According to Wikipedia, a podcast is a type of digital media consisting of an episodic series of files (either audio or video) subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication. Wikipedia:on Podcasting
A list of all audio and video files associated with a series is maintained centrally on the distributor's server as a web feed. Files are stored locally on the user's computer or other device ready for offline use, giving simple and convenient access to episodic content.
Monday, January 9, 2012
New goals in Internet Publishing Study
Explore podcasting opportunities on the internet
Identify uses for and methods involved in podcasting.
Publish a blog with information about podcasting
Acquire proficiency in podcasting by creating an original podcast
Master editing software for both audio and visual mediums by using new material and previously recorded original material from cassettes, CD's and DVD's.
Transfer analog mediums (cassettes) to digital format
Identify uses for and methods involved in podcasting.
Publish a blog with information about podcasting
Acquire proficiency in podcasting by creating an original podcast
Master editing software for both audio and visual mediums by using new material and previously recorded original material from cassettes, CD's and DVD's.
Transfer analog mediums (cassettes) to digital format
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Reviewing Previous Goals in Internet Publishing
I am approaching my study of internet from three major points of interest:
1) I am a Library School student, very interested in the impact digital publishing has on the library, the publishing industry, the librarian and the book.
I am curious about the future.
I believe the library of the future will become more important in the future, despite the digital age. Libraries are already providing open access to information, protecting our first amendment rights, and closing the digital divide. Library websites contain links to important social services in the community, and provide onsite help in computer skills, tax preparation, and a myriad of other subjects. The library also features activities for children, teens, artists, film buffs, and poets, while having changing displays of interest.
I see that the library is in many ways the library is already the library I envision for the future. My-vision-of-library-of-future.html
2) I am an author of stories and songs, wondering where and how to publish.
I self published 'A Recipe to Leaving an Abusive Relationship' through Smashwords, and have had 84 downloads so far. It is a free essay, but it pleases me that I might help some other woman caught in the same situation as I once was.
3) I am a future promoter wanting my author to achieve her goals. What are effective methods of promotion on the web? Is it possible to bring an unknown author to the attention of the reading public without support from paid alliances with internet giants? My author has had a hap-hazard history with spotty promotion attempts before losing interest. To be an effective marketer, I need a systematic, well planned approach, taking stock of what works and what doesn't.
To put it baldly, I suck at promotion but I know the things to do. Any kind of mass promotion is better than dribbles here and there, through newspaper, radio, television, or podcasting. Create a buzz, then play the show.
1) I am a Library School student, very interested in the impact digital publishing has on the library, the publishing industry, the librarian and the book.
I am curious about the future.
I believe the library of the future will become more important in the future, despite the digital age. Libraries are already providing open access to information, protecting our first amendment rights, and closing the digital divide. Library websites contain links to important social services in the community, and provide onsite help in computer skills, tax preparation, and a myriad of other subjects. The library also features activities for children, teens, artists, film buffs, and poets, while having changing displays of interest.
I see that the library is in many ways the library is already the library I envision for the future. My-vision-of-library-of-future.html
2) I am an author of stories and songs, wondering where and how to publish.
I self published 'A Recipe to Leaving an Abusive Relationship' through Smashwords, and have had 84 downloads so far. It is a free essay, but it pleases me that I might help some other woman caught in the same situation as I once was.
3) I am a future promoter wanting my author to achieve her goals. What are effective methods of promotion on the web? Is it possible to bring an unknown author to the attention of the reading public without support from paid alliances with internet giants? My author has had a hap-hazard history with spotty promotion attempts before losing interest. To be an effective marketer, I need a systematic, well planned approach, taking stock of what works and what doesn't.
To put it baldly, I suck at promotion but I know the things to do. Any kind of mass promotion is better than dribbles here and there, through newspaper, radio, television, or podcasting. Create a buzz, then play the show.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Ants, Stars, and Libraries
There are starts and finishes, but no beginning or end.
The infinite is in ants and stars.
The finite is in ants and stars.
Go in, in, and further in to an ant's eyelashes, and in, in, further in to the teardrop wobbling on a single lash,and in and beyond to worlds and causations behind the tear, and it goes on and so on until it's too much, and too little to see.
Dream of God with the universe as your ceiling, the stars rushing by, bigger and bigger, and bigger still until it's too much too much and too big to fathom, and find yourself right back with the ants.
Humanity is more ant than star, but ants are not forgetful of their Oneness.
To continue to elevate humanity, no one must be left behind. All of the world's citizens must have their basic needs met, and have at least the opportunity to love the library.
The library is bigger than four walls. It is concrete dedication to freedom, and must be protected for the sake of our future generations.
The infinite is in ants and stars.
The finite is in ants and stars.
Go in, in, and further in to an ant's eyelashes, and in, in, further in to the teardrop wobbling on a single lash,and in and beyond to worlds and causations behind the tear, and it goes on and so on until it's too much, and too little to see.
Dream of God with the universe as your ceiling, the stars rushing by, bigger and bigger, and bigger still until it's too much too much and too big to fathom, and find yourself right back with the ants.
Humanity is more ant than star, but ants are not forgetful of their Oneness.
To continue to elevate humanity, no one must be left behind. All of the world's citizens must have their basic needs met, and have at least the opportunity to love the library.
The library is bigger than four walls. It is concrete dedication to freedom, and must be protected for the sake of our future generations.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
My Vision of the Library of the Future
The Library of the Future has a prime spot in the community, a large piece of land protected by a Land Grant, and positioned on the community power grid, with back-up generators so it always has power.
It will be a community meeting place, a place to go in emergencies, a place where people can gather.
The building is large---like Grand Central Station. The First Amendment is above the entrance.
Inside are oasies of green, fountains, chairs, places to play checkers, for people to drink coffee, eat, and chat, large maps, large screen tv of the U.N., Congress, State Congress in action, Stock Exchange Reports, travel information.
The Library is sustained by revenue from food courts and rentals, handled by a 3rd party.
The building includes a post office, social service representives, a passport office and other information related services.
Non-profit agencies who serve the public have offices in wings, at reduced or no cost.
Our information is proactive. If a dangerously depressed old woman limped in on her last good leg, the future librarian could connect her with an actual person on the premises---someone who can actually help her.
It is accepted information that if a person wants help, it is available, but I can attest that sometimes its too much to be able to find it.
A person in acute pain does not have the capacity or energy to chase down that care.
People are suffering behind closed doors, and under bridges.
If you've lost your capacity to make money, you are at the mercy of a very cold world.
If the one-legged lady can make it into the Library of the Future, she is delivered with compassion to people who can actually help, and when she can stand on her one foot, she can hop to the Library of the Future and learn what she can do next.
We see gardens as information too, especially in urban environments, and the grounds provide beauty and respite for the community.
We have auditoriums inside and out, a variety of smaller meeting rooms.
Following the model of the shopping mall, information related services are consolidated in one building.
The same way that 'links' drive traffic to websites, the Library of the Future will create liasons that provide information and drive traffic to the Library.
We have achieved diversity by accepting college graduates as Jr. Librarians, able to do work towards a Master's in LIS as they work. We ensure qualified specialists in this way, rather than manning our desks with bored teenagers.
Computer labs are manned for on-the-spot computer assistance or training.
The Library is on the public transportation line, and includes a huge map of public transportation routes as well as a ticket office.
One wing is a museum with important archives and copies of documents are on display (Constitution, Bill of Rights). A reading room will have readable copies of old books.
Beleagured mothers seeking help for their families in one wing can check their children into the Children's Library so their children can enjoy learning experiences instead of waiting for help with nothing to do. Any parent seeking help, counseling, training can check their child in for a learning experience.
