Exercise 15

I have made comments on Ruchi and Diane Gelder’s blogs

Ruchi: http://ruchimonitor.blogspot.com.au/

Ruchi: Filter Bubbles Exercise 8

I completely agree with your views on this ‘filter bubble’. Users of the internet should not be constricted to certain information, especially if they are looking for new information on that topic. I think that especially in a Library, where search engines are also used, all material should be available to users, instead of certain information being filtered based on what they believe visitors and the community need. There was a speculation back in March that Google was going to launch a social network, when it was announced that there would be no more private Google profiles after July 31^st. More and more of these sorts of things are coming up, where internet users do not have access to relevant information or their privacy is invaded! This is something I greatly disapprove of, and I’m glad that others like you agree with me on this.

Ruchi: Exercise 11 

You have some very good ideas that could be implemented to Parramatta Library, which I would also like to see happening in my library. My library is Concord Library, and I can already see modern elements and technology slowly surfacing, with a modern design and good search engines, however, like you said, more could be done. I agree with the idea of having an interactive site for the Children collection, as nowadays children seem to drift further and further away from reading and going to the library, so fun, interactive technologies such as touch screens and online stories would possibly incite a love for reading at an early age. For the Youth and Adult sections I think that they already know how to use their own laptops, ipads etc. in the library, which means less work in that section.

Diane Gelder: http://dianegeldermonitor.blogspot.com.au/

Diane Gelder: Exercise 6 

I agree with you on the fact that reading reviews are good and that they don’t necessarily belong in the library catalogue. I find reviews very helpful, especially if no person has recommended a particular book to me, and I’m just browsing. If you have a book already in mind, reviews appear tedious and useless, really, however if you want something new I think they’re very helpful. While my library does not have reviews in their catalogue, most books in the catalogue are accompanied by a link to their amazon page, the author in Wikipedia, Google Books and Library Thing, where reviews can obviously be found. Here is an example, http://webopac.canadabay.nsw.gov.au/libero/WebOpac.cls?VERSION=2&ACTION=DISPLAY&RSN=288992&DATA=CON&TOKEN=T7bQKqK5i73750&Z=1&SET=1
However, I think that more and more reviews are emerging on pages such as Amazon and library catalogues, with advancing technology making it easier for reviews to be posted.

Diane Gelder: Exercise 4

I really admire Nancy Pearl’s love for libraries! She says, “When you walk into a library, you’re the equal of anybody else and your options are unlimited”. I completely agree with this statement. I think many people today don’t realise the amount of knowledge, the amount of treasure, really, that a library holds. I remember when I was younger, and we had no internet, no computers etc. whenever we wanted to know something or research something we used to go to the library and I recall it being a wonderful experience. It’s so easy to lose yourself in a book, and I can’t wait till I can work as a librarian and spend much more time in the library! I feel like in a library you can explore almost the entire world, and widen your knowledge of the world without ever leaving the same place.