Appreciating A Challenge

The last eleven weeks in this technology course have tested me in a manner that I have not experienced for a long time. I have repeatedly had to venture outside of my comfort zone to finish the projects for this class. The lectures and readings, moreover, have compelled me learn about technological subjects I still struggle to comprehend. Inevitably, there were moments when I completely faltered and had to deal with the consequences. The most important aspect of this challenge, in the end, is to persevere. That I certainly have done, especially over the last few weeks. All that is left is one more project, but it is the most daunting of them to my mind.

Perhaps the most important realization from the course is the necessity for me to learn about current technology and the trends it represents. As a student with ideas about finding employment in the information industry, it would be detrimental to resume burying my head in the sand regarding technological developments. Cinema and French may have more appeal for me, but it is important to learn about subjects of a more practical nature from time to time.

Changes in the Newspaper Industry

This evening's guest on C-Span's Q & A interview program was Clark Hoyt, who recently ended his stint as the public editor of the New York Times. The public editor is the title of the ombudsman, whose job it is to investigate the practices of the newspaper when controversies arise. As Hoyt explained, controversy is an everyday matter for the public editor because someone is always mad about what the New York Times reporters write about.

Clark Hoyt has worked for newspapers since the 1960s. His employer until 2006 was the Knight Ridder company, which went out of business that same year as a result of the changing economics of newspapers. He readily admits that there is a major sense of loss in the journalism profession as newspapers cut back or shut down altogether. For Hoyt, the world of the print newspaper is over. The future of journalism lies in using and gaining revenue from the new digital platforms offered by the World Wide Web. He clearly states that this is an ongoing and painful process for the profession, but there are no alternatives to adapting to the digital information environment.

Another subject discussed in the interview is the current state of the news media. Clark Hoyt lamented the way the proliferation of news sources has permitted people to live in their own worlds. Rather than taking in multiple points of view on a subject or event and ponder which one has the most merit, people can now choose to only follow news sources that conform to their points of view and beliefs. This is just one step in the process of the breakdown, as Hoyt views its, of set of shared facts and values that should be at the heart of any informed discussion of current events and politics.

The most refreshing aspect of this interview for me is that Hoyt did not predict gloom and doom for the newspaper industry. He acknowledged the reality of a changing information environment that the old newspaper business must learn how to exploit for its financial benefit as well as for the good of information consumers. Hoyt described this moment in time as an exciting one for the newspaper world for this reason. Change can be a positive experience.

Being A Part of the English World

A book on the spread of the English language around the world was the subject of an interview last night on the PBS Newshour. Robert McCrum, the author of "Globish: How the English Language Became the World's Language", discussed how through the mechanisms of colonialism and strong economic and cultural influence English became a global language. As a student in an academic program intimately linked with the information environment, this conversation about the place of English in the world prompted me to contemplate how living in an English-language environment influences what kind of information resources I am exposed to. Perhaps the most salient observation that came to me is that I do not have to access any resource in a language other than English to find what I require or wish to know. If one is a scientist in Thailand, though, reading about the latest research will likely involve English since a large percentage of scientific research is published in English-language journals. In addition, a sizable part of the Web is also only available in English.



The ability to navigate the current information environment without having to switch to a different language has advantages for native English speakers, but I believe there is also a downside to living in monolingual environment. Using two or more languages exposes people to different interpretations of the world, for a language does reflect the unique aspects of the milieu and culture it developed in. Being able to access resources in multiple languages also expands the range of information resources that can be used for research.



For information professionals, such as librarians, is it more beneficial to work in an environment with resources in one language? Whatever one's answer to that question is, a monolingual environment is the reality of most people in the information profession in the United States. Having English as a native language and being part of what is still the the heart of the information generation center of the world, American information workers are sheltered from the complexities of navigating a world of resources written not written in a native language.

From Print to Digital

I heard a commentary about changes in libraries from an unexpected source: Nightly Business Report on PBS. Harry Lin, the president of a technology company, was talking about the forthcoming opening of a new engineering library at Stanford University. The distinguishing feature of this library is that the print collection constitutes only 15% percent of the previous libraries holdings. All of those missing materials are being replaced by digital resources. The physical books and periodicals were an integral part of Lin's library experience in college. He summons his memories of browsing shelves and making interesting discoveries to evoke the pleasures of a traditional library. I too have fond memories of strolling through corridors created by shelving, scanning the books, organized in rows, for a title or subject to jump out at me for an afternoon of reading.

As with everything, computers are bringing sweeping changes to the institution of libraries. Harry Lin succinctly sums up the situation: "Kids these days do everything digitally." Libraries have to adapt to changes in information use, even when those changes completely alter the way the institution functions. I am not completely at ease with the shift to digital resources, but what a thirty-something student grew up doing is not all that important anymore. I also begrudgingly admit that in certain cases digital resources are more convenient to access. My resistance to technology, in general, has undoubtedly softened as I have learned about the reality of librarianship today.


Here is the link to the commentary:
http://www.pbs.org/nbr/site/onair/transcripts/amazon_libraries_100720/

Social Networking and Debt Collection

This Monday's edition of NPR's All Things Considered featured another interesting segment of 'All Tech Considered.' The focus of it was on how debt collection companies are using social networking Websites to find delinquent borrowers. Most of the segment consists of an interview with a man who for a decade successfully eluded government collection agents trying to track him down for not paying his student loans. The end came when the man, on the prompting of his employer, created a Facebook page and posted contact information on it. Only one day passed after this before he received a call at work. You can guess what it was about.

Is there a moral to this sad tale? Perhaps this is it: If you are trying to avoid debt collectors, do not give yourself away online. (They're coming to get you, Barbara.)

Here is URL to the story:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128464415

I Want My Brain Back!

I am truly looking forward to not having any schoolwork in three weeks. The effort to keep up with three courses this summer- two of which have required enormous mental exertion just to comprehend the material- is sapping my mental vitality. After working on an essay for five nights, I feel especially drained (and elated) at this moment. It is not my fatigue that is bothering me the most, though. It is the lack of mental freedom I am experiencing. The schoolwork has monopolized my thoughts and creative energies over the last nine weeks. Even when I have devoted time to amusements, I have not been able to forget that there are tasks that must be completed by a particular day. This shadow of daily responsibilities hanging over my life is an experience I have not gone through for a while, and it not a circumstance that is easy for me to adjust to. There were times when the burden of the work was completely overwhelming. Over the last five weeks I have learned how to handle the pressures without panicking. I definitely have learned much about myself and my capabilities to deal with challenges throughout this summer term. I am just seeking a respite at this time.

Life and School

This summer has involved learning on many fronts. The primary aspects of my life that are vying for the attention of my mind are grad school and Pittsburgh. Sometimes I have struggled with balancing the demands of both. The schoolwork has undoubtedly dominated my experience of this summer. There have been times when I felt that I was devoting too much of my time to the work, but I have learned over the past couple of months how to create a work schedule that does not drive me crazy. More importantly, I am aware of the necessity to have a life apart from school. It is only in the past few weeks that I have started concentrating on creating a life for myself in Pittsburgh. I am looking forward to the August break in order to focus my time and energy for getting the most out of my stay here.