| Sara B. Metcalfe |
Technology
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Technology One of the themes that ran through every class I took while at Southern was technology. Obviously, as the courses were web based, I was using technology as my primary learning tool. But with the advent of electronic journals, and computers in libraries, technology began to take on an even more important role in the library world. One of the first papers I wrote in ILS503-Foundations of Librarianship, was on one of the newest pieces of technology to hit libraries; the e-book. It is fascinating to look back now on all that has happened with the e-books and their role in libraries, since that paper was only written three and a half years ago. With the advent of the great information super highway, we have come to expect instant access to information. Our lives are ground to a standstill when our internet connections fail, or our computers breakdown. When I created my "Ask a Librarian" page for ILS 604-Advanced Reference Materials and Services, I could never have dreamed how this concept would take off. Having a page available to ask a librarian a question twenty-four hours a day, was not enough. People didn't want to have to wait for the librarian to get back to them. They wanted instant gratification. There is constant discussion on a reference listserv I belong to about 24-7 reference, and how to make this service better, and faster. My interest in web design grew and began to play an important role in my academic and professional career. This was due in part to the role technology played in the classes, and also out of necessity. Working on a Mac, it was often easier for me to save my papers as an html file, and upload them onto my webpage for my professors to read. The format of the webpage also allowed more freedom to be creative. The organizational mechanisms of webpages kept the information from looking to cluttered. Writing a paper for ILS- Introduction to Information Science and Technology, the only logical format could be a webpage. Though I had some knowledge of technology, this class forced me to become more proficient in my understanding of it. Not only were we learning the basics of how computers worked, but how technology was integrated into libraries. There were so many bits and pieces of material that I had created over my academic career that I wanted to include in this portfolio. The format of the webpage was much more conducive to incorporating three years of material and made delivery much easier. |
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