Week 1 Reading Notes

1) OCLC Report- Information Format Trends: Content, Not Containers
-addresses trends of "unbundling" of content from traditional media to digital format, such as e-books, e-mails with content attached, etc.
-assesses effect on users, as well as on libraries-
-how can they compete with and continue to stay relevant in the world of mobile devices allowing users access to content anywhere, at any time?
-libraries are the traditional collectors of content- but how can their "just in case, cummunity collection" compete with the influx of personalized/dynamic content that digital formats, blogs, etc. offer

-micropayment for microcontent/tiered access- accessing part of content for free, but full content requires registration/payment
Where will we draw the line? At this point, many consumers are already willing to pay for content that they have traditionally been able to access for free through the library institution; ultimately, how much will they be willing to pay? What about Open Access, Fair Use and Digital Rights Management? Many consumers disagree with DRM, which already affects digital music downloads, how will it come into play and govern usage and sharing of information? Is it fair for the owners and publishers of digital content to dictate how and under what circumstances this content can be obtaind, used and shared, when traditional physical content can be shared freely?

2) Clifford Lynch, “Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy: New Components in the Curriculum for a Digital Culture”
-Lynch offers a comparison and contrast of IT literacy and Information Literacy, commenting briefly on the great significance of both in our increasingly technological world-

It literacy- primarily the technology infrastructure and tools and their interaction with the infrastructure, as well as the issues that shape its development
-Information lteracy- content and communication, forms and purposes of content

-I think an especially valid point made in the article is that unlike in the past, when typing classes were offered in high school and these skills went on to serve students, relatively unchanging, for many years, it is now essential that students be taught both a fluency in current technologies, as well as the skills to learn new tools as technology improves rapdily. I thought this article also built slightly on what I considered in my entry for "the muddiest point," where I
considered IT's threat to libraries. I felt that IT both drastically changes and improves access to information in its many forms, and this article further influenced my belief through its discussion of computer-based searching and the fact that it is increasingly central to information finding and research. As IT continues to provide users the tools to access information on their own, both Information Literacy and IT Literacy become increasingly important- users must be able to not only successfully utilize the technology to access information and keep up with the rapid developments, but also, when they are responsible for finding information on their own, information literacy becomes essential to the ability to process and integrate information and apply it successfully as knowledge.

3) Vaughan, J. (2005). Lied Library @ four years: technology never stands still.
bottom line- technology never stands stilloffers a very in depth perspective on the technological improvements made in one library, as well as how this
affected the library and its constant efforts in continually adapting to new challenges-examples: new systems, improvements made to old systems, computer replacement
**Feeding the Beast: the author points out that there are not only direct, upfront costs in upgrading the technological services in a library, but also in the ongoing maintenance of these services
One question that arose when I read this article pertained to this point and the fact that some view increased technology services that eliminate some of the need for physical content and human services will lead to decreased funding of libraries. In some cases, especially smaller libraries that may receive less funding in the first place, will they end up installing new systems in order to retain their competitive edge, but not be able to afford maintenance, thus winding up with obsolete technology, decreased usage, and again, decreased funding? This article
stresses the constant challenges libraries face as technology improves, at times, faster than the public can keep up with.