Who are your library users?

Question:
Who are your library users? How do you wake-up one day and don't have a job? Can you not see it coming? Are there indications that your life is changing and you're ignoring them? When was the last time you went to the Dentist?

Quote:
" ...If you're a part of the computing or Internet-related industries, you probably already know that college students are one of the most computer literate and Internet active segments of society. ... The campus is clearly the hub of student computing. The study examines what resources are made available to students and what influence colleges and universities have on student preferences. The study represents the first, independent measurement of students' awareness of specific www sites (both of general interest and sites targeted to them)... "
Student Monitor

Tags: iblee, libraries_2.0, Knowledge literacy, librarians,

How do re-create yourself?

Question:
How do re-create yourself? First realize succeeding in your profession is being able to ride the rising tide; this is not being a bobbing cork on the open ocean; this is being a surfer -if you get knocked down ride that turn out and then get back up for the next wave.

Quote:
Libraries begin uncertain new chapter: "With internet companies such as Google becoming more involved in digitising content, what role does the public library have in today's web-driven society?"

Tags: iblee, libraries_2.0, Knowledge literacy, librarians,

How do you move to make things work?

Question:
How do you move content between offline formats to online formats to hybridized formats? Look for examples.

Quote:
MIT OpenCourseWare | OCW Home:
"Welcome to MIT's OpenCourseWare:
a free and open educational resource for faculty, students, and self-learners around the world. OCW supports MIT's mission to advance knowledge and education, and serve the world in the 21st century. It is true to MIT's values of excellence, innovation, and leadership.
MIT OCW:

* Is a publication of MIT course materials
* Does not require any registration
* Is not a degree-granting or certificate-granting activity
* Does not provide access to MIT faculty

Tags: iblee, libraries_2.0, Knowledge literacy, librarians,

What can you do with open source software?

Question:
How do you ensure transparency? Start projects in Open source software. Use movements that show and uncover your thinking. Ask yourself, "how will this be perceived?" The hard and stiff will fail; the soft and supple shall prevail as it's said in the Tao Teh Ching.

Quoted source:
Open Workbench - Open Source Project Management and Project Scheduling for Windows - Comparing Open Workbench and Microsoft Project

Tags: iblee, libraries_2.0, Knowledge literacy, librarians,

What's your manifesto?

Quote:

FreeCulture.org: Manifesto: "The mission of the Free Culture movement is to build a bottom-up, participatory structure to society and culture, rather than a top-down, closed, proprietary structure."

Tags: iblee, libraries_2.0, Knowledge literacy, librarians,

How do you take something common like a URL and make it unique?

Question:
How do you take something common like a URL and make it unique? Wake-up call for all.

Quote:
Quick Online Tips: Decoding the domain name del.icio.us: "del.icio.us has become the most popular social bookmarks manager in recent times. Many surfers are drawn to curiosity by the peculiar domain name del.icio.us. It was an ingenious way to register a domain name. I mean it is much better than getting delicious.com or delicious.net etc. A domain search reveals there are many such names and many more subject to domain name availability."

Tags: iblee, libraries_2.0, Knowledge literacy, librarians,

Who was in my library?

Gary Snyder: Axe Handles





I am sorry I disturbed you.

I broke into your house last night
To use your library.
There were some things that I had to look up.
A large book fell
and knocked over the others.
Afraid you'd wake and find me
and be truly alarmed
I left
Without picking up.

I got your name from the mailbox
As I fled, to write you and explain.

Tags: axe, iblee, libraries_2.0, Knowledge literacy, librarians,

The ideals of a democratic society?

Question:
What builds the ideals of a democratic society?

Answer:
Libraries do. Get it?

Document View: "Libraries build ideals of democratic society

"I will preface my letter by informing you that I am a local architect and a partner of a firm that is working on a portion of the proposed library project. Unlike many who have entered the debate, I am willing to inform people of my position and relationship to this project.

As a taxpayer, I am willing to pay for this project, and I would do so even if my firm was not working on the project. Libraries are the last public entities to build on the true ideals of a democratic society. Our democracy depends on the sharing of knowledge and our libraries and their architecture speak well of a community's pride while reinforcing our community values as an educated society.

I am most disturbed that the president of our local school board has chosen to speak out against this project. I am concerned that our tax watch associations are also against this project, and seem more interested in self-promotion rather than accurate dissemination of information. This community has constantly missed opportunities to build on and promote its success. We are failing to envision our potential and build toward a progressive future, choosing instead to retreat from change and challenges when it comes to urban planning and public projects.

We always frame these debates by only looking at the bottom line for capital expense and with no consideration to the future development such as an investment would make. It is no wonder that young people continue to leave this community for other places that embrace change and build toward success.

The citizens of Allen County need to put our money where our mouths are, and our nationally recognized library is a sound place to make such an investment on our future."
--MICHAEL A. McKAY

The Paradox of Writing Apprehension

Question:
If you can't write well, can you read and comprehend with fluency/literacy? Would an increased ability to write contribute to information fluency?

Answer:
Often I hear this statement, "I don't like to read," then followed quickly by, "now, can you just find me a source for my paper," which if you haven't figured what I think, are intimately tied together. Better writers are better readers and understand that their ability to write well is contributed to by their ability to read. If reading is fundamental to writing, then what prevents one or the other from developing?

This article says self-talk determines the outcome of ones abilities. Th authors are write/right. I know this from experience. I've actually used Autogenic Training to master other changes I need to make within myself. AT is just a specific form of self-talk.


Quote:
"Writing apprenesion is a manifestion of evaluation anxiety and apperas to have much in common with test anxiety. Like test anxiety, it is mediated by negative self-talk."

Reading apprehensives could be doing the same thing. There could also be a mixed type that is apprehensive about both reading and writing. Imagine the consequences: a whole generation of learners that think writing, reading, mathematics is some inborn skill. Rather than talent we all possess which can be cultivated.

Source that points to this question:
"Madigan, R., Linton, P., & Johnson, S. (1996). The Paradox of Writing Apprehension. In C. Levy & S. Ransdell (Eds.) The Science of Writing: Theories, Methods, Individual Differences and Applications. New Jersey: Laurence Erlbaum Associates"
potential link.