Class Response October 31, 2008

      A recent class that I found very informative was the October 22nd class on databases. This class taught me a lot about all of the different databases that UNCW has for students to use. Before you went through and explained all of the different databases that UNCW currently subscribes to I had no idea there were that many of them available for FREEto UNCW students. Before this class I was really only familiar with the generic, all inclusive databases like EBSCO and Academic Search Premier. I was previously not familiar with all of the subject specific databases that are available. Knowing how to use these databases will really help me in the future with any type of research that I have to do.

      One critiqueI have thus far about the class are all of the on going assignments. At times it can be a bit overwhelming because of the many things we have going on at one time. For example currently we have the blog assignments, the Wiki assignment, class definition assignments, the annotated Bib assignment, a group project assignment, and we are about to start a web page assignment. Keeping up with whats due and when can be a bit difficult at times. I am not really sure what could be weeded out because I think they are all very educational, but it is just a lot to have going on all at the same time.

10/27 definitions October 31, 2008

adjacency searching – A technique use to search databases using two words that are located next to each other in the search box.

proximity searching – A technique used to search databases using words that are located closely to each other in the search box.

phrase searching - A technique used to search a database using a specific phrase that is typed into the search box.

stop words – A technique used to search databases in which irrelevant or unimportant words located in the search box are filtered out of the search.

open access – A database that can be used by anyone free of charge.

10/22 Definitions October 31, 2008

databases – A collection of information organized in such a way that a computer program can quickly select desired pieces of data. You can think of a database as an electronic filing system.
(www.umanitoba.ca/libraries/about/committees/webteam/standards-glossary.shtml).

citation databases- A collection of bibliographical citations that can be searched, which will refer the reader to other sources of related information.

citation and abstract databases – A collection of bibliographical citations as well as short information summaries, which will refer the reader to other sources of information. 

full text databases – A collection of entire works which can be searched and narrowed down by topic/s or keyword/s

Stebbins Response 10/27 October 25, 2008

           This Stebbins article discussed how to use Boolean operators and other techniques in order to get good results when searching databases. To begin it broke down Boolean operators into three major steps. The first was to break down the search into major concepts. The second was to create synonyms for each of the major concepts. The third and final step is to combine the synonyms inside of parentheses with “or”, and to combine the different concepts with “and” in between the parentheses. Some of the tips that were given to get better search results included the following: using truncation to find alternate word endings, use a subject search instead of a keyword search to narrow down the results, and to limit the type of resource that you are searching for.

            I felt that this article was very relevant to the class since at the time we were discussing how to use databases to search for information. For me, this article was a review of what we have spent a lot of time in class discussing and practicing. Before this class I was not very familiar with any of these techniques. All of these techniques are very helpful when it comes to searching for information with in a database. I feel sure that these tools will come in handy with any type of research that I may be doing in the future.

Altman Response October 21, 2008

       The Altman article brought up the many issues that are plaguing the peer review system used to decide what research findings are published and which are not. One of the main areas discussed in this article was the medical field. Many of the so called checks and balances that the peer review system has in place are failing to do their job, things such as fraud, plagiarism, and major errors have all slipped through the system. Also many scientific/medical breakthroughs have been rejected by peer reviewers. At the time of this articles publication the AMA was holding meetings to try and find solutions to fix the problems of the peer evaluation system.

            Before reading this article I was unaware that the peer evaluation system was so corrupt. I had not previously thought about competition being an issue amongst the peers in an industry. I thought that an advancement found by one person in an industry would be seen as an advancement for the industry as a whole, but apparently not. I think that something needs to be done to improve the state of the current peer review system before even larger issues emerge. One possibility for change mention in the article was an open peer review system. I think that an open peer review system would create more honesty within the peer review system and allow the best research findings to be published.

Revkin Response October 21, 2008

     The Revkin article discussed how in many cases published research findings get blown out of proportion, taken out of context, or distorted. This can create panic when it is unnecessary and can also be misleading. Reporters can also be responsible for reporting on scientific findings in a misleading manner, creating a confused public. Also many studies have shown that people are now finding sources of information to reinforce their already existing views, instead of allowing new research findings with the most factual evidence create a view.

            This article made me realize that many of the news stories and articles that are so highly publicized could be some what misleading. These news stories may only discuss one side of the story or may take information out of context in order to make a better story. These issues do require the public to do a little research for themselves and try to get the truth of the matter. After reading this article I will definitely be some what skeptical of news breaking scientific research findings, political news, and economic news. All of the findings in these fields change so much over time that there is constantly something new evolving and being studied.  

Scholarly vs. Popular Articles October 20, 2008

     When compared to popular articles, scholarly articles are usually much longer, typically peer reviewed, and they are typically written using a higher level vocabulary than a popular article. Scholarly articles also have fewer pictures where as popular magazines are trying to keep the readers attention so they have lots of pictures. The authors of scholarly articles are experts in the article topic were as popular article authors are typically journalist who have chosen to write about the topic.

Annotated Bibliography Part B October 10, 2008

- To narrow my search topic I first thought of topics that were relevant to my everyday life and some what interesting to me that would also fall under the topics you asked us to choose from. Then during part A of the Annotated Bibliography assignment I thought of several different research ideas that would fall under the broad category of privacy in the digital age. After brainstorming several different topics I searched the UNCW card catalog system for materials related to each of the research questions I brainstormed. After browsing the card catalog I narrowed my research topic down to the threat of the Internet on peoples personal privacy because I was able to find relevant sources of information related this topic and I also find it interesting.

