On the other hand, not everyone has the availability to have technology within the palm of their hands and not everyone like the use of technology to read and find information. Also, information within websites can be altered and mistaken for other materials so information online can’t always be trusted like books can because they are never altered unless you are talking about the revision state. In general, the use of books still pertain to today’s society but I feel the use of them have been decreasing as everything is now more available online.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
" Since everything is on the internet, I don't need books. . . . right ? "
I feel at odds thinking this but I feel that because of the Internet, we don't really need books anymore. Technology has advanced so much since the year that it was invented and because of its advancements, society's normal life is all on the Internet. Nothing that we do now a day is in person. Examples include job searching, sharing basic information, and even reading books. I feel that this makes things so much easier than in person because its fast and easy access information that we can read quickly and are able to gain the information that we need. But, when it comes to books, you may need to read or skim a whole section just to find the information that pertains to what you’re looking for. This also saves a ton of trees from being cut down to produce books and other reading materials which would mean we would have cleaner air and a better forest that animals could inhabit.
On the other hand, not everyone has the availability to have technology within the palm of their hands and not everyone like the use of technology to read and find information. Also, information within websites can be altered and mistaken for other materials so information online can’t always be trusted like books can because they are never altered unless you are talking about the revision state. In general, the use of books still pertain to today’s society but I feel the use of them have been decreasing as everything is now more available online.
On the other hand, not everyone has the availability to have technology within the palm of their hands and not everyone like the use of technology to read and find information. Also, information within websites can be altered and mistaken for other materials so information online can’t always be trusted like books can because they are never altered unless you are talking about the revision state. In general, the use of books still pertain to today’s society but I feel the use of them have been decreasing as everything is now more available online.
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Very nice job Jennifer. I like that you recognize both the advantages as well as some of the concerns about information technology, especially what we call the "digital divide," the divide between the "have access to the internet" and "do not have's." You also raise a very good point about the trust you can place (or not place) on information you find on the web.
ReplyDeleteMyself like you, I love the internet. I would be lost without Google, Wikipedia, and Amazon. As a research librarian, I get asked very obscure things, impossible to find answers to without these tools. Our library is largely electronic and most of our users access us via the internet from their offices, homes, or clinics. It's fabulous.
But questions loom about all this digital information, which unlike paper, is much more temporary.
When libraries subscribe to print journals (magazines for researchers), all the copies they receive are permanently stored on our shelves. Nobody can take them back. Today, our 35,000+ electronic journals, are licensed (closer to renting versus purchasing) and easier (than print at least) to make changes to our access.
Here are some questions to think about: What if the original publisher of the electronic journal goes out of business and another takes over? Will we have the same rights of access as the original publisher? What if an editor decides that a controversial statement that made it to press needs to be changed or even removed? In the print days, that was difficult almost impossible. In the electronic world, it's easy to do and HAS been done. How will doctors, nurses, pharmacists 100 years from now access information and what if they don't have the right technology (on the wrong side of the "digital divide")?
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. Keep up the good work!
Lilian
Research librarian
UCD-AMC