Huddlemind Labs

Libraries step into the age of iPod (Reuters)

Exciting new developments, I see!
Library 2.0 and technology-information hybridisation is here.
The transformation between the old and new information system types over the years has been a shaky one, to say the least. Many have feared the coming of absolute erosion of old media from the face of the earth. I, myself, have dug in heels while watching the conventional academic hierarchy and information overhauls take place with resounding connotations. My mother, who manages the at Knowledge Commons Research Lab at UCT, sometimes finds herself on the receiving end of snide commentary from the academic purists around her. Though this Lab incorporates online peer-reviewed resource databases with everyday online research and makes it available to the undergraduates at UCT, the stigma surrounding the ease of technology blindly prevails. Its hybrid functionality is the logical progression of technology and academia, but doesn’t receive great support from all. The emotional climate around it is much like the way that some architects frown down on draftsmen (not that the KC lab is an underdog in this situation, in light of its successes), even though the functions are maintained through and through. From this, the receptiveness to this electronic library resource may have mixed welcomes. The success of this installment will depend on how its managed and presented (and of course the participation of the libraries/authors/publishers…Creative Commons! Dave, this is where you step in)

Depending on the library and title, the item remains on your computer for one to three weeks before disappearing, meaning you don’t have to bother with returning a book, CD or DVD to the actual library.

Already, I’m not sure how this can be a good way of kicking off a great idea. Why incorporate online academia with open-source style interactive technology by limiting an unlimited resource? The idea behind returning books was to let other people also have the opportunity of renting out the books (as it was a limited resource) and to keep tabs on the library’s assets. In the same way that some users would use the library more often that others, is the above quoted a good idea? The rental on the information alone is logical enough. The rest is just copy-pasted anyway? Hmmm.

I have a feeling that the innovators behind this idea have medium-sized $$ pictures drawn on their eyes, from the forward way they promote this idea. I fear the tool would be a device for skimming profits from educational institutions rather than penetrate the masses of ”illiterates” around the world. This is, of course, wild speculation at this point; I think the idea can completely revolutionise the way we work with information for the better, but is liable to a self-collapse.