International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. IFLA Internet Manifesto. 2002. Retrieved on August 11, 2009 at http://archive.ifla.org/III/misc/im-e.htm
ABSTRACT:
The IFLA Internet Manifesto is grounded / consistent with United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, focusing particularly to Article 19 which states that “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” This stresses that library users have the right to expect the same degree of freedom of expression and freedom of access to information on the Internet as they do with print materials. With the changes and development continuously happening with the Internet, librarians are given the primary responsibility to train and educate users to effectively and efficiently access information on the Internet.
MY THOUGHTS / REFLECTION:
> The values of different cultures also had to be considered along with questions of cultural bias toward western liberal democratic values.
> The idea of the Internet as a tool to reduce social exclusion has gained credence, thanks to its ability to open access to government information and communication channels and libraries have contributed to this concept by making collections and catalogs available online for those unable to physically access library resources.
> Libraries should take citizens from awareness to empowerment.
Librarians should work collaboratively with the government in developing and implementing a clear policy on Internet use. IFLA Internet Manifesto emphasizes that access to information on the Internet should not be hindered by a person’s race, age, sex, gender, culture, etc. Simply put, “Internet is for all.” It unlocks barriers to information because it provides access anytime, anywhere. It connects people to all places around the world. But, Internet provides vast information which may cause a user to access inaccurate details. Librarians should provide trainings for Internet Literacy, they should clearly state to users the realities of Internet – that some of information from it may be misleading.
As a librarian with clients concentrated in the medical fields, I make sure that the Web sites I recommend for them to access really provide scholarly information. I do the selection through consultation with the Medical Research team of my department. It should be remembered that “Internet access is for everyone, but access should be coupled with responsibility.”
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
What is not available online is not worth reading?
Jamali, Hamid R. (2008). "What is not available online is not worth reading?" Webology, 5(4), Article 63. Retrieved: August 1, 2009 at http://www.webology.ir/2008/v5n4/a63.html
ABSTRACT:
Scientists and astronomers' quest for information is more reliant on online access. They rather want to have a PDF copy of an article and save / print it rather than go to a library and access the physical copy. In the survey conducted, most respondents had the library as the second option, but a number of respondents had this notion, "If an article is not available online, it's probably not worth the effort to obtain it."
MY THOUGHTS / REFLECTION:
> Physics and astronomy are among pioneer fields in scholarly communication and electronic publishing and the rate of online availability is very high.
> A pressure in publisher, information providers and librarians to make more and more information available in digital format.
> Ease of access and the principle of least effort play a part in the choice of information sources.
When the new technology was introduced and integrated in providing library services, librarians were faced with the challenge of coping and being familiar with it. Librarians were required to shift from a simple typewriter to a more interactive computer. Now, librarians are again faced with the challenge of providing not just books or journals but digital format of information as well. I often receive requests from my clients to make a PDF copy of the journal holdings of our library, but, there are issues and concerns (copyright, subscription, access, etc.) that I need to consider before I can actually say "yes" to this request. I guess there's nothing wrong with making journal articles available online / digitally as long as the respect and credit for creators and publishers remains. More importantly, I as a librarian should prove to my clients that this statement is not true, "What is not available online is not worth reading."
ABSTRACT:
Scientists and astronomers' quest for information is more reliant on online access. They rather want to have a PDF copy of an article and save / print it rather than go to a library and access the physical copy. In the survey conducted, most respondents had the library as the second option, but a number of respondents had this notion, "If an article is not available online, it's probably not worth the effort to obtain it."
MY THOUGHTS / REFLECTION:
> Physics and astronomy are among pioneer fields in scholarly communication and electronic publishing and the rate of online availability is very high.
> A pressure in publisher, information providers and librarians to make more and more information available in digital format.
> Ease of access and the principle of least effort play a part in the choice of information sources.
When the new technology was introduced and integrated in providing library services, librarians were faced with the challenge of coping and being familiar with it. Librarians were required to shift from a simple typewriter to a more interactive computer. Now, librarians are again faced with the challenge of providing not just books or journals but digital format of information as well. I often receive requests from my clients to make a PDF copy of the journal holdings of our library, but, there are issues and concerns (copyright, subscription, access, etc.) that I need to consider before I can actually say "yes" to this request. I guess there's nothing wrong with making journal articles available online / digitally as long as the respect and credit for creators and publishers remains. More importantly, I as a librarian should prove to my clients that this statement is not true, "What is not available online is not worth reading."
