Liberty for All Libraries

Lister Hill Library at UAB

2010-08-30T10:59:00.001-07:00

Over the past few weeks, I had the opportunity to visit Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences at UAB. I was very impressed with the substantive collections and the dedicated staff. I hope to obtain an internship at this library in spring 2011. It would be a wonderful place to work and learn.

I will be meeting more Lister Hill staff members at the Alabama Health Libraries Association annual conference this September. I will also be taking two courses for CE credits on the topics of web usability and using PubMed. I am excited about learning new information sources, particularly as I am taking the course Health Science Information Services in school this semester. However, the best learning takes place on the job, and if I have the chance to complete my practicum at Lister Hill Library, I am certain to build the foundation of a great career as a medical librarian.

First mobile post

2010-08-30T10:56:00.001-07:00

Testing mobile blog, although I am not sure if it is a productive use of my time:)

Sent from my iPhone

2010-04-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

The Linn Henley research library in downtown Birmingham, Alabama is a treasure trove, stacks and files full of historic knowledge. Glorious neoclassical architecture, a grand central staircase, lofty beamed ceilings and muted murals gracing the walls.

The stately four-story building sits across from the landmark Tutwiler hotel, and on the grounds of Linn Park, with its expanses of green lawn, tall trees, and reflecting pools leading to a central fountain. Connected by a crosswalk to the Linn-Henley, the Birmingham Public Library is more modern and decidedly less majestic.

I drift back and forth between the two, which are both a part of the Jefferson County Cooperative Libraries system. Each has its advantages. Some days I prefer the quiet and relative solitude of the Lynn Henley, with its studious long desks and table lamps and lack of florescent lighting. The building is so alluring and seems to hold secrets.

For one, the Agee Map Collection lies, in part, behind a locked wooden door, a small window tantalizingly revealing tables and a computer or two, along with thousands of dollars worth of historical maps. I was highly disappointed to learn that the collection is closed to the public until more of the originals can be digitized. This is a worthy endeavor that I would thrill to be a part of.

On another note, the extraordinary archival collection of the Linn Henley rests on the basement floor, curated by one Mr. Jim Baggett, who has worked at the library for more than 17 years. He spoke with me about aspects of the Civil Rights collection there, which I have been utilizing for a school reference project. There are certainly many more treasures to discover there.

The Birmingham Public Library is larger, brighter, and houses newer books, periodicals, and audiovisuals on every subject. The Friends of the Birmingham Public Library operate a small bookstore on the second floor. A wise-looking black woman by the name of Pat Thomas is usually working there. The librarians are efficient and friendly, although the patrons often seem unfamiliar with the customs of libraries, talking loudly amongst themselves.

All in all, both libraries embody the spirit of Alabama, and they are my anchor in the midst of the soot and city blocks. The libraries' continued technological growth equates its future to an extent. However, the libraries' sense of permanence in Birmingham's history is forever assuring. If a beautiful building and its caretakers can guard such treasure of knowledge, it seems all can still be well in the world.

MacArthur Foundation President Discusses Philanthropy on Second Life

2009-11-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

While searching for interesting multimedia that applies to my topic of interest, I came upon this video posted within the Multimedia Library at the MacArthur Foundation web site: macfound.org. The video is about 54 minutes long, and because this blog does not permit such large size parameters, I included a link below to the same video found on Youtube.com. Macarthur Foundation President Jonathan Fanton and the co-founder of Second Life discuss the potential of virtual worlds for social good in this video.

I find this interesting and relevant to my blog, because it applies to the potential of technology to ensure intellectual progress and to unite people in their causes. This video was found under the topic of Digital Media and Learning. To harness the power of information, a focus on digital media is imperative. It ensures that print information can be converted to a format that will endure and be more readily accessible to the public. This access to information encourages intellectual freedom, and the ability to utilize digital media for philanthropic endeavors is just one more good reason to respect its capabilities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRqe9k8O-us&feature=player_embedded

Competency: Tagging/Tag Clouds

2009-10-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

I chose the book by Nicholas Baker that I have focused my blog on, Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper. I am interested in the preservation of print materials while concurrently integrating Web 2.0 and other new technology and information science to the library profession.

