Final, Finally (minus an "F" word I left out)

Despite the fact that my computer rebelled during the last week and was actively working against me (shakes menacing fist at screen), here is the screencast for my final project. It goes all Wonky McCrazytown in the middle, but I have made my peace with this, the final screencast of the semester.

The accompanying wiki/blog.

Click To Play

I like my real life, thanks...

There I am, Honor Sommerstein, flying over the water after I've dragged myself out of it for the 100th time. Let's just say walking was a challenge for me.

I HATED Second Life. Hated. I just don't get it. I used to mess around with the Sims a little bit, but honestly after I dressed my people up and got them looking the way I wanted, I lost interest. Some would argue that the interactivity in Second Life is more engaging--you can meet and talk to people in real time. Well, OK. But I can walk to the corner and do that. I was so disoriented and uncomfortable in Second Life that it made me WANT to work on my MMP project--that's pretty bad, since I'll use any excuse to avoid working on it. I have enough trouble managing my real life. If I'm going to head out to find some bliss it is not going to be clicking buttons trying to connect with another compuer generated icon. I understand the appeal of recreating yourself in another world, but ultimately you still have to go back to the real one and deal with your sh**. Does Second Life ease isolation or create more of it? I guess it depends on how you define connection. It. Is. Not. For. Me.

Library-wise I suppose it's OK to experiment, but I'm going to stick by my mantra: Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should. Second Life, in my opinion, is one of those places better left to recreational gamers.

If I were Steve, I would give me an A

This class is a living example of something that could easily be perceived as a "dumbing down" of the SCILS curriculum to people who operate out of an old school mentality. The truth is that the technologies we learned about here could quite possibly mean the difference between being merely a competant librarian and an excellent, innovative one. This class is not set up to initiate you into the "cult of 2.0 technology", but to introduce you to the potential of the technology and its related pitfalls. Honestly, this class would do more to enhance the practical skills of a librarian than MMP.

Things that I took from this class that I am using and will continue to use:

• Wikis--these are gifts from a higher power for group work. I have three going right now and am considering a fourth.
• Screencasting--invaluable skill. If a course that I take online does not use some kind of screencasting element I do not feel connected to the course in any way. I see incredible potential for this.
• Flickr--I like the concept. It's nice to play with a medium that is not word based. Has potential to engage the entire library community.
• Blogging--I've always kept journals, I have a lot of opinions, I love blogs. Great communication tool when paired with RSS feeds.

Hated with a blazing redhot hate:

• Gaming. I know why it's important, and I think it needs to be covered, but--blech!
• Myspace/Facebook--it is my belief that people use social networking sites for reasons that probably do not include libraries. Libraries need to be there and aware, but not count on these sites to create a community for them.

Ch-ch-ch-changes:

• I'm a fan of weekly forum activity. In this case I think responses to blog posts should be mandatory throughout, or at least strongly encouraged. Perhaps group IM'ing? I think that we all had some great things to say and I would have been interested to see what we would have had to say to each other.
• Second Life portion might be enhanced by "meeetings". Assign three or four time periods where we could all meet up in Second Life, possibly pair up for activity or something. I felt very isolated in SL, having my classmates there might help.

I did love the class. It was fun, but most importantly, it taught practical skills while engaging our critical thinking. It wasn't just about HOW, but about WHY. Sometimes it's about content, sometimes it's about how the content forces you to think. Some other courses in the SCILS curriculum could afford to take a page out of Steve's book.

Society Needs A Dose of Vitamin L

My ideal world is one in which people come to libraries to check out books, to study, to learn new things, like the library of my childhood. Then, people associated the library with "important", vital things. It was where you went when you needed information, when you needed definitive decision, when you needed the kind of comfort that only quiet, solitude, and a good book could provide. If I had to define ideal library culture for myself, that would be it. The library, however, does not operate as a function of my mind (pity, that)--it operates in a societal structure that is largely out of individual control. To consider the function of a library as serving a fixed, timeless purpose, independent of the society in which it operates is what will doom the institution.

A library MUST operate as part of the society it serves. It must, to a certain extent, reflect that society. We can all cry into our beers about the dumbification of American culture, but unless the ALA is going to position itself as the savior of American culture and aggressively spearhead a movement to reclaim it, libraries have no choice but to evolve their collections and services to reflect what is actually going on in society. That said, I do believe that traditional library services and culture can be preserved and flourish, they just need to exist side by side with updated ones.

There is always going to be a segment of society that will lament the erosion of our culture. There will also be those who try to justify plain nonsense as intellectual discourse. The key is to find balance between the two. Bigger is not always better. Faster is not always efficient. More is not always fulfilling. Libraries should keep this in mind as they build collections and prepare programs for the digital generation. Create collections that are driven by quality, vibrancy, AND relevance. Yes, they may incorporate some less than highbrow aspects, but they don't have to devolve to "Rock of Love" level either.

Imagine a library world where people come to the libary. Actually come to the library. Some might come for books, some to play in a Guitar Hero tournament, some might drop in to check out a DVD or use the internet. But just imagine people having a central location to come, to meet, to relax, to possibly even learn, but ultimately to leave enriched in some way. Shouldn't that be a library's true mission anyway?