Friday, July 24, 2009
The Digital Dilemma: Intellectual Property in the Information Age
Committee on Intellectual Property Rights and the Emerging Information Infrastructure Computer Science and Telecommunications Board Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications National Research Council. Ohio State Law journal vol. 62(2001). Retrieved on July 24,2009
(http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/lawjournal/issues/volume62/number2/nrc.pdf)
ABSTRACT:
This article mainly discusses violations against copyright laws as digital information continues to proliferate. The different issues and concerns on Intellectual Property are presented. The Committee proposes possible solutions / amendments to existing laws for the authors and publishers to be distinguished and recognized accordingly in this world where digital technology continues to progress.
MY THOUGHTS / REFLECTION:
> Information in digital form has radically changed the economics and ease of production. Producing digital format of information is much cheaper and easier. Buy a book and with the use of scanner / software, you'll have a digital copy of it which can be shared and accessed by anyone.Hence, the expensive cost of publishing is avoided.
> Laws and practices vary worldwide, yet networks have global reach. What is forbidden in the Philippines may not be forbidden in the US or any other countries. It is somehow hard to establish Intellectual Property / Copyright Laws that can be implemented worldwide. Laws are territorial, but digital information is global.
> Digital information is in some ways becoming a service rather than a product. Buy a book and you own it forever; pay for access to a digital book and when the period is over, you often retain nothing. Archiving faces a big issue on this.
In the modern world where technology runs the lives of everyone, it is sad and alarming to accept the fact that authors and publishers are given less credit for their works. I work for a company which produces own instructional and review materials for clients, as part of indicating our ownerhip to our authored materials, we put watermarks at the center of our products. I guess as a librarian, I need to suggest ways and at the same time respect Intellectual Property for it to survive the digital age..
(http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/lawjournal/issues/volume62/number2/nrc.pdf)
ABSTRACT:
This article mainly discusses violations against copyright laws as digital information continues to proliferate. The different issues and concerns on Intellectual Property are presented. The Committee proposes possible solutions / amendments to existing laws for the authors and publishers to be distinguished and recognized accordingly in this world where digital technology continues to progress.
MY THOUGHTS / REFLECTION:
> Information in digital form has radically changed the economics and ease of production. Producing digital format of information is much cheaper and easier. Buy a book and with the use of scanner / software, you'll have a digital copy of it which can be shared and accessed by anyone.Hence, the expensive cost of publishing is avoided.
> Laws and practices vary worldwide, yet networks have global reach. What is forbidden in the Philippines may not be forbidden in the US or any other countries. It is somehow hard to establish Intellectual Property / Copyright Laws that can be implemented worldwide. Laws are territorial, but digital information is global.
> Digital information is in some ways becoming a service rather than a product. Buy a book and you own it forever; pay for access to a digital book and when the period is over, you often retain nothing. Archiving faces a big issue on this.
In the modern world where technology runs the lives of everyone, it is sad and alarming to accept the fact that authors and publishers are given less credit for their works. I work for a company which produces own instructional and review materials for clients, as part of indicating our ownerhip to our authored materials, we put watermarks at the center of our products. I guess as a librarian, I need to suggest ways and at the same time respect Intellectual Property for it to survive the digital age..
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Library 2.0 Theory: Web 2.0 and its Implications for Libraries
Maness, Jack M. (2006). Webology, 3(2), Article 25. Retrieved on july 15, 2009
(http://www.webology.ir/2006/v3n2/a25.html)
ABSTRACT:
This article discusses the evolution of the Web and its applications into Web 2.0 and how it affected and continuously transforms librarians, libraries and their services into a more effective, interactive and convenient one.
MY THOUGHTS / REFLECTION:
> Web 2.0 is the conglomeration of ideas and approaches that allow users to be more interactive online. Social networking sites like Flicker, Friendster and Facebook are best examples of web 2.0 based websites. Sharing of information has been easier with the evolution of these sites. But we need to be extra careful. Being interactive online is good, but always bear in mind that this interactivity might cause something harmful like "identity theft."
>Library 2.0 is a mashup of traditional library services and innovative Web 2.0 services. There is an evidential improvement in the functions of a library. A great example is "Ask a Librarian" service which employs 'synchronous' / instant messaging. This lessens the possibility of a user getting intimidated / hesitant to ask queries from a librarian.
>Library 2.0 becomes a virtual reality of the library, it does not only provide access to journals / books but it allows users to interact and share knowledge. This innovation provided means for users to be more participative in the enhancement of library collection and services.
