LAST NEWS REPORT
SETH SMITHWICK
Gates Gives $5 Million to OCLC To Build Library Awareness, Support
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 4/14/2009
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6651371.html?desc=topstory
Bill gates and his wife have recently hosted a campaign that is aiming to enhance latent public support. They want to give libraries as much help as they possibly can. “They donated 5 million dollars to the OCLC library cooperative to develop public information campaign to help boost library support.” OCLC is going to lead the campaign for six months in the areas of Georgia and Iowa. There was also another 6 to 12 communities that are also giving support and helping libraries campaign. “ The material tetsted -including advertising, direct marketing, online engagement, public relations, and grass roots community initiatives.—will be made available to the library community at large next year.” The major component of the project is going to be the creation of the materials and programs, and testing the programs. People were wondering why Georgia and Iowa? “ It’s a good cross section of geography, funding structures, economic conditions, and library leadership, says Cathy De Rosa, global vice president of the marketing for OCLC. This is a big deal for libraries because it was said that there has not been this important of a service done for libraries in years. It is said that even though in a downturned economy with the proper use of this money public funding could continue to erode for libraries. I think it is good that here are donations and funding support groups such as Bill gates, who are trying to benefit libraries. Until taking this class I didn’t realize how important and how useful libraries really are. With more funding towards libraries only bigger and better thing can happen to libraries.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
News Report #4
Seth Smithwick
News Report#4
4-2-09
Video Gamers take on the new battle- the recession
Although it is the recession and times are getting tough for everyone video game sales are rising and continuing to do well. People are taking away the money that is used for fun and putting it towards the purchasing of video game machines, and games. This is a cheaper way to bring enjoyment into ones life instead of multiple dollars on a pricey trip. Video game sale are blowing up worldwide and they do not look to slow up at all during this recession. This makes it somewhat tuff on the gaming companies due to people are going to constantly want more, bigger and better. And if they want the sales to continue they will have to improve the quality of the games and game systems. Game sales look to see over double digit in increase sale percentage this year. Gaming units are on sale for cheaper prices at this current time because the companies know that once a game system is sold individual games will constantly be sold. The gaming systems with Sony have been cut by 23 percent. Also systems like the Wii have increased sales for video games as a whole, due to know they are starting to see rise in sales for the female community. The games for Wii consists of game where workouts and aerobics take place and is appealing to woman. I think it is weird that these game systems are doing so well in sales. I can see how people could want to spend less money on the games than a trip or some sort of entertainment. I don’t play video games so whether the games are at a all time high or low I am not going to purchase these objects because I don’t play video games.
News Report#4
4-2-09
Video Gamers take on the new battle- the recession
Although it is the recession and times are getting tough for everyone video game sales are rising and continuing to do well. People are taking away the money that is used for fun and putting it towards the purchasing of video game machines, and games. This is a cheaper way to bring enjoyment into ones life instead of multiple dollars on a pricey trip. Video game sale are blowing up worldwide and they do not look to slow up at all during this recession. This makes it somewhat tuff on the gaming companies due to people are going to constantly want more, bigger and better. And if they want the sales to continue they will have to improve the quality of the games and game systems. Game sales look to see over double digit in increase sale percentage this year. Gaming units are on sale for cheaper prices at this current time because the companies know that once a game system is sold individual games will constantly be sold. The gaming systems with Sony have been cut by 23 percent. Also systems like the Wii have increased sales for video games as a whole, due to know they are starting to see rise in sales for the female community. The games for Wii consists of game where workouts and aerobics take place and is appealing to woman. I think it is weird that these game systems are doing so well in sales. I can see how people could want to spend less money on the games than a trip or some sort of entertainment. I don’t play video games so whether the games are at a all time high or low I am not going to purchase these objects because I don’t play video games.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
"Information Navigation 101" by Andrea L. Foster. Chronicle of Higher Education (3/9/2007)
Reading Report #5
Seth Smithwick
This article starts by telling the reader that technology, communication, and research of information have changed throughout the past years. Technology is being used constantly in peoples everyday lives. They are able to communicate and contact information through mobile phones Internet, ipods, etc. The growth of electronic information is unbelievable how advanced it has become in just the past decade. "The explosion of electronic information is fueling students confusion, say Librarians. The use for libraries is so much less of a need now to people. The librarians talked about when they were in school the only source of information they had was to go to the library. Now anyone ca find out any information they need about a subject over the Internet. Many colleges now are making it mandatory for students to use library sources for research on subjects. This is to help students not loose that desire to research for information like it was done 10 or 15 years ago. People today are becoming too dependent on the Internet for gaining information. Technology is pulling people away from the traditional way of studying and researching. "All of us are now going to the Internet because it's convenient," said DianaG. Oblinger, a vice president of Educause. "Whether this is the world we wanted or not, this is the world we live in, and it's important to help people develop research skills to be effective. I do see how this can effect the way on studies and effects there research skills but in the world we live in, the average college student could probably care less about there researching skills, and would rather use the easy and convenient world wide web to gather and gain there information.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Reading Response # 3
"The Infodiet: How Libraries Can Offer an Appetizing Alternative to Google" by Steven Bell. Chronicle of Higher Education (2/20/2004).
