Slan Leat agus go raibh mhath agat! agus Nollaig Shona

Its kinda sad in a way that this will probably be my last post. I don't think I will ever be a blogger.....and ALL of my classes so far have confirmed my initial determination to never be a member of facebook! That being said, I can honestly say that so far.....I have learned the most in this class........AND IT WAS ACTUALLY FUN! (except for that last bit......SQL is really just an implement of torture) It may have even opened a possible new career path in that now I am REALLY interested in how TSpace can be used for a "certain" department here at Uof T!

I think a basic hands on course like this should have a second half to it that would allow us to build on and expand our new tech skills. But that's just me........................

As the title says...........Goodbye, Thank you and Merry Christmas

Grad papers eaten by Monster Cat

This is what happened to ALL of my last assignments as I was printing them off. Betchya no one has proof like this.

The cat is available to rent for a small fee!!!!!!!!

T-Space FYI

I am probably one of the few who has just discovered this but, for anyone interested in dspace technology Uof T is one of the first university's to have subscribed to the service from its inception. As part of my software evaluation I arranged to interview someone from the IT department and get the lowdown on Tspace - our very own version of dspace. Not only has Uof T decided to fully subscribe to the service, they are rolling out a new version in 2008.

My interest in the technology is in how it could be utilized as a teaching aid, especially in view of the growing use of digital materials in the classroom. Right now the biggest issue is getting the Profs to find time to archive and enter their data. According to 'my source' its mostly students - many from FIS - who are doing the grunt work and entering all the data for the Profs. Being in the archives stream I find this technology to be quite interesting. I can see this technology really altering the landscape of academia, making communications, research and information sharing much more commonplace and dare I say it, simplified.

Just image, a simplifed academic environment......seems almost unnatural!

White Paper or White Wash

After meandering through some of the posts it would seem that so far everyone is in agreement that Chad and Miller are all mouth and trousers! Lets face it, Do libraries matter? The rise of library 2.0 is nothing more than a sales pitch. Well I supposed they have to make living somehow, but they should have pitched their virtual library idea at disney world. Their constant referrals to Amazon and Google as the ideal to which libraries should aspire was irratating at best. Although the content is interesting, it is highly biased. After dissecting this paper, it would seem that neither Chad nor Miller truly grasp the fundamental principles of the library. Yes, there is certainly a need for libraries to find, and keep, a place in the virtual realm and the challenges in doing so will be tremendous. Perhaps by presenting the possibilities of library 2.0, therein lay the true value, if any, of this paper. It certainly has no intrinsic value for information professionals, apart from something to argue about around the water cooler.

Failte

Hope you all enjoy the music that I managed to embed into my blog. I still can't quite believe I actually managed to do it. The reason that I chose this particualr music is because I did my B A here at UofT in Celtic Studies..........and although the department is just across campus at St. Mike's......I feel kinda homesick. I would never even have attempted to tart up my blog if I hadn't been inspired by all the tech talk from yesterday's class........well maybe not inspired.....just a little less intimidated is probably closer to the truth. I realize that not everyone likes Celtic music............not to worry.........if you click on the button in the upper left hand corner you can silence the ceol (music).

If you want to hang out with a mostly "celtic" crowd........the offical celtic studies pub is over at Mullins across from Odette hall. Just don't tell them I sent you........the place is kinda small.

Enjoy the music

Leaving the land of the technopeasant under extreme duress!

Hello All,
I have never even visited a blog site, let alone contributed to one. I rather liked my comfy spot in the world of the technopeasant. I must admit that I did cheat a bit and read some of the class blogs before posting my own, the result being that I now feel woefully inadequate to even attempt any sort of witty contribution of my own. I don't do profound, it always gets me in trouble! Anyway, my grammar sucks and once I get comfortable on this you may not get me to shut up so its a good thing this class only lasts one term cuz it will take me that long to reach any sort of comfort level in the fine art of blogging.

See you in class.