"Change is the only permanent thing." It is inevitable, but we should always be responsible in adapting to changes. These should help us develop and improve and not make us worse.
(http://www.webology.ir/2006/v3n2/a25.html)
ABSTRACT:
This article discusses the evolution of the Web and its applications into Web 2.0 and how it affected and continuously transforms librarians, libraries and their services into a more effective, interactive and convenient one.
MY THOUGHTS / REFLECTION:
> Web 2.0 is the conglomeration of ideas and approaches that allow users to be more interactive online. Social networking sites like Flicker, Friendster and Facebook are best examples of web 2.0 based websites. Sharing of information has been easier with the evolution of these sites. But we need to be extra careful. Being interactive online is good, but always bear in mind that this interactivity might cause something harmful like "identity theft."
>Library 2.0 is a mashup of traditional library services and innovative Web 2.0 services. There is an evidential improvement in the functions of a library. A great example is "Ask a Librarian" service which employs 'synchronous' / instant messaging. This lessens the possibility of a user getting intimidated / hesitant to ask queries from a librarian.
>Library 2.0 becomes a virtual reality of the library, it does not only provide access to journals / books but it allows users to interact and share knowledge. This innovation provided means for users to be more participative in the enhancement of library collection and services.
"Change is the only permanent thing." It is inevitable, but we should always be responsible in adapting to changes. These should help us develop and improve and not make us worse.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Ethics of Technology
Santos, Amelita M. Manila, Philippines : Arellano University. retrieved on July 9,2009
(http://www.scribd.com/doc/14000750/Ethics_of_Technology?autodown=doc)
ABSTRACT:
This article mainly covers the discussion of an ethics subfield addressing ethical questions specific to Technology age or Digital Age, known as Ethics of Technology. It mentions the most-up-to date moral controversies surrounding IT, arriving to a question whether these "technologies" contribute to authentic human development. It cites how some IT associations address problems and issues with ethics caused by technology.
MY THOUGHTS / REFLECTION:
Advances in technology caused a lot of changes in each man's everyday living. 3 things I've learned and realized:
> Every technological innovation will always have its "positive-negative" effect. Indeed technology makes our lives easier, from information retrieval to communicating around the world. But then, this technology provides means for those with bad intentions to succeed.
>Issues on Copyright. Current technological innovations make it easier to upload, convert, distribute and gain access to digital information, not taking into consideration the Copyright Law.
>Responsibility. Every technology user is accountable for what is shared and accessed.
Issues on technological ethics worsen because not all users are capable to comprehend effectively to what is presented.
Conforming to "rules" of ethics is a challenge to everyone especially now that technology is greatly affecting every life.
(http://www.scribd.com/doc/14000750/Ethics_of_Technology?autodown=doc)
ABSTRACT:
This article mainly covers the discussion of an ethics subfield addressing ethical questions specific to Technology age or Digital Age, known as Ethics of Technology. It mentions the most-up-to date moral controversies surrounding IT, arriving to a question whether these "technologies" contribute to authentic human development. It cites how some IT associations address problems and issues with ethics caused by technology.
MY THOUGHTS / REFLECTION:
Advances in technology caused a lot of changes in each man's everyday living. 3 things I've learned and realized:
> Every technological innovation will always have its "positive-negative" effect. Indeed technology makes our lives easier, from information retrieval to communicating around the world. But then, this technology provides means for those with bad intentions to succeed.
>Issues on Copyright. Current technological innovations make it easier to upload, convert, distribute and gain access to digital information, not taking into consideration the Copyright Law.
>Responsibility. Every technology user is accountable for what is shared and accessed.
Issues on technological ethics worsen because not all users are capable to comprehend effectively to what is presented.
Conforming to "rules" of ethics is a challenge to everyone especially now that technology is greatly affecting every life.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Spinning a Web Search
Lager, Mark. (1996). Spinning a Web Search. Untangling the Web. Santa Barbara, CA : University of California. retrieved on July 2, 2009 (http://www.library.ucsb.edu/untangle/lager.html)
ABSTRACT:
One of the major responsibilities of a librarian is to provide relevant materials in response to a client's query. With the advent of computers and internet, information is more accessible to everyone, anywhere. But, this new source of information which most users perceive as perfect is "chaotic, often not organized and includes information not of high quality." Due to lack of separation (Ex. academic information is combined with social culture information and with personal home pages and blogs) information retrieval using the internet often cause "information anxiety" or the overwhelming feeling one gets from having too much information (Nelson, 1994). Recall and precision is often an issue in web search. Recall should be coupled with high precision to give the most relevant information sought but with over 3 million host computers on the web, it is difficult to imagine finding only relevant, precise information in the midst of all the data (Pike, 1995). Indeed, modern techniques/trends in IR are being introduced, but as long as the world wide web continues to open the publishing world to anyone with computer and internet access, it will be an unending challenge for the web to provide only the relevant information a user is looking for.