- Research Question: How has the Internet compromised users privacy?

- To find books related to my research topic I used the UNCW Randall Library website to search the online card catalog. I used the advanced search option with a keyword search within UNCW’s collection of books.  I searched for books containing the keywords (Internet) and (privacy) first to find books relevant to my topic. I also did a keyword search of the card catalog system using security and Internet, Internet user* and privacy, and world wide web and privacy as keyword combinations. With each of these searches I reviewed the books that contained the keywords I was looking for and wrote down their call numbers. Using the books call numbers I found the books in the UNCW library.

-Books

- 1)Citation -

Brin, David. The Transparent Society. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison Wesley, 1998.

Author and Audience- The author of this book, David Brin wears many hats. He is a well known global author as well as a reputable researcher, a scientist, a speaker, a futurist, and a technical consultant. David also frequently appears on TV to share his views, ideas, and research, such as the history channel. This book won David  the Freedom of Speech Prize from the American Library Association and he has also won multiple Hugo and Nubela awards. I feel that his awards and qualifications make this a reliable source of information. This book is written for the educated general public. While anyone could read this book the reader would have to have some basic knowledge of the technology that Brin is discussing in the text in order to understand it. His writing is easy to understand if the reader has some understanding of the topics discussed.

Summary- With this book David Brin touches on many topics associated with the advancements of technology. He discusses some of the major innovations in the past and how they have impacted society. One of the main topics discussed in this book is the effects of new technologies on privacy. Brin gives several examples of technologies and how they have compromised peoples privacy. He continues on to predict what he feels technology will become in the future and what the effects of it will be. Brin also discusses various ways that the governments around the world have used technological advancements for their benefit at the expense of everyone elses’ privacy. This book focuses on the ramifications technology is having and will have in the future on privacy.

Critical Comment- My initial reaction to this book after skimming through parts of it is that much of it seems very opinion based, even though he has backed it up with factual data and information. It almost seems as though he formed his opinions on the topic and then found relevant facts and figures to back up his opinions. This book does not offer a very neutral view of the issues dealing with technology and privacy. While I feel that Brin makes several good points about the negative effects that technology has has on privacy he fails to mention any of the positive effects of technology on privacy. In many cases discussing the pros and cons of a situation can make a view point much stronger.

-Relevance-This book brings up many relevant arguments on the topic of technology and privacy. Brin brings up many past technologies that compromised privacy even before the Internet that I had not previously though of. This made me question exactly when peoples’ privacy began being compromised. The ideas brought up in this book really made me think about what effects future technologies could possibly have on society. Just to see how things have advanced in the short time that I have been using various technologies is mind boggling and made me wonder what all is to come.

- 2) – Citation -

Goldsmith, Jack, and Tim Wu. Who controls the Internet? New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Author and Audience – Jack Goldsmith is a Harvard Law professor who has written many works discussing law and the Internet. He as several published books as well as many periodical articles. Seeing as he is a law professor at Harvard university I feel that he is a reputable source for information. Ti Wu, the other author, is a professor at Columbia Law school where he teaches subjects related to communications. Currently Wu is continuing his research focusing on the Internet and communications technologies. I also feel that Tim Wu is a reputable author and a good source of information due to his strong educational background. I feel that the intended audience for this text is the general public. The authors did a very good job of introducing the topic with sufficient background information and using language that anyone could understand. The writing is very easy to follow and understand, making it an easy read for almost anyone.

Summary – This book focuses on how the invention of the Internet has created an virtual global community with no boundaries. This book begins with the invention of the Internet in the early 1990’s and how it changed the world. It then goes into the controversies that arose once people started using the Internet as it became a popular tool. The issues arose of who was in charge of the Internet? Should governments have the authority to control the Internet? Should each government control it individually or would it be a collective effort since the Internet is a global tool. This book goes into the legal side of the Internet and its revolution from the 1990’s to now, discussing several legal issues related to privacy.

Critical Comment- After skimming sections of this book my gut feeling is that this is a very reputable well written source of information. I feel that the authors have approached this subject in a very neutral and informative manner. I feel that this book is very factual and contains valid information seeing as there are many situations and references through out the book to back up their information. 

Relevance - I found this work to be very informative and to contain a lot of relevant information. It made me think of things that had never crossed my mind before. One of the main topics that made me think was the idea of who actually controls the Internet? This book brings up many interesting topics related to the Internet. I found this source of information to be very relevant to my research since it focuses on legal aspects of the Internet, many of which deal with privacy issues.

Class Review October 1, 2008

     The class that I have enjoyed the most up to this point occurred on September 24th. In this class we discussed book censorship and had a debate on how book censorship should occur, and the Tango book. I felt that the discussion helped all students get involved in the class and think about the topic at hand. Having the discussion also help me see other sidesof the issue that I would have never thought of. The discussion and debate were fun ways to learn about issues within libraries.

     One complaint I have thus far about the class is the amount of small on going assignments that we have going on all at once. Don’t get me wrong, I do not mind having a lot of grades to make up my final grade but at times it is kind of hard to keep up with whats due and when, with all of the various things we have going on at one time. I think that one think that makes it difficult/confusing for me is that we are using three different systems to get information from for the class (blackboard, the library page, wordpress). At times I just feel as though we have to many little things going on at once.