The New (Stanford) Literacy

As a reference librarian, I hear many complaints from faculty regarding their student’s inability to write: “They can’t write,” “They spend too much time on Facebook and Twitter–and don’t know how to construct complete sentences,”  “They don’t read books…how can they write in anything but text-speak?”  So, I was somewhat relieved to read Clive Thompson’s column “The New Literacy” (Wired, September, 2009) which reports on a new study that supports social networking and literacy skills.  To assess the impact of technology upon writing abilities, Standford University professor, Andrea Lunsford, has analyzed more than 14,000 student writing samples.  The “Stanford Study of Writing” concludes that technology is actually reviving the ability to write.  Lunsford discovered that students are writing more than any other generation—and it’s not all “bad writing.”  Researchers found that youth who participate in online writing are more skilled at adapting their tone and writing technique to the audience.  The most interesting thing about this study is the participant’s definition of “good prose” as being something that has an effect on the world.  For today’s young writers (at least those enrolled at Stanford), writing is about persuasion and debate.  As teaching librarians, we can serve as valuable resources in showing students how to find the right information to construct their argument— whether for a class paper or an online chat forum.  With all of this said, one cannot omit the fact that the study was conducted using Stanford students (I’d be curious to see how the study’s results would change using less privileged students).  Does anybody want to chat about it?

Wikipedia News: Usable, Accurate, and Edited

I just wanted to make sure you all caught today’s article on CNN.com “Wikipedia: No Longer the Wild West“.   It could make an interesting teaching point when discussing online communities, accuracy of reporting, and evaluation of information.

No Good News is…the News

The year is 2015 and “the press as you know it, has ceased to exist…” forewarns the speaker in the “Sci-fi” video clip Epic 2015 by Robin Sloan and Matt Thompson.   Epic 2015 is a great tool to use in the classroom when discussing new technology and the media.   A mixture of historical truth and future predictions, Epic 2015 begins with the invention of the Web in 1989 (through the birth of Amazon, Google, Blogger, Friendster, Google News, G-mail, Newsbot, Picassa, Google Books, Cloud Computing, and more…) to the presentation of the New York Times going entirely online (printed news is reserved for only for the elite and elderly).   “No actual news organizations take part” in the reporting.   Instead, everyone is a reporter — paid by the popularity of their story.  According to Epic 2015, news becomes trivial, shallow, and sensational.   This is a timely prediction as Time magazine recently reported that 49% of people would feel unaffected if their local newspaper folded, and the New York Times discusses charging for online access.  I think Epic 2015 could be a great conversation starter on the future of media, social/news networking, access to quality information,  and the critical evaluation of information.   In the classroom, you could ask students to research other sources for a dicussion on the future of newspapers.   After all, there’s been a lot in the news lately about the news.

Augmented Reality and Libraries: Possible Uses

On Tuesday I had a quick post introducing augmented reality(AR) applications. In this post I wanted to talk about some ideas on how libraries can take advantage of this kind of technology.

Image/facial recognition

The first two examples show the most common use of AR, where a computer recognizable image or facial recognition allows the AR software to display images on the screen of a mobile or computer device. Probably the easiest thing in the library to adapt to this method is the barcodes on our library materials. Similar to the Augmented ID, a library book can have a barcode or image on its spine or cover that will automatically display supplemental information about the book. This can include bio information about the author, related books or “you might also like suggestions”, and even retrieve a quick search for other works of the author through a federated search engine. You can also guide users based on where the book is located, displaying the subject areas to the left and right of the book. Once they have a book, they could also self check out using their mobile device.

Location based directions

One way is to combine the AR system with a spine label like ColorMarq that will provide an easy to recognize label for the AR software, and from there guide a user to a certain book. This wouldn’t require any fancy GPS mapping in the library. When someone finds a book in the library catalog, they can have the option to snap a QR code or unique image of the book, which will first store the information about the book. Then the user can first be directed to a specific section of the library, and once they are in the right section they can use a mobile device to scan the book spines to start being guided towards the book they are looking for. It doesn’t have to be an exact location, but more of a hot or cold directional process, where the software will get them as close as possible before telling the user to look for the book some where on this shelf, displaying the full call number as well. The reason I recommend a system that would use information located on the book, is that it would not require catalogers to maintain the location of the book. Instead it would rely on the call number system, and as long as the books are in the right place, would provide a dynamic location system from call number A to Z.

These are just some simple ideas of how libraries could implement an augmented reality. One of my favorite anime series called Denno Coil, shows a near future world where people will wear glasses that superimpose computer generated information over the objective reality.

Any other ideas?

-KF

Augmented Reality and Libraries: Introduction to AR

Augmented reality is an up and coming mobile technology that seems to have a lot of potential in the library field. The basic concept is to use a portable video devicethat can add information to what is being displayed on the screen. Its bit difficult to explain just in words, so here are a few examples of Augmented Reality applications being developed.

GE Smart Grid Augmented Reality

The simplest examples of augmented reality are computer recognizable images that can interact with a webcam to display additional information. This GE example shows a printable black and white image that when used in combination with a webcam and the GE website, allows you to see a 3D model. You can try it out yourself.

The Astonishing Tribe: Augemented ID

This is an example of an augmented reality applications that allows people to show links to content from social networks and other services online based on facial recognition software. this example shows a person turning off his personal social life profile and changing to a professional identity for a presentation. Later on your see someone from the audience take a camera phone and point it at the presenter to see the same links he made available earlier. She then sees a list of available profile links, clicks on Slideshare to see the current presentation, and rates him with four stars for his presentation.

