Swimming in the information ocean

So I've started another online course. Glutton for punishement! This one is all about how to stay on top of information overload especially as it related to the future of the library industry and providing library services. This first week, a number of our 'readings' are vidoes, so I'm working my way through them here, reflecting as I go. Feel free to join in!

Did you know 3.0? 

The thing I took away from this one is a new perspective on the modern age. Sure I know technology has been developing at the speed of light lately, but to picture a graph with time on one axis and amount of information being produced on the other, well, it's exponential. Even the number of words in our languages is going up exponentially! In the history of humankind, no people have had to deal with a situation like ours today, to organise so much data. Can we manage?

Did you know? 4.0

So this was created in 2009, a short four years ago. I think some of their statistics may already be out of date! How about the one that say the mobile device will be the world's primary connection tool to the Internet in 2020?

I suspect is already is! I totally agree when they say it's easier to reach a large audience, but harder to connect with it. I was thinking about my online reading habits. It's actually really rare for me to be searching for something really specific when I'm using social media. So much of it is browsing, scanning, surfing around almost aimlessly. Is that the way to navigate through huge amounts of data? It also seems to be all about the 'new', and things become old really quickly. I still don't really get what is meant by convergence though...

Library of the Future

OK, so there's the old way and the new way. I'm for the new way. I'm ready for a constantly growing and changing work environment, I'm all for green / sustainable libraries, and I agree that creativity and suitability for the job should determine our roles rather than job title. Bring it on!


Ted talks are brilliant. I keep forgetting how brilliant they are until I watch another one. This one's about the future of libraries, from a passionate library advocate. She poses the question - when everything is online, why come to the library? I visit the library all the time, so here are my reasons why, and it's kind of the opposite of what she has suggested. I have enough online in my life - so I go to the library to check out physical books. I like to get deeply involved in the world of my book and forget everything else. I often finish novels in one sitting when there are no distractions. I also love the fact that they are there in the middle of every community, and they are familiar, welcoming places for everyone.