Major focus is dedicated to this wing in giving children opportunities for digital literacy, to hear stories, to have literary experiences. This wing is a colorful wonderland with literary inspired features, including some interactive beanstalks, rabbitholes, or pig's huts.
There are homework labs for all ages of youth for two or so hours each weekday. Liasons with local colleges provide extra assistance from future teachers during homework labs. Homework supplies are provided for any child who needs them and printing school projects are free. Businesses pledge support for literacy and digital literacy for youth allowing these expenses to be paid.
It will be a community meeting place, a place to go in emergencies, a place where people can gather.
The building is large---like Grand Central Station. The First Amendment is above the entrance.
Inside are oasies of green, fountains, chairs, places to play checkers, for people to drink coffee, eat, and chat, large maps, large screen tv of the U.N., Congress, State Congress in action, Stock Exchange Reports, travel information.
The Library is sustained by revenue from food courts and rentals, handled by a 3rd party.
The building includes a post office, social service representives, a passport office and other information related services.
Non-profit agencies who serve the public have offices in wings, at reduced or no cost.
Our information is proactive. If a dangerously depressed old woman limped in on her last good leg, the future librarian could connect her with an actual person on the premises---someone who can actually help her.
It is accepted information that if a person wants help, it is available, but I can attest that sometimes its too much to be able to find it.
A person in acute pain does not have the capacity or energy to chase down that care.
People are suffering behind closed doors, and under bridges.
If you've lost your capacity to make money, you are at the mercy of a very cold world.
If the one-legged lady can make it into the Library of the Future, she is delivered with compassion to people who can actually help, and when she can stand on her one foot, she can hop to the Library of the Future and learn what she can do next.
We see gardens as information too, especially in urban environments, and the grounds provide beauty and respite for the community.
We have auditoriums inside and out, a variety of smaller meeting rooms.
Following the model of the shopping mall, information related services are consolidated in one building.
The same way that 'links' drive traffic to websites, the Library of the Future will create liasons that provide information and drive traffic to the Library.
We have achieved diversity by accepting college graduates as Jr. Librarians, able to do work towards a Master's in LIS as they work. We ensure qualified specialists in this way, rather than manning our desks with bored teenagers.
Computer labs are manned for on-the-spot computer assistance or training.
The Library is on the public transportation line, and includes a huge map of public transportation routes as well as a ticket office.
One wing is a museum with important archives and copies of documents are on display (Constitution, Bill of Rights). A reading room will have readable copies of old books.
Beleagured mothers seeking help for their families in one wing can check their children into the Children's Library so their children can enjoy learning experiences instead of waiting for help with nothing to do. Any parent seeking help, counseling, training can check their child in for a learning experience.
Major focus is dedicated to this wing in giving children opportunities for digital literacy, to hear stories, to have literary experiences. This wing is a colorful wonderland with literary inspired features, including some interactive beanstalks, rabbitholes, or pig's huts.
There are homework labs for all ages of youth for two or so hours each weekday. Liasons with local colleges provide extra assistance from future teachers during homework labs. Homework supplies are provided for any child who needs them and printing school projects are free. Businesses pledge support for literacy and digital literacy for youth allowing these expenses to be paid.
The Library is Unique
No one could forsee the impact of the world wide web. A virtual world has been created, and as more and more of our information is digitized, there is danger that the public will view the physical library as unnecessary.
In my mind, the library is unique in its dedication to people, and to the preservation of our first amendment rights. Even if all the world's information were digital, and our society paperless, we still need people helping people with information. We still need a watchdog for our first amendment rights. We are still tactile beings who need tactile experiences, and we will always have a need for open access to information and tools for all of our citizens or future citizens.
For the Library to survive in the future, I think it needs to command a central place in society, and expand its idea of information and service.
In my mind, the library is unique in its dedication to people, and to the preservation of our first amendment rights. Even if all the world's information were digital, and our society paperless, we still need people helping people with information. We still need a watchdog for our first amendment rights. We are still tactile beings who need tactile experiences, and we will always have a need for open access to information and tools for all of our citizens or future citizens.
For the Library to survive in the future, I think it needs to command a central place in society, and expand its idea of information and service.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Library Studies: Perception, Politics, Funding
Allen, Bryce. 2003. "Public Opinion and the Funding of Public Libraries." Library Trends 51, no. 3: 414. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 20, 2011).
This study focuses on the theory of public choice as a driving factor for library funding. The author finds that positive public opinion about library services appears to have no impact on public library funding. While the library has a positive reputation for service, there are other services that may be deemed to have higher priority in funding.
Weiss, L. (1996). Buildings, books, and bytes: Libraries and communities in the digital age: A report on the public's opinion of library leaders' visions for the future. Washington, DC: Benton Foundation.
Although this article is written in 1996, it still provides some interesting insight into the future of the Library, as envisioned by library leaders and the general public. Weiss finds that the public envisions the library of the future more as a museum than a place to seek current information.
Lagoze, Carl Jay. 2010. "Lost Identity: The Assimilation of Digital Libraries into the Web." ProQuest LLC, 2010. ERIC, EBSCOhost (accessed July 20, 2011).
The adoption of the Web 2.0 model for the exchange of information, and the increased evidence of the efficacy of this model for activities such as learning and scholarship, make this author question the viability of the library information model and the digital libraries that were meant to instantiate that model online.
Niemi, William L., and David J. Plante. 2008. "Democratic Movements, Self-Education, and Economic Democracy: Chartists, Populists, and Wobblies." In Radical History Review, 185-200. Duke University Press, 2008. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 21, 2011).
Democratic movements drive change towards more egalitarian treatment of all people, creating support for libraries.
Roe, George. 2010. "Challenging the Control of Knowledge in Colonial India: Political Ideas in the Work of S. R. Ranganathan." Library & Information History 26, no. 1: 18-32. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 22, 2011).
Ranganathan's pioneering work of the 1930s challenged the ideological structures of colonial rule, advocating libraries and librarians as agents of a national political awakening, especially amongst the rural poor. However, the potential to spread mass self-education across India was lost through Ranganathan's simultaneous reliance on the state to deliver social reforms following Indian independence.
Bracha, Oren. 2007. "Standing Copyright Law on Its Head? The Googlization of Everything and the Many Faces of Property." Texas Law Review 85, no. 7: 1799-1869. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 21, 2011).
Google announced the Google Print Library Project which makes texts of book digitally searchable online. The project is in partnership with five major libraries including Harvard and Oxford libraries. According to the author, two separate copyright infringement lawsuits against Google were filed by the Authors Guild and a group of copyright owners. An opt-out option was given to authors wherein their works will not be included in the database if they do not give their permission.
Hall, Rachel. 2010. "Public Praxis: A Vision for Critical Information Literacy in Public Libraries." Public Library Quarterly 29, no. 2: 162. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 21, 2011).
Public libraries in the United States have a radical opportunity to incorporate information literacy into their service missions. This article explores the reasons why public libraries are not addressing information literacy and engages the educational theories of John Dewey, Paolo Freire, and New Literacy studies to argue that critical information literacy in public libraries is essential to the vitality of democratic societies. In order to deliver these services to their communities, public libraries must provide not only the technologies and instruction for information literacy, but also the impetus for action—what Freire called “praxis.”
This study focuses on the theory of public choice as a driving factor for library funding. The author finds that positive public opinion about library services appears to have no impact on public library funding. While the library has a positive reputation for service, there are other services that may be deemed to have higher priority in funding.
Weiss, L. (1996). Buildings, books, and bytes: Libraries and communities in the digital age: A report on the public's opinion of library leaders' visions for the future. Washington, DC: Benton Foundation.
Although this article is written in 1996, it still provides some interesting insight into the future of the Library, as envisioned by library leaders and the general public. Weiss finds that the public envisions the library of the future more as a museum than a place to seek current information.
