Blog Reflection #8

I have never participated in any type of library instruction (other than these Library classes), I have taken a couple of other ones too. I feel that these classes are extremely informative, and give us good references to use in our daily life and studies. I have learned many new references to use myself, and am a fan of ProQuest, along with the CIA website, and the more specific resource sites for a particular subject. I have definitely learned how to use library resources better because of this class and others taken like it. I think library instruction should have no limitations, and should include everything a student, patron, and even passerby should know. 

Face to face knowledge should not be the only type of resources for people as well, since internet and electronic resources are the norm of today's world. Most people ( including myself) prefer to do things electronically rather than have to travel to different places, such as libraries, stores etc. I am not saying I am a complete hermit, but electronic resources are definitely more convenient for people especially if they have busy lives ( like me) with family, work, school, and home obligations, that leave very little time for much else.


My type of library is the public library, that caters to various different patrons, from children to seniors. I feel the type of instruction that would benefit my patrons would be workshops, and classes geared towards a specific subject, such as, searching the internet, catalogue browsing, etc.

Blog Reflection #7

I have always liked using proquest when I needed to find a particular article for a class or to research some school information. This was not my first time proquest and I find it easy to use, with  results that  are always informative. The government data websites, along with the ipl2 site are also very good sources for finding the information we are searching for. For researching the topic, "crashes caused by driving while texting," the order I would give my patrons would be as follows:

1.  f) Government sponsored (.gov) data and information websites- which may have many statistics as well as up to date information on this topic.
2. b) ProQuest or another electronic journal/newspaper index such as EBSCO- which may have articles and findings on the most up to date occurrences or statistics. 
3. c) Searching via their favorite search engine- which may give them a list of sites they can go to to research this topic further.
4. a) Wikipedia- may or may not have information that is completely valid so I would also suggest looking at an additional source.
5. Encyclopedia Brittanica.com subscription offered through library access- which patrons may find the info they are looking for, but I am not sure how up to date it would be. 
6.  Encyclopedia.com- may or may not have the info as well, but I am not sure again how up to date it would be. 


I enjoy looking up information on various sites that are specifically designed for those topics, although I am STILL  a big fan of using Google and the sites that it leads you to. I still feel like I ca find most of the information I need by using a search engine, as long as I check various sites to ensure that the information I have found is true and valid. I must say I am happy with all of the new things we have learned in this class, and I will do my best to be more open minded and use other sites other than Google.

Blog Reflection #6

I am indeed feeling overwhelmed by the amount of resources we have been using in this class, but I also find many of them to be useful and extremely informative. It is always a good thing to get to know other sources of information when it is needed, and we should all be open to trying new things (although I am not saying that we need to stick with them). I myself have always been one to stick with what I know, and once again I cannot help saying that Bing,Google, and Yahoo searches all still seem to be very reputable ways of finding the information that one may need. For specialized areas, I am all for using specialty area websites that may have the exact pin pointed information on that particular subject. 

I definitely feel that the homework research questions are a bit much and completely annoying ( as is this blog) although I am sure they are a necessary part of the learning experience for this class. I still think it is a lot trying to complete assignments, along with discussion forums and responses, along with blogs and responses. But each teacher does things differently, and this is just another stepping stone in the learning process ( that still does not mean that we have to like it ;) I am sure others will agree). 

I must admit that I do NOT resist the urge to "just Google" an answer and I DO still Google my answers and sources for my answers. I am more cautious before I post the actual answer, (thanks to this class) and I make sure to review several different sites before I determine if an answer is valid or not. I have had pretty good experiences using the sources of information that we have learned this past few weeks and I do not really have any complaints. Although I will still be using Google as my main source of information finding :)

Blog Reflection #5

Even though we have learned about several new places where we can find statistical and biographical information in our recent studies, I still feel that Google and even Yahoo are pretty reliable sources. I have always been the kind of person who likes to find the easiest ways to get things done, and you just cant go completely wrong when using Google. You can find out if your information is accurate by comparing your findings to several other sources to see if it matches up. My recommendation would be to do some research with multiple sources first, and then you can get your data together from your findings. If 9 out of 10 websites are saying the same thing, then there must be some truth in it (that is how I see it). 

I am always open to new things as well and will pretty much try anything at least once even if it is just to say that I did it. So, trying other sources to find information is definitely something I would do, although I may indeed end up going back to my usual ways of doing things if I find those new sources to be more complicated or time consuming. I pretty much always have my hands full with work, school and my children and home responsibilities, so I need to be able to find the information I seek easily and quickly. I just simply do not have the time to visit libraries, and do things the "old fashioned" way, so I am so thankful that we are in a computer age and era, where we can get things done from the ease and comfort of our own homes.

(Sorry this blog is late but I was not lying when I said I always have my hands full, it was 2 of my children's birthdays this week and I have been busy with parties and a house full of kids).

Blog Reflection #4

I must say if I was managing a library, I would definitely purchase more electronic resources. Since we are in such an electronic age, I feel that the convenience of resources like this would be more useful to patrons. I feel like libraries are becoming less and less popular, especially since so much information can be found on the internet. Most people (like myself) have very little time to go to libraries to begin with, so any type of easy access to info that a library would have is definitely helpful. So, I would definitely purchase materials that  people could purchase from their home computers, in comparison to more hard copy materials. I strongly believe that print resources are becoming obsolete due to electronic resources.

