Death be not proud

Robin Palmtag died a couple of weeks ago. I just found out about it today, and am truly bereft. Robin was one of the good guys. You know all those jokes about tech guys not showing up, telling you they will be back later. Robin was not that. If you had a problem, Robin was right there with the solution. He was a guy that would take on the administration and get things done. He had a great sense of humor, a quick wit, and a love of science fiction. Simply put, he cared. He will be missed by everyone with whom he worked.

Soma this scares me! Wk 6 #14,15

Onward, ever onward into a "Brave New World" where books are obsolete and all our friends are virtual.

Using Technoroti to look at the blogposts that are out there, makes me so sad. All these millions of young people looking for the meaning of life, posting their khaki lives of heartache. They seem so hopeless, it makes me ask; Has Social Networking become the Soma of the 21st century? Is the internet way of life good for mental health? Is there some sort of virtual psychiatrist out there looking for virtual patients? They could make a virtual fortune!

In looking over the Web 2.0 perspectives provided I was disconcerted. Rick Anderson's view that a hard print collection is an "Iceberg", makes me glad my principal doesn't get that newsletter. I am trying to get money to rebuild the existing collection into something useful. Junior High students need to connect with print materials, not just sit around with warm thighs from their laptop.
I like to think of the computer/internet/social network as a tool, not the end product, just one more avenue to personal knowledge. Michaels Stephens' view of the "Librarian is Human" presupposes that we never were. Yet I support his ideas on technolust, since so many of our dollars go toward technology for technologies sake. Ultimately, I liked Wendy Schultz's Library 4.0 philosophy the best, mocha, a book and a pleasant place to sit and muse.

When I was traveling through my own adolescent trials, I found comfort in sitting in the library, reading, listening to music, & hiding in the stacks. I found lifelong friends in the books I read. Lloyd Alexander, L. Frank Baum, and Joan Aiken offered escapist lit where I could lose myself, forget my mother, boyfriend or the latest clique slight I had suffered. (I think I must have been trying to read in alphabetical order.) I thank those nameless librarian women who worked with me, and aspire to be them. I sincerely hope that in the search for the perfect piece of information, or the perfect techy way to connect with patrons, we never forget that these students we work with are living, breathing, flesh and blood people who may be hurting and can be helped by just listening, by a touch on the shoulder, by leading them to the perfect book.

Week 5 # 12 Rollyo

Now this is an interesting concept. Create your own search tool. I could see that this could be used instead of creating a webpage devoted to a subject, which is what I do now on my website. Rollyo limits you to 25 sites. I have over 70 links to Middle Ages information alone on my resources page. Then again how many of them are actually repeats of the same site ie. About.com? I am sure there is some duplication.

I tried making a search roll for Muslim information. 7th grade Social Studies and I worry about the students finding questionable information when they do a general Google search. Once I had entered in 3 urls I created it, but when I tried to do a search it sent me out to Amazon...so it is harder than it looks. That was a bit frustrating, because I don't know what I did wrong. Then when I tried to go back I got a Page expired message, so there wasn't a chance for a do over. Practice makes perfect.

I can envision the process, and I think students would find it helpful, they might be more inclined to use a search engine than preset links, I think they would find it familiar..or maybe students could set up their own Rollyo search rolls for their projects.

On a personal note, I wish that they hadn't used drug/tobacco references when they created this site. I get that it is "humor" and find it mildly amusing, but still "Roll your own" has connotations I would just as soon not promote. Then again, perhaps the current generation doesn't know what it means.