Retrieved from http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/get/a/publication/369.pdf

Topic 3.1 - Your Digital Shadow

Digital Shadow....Where?



http://www.fotosearch.com/clip-art/shadows.html



Do you really know what is left behind of you in Cyberspace? Do you really care? All of a sudden these questions became very important to me. Because it is important to know what information about you can be retrieved by others (especially when you are not aware of it). In saying this, I think people would be surprised to learn what information can be traced without their knowledge. For example, the question was asked in our lecturer notes, 'Have you ever Googled yourself?' Why, I wonder? However, I tried it and was amazed at my findings.

You can also try to type your name in the following website BlindSearch to see what information is out there about yourself.

Another very interesting website, Spezify find all relevant information about you. You would also be surprised! This website upload images about you (if any) - traced on the Web. This might include images posted on Facebook and elsewhere. I must say, all these findings make you think twice about your web presence and what you post to the whole World Wide Web.

Topic 3.0 - Your Internet Footprint

What do we leave behind?






One of the most important things I have learned today from the lecture and notes is that people do not consider what they leave behind in Cyberspace. It is so easy to write about oneself, that you forget your audience is the World Wide Web. Qian and Scott (2007) state that people don't think about the consequences when they disclose too much of themselves online. This is especially true, when people blog about themselves. I would argue that people made the Internet personal... too personal.  However, it is important that people keep in mind that what they write in their blogs will stay there forever as digital footprints. 

Another point to consider is that when people make use of Facebook or MySpace, they must rethink what they write, especially if the employer has access to their sites. During a survey conducted by Qian and Scott (2007) one of the participants said that "revealing too much personal info thus facing repercussion about something I write negatively about, in particular my employer".

Maybe it is time we rethink what we leave behind online....

Reference

Qian, H., & Scott, C. R. (2007). Anonymity and self-disclosure on weblogs. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4). Retrieved from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue4/qian.html

Topic 2.4 Content Sharing

Content Sharing

This week’s lecture was very interesting. Must admit, I have really enjoyed it and learned a lot. I have learned how people create and share their creations in a collaborative manner. Creating your own inventions can also be fun and rewarding. It was interesting to see how people create and combine existing media to produce a totally different product. For example, Szuch (2009) took two movie trailers, Avatar and Pocahontas and creator his own short combined version. With his clever remixing skills he could create something totally unique.

However, it is important for people to clearly state from where they got the information. It is also important that when people create their own videos, music, etc. they have to adhere to the necessary copyright laws and regulations. For example in Australia creators must adhere to the Copyright Act 1968. According to the Australian Copyright Council (2007) people must seek the original author or creator’s permission to copy material from authors. In general “copyright generally lasts for the life of the creator plus 70 years and where duration depends on year of publication, it lasts until 70 years after it is first published” (Australian Copyright Council, 2007).

Important considerations: 

• Copyright protection is free and applies automatically when material is created.
• There is NO registration system for copyright in Australia.
• Copyright does not protect ideas, information, styles or techniques.
• Copyright does not protect names, titles or slogans.
• There are no general exemptions from copyright law for non-profit organizations.
• There are some situations where copyright law allows people to use copyright material for their own personal use, but these are narrow and specific.
• Generally, Australian copyright law applies to actions that take place in Australia, even if the material used was created or first published in another country. (Australian Copyright Council, 2007).

In saying this, in some instances people do not have to ask permission to use material. For example “where the material is being used as a “fair dealing” for one or more of the following purposes: criticism or review; parody or satire; and reporting news”. Also “material may be freely used if copyright has expired” (Australian Copyright Council, 2008). There are six licenses the creator must be aware of to ensure that the correct procedures are followed when information is shared.

For example: 

• Attribution - others must give you credit as the original creator
• non-commercial - others may not use your work for commercial purposes
• no derivative works - others may not alter, transform, or build upon your work
• share alike - others may alter, transform, or build upon your work, but they are encouraged to distribute the resulting work only under another Share Alike licence (Creative Commons Australian, 2005).

People may also use materials under creative commons. According to the Creative Commons Australia (n.d.), “Creative Commons is a worldwide project that encourages copyright owners to allow others to share, reuse and remix their material, legally”.

Apart from this, it is also important to note that when people download images from e.g. Flickr, they should use correct tagging in order to find images quicker. This will also simplify matters when they create material. According to Mathes (2004) tagging images is important for the user to be able to retrieve the required information again. However” folksonomy is not, will not, and should not be our only way of ordering the world” (Weinberger, 2006).

