[13555] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: public access computer applications
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jack Kessler)
Thu Oct 5 20:07:47 2000
Date: Wed, 04 Oct 2000 15:35:35 -0700
From: Jack Kessler <kessler@WELL.COM>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.GSO.3.96.1000922235406.16081B-100000@steel3.ucs.indiana.edu>
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU>
Message-Id: <Pine.GSO.4.21.0010041509170.19060-100000@well.com>
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Thom, and PACS-L,
Yes you still can borrow hand tools via Berkeley PL -- see,
http://www.infopeople.org/bpl/tool/index.html
And amen to all that Thom said in what follows, appended here
because very worth repeating I think -- whatever the market will
bear / the customer is king / etc., etc. -- I particularly like
his suggestion of asking users, and two quotes from him:
"The internet is not a library in the worst sense of the
word library meaning a place were old folks shhh people
who are alive and learning."
-- the number of times I've seen kids lined up for and even
chased away from the few "Internet terminals" in a library... --
and his,
"I realize it is difficult to stay abreast and install
the constantly changing plug-ins for shockwave, real,
acrobat, java, vrml, etc but the information your patrons
are trying to access often need the 'junk' plugins. Not
staying abreast will result in a declining client base
particularly among children who are your future."
-- both of which I think should be carved over the doors, and in
some other places, in every "book" library now.
I myself see fewer and fewer people under age 30 in libraries, or
reading "books" at all -- they're all glued to computer screens,
and nearly all the time, at work, play, study -- and now a lot of
them are "graduating", and becoming society's doctors, lawyers,
fathers, mothers... so it's time, or maybe too late, for
libraries which haven't done so to "get with the program" in
things digital, all the "junk" included, I myself think.
Jack Kessler, kessler@well.sf.ca.us
On Sat, 23 Sep 2000, Thom Kevin Gillespie wrote:
> On Fri, 22 Sep 2000, Jim Rosaschi wrote:
>
> > Most of our energy is spent on internet delivered resources, and
> > not on content delivered via CD ROM or on the hard drive of the PC.
> >
> > I think a related question would be:
> > "Which plugins and other junk is essential for a public use
> > browser?" (and who decides when it is time to change?)
> >
> > Notes:
> > Library of Congress is using Mr SID for their American Memory maps.
> > Many places are requiring RealAudio or RealVideo or Appletime.
> > Does anybody still care abour Shockwave?
> > Adobe Acrobat is essential, and many places only work on revision 4.
>
> I have to respond to this one. Statements such as "plugins and other junk
> is essential for a public use" & "Does anybody still care about
> Shockwave?"
>
> Maybe the librarians in Santa Rosa don't care but all your kids and half
> your adults do. The internet is not a library in the worst sense of the
> word library meaning a place were old folks shhh people who are alive and
> learning. The internet is a medium which expresses it self in constantly
> changing fashion. If you haven't notice there has been a steady increase
> of multiple media from text to the 'junk' supported stuff. The reason the
> net is growing is because most folks like their info 'junked' up and this
> is not going to change. I realize it is difficult to stay abreast and
> install the constantly changing plug-ins for shockwave, real, acrobat,
> java, vrml, etc but the information your patrons are trying to access
> often need the 'junk' plugins. Not staying abreast will result in a
> declining client base particularly among children who are your future.
>
> I was going to suggest that most libraries should have Flash, Director,
> DreamWeaver, Photoshop, Illustrator and maybe a 3D package such as Cinema
> 4D or form-z at a minimum because in a multimediated world these tools are
> the real tools of newMedia literacy. Your patrons want to express
> themselves and 'write' for the web and Word and WordPerfect are not the
> answer. Most of these packages actually have great prices for non-profits.
> I realize someone will respond with "But we don't have the expertise to
> support these tools" but the answer is that you don't need to be able to
> directly support the tools you can create community help groups of 'little
> hands' who will do what the 'big hands' can not do. You also have the
> books which explain the software right on the shelves so all you have to
> do is point them in the right direction.
>
> Might make more sense to ask your patrons at hand, all of them, what
> 'junk' they want rather than trying to guess.
>
> Doesn't the Berkeley Public Library still check out hand tools?
>
> --Thom
>
> \\\\//// tHoM gIllEsPiE
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> 6 (*][*) ? 1229 E 7th St Radio & TV Bldg
> \ .7 / Bloomington, IN 47405-5501 USA
> ( --') thom@indiana.edu 812-855-3254 (v)
> WWWW The MIME Program in newMedia Design
> / WW \ www.mime.indiana.edu
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Since permanent change is here to stay, to accomplish anything bold and
> beautiful in the firmament of time we must learn to change directions and
> fall gracefully -- Sam Keen in Learning To Fly
>
>
