I've been thinking about...
Kevin's comment to the meeting minutes post on Hayle's book How We Became Posthuman. The word "posthuman" as I understand it refers to the integration of technology with human biology (think cyborg). One book I cataloged claimed that there is current work being done to enhance humans with all the super hero powers of the 1940s and 50s. Just recently there was a blurb on the web about experiments with material that could bend light to create a type of invisibility. My first thought is to dismiss all of this has more techno hype. My second thought is to be afraid of what we might do to ourselves in our rush to embrace the new and "improved." Finally I've been thinking about Marshall McLuhan's analysis that all technology is an extension of human attributes. Maybe we've been working on our posthuman project longer than we realize...
I've also been thinking about the Wikipedia critiques that appeared on the ATLANTIS listserv.
Jaron Lanier wrote a long article called Digital Maoism, on the seductive power of the collective as expressed for example in Wikipedia. A second, funnier, critique appeared from comedian Stephan Colbert ...
I have to confess that often thinking about emerging technologies (especially biotechnology) leaves me longing for simpler life. Kevin Miller suggests that evangelicals should appropriate the monastic movement as a model for spiritual formation. I think it is very interesting how many times recently I've heard evangelicals talk positively about monasticism. This week, I've been specifically thinking about the role the monastic movement played in preserving and passing on ancient culture during darkest days of Medieval Europe. Is there perhaps a precedent there for what we are trying to do as Christian librarians? ...
Finally, today in the ACRLog (one of my favorite library blogs) there was a post about honesty and library technology. The post asks if librarians attempts to mimic Google and thus make research easy are really honest, given that our technology does not really mimic Google underneath our clutter free web pages and that research is not easy. It seems this raises some important questions about much of our technology. At what point does technology's ability to mask the complicated and simplify tasks go from being a virtue to a vice? What does "honesty" mean when dealing with the world wide web? That is something I'll have to keep thinking about...
I've also been thinking about the Wikipedia critiques that appeared on the ATLANTIS listserv.
Jaron Lanier wrote a long article called Digital Maoism, on the seductive power of the collective as expressed for example in Wikipedia. A second, funnier, critique appeared from comedian Stephan Colbert ...
I have to confess that often thinking about emerging technologies (especially biotechnology) leaves me longing for simpler life. Kevin Miller suggests that evangelicals should appropriate the monastic movement as a model for spiritual formation. I think it is very interesting how many times recently I've heard evangelicals talk positively about monasticism. This week, I've been specifically thinking about the role the monastic movement played in preserving and passing on ancient culture during darkest days of Medieval Europe. Is there perhaps a precedent there for what we are trying to do as Christian librarians? ...
Finally, today in the ACRLog (one of my favorite library blogs) there was a post about honesty and library technology. The post asks if librarians attempts to mimic Google and thus make research easy are really honest, given that our technology does not really mimic Google underneath our clutter free web pages and that research is not easy. It seems this raises some important questions about much of our technology. At what point does technology's ability to mask the complicated and simplify tasks go from being a virtue to a vice? What does "honesty" mean when dealing with the world wide web? That is something I'll have to keep thinking about...
posted by Matt @ 8:22 AM
3 Comments:
At 3:03 PM,
Rebecca said…
The ACRL post on "Honesty and library technology" was very interesting. I don't know if I would entirely agree with it. Is it really about honesty? Students don’t need to know about everything that goes behind a search system, as long as it enables them to find and use good resources. If it is possible for students to find good resources using a system that is similar to what they’re already familiar with, why force them to use a system that is more complex and requires learning new search techniques? Do we need to have difficult interfaces just so that students know that research is a difficult process? Students often avoid using library resources because they go to the library site and feel overwhelmed because there are new systems to learn which they don't understand. It feels safer and easier for them to escape to something they are already familiar with, like Google. Designing library interfaces that work like what they've already used can put one less obstacle for them to begin on the research process. And then hopefully as they go along, we can help them build their research skills. I wonder if there would be a good way to do that with technology? Have it be simple and easy to use when you first approach it, but as you use it more, the technology leads you into more complex searching. Although good research is probably more about critical thinking than about knowing the intricacies of complex search techniques anyway...
At 9:38 AM,
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 9:48 AM,
arcee said…
Well, those evangelicals (who speak positively of monasticism) must not be advocates of the "Purpose Driven Frenzy." Perhaps you can guess which side of the fence I'm on? heh...joking aside, I affirm that our struggle in this post-evangelical society (see weblog)
is to live in the tension that exists between not wanting to be completely enveloped by technology and yet recognizing a need to integrate it into our library services.
Post a Comment
<< Home