http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2008/09/22/daily20.html
The approval for a planetarium on top of the Minneapolis Central Library in Minnesota has taken affect. The Hennepin County Board approved the project that would take up 38,000 square feet of space on the fifth and sixth floors of the library. About 11,000 square feet would be just for public displays and exhibits which will promote the library’s most popular and valuable items. There will also be a 200 seat domed theater which will be used for educational and recreational purposes. Not only that, but there will also be numerous attractions for the local students and general public that will occupy the library. This project will be very expensive costing over 40 million dollars. Some of the project’s funding will come from the state of Minnesota who has already committed 22 million dollars towards the fund. Other funding will come from the Planetarium Society which is estimated at 18.5 million dollars. The annual estimated cost to operate the Minneapolis Central Library is 2.6 million dollars a year. A spokesperson from the Planetarium society, Frank Parisi, has said that they are starting their fundraising efforts immediately. They anticipate for the county to raise about 250,000 dollars and are also hoping that the city will contribute as much as the county will. The Minneapolis City Council will vote on supporting the planetarium project by the end of the year. The county, city and Planetarium Society will likely ask for an extension which would give the Planetarium Society more time to raise money.
I think that this is a very cool idea. I have never heard of such an amazing library before. I would love to visit this library if I ever got a chance and think that it will attract a lot of the public that it didn’t before. It will create a more education environment which will be more inviting for students and the general public. I have to say that it seems like a very expensive addition to a library, but I also think that it will be beneficial in the end.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Reading Report #2
Information Navigation 101
My generation is known for our tech savvy ways and as the Net Generation. We spend hours on our cell phone(not just talking), listening to our MP3 players, updating our facebooks, and surfing the Internet. However, most of the older generations argue that we rely too much on the Internet for scholarly information. Granted Google and Wikipedia are easy to use, find, and read, electronic information is everywhere. In 1996 there were 10,000 scholarly databases online and now they exceed 18,000. Professors and librarians at colleges are encouraging students to use scholarly materials by teaching classes and going through step by step tutorials. A growing librarian led movement called "Information Literacy" is promoted to make students more likely to located and use electronic data, not straight from the Internet. Many universities are embracing information literacy. Campuses have created programs that encourage faculty and librarians to teach the students on how to find, sort, analyze, and communicate information. The American Library Association called it a necessary skill and urged schools to make it part of their curriculum.
Most of the problems with information on the Internet is that there is so much of it, it can be overwhelming. People need to be able to determine what is relevant and what isn't. There are also bogus websites that exist and nothing on them is true. Therefore by using a scholarly journal that is cited and approved, the information that a student uses will be accurate. More and more libraries and campuses are improving their Information Literacy programs and making the students, and even faculty, aware of what is out there. There are even tests that present a student with the same kind of problems you would see in college or work, and it measures students' information literacy skills. Some teachers still think that the Internet is a hassle and that it only contains lies. However, many powerful and useful pieces of information come from the Internet and whether we like it or not, this is the technology in the world we live in and we should take advantage of it.
When I took English 201 last semester, we came into the library for a day and went into the computer lab for a librarian to show us how to access scholarly journals. I already felt overwhelmed with information and journals that I didn't even want to use a book or the Internet. I actually didn't end up using an actual Internet page, but I did use the journals and articles that I searched for in the database. However, if I wasn't required to use 2 or more books as a source, I wouldn't have. I don't think that books are irrelevant, but with the plethora of information out there these days, there is no need or time for me to sit down and read a whole book on a subject that I am writing a 5 page paper on. Therefore, I find that searching for a few good articles or journals is much more time efficient and relevant. Information Literacy is very important to our generation, especially considering that every year there is more and more information put on the Internet. We need to keep up with the times an make sure that we don't fall behind as a generation. The newest generations will be much better at something else by the time that we get used to all of this.
My generation is known for our tech savvy ways and as the Net Generation. We spend hours on our cell phone(not just talking), listening to our MP3 players, updating our facebooks, and surfing the Internet. However, most of the older generations argue that we rely too much on the Internet for scholarly information. Granted Google and Wikipedia are easy to use, find, and read, electronic information is everywhere. In 1996 there were 10,000 scholarly databases online and now they exceed 18,000. Professors and librarians at colleges are encouraging students to use scholarly materials by teaching classes and going through step by step tutorials. A growing librarian led movement called "Information Literacy" is promoted to make students more likely to located and use electronic data, not straight from the Internet. Many universities are embracing information literacy. Campuses have created programs that encourage faculty and librarians to teach the students on how to find, sort, analyze, and communicate information. The American Library Association called it a necessary skill and urged schools to make it part of their curriculum.
Most of the problems with information on the Internet is that there is so much of it, it can be overwhelming. People need to be able to determine what is relevant and what isn't. There are also bogus websites that exist and nothing on them is true. Therefore by using a scholarly journal that is cited and approved, the information that a student uses will be accurate. More and more libraries and campuses are improving their Information Literacy programs and making the students, and even faculty, aware of what is out there. There are even tests that present a student with the same kind of problems you would see in college or work, and it measures students' information literacy skills. Some teachers still think that the Internet is a hassle and that it only contains lies. However, many powerful and useful pieces of information come from the Internet and whether we like it or not, this is the technology in the world we live in and we should take advantage of it.
