The More Things Change

Just submitted another assignment. I had to follow several blogs and write a report on the topics they covered. I decided to follow the Library History Buff and iLibrarian.

I noticed that these blogs approach the same topic from different ends of the spectrum. The thesis statement is basically: Libraries provide excellent service using whatever technology is available to them. Sometimes this means Twitter. Sometimes this means sending a post-card. Either way, like change itself, some things never change.

The Nature of Info

This week's discussion regarding the difference between Data, Information, Knowledge and Wisdom.

I found the section concerning the nature of information to be enlightening (pages 286-287). I particularly enjoyed the fact that Rubin made distinctions between 2 pairs of similar terms.

The first pair was Data and Information. Rubin considered data to be pure fact, while information was data that has been applied meaning. Information, therefore, is potentially useful while data could just be a random set of facts.

The next pair is knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge encompasses both data and information, but adds the element of application. Hence, the potential use has been realized. Wisdom adds values to the knowledge. This final term fits into the mission of libraries, which are to affect society for the better through the application of information.

Contacts

I received word from my professor regarding my Lib/Info Center Report. I got 5 points knocked off because I did not cite my interview. But other than that she loves my writing style, she loved my use of screen-shots to illustrate my points and she learned quite a bit from my report. That's always cool. Oh, and I lost five points when there are 130 points possible, so I get an A.

I just applied for a Library job in the Green Library Circulation department. It's not an administrative position and it does not require an MLIS degree, but it pays fairly well so we'll see.

Jobs for Grads

I was shocked and dismayed to find the ratio of Librarian to Student in the public school system to be 1 to 953 (Rubin, 193). According to the slides for the week, and confirmed by the ALA Fact Sheet (http://www.ala.org/ala/professionalresources/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet01.cfm) the School Library is the most widespread type of library by far at 99,180 institutions. In an age where parents are concerned over class sizes that exceed 25 students per instructor, one would think that the proportions of Librarian to student would get some publicity.

The United States definitely has a culture that is motivated by fear. We see that in the public and academic school systems which only received funding because of Cold War conspiracies and Sputnik (Rubin, 200). Apparently, the prospect of one Librarian meeting the information needs of 953 students is not scary enough to fund a change.

Granted, class size seems more important for Teachers that are the primary educators and classroom managers for a group of students. However, I cannot believe that Librarians can effectively provide for the informational, educational and recreational needs of all those students alone.