Thurs. June 29

I began reading the access principle today, I only got through the introduction after being chased from the pool by yet ANOTHER rain storm. I was very intrigued by the introduction, mainly because of the reference to the No Child Left Behind Act. Being a teacher, that is something that I am very concerned with, and I am eager to read further to see if this topic is discussed in greater detail within the book. I am also interested in the policies regarding access in regards to research (the teacher in me again). I haven't thought much about the topic prior to this, mostly because I wasn't overly aware of it, but now that I am going to, I have a feeling that I am going to have very strong opinions about it. I look forward to reading the book and finding out what position Bilinsky takes on the issue.

Sun. June 23

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO frustrated right now. I've been trying to create my webpage and it is just not working. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I've tried using the info. on the discussion board that other people have posted, but still nothing. I hate putting things off til the last minute, but trying to get eveything done on time and other things coming up just aren't going in my favor. I keep getting an error message, and I don't know if it's me or the server. I hope to get at least my tag cloud assingment done and save a copy of the clouds and post them to my website later, if I can ever get it to work.

Wed. June 21

I finished my scout portal assignment today. It was really not as scary as I had thought it would be. I found it very easy to use and it gave me ideas to use in the classroom...if I ever get the chance to have one. This would make a wonderful class project searching for historical sites of interest which could be incorporated into class discussions, a class project, or an interdisciplinary research paper. There could be endless possibilities given the technology that the students would be able to work with. Even if not using the actual scout portal for a class assisgnment, by completing the assignment myself I now have a good collection of teaching resources that I have easy access to in the future...again, if I ever get the opportunity to teach. Many of the sites that I found have a wealth of knowledge of different eras of history that so much can be done with. I'm getting excited just thinking about it....man, I really am a history geek.

Sat. June 17

After reading some of the posts about the digital divided and just thinking about all of the material I've read so far, I'm somewhat - surpised, I guess is the right word. In my experiences in high school and undergrad, I occassionally used library resources, pretty much only when I absolutely needed to. I think that I am just starting to realize just how much libraries have to offer to their patrons. I'm sure that there have also been some big changes, especially in the technology and media offered in libraries, even in the four years since I graduated. I'm starting to see that there are so many more resources than just books and periodicals offered in libraries and that the role of librarians are becoming more and more that of teachers, which I'm very excited about, since teaching is my first profession.

Thur. June 15

As the week continues on, I'm trying to get somewhat ahead in the work for both classes, since I will be busy this weekend. How successful I've been is another story. I did begin, and am almost finished with, the Huberman book about the laws of the web. I find it very interesting. I never really thought too much about how the internet worked - it just matters to me if it does, and how long it will be until it does if it is broken. My initial thoughts would have been that there is not a real pattern to the workings of web sites/pages, etc. The types and number of webpages and the amount of time people spend looking at them would appear to have no constant in common, however, there is a formula, which Huberman discusses, to describe these patterns. After reading it and giving it a little more thought, it does seem to make more sense. Almost all things on Earth, whether they be natural or man-made, can be explained by some kind of pattern or formula. Everything in this world happens for a reason, and it is the goal of scientists to discover and explain what that reason is.

Wed. June 14

The Baker and Lesk books were interesting reading. There are so many aspects of libraries that I never really thought about before. I never really thought about how the increase in information technology really effected libraries. I also didn't realize that there was such controversy over ways of preserving materials vs. not preserving at all. I never would have thought that books and newspapers would be destroyed and just thrown away once they were microfilmed. To me, that seems like it contradicts the purpose of a library in a way. I am also very interested to see what kinds of changes take place in libraries in the coming years as more and more technology is created and introduced into the library. It will be exciting and I hope to be a part of it.

Sat. June 10

I completed the Baker book on Thurs - Double Fold. I was amazed at the practices of libraries during the 1950s - 1980s, and even still today. Being the history geek that I am, I cannot beleive that anyone in thier right minds would destroy such wonderful resources as numerous runs of newspapers and so many books. It greatly saddens me, as it does Baker, to see all of these resources tossed aside to make more room in libraries. The main purpose of libraries is to provide information to patrons, whether it be literary information or historical information. Part of the importance of historical information is the document itself, not just the words and the message behind them. Microfilm obviously does not do justice to all that the newspapers of the past have to offer. Newspapers themselves are a rich part of history, as Baker mentioned Heart and Pulitzer and the news wars in New York of the late 1800s. To through all of that information away just to make more shelf room or to save money is an atrosity in my eyes. I am eager to read the Lesk book and see what his view is on digitalizing information.

Sun. June 4

I've been reading more of the textbook today for LIS2600. It's interesting learning all about the internet, however, I find it somewhat confusing trying to keep all of the technical terms and abbreviations start. IPs, domain names, DNSs - after a while it starts to sound the same. I know that with time, though, it will all start to sink in. Some of the information in the text I already know (surprisingly). I am comfortable with email and search engines, for example, which were discussed in chapter 2. I was also excited to read about newsgroups since that concept is being used for both classes. I think it helps me a lot to be able to read about something and apply also. With computers and technology, information sinks in better for me when I can actually do it along with reading it. I am normally a pretty good visual and audio learner for most information, but when it comes to computers, I am also as much kinesthetic as I am audio and visual. Well, back to the book for now. Got to finish cramming for the quiz tomorrow.

Fri. June 2

I finally had time to start reading the text for LS26000 the other night. Now that school is over, there will be more time to focus on work for me. It was interesting reading the first chapter on the basic introduction to computers. I found that there were a lot of terms that I had heard before and thought I knew, but the actual definition was not quite on the same page as my thinking of it. There were some things, too, that I found I did know that were a little surprising to me. I am anxious to be able to continue reading more of the text and to learn more about computers. They are becoming more and more a part of our everyday lives and I think it is important to understand them and how they work. I feel I have a somewhat limited knowledge of computers and all they are capable of, and I look forward to learning more about them and applying that knowledge in my courses in MLIS, in teaching (if that's where I stay), and in everyday normal experiences.