Are libraries vital places, with information, or tools for the participants of the scholarly level and academic setting? Google is now making many(experts) start to question if there is even a need for Libraries.
In the Article “The Infodiet: How Libraries Can Offer an Appetizing Alternative to Google” The website Google is staring to make many question if there is even a need to have libraries. According to this article Libraries biggest source of competition is Google. Advanced technology and advancements in research are unfortunately making these original search engines less used and depended on. In the past decade libraries have started becoming less used. James Morris in the article defines “Infobesity” as the process of gathering fast, overwhelming amounts of low quality information. He relates this word to the search engine Google. He talks about how the libraries are funded to give persons the best quality information and books but Google is still more favorable amongst people researching. He stresses that librarians and professors make there students more information literate and less dependent on Google.
I think that it is amazing how powerful Google really is. Google will be around for a while and is only going to get more advanced with time. I do feel that I do depend way more on Google and other search engines than I do using the Library. I do think that Libraries are a much better source of information than Google. When I was younger I went to the library all the time and checked out books for reading and researching. Now with the advancements with technology I can’t tell you the last time I checked out a book for school; Not that I don’t read books, I have just been able to find all the information over the internet using search engines such as Google. I would rather use information form Libraries than Goolge, but it is much easier and convient for me to search the internet than go to the Library.
"The Infodiet: How Libraries Can Offer an Appetizing Alternative to Google" by Steven Bell. Chronicle of Higher Education (2/20/2004).
Are libraries vital places, with information, or tools for the participants of the scholarly level and academic setting? Google is now making many(experts) start to question if there is even a need for Libraries.
In the Article “The Infodiet: How Libraries Can Offer an Appetizing Alternative to Google” The website Google is staring to make many question if there is even a need to have libraries. According to this article Libraries biggest source of competition is Google. Advanced technology and advancements in research are unfortunately making these original search engines less used and depended on. In the past decade libraries have started becoming less used. James Morris in the article defines “Infobesity” as the process of gathering fast, overwhelming amounts of low quality information. He relates this word to the search engine Google. He talks about how the libraries are funded to give persons the best quality information and books but Google is still more favorable amongst people researching. He stresses that librarians and professors make there students more information literate and less dependent on Google.
I think that it is amazing how powerful Google really is. Google will be around for a while and is only going to get more advanced with time. I do feel that I do depend way more on Google and other search engines than I do using the Library. I do think that Libraries are a much better source of information than Google. When I was younger I went to the library all the time and checked out books for reading and researching. Now with the advancements with technology I can’t tell you the last time I checked out a book for school; Not that I don’t read books, I have just been able to find all the information over the internet using search engines such as Google. I would rather use information form Libraries than Goolge, but it is much easier and convient for me to search the internet than go to the Library.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
READING # 3
The Future of LibrariesBeginning the Great Transformation
The article starts off talking about how Leonardo Da Vinci when he died left behind the world’s largest collection of art which was not discovered until 400 hundred years later. The art collection that he left behind consisted of many drawings, sketches, and paintings. Many Da Vinci’s collections are stored and preserved in Libraries. The role of libraries has always been to be an archive of manuscripts, art, and any important documents. “The library was the center of information revered by most because each contained the foundational building blocks of information for all humanity.” The n article then talks about Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, and how it was a printing revolution and where over 500,000 books were published. This was a turning point in the evolution of libraries. The article then goes from talking about libraries in ancient times to modern day time and how advance and easy information is able to be accessed. Then there are ten key trends that are affecting the development of libraries in the future. I will list a few descriptions of the trends, so you are able to have a feel for the next generation of libraries. There is a time line of everything from the telegraph in 1844 to the invention of podcasting in 2004.Technology just keeps growing and it always will. An example they use in the article is how we have gone from 8 track players to cassettes to CD’s. Information is growing globally. Information is a “Wildfire” being spread around the world. It is continuously growing.
