Response to “Digital Libraries Shifting the Landscape”

Hello Class,

This article discusses the digitization of books by Google and e-readers such as Kindle and how they will affect the future of libraries.   The co-authors of the article are clearly supportive of these recent developments in technology and their potential usefulness in allowing global access to libraries for students, researchers, and just the average Joe.  

I’ve read a lot about Google’s attempt to scan vast library collections as well as the legal implications of scanning & making public copyrighted texts, so it’s made me curious to follow up on the current status of the legal filings.  Even though I see the amazing benefits of making books, journals, and other resources available to everyone online, I also understand the importance of copyright law.  If all written material was made free of charge, there would be no monetary incentive in writing anything new!  It will be interesting to investigate how the Google project has panned out.

An intriguing statistic the authors mention is that only an estimated 20% of libraries’ collections are used 80% of the time.  They suggest that the “popular” 20% could be kept in both electronic & hard copy format, while the remaining 80% could simply be held electronically.  This seems like a nice suggestion, although, I wonder how much less that 80% will become once it isn’t readily available for the average shelf-browsing library patron.  With government and school cutbacks to libraries, however, could be a good cost-cutting compromise that would still provide great resources to students and the public.

Thanks for listening!

Melissa

Response to "Computing in the Clouds"

Hi Class,

Doug Johnson’s article "Computing in the Clouds" did a great job pointing out the positive side of cloud computing, however, he seemed to have a disturbingly lax and careless view of cloud computing’s potentially negative aspects.  He brings up several good points to ponder about these risks, but his wording conveys an unconcerned attitude, almost as if he is mentioning them just to confirm to readers that they are nothing to worry about.

One example of Mr. Johnson’s lax attitude was clear in his statement regarding file privacy.  He uses Google as an example and notes several points about their official privacy practices.  Although he does admit that “who gets access to what is getting more granular all the time”, his solution to any potential breach of privacy is simply to live, as he puts it, “sin-free”.  The big picture he’s missing is that the documents we create for business or in education contain huge amounts of personal or confidential data.  It can be anything from financials, to new product developments, to personal data about students.  Okay, so he abstains from making uncouth statements or sinful confessions through Gmail.  But what about internal reports containing personal information on children or their families?  How could their safety or future be impacted by documents leaked into the wrong hands?  It’s easy for a corporation like Google to create a code of ethics, but it’s up to the employees of that corporation to uphold those ethics.  In addition, hacking has recently plagued countless large companies that assumed they were bastions of best security practices. 

Don’t get me wrong, I think the potential gains of cloud computing are enormous.  It has already been a great boon to organizations and individuals that need or desire low-cost, flexible, compatible and portable applications for creating, maintaining and sharing documents.  I am just hesitant to jump blindly onto any new bandwagon without thoughtfully analyzing the dangers involved.

Melissa

Response to "Point/CounterPoint: Is Blogging Worth the Risk?"

Hello Everyone,

Prior to this class I hadn’t written a blog.  Although it was mostly due to the fact that I didn’t have anything earth shattering to announce, there was also a bit of apprehension about posting my views in such an open forum.  My concerns mirrored Lisa Nielsen’s statements in her “NO” stance on the issue.  After hearing stories about others who had been criticized, alienated, and even sued over their postings online, it simply wasn’t worth the risk in my mind. 

James Maxlow’s “YES” stance made a couple very good arguments for blogging, however.  His comment about the importance of including our personal concerns in our professional communication struck a chord with me.  Having a personal interest in our career makes what we do everyday more fulfilling and much more than just “a job”.  I can see that blogging can be a powerful tool for professionals to be able to share ideas, learn from each other, and inspire one another.  The key, as Maxlow points out, is that the views posted should be “thoughtful and deliberate”.  So in addition to having a thick skin, if we choose our words carefully, keep in mind the effects on a broad audience, and consider the future implications of our statements before posting, then we should feel less inhibited about blogging.  This is one I’ll have to mull over a bit more.

See you next class!
Melissa

Hello Blog World!

Hello Blog World!