Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Humanists, Techies and Technology

I have been thinking lately about the difference between a techie approaches to technology as compared to a humanist approach. I previously described myself as more of a humanist: i.e. one interested in the welfare of humanity as well as a student of the liberal arts and one with more of a scholarly bent (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 4th ed). I am motivated by ideas more than gadgets. I am not likely to walk around with devices hanging from me. For me, a Bluetooth is for making phone calls, not bling. I like a good book. Technology is a means to an end – the pursuit of knowledge and culture. I am fairly ambivalent about which device to use as long as it is the best one for the job.

A techie is someone who possesses an interest in, or studies technological fields such as electronics (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 4th ed). With a techie, these tools may be directed to certain ends, but the focus tends to be on the technology itself. Techies are enthusiasts. In the fashion of all enthusiasts, some things become “must haves.” They may promote technologies which may be exciting and engaging, but may also be expensive, time consuming to produce and of limited value in promoting knowledge and civilization.

I strive to be a technologically informed humanist. I may not be cutting edge, but I try to stay abreast of what is current in the field. I tend to carefully choose which technologies I use on a regular basis. There are also some new technologies which I am watching to see how they develop. As a humanist, I realize that technology is a two-edged sword. Some applications can make the dissemination of some knowledge easier. Newer technologies in particular often impose barriers between those who can and cannot afford new technological devices. My end goal however is bigger than devices. It is deeper than trends. It is to support the making of a better, well informed society.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Lights, camera, search

Most know me to be more of a humanist than a techie. Still, technology, when used rightly, can go far to aid in our other pursuits. As an avid public library user, and a holder of an MLIS, I have learned a great deal about our local public library’s OPAC. There are many ways to use it that the average user may not know. Screen capture software can enable libraries to demystify the more advanced features of the catalog. In the following tutorial, I show how a patron may search for a DVD in the local library collection. Such tools (this one is Jing which is free software), can easily be applied to teaching task oriented skills that can enrich a user’s experience of the library.



click on the following link to view the tutorial for full sized showing
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Friday, November 13, 2009

A Poem

The Booklovers’ Books

You can recognize us, the book lovers
By our favorite books:
That hardback with bent and balding corners
Which always fall open to a favorite page
As if it were an old habit too hard to break,
Or that paperback with the cover
That is warped by the perspiration of our palms
Which sheds its leaves like the tree it once was.
We know that we should have thrown them away
Long ago, but we can’t.
To us they are more than spatters of ink
On the ground guts of trees:
They are the treasured moments of our lives
Which we live and relive
Until we live the lives out of them.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Works in Progress

I remember someone once saying “it is not how they come in: it is how they leave.” If we take education seriously, it is easy to be discouraged by some of the students that enter our libraries. We need to remember that they come from all backgrounds. Some of them have had the benefit of a good secondary education, however some were not afforded that privilege. Some have had fewer life experiences than others. Then there are those who seem to struggle with life management. First-year students in particular may fumble their way through a year or two.

Looking back, I remember how confused and clueless I was as a freshman. I do not remember how many times I embarrassed myself. I also struggled with managing time and assignment workloads. I remember once entering the wrong class sitting through roll call, and even answering to the wrong name because I thought the instructor was mispronouncing my name. My first couple of years was lackluster to say the least.

It has been my privilege to see many students blossom. Some of the most hapless freshmen can become competent students and capable adults by graduation. We play a part in that transition. It is important to keep in mind that all students are a work in progress. Every time we help a student get over his or her fear of the computer or the OPAC, or every time we help them become more information literate, we move them closer to being the person that they are capable of being.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Henry E. Legler - Humanist, Librarian, Scholar


The other day, I happened across a book by Henry E. Legler on the Internet Archive. I have yet to read the book, but was struck by the warmth and admiration expressed in the introduction. In further reading about Mr. Legler, I found that sentiments like “scholarly,” “visionary,” and “imminently personable,” were used to describe him. The introduction that I read said that he not only had a sense of vision, but through his pursuit of that dream brought culture and enlightenment.

