beansprouts Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Let's compare: Computer = access to inappropriate images Street corner = access to inappropriate images Computer = violent interactions possible Street corner = violent interactions possible Computer = lots of drug advertisements Street corner = lots of drug advertisements Computer = mindless waste of time Street corener = mindless waste of time Computer = indoors Street corner = outdoors Wow. I guess I should get off of here and go stand on a street corner! :D (P.S. -- or I can HOPE the library computers have better filters than the nearby street corners!) Exactly! At least on the street corner you have access to fresh air (or is it CO fumes from passing vehicles...?) My understanding is library computers do not use filters, but that may have changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 My understanding is library computers do not use filters, but that may have changed. But, then again, I've never gone to the library in an effort to look for porn or to make a drug sale. I actually ran across a Google hit the other day in which somebody had asked on Yahoo about whether cannabis would grow under a single 60 watt bulb.:tongue_smilie: Honestly, I was looking for something legitimate! My my. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 But, then again, I've never gone to the library in an effort to look for porn or to make a drug sale. I actually ran across a Google hit the other day in which somebody had asked on Yahoo about whether cannibus would grow under a single 60 watt bulb.:tongue_smilie: Honestly, I was looking for something legitimate! My my. Maybe it was research for a science project :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura K (NC) Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I wish I could learn more about how Finland teaches their students. Somehow they get by on very few dollars per student, yet they have such high-performing students in comparison to other nations. Do you know anything about their textbooks or methodology? I know it's the next country over, so it might be like me knowing something about the textbooks or methodology of Mexican teachers, but I thought I'd ask anyway, just in case. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyboys Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Please don't get your knickers in a knot. Your post sounds very defensive, especially as you are a librarian. I'm not bemoaning change. I love computers. All 5 of us in my family have computers, 4 of us with laptops. All I'm saying is that I have fond memories of being in my library as a child. We had floor to ceiling stacks filled with books. There were big comfy chairs, sofas and tables in every nook and cranny. It was a very hushed, relaxed environment. Kids who were noisy were shushed by librarians and even other parents. It was a place to go to get away from noisy busy fast world. I don't see why that part has to change. People don't even whisper in my library. Many are on their cell phones. The employees are just as loud. Yes I'm sure there are still lovely libraries around. But the 3 that I'm familiar with near me are not quiet havens of knowledge and learning. I disagree with the way the libraries near me are designed with the computers in the middle and the books are not the focus. I'm not a fussy old woman running around the library shushing people. I don't complain to anyone. I share my fond memories with my children, use the library as infrequently as possible, and spend lots of money on buying books to bring into my own home. Problem resolved. Oh, and my dream library is like the one in the movie Matilda. I grew up near a library like that. The libraries I have around me have no cozy bookish quality. They are cold with hard chairs, metal bookshelves and computers everywhere. Oh well! Your post made me think -- Barnes & Noble has a cozier reading section these days than some libraries. I'm with you, I remember fondly the library of my youth. It was in a large old victorian style house in our town. It had tall white shelves that came out into the room partway, so there were all these little alcoves perfect for tucking into to read. It was quiet, inviting, serene and chock-ful of interesting books. We were thrilled to have our own library cards. My biggest beef with some of the newer libraries, besides the harsher lighting, is the tendency to shelve the nonfiction children's books in with the mainstream nonfiction. This makes it really difficult for younger dc to browse, find, even see many of the options -- they're 6 feet off the ground. Too much to dig through, inaccessible, sometimes what's at eye-level isn't the best subject matter and/or dc haul out huge, pedantic tomes on their subject. :confused: Dc here would come up with the most interesting subjects to explore when the nonfiction section was manageable (easily browsible) for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deidre in GA Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 This is my pet peave too! I wish our library wouldn't buy any non-educational movies. People can rent those if they want to watch them!!but who gets to define non-educational? for an aspiring film student any film is educational - even the stupid ones. same for a musician in regard to CDs. we don't limit books or magazines according to an educational litmus test. some people don't consider graphic novels educational. or comic books. but both of those might reach a library user who is not oriented to words. i understand what you mean by missing the coziness of former days. my libraries actually do have that as long as i go during conventional school hours. it's a reasonable trade off to me of ambiance and community accessibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Our library is a Carnegie library that was recently remodeled with lots of additional space added to it. The original lobby and reading area is still a reading area, only it has 2 fireplaces. The magazine racks are still there. The addition has the vast majority of the library in it. The non-fiction section has lots of tables and chairs. A reading area is next to the fiction section, near the circulation desk. Between those areas is a computer section for adults to use. The circulation desk itself is topped by a $10K granite counter. (This is an impressive slab of granite for a library that has such a small budget that we are about to be kicked out of the library system.) Computers that are devoted to looking up books in the system are next to the circulation desk. There is a YA room on this floor. It has 3 computers in it and a pitiful selection of books. My kids never check out books from our own library because of the lack of selection. A young adult librarian was just hired. Part of her job is to babysit the kids. I've never seen more than a few kids there at a time (one per computer), but I understand that large groups of kids from the nearby school come to the library after school and cause a lot of problems and noise -- hence the need for a babysitter. The children's room and community meeting rooms are downstairs. The hallway is very wide and serves as an art gallery for different local artists' exhibits. The children's room has computers, but I've never seen anyone using them. Their circulation desk has a Formica counter. There are lots of books (but not enough), videos, and books on tape. The bookcases and furniture are sized for children. They have a bathroom for little kids there that has tiny toilets and sinks in it. Very cute. The new library is modern and I think the architects did a great job planning it and leaving us our old library, although spiffed up a lot. The library has 5 parking places right by the entrance. Otherwise, one has to park across the street in the municipal parking lot. I always get one of the 5 spaces because, frankly, not very many people patronize our library. If they didn't belong to a large system, I wouldn't go there either, because they don't have a good selection. We personally own (between the business and our books at home) twice as many books as our library has. RC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I'm with you, I remember fondly the library of my youth. It was in a large old victorian style house in our town. It had tall white shelves that came out into the room partway, so there were all these little alcoves perfect for tucking into to read. It was quiet, inviting, serene and chock-ful of interesting books. We were thrilled to have our own library cards. Oh, I grew up with a library like this too! I could have LIVED at that library. Now, I order books online and just dash in to return books and pick up "reserves" because I can't stand to spend more time there. Not only do I not feel comfortable with letting my children browse through all of the trashy books, I hate the whole internet-cafe, youth center library culture going on. The library I frequent the most has many, many computers, and they are full basically all the time. Morning, noon, night--doesn't matter. Nary an empty spot. Hardly anyone over 18. No one checking out books. So, maybe that's just the way it is and it isn't going to change, but could at least they make a glass-walled HUSH room with comfy reading areas? If the MySpace culture is too large to contain, how about containing the ones who want solitude, sanctuary, and something to READ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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