Information overload and the elders

I'm completely swamped by all of this. No surprise. The web just keeps getting better and better and more fun to navigate. Clever communities of people are cropping up everywhere and seem to have been long before my recent knowledge. It's all, however, a bit much to take in. It will take some discipline to go by the guidelines of my course leader of not being swept away by pure, and hyper, enthusiasm over the topic. I will do my best.

Meredith Farkas, back in 2006, made some interesting points about libraries marking their space within social networking sites. I think she is right in arguing that it isn't just about "being cool" with the kids when setting up a library profile on those sites. The are a lot of useful applications and ways of making that profile worth people's while to visit, i.e. the students'.

In that same post, she mentions the issue of teenage students and their ideas or concepts of privacy online. This is a concern of many elders - after all, it's our duty to worry about our youngsters. Somehow though, we've left them to rummage in the open fields, creeks and crevices of the web without much thought. Well, many of us have and many still are. Ignorance is bliss as they say. Young people deserve guidance though - without guidance they may suffer negligence. And nobody wants that on their conscience. Especially libraries. Or what?

I think it's every college's obligation to reach out and mark their space within their user's space. The web is at the heart of information flow. The web is the platform students use for most of their information seeking. Why shouldn't the library be visible and accessible to its users there. It's simple logic.

There seems to be a tendency to think of the library as guardian and controller of information amongts many, still. I've had people imply that the open free public web is a danger. That blogging is potentially very risky and dangerous. That freedom of expression might instigate a dangerous situation for the institution of the library.

Many also seem to suffer from FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) about blogging. Comments - how do you deal with them? Do you allow them- or don't you? If you don't, what is the purpose of your blog in the first place? You might as well post announcements up on Blackboard.

The idea of an open, public dialogue between students and lecturers or librarians, like the ones in blogs, suffers a rift somewhere and I'm inclined to think that a solution to that rift may lie with us elders. It probably all comes down to us, the digital immigrants - and the change we are suffering while the digital natives, the students, run happily and freely amongst each other on the open web. It is our responsibility to go in there, mark our place and by doing so making it clear that the web is for all - it's public, it's not private. It's for all to make use of. We are not invading their space - we are not trying to be cool - we are simply - and we might feel like we're clumsy at first - making use of that space. Like they are. (The royal "we" stands for librarians of course).

Whose space?

I have recently been involved in an online incident with some of my younger family members. They are girls and up to all sorts of things, online and not.

What happened was, embarrasing for those involved, apparently, but amusingly educational for myself.

I had two of my nieces visit me. I have, of course, been following their myspace sites for a while. Something they have been absolutely clueless about. After all, it's "their space". Isn't it?

Over dinner one night, I happened to mention that I had been to their sites. They both went right pale and explained to me that it wasn't "their myspace" - it was a friend who did it for them, "they" hardly went online, you see!

This they proclaimed without blinking - oblivious to the fact how often I had encouraged them to go do something else than serial instant messaging with their friends.

It's the same scenario - but years ago you would proclaim that these weren't your cigarettes, you were only keeping them for your troubled friend!

As a result of this, rather amusing, episode - both have now gone on to change their privacy settings - and only "friends" are allowed to see what their are up to online.

I wonder if I should now try and have them add me as a friend? For educational purposes only, of course - after all, that's what semi-middle-aged nieces are here for: being a pain in the..., isn't it?

But is it "their space" or can I, or rather should I, even bother intruding upon "their space" online?

I think not - my work is done for now. It made them think. It seems.