Here is part of the tag cloud posted for this book within my reading list on Librarything.com. :

(7) American(4) archives(25) archiving(5) book history(6) books(45) books about books(42) books and reading(7) conservation(21) culture(4) essays(13) history(14) journalism(4) librarianship(6) libraries(130) library(23) library science(36) LIS(3) literature(8) microfilm(15) newspapers(50) non-fiction(83) own(7) paper(13) preservation(60) read(11) restoration(3) technology(5) to read(6) United States(3)

Fahrenheit 451

2009-10-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

I bought this book for my son last week. I first read it when I was about his age. Now, it is as relevant and powerful as it was in the 60s. Moreover, last week was National Banned Books Week, and this book has always been challenged by censorship. The following Youtube video features information about the book and newscasts from a city in which the book came under FIRE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkpF5PmdFYo

LibraryThing's Top Books about Books List

2009-10-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles
The Book on the Bookshelf by Henry Petroski
The Size of Thoughts: Essays and Other Lumber by Nicholson Baker
A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books by Nicholas A. Basbanes
U and I: A True Story by Nicholson Baker
A Box of Matches by Nicholson Baker
The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker
Libraries in the Ancient World by Lionel Casson
Patience and Fortitude: Wherein a Colorful Cast of Determined Book Collectors, Dealers, and Librarians Go About the Quix by Nicholas A. Basbanes
A Splendor of Letters: The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World by Nicholas A. Basbanes

Building Academic Library 2.0

2009-09-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

The podcast found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_uOKFhoznI addresses the topic of using Web 2.0 in academic libraries. The keynote speaker, Meredith Farkas, is a distance learning librarian at Norwich University, and the conference was sponsored by the Librarians Association of the University of California, Berkeley. Farkas's lecture at the conference touches upon the effects of new technology and multimedia upon data, information, knowledge, cultural production, and scholarship within the context of academic libraries. The podcast has had more than 15,000 hits with very positive reviews. The incorporation of Web 2.0 technology within academic libraries will have enormous benefits for research and, on a macro scale, knowledge for all humankind. This podcast is very enlightening about how that can be accomplished.

Link to Nicholas Baker blog

2009-09-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

http://www.librarything.com/author/bakernicholson

Nicholas Baker is a renowned journalist who writes about libraries , information technology, and sociology. He has many excellent posts at this blog. In particular, please read the posts concerning his book Double Fold: the Assault on Paper. I read the book for a research paper once, and it is fascinating but equally concerning.

Nicholas Baker's Double Fold

2009-09-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

I created this blog because I am concerned about the future of libraries and the storage and retrieval of our national treasure of books and other perishable media. I believe in the liberty of all libraries to pursue complete collections and to fund and manage the storage of some media that may be obsolete. I read Nicholas Baker's excellent book "Double Fold" which entailed the destruction of precious American materials in order to save the overhead of owning and maintaining buildings to house it. The former system of microfiche scanning never worked well to preserve materials, but new techniques may help save the texts if not the books themselves.

The digital age rendered many old systems obsolete, and some believe even librarians. A Catch-22 is evident in regard to the digital age. It heralded much more efficient systems of storage and retreival, as well as the ability to search for very specific information from within a large amount of media. However, library patrons and librarians must adapt to ever-changing technology, and the whole concept of libraries as a "community place" are changing. Many patrons search for information online and through databases without the aid of a librarian. People listen to audiobooks or read e-books on corporate-designed e-book readers. Unfortunately, Digital Rights Management of all this material is unregulated. The books "1984" and "Animal Farm" were recently removed from Kindle e-book devices by Amazon.com staff for unclarified reasons.

For these reasons, I believe it is imperative for librarians to take back their collective power, (pun intended.) We must ensure that the public has full access to any knowledge it seeks, as long as it not intended to be used for malice. Libraries should have the liberty to protect intellectual property rights and preserve information in any way possible. I have not chosen my specific field of interest in library science at this time, but I want to promote the advancement of all libraries because that will promote the advancement of all people.