I recently accepted the role of “chair” (I prefer “facilitator”) for our Library Forum meetings. I made the video below in an attempt to set the tone and establish a new direction for this important staff meeting. I know that the video won’t have a wide appeal (since most of you don’t work at U of G); however, it’s my first shot at using Camtasia so I thought I’d post it.
Archive for the 'libraries' Category
Intersections
Published January 31, 2010 book reviews , ideas , learning , libraries Leave a CommentTags: creativity, cross-pollination, innovation, intersectional ideas
A few weeks ago I read Frans Johansson’s The Medici Effect: What Elephants & Epidemics Can Teach Us About Innovation. I stumbled upon this book in the public library when I was actually looking for something else (thank you Dewey Decimals!). At the time, I was intrigued by the subtitle, but now I can’t remember much about elephants or epidemics from the book. What I do remember is his concept of intersections.
For Johansson, intersections describe the places where different fields meet. For him:
“Fields consist of concepts such as knowledge and practices. Changing a tire can be called a concept. So can the item tire, in and of itself. These two concepts are both included in a field called mechanics. In order to understand a field, one has to understand at least some of its concepts. The more concepts one understands within a field, the more expertise one has built within the field.” (p.16)
When you work in a field, you’re likely to generate ideas and processes that stay within the field (he calls these directional ideas). But if you strive to find the intersections you’ll generate ideas and processes that go in entirely new directions (intersectional ideas–obviously!).
Johannson goes on to say that the opportunities for intersectional ideas are increasing because of three forces:
- The movement of people (travel, refugees, etc.)
- The convergence of science (interdisciplinary knowledge creation)
- The leap of computation (increasing capabilities of technology)
While these three forces are intriguing (and I’ll buy his arguments), I think there are everyday opportunities to step into the intersection (safely of course!). For example, I work in a library that employs a number of learning and educational professionals – and it’s no secret that we approach our work differently. Instead of letting these differences cause friction, we should figure out a way to operate in the intersection.
The more intersections we have the more vibrant and creative our spaces will be. We may not have the patronage of a wealthy Medici family, but there is no reason we can’t encourage (and support) an explosion of ideas on our campuses.
Oligarchy and Anarchy
Published January 31, 2010 book reviews , libraries 1 CommentTags: anarchy, information arms race, information politics, oligarchy, technocentrism
I just finished reading Siva Vaidhyanathan’s book The Anarchist in the Library. The book is about five years old now, but he has some interesting points to make about technology, government and culture. In the introduction, he talks about the two primary ideologies that affect our information age: anarchy and oligarchy. In Vaidhyanathan’s words:
“Anarchy is a governing system that eschews authority. Oligarchy governs from, through, and for authorities. These ideologies feed off each other dialectically.” (p.xi)
In other words, oligarchy creates panic about the perceived threat of anarchy and anarchy justifies itself by reacting against the “abuses” of oligarchy.
At first, I wondered what these concepts had to do with information and technology, but after finishing the book and revisiting the introduction, the connections make more sense. Vaidhyanathan doesn’t really take a side in this debate; instead, he focuses on challenging both camps. He investigates the claims of oligarchy that have led to “moral panics” (e.g. we should worry because the Internet is overrun with pornography and other undesirable material), but he also challenges the aims of anarchy (e.g. that free distribution of information and anonymous behaviour will lead to a better future).
In the end, Vaidhyanathan simply urges us to be cautious: we should not jump hastily to top-down legislation and control, nor should we embrace an “anything-goes” mentality. Instead, we should rely on debate and discussion–however clumsy–to inform our progress.
I think this is a good read for anyone who is interested in the politics of information–or as Vaidhyanathan calls it, “the information arms race.” Some of the examples are dated but the arguments hold true; in fact, recent acts by governments and cybercriminals only further entrench these two ideologies. Perhaps we’ll find a third way eventually.
