My final LIB204 project focuses on something I had the least experience with before starting the Library Technician program, subscription online databases. The only ones I really knew about before I started were ProQuest, ERIC and JStor. I would not have thought about online dictionaries and map resources being online databases as well. This presentation is designed as a basic primer for someone who has never heard of subscription online databases before.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Blog Reflection #8
Outside of my other formal library courses, I can't remember a basics of "how to use the library" since high school. This might have been part of basic freshman orientation, but since I was a half time senior high student and half time in college my senior year (in 1989-1990, when that was not a commonplace practice) I wound up bypassing a lot of the traditional freshman stuff. A lot of what I knew before starting the courses here was actually self taught by trial and error. I have definitely learned extra tips and tricks by taking the classes that I have done here.
The library classes have relied on a lot of online guides so I guess that's the only real, at least relatively recent, experience I can compare to. If written well, these can be a great help. Interactive simulations can help too but they are difficult to program and realistically a library wouldn't do that on its own. An audio only walkthrough (such as podcast) or a video tutorial that users can watch would be realistic for a local library to do and could be useful. I know that the IT department at the community college where my Dad works in Washington State did this for basic IT things. He made a video on simple ways to diagnose basic printer errors before calling the department, and other people in IT did different ones. Similar things could be done for library.
My belief is that libraries are just part of the great innudation of information available. A good library resource instruction class cannot help but discuss search engines, Wikipedia, etc if for no other reason than to show why library sources are superior. However, as we've said before, search engines and metacrawlers can have some validity if people are taught to "search smart" - and that's where library technicans and librarians can come in.
I imagine many public libraries have seen more traffic from the unemployed so I will explore that. Types of instruction a library could do is on resources for resume writing, smart job searching (especially since many companies only take online applications that could be done at library computers), training for using resources for career planning whether fresh out of school or changing fields, and similar offerings.
The library classes have relied on a lot of online guides so I guess that's the only real, at least relatively recent, experience I can compare to. If written well, these can be a great help. Interactive simulations can help too but they are difficult to program and realistically a library wouldn't do that on its own. An audio only walkthrough (such as podcast) or a video tutorial that users can watch would be realistic for a local library to do and could be useful. I know that the IT department at the community college where my Dad works in Washington State did this for basic IT things. He made a video on simple ways to diagnose basic printer errors before calling the department, and other people in IT did different ones. Similar things could be done for library.
My belief is that libraries are just part of the great innudation of information available. A good library resource instruction class cannot help but discuss search engines, Wikipedia, etc if for no other reason than to show why library sources are superior. However, as we've said before, search engines and metacrawlers can have some validity if people are taught to "search smart" - and that's where library technicans and librarians can come in.
I imagine many public libraries have seen more traffic from the unemployed so I will explore that. Types of instruction a library could do is on resources for resume writing, smart job searching (especially since many companies only take online applications that could be done at library computers), training for using resources for career planning whether fresh out of school or changing fields, and similar offerings.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Blog Reflection #7
The first challenge comes from a patron level's comfort level with general computer usage. If they are not comfortable with computer or web browser basics, this instruction may be additional but is not our primary focus. An issue with our hypothetical situation is that no topic is specified. Since government websites are mentioned something that would reasonably have these types of resources as a potential reference, either statistics or things specifically about government.
I would recommend visits to sites in this order:
f ) Encyclopedia Brittanica.com subscription offered through library access
e) Encyclopedia.com
b) ProQuest or another electronic journal/newspaper index such as EBSCO
g) Subscription research databases offered through library access such as Facts on File, Gale, etc.
h) Government sponsored (.gov) data and information websites
d) LII.org
Starting with encyclopedias would help narrow the search. Then once the topic is narrowed articles can be found to help narrow the topic further. After that, research databases and statistics from government sites can support the other research (these types of materials do not make good primary research). Lii is last due to its wide variety of information, some more recent and relevant than others. Its quality seems less predictable though the sites are reputable.
I would not recommend the following since they often cannot be authenticated or verified by a reliable source:
a) Wikipedia
c) Searching via their favorite search engine
I would recommend visits to sites in this order:
f ) Encyclopedia Brittanica.com subscription offered through library access
e) Encyclopedia.com
b) ProQuest or another electronic journal/newspaper index such as EBSCO
g) Subscription research databases offered through library access such as Facts on File, Gale, etc.
h) Government sponsored (.gov) data and information websites
d) LII.org
Starting with encyclopedias would help narrow the search. Then once the topic is narrowed articles can be found to help narrow the topic further. After that, research databases and statistics from government sites can support the other research (these types of materials do not make good primary research). Lii is last due to its wide variety of information, some more recent and relevant than others. Its quality seems less predictable though the sites are reputable.
