Reading Activity 4

When I start a research project, the first thing I do is preliminary research online to get a basic understanding of the topic.  After finding out initial background information, I continue to research but in more depth this time finding books, journals, and news articles.  The library offers many sources of help ranging from librarians to online tutorials on how to research. 

In Steven Bells article, “The Infodiet” the matter of student research strategies are discussed.  Bell believes that students no longer find credible information and produce less than par work.  He writes that students are over dependent on Google and other online search engines.  Students used to spend time in the library reading and researching while now some students have never even entered the library.  An idea proposed is to make academic search engines similar to Google so more students would use them.  With students ability to research on the decline librarians are needed now more than ever to help reverse this problem before it’s too late.  The solution many companies are taking is to change their interface to look more like Google with just one search box on the main screen.  In my own opinion, many students lack basic research skills that are needed to succeed in school, but not all students.  If this rate of decline continues it will only be a matter of time before basic research is too difficult for students to complete on their own and they will need the assistance of faculty and librarians.

“How College Students Evaluate and use Information in the Digital Age” is an article focusing on students ability to research and comprehend what they read.  Research shows that students tend to turn to friends and family when they cannot find information on a current event and faculty and teachers when they need help locating information on research topics in school.  The most difficult task for students surveyed was initial research and filtering through irrelevant information.  Many surveyed said their main concern was to finish the project and get a good grade ahead of learning new topics.  I think the main problem with students nowadays is not the inability to research but the lack of practice they have, many students can find current information because they do it on a daily basis while they only research scholarly two to three times a semester.  If schools focused more on research and how to find scholarly articles and journals students would find better sources when researching.

            

Reading Activity 3

With close to thirteen thousand undergraduate students enrolled at UNCW Randall library is quite small.  If given the opportunity to improve the library the first thing I would do is expand in every direction possible.  There would be at least five floors and a basement, the top two floors would be quiet study, and the bottom three would be group study rooms and computer labs.  The basement would be a cafeteria open whenever the library is open.  Each desk would have an Ethernet port and power outlet so there would be no need to move every time your laptop starts to die. 

In the article “Tomorrow's Academic Libraries: Maybe Even Some Books.” Drexel University decided to build a bookless library.  It is centered near where the student body eats and lives.  This new building will cost the school $700,000 just to construct the building and another $250,000 to supply it with furniture and computers.  The new idea introduced by Drexel is based on allowing students to choose how they study, all the furniture has wheels allowing for easier group study.  The facility will be open twenty-four hours and will not always be staffed.  This new concept would go very well on Wilmington’s campus considering many students come to the library to study and not look at books and it will allow for more study room. In my opinion, this is a great idea that every campus should pursue.

In the second article, “Honor Your Campus Library” the author writes this article to inform us on the necessity of libraries on campus.  Maria Stewart, author writes about the patience found in librarians and the ability to understand what students and faculty are asking for.  Many times students try asking questions they think will help find a solution when in turn it just makes finding an answer harder for the library staff.  Stewart writes that she has heard many questions over the years that would easily frustrate other campus personnel while librarians simply answer the question and continue on their work.  Another aspect of a librarian is their want to learn many have multiple master’s degrees and even PhD’s.  The job is constantly changing so they must stay on top of their studies to keep up with changing technology.  The main point of this article is to let the reader know how much librarians actually do and to take time out of your day to thank them.  I think they are a vital part of the library and help to keep things running smoothly even around exam time when there is chaos in the library.  Without librarians, there would be no libraries for students to go to and study.

News Report 3

Superman, Grab a Book

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/nyregion/ny-designer-puts-lending-libraries-into-pay-phone-kiosks.html?ref=librariesandlibrarians

Joshua Brustein

September 8, 2012

John Locke a New York resident and architectural designer spent his Sunday morning transforming an outdated phone booth into a bookshelf.  Ideally, Sunday morning before eight am is optimal time to make the transformation says Locke.  Last winter he designed a portable shelving unit that easily fit in New York City’s most common phone booth.  In the last month, Locke has transformed four booths into bookshelves.  The design allows for easy installation being specifically outfitted hooking over the back of the booth needing no additional setup.  What happens after the installation seems to always be the same, for every one person that stops and looks at the books another twelve walk by. 

            Mr. Locke has been approached by bookstores, publishing houses and even other New York residents about donating books to these kiosks.  Old phone booths are becoming more and more obsolete as time goes by and this could be a new use for them.  Aside from using outdated phone booths as bookshelves, many have been converted into wi-fi hotspots. 

The latest bookshelf on Amsterdam Avenue received mixed reactions.  Less than five minutes after he left the stand two individuals walked up each leaving with a book of their own.  Not ten minutes later four men arrived at the booth waited for the all clear and put all the books into bags and left leaving the shelves empty.   

            In my opinion this is a great idea that needs to be pursued further on a larger scale.  I think many people would support this idea and even donate to the cause.  If there was a way to regulate who took what books, or the you take a book if you leave a book system.