References


Australian Copyright Council. (2008). Information sheet G103v01: Copyright permission & clearances. Retrieved from http://www.copyright.org.au/admin/cms-acc1/_images/10696221344c8dd3878a3dc.pdf

Australian Copyright Council (2007). Information sheet: An introduction to copyright in Australia. Retrieved from http://www.copyright.org.au/admin/cms-acc1/_images/1889836124c8dbfe7b2fba.pdf

Creative Commons Australia. (2005). Creative commons licences explained for content creators. Retrieved from http://creativecommons.org.au/content/licences-explained-content-creators.pdf

Creative Commons Australia. (n.d.). Learn more. Retrieved from http://creativecommons.org.au/learn-more

Mathes, A. (2004). Folksonomies – Cooperative classification and communication through shared metadata. Retrieved from http://www.adammathes.com/academic/computer-mediated-communication/folksonomies.html

Szuch, R. (2009). Avatar/Pocahontas mashup [Video file]. Retrieved from http://vimeo.com/9389738

Weinberger, D. (2006). Folksonomy as symbol. Retrieved from http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/3281

Topic 2.3 Social Networking

Social networking is so popular! 

http://www.reddit.com/domain/1.bp.blogspot.com

This week's topic is not only interesting, but it is also fun. Social networking is everywhere on the Internet, actually everywhere you go. Online users want to share their experiences and everyday life activities with others. According to boyd and Ellison (2007), “What makes social network sites unique is... that they enable users to articulate and make visible their social networks”. So in other words, social networking allows people to make them known to the world.

There are many popular social networking applications, such as: Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, Linkedin, MySpace, QQ, Hi5 and so one. However, one of the most significant and well-known social networking sites is Facebook. Facebook is the World's second biggest social networking tool people turn to. Obviously, Google is number one. However, for a very short time, last March 2010, Facebook was number one. According to Rosen (2010, p. 139), Facebook attracts more than 400 million people a day! This is absolutely incredible. People not only use the Desktop to interact socially, they also use mobiles and other devices to go on Facebook. Facebook is not only popular for making friends and sharing images, links and profiles. Facebook also attracts millions of users to their favourite game, Farmville. There are more than 50 million players interacting in this game. Clearly, this game not only benefits the users but also the creators of Farmville.

The problem however with Facebook is that all your personal information is out there to everyone. People can view your profile, your birthday details, your political preferences, occupation, etc. Even the images people share, can be used by Facebook. The question users do need to ask, ‘Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I have to argue, that it can have a negative impact if the information comes in the wrong hands. It is therefore vital that Facebook users read the Privacy statement. Because, Facebook is entitle to access personal details. To accentuate, Facebook states the following: 

In order to provide you with useful social experiences off of Facebook, we occasionally  need to provide General Information about you to pre-approved third party websites and applications that use Platform at the time you visit them (if you are still logged in to Facebook) (Facebook, 2010). 

Twitter is another very popular micro blogging service. People can tweet about their everyday life all the time, anytime, anywhere. Short messages can include anything from minor to really important information. Everyone tweet about something. Notably, people can only type up to 140 characters per tweet (Rosen, 2010, p. 347). So, there are a lot of short messages constantly. Arguably, Twitter can be a great social networking tool to inform people and update people on the latest world news and developments.

Reference

boyd, d. m., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1). Retrieved from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html

Facebook. (2010). Privacy Policy. Retrieved from http://www.facebook.com/policy.php

Rosen. M. J. (2010). Donor-centered planned gift marketing: (AFP Fund Development Series). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.



Topic 2.2 Wikis

Wikis

Wikis are very interesting and helpful tools. Wikis were designed with the intention to help individuals to collaborate in a social manner. Wikis were also created so that anyone with a web browser could edit and contribute freely. It is therefore very user-friendly and easy to use. People often refer to Wikis as a Collective intelligence. "In the classic formulation, collective intelligence refers to a situation where nobody knows everything, everyone knows something, and what any given member knows, is accessible to any other member upon request on an ad hoc basis" (Jenkins, 2006).

It should be noted that Wiki (form) is not the same as the wiki software. Different wikis run on different software. Also, Wikipedia is one form of a wiki - it is not the only form.

Wikipedia was first established in January 2001. It was founded by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. Wikipedia initially started off with a few articles, but very soon articles accumulated rapidly. Today, there are more than 3 million English-language articles. Articles are also available in more than 250 languages. This is amazing! Personally, I thought there were only a few languages. In saying this, German, Japanese and French are very popular languages in the Wikipedia world.

