Global Quest Reviews IV

[Katie Filipowicz <ny001142@MAIL.NYSER.NET>]

Here's the next set of Global Quest reviews. Please keep the email
notes to me coming, so that I'll know what's happened to all the
videos. A couple of them seem to have disappeared.

My own route list got "my" copy of the video to me yesterday, and I'm
in the middle of a discussion with Steven Hodas. I'll post the results
of that soon, as well as any other reviews and comments people send.

Steven says that he'll shortly post to LM_NET the official
announcement of the second video in the series.

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              Katie Filipowicz, Library Media Specialist
      Lincoln High School, 375 Kneeland Ave., Yonkers, NY 10704
Phone: (914) 376-8392               Internet: ny001142@mail.nyser.net

------------------------------

I forwarded the message I sent to Steve and Jennifer to you, but it
got bounced back. I had acknowledgement from Steve. Steve's message
was good.  He says librarians and ALA ought to be responsible for
making a video showing the role of libraries. I think we have one -
Kaleidoscope, produced by ALA in co-operation with Follett.

Diane Durbin

_________

I recently viewed the video "Global Quest".  It was interesting, but I
really have my doubts that the internet, at the present time, can do a
better job as a source of reference than books or current periodicals.
It is not that easy, and how can you be sure that the information you
are getting is really true and not someone "out there" just posing as
an expert.  The number of computers in the video was amazing.  We do
not have that many computers in our school, much less access to phone
lines, we have a phone in each classroom, but must compete for 4
outside lines. Using the internet is fun, and a good personal hobby at
this time. I would encourage students who have computers at home to
try using it, with cautions about giving out personal information.
There are some crazies "out there".

Maggie McGraw

-----------------

I just looked at the Global Quest video this week. While I
liked the concept of having a video to introduce students,
faculty, and parents to the Internet, I felt that the portrayal
of school library media centers was unrealistic and unfair. The
video implied that library media centers have only outdated
books as resources, when in fact, our library media centers
have not only up-to-date books, but many electronic media
including Internet connections. In fact, our school library
media center is the only place in the school where students and
staff can go online, and we do many things such as penpal
exchanges, participation in professional discussion groups,
accessing learning resources, etc. from our library media
center.

One problem that I'm worried about is equity in online
access. Our school is in a rural area without a local access
number for many of the online services. Even our state
educational network (Virginia's Pen), which provides a
toll-free number, now limits daily time and hours (7 am to 7
pm.) for online users such as our school. I believe this
increases disparity. Unfortunately, technology can decrease
disparity but lack of access can increase it.

Thanks to NASA for trying to produce a video that explains
telecommunications via Internet; hopefully, you will include
some school library media specialists as consultants on your
next video.

Karen Whetzel

______________

  I found the video interesting, but after viewing the video, I
felt that it left much to be presented. I saw that there were to be
further videos to be produced with more detailed information so I then
went back and viewed the video as a beginning.

  Nasa's view of library/media centers was certainly not accurate as
far as I was concerned.  However, after I spoke to a number of people,
I found that there are many situations where NASA wasn't too far from
reflecting the truth.  Library/media people that read and respond to
LM_NET are leaders in the progress of technology.  These people are
the ones that often lead their schools in technology so it is hard to
perceive that there situations that have very dated collections.

June Cantwell

--------------

I appreciated the enthusiasm that could be generated in a school and
community environment for the Internet. The video could be an
excellent tool to use for parent meetings and for board meetings.
However, it did seem as though the assumption held by the writers of
the video's script was that all information that could be obtained in
a library would be "ancient history". This is just not the case.

I understand that the school libraries in California are in poor
condition as far as their collections are concerned. (I guess I should
include their staffing practices as well.) Schools in other states are
building collections and creating consortia as well through which they
can at least share current information if they cannot afford to own
all of it.

My final point would be that the writers of the script did not
understand that in most cases it would be the school library media
specialist, the school's information specialist, who will be working
to obtain an Internet connection for the building or district and who
will be leading teacher inservices and instructing students in its
uses--multitudinous as they may be.  I would hate to think that we
need to refer to the "image" problem that librarians in general seem
to have, but the producers and writers of Global Quest clearly did not
have an accurate picture of what is going on in most school libraries
today, nor did they know the role of information leader that we assume
on a daily basis.

Andrea L. Miller

---------------------

I did find the "digs" at media specialists and libraries gratuitous
and offensive, but on the whole the tape seems lacking enough in
content so that I doubt that it will be used much. From friends in
California, where this film seems to have been shot, I have heard true
horror stories about schools without librarians, abysmal funding, etc.
I'm glad to say that here in Iowa library media specialists are
serving as instructional leaders in providing access to quality
materials in all formats, including the Net. I sure hope the next
products NASA funds will get out of CA and into the real world and
show the job we're doing.

Joel Shoemaker

---------------------

My impression of it [the video] was that an inordinate amount of time
was spent on the obsolete library discussion. Had it been just a
sentence or two, we might not have objected so much, but it went on
and on. However, since I think the example they were using was a
California library, it may unfortunately have been true. Many of the
libraries in this state are in very sad shape due to years of
inadequate funding. Internet access will not be the cure for this sad
situation.

Marge Cargo