Group 5 Readings

I have to admit, I like the way bookstores have evolved over the last twenty years or so, and I wouldn't change them. I also think that it's a good idea to have some parts of libraries reflect the bookstore feel. While I wouldn't want a large, academic library (or even a small elementary school library) to make changes to reflect what bookstores do, I do think that the public library -- or perhaps sections thereof -- can do so to make people feel more comfortable about using them. I'd imagine a young adult section could do fairly well with making comfortable sitting spaces, displaying books facing out, and providing a place where users can buy food and hook up to wireless internet. Obviously, there are good and bad components to every plan, and one should not do this to libraries where entertainment isn't a large component of use. I think the librarians involved have to make the judgment call -- approachability with compromised authority, or respectibility with intimidation?

Readings for 4 December 2006

Group One's Readings

The history of Boston's books is interesting; who would have thought that there was such an organized movement to prevent people from reading some material? The most interesting read, though, I thought, was the article about the parents and their requests to reconsider material. Not only was it clearly written, but it gave the librarian clear guidelines for interacting with upset parents. I can imagine that it gets tiresome to deal with people who might be a bit angry, and the guidelines seemed very fair. The article on filters I just found a bit amusing; everyone knows that they don't work the way they should! It's because they don't have brains and can't evaluate search requests the way a human would. Perhaps in a bit they'll be better, but they aren't now, and I think it's probably better for parents and teachers to take an active role in becoming aware of what their children (or students) are viewing. And librarians shouldn't have any say in what people are viewing on library computers, even if that means they're viewing pornography. Now, if they're attempting to harass or assault other people with the material, then, yeah, they should be kicked out. But not if they're merely viewing it for their own personal use.

Group Two's Readings

I find it interesting that there is so much variation on the quality of the Wikipedia articles that experts find it difficult to rate the website on accuracy. In one of my other classes, we have discussed that Wikipedia has not been unfavorably compared to the Encyclopaedia Brittanica for quality. I wonder, though, whether the mistakes made in Wikipedia are more egregious when they occur than those in print sources that have been vetted. This is a question for the group, I guess, if they don't mention it in their presentation.

Group Three's Readings

I thought the idea that, by opposing the Patriot Act, the ALA is putting our freedoms at risk rather spurious. Really, the stand that the ALA takes is something that I find rather pointless, seeing as policies about recordkeeping vary from state to state and, often, from library to library. I know it's illegal in Michigan for me, as a library employee, to tell anyone anything about a book other than the call number and other bibliographic information and whether it's checked out or not. I can't even tell an interested patron when it is due back at the library. That's different than the policy here at UW-Madison, where the due date of an item is right on its record page. If the government really wanted to have access to all our records, they'd have to standardize how they're kept and who has access to what. I honestly don't think that this is going to happen, and don't think the Patriot Act is a big deal.