The issue with Wikipedia is the reliability or authenticity of articles and resources. In 2004, a professor from the USA conducted a study to find out just how reliable Wikipedia was. He deliberately made 13 errors on Wikipedia. He originally thought it would take three days to fix these mistakes. To his great surprise - the errors were fixed within 3 hours. There are people that edit and administrate Wikipedia on a continual basis.

However, Wikipedia is not flawless, there are mistakes. In saying this, for an online social encyclopedia (with a Worldwide audience), the Wikipedia is not that bad. Though it is true, academics and teachers do not particular like students to quote from Wikipedia for the simple fact that Wikipedia is not entirely bulletproof. Interestingly, Wales suggest people consult other scholarly resources too when researching. “In most academic institutions, Wikipedia, along with most encyclopedias, is unacceptable a major source for a research paper” (Wikipedia, 2010).

There are also other interesting wikis. For example, there is Lostpedia, Wikia, Wikianswers, WoWWiki, Wookieepedia and many more. A very famous Wiki where people could engage and collaborate is called Wetpaint.

References

Jenkinks, H. (2006). Collectibe intelligence vs. The widom of crowds. Retreived from http://www.henryjenkins.org/2006/11/collective_intelligence_vs_the.html

Wikipedia. (2010). Wikipedia: Researching with Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Researching_with_Wikipedia

Topic 2.1 Blogging

We all need to Blog

Blogs are probably one of the most valuable Web 2.0 social networking applications. A blog is the ‘shortened from of weblog” (Leaver, 2010b). Blogs started in the 2000s. One of the first blogs ever created was by a guy called Justin Allyn Hall. He recorded his everyday life activities and thoughts on his blog. In actually fact, his blog was more like a Diary of events. Back then, it was difficult to update information on your blog. In most instances, the ‘blogger’ had to know how HTML worked. It was “only those people who knew how to code a web page could make their voices heard” (Blood, 2000). However, this was not what Berners-Lee had in mind – the Web was supposed to be interactive.

Today, there are more that 150-200 million weblogs. There are more than 1.6 million legitimate posts per day and more than 67,000 post per hour or then 18.6 posts per second (Leaver, 2010a). When considering these figures, it is amazing how blogs have changed our way of communication and interaction with people online. Blood (2000) puts it more in perceptive, stating that weblogs transforms both the “writer” and the “reader” from “audience” to “public” and from “consumer” to “creator”. Blood (2000) further states that “The promise of the web was that everyone could publish, that a thousand voices could flourish, communicate, connect”. Therefore, blogs can be created by anyone, anywhere. People moved away from the non-interactive Web 1.0 to the more inter-active Web 2.0.

One of the earlier blogs was written by Salam Pax. In my opinion, this is one of the most significant blogs ever. Salam Pax lives in Iraq and he was caught up in the Iraqi war everyday life. From inside Bagdad (Iraq), Pax could portray his views and ideas about the Iraqi war by writing on his blog. He wrote in a humorous manner and pretty soon his blog became very popular world-wide - from 200 readers per day to thousands. In a way, Pax became the ‘Gatekeeper’ or ‘Gatewatcher’ for the Iraqi community. According to Leaver (2010a), “Citizen Journalism [Blogging] doesn’t replace mainstream media, but examines, refines and filters it through gatewatching”. In saying this, blogs also influence by the media. Because everyone can become journalists. 

Most blogs have RSS feeds, which is a great feature. This means you can link important and interesting websites back to your own blog. You have to subscribe to the links and up-to-date information will be added on to your blog.

Blogging is not limited to the English language. From 2004, there were more blogs created in other languages. In 2006 the Time Magazine named the Blog (You) the ‘Person of the Year’. Clearly, blogs are here to stay. Johnson (2006) states that there are many blogs today, “But diamonds in that rough will be abundant as well”.

References

Blood, R. (2000, September 07). Weblogs: A history and perspective [Weblog post]. Rebecca's Pocket. Retrieved from http://www.rebeccablood.net/essays/weblog_history.html

Johnson, S. Five things all sane people agree on about blogs and mainstream journalism (So can we stop talking about them now?). Retrieved from http://www.stevenberlinjohnson.com/2006/08/five_things_all.html

Leaver, T. (2010a). Blogs [Lecturer]. Retrieved from http://dbs.ilectures.curtin.edu.au/lectopia/casterframe.lasso?fid=387344&cnt=true&usr=not-indicated&name=not-indicated

Leaver, T. (2010b). Topic 2.1 – Blogging [Course notes]. Retrieved from http://lms.curtin.edu.au/