This is an interesting article about libraries. It is an article that makes learning about libraries more interesting and fun. Throughout this article I enjoyed seeing how libraries, information and technology just keep expanding and growing. They become more advanced every year. I can only imagine what libraries will look like and what we will be able to do with technology in the next ten to twenty years.
The article starts off talking about how Leonardo Da Vinci when he died left behind the world’s largest collection of art which was not discovered until 400 hundred years later. The art collection that he left behind consisted of many drawings, sketches, and paintings. Many Da Vinci’s collections are stored and preserved in Libraries. The role of libraries has always been to be an archive of manuscripts, art, and any important documents. “The library was the center of information revered by most because each contained the foundational building blocks of information for all humanity.” The n article then talks about Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, and how it was a printing revolution and where over 500,000 books were published. This was a turning point in the evolution of libraries. The article then goes from talking about libraries in ancient times to modern day time and how advance and easy information is able to be accessed. Then there are ten key trends that are affecting the development of libraries in the future. I will list a few descriptions of the trends, so you are able to have a feel for the next generation of libraries. There is a time line of everything from the telegraph in 1844 to the invention of podcasting in 2004.Technology just keeps growing and it always will. An example they use in the article is how we have gone from 8 track players to cassettes to CD’s. Information is growing globally. Information is a “Wildfire” being spread around the world. It is continuously growing.
This is an interesting article about libraries. It is an article that makes learning about libraries more interesting and fun. Throughout this article I enjoyed seeing how libraries, information and technology just keep expanding and growing. They become more advanced every year. I can only imagine what libraries will look like and what we will be able to do with technology in the next ten to twenty years.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
News Report #3
News Report #3
Seth Smithwick
Facebook makes new push for more apps
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10159110-2.html?subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&part=sphere
www.CNETNEWS.com
Facebook plans to be add more applications on their website; one will be able to more easily view and share information and content among Facebook users. The new Facebook applications will consist of: being able to view a users status; notes; links; videos; online messaging and online statuses. Also, Facebook is now taking responses and suggestions on any ideas that might make Facebook that will help users, making Facebook a better networking experiance.
The social network currently has nearly 150 million active users, where 15 million are currently changing their status daily and who are sharing more than 24 million links. Facebook has a competitor twitter. The reaction to the application news was favorable among Facebook users, some of whom were quick to point to potential competition with micro-blogging service Twitter. Twitter appears to be more of a conversational blogging website and Facebook is resource to communicate and network with users on a more personal level.
Facebook has just recently had its fifth birthday, and it does no look to have any problems with it competitor Twitter because of the frequent use and enormous amount of users.
I am a frequent user of Facebook. At first I thought it was something stupid, but over the years I have seen that it is a very useful tool of information with keeping friends in contact with there everyday life and not having to even be in the same city state or even country. With these new changes, Facebook has become an easier tool of communication and it new feature seem to constantly be changing for the better.
Seth Smithwick
Facebook makes new push for more apps
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10159110-2.html?subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&part=sphere
www.CNETNEWS.com
Facebook plans to be add more applications on their website; one will be able to more easily view and share information and content among Facebook users. The new Facebook applications will consist of: being able to view a users status; notes; links; videos; online messaging and online statuses. Also, Facebook is now taking responses and suggestions on any ideas that might make Facebook that will help users, making Facebook a better networking experiance.
The social network currently has nearly 150 million active users, where 15 million are currently changing their status daily and who are sharing more than 24 million links. Facebook has a competitor twitter. The reaction to the application news was favorable among Facebook users, some of whom were quick to point to potential competition with micro-blogging service Twitter. Twitter appears to be more of a conversational blogging website and Facebook is resource to communicate and network with users on a more personal level.
Facebook has just recently had its fifth birthday, and it does no look to have any problems with it competitor Twitter because of the frequent use and enormous amount of users.
I am a frequent user of Facebook. At first I thought it was something stupid, but over the years I have seen that it is a very useful tool of information with keeping friends in contact with there everyday life and not having to even be in the same city state or even country. With these new changes, Facebook has become an easier tool of communication and it new feature seem to constantly be changing for the better.
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