Thursday, October 30, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Reading Report #4
Can WIKIPEDIA Ever Make the Grade?
Wikipedia is a highly controversial website that contains editied information on millions of topics. It is basically a free encyclopedia with articles that have been contributed and collaborated together since 2001. Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales are the founders of Wikipedia. It has had a bad reputation among professors and teachers who mostly refuse to let students use it as a research tool. Altough many articles and information is credible, anyone can edit the information and it might have no proof of expertise. Mr. Halavais did an experiment where he got onto Wikipedia and slipped in 13 errors into various articles. He assumed his nonsense wouldn't be checked or changed but much to his dismay, even his most believable lies had been deleted thanks to the Wikipedia editors who reguraly check the recently updated entries. Mr. Halavais was impressed witht he site and the fact that they caught his mistakes. However, most people still dismiss the notion that Wikipedia is actually a credible website. The encyclopedia continues to grow and many scholars contribute articles to the collection. However, the numbers aren't what make it a sucess, it has to be the quality. An incident that was damaging to Wikipedia's reputation dealt with Mr. Seigenthaler who noticed an entry that claimed he was responsible for something he wasn't. He called Wikipedia a "flawed and irresponsible research tool". However Wikipedia is working hard to make sure that everything stays clean and that the highest traffic areas are the most revised. Up against Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia stands it's ground. Many scholars have deemed Wikipedia as a good and relevant site but there will always be doubts when it can be edited by anyone. Wikipedia is fighting back strong and growing at an enormous rate. It isn't going anywhere, that is for sure.
I am a big fan of Wikipedia. I love the easiness and availability of the information on there. I can type something into google and up pops a link to Wikipedia which always seems organized and easy to read. I can almost always find what I am looking for on Wikipedia. I might trust it too much sometimes, but I would like to think that the information is valuable and true. If it is a topic that I am unsure about or don't know a lot about, then I probably wouldn't use Wikipedia to find more information. I would refer to a more credible site that has facts about what I am looking for. However, Wikipedia is set up in a user friendly manner and I like the bold headings that make it easy to search.
Wikipedia is a highly controversial website that contains editied information on millions of topics. It is basically a free encyclopedia with articles that have been contributed and collaborated together since 2001. Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales are the founders of Wikipedia. It has had a bad reputation among professors and teachers who mostly refuse to let students use it as a research tool. Altough many articles and information is credible, anyone can edit the information and it might have no proof of expertise. Mr. Halavais did an experiment where he got onto Wikipedia and slipped in 13 errors into various articles. He assumed his nonsense wouldn't be checked or changed but much to his dismay, even his most believable lies had been deleted thanks to the Wikipedia editors who reguraly check the recently updated entries. Mr. Halavais was impressed witht he site and the fact that they caught his mistakes. However, most people still dismiss the notion that Wikipedia is actually a credible website. The encyclopedia continues to grow and many scholars contribute articles to the collection. However, the numbers aren't what make it a sucess, it has to be the quality. An incident that was damaging to Wikipedia's reputation dealt with Mr. Seigenthaler who noticed an entry that claimed he was responsible for something he wasn't. He called Wikipedia a "flawed and irresponsible research tool". However Wikipedia is working hard to make sure that everything stays clean and that the highest traffic areas are the most revised. Up against Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia stands it's ground. Many scholars have deemed Wikipedia as a good and relevant site but there will always be doubts when it can be edited by anyone. Wikipedia is fighting back strong and growing at an enormous rate. It isn't going anywhere, that is for sure.
I am a big fan of Wikipedia. I love the easiness and availability of the information on there. I can type something into google and up pops a link to Wikipedia which always seems organized and easy to read. I can almost always find what I am looking for on Wikipedia. I might trust it too much sometimes, but I would like to think that the information is valuable and true. If it is a topic that I am unsure about or don't know a lot about, then I probably wouldn't use Wikipedia to find more information. I would refer to a more credible site that has facts about what I am looking for. However, Wikipedia is set up in a user friendly manner and I like the bold headings that make it easy to search.
Monday, October 20, 2008
News Report #5
"Bargain buyers in for literary smorgasbord at Salt Lake City Main Library"
By Heather May The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 10/20/2008 06:48:58 AM MDT
http://www.sltrib.com/entertainment/ci_10765678
The Salt Lake City library has a bargain book for everyone. From cookbooks and sports records to novels and do it yourself books, the semiannual used-book sale is in the basement of the library which is stacked with damaged or outdated books, magazines, VHS and cassette tapes that no longer have a place within the library. Friends of the Library's are put on this books sale twice a year and it is a great way for books to find a new home at a great price. During these hard economic times, people don't feel guilty for buying a hardback book for fifty cents or a paperback for a quarter. The books sales have raised 90,000 dollars for the city's six libraries along with the sales from transactions online and at the gift shop in the library. People skip their lunch during their lunch hour and come fill up shopping carts full of books. Joyce Carleton quotes,"This is one of the most marvelous things the library can do: Share the knowledge at a reasonable price."