Legler was the librarian of Chicago’s  public library from 1901 – 1917. He was unanimously chosen by the trustees of the Chicago Public Library as the best person to be the librarian. As the librarian he introduced the first comprehensive branch library system in America. He remained a strong advocate of library expansion. He was a hard worker. J. Christian Bay, the writer of the introduction mentioned earlier said, “Library work was the means in his power of making his fellow-men ever more free and happy, ever more the masters of themselves, ever more capable of being guided, not by fear and never by prejudice, but by a live responsibility to the spirit within them.” Legler was also a man of letters who contributed greatly to the fields of history and literary criticism. These are just some of his contributions to librarianship and scholarship.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Being Attentive

The other day, after helping a student with the photocopier, I noticed a student sitting at one of our computers with a lost look on his face. The rest of his body language, slouching, head resting on his fist, the paleness of his expression, led me to believe that he had been working hard for some time. I approached him to ask if he needed some assistance. As it turns out, he had been searching for about an hour for some articles for a paper. He had several hits, but not what he was looking for. I asked him to tell me a little about his project. A brief reference interview told me what I needed to know to help. With a little bit of reference magic, I found all that he needed. I also showed him some of the interesting features of the databases we used, like the citation features.
For one reason or another, patrons do not always feel comfortable asking for help. This may be signals that we inadvertently send out. It could also be their personal hang-ups which have nothing to do with us. As a result, we need to be tuned in to what is happening with the patrons around us. We need to be constantly on the lookout for that person who needs help. It is not enough to wait for patrons to ask help of us: we sometimes need to make the first move.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Ever Vigilant



Kevin Melrose in his blog made many of us aware of the Wall Street Journal’s article questioning the need to champion freedom of information.  After all, the writer says, most of us are not aware of widespread federal bans in recent history. He also points out that citizens have a right to air grievances against the government. To an extent, on those two accouts, he has a point, but it misses the whole issue.  Having many friends on the right and left who are uneasy about some of the books that libraries lend, I can understand some where they are coming from, but their solutions are misguided.

There is still a great need to protect our right to information (which is really right to ideas). For starters, we forget that the freedom of the press was a hard won right. Whenever there have been powerful governments, the tendency has been towards censorship. This spans from fascist states to communist states to dictatorships or theocracies. Freedom of the press in the west is a rather recent privilege, and in much of the world, it still is not.

Secondly, we need to be aware that there are always people or groups, whether liberal or conservative, who would rather have some material be removed. Within a week of obtaining my MLIS, a friend of mine who is a conservative political activist asked me why we have certain books in the library. I told her first that I am everyone’s librarian and not just hers. I also pointed out to her that many of the books that she values most had been challenged. In my current library, in the nine years that I have been here, we have only had one book challenged. That book was challenged because someone felt it was anti-feminist. For whatever reason, there are those who would chip away at our rights to have and express ideas which may not be all that popular to some.

One thing that we have to keep in mind is that freedoms are not irrevocable. A constitution is only affective if it is supported by the majority of the people. Even in our own constitution, there is granted the ability to ratify what it written. We may not experience a coup or revolution in our own lifetime, but opinions can be slowly worked on over the course of generations. It may be our grandkids who do not have access to classics, religious texts or opposing political views. The maintaining of rights necessitates constant vigilance.

At the heart of the issue is a misguided presupposition: that if certain ideas were removed from the public discourse, then the world would be a better place. The problem is that everyone assumes that only the other views will be stricken. History shows us that when censorship happens, it is not the most “right” who wins, but the most powerful. Everyone else is the looser. Also, it need not be the federal government: local governments can be just as threatening to our rights. It is at this level that most of the battles have been waged.

I have two aims in sharing these ideas in this fashion. The first is to address central issues in a coolheaded fashion, which includes listening to the other side. Secondly, I wanted to give librarians (especially new ones) some ideas on how to talk to detractors, particularly conservative ones, about the need for continued vigilance in protecting the right to information. As Thoreau once said, what is the point of the ability to read if we never read anything of any value.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Patron Saint of Librarians


Who is the patron saint of librarians? Well, that is a bit of a trick question. There are at least two. St Lawrence is one and St Jerome is another. St. Lawrence is known for refusing to turn over the money of the church. He was roasted alive on a metal grid. A man with a good sense of humor, he is reported to have said, “Turn me over; I am done on this side.” He is also the patron saint of archivists.

Jerome was a scholar who translated the Bible into Latin and wrote many other books. He is said to be one of the most learned of the Western church fathers. He was also reported to have had a personal collection of books that he took with him when he became a monk. One of the legends of him was that he took a thorn out of a lions paw. Because of this, he is often depicted in his study with a lion at his feet. He is also the saint of scholars. Today is Jerome’s saint day.

So how do you choose which saint to be your patron librarian saint? Here are some suggestions. If you are in technical services, acquisitions or if you are outspoken advocate of patron privacy, I would suggest St Lawrence. Lawrence may also be a good choice for library managers. If you are an academic librarian, lean towards the scholarly side or a writer, I would choose St Jerome. Jerome is also more closely associated with books. Otherwise, choose the one that suits you the best.

