I have written before about the issue of ebooks, but I will again today because of one statement I keep hearing over and over. It continues to both crack me up and make me sad when people say, as if consoling me, that it must be difficult for me that ebooks are the new trend. Um, no, not really. While I am continuously surprised that I am considered a “techie”, ebooks are not breaking my heart at all. My concern, as I usually reply, is that the students are getting up-to-date, accurate information, not the format that it is in. With budget cuts a constant threat and limited funding available for consistency in annual database subscriptions, I kind of like the idea of building our own database through ebook subscriptions. I am now focusing on the unlimited, simultaneous access ebooks rather than checking out individual ebooks to students.
This statement also leads me to wonder if the misconception that ebooks are causing librarians’ hearts to shatter the world over is another product of the general public’s confusion about what libraries are. Do they think librarians cursed the book as it replaced the scroll? As I say in my header, libraries are not about books, but free access to information. They provide educational and entertainment opportunities to whomever wishes to take part. I have written before that I have become an ebook/ereader convert. While I value the editorial process, I don’t feel any loyalty to the format of the book. Whatever will keep my students on the right track and provide accurate, timely information gets my vote. Libraries are evolving.
However, there is one thing that does cause me to pause and reconsider my stance. I wish I could give credit to the article I read recently that planted this seed, but I don’t remember which one it was. Growing up there were always books in my house and we made trips to the library. Will future children be as enticed to read if there aren’t books lying around the house like they were for us?
Showing posts with label libraries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label libraries. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Professional Development
I’m a HUGE advocate of professional development (PD). I’m not sure if it is my fear of not having the resume to get the job I want or the fact that I can get bored easily and am always on the lookout for new things. Either way, I sometimes wonder if it is possible to fall into PD overload.
I realized not long ago that except for an 18 month period during my first year and half of teaching, I have been in some type of formal education program. I went straight to graduate school from undergrad. After a brief break, I started working on an associate’s in accounting. I thought this would be a good idea since understanding finances would be helpful if I ever ran a large library and I could pick up a business education certification. I abandoned that program when I began to question how much I would remember down the line. I also decided that a doctorate would be more beneficial in the long run and I wanted to get it done while I was still young, carefree, and single. I’m currently developing the research prospectus for my dissertatation and am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In between all this I also worked part-time at Huntington Learning Center, coached three seasons each of junior high girls basketball and junior varsity softball, and began teaching as an adjunct instructor.
I also try to attend any workshop or conference that I believe will be beneficial. I have served in a leadership capacity for several local and state organizations and have found such involvement to be a great way to make connections with other library professionals. This can be difficult for librarians who are isolated in their buildings. I have been to the state conference (PSLA) almost every year since I started college and was able to attend PETE&C once. I hope to get to AASL (why is this during the school year??) and ALA sometime in the near future.
Social networking tools are also helpful to stay connected and learn new things. I have a separate email account for all of the list servs I belong to. Last week was crazy in the library (in a good way) and I hadn’t had a chance to go through all of the emails. The inbox had almost 1500 unread emails this morning. As I sort through them, deleting most and saving information from others, I began to wonder if there is too much out there to keep up with. I tend to save a lot of links and information “just in case”. A good thing or time waster? Twitter is a great tool, but how many people can you truly follow? I have many lists that I break my “following” list into, but it is still overwhelming at times. (And frustrating when an abbreviated link is blocked by the school filter and I know I either won’t remember to check at home or won’t be able to find it.)
The thing about quality professional development is that you have to initiate it yourself. I suppose that is part of being a professional, too. I don’t understand those who say they are too busy to do it-any of it. We are all busy, but we have to do what we can, not drive ourselves crazy by trying to do too much or belittling ourselves for doing too little. You can’t read every Tweet, article and email, but something is better than nothing. It is critical now for librarians to stay on the cutting edge through PD opportunities, large or small, formal or informal.