Lagoze, Carl Jay. 2010. "Lost Identity: The Assimilation of Digital Libraries into the Web." ProQuest LLC, 2010. ERIC, EBSCOhost (accessed July 20, 2011).
The adoption of the Web 2.0 model for the exchange of information, and the increased evidence of the efficacy of this model for activities such as learning and scholarship, make this author question the viability of the library information model and the digital libraries that were meant to instantiate that model online.
Niemi, William L., and David J. Plante. 2008. "Democratic Movements, Self-Education, and Economic Democracy: Chartists, Populists, and Wobblies." In Radical History Review, 185-200. Duke University Press, 2008. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 21, 2011).
Democratic movements drive change towards more egalitarian treatment of all people, creating support for libraries.
Roe, George. 2010. "Challenging the Control of Knowledge in Colonial India: Political Ideas in the Work of S. R. Ranganathan." Library & Information History 26, no. 1: 18-32. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 22, 2011).
Ranganathan's pioneering work of the 1930s challenged the ideological structures of colonial rule, advocating libraries and librarians as agents of a national political awakening, especially amongst the rural poor. However, the potential to spread mass self-education across India was lost through Ranganathan's simultaneous reliance on the state to deliver social reforms following Indian independence.
Bracha, Oren. 2007. "Standing Copyright Law on Its Head? The Googlization of Everything and the Many Faces of Property." Texas Law Review 85, no. 7: 1799-1869. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 21, 2011).
Google announced the Google Print Library Project which makes texts of book digitally searchable online. The project is in partnership with five major libraries including Harvard and Oxford libraries. According to the author, two separate copyright infringement lawsuits against Google were filed by the Authors Guild and a group of copyright owners. An opt-out option was given to authors wherein their works will not be included in the database if they do not give their permission.
Hall, Rachel. 2010. "Public Praxis: A Vision for Critical Information Literacy in Public Libraries." Public Library Quarterly 29, no. 2: 162. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 21, 2011).
Public libraries in the United States have a radical opportunity to incorporate information literacy into their service missions. This article explores the reasons why public libraries are not addressing information literacy and engages the educational theories of John Dewey, Paolo Freire, and New Literacy studies to argue that critical information literacy in public libraries is essential to the vitality of democratic societies. In order to deliver these services to their communities, public libraries must provide not only the technologies and instruction for information literacy, but also the impetus for action—what Freire called “praxis.”
Monday, July 25, 2011
I Need Professional Help!
I have spent hours of my life now scouting the internet for publishing opportunities, only to decide that I need professional help--representation by a literary agent. Early in this web log, I wondered if the digital age would threaten the library as we know it, and if all the self-publishing opportunities on the internet would render agents and publishing houses unnecessary to authors.
As a result of my studies thus far, I do believe that the future of the library as a physical place is threatened, and that every effort should be made to ensure its continued existance for all future generations. I believe librarians will be more necessary in the future, rather than less, and I think ideas could be implemented that would ensure that the library remains central to communities in the future.
Like librarians, I think literary agents are even more crucial in the digital age, rather than becoming obselete as I had wondered. I have come to this conclusion because of the abundance of information presented on the internet.
I feel like I'm dying of thirst in the middle of the ocean.
There are scams and shams, many opportunities, and many opportunities for fools to part with their money on the internet.
I have also realized that I do not have the skills, aptitude, patience or judgment to serve as my own literary agent. I need professional help.
As a result of my studies thus far, I do believe that the future of the library as a physical place is threatened, and that every effort should be made to ensure its continued existance for all future generations. I believe librarians will be more necessary in the future, rather than less, and I think ideas could be implemented that would ensure that the library remains central to communities in the future.
Like librarians, I think literary agents are even more crucial in the digital age, rather than becoming obselete as I had wondered. I have come to this conclusion because of the abundance of information presented on the internet.
I feel like I'm dying of thirst in the middle of the ocean.
There are scams and shams, many opportunities, and many opportunities for fools to part with their money on the internet.
I have also realized that I do not have the skills, aptitude, patience or judgment to serve as my own literary agent. I need professional help.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
The American Library Association i.e. the ALA
The American Library Association MissionThe ALA Constitution, adopted in 1892 and reinstated by the ALA Council in 1988, states that the mission of the ALA is “to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.”
The Official ALA Motto:
"The best reading, for the largest number, at the least cost."
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/missionhistory/mission/index.cfm
The ALA has also committed to eight Key Action Areas to focus the Library's energies and resources: Access, Confidentiality/Privacy, Democracy, Diversity, Education and Lifelong Learning, Intellectual Freedom, Preservation, and The Public Good.
The Goals of the ALA
The ALA equips and leads advocates for libraries, library issues and the library profession, and plays a key role in formulating legislation, policies and standards that affect library and information services.
ALA promotes excellence and diversity in the library field.
ALA provides leadership in the transformation of libraries and library services in a dynamic and increasingly global digital information environment.
ALA provides an environment in which all members, regardless of location or position, have the opportunity to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from engagement in their association.
ALA operates effectively, efficiently, creatively and in a socially responsible fashion to accomplish its mission.
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/governance/policymanual/updatedpolicymanual/section2.pdf
I am relieved to see how dedicated the ALA is to the survival of the library.
While the library has traditionally held the position of cataloging the world's information, it is not competing or claiming to compete with Google in maximizing easy access to information. The library is about people helping people, providing the open access needed to close the digital divide. The library provides "the human touch"--something I believe will be even more crucial in the digital future.
"Respectfully connecting people to the information they seek" is how I see the library.
The library is dependent on the public's perception of its usefulness, and their willingness to devote local, state and federal tax dollars to sustain them. While libraries are still valued, they have experienced steady budget cuts. Will people still see a need for the library as a physical place, and sustain this place in the future?
The Official ALA Motto:
"The best reading, for the largest number, at the least cost."
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/missionhistory/mission/index.cfm
The ALA has also committed to eight Key Action Areas to focus the Library's energies and resources: Access, Confidentiality/Privacy, Democracy, Diversity, Education and Lifelong Learning, Intellectual Freedom, Preservation, and The Public Good.
The Goals of the ALA
The ALA equips and leads advocates for libraries, library issues and the library profession, and plays a key role in formulating legislation, policies and standards that affect library and information services.
ALA promotes excellence and diversity in the library field.
ALA provides leadership in the transformation of libraries and library services in a dynamic and increasingly global digital information environment.
ALA provides an environment in which all members, regardless of location or position, have the opportunity to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from engagement in their association.
ALA operates effectively, efficiently, creatively and in a socially responsible fashion to accomplish its mission.
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/governance/policymanual/updatedpolicymanual/section2.pdf
I am relieved to see how dedicated the ALA is to the survival of the library.
While the library has traditionally held the position of cataloging the world's information, it is not competing or claiming to compete with Google in maximizing easy access to information. The library is about people helping people, providing the open access needed to close the digital divide. The library provides "the human touch"--something I believe will be even more crucial in the digital future.
"Respectfully connecting people to the information they seek" is how I see the library.
The library is dependent on the public's perception of its usefulness, and their willingness to devote local, state and federal tax dollars to sustain them. While libraries are still valued, they have experienced steady budget cuts. Will people still see a need for the library as a physical place, and sustain this place in the future?
"Do one thing and do it well."
In business it is recommended to "Do one thing and do it well."
The very successful Google names this principle as the guiding force behind their decision to dedicate themselves to the search.
Google has worried me on behalf of the library.
This is Google's Mission Statement:
"Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."
This is the first thing of Google's "Ten Things" statement, written in addition to their Mission Statement.