I would not recommend the following since they often cannot be authenticated or verified by a reliable source:
a) Wikipedia
c) Searching via their favorite search engine
Friday, March 25, 2011
Blog Reflection #6
I have been both impressed and underwhelmed by the amount of resources available. I am impressed at all the different types of information available, but I also say underwhelmed in that the classification appears a bit haphazard. This was especially true with using some of the supersites that collect links to a variety of information like bartelby.com. Sometimes it could be challenging to locate a specific source or even data within a source. It felt like bartelby.com's mission statement is to make the most data available data with minimal effort. In contrast, encyclopedia.com is quite a bit easier to use and easier to read the results.
I don't resist the urge to Google. I just, as I have before this class, highly scrutinize any URLs returned. I look for brands and sites I know are reputable. That said I don't completely rely on it. Also, I do not (and never did) use Wikipedia.
Do my assignments in and of themselves drive me crazy? No. Being one of four classes (now 3, the winter one at another school just finished) and working 45 to 50 hour work weeks does that well enough.
I don't resist the urge to Google. I just, as I have before this class, highly scrutinize any URLs returned. I look for brands and sites I know are reputable. That said I don't completely rely on it. Also, I do not (and never did) use Wikipedia.
Do my assignments in and of themselves drive me crazy? No. Being one of four classes (now 3, the winter one at another school just finished) and working 45 to 50 hour work weeks does that well enough.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Project 2
I live and work in the entertainment industry. Many people come to the Hollywood area from outside of it and need information for job searching and better understanding of the industry. The local libraries, needing to serve everyone, can only devote a percentage of funds to these resources. An interesting idea might be a specialty library (distinct from a library of acquisitions) catering to entertainment products and information. Envisioned users would not only be newcomers wanting to break in, but industry veterans, scholars of the field, and fans of entertainment. However, since the primary source would be people working in the industry, such a library could be a great compliment to an office complex that leases offices and suites for smaller productions so they can save their budget dollars. This could also serve as an incentive for people to look into using their other services.
My idea of an optimal library reference area in a situation like this would be books that cover entertainment award recipients, entertainment directories such as the Hollywood Creative Directory with information how to contact companies, or directories for renting production materials. The industry doesn't lend itself to a diverse amount of ready reference materials. Many of these are available online as well for a subscription charge, but I believe in some cases the subscription versions specifically have restrictions for shared use that would make them impractical in a library setting. Though there are less ready reference materials, they do regularly update but are more pricy than regular reference counterparts. Though there may be some general books and even films in a circulating collection, the vast amount by the nature of the library would be reference. There would also be how-to books for writing and production, but how many would be reference and how many actual circulation would depend both on the nature and cost of the texts, and to what extent a library of this nature would want to be circulating as its competitors are not.
The closest competitive libraries in type are either those hosted by the various entertainment guilds and academies, such as the Writers Guild library which is open to the public and offers some similar resources but is in Hollywood proper (“Welcome To The Writers Guild Foundation Shavelson-Webb Library”). Another example is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences whose facility is in Beverly Hills (“Margaret Herrick Library”). These are not convenient for the Burbank and nearby areas which also hosts several major studios and would be a good site for the proposed library. In short the downside is that most of these are too highly specialized based on the sponsors of the library, though each one is impressive in its own way.
A library website for this kind of setting that allows the public some research access would be a big bonus. The above listed areas have site pages about them but not service sites for the public. It would be helpful for users to have the ability to search what the collections contain before coming in to know what items may be available to reference, especially if they can’t be checked out. It’s frustrating to make a trip only to find the library you go to doesn’t have something. This is something the competition doesn’t currently offer.
Additional help and offerings a library might provide would be workshops. One example might be how to research to find funding for independent film-making. Another could be best practices for screenwriters to research getting the facts right for their scripts. The competitors do not appear to be workshop oriented in terms of their libraries, though like such in the case of the Writers Guild Foundation the sponsoring organization may offer workshops and seminars. These seminars would be very specific and tied to the library, and could be led by its reference team.
What would make reference services special at this kind of a facility would be a very focused hands-on approach that is a more wider knowledge base of the entertainment industry on a professional level but not as general as a regular reference librarian.
In short the vision statement is: “Remain Professional Yet Easily Publicly Accessible”.
Sources cited:
Anonymous. “Margaret Herrick Library.” The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2011.
