Starting Fall 2012, we are experimenting with Blogger as a research and communication tool. Our mission is to collaboratively build this blog. You have the freedom and authority to post articles, links, images, documents, questions, and anything else relevant to the class, all of which may be commented on by your peers.
Because the course blog is an experiment, please provide feedback to the instructor at the end of the course (via email or SOTES) about how you liked or disliked using the blog as a tool for learning. Thank you!
How to use this blog as a research tool
- Please limit one article or question per blog post. In other words, publish each item separately before posting a new one. This allows materials and conversations to be retrieved individually. You are free to post as many times as you have comments and materials to share.
- When you share an article please include:
- Your name: last, first.
- The bibliographic citation, preferably in APA format.
- A summary of the article in your own words (this may be as brief as you want it to be).
- An evaluation or opinion of the article / research.
- Labels, also known as tags, to make your posts more retrievable.
- Use the label tab on the right to make your labels.
How to use this blog as a discussion forum
We hope that students will see this blog as a fun tool for sharing and discussing ideas with each other. You are welcome to comment on any and all blog posts: articles, images, links, questions, etc. If you want to start a discussion topic, simply pose the question or address the issue in a new blog post, label it "Discussion", publish, and wait for responses.
NOTE: If you have a question for the instructor, please email him rather than post the question in this blog.
To ensure that you don't miss any of the action, subscribe to posts and comments using the RSS feed options on the right side of the blog.
Geist, Karen
ReplyDeleteBrasile, F. (2019). I Want it All. And I Want it Now. The Washington Library Association Journal,35(1), March, 5-7.
The article I Want it All. And I Want it Now describes how today's collections reflect a different reality. Years ago print books remained the same, 8-track, cassettes and VHS tapes were replaced by new technology. The old were replaced by CDs and DVDs. Playaways were introduced but what was replaced? Nothing …. Patrons want all formats. They have more options than ever to consume content. There are more formats to choose from, and the formats are more flexible than ever allowing patrons to interact with materials on the road, in the office, or atop a mountain. Digital media circulation has grown substantially while print circulation has decreased. This is great for the patron but presents significant challenges to many libraries. “Determining how to allocate the library materials budget has become increasingly complex in recent years,” says Helen Gutierrez Collection Services Manager with SPL. Print books have a set cost, digital items can cost 3x that of its print counterpart. Some digital items never expire, some have specific expiration dates or uses. Seeking funds beyond the materials budget also had its limitations. Libraries can select fewer copies of items or eliminate certain formats. All may accomplish the goal of reducing costs but will that negatively impact patron and decrease customer satisfaction? Libraries are trying to work with vendors to develop better tools to aid in managing digital collections and demand. OverDrive is working with libraries by the addition of “Always Available” content. OverDrive added a collection of travel books that patrons can check out anytime, as many times as they like. They also added fifty of the most popular audiobooks to provide unlimited access. The challenge is going to be how to provide our patrons with rich, accessible collections with limited funds.
This article surprised me on a few levels. I did not realize the actual cost of digital items and never realized the challenges faced by any Collection Management staff. I naively thought that you buy a digital item and it is yours, like a book. There are so many options with various costs. Print books are on the decline while digital items are in demand but I think that everything will level off. I think standardized options for digital items are on the horizon. How can it continue this way? I think more vendors will brainstorm ideas to make working together with libraries easier and more cost effective.