The current role of the Internet and the World Wide Web in information and communication technologies shapes the roles and functions of information professionals, including public librarians. Librarians have a responsibility to their patrons to be aware of what is emerging and how these trends can benefit them and their information needs. Librarians fulfill the roles of technology leaders and trainers, serve as advocates for the library, encourage lifelong learning, and support privacy rights. There are numerous technological trends that librarians need to be aware of, such as: social networking, mobile devices, and learning spaces.
Patrons expect librarians to be technology leaders and trainers. For many community members the library is the place they go, sometimes daily, to access the Internet, read the newspaper, learn about new technologies and devices, and interact with these technologies and devices. When patrons come to the library for help using technology it is the librarian’s responsibility to be able to help or find the help the patron needs. Librarians are accountable to community members about trends with the Internet, especially because of the important role Internet plays in the spreading of information. Being familiar with ways that patrons can connect to the Internet in and out of the library will allow librarians to give patrons the ability to connect to the information they need, in the ways they want. Computers that are provided by the library are not the only way for patrons to utilize the Internet. Librarians need to be familiar with mobile devices such as smart phones, tablets, and even watches. Learning how these devices connect to the Internet means that librarians can help patrons get connected and for li...
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...te new technology and the challenges that come along with new technology. A librarian’s role is to encourage lifelong learning by providing access to spaces for that learning to take place. Staying knowledgeable about trends involving the Internet, mobile devices, privacy issues, and ways to bring that knowledge to patrons are instrumental ideas to being a librarian.
Works Cited
Cyrus, J.W.W., Baggett, M.P. (2012). Mobile technology: implications for privacy and librarianship. The Reference Librarian, 53: 284-296
Blakiston, R. (2011). Building knowledge, skills, and abilities: continual learning in the new information landscape. Journal of Library Administration, 51: 728-743
Cohen, A. (2009). Learning spaces in public libraries. Public Library Quarterly, 28: 227-233
Griffey, J. (2010). Social networking and the library. Library Technology Reports, Nov/Dec, 34-37
If you had the choice between your phone and a book,you would probably without thinking grab your phone. But what if you knew that reading is crucial to a future. In “Reading for pleasure Is in Painful Decline” by Stephen L. Carter and “Twilight of the books” by Caleb Crain, both authors argue about the state of reading in The United States. Within both passages they give valid points as to why and how the state of reading are negatively affecting the country. Stephen L. Carter represents how the decline in reading for fun is the main concern, while on the other hand, Caleb Crain shows it’s technology and social media that actually are the main contributors.
Rainie, Lee, Kathryn Zickuhr, Kristen Purcell, and Mary Madden. "The Rise of E-reading." Pew Internet Libraries RSS. Pew Research Center, 5 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 May 2014.
Darnton, Robert. "The Library in the New Age." NYBooks.com. The New York Review of Books, June 12, 2008. Web. 6 March 2012.
Libraries are the creations of scholars to preserve and distribute literature and documents to a wider audience. The push to digitize libraries and media to preserve and distribute it has been important to the overall cause of widespread online databases. These libraries are examples of how our technology can constantly do that digitization while monetizing works to support online traffic. Our advancements in the technological field allow digital media from those libraries to be accessed by cellphones, computers, and tablets at any time, anywhere. The way that this advancement works for us, is that companies can digitize the media and distribute it online, where it can then be downloaded
This library system is utilizing all the technologies and materials available to them to serve the community in the best way. Despite certain social indicators and demographic statistics indicating that the library should not be overly utilized, it is thriving and is heavily in use. There are areas that the library can look to improve based on statistical evidence, such as reaching out to the low income population and the over 55 years age group. This library seems to be meeting numerous needs for a wide range of patrons, and doing it well.
I’m part of the millennials generation where the internet and technology has rapidly increase in our daily lives. Learning the concepts of using a device much smaller than a computer and being able to surf the web using sources such as “Google” on a phone or tablet.