Anonymous. “Welcome To The Writers Guild Foundation Shavelson-Webb Library.” The Writers’ Guild Foundation. n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2011.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Blog Reflection #5
Accuracy is a subject that has come up in several of my library classes. More social interaction and sharing likes like Wikipedia are cropping up everywhere with a tendency to be more specialized in nature. It becomes hard to distinguish something authorative from a collection largely made up of people's opinions and what they think are facts (sometimes with supporting references sometimes not).
The Medical Library Association has a guide for determining credible health resources, which is important because many people may find it easier turn to the Internet to self diagnose then rely on a professional, especially when money is tight and many are uninsured. The MLA brings up a good point in that looking at the credibility of who produces the site that provides the information is a big factor to consider. In the case of health, accuracy could mean life or death if one is not careful! Other factors they stress to look for is how current the information is, clearly factual, and the proper audience for the website should be relatively apparent. I believe these factors pose equally true for any website regardless of subject.
The Medical Library Association has a guide for determining credible health resources, which is important because many people may find it easier turn to the Internet to self diagnose then rely on a professional, especially when money is tight and many are uninsured. The MLA brings up a good point in that looking at the credibility of who produces the site that provides the information is a big factor to consider. In the case of health, accuracy could mean life or death if one is not careful! Other factors they stress to look for is how current the information is, clearly factual, and the proper audience for the website should be relatively apparent. I believe these factors pose equally true for any website regardless of subject.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Blog Reflection #4
I would definitely consider investing more money in electronic resources provided they met quality standards. Since many people are looking for their reference - particularly ready reference - in other areas of the Internet anyway, it makes the most sense to have the materials in a format most accessible to the patron (user).
I admit I have been highly resistant to the idea of e-books and the like for quite some time. I don't remember if I have mentioned before that I have written two animation textbooks. One is a paperback and one is ebook only. While I like the idea that an ebook disseminates easier for more people to borrow from a library or carry around with them, there's also the reality that I don't make as much per copy compared to my paperback title, not that textbooks make tons of money anyway unless you are a true and tried standard. I can't get more specific due to contractual limitations but I suspect if you do the math you can figure it out.
While not reference work, I think it is also applicable to mention that I've recently worked in the fiction department with self-publishing, mainly a little experiment for myself. I put out one of my fiction stories on Lulu in an 144 page book that can be gotten in print or as an ebook. I went through three print proofs on it, but the funny thing is what messed me up the first time is that reading my proof in a pdf I forgot the traditional rules of printed book layout! Amazing how time changes things. I haven't sold any yet and it isn't available on Amazon yet, if they accept it may have a sway on how many I can sell.
Personally I think ebooks and electronic information are definitely here to stay, and to that that end are definitely an investment a library needs to consider. Now, how to protect that investment from data loss or electronic theft, those areas are a bit beyond my knowledge scope.
I admit I have been highly resistant to the idea of e-books and the like for quite some time. I don't remember if I have mentioned before that I have written two animation textbooks. One is a paperback and one is ebook only. While I like the idea that an ebook disseminates easier for more people to borrow from a library or carry around with them, there's also the reality that I don't make as much per copy compared to my paperback title, not that textbooks make tons of money anyway unless you are a true and tried standard. I can't get more specific due to contractual limitations but I suspect if you do the math you can figure it out.
While not reference work, I think it is also applicable to mention that I've recently worked in the fiction department with self-publishing, mainly a little experiment for myself. I put out one of my fiction stories on Lulu in an 144 page book that can be gotten in print or as an ebook. I went through three print proofs on it, but the funny thing is what messed me up the first time is that reading my proof in a pdf I forgot the traditional rules of printed book layout! Amazing how time changes things. I haven't sold any yet and it isn't available on Amazon yet, if they accept it may have a sway on how many I can sell.
Personally I think ebooks and electronic information are definitely here to stay, and to that that end are definitely an investment a library needs to consider. Now, how to protect that investment from data loss or electronic theft, those areas are a bit beyond my knowledge scope.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Project 1
My primary interest lies in Internet public resources, which I know little about versus a traditional reference setting and would like to learn more, so I selected the alternate Project 1 to explore. To begin with I was impressed that 200 IPL references could be selected from the website. This added some challenge to narrow down what I wanted to do. I’ve had somewhat of a personal interest in genealogy and since I noticed several sites decided I would choose that topic.
