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.”
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
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.
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