Monday, September 28, 2009

We Are Breaking Out

Last weekend, I saw a local production of Macbeth. I enjoyed the interpretation as in the early 20th century South. Afterwards, I went up to congratulate the actors. Imagine my surprise in finding that one of the witches was one of my local public librarians. I had not recognized her because of the distance and the makeup. When I thanked her for her performance, she remembered me (which I hope was good).

That got me thinking of all the ways that librarians are breaking out of the library. Like the thespian librarian, we have our hands in all types of things. I paint, write and play a couple of instruments. One of my colleagues is an artist, another is an active gamer. In library school there was some talk of the belly dancing librarians who have a web presence. Librarians are also activists. Some are involved in counterculture movements. Even in the media, TNT’s campy adventure series takes The Librarian all over the world. Imagine that, a librarian as an action hero. Solitary wallflowers no more.

I would love to know what some other librarians do to break out of the library.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Living Sanely With Technology

Three social networking sites, two email accounts, cell phone, twelve podcast subscriptions, list serves, YouTube, hulu, this blog, blogs I follow…. Much of our lives are immersed with technology. In addition, many of us face the challenges in the field to keep up with the latest web 2.0 applications. There are days when I spend all day at work on the computer only to come home and log on again. If we are not careful, we can get lost in it all.

Technology offers us some wonderful opportunities. It is easier to connect with friends. We can video chat with professional contacts. We can connect to patrons across the city, state our country. Journals and newswires come straight to our monitors. I can even access digital reproductions of ancient manuscripts that a few years ago could only be seen by a few major scholars.

Then there is the dark side of technology. I heard on NPR yesterday about a young lady who could not stop texting and driving even though she had already been in two accidents. In one of the accidents, she was seriously injured. One of our instructors the other day said that he is finding that many of his younger students no longer are able to express ideas verbally. The dark side of technology is that it can diminish our humanness. It can give the appearance of life without the substance.

So how do we keep from going too far? One way comes from the world of spirituality. It is called unplugging. Unplugging is setting aside technology free time. This could be a couple of hour a week, one weekend morning a week, or whatever best suits your lifestyle. Use this time to read, create something or just relax. The idea is that, by stepping away from technology for a while, we can connect better to our inner self and rediscover our sense of being human.

It is important to keep in mind that technology was created for us, and not we for technology. Life is measured in moments, not bytes.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Encountering Change

For the past few years, “change” has been the buzzword in librarianship. I often hear the platitude, “change is inevitable.” My response to that is yes, and no. To an extent, change is inevitable, but not every change is. We as a community have the ability to shape changes.

I remember in undergrad, in my political science class, we talked about three basic approaches to change. The first one is the radical approach, which sees change as a good word and tradition as a negative. Adherents to this approach may see the ideal future as something from Star Trek or the Jetsons. The other extreme is the reactionary approach which sees Tradition as the ultimate good and sees any change as a threat. They may look back nostalgically on a past time. They may see the ideal past as an episode of Little House on the Prairie, or some other period drama. The final approach is the balanced approach which embraces and celebrates tradition while also reaching out to positive changes. This is where we need to be.

Not all tradition is good tradition, and not all change is good change. There are some changes which will help us to grow and become more efficient. There are also changes which can be a mere distraction and a waste of resources. Navigating the future will take an insightful analysis of possible changes on a case-by-case basis. The future is not something that happens to us, it is something that we create.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Do We Like Our Patrons

I recently asked an instructor at our school to test drive a simple quiz that I created while playing around with PowerPoint. She found it quite fun and easy until she got to the following question: “When a librarian is working on something at the desk, it is impolite to interrupt him or her – true or false.” She was stumped. “I guess it depends on what they are working on,” she answered. When I told her that she should never be worried about interrupting a librarian for help, she was surprised.

My own experience as a patron or visitor to libraries is that librarians can often seem distant. They may not make much eye contact. They may seem reluctant to speak to a patron. They may not smile. They may not look up from the computer when a visitor approaches. All of these things give the impression to a patron that you we would rather not be with them. I know that I have been guilty of these things myself.

Recently, I read The Reference Encounter: Interpersonal Communication in the Academic Library by Marie L. Radford. Radford made an interesting observation that patrons often judge the success of an interaction on interpersonal aspects as much or more as on the successful transmission of information. Perhaps, we enter the field of librarianship more for the love of books or organization that we do the love of helping others. We are often characterizes as serious and quiet, despite the growing trend among librarians to move away from that stereotype.

There is a great deal of writing out there about how to do outreach. Perhaps the best outreach is to reach out first to the person across the counter from us. Are we genuinely happy to see them? Do they in turn seem happy to see us? If we value our patrons, and show them with our demeanor that we value them, then they will better value us.