Unit 14

What cloud computing really means I've been hearing the phrase "cloud computing" a lot lately and was not sure what it meant. The article gives a lot of examples that I have never heard of so I'm still not sure what the different components are.

Explaining Cloud Computing
GoogleDocs was the only example he gave that I am familiar with. The comparison to the development of the electricity network where companies stopped producing their own power and instead plugged into a national grid makes the concept clearer.

The Future of Libraries
This was the best article all semester! It articulated several important points that librarians should keep in mind on how to prepare for the future, whatever it may be. Many of the issues he discussed have already begun, such as libraries becoming mainly a center of culture and the dominance of global systems. The most intriguing idea was the prediction that literacy will be dead by 2050. While it may be easier to dictate to your computer, I don't think people will completely abandon the keyboard and having things written down. For example, it's so much harder to find information on tape, say an oral history, than it is to find it on a transcript of the tape. But, it is a valid issue to discuss.

Unit 13 Muddiest Point

I have no muddiest point for this week.

Unit 13

No place to hide
A website sponsored by the Center for Investigative Reporting. I read the interview with Senator Patrick Leahy and was surprised at his description of how information flowed at the FBI command center. Everything was written by hand rather than sent by email. I can understand the worry about hackers gaining access to classified information but in Leahy's words, it seems like an antiquated way of collecting information.

Total Information Awareness and data mining
It states that Congress closed the Pentagon's Information Awareness Office which supported the TIA project. I wonder if this was purely due to funding issues or if there were other reasons that government data mining was not effective enough to prove worthwhile to Congress.

 

Assignment 6

http://www.pitt.edu/~elh52

Unit 12 Muddiest Point

I have no muddiest point for this week.

Unit 12

Weblogs: their use and application in science and technology libraries
I agree that the blog is a feasible alternative to listservs and email chains (because it can archive discussions), but I don't think it works as a project management tool. That use would best be served by a wiki so that every participant has equal access to contribute in an organized layout.

Using a wiki to manage a library instruction program

As an intern with StoryCorps, I was able to utilize their wiki to learn about each department's responsibilities. They need a centralized space because the staff is spread out across the country; anyone is able to download forms and manuals directly from the wiki. The article points out the main advantage of wikis when it advises to "use everyone's specific experiences and valuable individual expertise."

Creating the academic library folksonomy

I wonder how much of a problem "spagging" is on library websites. Having subject specialists start the process is a good way to set a professional environment.

Jimmy Wales: “How a ragtag band created Wikipedia”

I'm surprised there was only one software developer maintaining Wikipedia in 2005. Have they added any more paid employees?

Unit 11 Muddiest Point

I have no muddiest point this week.