Our world is all about convenience and flexibility, especially since most people have jobs and families. Personally, I would much rather look something up real quick on an electronic resource, than have to search through different books. I am sure there are more than a few people who would agree with me on this. I am the biggest electronic buff, and I rely on the internets resources, as well as any other electronic resource I can get my hands on. I am the biggest fan of the kindle, and do not know what I would do without mine. Paperbacks and hardcover books are completely obsolete to me since I got one, and I know many people that would agree.

I have an idea that things will only get more computerized and electronic in the coming future, and the old way of doing things will be out the window pretty soon. I am sure libraries will still be around, but more electronic resources that are available in and out of a library will be utilized more often. I personally embrace the change, and welcome many more like it. I am a modern girl, and happily leave the past in the past. I hope I do not offend too  many people with my viewpoints, but I have to say what I feel.

Library 204 Class-Project #1

The library I visited is called Victorville City Library and is the main library for the city of Victorville, California (about an hour and half away from Long Beach, where I currently live). This library caters to patrons of all ages, from young to elderly and especially students. Younger patrons seem to be looking for children’s books, and activity centers along with youth reading groups ( all available here).This library holds preschool story times, bilingual story times, along with afternoon story times and crafts for children.  Older students seem to be looking for resources to help with their assignments, (such as reference materials, computer usage, books etc.) All of those resources are also available at this library. Adults can take weekend computer classes that are offered here, as well as beginning computer classes for Spanish speakers.  Older patrons seem to be looking for a nice quiet place to do research and read books, newspapers and magazines. They can also take crocheting classes which are offered twice a month at this facility. 

The reference area is a nice sized area, with enough seating capacity for at least 30 or more people. The layout is comfortable and “inviting,” not cold and unwelcoming. The reference services are all laid out before you with easy to read signs, there are computers to look up information, as well as reference desk librarians that can look up any info you may need in their system / catalogues etc. There is also a study area for students who need to study for their assignments, tests, etc. The online reference services are made through the San Bernardino county library, and include an online library catalogue in English and Spanish, along with branch information, library job openings, and help with internet searches. There is also a frequently asked questions section that offers everything from how to get a library card, to getting reference help.

The classes / workshops offered at this library are instruction in computer usage, in English and Spanish, as well as story times, with arts and crafts for children. They also offer crocheting classes for adults. The reference collection includes resources like, reference books, assistance with online databases, interlibrary loan requests, and printed lists of items not found in the catalogue such as, newspapers, school year books, telephone directories, college course catalogues, and local history sources. 

The online catalogue system seemed pretty user friendly, and was located in several places throughout the library, (such as near the reference desk). The reference desk librarians were also on hand to provide assistance for using this system. The reference handouts that were available provide an array of material on how to choose and find collections, services, and electronic resources including the library catalog, and how to locate and format documentation from journal articles, among other topics.

The internet policy is limited to 90 minutes of computer use, with an extended time that can be given if there is not waiting list there did not seem to be any limitations on research access on the computers and I found it pretty easy to search for many different topics and areas of interest.  Patrons also have access to printers if they need to print any materials. 

Two of the most popular electronic / online resources are American History online and World Book online resources. These are most commonly used to assist school aged children with their studies and assignments. More frequently used resources are Science online and Amazing Animals of the World. These resources are targeted for younger audiences and are mostly used by elementary students. 

The reference desk was very approachable and had clear to read signs around it. The reference librarian was happy to help me as I asked for her help on an unimportant topic. She assisted me in searching the library catalogue, and gave me some more information well.

I can honestly say that I do not have many complaints about the service given at this library. Things were run well, and signs were posted clearly and easy to read. I did have to wait a little longer than expected to be helped since there was only one person at the reference desk, but all in all I was still satisfied with my results. I would definitely visit this library again (if I had the time of course).

 

Blog Reflection #3

I have to say that I am a Bing / Google girl...I actually prefer using search engines for practically ANYTHING that I want to know. And, I commonly use them to find answers on simple questions that have nothing to do with school work. After researching different ways to find information for the class this week, I see that there are various methods to use (such as Worldcat) when researching information for class work. I actually found Worldcat to be quick, easy to use and very informative, so I will use this in the future to find information needed for an assignment. I found the school library websites easy and informative as well, but I think I would rather use Worldcat. My very favorite ways of finding information will always be Bing or Google, since I like having alot to choose from, as well as having more than enough information at my fingertips.

 I am just like the majority of students who go straight to their computer and look up the information they need, it would be extremely hard to change this trend in most people. Today's world is so electronic and computerized that it would be very hard to get people to do things differently. Although I do believe that using different search methods is not only useful but informative, I also find it even harder to convince others of this. Many people are stuck in their own ways and do not like change, for example using Wikipedi as their only search method.

The only way to break this habit would be to get the word out the best we can. I think if students were better informed of using different search methods and the benefits of doing so, may help these students gain a better idea of these options. Maybe even a workshop or class that teaches students how to use different search methods would help as well. From this last assignment, my own eyes were opened to using other methods (worldcat) so if I can be persuaded, than I am sure other people can be as well.