http://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/index.html is the website of the National Archives of the United States National Archives and Records Administration, a government website that combines tips on how to search, along with online access to a portion of the records offered by the National Archives (which includes a wide variety of historical documents beyond those for genealogy), and information on how to visit the National Archives , any of its branch offices, or any of the Presidential Libraries. The fact the site is a government site helps with its credibility; there is not really an “About Us” section but perhaps since the site is part of the United States Government they do not feel that one is required. The site’s purpose is to share what the government has available on genealogy, which can be of use to academic and non-academic researchers alike; in an academic setting it might be used by a sociology or similar class., and a specific section on teacher’s resources is available. The most directly accessible search portion of the site is the Archival Research Catalog, which allows for a selection of the contents of the National Archives to be viewed digitally. This section does have a “More About ARC” area, where we learn there are 68% complete at the series level classifying information with descriptions, totaling over 2 million cubic feet in holdings. The various holdings are arranged into galleries and you click on a picture to begin a search. One is devoted to ARC Genealogy but it is difficult to figure out where to start a search, as much time is spent telling and showing a user how to search. The information, while freely available, can be quite challenging to navigate and I suspect it might be more so if I were a search engine novice, especially since search seems to only be by keyword and can only be limited by document type. I would rate the site a 7 for lots of great information but needs work on ease of use and accessibility, and also the search limitations. All the information is there but the arrangement is just too busy to find where to go. Since it is the Archives, it’s not as important as it be up to date as its holdings offer a lot – which they do.
FamilyHistory.com: Society Hall (http://www.familyhistory.com/) is a site that allows for searching of census, surname data, and family history sites without a subscription (though they do work in advertising for ancestry.com in several spaces). Essentially when you get down to searching, it is really a thinly veiled portal for the not-for-charge portions of ancestry.com. Instead of “About Us” the site simply labels itself as a “member” of Ancestry.com. So basically it’s a really fancy redirect that has no need to stay up to date. Ancestry.com’s databases allow for first and last name searches, location searches, and keyword searches. Even more interesting, ancestry.com’s cited source for the census is the National Archives! It brings the same value to students that ancestry.com does, or the National Archives; however, I think ancestry.com’s search is a bit more friendly than the National Archives. I’d give this a 7. Bear in mind that I am actually rating ancestry.com with that statement. What I don’t like is that this site tries to give the appearance of being a completely different site even though they state at the bottom they are a “member” with ancestry.com. You might as well save the site money and do a straight redirect. Nothing new was offered that ancestry.com didn’t have already. However, it may also be a case of this site originally had some of the other data and then ancestry.com bought them out and absorbed all of it into the mother site, just keeping this portal page as a link out of past reputation.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com used to be its own different site, but was also acquired by ancestry.com; however, ancestry.com went to greater lengths to preserve this site’s identity. Rootsweb is more focused as a resource for mailing lists and message boards related to genealogy searching, while ancestry.com focuses more on the actual records portion. These more social ways of interacting about genealogy may open students up to additional resources they might not find using simply the search engines. However, not much time has been invested in updating the look and feel of rootsweb other than branding It as an ancestry.com community and for that I give it a 5. That old feel doesn’t give me a sense of how up to date it is.
http://www.genealogytoday.com/ seems to be specifically dedicated to researching Australian, Canadian, and British ancestry (though it originates from the United States) and is not part of the ancestry.com network of sites; it is owned by Genealogy Today LLC. It has a very detailed Company Information section, where it shows the website has been active for 12 years and 1 day as of February 12th; however I do not get a sense of when it was last updated.. The site bills itself as “a specialized portal providing unique databases, search tools, and original articles, along with links to the newest sites and online resources” (see http://www.genealogytoday.com/info/overview.html). Many articles and awards for the site are also mentioned. The site includes a wiki, article, data (some of which requires subscription and some not), and blogs as its main features. Their free items while not too diverse are pretty interesting; for example one item is the 1892 roster for the Elks Lodge in the area where I went to junior high, high school, and undergraduate school. There’s a collection of criminal mug shots and wanted posters as well. Most searches are simple keyword only. It’s great information but really simple down to earth design, so I have to give it a 6… and go explore when I have more time. An improvement for this site would be if they could allow for more refined searching using Boolean or at least allow for multiple criteria. If it had more flexibility, the simple and in places dated design might bother me less. Appearance counts for a lot.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Blog Reflection 3
I'm not at all sure, to be honest, how to get younger people to look to libraries as just as a (perceived?) valid a source of information as Wikipedia. The youth are all about viral and community - and not just the youth either to be real honest. One thing to look at is the number of older people not only joining sites like Facebook, but becoming addicted to games like Farmville and Cityville. Community shared knowledge develops the feel of "real" knowledge, and often it can be, whereas library catalogs with their MARC21 standards and Library of Congress records and Dewey Decimal numbers and the like are structured and moderated. This may seem cold and inaccessible to current times.