"It’s best to do one thing really, really well. We do search. With one of the world‘s largest research groups focused exclusively on solving search problems, we know what we do well, and how we could do it better. Through continued iteration on difficult problems, we’ve been able to solve complex issues and provide continuous improvements to a service that already makes finding information a fast and seamless experience for millions of people. Our dedication to improving search helps us apply what we‘ve learned to new products, like Gmail and Google Maps. Our hope is to bring the power of search to previously unexplored areas, and to help people access and use even more of the ever-expanding information in their lives." ---Google
Until the digital age, and increased digital literacy, the library was the place to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." Wasn't it?
The library cannot out-search Google, nor can it stay ahead of IBM and Sony in technology. If we go to a paperless society, are libraries doomed?
There is no umbrella protection for the future of public libraries through the Library of Congress. According to the Library of Congress Mission Statement, the LC's mission is "to support the Congress in fulfilling its constitutional duties and to further the progress of knowledge and creativity for the benefit of the American people."
http://www.loc.gov/about/mission.html
This is an interesting article concerning libraries’online public access catalogs (OPACs) competing with, and even threatened by Web search engines.
http://eprints.rclis.org/bitstream/10760/16057/1/advances_in_librarianship_preprint.pdf
The very successful Google names this principle as the guiding force behind their decision to dedicate themselves to the search.
Google has worried me on behalf of the library.
This is Google's Mission Statement:
"Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."
This is the first thing of Google's "Ten Things" statement, written in addition to their Mission Statement.
"It’s best to do one thing really, really well. We do search. With one of the world‘s largest research groups focused exclusively on solving search problems, we know what we do well, and how we could do it better. Through continued iteration on difficult problems, we’ve been able to solve complex issues and provide continuous improvements to a service that already makes finding information a fast and seamless experience for millions of people. Our dedication to improving search helps us apply what we‘ve learned to new products, like Gmail and Google Maps. Our hope is to bring the power of search to previously unexplored areas, and to help people access and use even more of the ever-expanding information in their lives." ---Google
Until the digital age, and increased digital literacy, the library was the place to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." Wasn't it?
The library cannot out-search Google, nor can it stay ahead of IBM and Sony in technology. If we go to a paperless society, are libraries doomed?
There is no umbrella protection for the future of public libraries through the Library of Congress. According to the Library of Congress Mission Statement, the LC's mission is "to support the Congress in fulfilling its constitutional duties and to further the progress of knowledge and creativity for the benefit of the American people."
http://www.loc.gov/about/mission.html
This is an interesting article concerning libraries’online public access catalogs (OPACs) competing with, and even threatened by Web search engines.
http://eprints.rclis.org/bitstream/10760/16057/1/advances_in_librarianship_preprint.pdf
Friday, July 22, 2011
"To do a certain kind of thing, you have to be a certain kind of person."
The avenues for publishing on the internet are multitudinous.
An author can self publish e-books, or create print-on-demand books in a variety of ways, ranging from the bare bones do-it-yourself approach to paying exorbitant amounts for book design, formating, publishing, and marketing.
An author can self-publish or publish through traditional means, working with an agent and/or publishing house, who will most likely utilize both print and digital opportunities.
There is a dizzying number of internet sites offering advice to authors on how and where to get published. One such site, Marketlist.com, http://www.marketlist.com/ is an online resource for genre fiction writers, providing information on genre-specific electronic publishing opportunities.
I explore these sights and quickly remember my many former attempts to wade through print versions of the same information. I stalled then and I am stalled now.
There is too much information.
Given lists and lists of publishers with names, facts, and figures, I am quickly overwhelmed and resentful of the time it takes. I still can't decide who or where to send my work.
Even armed with facts and figures, I still don't know who these people are.
I don't know where I am sending my creations, my pets.
I don't want them to go just any place. I want them to go to the "right" place, and I've never been able to identify the place I feel is "right."
Now I am seeing the efficacy of the agent.
"To do a certain kind of thing, you have to be a certain kind of person."
Hsin Hsin Ming
I have made a personal creed of working with what I have and going from there. This has led me to explore the world of do-it-yourself projects, but I can only get so far on my own. I do not have the interest, attention span or capacity for detail to wade through all the options and plan a course of action.
I had assumed that the digital age would negate the need for agents, but I don't think I will ever be a successful writer without the expertise and navigation skills of an agent.
Likewise, I believe that in the face of the explosion of digital information, the need for skilled librarians increases rather than decreases.
An author can self publish e-books, or create print-on-demand books in a variety of ways, ranging from the bare bones do-it-yourself approach to paying exorbitant amounts for book design, formating, publishing, and marketing.
An author can self-publish or publish through traditional means, working with an agent and/or publishing house, who will most likely utilize both print and digital opportunities.
There is a dizzying number of internet sites offering advice to authors on how and where to get published. One such site, Marketlist.com, http://www.marketlist.com/ is an online resource for genre fiction writers, providing information on genre-specific electronic publishing opportunities.
I explore these sights and quickly remember my many former attempts to wade through print versions of the same information. I stalled then and I am stalled now.
There is too much information.
Given lists and lists of publishers with names, facts, and figures, I am quickly overwhelmed and resentful of the time it takes. I still can't decide who or where to send my work.
Even armed with facts and figures, I still don't know who these people are.
I don't know where I am sending my creations, my pets.
I don't want them to go just any place. I want them to go to the "right" place, and I've never been able to identify the place I feel is "right."
Now I am seeing the efficacy of the agent.
"To do a certain kind of thing, you have to be a certain kind of person."
Hsin Hsin Ming
I have made a personal creed of working with what I have and going from there. This has led me to explore the world of do-it-yourself projects, but I can only get so far on my own. I do not have the interest, attention span or capacity for detail to wade through all the options and plan a course of action.
I had assumed that the digital age would negate the need for agents, but I don't think I will ever be a successful writer without the expertise and navigation skills of an agent.
Likewise, I believe that in the face of the explosion of digital information, the need for skilled librarians increases rather than decreases.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
First Amendment, Law, IMLS, & the Library
The Library ensures our First Amendment rights as ensured to U.S. citizens by the Bill of Rights.
The First Amendment:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
However, libraries are not commanded by the U.S. Constitution.
Libraries exist because communities want libraries.
The Federal government provides some support for libraries, but the primary funds for library support come from state and local taxes.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 77.6% of public library income is acquired from local funds, 12.1% from state funds, and 0.9% from federal funds. The remaining income (over 9%) comes from other sources, including user fees, special events, and private fundraising efforts involving foundations, corporations, individual philanthropists, and "Friends of the Library" groups.
http://nces.ed.gov/
In 1956, Congress passed the Library Services Act, providing funds for the provision of library services to unserved areas, primarily rural communities. A 1964 amendment established the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) to extend monetary aid to all areas with inadequate library services, including urban areas. In 1996, the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) replaced the expiring LSCA. It focused federal funding efforts on information access through technology and information empowerment through special services, providing federal funds to state library agencies according to population.
LIBRARY SERVICES AND TECHNOLOGY ACT (LSTA)
To promote improvements in library services in all types of libraries in order to better serve the people of the United States.
To facilitate access to resources and in all types of libraries for the purpose of cultivating an educated and informed citizenry; and
To encourage resource sharing among all types of libraries for the purpose of achieving economical and efficient delivery of library services to the public.
The federal administration of the program was then shifted from the Department of Education to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, (IMLS.)
http://www.imls.gov/
The Institute of Museum and Library Services Mission Statement:
Through Grants to State Library Administrative Agencies, the largest of all of its grant programs, IMLS provides funding to state libraries to provide visually and physically impaired Americans with braille materials and recorded audiobooks.
The First Amendment:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
However, libraries are not commanded by the U.S. Constitution.
Libraries exist because communities want libraries.
