Competency #5 - Tagging/Indexing

For our competency this week, we were asked to go to LibraryThing and sign up for a free account. This is a site for anyone who has a love of books (or at least deals with books). You are able to have book talks, share opinions about different books, and so much more. The assignment was to search the site for a resource associated with my interest and find tags (or tag coulds) for them. I am interested in many aspects, but I am trying to focus on high school libraries and the use of technology in libraries. I was really wanting to see some books about hybrid libraries (combining the physical with the digital), but when I tried that search nothing came up. I then decided to search for "digital libraries" as I am interested to see how these types of libraries work since we are in a digital age, and it would help to understand them in order to create a hybrid library. A few books caught my eye with this search, but the one that really jumped out at me was Understanding Digital Libraries because, after reading the three reviews that were posted, it seemed to be a good introduction to what a digital library is.

Another search I did was "Library 2.0". This search proved interesting as well with one book that really stood out, Library 2.0 and Beyond. This book explains what this concept is and how librarians can improve library services.

During another search I discovered "Re-Designing the High School Library for the Forgotten Half: The Information Needs of the Non-College Bound Student". I chose this book as it deals with the high school library directly and a group of students that typically get over-looked.

I think these three books I found, and the others that I saved in my account, will provide me with a start at understanding how a library can function in today's digital age that the students are a part of. I think it is important to know and learn about what is to come and what is already here in order to provide a better service to the patrons of the library. Now I just need to find some time to read them.

Cassie