I'm still here. This full-time work thing has made blogging all but non-existent in my life - I have no idea how my fellow librarians do it. Most of you have lives fuller than mine in that you have children and work and blogging and a social life and conferences, while I only have a job and a husband and part-time children. By the time I get home most days, I am simply too burned out to devote further thought to library land (or, rather, I think about it plenty, but just do not have the motivation to put thoughts to posts). I have spent the better part of the past year trying to decide if I would continue this blog, with no real conclusion reached as yet.
HOWEVER-
My last post was about the teens in my Teen Advisory Group, and their seeming complacency with regard to college-level work, research, and the usefulness/role of libraries in their educational lives. I was frustrated by the failure of the school department to impart on these kids the importance of libraries, and disheartened by the blase attitudes of the kids themselves. None of that has changed.
So, I was not at all surprised by this Facebook status update, posted tonight by one of the kids (now in college) referenced in my last post:
"(I) had no idea that trying to navigate her way through bookstacks in a library would be so difficult! Who needs books when you have the internet? The 24 hour mission: write an 8 page research paper and study extensively for an exam. Time starts...NOW!"
I tried to warn her...
I wonder if she will be able to get through four years of college at a rather prestigious university without actually needing anything more than the internet. If she can, I don't know if I will regard it as a triumph of modern technology (which I love) or a failure of our educational system from start to finish.
9 comments:
Great post! Finding time to blog is always difficult and real life certainly comes first. You'll get adjusted to the pace and you can always find people just to talk to instead of writing.
Generally, library blogs have slowed down. The way I see it, I only remove feeds from those that post too much or aren't of interest to me. Feed readers can just alert me of a new post whenever you decide to write.
That's interesting about the student. It's unfortunate that high school didn't challenge her enough to get her prepared for college. It's good that you are still in contact though.
Oh that makes me kind of want to pound my head against a wall.
Many institutions limit access to their online information. Making this information available will be an asset to all.
hello..
very nice...
gud effort..
I enjoyed visiting your blog...Here is a poem/video about librarians that I thought you might like (from Youtube), although it's not as cool as your blog. :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkcWgeqFmm8
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Not to sound rude, but I am currently trying to complete my social studies for the first year of high school online and self-directed. I am typing essays and answering questions online. In fact, I came across your website when I was searching the internet for the appropriate way to cite a website, practically irony when you think about it. I have no physical copies of books, only online copies, and I find plenty of information by searching the web. I use the internet for the majority, and while I don't directly cite Wikipedia, I do use Wikipedia to find articles I can cite as Wikipedia often has links to the information it's supplying. I even sometimes check the information in my textbook (when it is 6+ years old) with Wikipedia or other online sources to double-check how accurate the book still is. I did have to ask my mother what you meant by journaling and databases as I haven't ever heard those terms before, funny enough, my mother wasn't entirely sure what you meant either. I believe the internet is a valuable resource, and I am much more likely to hang out at a library with friends than to go on my own. The library is one of the few locations left in the world where you aren't expected to pay money, and as such, it makes for a lovely place to hang out and chat with friends. This is not meant to be upsetting, and I highly doubt you even check these pages anymore, but I find it interesting how times have changed. Oh, and in case this is helpful, the best social media platforms to reach 10-19-year-olds are Tik tok, Reddit, Tumblr, and Pinterest. Have a good day!
Thanks for the info! Appreciate your effort in writing.
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