The Federal government provides some support for libraries, but the primary funds for library support come from state and local taxes.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 77.6% of public library income is acquired from local funds, 12.1% from state funds, and 0.9% from federal funds. The remaining income (over 9%) comes from other sources, including user fees, special events, and private fundraising efforts involving foundations, corporations, individual philanthropists, and "Friends of the Library" groups.
http://nces.ed.gov/
In 1956, Congress passed the Library Services Act, providing funds for the provision of library services to unserved areas, primarily rural communities. A 1964 amendment established the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) to extend monetary aid to all areas with inadequate library services, including urban areas. In 1996, the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) replaced the expiring LSCA. It focused federal funding efforts on information access through technology and information empowerment through special services, providing federal funds to state library agencies according to population.
LIBRARY SERVICES AND TECHNOLOGY ACT (LSTA)
To promote improvements in library services in all types of libraries in order to better serve the people of the United States.
To facilitate access to resources and in all types of libraries for the purpose of cultivating an educated and informed citizenry; and
To encourage resource sharing among all types of libraries for the purpose of achieving economical and efficient delivery of library services to the public.
The federal administration of the program was then shifted from the Department of Education to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, (IMLS.)
http://www.imls.gov/
The Institute of Museum and Library Services Mission Statement:
"The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development."
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
SmashWords, SEO's, Google & the Library
You can pay any amount of money to publish your book on the internet, depending on how much you are willing or able to do yourself.
Amazon, one of the largest publishers of ebooks will make your word document into a PDF file for $300. This is a ridiculously high price for reformating a document.
Even if you don't own the software, you can go to the Adobe site, get a free software trial and make your own PDF's for free.
The premium publishing package at Amazon is over $5,000. and includes cover art, formatting, publishing, and marketing. There are other sites available. I was able to publish my book in paperback for $7.00 at Lulu.com, doing the work myself.
Internet publishers are many, and many are expensive. Smashwords is a highly respected site that offers free digital publishing to authors, and free E-books to readers.
http://www.smashwords.com/about/how_to_publish_on_smashwords
"Smashwords makes it fast, free and easy to publish and distribute your ebook to the world's largest ebook retailers and mobile phone apps. Authors control the pricing, sampling and marketing of their books."
Marketing is crucial to an author's success, but how to market is a matter of hot debate.
I found one SEO--search engine optimization company that argues for paying perhaps thousands of dollars a month for their services. This is what they claimed in their website:
"The easiest way to be 'penny-wise, pound-foolish' is to hire an SEO company or professional who is only going to charge you $50 for a month's link building activities. $50? What a great deal, especially if they promise that this includes blog commenting, content marketing, blog writing, press release distribution and directory submission. Let me be the first to tell you that doing all of that can take 20, 30, 40, even 50+ hours when done right. If someone is only getting paid $50, chances are you aren't going to be getting their best work. They might be employing black hat SEO techniques or outsource their projects overseas. Both of these scenarios are going to cause problems down the road for you and your website."
It is unclear what it is that you are paying for. Even $50. a month is costly. I can't imagine spending thousands.
There is a sucker market on the internet where you can pay too much for too little. Unless you have proof of the SEO company's success with other clients, I would be very wary.
I did become concerned that all our digitized information might be tainted, manipulated by advertisers, and the search engine optimization companies.
According to their website, Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.
Advertising is clearly identified as a “Sponsored Link” at Google, and its founders state that ads do not compromise the integrity of their search results.
Google's 'Ten Things' is a very inspiring list of their core values. This is one of the list:
"Democracy on the web works.
Google search works because it relies on the millions of individuals posting links on websites to help determine which other sites offer content of value. We assess the importance of every web page using more than 200 signals and a variety of techniques, including our patented PageRank™ algorithm, which analyzes which sites have been “voted” to be the best sources of information by other pages across the web. As the web gets bigger, this approach actually improves, as each new site is another point of information and another vote to be counted. In the same vein, we are active in open source software development, where innovation takes place through the collective effort of many programmers." From Google 'Ten Things'
http://www.google.com/about/corporate/company/tenthings.html
I imagined Google as a monster trying to eat the library, but they are entirely dedicated to the search, and have made many useful liasons with the library.
Google Book Search expands through digital scanning partnerships with the libraries of Harvard, Stanford, University of Michigan and Oxford as well as the New York Public Library in 2004.
In 2005, more than 100 libraries on 10 campuses of the University of California join the Google Books Library Project.
Together with LitCam and UNESCO‘s Institute for Lifelong Learning, Google launched the Literacy Project, offering resources for teachers, literacy groups and anyone interested in reading promotion.
Googles history belies manipulation by the search engine optimization companies, so is there anything they offer that the consumer can't do for themselves?
This looks like a helpful site for publishing opportunities. It is possible an author would gain more name recognition by publishing in specialized sites dedicated to a single genre.
http://www.marketlist.com/writers_index/
Amazon, one of the largest publishers of ebooks will make your word document into a PDF file for $300. This is a ridiculously high price for reformating a document.
Even if you don't own the software, you can go to the Adobe site, get a free software trial and make your own PDF's for free.
The premium publishing package at Amazon is over $5,000. and includes cover art, formatting, publishing, and marketing. There are other sites available. I was able to publish my book in paperback for $7.00 at Lulu.com, doing the work myself.
Internet publishers are many, and many are expensive. Smashwords is a highly respected site that offers free digital publishing to authors, and free E-books to readers.
http://www.smashwords.com/about/how_to_publish_on_smashwords
"Smashwords makes it fast, free and easy to publish and distribute your ebook to the world's largest ebook retailers and mobile phone apps. Authors control the pricing, sampling and marketing of their books."
Marketing is crucial to an author's success, but how to market is a matter of hot debate.
I found one SEO--search engine optimization company that argues for paying perhaps thousands of dollars a month for their services. This is what they claimed in their website:
"The easiest way to be 'penny-wise, pound-foolish' is to hire an SEO company or professional who is only going to charge you $50 for a month's link building activities. $50? What a great deal, especially if they promise that this includes blog commenting, content marketing, blog writing, press release distribution and directory submission. Let me be the first to tell you that doing all of that can take 20, 30, 40, even 50+ hours when done right. If someone is only getting paid $50, chances are you aren't going to be getting their best work. They might be employing black hat SEO techniques or outsource their projects overseas. Both of these scenarios are going to cause problems down the road for you and your website."
It is unclear what it is that you are paying for. Even $50. a month is costly. I can't imagine spending thousands.
There is a sucker market on the internet where you can pay too much for too little. Unless you have proof of the SEO company's success with other clients, I would be very wary.
I did become concerned that all our digitized information might be tainted, manipulated by advertisers, and the search engine optimization companies.
According to their website, Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.
Advertising is clearly identified as a “Sponsored Link” at Google, and its founders state that ads do not compromise the integrity of their search results.
Google's 'Ten Things' is a very inspiring list of their core values. This is one of the list:
"Democracy on the web works.
Google search works because it relies on the millions of individuals posting links on websites to help determine which other sites offer content of value. We assess the importance of every web page using more than 200 signals and a variety of techniques, including our patented PageRank™ algorithm, which analyzes which sites have been “voted” to be the best sources of information by other pages across the web. As the web gets bigger, this approach actually improves, as each new site is another point of information and another vote to be counted. In the same vein, we are active in open source software development, where innovation takes place through the collective effort of many programmers." From Google 'Ten Things'
http://www.google.com/about/corporate/company/tenthings.html
I imagined Google as a monster trying to eat the library, but they are entirely dedicated to the search, and have made many useful liasons with the library.
Google Book Search expands through digital scanning partnerships with the libraries of Harvard, Stanford, University of Michigan and Oxford as well as the New York Public Library in 2004.
In 2005, more than 100 libraries on 10 campuses of the University of California join the Google Books Library Project.
