Post #4: I really enjoyed the article about 11 technologies that are in danger of going extinct, which can be found at http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/09/01/11-technologies-in-danger-of-going-extinct/. Some of the technologies on the list were definitely not a surprise. I can’t remember the last time I used a fax machine, I haven’t had a landline phone in years, I’ve never had a beeper, and blue-ray players have been out for a long time. I really liked the paragraphs on how devices like the iphone and the ipad are making dedicated e-readers and ipods extinct. There really is no reason to continue having separate devices for reading and for music now that we have portable devices that can do all those things. The only item on the list that I would really be sad to loose is the computer mouse! I do a lot of graphic design activities at work, and I always choose a mouse over anything with a touch screen for this. Even with the most sensitive touch screens, my finger is simply too big for me to get my work done efficiently. I think that programs like Microsoft Publisher would have to be completely redesigned in order to facilitate adequate touch screen capabilities, and maybe that is what will happen eventually. The presentation on mobile technology in libraries http://www.slideshare.net/ellyssa/libraries-to-go-mobile-tech-in-libraries-presentation?type=powerpoint was also very interesting, and I think that this is definitely the direction in which libraries are heading. I was just reading an article called “Libraries in a Digital Age” in the March 2011 issue of Architectural Record about how the design of the physical space of libraries is changing to reflect this new trend by provided more spaces for people to come together in community and less space for physical items like books. I am interested to see what libraries look like ten years from now!

Posting #3
Broadband is changing the world in ways that we simply cannot understand yet. I hesitate to say that worldwide broadband access is “good” or “bad” because I firmly believe that considering the scope of human history, this is all an extremely new development. Obviously, the news from Egypt is only one example among many of how the internet can be used to positively change the lives of a large number of people. However, there are also some significant negative changes that are happening as well. The book ”Alone Together” by Sherry Turkle does a nice job of discussing the deteriorating nature of many of our relationships thanks to our technology driven lifestyles. You can read book reviews on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Alone-Together-Expect-Technology-Other/dp/0465010210/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300911517&sr=8-1. I grew up on the west coast in a very “natural” family, and so I spent a good portion of my childhood growing fruits and vegetables, making jams, tending an herb garden, camping and going to pow wows. I look at my life now, and in some ways I find it disheartening that I spend so much more time indoors. I believe that we find it so easy to collectively destroy our natural environment because we aren’t connected to it anymore. We are also most certainly getting fatter thanks our new love of sitting in front of a screen for hours on end. I know that I am part of a small crowd here, but I would argue that with broadband, we are loosing just as much as we are gaining. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t continue to develop global broadband access, indeed, I think that given the direction of the global economy we have no choice but to move as quickly as possible in this direction. However, we need to be realistic about it and not look at broadband (or the internet) as a magic key that will solve all the world’s problems. It will solve some, but it will create others.

Simply being in this MLIS program has made me realize how much I don’t know about copyright laws. Reading the articles posted for this module has reinforced my belief that I need to learn more about this subject, and so I was happy to see a link to Section 108 of the US Code (http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/108.html) on the page for the ”Fair Use of Copyrighted Materials” article (found at http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/copypol2.htm). I read through Section 108 and noticed that is says ”nothing in this section shall be construed to impose liability for copyright infringement upon a library or archives or its employees for the unsupervised use of reproducing equipment located on its premises: Provided, That such equipment displays a notice that the making of a copy may be subject to the copyright law”. I work at two public libraries, and this made me wonder whether or not we have anything posted on our copy machines.
I have to admit that I was fascinated by the article ”Librarians targeted in latest copyright battles” that can be found at http://www.zdnet.com/news/librarians-targeted-in-latest-copyright-battles/116275, because I have often thought about this particular issue myself. I have always felt that the fact that libraries are legitimately purchasing the materials combined with the fact that libraries are not for-profit institutions makes it ethically okay for us to share these materials, but I can see why publishers would feel otherwise. Is it “fair” that the writer of a book and the publishers of this book may not sell as many copies because some people are borrowing it for free from the library? No, not really. However, I believe that free access to information for all people in this country is more important than someone possibly receiving a little more money, because it is this kind of access that gives democracy meaning. Without education, democracy is no longer relevant, and since there has yet to be a time in this country where all citizens can afford to buy the materials and classes necessary to educate themselves, I would argue that the need for the existence of public libraries is greater than the need for publishers and authors to make a little more money.