On Clifford Lynch
Mr. Lynch has taken a broad view of IT Literacy education. I must agree with him, up to a point.
I agree with Mr. Lynch that most people learn how to survive with their technology, but not how to thrive with it. We learn word processing, but are not really taught how to craft those words into a publishable document. Our creative efforts would be rewarded tenfold if we took the time to learn all the bells and whistles of the simplest software we already own and use.
The author has advocating a comprehensive scope to IT education. For example: he seems to think it practical to teach students how their search engines work, not just how to make them work. In an ideal world, with perfect teachers, learners, and fewer constraints this would be fantastic! I hope this course doubles (at least) my understanding of IT as it relates to library science, but I don't feel cheated or guilty that I don't know more than I do going into it.
On Content, Not Containers
I enjoyed this, against all odds. Here is what I appreciated:
I hadn't thought before that text had been exclusively married to paper, but is now promiscuously tarting about all over the Internet. What had previously only appeared in books and physical formats is buzzing through airways and wires, popping up on my phone and laptop.
The idea that new technologies hinder our access to information hadn't occurred to me. It is practically free to transmit information in almost limitless amounts, so providers charge for the access itself. It makes sense that I am willing to pay for access to an online journal if I cannot read it for free in the library. The format has cost me money for the convenience of access. The irony is that I probably would never had known the journal existed had I not found it using an online search.
As we become bombarded with more and more formats, it will take discipline and insight to choose the best information over the flashiest container. YouTube may be offering the same content as those mid-nineties 'zines we all printed out of our garages, but bright colors and easy accessibility do not make the actual information any better, just easier to use.
On J. Vaughan
This was a refreshingly practical look into the IT processes and offering of a major academic library. After reading about all the accommodations UN has made for its students (laptops, multimedia and such), I wonder if those students will graduate with a new understanding of what libraries are all about? Duke is giving everyone iPods, but will students appreciate that they are more than multimedia delivery systems?
Mr Vaughan has challenged my understanding of academic library budgets. As information becomes easier to access, and mostly free to consume, we can shift our library money away from text acquisitions and toward giant computerized cranes that retrieve old books, and toward laptops for everyone!
Muddiest Point
I wonder if all the technology we pump into our libraries will make the librarian obsolete in ten years? Will society outsource my profession to the lowest bidder with a Skype account? Will physical libraries be necessary after we digitize all of our materials? Will we someday be able to research as loudly as we please?
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