Thing 2

Fascinating reading/viewing.  The times they are a-changing, indeed.  To sort her thoughts, Miss Shelved will respond to prompt questions as offered.

• Where will one find the time?  Miss Shelved is among those lucky creatures (finally) to be in a position to take summers off. A perfect time  . . . yet it has taken until late June to complete Thing 2.  Hmmm.
• Why participate?  Even elementary students are rapidly becoming involved in on-line communal activities.  The elementary Media Specialist is frequently called upon to be the guardian of security, voice of reason, and academic arbiter of web activity. One has to keep up just to keep the little darlings out of trouble.  And just maybe we would actually like to be in on the fun sometimes.
• The web has revolutionized the way this reader uses public libraries.  Online catalogs and reservation allows one to do all the browsing over morning coffee.  Browsing can include checking new titles lists, readers' blogs, and librarian recommendations.  **It has also made book ordering a breeze:  vender on-line catalogs connect to the same reviews, allow one to see the cover (and often contents) before purchase. **This Media Specialist has a true appreciation for Wikipedia:  it is the finest source for "common knowledge" that is often anything but common.  Where else can one find the meaning of an obscure reference like "Jenny Hanniver" (see Philip Reeves's "Darkling Plain" series) or check the history behind the new film "Mongol"?  As a reference maven, one must still urge students to use it as an overview and introduction --and to exploit its bibliographies--rather than rely on Wikipedia as holy writ.  Miss Shelved is aware that she treads on dangerous ground here. **As an avocational  theatre artist, web research has been an huge boon.  One used to hunt fruitlessly for costume plates in public libraries, often to find the books gone or the pictures razored out. Now amazing visual materials are all on-line.  And don't even ask about the sea change now that musical scores can be accessed digitally.  ** Lastly, while hardly putting a dent in the long list of digital resources Miss Shelved has enjoyed in recent years, there is Sudoku, which has probably had the greatest impact on use of time...
• Where is Miss Shelved in terms of Web 2.0 knowledge?  Baby steps!  But toddling as fast as she can, and definitely well ahead of the typical user of her library.  Some staff are still getting used to on-line catalogs. Shared staff calendars were the big breakthrough this academic year. As for students, most have deep experience but only in a narrow area, say an MMPRG or two, and honestly haven't a clue how to find actual information on line.
•  What are we looking forward to?  Having audibly sniffed at one's younger relatives' time-wasting in on-line fantasy role-playing, Miss Shelved has her own fantasies of kicking necromancer butt as a buff young avatar.  All in the name of research, of course.