Mickel Paris

Archive for 2011|Yearly archive page

, , , , , , ,

How Web 2.0 has changed Researching in Libraries

In Library & Information Sciences, Library Information Science on December 5, 2011 at 1:52 pm

As I am winding up my first semester of Library Grad School, I’m a bit surprised by now much writing I was able to accomplish. I wrote 86 pages in LIBR 204 Information Organizations & Management and 45 pages in Libr 200 Information & Society totalling 131 pages for the semester. Approximately 80% of the assignments were APA-style, a research style requiring citations, references and bibliographies, and appendices for noted materials and information used in the papers. APA research style writing adds much more time to an essay, term paper or discussion due to the added time for research and fact-checking. I would say that a one-page paper takes about an hour to write, but a one-page APA paper is more like 3 hours, give or take an hour. The researching effort adds a good 2 hours to each page, on average.

Some papers required tremendous reading. I went through about 3 reams of paper printing articles to highlight and read. Many of the articles were in the 10-20 page range and discussed heavily researched information.

Prior to entering grad school, I had very little experience with term papers, other than the few written in undergrad school. I remember going to the library and pouring over stacks and stacks, all the elevator rides, chasing down books that were supposed to be there, but weren’t. I think in that day and age, it took more like 4-5 hours per page to write a paper, only because of the added footwork.

Most techies refer to Web 2.0 as the social web, or social computing, which I think is a correct definition. But there are many layers to Web 2.0 and thousands of applications that create the internet as a platform. Many of these applications are modular, and can be combined with others to form new applications that work synergistically in delivering products and services that help end-users better.

Federated searches are part of the Web 2.0 and so-called Library 2.0 architecture, and libraries use them to great effect. My school’s library (San Jose State’s Martin Luther King Jr Library) has a large network of intergreated library services that employ federated searches to make researching an easy task. Before, you had to trot to the library, use a computer to search, and hunt, hunt, hunt. Now, it’s nearly as simple as a google search, with results leading 90% of the time to full-text pdfs that can be printed and downloaded to your computer for reading. I can download 20 or more articles in the comfort of my bedroom in an hour or two.

Reading them, however, takes much longer.

So that brings me back to those 131 pages. I honestly do not believe it would be logistically possible to have written all those pages (or find all those many sources) in one semester trodding to the library. Web 2.0 definitely has improved the ability of a grad student to conduct more research in the same amount of time as before.

Gain Library experience: An easy way to Volunteer!

In Uncategorized on August 28, 2011 at 5:02 pm

Any library grad student knows that the day will come when his or her experience in libraries will be an important factor in their post-grad job search. Internships are obviously the primary vehicle of experience to showcase the skills of an entry-level librarian resume. But for someone who is starting out in grad school, like myself, an internship seems far-away (ok, so one year isn’t that far, but it still is several semesters away!). So what form of experience would work well now when schedules are being hammered out, time committments determined and rusty note-taking skills relearned?

Volunteerism!

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , , ,

Reflections on Teamwork Presentations

In Library Information Science on August 12, 2011 at 1:44 am

In my Library Science 103 course, we reviewed a colloquia (single lecture to an audience that does not possess detailed knowledge of the subject) by Dr. Ken Haycock called “Working in Teams.” This talk covered the important 4 stages of Teamwork, in order, “Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing.” We also watched a slide presentation by Professor Enid Irwin on Student Teams, in the context of our education as SLIS Graduate students!

In Dr. Haycock’s colloquia, forming begins as a group is put together, a leader is chosen and ground rules are developed on how the team should work. The storming, or dissatisfaction stage, is where challenges develop and the team leader helps steer the group in the right direction. The norming stage is where members reconcile and begin to coorperate rather than compete. Finally, in the performing stage the team understands individual roles, ground rules, behaviors and produce great results. Read the rest of this entry »

, , ,

The FBA Shipment from Hades

In Amazon FBA on August 5, 2011 at 7:21 pm

On July 7th, 2011 I sent a mixed shipment of 30 books and CD’s to Amazon FBA. I’m not much of a crybaby, but it would be wonderfully nice if they lost it. I say that only because the shipment seemed to be floating somewhere in Amazonland and nobody could update on exactly what was going on. If they refunded the shipment, it would be like $250 in my back pocket. So, yes, Amazon, please lose this shipment!