Together with LitCam and UNESCO‘s Institute for Lifelong Learning, Google launched the Literacy Project, offering resources for teachers, literacy groups and anyone interested in reading promotion.
Googles history belies manipulation by the search engine optimization companies, so is there anything they offer that the consumer can't do for themselves?
This looks like a helpful site for publishing opportunities. It is possible an author would gain more name recognition by publishing in specialized sites dedicated to a single genre.
http://www.marketlist.com/writers_index/
Monday, July 11, 2011
The Luck of Being Down on Your Luck in America
I have always been drawn to edges, underbellies, silver linings, and contrasts.
I have lived long enough so I can finally see where my high wire dances over perpendicular precipice have led.
I did not feel like I landed until I was 30, and now at 50+, I can see what I have gained by my unexpected life and experiences.
I expected to be a slightly plump, cookie-baking home-maker. I was tossed into the world instead, and have tried on many lives.
I have dined under chandeliers, and sold my plasma to feed my children.
I have been on stage, singing and playing my songs to cheering thousands, and I have been an invisible nothing girl.
I have been a smiling, bobbing waitress, and a recluse.
I have ridden in limosines, and I have ridden a child's bicycle with no seat to work.
I was taught it was more blessed to give than to receive, and found myself on the receiving end, accepting Christmas presents for my children from local churches.
I have had a middle class ego, astonished to find myself having to apply for food stamps.
I have believed in the power of prayer, and known that many a pious mother before me has had hungry children.
I seek non-violent confrontations, but I would have killed to protect my children.
I am an escapee from domestic violence, a displaced home-maker turned head of household.
I have been on top of the world, and I've been close to dying alone.
I have been painfully shy, and astonishingly bold.
I have been unable to listen. I learned to listen.
I loved the church. I rejected the church and went my own way.
I am reborn, and reborn but not like people say.
One brief fling with another female musician and I'm a lesbian.
Two failed marriages and I'm a double divorcee.
People can't decide if I'm ugly or beautiful, smart or stupid, crazy or sane; I answer to many names.
I have expected justice and been deeply dismayed.
I have believed that doctors and dentists, counselors, psychiatrists, and hospitals cared about me and mine, and I have been invisible, staring in horror at the dollar signs shining in their eyes as they slam the door and lock it.
I have held my cocktail, chatting and bobbing at the snobbiest of snob events with the Virginia Horsey Set, while my best friends back home are a motley crew of characters: scarred-up and perpetually broke, some toothless, some blacker than coal, some gayest of gay, some say some: crazy.
I am compassionate/ruthless, empathic/self-absorbed, an angry dreamer who loves microscopes and telescopes, angles and edges...and maybe just maybe the things I've learned are useful to others.
I've always, always loved to figure out how to replace misery with joy, the changes I would make in society's response to poverty. I know what it feels like to be down on your luck in America.
I have lived long enough so I can finally see where my high wire dances over perpendicular precipice have led.
I did not feel like I landed until I was 30, and now at 50+, I can see what I have gained by my unexpected life and experiences.
I expected to be a slightly plump, cookie-baking home-maker. I was tossed into the world instead, and have tried on many lives.
I have dined under chandeliers, and sold my plasma to feed my children.
I have been on stage, singing and playing my songs to cheering thousands, and I have been an invisible nothing girl.
I have been a smiling, bobbing waitress, and a recluse.
I have ridden in limosines, and I have ridden a child's bicycle with no seat to work.
I was taught it was more blessed to give than to receive, and found myself on the receiving end, accepting Christmas presents for my children from local churches.
I have had a middle class ego, astonished to find myself having to apply for food stamps.
I have believed in the power of prayer, and known that many a pious mother before me has had hungry children.
I seek non-violent confrontations, but I would have killed to protect my children.
I am an escapee from domestic violence, a displaced home-maker turned head of household.
I have been on top of the world, and I've been close to dying alone.
I have been painfully shy, and astonishingly bold.
I have been unable to listen. I learned to listen.
I loved the church. I rejected the church and went my own way.
I am reborn, and reborn but not like people say.
One brief fling with another female musician and I'm a lesbian.
Two failed marriages and I'm a double divorcee.
People can't decide if I'm ugly or beautiful, smart or stupid, crazy or sane; I answer to many names.
I have expected justice and been deeply dismayed.
I have believed that doctors and dentists, counselors, psychiatrists, and hospitals cared about me and mine, and I have been invisible, staring in horror at the dollar signs shining in their eyes as they slam the door and lock it.
I have held my cocktail, chatting and bobbing at the snobbiest of snob events with the Virginia Horsey Set, while my best friends back home are a motley crew of characters: scarred-up and perpetually broke, some toothless, some blacker than coal, some gayest of gay, some say some: crazy.
I am compassionate/ruthless, empathic/self-absorbed, an angry dreamer who loves microscopes and telescopes, angles and edges...and maybe just maybe the things I've learned are useful to others.
I've always, always loved to figure out how to replace misery with joy, the changes I would make in society's response to poverty. I know what it feels like to be down on your luck in America.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
My Prime Directive Changes...and Changes
The vow to nurture my children, and deliver them safely to adulthood was my prime objective, and fueled my journey through many trials for 30 or so years. While I remain their devoted mother forever, my job is done. They are grown. I have to find new reasons to go on.
Depression is a beast, mania, a constant struggle to channel.
Apparently I suffer delusions, and there is no convincing my doctors otherwise.
But I hear songs no one else hears.
It seems natural to me that I would see a thing here or there that no one else sees.
I can function in this world, but just barely.
I think it is the strain of so much input that sabatages my attempts to join the world in a meaningful way job-wise.
My system goes haywire in the marketplace.
My hearing gets better, my vision gets worse.
Florescent lighting, beeps, and blings, the stares, the summations, the emotions swirling are loud, so loud.
I hate it.
Maybe there is a name for it, but I try not to listen to names, for you can believe your label and maybe think you're sick when you just have different wiring, just a little tricky to handle, even with meds.
So as good as I am at "book-learning," I have never been able to translate what I can do into a "real" job, and have been forced to be one of the working poor, paying my college loans out of my tip money.
My every attempt at a higher paying job began with me bucking myself up and then squishing myself into the part. It never worked, not even once. I've had to accept that I can only be what I am and find the job that can benefit from what I've learned.
My decision to go to Library School was made by scanning the world for a real job where I could fit. I refuse to end my life begging and borrowing from my children, eating turnips and wondering how to pay the light bill. I thought I had a real chance of being able to stay at a job in the library. I could use my B.S. and I could prevent being a burden to my children in the future.
Going to Library School has opened my eyes.
Librarians can work in a wide variety of settings.
You just have to find your niche.
Depression is a beast, mania, a constant struggle to channel.
Apparently I suffer delusions, and there is no convincing my doctors otherwise.
But I hear songs no one else hears.
It seems natural to me that I would see a thing here or there that no one else sees.
I can function in this world, but just barely.
I think it is the strain of so much input that sabatages my attempts to join the world in a meaningful way job-wise.
My system goes haywire in the marketplace.
My hearing gets better, my vision gets worse.
Florescent lighting, beeps, and blings, the stares, the summations, the emotions swirling are loud, so loud.
I hate it.
Maybe there is a name for it, but I try not to listen to names, for you can believe your label and maybe think you're sick when you just have different wiring, just a little tricky to handle, even with meds.
So as good as I am at "book-learning," I have never been able to translate what I can do into a "real" job, and have been forced to be one of the working poor, paying my college loans out of my tip money.
My every attempt at a higher paying job began with me bucking myself up and then squishing myself into the part. It never worked, not even once. I've had to accept that I can only be what I am and find the job that can benefit from what I've learned.
