3. Mobile mind mapping

This week in my swimming (in the information ocean) course, we're getting started on individual topics with a bit of mind mapping. I have to admit, this technique never really worked for me... I always work by jotting down notes either on lined paper, or much more commonly on word processing software, then reading over them again and again, adding bits and pieces here and there as I think of them. One of the most inconvenient things about mind maps for me is running out of space and not having room to expand my thoughts. But one of the things I want to try again, since I have the opportunity, is seeing if I can think less linearly, and create a wider range of ideas, by following the easy steps available from Litemind.com

It also occurred to me that I could see what apps are available for mind mapping on mobile devices, since I'm also right into the 23 mobile things course at the moment. I've downloaded an iPhone app called Simple Mind and I'm going to attempt to mind map the topic Emerging and evolving technology (in libraries) – mobile platforms. I doubt I'll be able to do some of the things in the recommendations section above (use drawings copiously?) but we'll see. I'll publish my creation in a later post!

What is information literacy?

The topic for week two of the Swimming in the Information ocean is defining information literacy. One of the tutors introduced a document that I wasn's aware of (probably should have been!) called the Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework which contains 6 core standards. Follow the link to read more.

This isn't just a skill for librarians or students - now that so much information is available to everyone, information literacy has become a necessary life skill.

I created the following based on some course notes - everytime librarians was written, I replaced it with I, just to see how I felt about it. Hope I can live up to it!

I am the ultimate search engine. I know how to find the best information whether it’s in a book, a video, a pamphlet or on a website. Teaching others how to find and evaluate information is a unique skill that I bring to a society encountering a bewildering avalanche of information.

Information literacy beyond library 2.0 is an article by Peter Godwin that had some interesting ideas that reflect our times. For example, instead of making students into librarians, we should concentrate on giving them the necessary tools for building up their understanding of their chosen discipline. We should be aiming to light sparks rather than fill vessels.

Although, I'm still not sure how this works in practice. Are the two really that different? The author blasted purely theoretical positions and drew attention to the divide between researchers and practicioners, but I didn't get anything practical out of the article. Maybe the following chapters illuminate his ideas a little.

I see the students where I work struggle with finding information and I want to help them. I had a look at some universities chosen information literacy tools, like Edith Cowan's PILOT and QUT's Online tutorial. These are nice packages, but I have the feeling that students prefer to learn by experience within their subject. Still, I'm keeping an open mind...

YAY! I got 100% on my first attempt in the Week 3 quiz  :)

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.