Accrossair: Nearest Tube/Subway

Accrossair has developed an iPhone app that will allow people with the video enabled iPhone 3GS to display directions to the nearest train station. London is the only place supported now, but they are expanding the service to other major cities, including New York City. All you would have to is start the application and point the camera at whatever location you happen to be in. Color coded arrows will point you in the direction of the closest subway lines, along with additional information about distance from your location.

These are just some examples, and more can be found through the Wikipedia article as well. Tune in Thursday where I throw out some ideas on how these technolgies might be used in the library

Work it Baby, Work it

Ok, we’re all feeling the hype of the recession.  Why not promote all the entertaining and useful  resources available at your library? Check out our posts on beating the recession blues and on using the library to save money.

Drum Roll Please…Introducing the Butler Library Tote!

As part of our library’s marketing plan (and “Go Green” initiatives), E. H. Butler Library is thrilled to introduce our new tote bag, designed by talented Web Designer Dennis Reed, Jr.  The sturdy cotton canvas bag will be available for purchase at the Circulation Desk this fall.

Librarians: Get Smart

I’m sure many of you read the Atlantic article “Is Google Making Us Stupid” (July/August 2008), where Nicholas Carr argues that the internet is altering  our reading and thinking abilities.   As a follow up to this piece, the Atlantic recently published “Get Smart” (July/August 2009) in which Jamais Cascio argues that Google induced ADD is actually not as bad as we think.  In regards to the massive amounts of information available to us, he writes “…with the Internet, creating material is nearly as easy as consuming it…the proliferation of diverse voices may actually improve your overall ability to think.”   Steven Johnson, author of Everything Bad is Good for You, believes that the complexity of interactive media offered to us  is actually a form of “cognitive calisthenics”– something scientists refer to as fluid intelligence.  Cascio’s article explains fluid intelligence as “the ability to find meaning in confusion and to solve new problems, independent of required knowledge.”  He argues that we shouldn’t let fear blind us to the potential of the “knowledge-at-a-touch” era.  As a librarian, I agree with Cascio in that “the trouble isn’t that we have too much information at our fingertips, but that our tools for managing it are still in their infancy.”  Web 2.0 technologies and tools are just the beginning of the solution to information overload– and also offer new roles to librarians willing to think “outside of the book.”  What innovative workshops could your library offer to assist patrons in managing information?  At this year’s SUNY Librarian’s Association conference,  I attended a session entitled “Teaching Faculty and Staff How to be “Social” –Reinventing the Drop-In Workshop” presented by Carrie Eastman, Susanne Markgren, and Leah Massar Bloom  of Purchase College.  Check out the list of workshop ideas generated by participants, which includes a variety of workshops which follow the theme of information management.

Librarians in the Know for When You’re on the Go…

Following Anita Whitehead’s presentation on “The Roving Librarian” at the SUNLA 2009 conference, I’ve been thinking a lot about starting a similar program at Buffalo State. Realizing the importance of good marketing, we are currently brainstorming what to call ourselves (I don’t know if I really like the word roving…maybe vagabond or something else would be more edgy!) out on campus…along with what to wear.  Of course we are considering some cool looking t-shirt (perhaps something like this one found on the Unshelved website…or maybe this one?).  Once we get this very important element sorted out, our plan is to hit the bricks with our laptops (and pockets full of necessary supplies: stapler, pen, paperclips, etc.).  When I say hit the bricks, this also means going up the stairs to the 2nd and 3rd floors of our very own library.  As busy as our reference desk gets– we are certain that there are wanderers (um, vagabond students?) lost in the stacks.  We think we might try and purchase a small cart to wheel around (but not absolutely needed–as how much space do you really need for a small laptop?).  So, some things to work out:

1. What to call ourselves (roving, vagabond, etc).

2. What to put on our t-shirts (a question mark: “Vagabond/Roving Librarian: Research Assistance for Students on the Go” or “Roving Librarian: Ask Me for Help” or “Ask Me: Research Help for Students on the Go”??)…”Librarians in the Know for When You’re on the Go”…

3.  What to put on our signs (“Ask Me: Research Assistance for Students on the Go” perhaps?)

4.  Hotspots to hit on campus: Student Union, dorms, 2nd & 3rd Floors of our own library.  Do we need to schedule this as we do the reference desk?  Do we have certain hours when we are in the same place– or do we “switch it up?” Many of these things will work themselves out with time I think.

We’d welcome any feedback on suggestions!  I’ll keep you posted on how this all unfolds…stay tuned.

Clouds on the Horizon – Part 2

I thought I would start things off with a YouTube video taken back in the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco in 2008. Its a collection of short interviews asking various conference attendees “What is Cloud Computing?”

YouTube Video

Next is a definition from Wikipedia. I know its Wikipedia, but many articles are pointing to this definition at the moment (02/19/2009):

Cloud computing refers to the use of Internet-based (i.e. Cloud) computer technology for a variety of services,Whereby dynamically scalable and often virtualised resources are provided as a service over the Internet. Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure “in the cloud” that supports them.

The concept incorporates software as a service (SaaS), Web 2.0 and other recent, well-known technology trends, in which the common theme is reliance on the Internet for satisfying the computing needs of the users. An often-quoted example is Google Apps, which provides common business applications online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on Google servers.

The cloud is a metaphor for the Internet, based on how it is depicted in computer network diagrams, and is an abstraction for the complex infrastructure it conceals.

(Cloud computing. (2009, February 19). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:20, February 19, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cloud_computing&oldid=271830227)

You can also find a rough breakdown of the various types of “clouds” that are available form InfoWorld’s “What Cloud Computing Really Means.“