lesson #4 open source information

Leave it to a young guy in Shibuya to create a fee-less university. The class seemed fun, but I still wondered who paid for the instructors' time and for the space. And while it seemed enjoyable --I would hardly hesitate to join if I were living in Japan-- I wondered what was being taught and how that knowlegde could be applied in Japanese people's lives. (A bulk of the presentation seemed to be stretches and miming.) The other aspect about the university that makes me wary is that Shibuya is essentially the district of fast fads. I earnestly hope that the university continues to remain in service!

Library Spot strikes me as a good idea, and I will probably reference it in the future if I have students and they need literary resources. I am familiar with the rest of the sites, and I don't at all advocate use of Yahoo Answers, Answerbag, or Askville. If I need to find the answer to something, I do research on my own or ask questions on a forum that deals with a specific topic. The validity of information on quick answer sites easily falls into question, and they require many people to casually haunt the site and almost just as randomly answer questions. People serious about finding out real, valid answers would better be advised going to a forum or set of sites that deals with the topic of question, and where people better versed in the topic information can offer higher-quality answers.

Since working at the library, the way I access and use information has not changed. However, the ways in which I provide information has evolved to accomodate a wider range of people. Some people are unaware of how the Internet may aid a search, and how much it can help them access more --and often more up-to-date-- information. There is also information on the Internet and in research communities having to do with topics on which there are not many book sources, and I have regularly provided information on these other sources to patrons. I have also had a lot of experience guiding patrons through the library search engines.

As open source gains more recognition, I think that access to infomation may almost precede in importance having the information. The library will need to provide more routes to this open source information and, at the same time, maintain a high volume of hard copy material at locations.

-M