I realized not long ago that except for an 18 month period during my first year and half of teaching, I have been in some type of formal education program. I went straight to graduate school from undergrad. After a brief break, I started working on an associate’s in accounting. I thought this would be a good idea since understanding finances would be helpful if I ever ran a large library and I could pick up a business education certification. I abandoned that program when I began to question how much I would remember down the line. I also decided that a doctorate would be more beneficial in the long run and I wanted to get it done while I was still young, carefree, and single. I’m currently developing the research prospectus for my dissertatation and am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In between all this I also worked part-time at Huntington Learning Center, coached three seasons each of junior high girls basketball and junior varsity softball, and began teaching as an adjunct instructor.
I also try to attend any workshop or conference that I believe will be beneficial. I have served in a leadership capacity for several local and state organizations and have found such involvement to be a great way to make connections with other library professionals. This can be difficult for librarians who are isolated in their buildings. I have been to the state conference (PSLA) almost every year since I started college and was able to attend PETE&C once. I hope to get to AASL (why is this during the school year??) and ALA sometime in the near future.
Social networking tools are also helpful to stay connected and learn new things. I have a separate email account for all of the list servs I belong to. Last week was crazy in the library (in a good way) and I hadn’t had a chance to go through all of the emails. The inbox had almost 1500 unread emails this morning. As I sort through them, deleting most and saving information from others, I began to wonder if there is too much out there to keep up with. I tend to save a lot of links and information “just in case”. A good thing or time waster? Twitter is a great tool, but how many people can you truly follow? I have many lists that I break my “following” list into, but it is still overwhelming at times. (And frustrating when an abbreviated link is blocked by the school filter and I know I either won’t remember to check at home or won’t be able to find it.)
The thing about quality professional development is that you have to initiate it yourself. I suppose that is part of being a professional, too. I don’t understand those who say they are too busy to do it-any of it. We are all busy, but we have to do what we can, not drive ourselves crazy by trying to do too much or belittling ourselves for doing too little. You can’t read every Tweet, article and email, but something is better than nothing. It is critical now for librarians to stay on the cutting edge through PD opportunities, large or small, formal or informal.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Libraries without books
Books are such a sensitive topic, especially to those who work with them on a daily basis. While I love the physical book, I understand the evolution of medium and concede that there is nothing wrong with ebooks. Well, most of the time. Let's explore this.
Pleasure Reading
I recently read my first novel on my iPhone. I still can't believe it. Yes, it is a small screen, but when you are truly captivated by the story, it doesn't matter. I read Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand as part of a book club for work. It was a wonderful book and I highly recommend it. I liked the fact that I always had the book with me and could read a few minutes here or there since my schedule is a bit crazy right now. I thought it would be a little tough on the eyes, but I played with the settings until the page was more of a beige than bright white and a little dimmer. (I must confess that while I enjoyed the experience, I want an iPad even more so that I have a bigger screen!). I did have some trouble flipping back and forth between the story and hyperlinked notes. Overall, I can see the appeal and ease of using ebooks for pleasure reading. While I'm getting on the ebook bandwagon, I don't have an ereader yet, which always surprises people. But I'm a librarian - shouldn't I have one? When I was interviewing for my current position, one of the administrators asked which ereader I had and his look of surprise was priceless when I said I didn't have one. I clarified that I want an iPad since they are more versatile and can use the apps for the major vendors such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Once Adobe and Apple get the Flash issue straightened out (and I have a few dollars) I'll get the iPad.
Textbooks
I keep reading articles about how college students will choose a physical textbook over an ebook even if it is cheaper. While the thought of not carrying around textbooks is appealing, there are some concerns about e-textbooks that lead me to believe the technology just isn't quite there yet to eliminate all print textbooks.
Elimination of libraries
As the great "we don't need libraries anymore" debate rages on, I can't help wondering if the wording in the discussion is simply wrong. Libraries aren't going away; the format is simply changing. Every so often a university grabs headlines by claiming that they are eliminating the library and going completely online. Some applaud the advancement, while others lament the elimination of the cherished print collection. Ironically, the same people who protest the elimination of physical books celebrated the implementation of electronic journals. Oh, the access! they cried. Are these journals different now that they are accessed online? No, they are the same. And so are the books that are now ebooks. Do books make a library or is it something else?
