Apps: Week 9

I have a lot of apps on my iphone. CBC, NPR, the weather network, facebook, twitter, BiblioNB are among some of the apps I make use of. I probably tend to use twitter the most. When I travel, I upload a few podcasts from NPR to my iphone. When I workout, I listen to one of the myriad of artists that I have downloaded from itunes. I love the modern smartphone, because it allows you to be instantly up-to-date on news and community events. Of course, on the other side of that- you are also constantly being bombarded with information, advertisements, and in some sad cases- superglued to your phone. We do live in the age of technology, and are constantly looking for the better and faster alternative. Here is a link to mashable's best apps of 2013.

You cannot argue against the use value of a smartphone. It can be your GPS, your mailbox, and your telephone. It can also be access to your library, your social networks, and online shops. The downside is that people can be so enraptured with the newest piece of technology, that they can't resist looking at it during dinner or a class.

 I have an ereader app on my iphone (ibooks), but I must confess that I do not really make use of it. I find that the screen is too small and the backlighting can be irritating when reading for longer periods of time. I'm sure that with an actual ereader it is a much more convenient pursuit. In general, I like to have the feel of a book in my hands. However, I can see how it would be very beneficial to have an ereader. Especially when you are going on a trip, and are trying to save space. Here is a link to the best ereader apps for ipad and iphone.

Information curation/ sharing

This week I tried out scoop.it. I created a page for 'Great Films'. I used the newsfeed bar to select (or scoop) articles that I thought were appealing. I included Lupita Nyongo's acceptance speech for the film '12 Years A Slave'. I also included an article about Alfonso Cuarón becoming the first Mexican Academy Award winner. I used my love of film and diversity to highlight the strides that are being made in cinema, in terms of representation for people of colour.

I also used scoop.it to highlight recent films that pass the Bechdel test. To pass this test, a film must contain at least two female characters who talk to each other about something besides a man. Here is a link to ten films that passed the Bechdel test in 2013, via tribeca films. I have also scooped this article to my scoop.it page.

Scoop.it certainly is easy to use. However, I hesitate to connect my twitter account with other apps or websites because I don't want to flood others with advertising or unrelated content. With many online accounts, such as pinterest or scoop.it, they ask for permission to access your information and make posts on your behalf. I prefer to keep my accounts disconnected from one another, simply for the sake of greater security and privacy.

23 Things: Multimedia

The theme for this week is multimedia. There are so many new platforms to receive information from in today's world. Yesterday, I was in the car with my husband and we were listening to CBC. They were discussing a young acadian singer from Dieppe by the name of Caroline Savoie, who was competing on the France's version of The Voice.

Here is the interview with Caroline Savoie on CBC's Information Morning. She discusses the audition process and what it is like to be part of such a large television production.

It's so interesting, the multiple ways that her story has circulated. She went from being asked to audition because of her youtube covers, then had a skype interview, and then was selected to audition for the television show. Her story is circulating on the CBC website, through clips of the show on youtube, and through facebook. People receive their information through a myriad of platforms, and this makes things so much more accessible. Ten or fifteen years ago, if I would have heard her interview, I probably would have forgotten about it after 15 or 20 minutes. As a result of all the platforms for media, the visibility of the performance and of her story in general are heightened to the tenth degree.

This is Caroline's most recent performance on The Voice (France). I had never heard this song before. It is called "Wasting my Young Years" by London Grammar. It's a beautiful song. 

These new platforms for media have changed the face of advertising, journalism, and entertainment. People are more likely than ever to get their information from websites such as twitter or facebook, and also company websites. Our society is becoming increasingly invested in online comsumerism. This is changing libraries. Ebooks and ereaders are becoming increasingly popular, and websites like scrib'd or googlebook make it really easy to find information. University students probably spend much more time searching research databases and online catalogues rather then spending their time looking through the stacks.

I think that this type of access provides advantages for libraries. Library services are complemented by technology. Patrons can search for books online, place holds, and receive information in moments. This makes library services more efficient. Increased efficiency leads to better use of employee time and resources, which allows us the opportunity to improve collections and the quality of public service.

Some people speculate that libraries will eventually die out. What these people fail to realize is that libraries aren't dying, they are evolving. They are changing and growing, and developing new dimensions all the time. The use of ebooks and online catalogues exemplify this. There are many platforms for media, and public libraries have used these platforms to evolve into an entirely new experience.