The Infomedia Revolution: We are yet to see this dream fulfilled...

In 1995 Frank Koelsch, a Canadian author, wrote a book and its description says: "This text provides a guide for companies and individuals to Infomedia. It explains what it is, why companies should not ignore it, how (and when) it will affect various industries and what changes it will bring. The book is global in scope and provides numerous case studies."   Read more here : The Infomedia Revolution: How It Is Changing Our World and Your Life by Frank Koelsch

In 2014, after nearly 20 years, we are yet to see the revolution. Info-mdedia is by far very slow in its growth of the expected synchronization (of all types of media,  read ALL).  Eexcuse my inability to see any source, if you know of any recent Canadian developments, please send me a link.

We are however happy reading headlines about new interfaces that facilitate whenever meetings (that tend to be, overall, not really real developments), as in news: 

• State of the Modern Meeting: Infographic: Commutes and Conference Rooms No Longer Required
  Inaugural Report Shows Today’s Meetings are Mobile, Flexible and International

Casting Light on Neglected Books --

Upper Valley Authors Recommend Works That Deserve AttentionBy Nicola Smith

Valley News Staff Writer

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Extract:

Every year, we in the media, with laxative regularity, trot out our Best Of lists. Best movies, books, music, restaurants, television, hotels, art shows, apps, spas, farmers markets: there is almost no artistic or commercial enterprise for which a Best Of list doesn’t exist. 

A Best Of list is one way to take the temperature of a culture, and readers like lists that sum up what critics think we should pay attention to. But there can be something reductive about the exercise. The national arbiters of taste work within a fairly narrow frame of reference, one dominated by the urban marketplaces of the coasts, and fed by the churning publicity machines of the corporations releasing the music, movies and books we consume. continue reading

Information literacy books -- Is there a saturation in this genre?

Reading now: Information Literacy Instruction that Works: A Guide to Teaching by Discipline and Student Population, Second Edition by Patrick Ragains (Editor)
Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2d ed. ISBN: 9781555708603. 2013, 342 pages. $85.00 paperback.

Any reader of this Information literacy (IL) book may ask “Do we need yet another book on the best practices in IL?” The answer is not given in the book. Compared to two pages about its content organization, there is no clearly stated objective of this anthology, or a justification for the need of this book, given the fact that there are many competitors today that ‘help the students.’Many librarians struggle to  deliver benefits with a focus on: a) users/readers and b) cost effective. On both these fronts, the book in hand is not a good fit. Considering a ROI is necessary for every one, a fact that must be remembered by every author and publisher is that there are already so many titles in this genre, and an increasing number of competitors today that ‘help the students.’ According to a list by informationliteracy.org.uk there are over thirty books (2008 to 2012), and tends to show the near saturation of the genre.More such lists are: INFORMATION LITERACY BOOKS  / ALA'sTeaching & Learning Information Literacy Skills: Textbooks  /  Popular Information Literacy Books - Goodreads

Assessment of the actual task, the most wanted item by IL librarians, will find it only in the case relating to the disciplines of Psychology (Chapter 12), Engineering (Chapter 16). Whereas, other selected disciplines will have inferences and indirect reference to what works.

Futher, comparative librarianship would expect all the selected studies/caes to be from similar settings (or from one level of institutions within an academic sample). Where as the 17 contributors of this anthology tell a different story--4 are in Colleges and 13 in Universities). More details about the contributors herein indicates another story about the levels of specialization.  The job title, Instruction (per se), is only in the case of one college and two university level librarians. Others are either aadministrators or faculty status holders.  

The strength of the book is in its twenty chapters, with selections-specific discussions  from humanities and social sciences. It is divided into four sections, viz., Planning to Teach; Teaching Specific Student Groups; Literacy in Specific Disciplines; and Teaching Special Topics. A weakness of the book is in its random selection of subjects that are tempered by the availability of contributors.

One single instance, may make this book different from the others. The following quote illustrates this highly desired momentum in all our IL theory, practices and the genre. "There is also an increasing recognition that students must move beyond scientific and technical expertise in these fields and develop an understanding of the cultural, social, aesthetic, and political aspects of scientific issues... This shift reflects the necessity of interdisciplinarity that integrates the social sciences and humanities with the sciences, creataing a holistic approach to scientific research" (Elizabeth Berman, Scientific Literacy, p. 217). Does the entire book reflect this intent or motif, anyways??? Nope. All other discussions sail in the same old boat of disciplinary approaches.

There is no explanation of why included are, stray areas, such as, Patent Research (and why not include standards' search, or how to search primary sources, as well) or subject domains, such as, Engineering (presented as a single monolithic domain, a fashion in 19^th century), and why there is a namesake ‘discussion’ of science literacy (again as if science is still a single subject of study). Subjects then missing (even from humanities and social sciences) are sociology, social work, political science, public admin, religion, and philosophy. Hence, it is not a book that can be recommended for every type of library. Nevertheless, this book may be of value in the library of major library schools in  the US, that have a course on information literacy.