Does this mean that we should get rid of all libraries in favor of servers and online reference help? No, but perhaps we need to re-evaluate what the definition of a library is. I also believe that there are two discussions happening simultaneously - what the library community believes the definition and future of libraries are and what the lay community believes. And that perspective differs greatly when it comes to print vs online materials. One of the toughest concepts I try to get across to my students is how to cite online sources. First, they need to determine what the source is - book, periodical article, original database article. Then they must determine how they accessed it - print, website, database. It is a two step process that genuinely confuses them because they perceive everything accessed via the Internet to fall under the general umbrella of "online" and don't see the distinctions in formats. The lay community tends makes the following assumption: libraries = books = outdated. That view needs to be changed to: libraries = information regardless of the format = necessary for a free intellectual society.
Education may be the key here. We, as librarians, need to educate our patrons (students, faculty, administrators, public, board) about these differences and what they mean. Perhaps then, when we are all speaking the same e-language, we can begin to figure out (together) what libraries are and what the future holds.
Pleasure Reading
I recently read my first novel on my iPhone. I still can't believe it. Yes, it is a small screen, but when you are truly captivated by the story, it doesn't matter. I read Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand as part of a book club for work. It was a wonderful book and I highly recommend it. I liked the fact that I always had the book with me and could read a few minutes here or there since my schedule is a bit crazy right now. I thought it would be a little tough on the eyes, but I played with the settings until the page was more of a beige than bright white and a little dimmer. (I must confess that while I enjoyed the experience, I want an iPad even more so that I have a bigger screen!). I did have some trouble flipping back and forth between the story and hyperlinked notes. Overall, I can see the appeal and ease of using ebooks for pleasure reading. While I'm getting on the ebook bandwagon, I don't have an ereader yet, which always surprises people. But I'm a librarian - shouldn't I have one? When I was interviewing for my current position, one of the administrators asked which ereader I had and his look of surprise was priceless when I said I didn't have one. I clarified that I want an iPad since they are more versatile and can use the apps for the major vendors such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Once Adobe and Apple get the Flash issue straightened out (and I have a few dollars) I'll get the iPad.
Textbooks
I keep reading articles about how college students will choose a physical textbook over an ebook even if it is cheaper. While the thought of not carrying around textbooks is appealing, there are some concerns about e-textbooks that lead me to believe the technology just isn't quite there yet to eliminate all print textbooks.
- Staring a a screen all day is physically and mentally draining.
- The battery life of laptops and ereaders may not last through hours of classes and library time - there are only so many outlets in classrooms.
- Some subjects (business, math, science) require the regular use of tables and other appendices in the back of the book. It may be difficult to read the charts depending the size of the ereader and it may be easier to flip back and forth with a physical book
Elimination of libraries
As the great "we don't need libraries anymore" debate rages on, I can't help wondering if the wording in the discussion is simply wrong. Libraries aren't going away; the format is simply changing. Every so often a university grabs headlines by claiming that they are eliminating the library and going completely online. Some applaud the advancement, while others lament the elimination of the cherished print collection. Ironically, the same people who protest the elimination of physical books celebrated the implementation of electronic journals. Oh, the access! they cried. Are these journals different now that they are accessed online? No, they are the same. And so are the books that are now ebooks. Do books make a library or is it something else?
Does this mean that we should get rid of all libraries in favor of servers and online reference help? No, but perhaps we need to re-evaluate what the definition of a library is. I also believe that there are two discussions happening simultaneously - what the library community believes the definition and future of libraries are and what the lay community believes. And that perspective differs greatly when it comes to print vs online materials. One of the toughest concepts I try to get across to my students is how to cite online sources. First, they need to determine what the source is - book, periodical article, original database article. Then they must determine how they accessed it - print, website, database. It is a two step process that genuinely confuses them because they perceive everything accessed via the Internet to fall under the general umbrella of "online" and don't see the distinctions in formats. The lay community tends makes the following assumption: libraries = books = outdated. That view needs to be changed to: libraries = information regardless of the format = necessary for a free intellectual society.
Education may be the key here. We, as librarians, need to educate our patrons (students, faculty, administrators, public, board) about these differences and what they mean. Perhaps then, when we are all speaking the same e-language, we can begin to figure out (together) what libraries are and what the future holds.
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