In my Foundations class last week we had our "Technology in the Profession" discussion. We were asked to think about the different technology we have in our individual lives and how we think technology is changing and will change the library/information science profession. It's an interesting reflective exercise for anyone to do - to examine how one uses technology in their personal and professional lives and force themselves to take a conscious look at it. Certainly starting this program and an internship in the field has forced me to do so.
I've never been an early adopter of technology, but I think a lot of that has to do with a lack of money. It's not so much that my family couldn't afford it, as much as that it was not a priority. This has carried over into my adult life. Growing up, a lot of my friends had personal computers and internet in their homes long before we did. We finally got one when I was 13 (in 1999), which I think was behind the curve. However, once we did, I was hooked. I have always loved the internet, the ability it has given me to communicate with my friends, and being able to find the answer to just about anything instantaneously.
I have a Toshiba laptop that I occasionally use (I think it's probably 5 or 6 years old and falling apart, it was a hand me down from my parents), a Gateway desktop which is also about 5 years old, a Kindle Fire (given to me as a gift earlier this year), an iPad mini (also given to me as a gift a few months ago), a small "offbrand" mp3 player and my (non-smart) LG Banter phone. My personal life may not make me sound too tech savvy, however, my "professional" life has kept me abreast of a lot of the newer technology - from software programs like InDesign and Photoshop, to maintaining a social networking site for a business, to using Google docs. I don't feel so behind when I look at it from that perspective, or from realizing that a lot of technology is intuitive and builds on your existing knowledge - if you let it.
Working at a community newspaper, I saw the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to the effects technology can have on a profession. We could rarely provide the access to breaking news like the TV news stations could (who had their own websites, while we did not), and we saw how the community admired their ability to be quick and the ease with which they could access that information. On the other hand, our Facebook page (our only online presence) was quite popular. Although I was never able to put it into practice, I imagined that there had to be some kind of perfect harmonious interaction between our web presence and the physical product. I'm convinced that with some creativity, technical knowledge, and an understanding of the community one serves, technology and the print product can (hopefully) survive together.
I've never been an early adopter of technology, but I think a lot of that has to do with a lack of money. It's not so much that my family couldn't afford it, as much as that it was not a priority. This has carried over into my adult life. Growing up, a lot of my friends had personal computers and internet in their homes long before we did. We finally got one when I was 13 (in 1999), which I think was behind the curve. However, once we did, I was hooked. I have always loved the internet, the ability it has given me to communicate with my friends, and being able to find the answer to just about anything instantaneously.
I have a Toshiba laptop that I occasionally use (I think it's probably 5 or 6 years old and falling apart, it was a hand me down from my parents), a Gateway desktop which is also about 5 years old, a Kindle Fire (given to me as a gift earlier this year), an iPad mini (also given to me as a gift a few months ago), a small "offbrand" mp3 player and my (non-smart) LG Banter phone. My personal life may not make me sound too tech savvy, however, my "professional" life has kept me abreast of a lot of the newer technology - from software programs like InDesign and Photoshop, to maintaining a social networking site for a business, to using Google docs. I don't feel so behind when I look at it from that perspective, or from realizing that a lot of technology is intuitive and builds on your existing knowledge - if you let it.
Working at a community newspaper, I saw the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to the effects technology can have on a profession. We could rarely provide the access to breaking news like the TV news stations could (who had their own websites, while we did not), and we saw how the community admired their ability to be quick and the ease with which they could access that information. On the other hand, our Facebook page (our only online presence) was quite popular. Although I was never able to put it into practice, I imagined that there had to be some kind of perfect harmonious interaction between our web presence and the physical product. I'm convinced that with some creativity, technical knowledge, and an understanding of the community one serves, technology and the print product can (hopefully) survive together.