On Not Reinventing The Wheel

Don't reinvent the wheel...
Originally uploaded by cantidolce

For my library's summer project I was supposed to look at some library-related wikis. The first few I looked at didn't interest me much - and I was surprised to see that most of them aren't what I think of as wikis at all. I am used to the Wikipedia approach with people editing entries when what I found in the library wikis was more along the lines of individuals contributing entries. Didn't seem like a lot of editing on most of them.

But the one I really liked was Library Instruction Wiki. People are linking to webpages they have created for classes. Need an exercise on Boolean logic? How about a tutorial on "How to Read A Scientific Journal?"

Way cool. I've already bookmarked it.

As boring as a library

Extreme Library Sleeping
Originally uploaded by myfish8me

I just tried LibraryThing. My library is here. I checked the suggestions, looked at the cloud, yawned. I don't get it. Why should I care about this?

On Achieving Fame

A Little Piece Of Heaven
Originally uploaded by John Vanderbeck

So, as part of our Library's Learning 2.0 exercise I was duely visiting Technorati and I decided to look up Criminal Brief, which is the blog where I time-share with other mystery writers. It turns out we have an "Authority" of 24, which gets me started on the whole library issue of source authority, and we won't go there.

I found myself mentioned several times in the comments about Criminal Brief. Was it my shrewd insight into genre literature that attracted bloggers' attention?

Nah. Mostly it was a conversation I had with a ten year old on a flight to D.C. Plus my favorable review of Books-A-Million brownies. (And yes, Flickr came through with a photo of, SPECIFICALLY, a Books-A-Million brownie. Incredible.)

Comes the dawn

Dawn (not Red)
Originally uploaded by taborphoto

Yesterday my library was treated to a presentation by Anne-Marie Dietering of Oregon State University on "Learning 1.0 in a 2.0 World." You can read it at her blog.

About an hour into her talk I had one of those wonderful "Aha!" moments when I suddenly grasped the big picture of what she was talking about (I think). And then I realized that she had said it at the beginning of the presentation, but I hadn't understood it then.

Here's me paraphrasing. We (meaning at least I) have been asking this question: "How do we use Web 2.0 to encourage/help students to use the library?"

But it's the wrong question. What we need to ask is: "How we can use the skills and resources of the library to help students use Web 2.0?"

Because all the information literacy skills that are our stock in trade are needed for using the tools that make up the Web 2.0. Students need our help untangling the scholarly implications of blogs and wikis just as they need it to wander the maze of scientific journals.

And here comes the Sufi-like trick in the tale: It turns out that the right question IS the answer to the wrong question.

How do we use Web 2.0 to encourage/help students to use the library?

By using the skills and resources of the library to help students use Web 2.0.

Now all we have to is figure out ways to do it. That's the tricky bit.

Hero is my hero

So, how long have we had programmable robots? Would you believe 2000 years? A Greek dude named Hero built a device on wheels that he could program to move forward, back, turn, pause, etc. His programming device? A piece of string, some weights, and some wheat grains. Read the article in New Scientist http://tinyurl.com/2u732e for a clearer idea of the thing.

Creepy

Creepy Shadow
Originally uploaded by barrettdarnell

Ok, I have gone through the various elements of Learning 2.0 with a Right Good Will, as the saying goes, but MySpace got my hackles up. I found myself reluctant to put in any information. Why the hell is it any of their business?

I strongly suspect I'll be taking it down as soon as the exercise is over.

On the other hand, I do like going to Flickr to find photos that match the blog entries. I think Firedoglake is the master of that.