Thing Ten

This is not going to be a nice entry. But I have found the Roselle Library webpage, and the links therein some of the most user-unfriendly and difficult to access anywhere. I regularly do research using some fairly obscure sources.

My browser is AOL, which is notorious for problems. But I have NEVER run into problems like when I'm trying to use the RPL site. My attempts to log on to the data bases requested and answer the questions took repeated attempts and met with no success. I was asked for my library number and pin number repeatedly and despite entering those I KNEW were correct, my login attempts continually failed. This is a problem I have encountered over and over again.

Using the online catalogue is a similar exercise in frustation. I am a pretty experienced researcher and writer. I say this to make this point: usually I can come up with two dozen "search" clues that might provide reasonable results. But when searching for a book I KNOW we own by subject - and I know it because I've shelved it or seen it - the book does not appear under the "search by keyword subject" option.

I would use the site MUCH more if it were far more user friendly and less "dense"; that is, presented in a way that clearly labels the various sites and groups them in a more logical way. I mean this only as constructive criticism. The site is hard to use, the links hard to access and many of them, when accessed, are nigh on impossible to navigate. If I had a question, the Roselle Library site or it's links is one of the last places I would go.

So, alas, I cannot answer the questions, though it is not for lack of trying. As I said, it is possible that my browser may be contributing to this problem but I suspect this may be the case for many patrons as well. My kids won't use the RPL site and they are extremely computer saavy. I have yet to see a library site that I have found done really well so I can't point to a "good example" to illustrate what I think might be a template for improvements. I can only comment that I regularly must access the Satan-of-All-Websites, that of the Internal Revenue Service, and compared to the library site, it's a snap to use. I will keep trying to use the RPL site using a different computer to see if that makes a difference, but in all honesty, I am skeptical that it is being utilized by patrons in the way we wish it would be and a large part of that has got to be the difficulty in accessing and navigating it.

Thing 9

I did sign up at Webjunction but found it hard to navigate - my browser kept crashing on that particular site. The "people skills" course interested me, but not for myself (I have already accepted that when it comes to people, I really love cats). Rather, I thought such courses might help my son, who has some issues with this.

The "life long learning" concepts, while great in some aspects, remind me a bit of being stuck on a cruise ship in bad weather with the cruise director trying to force you to attend the lecture given by the Shipboard "Expert" or play shuffleboard. Maybe it's just that at this point in my life, I have some very intense interests that are never given enough time as it is, and the idea of adding additional beads to an already crowded necklace is just not appealing.

As Freud pointed out, we all have finite time and energy and choices have to be made. In my current situation, there is limited appeal to the internet learning courses unless they are very specifically geared towards the causes and interests I've already chosen. That's not hostility on my part towards learning new things - certainly there are many new things I'd love to learn - but a recognition that in attempting to do "one more thing", current commitments would get even more neglected. The internet courses can be extremely good tools for introductions to topics, for providing basic information, and for experts seeking to enrich their already expert knowledge base. But for my most fervant interests, online courses are of limited use right now because they involve community education on the need for health care reform, for example, and that means face to face meetings and getting out amongst the other humans. I do think there is a risk that more reliance on the internet for education tools might mean there is less motivation for libraries and schools to hold "in person" classes, which are invaluable for creating real community.

Thing 8

Hmmm. On the one hand, anything that puts a stake in the evil heart of Microsoft Word must be a Good Thing, as Martha Stewart might say. On the other hand, internet service remains, at least for many of us, at the whims of spectacularly inept providers like AOL, Comcast, etc. I would not want to entrust my documents, especially those I needed for anything work related, solely to the whims of my internet provider being up and working well. At least Microsoft Word does not run slow due to heavy usage of others, etc. Nor does it go out when the wind blows too hard, unlike Comcast.

I also wonder about the security level of using online Google documents. Most of us have had our email addresses stolen by a variety of spam agents. I now receive about 10 emails daily insisting I buy giant tomato trees and drugs to enhance body parts I do not possess. The clients of our CPA firm would probably be less than thrilled to have their financial statements and social security numbers accessible to a hacker of Google documents.

Re: my library job and such applications: as a page, alas, I cannot think of one! However, I do think that libraries are going to have to step up to the plate in a very big way in terms of making more computers more accessible to more people (not just cardholders, either), given the dire state of the economy and this is something that could be helpful to many patrons. Students could also make use of it.

Thing7 Wikis

What I learned from the Wikipedia article about Roselle: Basically whatever the Mayor wants on there seems to be on there....I would have added a few other things but do not wish to start a "the objectivity of this article is disputed" war on Wikipedia, which is notorious for it's inaccuracy.

The problem with wikis: anyone can post to them, so the accuracy of the information is highly suspect. Wikipedia is notorious for this. My personal favorite is "Conservapedia", the right wing version of Wikipedia. It contains gems of faulty logic that could be used to illustrate a course in that subject. A very on-task editor is needed to keep an eye on wiki- type postings that are affiliated with an organization.

The good thing about wikis: anyone can post to them, so it's a kind of community bulletin board, or can be.

Re: should this have been done as a wiki- I cannot formulate an opinion on that. I suppose it would have been fine to do it in that format, but this allows for more privacy.

Thing 6, IM

I set up a Yahoo instant message account, but mostly use AOL instant messaging when I must IM.

I hate, loathe and despise IM'ing. For many reasons, but here are a few:

1. it takes away what I love most about email versus phones - the "in my time and convenience" factor. It's - well, INSTANT.
2. There is a weird lag time, like on a satellite phone. You think but are not sure the other person is going to answer - you wait - they don't - so you start to type an answer and bing, they write something else.
3. It is very conducive to saying rash things if you are having any level of heated discussion on an IM. Emails are bad enough for this - at least you have the luxury of reviewing them before hitting send.

However, IM'ing is a good way to quickly get an answer to very simple and very basic stuff. I don't enjoy it for conversations online, though. My daughter, on the other hand, lives by it. I suppose it keeps the phone bill down!