Here is a Chronology showing some of the major advances in Libraries and Computing over the years. Enjoy!

Introduction to the Internet and Gmail Video

As books became more prevalent and libraries formed to house and collect books, people needed a way to organize and find them. In Roman times libraries needed less organization. There was a place for writings in Greek, and writings in Latin. Those that could read knew who the authors were and could find writings by knowing who wrote them: "Socrates, Plato, Ah here we go: Aristotle."

Ok, so it was not ideal, but it worked. But in modern times libraries had many more books to choose from, many more subjects and available to a wider audience. Each library did things a little differently, until Melvil Dewey came up with a system of organizing the knowledge of the library. You have to love the Dewey Decimal System.

Burke, J.J.  (2009).  Neal-Schuman library technology companion: a basic guide 

         for library staff (3rd ed.).  New York, NY: Neal-Schuman Publishers.

The Next Chapter

The invention of paper, the heir of papyrus and vellum, took a few forms to contain writing. Scrolls were a widely used form, though usually only one side was utilized, and they had large sticks used to roll the scroll up. The scroll's use fell out of favor when a much easier and economical form came into being: the codex.

The Codex, or a book as it is more well know, was easier to carry around, and utilized both sides of the paper. It was a laborious process to make a book by hand, but with the invention of the Gutenberg printing press, books were able to be produced more quickly and became more widely available.

Burke, J.J.  (2009).  Neal-Schuman library technology companion: a basic guide 

         for library staff (3rd ed.).  New York, NY: Neal-Schuman Publishers.

Jacobs, A. (2011). Christianity and the future of the book. New Atlantis: A Journal
         of Technology & Society, 33, 19-36. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com

The Beginnings

So how should we think about the Internet?

It is a new technology. It is a lot of fun when you are at work watching cat videos. It is necessary for some people's jobs.
The Internet has shaped the way we consume media and changed the way we interact with other people and society.

So where did this all start?

Perhaps we should start at the beginning.
Perhaps with the birth of technology that allowed for saving information for later use: Writing.

Writing evolved from use of pictographs in prehistory. Eventually these pictographs became a system of writing. Writing had huge advantages over memorizing information since memory can fade and change overtime and often changes as knowledge is passed down form individual to individual. Writing can easily pass information onto other people over vast distances and over long periods of time. Depending of the medium used to write on, information can last thousands of years. Much of what we know form ancient cultures, like the Egyptians, we know from writing that has survived. Imagine how much we have lost from culture who did not have written records.

Burke, J.J.  (2009).  Neal-Schuman library technology companion: a basic guide 

         for library staff (3rd ed.).  New York, NY: Neal-Schuman Publishers.

Technology Initiatives in Libraries

The magazine of American Library Association recently tweeted about new ideas to incorporate technology into libraries. The roundup writes about libraries using technologies in innovative ways to reach people. 

I am unfamiliar with some of these technologies. The author definitely assumes a familiarity with various forms of social media and internet vernacular. After I read this article I am more informed. He goes into brief detail and also provides a link to an additional resource for each initiative. 

The technology initiatives include: 

1. Host a cloud-based collection
2. Create a basic mobile website
3. Start a location-based photostream with Instagram
4. Integrate LibGuides into Drupal
5. Balance the library voice with personal in social media
6. Use crowdsourcing to create a collection
7. Make a quick screencast
8. Create personas before you design your website
9. Use Google voice to implement text reference
10. Visualize your twitter relationships with Mentionmapp

Do you think any of these ideas are interesting? Is your library using any of them?

Kroski, E.  (2013).  10 great technology initiatives for your library.  American Libraries. Retrieved from http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org

A Comprehensive Database for Legislation

I get so frustrated finding information about my legislators. I'm overwhelmed with the contradictory information available. Have you "Googled" your local representative? It's always been a waste of time for me. I was intrigued to come across this new database. Open State allows users to search for their local representatives and learn more about recent bills, committee memberships, recent votes, etc. You can even create an account to follow your local legislator. 

Is this a step in the right direction for transparency in government?

SunlightFoundation.  (n.d.).  Open State.  Retrieved from http://openstates.org
Sunlight Foundation.  (n.d.)  Introducing Open States. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com