The reality is that all this information must be cataloged and standardized to make it easily located. What many of these users don't know is similar categorizing standards with keywords and metatags exist on all this information that seems so loose and free flowing on the surface. That's how a search engine or wiki can be optimized to quickly find the information wanted. I wonder if part of the issue is that with a library it's more transparent and thereby more threatening.
None of that solves the idea of how to make it more accessible, it's more trying to analyze "root cause" I suppose. However that's where my brain's at this moment.
The reality is that all this information must be cataloged and standardized to make it easily located. What many of these users don't know is similar categorizing standards with keywords and metatags exist on all this information that seems so loose and free flowing on the surface. That's how a search engine or wiki can be optimized to quickly find the information wanted. I wonder if part of the issue is that with a library it's more transparent and thereby more threatening.
None of that solves the idea of how to make it more accessible, it's more trying to analyze "root cause" I suppose. However that's where my brain's at this moment.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Blog Reflection #2
Blogs definitely can be a useful tool for information, provided it is properly cited. This doesn't necessarily mean MLA or APA (though that definitely helps). However, when information is provided, especially if it deals with the author bringing together several sources, readers should be told where to look at the original sources for information; links are especially useful with other internet sources.
Truthfully I read little blogs these days because I'm too busy writing mine. I would like to point out that's not necessarily a good thing, as understanding one's audience is important and to do that you need to get out and read as well as write. As a writer, I think this is true for any type of writing.
The specific types of blogs I do follow when time permits revolve around animation and entertainment. For example, the site Cartoon Brew with its blog by well-known animation historian Jerry Beck and Amid Amidi out of New York carries a high amount of credibility for its news and insights on animation. As a member of ASIFA-Hollywood that votes on the prestigious Annie Awards and actively supports their efforts at animation preservation, I stay tuned to the animation archive's blog for all the latest. This latter is also a great example of how a library (which is the animation archive is a specialized library) can use a blog. Through this, they can showcase samples of what their library houses to interested people to encourage them to utilize them or perhaps even volunteer their time (the latter being very important when you need to try and save monetary resources for acquisition and preservation). In this way, a blog can also give a library a "human face" when interacting with the public about upcoming events or perhaps even "did you know..." kind of bits to make people aware of all the services a library can offer, while leaving a channel open through comments for people to get even more information.
Truthfully I read little blogs these days because I'm too busy writing mine. I would like to point out that's not necessarily a good thing, as understanding one's audience is important and to do that you need to get out and read as well as write. As a writer, I think this is true for any type of writing.
The specific types of blogs I do follow when time permits revolve around animation and entertainment. For example, the site Cartoon Brew with its blog by well-known animation historian Jerry Beck and Amid Amidi out of New York carries a high amount of credibility for its news and insights on animation. As a member of ASIFA-Hollywood that votes on the prestigious Annie Awards and actively supports their efforts at animation preservation, I stay tuned to the animation archive's blog for all the latest. This latter is also a great example of how a library (which is the animation archive is a specialized library) can use a blog. Through this, they can showcase samples of what their library houses to interested people to encourage them to utilize them or perhaps even volunteer their time (the latter being very important when you need to try and save monetary resources for acquisition and preservation). In this way, a blog can also give a library a "human face" when interacting with the public about upcoming events or perhaps even "did you know..." kind of bits to make people aware of all the services a library can offer, while leaving a channel open through comments for people to get even more information.
Monday, January 10, 2011
BLOG REFLECTION #1 TOPIC
I am asked to write if this is my first time blogging. In fact, no it is not. Right now I maintain, to various degrees, six different blogs. They feature everything about information about the animation industry, to my professional writing.
I don't read any regularly, but I do read them as I research things. As they are becoming the "fast and easy cheap website" for anyone to get information out there, they are more and more commonplace. However, that also means being far more discriminatory of what you read as it is easier for inaccurate information to disseminate quickly.
These are not my first classes at LBCC so I have prior familiarity with the online learning environment. e-Zone is functional enough but I must confess finding both Blackboard and ANGEL more organized which I have familiarity with from other institutions. Occasionally I find navigation in particular to be of difficulty.
I don't read any regularly, but I do read them as I research things. As they are becoming the "fast and easy cheap website" for anyone to get information out there, they are more and more commonplace. However, that also means being far more discriminatory of what you read as it is easier for inaccurate information to disseminate quickly.
These are not my first classes at LBCC so I have prior familiarity with the online learning environment. e-Zone is functional enough but I must confess finding both Blackboard and ANGEL more organized which I have familiarity with from other institutions. Occasionally I find navigation in particular to be of difficulty.
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