Many people who were interviewed found the perfect book for themselves or their friends and family. Children books, foreign language books, and traveling books are all great finds with such a cheap price. It makes people feel good to buy a lot of books and not spend a lot of money. Reading is always a great way to learn new things. Even older movies like "Dirty Dancing" were among the VHS tapes that were a big grab.Teachers from schools come to buy books for their classroom even if they are outdated. History never goes out of date and as long as they aren't falling apart, it is worth the buy.
I think that this is a great way to recycle used books. Book sales are always a big hit, especially among the avid readers and for parents that want to read their children books. Books can be very expensive and sometimes it isn't worth spending fifteen dollars on a children's book that will only be used a few times. It is also a great thing for teacher's who don't have a lot of money to spend on books for the classroom. Like the article said, history never goes out of date and it is a very important thing to learn about. I love finding a bargain and I think in hard times like this, it is a great way to save money and still spend a little to get what you want.
By Heather May The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 10/20/2008 06:48:58 AM MDT
http://www.sltrib.com/entertainment/ci_10765678
The Salt Lake City library has a bargain book for everyone. From cookbooks and sports records to novels and do it yourself books, the semiannual used-book sale is in the basement of the library which is stacked with damaged or outdated books, magazines, VHS and cassette tapes that no longer have a place within the library. Friends of the Library's are put on this books sale twice a year and it is a great way for books to find a new home at a great price. During these hard economic times, people don't feel guilty for buying a hardback book for fifty cents or a paperback for a quarter. The books sales have raised 90,000 dollars for the city's six libraries along with the sales from transactions online and at the gift shop in the library. People skip their lunch during their lunch hour and come fill up shopping carts full of books. Joyce Carleton quotes,"This is one of the most marvelous things the library can do: Share the knowledge at a reasonable price."
Many people who were interviewed found the perfect book for themselves or their friends and family. Children books, foreign language books, and traveling books are all great finds with such a cheap price. It makes people feel good to buy a lot of books and not spend a lot of money. Reading is always a great way to learn new things. Even older movies like "Dirty Dancing" were among the VHS tapes that were a big grab.Teachers from schools come to buy books for their classroom even if they are outdated. History never goes out of date and as long as they aren't falling apart, it is worth the buy.
I think that this is a great way to recycle used books. Book sales are always a big hit, especially among the avid readers and for parents that want to read their children books. Books can be very expensive and sometimes it isn't worth spending fifteen dollars on a children's book that will only be used a few times. It is also a great thing for teacher's who don't have a lot of money to spend on books for the classroom. Like the article said, history never goes out of date and it is a very important thing to learn about. I love finding a bargain and I think in hard times like this, it is a great way to save money and still spend a little to get what you want.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Reading #3
The major goal of libraries is to get students to move from infobesity to infodieting. Google is deemed as an easy and effective way to get information for most college students who are researching information. However, most of the information can be overwhelming and not significant, therefore libraries offer an "appetizing" alternative. Academic libraries are trying to work together and encourage students to use their online databases for searching for information rather than google or just the internet. Some of the information posted on the web can be misleading or even unture, whereas online journal databases offered by academic libraries are reviewed and published, therefore they are much more reliable. Information literacy is a big part of schools right now. Teachers and librarians are pushing hard to get students to realize what they need to be looking for and how to find it. Most students can be lazy and just use information that they find first. Libraries and teachers however think that finding information should be a task and it should not be as easy as just typing it into google. True research takes time and effort to find exactly what you are looking for. Libraries are doing their best to offer students services that will encourage them to use their resources rather than google.
As a college student, I know how easy it is to want to type something in google and use it. However, when I am writing papers or doing extensive research, I go straight to the online databases that the library offers. Most teachers don't even let you use online websites as a source in papers or projects. Some websites can be misleading or untrue and then you have wrong information in your papers. Most of our lives revolve around not having enough energy or time to sift through tons of information to find what we are looking for. However, that is why libraries are working hard to make their resources effective and easy to use.
As a college student, I know how easy it is to want to type something in google and use it. However, when I am writing papers or doing extensive research, I go straight to the online databases that the library offers. Most teachers don't even let you use online websites as a source in papers or projects. Some websites can be misleading or untrue and then you have wrong information in your papers. Most of our lives revolve around not having enough energy or time to sift through tons of information to find what we are looking for. However, that is why libraries are working hard to make their resources effective and easy to use.
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