Who's Bigger?: Where Historical Figures Really Rank -- Do they? Is this ranking global or local?

Who's Bigger?: Where Historical Figures Really Rank by Professors Steven Skiena  and  Charles Ward.

In identifying the most significant figures in human history the authors measure the impact of opinions. Thus the book, is a quantitative (aka metric) 'study' of opinions. Period. The ranking is based on a sample of the World's selected online resources, based on their format (i.e., web-based). It is not a rank by size of literature produced by a scholarly body or by historical period of occurrence or any other benchmarks of quantitative studies.

Summarily, this book is ranking of figures in human history by way of measuring the impact on opinions. WHEREAS, anyone who values facts, will not go near heresy/opinions/impressions/likes/dislikes, etc. Moreover a select sample of the Web, that includes the Wiki and similar community sources (attributed by academics as by and large anonymous, unreliable, and volatile nature), cannot be a means of a study to rank the sages of the ages. People who are looking at this pseudo-ranking approach, are getting excited that someone gets Top Rank. Is s/he really at the same NUMBER (based on the rule: What You See Is What You Get/vice versa, aka WYSIWYG/WYGIWYS) among the great historical figures??? Think twice, go check FACTS, and don't make historical judgments, based on opinions of Facebookers, Tweeters, clickers, likers, so on and so forth.

Hence, in deciding the place of historical figures, one must be careful. An Amazon's reviewer says: "Please don't buy this book. ...." [source: elmo]. In short,  opinions don't count, it is facts that are supposed to be used for ranking, and I would still recommend, The 100: A Ranking Of The Most Influential Persons In History by Michael H. Hart.

Book Description: 

Is Hitler bigger than Napoleon? Washington bigger than Lincoln? Picasso bigger than Einstein? Quantitative analysts are rapidly finding homes in social and cultural domains, from finance to politics. What about history? In this fascinating book, Steve Skiena and Charles Ward bring quantitative analysis to bear on ranking and comparing historical reputations. They evaluate each person by aggregating the traces of millions of opinions, just as Google ranks webpages. The book includes a technical discussion for readers interested in the details of the methods, but no mathematical or computational background is necessary to understand the rankings or conclusions...

The 100 Most Significant Figures in History (first 25 ranked)
(image courtesy: miketrap.com/bostonglobe.com)

On the same shelf:

Who’s Biggest? The 100 Most Significant Figures in History ... ideas.time.com "A data-driven ranking. Plus, have former TIME People of the Year been predictive?" 

  The 100: A Ranking Of The Most Influential Persons In History (Arabic Edition) Anis Mansour

The Film 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential People in the History of the Movies Scott Smith

LIFE 100 People Who Changed the World (Life (Life Books)) Editors of Life

The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived: How Characters of Fiction, Myth, Legends, Television, and Movies Have Shaped Our Society, Changed Our Behavior, and Set the Course of History Dan Karlan

The Librarian's Skillbook: 51 Essential Career Skills for Information Professionals

The Librarian's Skillbook: 51 Essential Career Skills for Information Professionals Authored by Deborah Hunt (MLS, ECMp), and David Grossman (MLS, MBA). Information Edge (2013) ISBN: 0989513319

“Having the right skills is a critical component for landing a new job or any type of career advancement. Librarians and information professionals possess many marketable and transferable skills that can easily equip them to pursue a wide range of information-based jobs or start a new career in one of many related fields within or beyond the library world, such as Archives Management, Digital Asset Management, Knowledge Management, Records Management or Web Site Design." [source: ATG Book of the Week]

The skills presented in The Librarian’s Skillbook are divided into six broad categories:

1. Computer/Technical Skills
2. Beyond Reference Skills
3. Business and Management Skills
4. Interpersonal Skills
5. Attitude Skills
6. Intangible Skills [source: createspace.com]

What others say:

“This book is a roadmap to your future as an information professional. The unspoken theme of this work is that transformational librarianship is the goal. What do we need to do so that we make ourselves essential, valuable, and hirable so that we can make the difference we want to see in the world? If you find yourself frustrated, confused or adrift at this point in your career, try the ideas outlined here. As part of a community of information professionals who are committed to making a difference with their lives, the wisdom and plan outlined in this book provide an excellent start.  Go. Engage. Develop.” — Stephen Abram

“A must read for those who want to be more employable whether as librarians or in outside jobs.” – Naomi House, Editor, Publisher and Founder, INALJ.com (I Need a Library Job blog)
“This should be a required text in any Library Science program and for seasoned professionals interested in greater job security or a change in pace.” – Chris Vestal, Government Consultant, LexisNexis