My decision to go to Library School was made by scanning the world for a real job where I could fit. I refuse to end my life begging and borrowing from my children, eating turnips and wondering how to pay the light bill. I thought I had a real chance of being able to stay at a job in the library. I could use my B.S. and I could prevent being a burden to my children in the future.
Going to Library School has opened my eyes.
Librarians can work in a wide variety of settings.
You just have to find your niche.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
KD Rouse/Library School & Finding My Niche
In our first semester of library school, Dr. Hersberger assured us in her calm, matter-of-fact way, that there was a niche for each of us in the library world, giving us tips on how we might find this niche if it wasn't apparent.
Even though she spoke to the whole class, the others dropped away when she said this, and I heard her speak to me alone.
She upset my entire plan, and allowed me to dare to seek my ideal library niche.
As much as I love children and literature for children, I love being free to roam the library field, imagining where I fit the best.
Most of my classes have had projects involving topics of our choice, and I have chosen science and biology topics rather than the type of children's lit or humanities topics I usually choose.
This has given me confidence that I can research, understand and relate information about topics outside my comfort zone.
It also dawned on me that if the information exists, as a future Librarian, I should be able to find it. This knowledge is empowering because I have been flummoxed by how to get from here to there on several areas of my life.
I now know that if I can formulate the question, I can find the answer.
I started Library School because I figured if I had to work a real job, the Library was a good setting. I planned on being an elementary school librarian because I could finally use my teaching certificate in a viable way after 30 years of disuse.
I figured I had just about enough work life left in me to prevent being a burden to my children in my old age.
Throughout our trials, I always figured I'd worry about myself later.
When my youngest child left home, that time began.
But Dr. Hersberger invited me to dream and explore--things I love, and by dreaming and exploring, I am learning where my niche lies and where it does not.
Even though she spoke to the whole class, the others dropped away when she said this, and I heard her speak to me alone.
She upset my entire plan, and allowed me to dare to seek my ideal library niche.
As much as I love children and literature for children, I love being free to roam the library field, imagining where I fit the best.
Most of my classes have had projects involving topics of our choice, and I have chosen science and biology topics rather than the type of children's lit or humanities topics I usually choose.
This has given me confidence that I can research, understand and relate information about topics outside my comfort zone.
It also dawned on me that if the information exists, as a future Librarian, I should be able to find it. This knowledge is empowering because I have been flummoxed by how to get from here to there on several areas of my life.
I now know that if I can formulate the question, I can find the answer.
I started Library School because I figured if I had to work a real job, the Library was a good setting. I planned on being an elementary school librarian because I could finally use my teaching certificate in a viable way after 30 years of disuse.
I figured I had just about enough work life left in me to prevent being a burden to my children in my old age.
Throughout our trials, I always figured I'd worry about myself later.
When my youngest child left home, that time began.
But Dr. Hersberger invited me to dream and explore--things I love, and by dreaming and exploring, I am learning where my niche lies and where it does not.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Books Make Free Men to the Chagrin of Would-Be Enslavers
Father Eby had such a beautiful, sonorous voice that I didn't even much mind sitting through the sermons every Sunday, singing in the Good Shephard Episcopal Junior Choir.
I vowed to read the Bible, and bored by who begat whom, finally skipping ahead to the words in red, thanks to an Apocropha.
The words in red, what Jesus is purported to have said, is baby, and religion, its bath water.
Christ's teachings spoke to me, shaping how I wanted to live.
Later I wondered if I should be a Jew because Jesus was, and I don't think he'd be very pleased with what has been done in his Name.
I think he'd enter the temple and kick over all the tables in a terrible temper.
I didn't see the humor until much, much later; my nineteen year old self, blythe, earnest, and proud, presenting, and defending my paper that proved quite clearly that Christ Fufilled the Prophecies and stuff and so-on to my two professors, who I remembered later were both Jewish.
They were kind, and while I was entirely oblivious to it at the time, their manner, their polite-ness, maybe their silences, floated up in my memory from time to time and gave me questions, until I saw it and laughed loudly.
When I understood more
the impact of politics,
that history belongs to the Victor,
the power of translation to change a work,
how many lies I had been taught as history,
the lengths some will go for money and power,
that the same wisdom occurs in a variety of religions,
that poverty is not an accident,
and that my God would have a sense of humor and overlook it
If I'm wrong to think the Christian leap of faith, blood sacrifice of an innocent, idolatry, and fear, is illogical.
When I see a flower, I am unafraid.
When I see the "Justice" System preying on the poor,
when I know how expensive it is to be poor, with added chains, spit, and indiginities and almost impossible to escape,
When I know that hunger is more about power and distribution than world resources,
When I know the system set in place to deal with domestic violence makes things far worse,
These things, and many more: When I see them, I know it could be different.
Each world citizen should have their basic needs met in order for the world to evolve to a place where higher thought is even possible. When you are hungry, your dreams are of food. When you have food and shelter, you may dream of many things.
The Library is at a unique crossroad in the transition from providing citizens with basic needs and ensuring the right of each person to have information and the tools needed to access it, a higher level need. The Library gives the homeless shelter from the elements, and gives the lonely a place to be, while it provides the books, computers, and instruction that allow higher level thinking opportunities.
I am intrigued with the future of the Library.
I plan to write my vision for the Library of the Future when I learn more about what the library is facing with the digital age.
I vowed to read the Bible, and bored by who begat whom, finally skipping ahead to the words in red, thanks to an Apocropha.
The words in red, what Jesus is purported to have said, is baby, and religion, its bath water.
Christ's teachings spoke to me, shaping how I wanted to live.
Later I wondered if I should be a Jew because Jesus was, and I don't think he'd be very pleased with what has been done in his Name.
I think he'd enter the temple and kick over all the tables in a terrible temper.
I didn't see the humor until much, much later; my nineteen year old self, blythe, earnest, and proud, presenting, and defending my paper that proved quite clearly that Christ Fufilled the Prophecies and stuff and so-on to my two professors, who I remembered later were both Jewish.
They were kind, and while I was entirely oblivious to it at the time, their manner, their polite-ness, maybe their silences, floated up in my memory from time to time and gave me questions, until I saw it and laughed loudly.
When I understood more
the impact of politics,
that history belongs to the Victor,
the power of translation to change a work,
how many lies I had been taught as history,
the lengths some will go for money and power,
that the same wisdom occurs in a variety of religions,
that poverty is not an accident,
and that my God would have a sense of humor and overlook it
If I'm wrong to think the Christian leap of faith, blood sacrifice of an innocent, idolatry, and fear, is illogical.
When I see a flower, I am unafraid.
When I see the "Justice" System preying on the poor,
when I know how expensive it is to be poor, with added chains, spit, and indiginities and almost impossible to escape,
When I know that hunger is more about power and distribution than world resources,
When I know the system set in place to deal with domestic violence makes things far worse,
These things, and many more: When I see them, I know it could be different.
Each world citizen should have their basic needs met in order for the world to evolve to a place where higher thought is even possible. When you are hungry, your dreams are of food. When you have food and shelter, you may dream of many things.
The Library is at a unique crossroad in the transition from providing citizens with basic needs and ensuring the right of each person to have information and the tools needed to access it, a higher level need. The Library gives the homeless shelter from the elements, and gives the lonely a place to be, while it provides the books, computers, and instruction that allow higher level thinking opportunities.
I am intrigued with the future of the Library.
I plan to write my vision for the Library of the Future when I learn more about what the library is facing with the digital age.
Information is Useless If It Cannot Be Accessed, etc.
On the night of the funeral, four daughters stand side by side in the dark, watching their homeplace burn.
Should we call the fire department?
Not yet, says the youngest. Wait.
We wait until its much too late, feeling our burden lift as the house collapses in a ball of flames.
Then we drink tequila in the graveyard, laughing.
