S401\Wright

25 OCT 2010

Hello

I have just started in the MLS program. Previously, my plan was to hold my nose and stay in the financial services industry for about 12 more years to get to an early retirement. I decided against this path because I have grown to detest intermediaries that extract far more from a situation than the value that they offer. I am highly skeptical of most experts in fields in which human behavior is one of the main variables. I enjoy examining issues from multiple angles prior to committing to anything and I am also extremely thrifty. This is why I enjoy libraries and am excited to participate in their evolution.

I currently use social media tools sparingly. However, I see the tremendous potential for using these tools in a library setting. I think that the local library systems and municipal governments should be completely integrated in a manner that drastically increases the information that citizens may access in regard to the local decision making process. I also think that allowing patrons to voluntarily comment on collection materials would be a great way to get a feel for the individuals that compose the community. Due to my current consumption of media, I feel like I know more about what is happening in London than I do about what is happening down the street. Social media applications could definitely be used to remedy this situation, but they are still going to have to pry the newspaper out of my cold, dead hands.

Joe

My name is Hannah Betzner, and I am a senior English major at IUPUI. I currently work at IUPUI's Campus Facility Services as a student human resources assistant. While the HR office itself does not use any social media, Parking Services which is a portion of my department uses Twitter and Facebook to post updates abou tthe parking availability in the various lots. As American expect results faster than ever before, I can only imagine that Twitter with its brevity will only become more prominent in the professional atmosphere. I have a Twitter account but had never looked at the IMCPL feed before. The IMCPL feed contains links to events, pictures from library activities, and quick links to books or book reviews. I think that for the library setting, Twitter would be great for creating interest on a book, topic, or event through a quick note. I saw one tweet that mentioned an author's birthday which I found really interesting. I think Twitter is a great tool of reminding readers of authors they once wanted to read but maybe put aside or an author that they had never heard of but that has become popular. The first RSS feed I joined was the IMCPL websites's new releases. I always read updates about the new books, DVDs, and CDs on the website but having a subscription to the feed will steamline my weekly research. The American Library Association's TechSource blog was the next RSS I added to my feed. The TechSource blog helps librarians and library professionals stay current on technology affecting libraries. Should all libraries have wifi access? What effects does Amazon's Kindle have on physical books readership? All of these are questions addressed on the blog. The third site I added was lisnews.org which is a blog that finds articles and interviews about library professionals and library organizations. The blog is more casual and the information varied. I enjoy the how one entry talks about Kindle ebook lending while another talks about the Guinness Book of Records "belly button fluff" record which is held by a librarian.