Holtzman, D. Privacy Lost: How Technology is Endangering your Privacy. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2006. Print.
They offer patrons more privacy by providing computer monitors that “are recessed beneath a glass surface and covered with hoods so that only the surfer can see the material on the screen” (p. 100). However, this method still doesn’t address the concern of children accessing materials online and can be costly. Another method recommended is that “librarians can encourage parents and children to search the Internet together” (p.100). This recommendation is under the belief that parents should not be allowing their children to surf the internet if they are not equipped or old enough to do so. A common recommendation is to offer internet literacy classes for parents to teach their children how to use the internet responsibly. While this seems to be a potentially effective method, there is still the concern that children don’t always listen and they could still be subjected to predatory behavior on the
Research has shown that having a classroom library increases literacy development in students, but how? This sparked my interest in researching how having a classroom library helps in literacy development. In particular, I looked at the type of texts that should be in a classroom library, the importance of classroom libraries and how classroom libraries should be organised. In my research, I found strategies used by teachers when it comes to the classroom libraries use and set up and the ways in which the classroom library promotes reading. I collected data from my placement school through artefacts and conducting an interview to help with my research and to gain a greater insight on how the classroom library was used in practice. With all
One of the primary goals behind the creation of public libraries is their expected ability to help minimize the gap between the rich and the poor, or the educated and the illiterate (Jaeger, Gorham, Sarin, & Bertot, 2013). To achieve this, libraries needed to host content that was curated to help provide educational material that also represented the social norms and values (Weigand, 1999). In other words, libraries were expected to serve as the hotspot where the public could educate themselves using resources that were not readily available elsewhere. However, as the history of libraries in the US suggests, the way public libraries provided resource to their users have taken several transformations reflecting the influence not only of those
Information literacy has to do with comprehension of information activities which is achieved through familiarity with different information technology implements as well as incorporating the traditional aspects of research. It is necessary to evaluate its importance to the discipline of nursing research for the purposes of advancing studies and adding to the growing body of knowledge on the subject. Information is available from a vast array of sources. Nursing research is however a very important discipline and it requires the exclusive use of reviewed, valid and reliable information. It is necessitated by the sensitivity of the field of healthcare. In this regard, there are information sources which are dedicated to the provision of adequate
... more now about an electronic library than I did in the past, I still have plenty of information left to learn. For instance, many times, I overuse Internet sources rather than seeking different types of research.
Library managers should organize technology-based training for librarians in order to make them comfortable with new technologies and more aware of their dangers. Since technology skills are important part of most library and information jobs, librarians should make sure they acquire technological skills continuously. University libraries should employed qualified information and technology specialist and troubleshooters to maximize system accessibility and provide a level of comfort to the librarians.
The Internet’s influence on our lives has spread throughout. According a 2009 US Census survey 74% of Americans use the internet and have access within their household.A number that has increased every year since 1990 and will sure grow in the future. In this survey they relieved that they did various activities on the internet including social media, (Facebook and Twitter) researching and reading news articles, watching YouTube videos, shopping and so much more all can be done with a computer or Internet enabled phone. With this ease of use and convenience it casts a shadow upon the future of printed and broadcast information. The Web’s instant and vast knowledge bank has changed ...
The Center for the Digital Future’s 2005 report found that 'among users 17 and older, 56.3 percent consider the Internet to be a very important or extremely important source of information for them' (p. 4). Online resource capabilities save an individual time as well as provide ease of access and availability to a broad scope of materials. Print books and journals, though they provide in–depth information on a particular subject, are not easily accessible and available at any particular moment. In order to access many books, an individual must either visit the local library or contain the book in his or her own private collection, which could be costly. Online resources can be accessed anytime at anyplace. “Overall, there is expanded access to information in a variety of formats from worldwide institutions, businesses, and universities" (Darrow & MacDonald, 2004, p. 22). Access to “worldwide” information puts a broad range of information in the h...