Competency 2 - Blogs

For this competency on blogs, I used Google Blog Search to find the Young Adult Library Services Association blog. The URL is http://blogs.ala.org/yalsa.php.

I was searching for a blog that would discuss the use of new technology in youth library services. Although this blog is about all types of youth library services, I found many blog entries that discussed various aspects of emerging technology. For instance, in the entry "Social Technologies - direct benefits to school and work," Kelly Czarnecki reflects on seeing a teen in Teen Second Life using the virtual world to build a model of a DNA molecule.

"The teen with the virtual cup of coffee in front of the DNA structure he was creating said he was doing this to help him with his bio test for tomorrow in school. Of course. The next time a teen is on RuneScape or MySpace at the library, maybe they are using it to help with their school work. Maybe they would be interested in knowing how other teens use similar tools for professional development something directly tied to a homework assignment if they hadn't thought if it that way before."

I will be interested in following this blog for its updates on YALSA events such as Teen Tech Week, news from YALSA committees and interest groups, and reflections on teen services in general.

Initial Post

This is a blog for the class "Information Storage and Retrieval" at Texas Woman's University. I'll be using this space to post my responses to assignments throughout the semester.

I'm most interested in public libraries and specifically in youth services, especially in incorporating new technology into youth programming.

Welcome!