But, alas, they did find it and there was something wrong with one of the CD’s. They refunded the CD, and put the rest online in my store. Shucks. I thought a windfall was in the making.

Aside from that one shipment from Hades, FBA has been pretty kind to me. I’ve won some and lost some, but definitely learned some. New books sell much better than used, and listing time is about half as long. Just copy and paste “Brand New!!!” and you’re basically good to go. Alright! But often times its easy to overlook that dreaded remainder mark on the bottom of the book. Always look for this overstock mark. You can still sell the book as New, but you better had mention it in the description of your listing. Read the rest of this entry »

, , , ,

Officially a Grad Student!

In Library Information Science on August 4, 2011 at 9:21 pm

It feels good to be a kid again! Well, student, at least. This is the first week of my Introductory class to the Masters of Library Information Sciences program, called LIBR 103 Online Social Networking. The class basically introduces the new and incoming students to the technology and online architecture for the MLIS program, which is 100% online.

At first, I wasn’t sure how well I would adjust, or how difficult it would be to take an entire degreed program  online. It appears online programs have come a long way, because much of the technology is very user friendly, and the protocols for reading the materials, completing the assignments, taking the quizzes/tests, and submitting materials for a grade make the process simple and easy.

Read the rest of this entry »

, , ,

The post-apocalypse thriller “The Road” can teach a few things about setting

In Books on June 26, 2011 at 1:24 am

As a writer, setting was always one of those pieces of the story that was the most difficult for me to master. I think I get into the heads of my characters so much that the environment tends to drop to the wayside. After reading “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy, I have a newfound perspective on the importance of setting. The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic world (perhaps a nuclear winter) where there are very few people left, almost no animals and food is scarce. A father and his young son set out alone on the road to find the sea, where they hope to find peace. In this world, the environment is gray and filled with a constant drifting ash, rains fall constantly, and the landscape is deserted and barren. The father’s love for his son is the main driving emotional force in the novel. Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , ,

My first published article on Viewshound.com!

In Writing on June 21, 2011 at 7:24 pm

I am very excited to announce that Viewshound published an article that I wrote about my 8th grade English teacher Mr. Quarles. I would have to say that he was the most inspirational teacher that I had, but not in the typical way. He had that strange effect that lasts for many years. Upon publication, many of my classmates from that time commented or noticed it, partly because he stood out in their minds as well.

The article went on to receive Bronze Prize (3rd place) and I won a cool $20 for the piece. I wasn’t all that disappointed partly because of the hundreds of submissions they receive (it takes a week for them to get to read it because of all the articles in the queue), but also because the Gold and Silver winners were really excellent articles that I thought were written better as well. I think I may write another article about 5 ways to write an award-winning article for Viewshound or any contest, and use the Gold winner as a possible example, comparing its strengths to mine. This would be a unique article that I think would benefit a lot of reader-writers!

Read the rest of this entry »

, , ,

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy

In Amazon FBA on June 18, 2011 at 11:41 pm

‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” – William Shakespeare

Indeed.

I recently started an Amazon bookstore through their FBA program, which allows sellers to achieve higher volume in sales. Part of the success in FBA is in acquiring as many books as possible, sending them to Amazon, rinse and repeat. Over the last few months, hundreds of books have passed through my bedroom, and I’ve learned of titles in many genres of both fiction and non-fiction that I would normally not have noticed in a Borders or Barnes and Noble.

Read the rest of this entry »

,

Welcome to The Write Stuff!

In Personal on June 15, 2011 at 11:34 pm

Thank you for visiting my blog! I titled it “The Write Stuff” because I plan to write stuff on my various writing endeavors, covering various essays, articles, stories and poetry. The title is, or course, a take on the phrase “The Right Stuff,” inspired by the movie about the nation’s first astronauts.

With all seriousness aside, I tend to write about my various projects and business dealings and hope to share some of my insights and business advice as well. Hopefully it inspires your mind, feeds your imagination and tantalizes your soul. If not, then head on over to msnbc.com or foxnews!

Feel free to leave comments. They are appreciated!