“Deb Hunt and David Grossman have contributed a very important work to the whole field of career management for all professional knowledge workers," says Guy St. Clair, President, SMR International and Knowledge Strategy Specialist, Columbia University.
AIIP President Jocelyn Sheppard concurs, adding, "More than half of the members of our association hold library and information science degrees. We applaud Deb Hunt and David Grossman for highlighting the potential benefits of an independent info pro career." ...Continue reading:  prweb.com

Library Web Sites : Practical Considerations and Research Completed

Library's have their own websites. Most libraries started a Web presence with a library catalog/catalogue.

How good is their look and feel, how value-added is their content and how nicely designed [re: World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)'s standards on usability] are these?  Are they as cool as Google and as tempting? One may find the answer in the following:

• Building an Academic Library Website: Experiences and challenges at IISER Mohali. By RAJESHWAR MISHRA and MALLIKARJUN ANGADI,  Journal of Indian Library Association 2011, 47(1) 5-10

Cited sources:

[1] R. W. Ongus, T. D. Kemparaju, and C.M. Nyamboga, “Evaluation of University Websites Targeting English Speaking Users: A Comparative Analysis Of Selected Sites In Developed And Developing Countries”, Malaysian Journal of Library and Information Science, vol 11, 2, pp. 61-74, 2006.

[2] Mignon Adams, and Richard M. Dougherty, “How useful is your Homepage? A quick and practical approach to evaluating a library’s website”, College and Research Libraries News, vol 63, 8, pp. .590-92, 2002

[3] Charles Belangar, Joan Mount and Mathew Wilson, “Institutional image and retention”, Tertiary education and management, vol 8, 3, p. 217, 2002.

[4] L.A. Clyde, “The Library as Information Provider: The Home Page”, The Electronic Library, vol 14, 6, pp.549-558, 1996

[5] Sherry Piontek and Kristen Garlock, “Creating a World Wide Web Resource Collection”, Internet Research, vol 6, 4, pp. 20-26, 1996

[6] Pamela Harpel-Burke, “Library homepage design at medium-sized universities: A comparison to commercial homepages via Nielsen and Tahir”, OCLC Systems & Services, vol 21, 3, pp.193 – 208, 2005

[7] Rozic-Hristovski, Anamarija and Dimitar Hristovski Ljupco Todorovski, “Developing a medical library website at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia”, Program: electronic library and information systems, vol 33, 4, pp. 313-325, 1999

[8] R. Raward, “Academic library Website design principles: development of a checklist”, Australian Academic & Research Libraries, vol 32, 2, 2001 Available at http://www.alia.org.au/publishing/aarl/raward.html [inactive link]; see, the Checklist

[9] M. Stover, “Library Web sites: mission and function in the networked Organisation”, Computer in Libraries, vol 17, pp. 55-7, 1997 

[10]Mark Stove and Steven D. Zink, “World Wide Web Home Page Design: Patterns and Anomalies of  Higher Education Library Home Pages”, Reference Services Review, vol 24, pp. 7-20, 1996

On the same shelf:

•  The Mission and Role of the Library Web Site, Mark Stover
• Linda Main. Building Websites for a Multinational Audience. Scarecrow Press, 2002. Information Processing and Management, 40, 2004, 583-585. [reviewed by Dr. Mohamed Taher]
• Content and Workflow Management for Library Websites: Case Studies, Holly Yu (Ed.), Idea Group Inc, Hershey, PA, 2005 (259pp.) International Journal of Information Management, Volume 27, Issue 1, February 2007, Pages 59-60 [reviewed by Dr. Mohamed Taher]
• Melody Y. Ivory. Automated Web Site Evaluation: Researchers' and Practitioners' Perspectives. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003.Information Processing and Management, Jan2007, Vol. 43 Issue 1, p. 288-290 [reviewed by Dr. Mohamed Taher]
• UContent: The Information Professional's Guide to User-Generated Content, By Nicholas G. Tomaiuolo, Information Today, Inc. (2012), ISBN-13: 978-1573874250.
• Hock, R. (2002, September/October). A new era of search engines: Not just web pages anymore. Online, 26(5), 31.
• Janowski, A. (2005). Instant web sites! (Just add content). School Library Journal, 51(1), 50-52.
• Sauers, M. P. (2006). Blogging and RSS:  A librarian’s guide.  Medford, NJ:  Information Today
• 
  
  Vesey, K. ( 2004). Building a better clicks-and-mortar library. Library Media Connection, 22(7). 
• Young, T. (2002). The weakest link: Library catalogs. Book Report, 20(4), 6-14.