At least that's how we dreamed it one time when our youngest pointed out that someday it would all be ours.
Inheritance is not an easy topic with the hoarder's child.
And too, there is an unspoken horror of becoming a hoarder too. What if it's genetic or catching?
Daughters 1 & 3(me) have minimal possessions to maintain order. We let go more than we keep.
Daughters 2 & 4 have a comfortable place for everything and everything in its place, masters of creating and using space.
Hoarding is an illustration of what could happen to information if the Library did not exist. We'd have heaps and piles of information without a way to access it. Information that cannot be accessed is useless, just as possessions are useless if they cannot be found.
I did not realize that my propensity to organize, group, list, and catalog my own life and information was a characteristic befitting a library school student.
I have written to understand, to clarify my many voices, to make sense of my barrages of sensation, to organize my thoughts, to locate what I think, to keep a record of my attitudes, for comfort.
When I assimilate my input or information and write, I feel an obligation to share what I've learned.
It matters not to me if it is read, but it feels wrong not to share what I've learned.
What good is my knowledge if it is buried when I am?
However, what I consider Knowledge simply becomes Information when I share it.
The symbiotic relationship between Information and Knowledge is intriguing, and as far as I can ascertain, they continually morph from one to another in crazy eights.
My knowledge is your potential information.
But my "knowledge" could be "wrong", or useless to another, which leads to considerations of perception and belief, where "right" and "wrong" are subjective.
My job is to share, however, and I cannot concern myself with how or if I will be received.
A story or a song carries with it, a sense of obligation, a feeling that is not really a story or a song if it is not offered up to the universe with the potential to be read or heard.
Humanity's upward spirals are due to sharing information, most easily seen by the breakthroughs in science by continual sharing, use, and assimiliation of knowledge.
Even scientific theory that has proven to be wrong has been important in the evolution of scientific knowledge, providing fodder for ideas, starting points for more accurate research, or acting as gauntlets thrown to other scientists.
I am grateful to authors like Martha Graham, and Maya Angelou, Thoreau, Adam Smith, Benjamin Franklin, Zen Masters, and countless others, that changed my life by speaking to me. Where would I be without them? How would I understand the meaning of my life without their wisdom and voice? I would be alone in the darkness, ashamed and untamed, unworthy to live, a mistaken vessel.
Alive or dead, my author/mentors reached out and spoke to me, cheering me on through life, advising and comforting, without ever knowing their impact on their future readers' lives.
Aside from doing harm to others, the only real "sin" I can ascertain is "hiding your light under a bushel basket," i.e. not sharing.
Whoever you are and whatever you have to offer must be shared or it is nothing.
Should we call the fire department?
Not yet, says the youngest. Wait.
We wait until its much too late, feeling our burden lift as the house collapses in a ball of flames.
Then we drink tequila in the graveyard, laughing.
At least that's how we dreamed it one time when our youngest pointed out that someday it would all be ours.
Inheritance is not an easy topic with the hoarder's child.
And too, there is an unspoken horror of becoming a hoarder too. What if it's genetic or catching?
Daughters 1 & 3(me) have minimal possessions to maintain order. We let go more than we keep.
Daughters 2 & 4 have a comfortable place for everything and everything in its place, masters of creating and using space.
Hoarding is an illustration of what could happen to information if the Library did not exist. We'd have heaps and piles of information without a way to access it. Information that cannot be accessed is useless, just as possessions are useless if they cannot be found.
I did not realize that my propensity to organize, group, list, and catalog my own life and information was a characteristic befitting a library school student.
I have written to understand, to clarify my many voices, to make sense of my barrages of sensation, to organize my thoughts, to locate what I think, to keep a record of my attitudes, for comfort.
When I assimilate my input or information and write, I feel an obligation to share what I've learned.
It matters not to me if it is read, but it feels wrong not to share what I've learned.
What good is my knowledge if it is buried when I am?
However, what I consider Knowledge simply becomes Information when I share it.
The symbiotic relationship between Information and Knowledge is intriguing, and as far as I can ascertain, they continually morph from one to another in crazy eights.
My knowledge is your potential information.
But my "knowledge" could be "wrong", or useless to another, which leads to considerations of perception and belief, where "right" and "wrong" are subjective.
My job is to share, however, and I cannot concern myself with how or if I will be received.
A story or a song carries with it, a sense of obligation, a feeling that is not really a story or a song if it is not offered up to the universe with the potential to be read or heard.
Humanity's upward spirals are due to sharing information, most easily seen by the breakthroughs in science by continual sharing, use, and assimiliation of knowledge.
Even scientific theory that has proven to be wrong has been important in the evolution of scientific knowledge, providing fodder for ideas, starting points for more accurate research, or acting as gauntlets thrown to other scientists.
I am grateful to authors like Martha Graham, and Maya Angelou, Thoreau, Adam Smith, Benjamin Franklin, Zen Masters, and countless others, that changed my life by speaking to me. Where would I be without them? How would I understand the meaning of my life without their wisdom and voice? I would be alone in the darkness, ashamed and untamed, unworthy to live, a mistaken vessel.
Alive or dead, my author/mentors reached out and spoke to me, cheering me on through life, advising and comforting, without ever knowing their impact on their future readers' lives.
Aside from doing harm to others, the only real "sin" I can ascertain is "hiding your light under a bushel basket," i.e. not sharing.
Whoever you are and whatever you have to offer must be shared or it is nothing.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Tout & Shout: The Importance of Marketing (To me & the Library)
I have self-published two books. Luckily all I had in mind was to hold them in my hands and read them like I was a stranger, because I only sold any to myself. This proves that you can accept a free ISBN# and even have a bar code, like I did for "Hip & Broke", but if you don't introduce yourself, if you don't tout yourself and your book to the world, you will never have readers.
Future Librarians abhor touting (although this is a weakness that is being examined by both me and the Library, and needs a full post in the future.)
I need to tout & shout because I want the luxury of time to write. I have two screenplays, one utopian novel, and a few other must-writes in my head, just waiting to spill out.
The Library, too, recognises its need for some fuss and fanfare. Librarians are typically not look-at-me people, look what we do, look what we've done.
I didn't realize until I started Library School, for example, the huge void the library fills in its service to the have-nots, and I've been a patron/fan of the library for almost 50 years. I don't think the public knows it, but unfortunately, it is not a look-at-me opportunity by its very nature.
The library is an equalizer, providing tools and resources to all, allowing access and experiences to its patrons. Another institution might be able to point this out, as it would surely be a blow, especially to the least of us, if the library were to cease to exist.
The Library is color-blind, however, and all men are equal. Librarians can't, don't, won't invade a patron's privacy. Any appraisal a librarian does is only for the purpose of serving patrons' needs. Promoting the library's service to the have-nots is not something a librarian does.
Future Librarians abhor touting (although this is a weakness that is being examined by both me and the Library, and needs a full post in the future.)
I need to tout & shout because I want the luxury of time to write. I have two screenplays, one utopian novel, and a few other must-writes in my head, just waiting to spill out.
The Library, too, recognises its need for some fuss and fanfare. Librarians are typically not look-at-me people, look what we do, look what we've done.
I didn't realize until I started Library School, for example, the huge void the library fills in its service to the have-nots, and I've been a patron/fan of the library for almost 50 years. I don't think the public knows it, but unfortunately, it is not a look-at-me opportunity by its very nature.
The library is an equalizer, providing tools and resources to all, allowing access and experiences to its patrons. Another institution might be able to point this out, as it would surely be a blow, especially to the least of us, if the library were to cease to exist.
The Library is color-blind, however, and all men are equal. Librarians can't, don't, won't invade a patron's privacy. Any appraisal a librarian does is only for the purpose of serving patrons' needs. Promoting the library's service to the have-nots is not something a librarian does.
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