RFID in Libraries
This article talked about the pros and cons of having RFID in
libraries and privacy safety.
I have been using Monroe County Public Library for a semester
and a half and have been very happy in using it. I have not been worried for my
privacy or that someone would find out too much about me. I believe if the
right measurements are put into place at the beginning of the use of RFID in
libraries they should not be a concern to patrons. Since there is no really valuable
information about a person on the RFID chip there should not be a super huge
concern about the RFID chip.
The Next Generation Library Catalog
This article compared three different catalog systems to the
next-generation catalog model.
It seems that Koha is the best updated to the next-generation
catalog model. The article talks about how it might be hard for a library to continually
update their catalog and it might be better to start with a newer, more updated
next-generation catalog model. It will be interesting to continue to watch how
the next-generation catalog model will influence the libraries over the next
few years.
The Koha Saga
This article talks about the history of Koha.
This article is interesting because it show that Koha had to
take a hard road to get where it is today and the article The Next Generation Library Catalog’s was about a year before this
blog post. The article illustrates that catalogs need to keep moving forward,
be innovative, and overcome adversity.
Examining the Role of Libraries in an E-book World
This article talks about e-books and the library.
E-books have been making their way into libraries over the
years. This past Christmas, my parents gave me a Kindle Fire. I have not tried to
use it to check-out library books but it has been useful to me. If I did find a
book at a library that came in an e-book format, I would use it. I do not agree
with HarperCollins to take back an e-book after the library has already purchased
the book. The library has been freely letting anyone borrow books for hundreds
of years why wouldn’t that apply to e-books also. As HarperCollins and the
library agreed on a fair price for the e-book, there should be no reason to
take the e-book back. I have not heard about anyone boycotting HarperCollins
before and had to dig a little to find more about the boycott.
Across the digital divide
This article talks about poverty and the effects of moving too
fast forward into an electronic age.
It is interesting to see how our world affects other people
that we do not usually think about such as people who are below the poverty
line. If the world moves too fast forward then these people will be left behind
to continue to struggle to live and find reading interesting. There must be a
way that we, as the community around them, can help them find a love of reading
with the books that we have.
While I agree with you that I'm not too worried about MCPL tracking and storing my private information, I think one of the biggest concerns of the article was that someone else could. There have been a number of times when the FBI or local police have tried to get private patron information from libraries, and libraries have fought for and won their ability to keep that information from the authorities. I do find it troubling that there could be a way the police could circumvent the library and get patron information directly- and don't think that's something we should shrug off as a non issue.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about how little we do think about those that are in poverty. We know they are out there, but we can't really pinpoint them all of the time. In a way the way technology keeps speeding up it constantly reminds me of other "shiny, new technologies" that are available, like blue ray and the flashy high definition screen tvs. I think that, no matter what the library and the community at large will attempt to reach out to those that do not have as much.
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