MY THOUGHTS / REFLECTION:
I must admit that this article was published 13 years ago, this is a part of proceedings of the Conference sponsored by the Librarians Association of the University of California Santa Barbara and friends of the UCSB library. I still chose this article as my RA for the week because I believe that the issues it present is still a dilemma. I remember a newly graduate library client asked, will librarians still be in demand few years from now? What will be your roles, we already have the internet? I was startled by the question, I have to be honest, I am a librarian but I seldom used the library during my undergraduate years. I was a bit frightened with her words because there's truth in it. But after reading the article (and my search for this week's RA proved it), I learned that:
> It is easier to search for information through the internet. With just a click of the search button, thousands of data will be retrieved. But the question of relevancy comes in, are they all what I'm looking for? Good thing in my case, I have an idea of my topic, but what about a researcher who doesn't have any idea of what he's researching? How will he know which ones are correct? How will he be sure he's not mislead?
> Information is much accessible and current. This is the positive side of web search, wherever you are, information is at the tip of your fingers. I, for an instance is just using my mobile internet to search and get through this RA. The currency of information is also a positive factor. An event that had just transpired seconds ago can be searched and retrieved especially if there's an industrious uploader.
> The credibility of the authors of information that users retrieve through a web search is always in question. How will a researcher know if the article he's reading is written by an expert in the field he's looking for? Anyone can publish anything (truths and lies) and the sad part is, all can be retrieved and accessed.
The widespread use of the internet over libraries' collection should be a challenge to all of us, librarians. We must prove to our clients that we are professionally trained experts who can provide reliable, relevant and most importantly credible information.
ABSTRACT:
One of the major responsibilities of a librarian is to provide relevant materials in response to a client's query. With the advent of computers and internet, information is more accessible to everyone, anywhere. But, this new source of information which most users perceive as perfect is "chaotic, often not organized and includes information not of high quality." Due to lack of separation (Ex. academic information is combined with social culture information and with personal home pages and blogs) information retrieval using the internet often cause "information anxiety" or the overwhelming feeling one gets from having too much information (Nelson, 1994). Recall and precision is often an issue in web search. Recall should be coupled with high precision to give the most relevant information sought but with over 3 million host computers on the web, it is difficult to imagine finding only relevant, precise information in the midst of all the data (Pike, 1995). Indeed, modern techniques/trends in IR are being introduced, but as long as the world wide web continues to open the publishing world to anyone with computer and internet access, it will be an unending challenge for the web to provide only the relevant information a user is looking for.
MY THOUGHTS / REFLECTION:
I must admit that this article was published 13 years ago, this is a part of proceedings of the Conference sponsored by the Librarians Association of the University of California Santa Barbara and friends of the UCSB library. I still chose this article as my RA for the week because I believe that the issues it present is still a dilemma. I remember a newly graduate library client asked, will librarians still be in demand few years from now? What will be your roles, we already have the internet? I was startled by the question, I have to be honest, I am a librarian but I seldom used the library during my undergraduate years. I was a bit frightened with her words because there's truth in it. But after reading the article (and my search for this week's RA proved it), I learned that:
> It is easier to search for information through the internet. With just a click of the search button, thousands of data will be retrieved. But the question of relevancy comes in, are they all what I'm looking for? Good thing in my case, I have an idea of my topic, but what about a researcher who doesn't have any idea of what he's researching? How will he know which ones are correct? How will he be sure he's not mislead?
> Information is much accessible and current. This is the positive side of web search, wherever you are, information is at the tip of your fingers. I, for an instance is just using my mobile internet to search and get through this RA. The currency of information is also a positive factor. An event that had just transpired seconds ago can be searched and retrieved especially if there's an industrious uploader.
> The credibility of the authors of information that users retrieve through a web search is always in question. How will a researcher know if the article he's reading is written by an expert in the field he's looking for? Anyone can publish anything (truths and lies) and the sad part is, all can be retrieved and accessed.
The widespread use of the internet over libraries' collection should be a challenge to all of us, librarians. We must prove to our clients that we are professionally trained experts who can provide reliable, relevant and most importantly credible information.
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