When I took English 201 last semester, we came into the library for a day and went into the computer lab for a librarian to show us how to access scholarly journals. I already felt overwhelmed with information and journals that I didn't even want to use a book or the Internet. I actually didn't end up using an actual Internet page, but I did use the journals and articles that I searched for in the database. However, if I wasn't required to use 2 or more books as a source, I wouldn't have. I don't think that books are irrelevant, but with the plethora of information out there these days, there is no need or time for me to sit down and read a whole book on a subject that I am writing a 5 page paper on. Therefore, I find that searching for a few good articles or journals is much more time efficient and relevant. Information Literacy is very important to our generation, especially considering that every year there is more and more information put on the Internet. We need to keep up with the times an make sure that we don't fall behind as a generation. The newest generations will be much better at something else by the time that we get used to all of this.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
News Report #3
Copyright 2008 Reuters
August 29, 2008
http://www.internetnews.com/breakingnews/article.php/3768571/Google+Yahoo+Deal+On+Track+Despite+Scrutiny.htm
Google and Yahoo, two of the biggest Internet search markets, are apparently coming together with an agreement that will be an advertising partnership. According to a boomerang report, Goodle and Yahoo will proceed with the agreement by early October, despite government officials questioning. Google's Eric Schmidt says that they plan to move forward with the proposal and they are talking to the government about the process. Google has more than 60 percent of the Internet search market and Yahoo has almost 17 percent. In June the advertising partnership was decided which would allow Google to put search ads on Yahoo's site. Little has been disclosed about how the deal is structured and how the payment plans might operate. However in a recent Security and Exchange Commission fling, Google has been said to compensate Yahoo with an undisclosed percentage of its ads each month. Google may cancel the deal if gross revenue for four months drops below $83 million. This deal has raised concerns that it will give Google too much power in the online advertising market. The U.S. Justice Department launched a formal antitrust investigation earlier and attorney generals have also opened inquiries about the matter. Microsoft has also raised the issue of consumer privacy warning that the two Internet giants of their consumer data.
I think that Google and Yahoo are big enough on their own that there is no need for a joint advertising partnership. They should stay separate and hold their own to prevent confusion and more concerns from consumers and users. I don't know that much about the Internet revenues and advertising so it is hard for me to see the true benefits or consequences of this partnership but I think it sounds like a mess. However it could always lead to better relationships within the Internet market.
August 29, 2008
http://www.internetnews.com/breakingnews/article.php/3768571/Google+Yahoo+Deal+On+Track+Despite+Scrutiny.htm
Google and Yahoo, two of the biggest Internet search markets, are apparently coming together with an agreement that will be an advertising partnership. According to a boomerang report, Goodle and Yahoo will proceed with the agreement by early October, despite government officials questioning. Google's Eric Schmidt says that they plan to move forward with the proposal and they are talking to the government about the process. Google has more than 60 percent of the Internet search market and Yahoo has almost 17 percent. In June the advertising partnership was decided which would allow Google to put search ads on Yahoo's site. Little has been disclosed about how the deal is structured and how the payment plans might operate. However in a recent Security and Exchange Commission fling, Google has been said to compensate Yahoo with an undisclosed percentage of its ads each month. Google may cancel the deal if gross revenue for four months drops below $83 million. This deal has raised concerns that it will give Google too much power in the online advertising market. The U.S. Justice Department launched a formal antitrust investigation earlier and attorney generals have also opened inquiries about the matter. Microsoft has also raised the issue of consumer privacy warning that the two Internet giants of their consumer data.
I think that Google and Yahoo are big enough on their own that there is no need for a joint advertising partnership. They should stay separate and hold their own to prevent confusion and more concerns from consumers and users. I don't know that much about the Internet revenues and advertising so it is hard for me to see the true benefits or consequences of this partnership but I think it sounds like a mess. However it could always lead to better relationships within the Internet market.
Reading Assignment #1
When DaVinci died and left his masterpieces of art, inventions, and writings, he had no idea what would become of them. Even as they passed through countless hands and libraries, the collection maintained and is preserved today. Thanks to the help of libraries collections like DaVinci's can stay safe and preserved. It is unfortunate that the works of many brilliant people might be lost and never discovered because they were not taken care of or preserved. I was lucky enough to travel to Italy a few summers ago and actually stayed in Vinci, the birthplace of Leonardo. We went to the farmhouse that he was born at, and also the Museo Leonardiano, which is a museum of some of his inventions that were drawn in his notebooks. It is amazing to think that his work impacted so many lives, countries, and even technology today. With Gutenberg's invention of the printing press and Andrew Carnegie's funding for public libraries, the archives of information was vast. Now there are ten key trends that are affecting the development of the next generation library. Communication will change, technologies that we have now will be replaced, and global information will be heavily impacted.
The future of libraries is almost scary to think about. Will there even be bookshelves in 50 years? I think technology is a great thing and it has improved the way of life tremendously. However, it has also spoiled us. When my phone quit working for 3 days I had never felt more out of loop before. Not only that, but I couldn't take or place any calls for work, school, or friends. Frey mentioned that 66% of young people surf the web and watch TV at the same time and that could not be more true. Sometimes I even watch TV on my computer. I think that libraries should embrace the newest technologies and use it as a way to grow. Frey's recommendations for libraries are a very good way to get started. The future is coming quick and we don't want to be left behind.
The future of libraries is almost scary to think about. Will there even be bookshelves in 50 years? I think technology is a great thing and it has improved the way of life tremendously. However, it has also spoiled us. When my phone quit working for 3 days I had never felt more out of loop before. Not only that, but I couldn't take or place any calls for work, school, or friends. Frey mentioned that 66% of young people surf the web and watch TV at the same time and that could not be more true. Sometimes I even watch TV on my computer. I think that libraries should embrace the newest technologies and use it as a way to grow. Frey's recommendations for libraries are a very good way to get started. The future is coming quick and we don't want to be left behind.
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