It is almost the end of the semester

This semester went by too quickly.  I look back at the past few months, and think about all of the missed opportunities for participation on the Moodle.  Remember for next semester: write more on the Moodle.

On the Short List!

For 590 RBL, I had to suggest a book that would fit into the University of Illinois Rare Books and Manuscript Library from some old catalogs. The class then would pick out 5 of the top recommended books, and vote for one to be potentially bought by the RBML. Now, the catalogs are old, and it would have to go through an official RBML recommentaion panel, so its not certain that they would end up buying it.

Guess what- mine is on the short list! I am super excited that my recommendation was picked. Here is the paper I wrote:

Please read the rules about posted assignments before reading onward.

Irish American Radicalism At Its Best

Devyr, Tho[mas] Ainge. The Odd Book of the Ninteenth Century, or, “Chivalry”
in Modern Days, A Personal Record of Reform-Chiefly Land Reform, for the last
fifty years. 8vo, original gilt lettered brown cloth (rubbed & dull; spine
extremities little worn; inner hinges repaired), pp. [6], [2] blank, [4], [4], xxii,
211, 220, [33] Appendix, [2] blank + 3 plates Greenpoint, N. Y.: Published by
the Author, 37 Broome St., Copyright Thomas Ainge Devyr, 1882. $1250.00

Hello all who come from the GSLIS community forum!

....if anyone comes in the next few days, hello!  That's of course, if anyone comes hehe

If not, that's ok.  I'll still be writing in here....:D

Reading Response #3

Please read the rules about using posted assignments before reading onward. 

      Gene Smith's Tagging: Emerging Trends taught me one important thing, that tagging has not gone "stale." Tagging has indeed evolved from the mess of delicious tags to the organized, semi-controlled, vocabularies of LibraryThing and Etsy.
       Since tagging has become such a part of the Internet today, it was surprising to read about two websites I use, LibraryThing and Etsy. Their creative mix of controlled and uncontrolled vocabularies could be the future of Internet libraries. Though Etsy does have a “controlled vocabulary,” it only exists at the very top tier. Sub-tags can be either chosen from a list or typed in by users. This system assures that at least in the main categories, redundant words are not used, and allows users to find the items they need. LibraryThing’s solution to tagging arises from the community. Users can link together tags that mean the same thing, with the most popular appearing in tag clouds. This methodology resolves the problem of redundant tags and solidifies the user community.
       Folksonomies might become a permanent fixture for the average user, but I believe information architects and librarians will never fully let go of the controlled vocabularies they have used for years. There is a reason why controlled vocabularies lasted for so long -- they work. The problem with controlled vocabularies is that it is hard to change them after they have been adopted. A better way of “linking” words has to be developed, in order to keep controlled vocabularies relevant for today’s users.
       Tagging has not grown stale, but it can if information architects stop working on improvements. Two websites, LibraryThing and Etsy, show that tags and a type of controlled vocabulary can be useful for finding information. Ultimately, that is what librarians want the most.

Reading Response #2

Please read the rules about using posted assignments before reading onward. 

Can user generated tags make users use catalogs more often? Information professionals are just starting to write about the tagging features made popular by Delicious and Flickr. Librarians frustrated with the controlled vocabulary of the Library of Congress Subject Headings are toying with the idea of incorporating user tags into library catalogs in order for them to be more user friendly. Peter J. Rolla’s article “User Tags versus Subject Headings,” a study about LibraryThing, provides a mixed review.

LibraryThing is a great site to publicly record and organize your book collection. User tags make this organization possible, allowing users to sort their books according to their own tags. It is as if a LibraryThing’s user created his or her own controlled vocabulary to define their collection. As with everything, user tags are both a virtue and a vice. The use of “folksonomies” can lead more general users to a book of their choice, but the lack of controlled vocabulary can make non-standard terminology a barrier in finding another book. This arises because of several factors, including synonyms, misspellings, and irrelevant personal tags.

As with many of the articles we have read in both LIS 501 and LIS 502, librarians must change with the environment and its users. We must try to save what worked in the past and blend it with the things that work in the present. In my opinion, though, Rolla’s call for more research should be replaced with a call for experimentation. The University of Illinois Vufind beta is starting to feature both, and hopefully will prove as successful as I think it can be.


Rolla, P. J. (2009). Can user-supplied data improve subject access to library collections? Library Resources & Technical Services 53(3): 174-184.

Reading Response #1

Please read the rules about using posted assignments before reading onward.

Class: LIS 501
Posted date: October 22nd, 2009

    Janet Swan Hill’s article “Entering an Alternative Universe […],” (2008) a paper based on a keynote speech, summarizes what I have heard from many people about the paradoxical world of librarians. There is a sentimental side, where librarians take time to find exactly what a user wants and believe themselves to be keepers of a public resource. The alternative universe, or the utilitarian side, finds librarians focusing on effectiveness and efficiency, by introducing automation that streamline a librarian’s work. Both exist side by side in today’s libraries, hindering any progress in finding ways to cope with desperate financial circumstances.
    Hill’s call to be open-minded about changes in cataloging are necessary in today’s world. In order to be relevant to our uses, we must change cataloging procedures that make sense to them. However, as Hill also suggests, we must ask some tough questions first, such as “What is our purpose? […] Do any of the things we are concentrating on distract from the main purpose?” (Hill, 2008, p. 226). These questions will put librarians on track to making decisions that could change the ways libraries work.
    Unfortunately, there is a catch -- not all librarians have the same answers to these questions. The little experience I have in the library world showed me that each librarian is usually an independent person with a lot of opinions. In order to bring about changes in cataloging, these independent minded people must decide to adapt for the sake of their library’s future. It will be a long road for real change to come to the catalog.


Hill, J. S. (2008). Entering an alternatve universe: Some consequences of implementing recommendations of the Library of Congress Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control. Library Resources & Technical Services 52(4): 218-226.

Posting Assignments

In one of my LEEP classes, we are asked to share our responses and essays with the class.  I like seeing other people's work, and it makes me think about what I believe about the profession.

Following in LEEPERS 14.1 example, I will post some of my assignments up for people to see.  I just have two rules:

1) I take constructive criticism, not flames,

and

2) don't plagiarize -- that doesn't help anyone (not that I think my writing is worth plagiarizing in any way).  You can paraphrase, you can quote, but don't say it's your own!


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.