Competency 4: RSS feed

The RSS feed I added is from the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. I choose this feed because it was not only on a public library, but because of what it states in the about section:

“PLCMC Community Forum hosts conversations between the library and the local community. We hope you will share your opinions on issues important to the future of your library and to the Charlotte/Mecklenburg area” (Public Library of Chrlotte and Mecklenburg County. (2009). Community Forum Blog. Retrieved from http://plcmcforum.wordpress.com/)

This RSS feed not only tells the viewer what is going on in the local public library, but also what is happening on a larger scale. The page also asks for feedback from the patrons who visit libraries on improvements. I think that because there is an openness to the topics being discussed this RSS feed can help me to see that the public libraries must be open in the communication between librarians and patrons. I believe that this feed will also help others to see the communication that should be available between all librarians no matter the field. Patrons are the people who use the library. If something in the library is going to be changed it will affect them, and they will know what needs to be made more accessible.

Competency 3: Podcast

In this podcast video a student shares his views on how a library can be used as a form of education. The student who presents his views attended a public school, and was not a nontraditional student at the time the podcast was made. He does, however, make an argument towards using public libraries as a replacement for being a traditional student. While I do not agree with everything this young man comments on, I do believe this video podcast shows the uses a nontraditional student may look for in a public library. This podcast was found through www.youtube.com. The video is entitled “Public Libraries vs. Public Schools,” and can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHYzIp_EH44.

Competency 2: Related blogs

Home schooling is the form of nontraditional education which I will focus on during this posting. Through Google.com, I was able to find a large amount of blogs focused on this particular subject; very few, however, focused on the use of public libraries. I was able to find a blog run by a home schooling family. This blog shares a multitude of information such as projects, articles, and other great websites. This particular blog has several postings which are focused on the use of the public library. One posting, discuses being able to flip through old texts on the British Library webpage, while another focuses on her vision of improvements the public library could make. The following excerpt will show how the public library is a necessary component for nontraditional student and there families.

Excerpt is chosen from the Spotty Banana Electric Home School Portal: Public Libraries and Education webpage located here:

http://spottybanana.com/2009/02/02/public-libraries-and-education/:

As homeschoolers, we rely, no depend, on the public library system for all sorts of learning materials. Sometimes we wish books and video collections were more up-to-date, that there were more or even any cozy ‘reading’ chairs, and that they were open late on Friday and Saturday night. I have a wish list of things I would like my public library to be, but I am not sharing that today. I am sure that many other homeschool parents (and even public school parents) have wish lists as well. This weekend, I witnessed something that convinced me that public libraries had better start asking homeschool and engaged public school parents and children what they would like to see in a public library, because the public libraries’ role is being hijacked!

Blog 1: Introduction

Libraries are used for many different facets in life. A child may be taken for story time, while an adult may go for a new book. A student may use the library for research, internet access, or both. Through this blog, I will be looking into the ways a nontraditional student uses the public library. The term nontraditional student may also be categorized as an atypical student. This student may be home schooled, a distance education student, an online student, or a student not participating in a set curriculum. Unlike those attending traditional classes, these students lack a school or academic library, which is more significantly framed for their use or age. Instead, these student rely on there public libraries however small or large they are. They use them for study material, text books, internet access, reference material, social interaction, study guides, databases, and journals; along with general reading material, DVDs, and CDs. The public library is able to provide for these nontraditional students, especially the home schooled student. As a nontraditional student, I wish to explore how the public library is able to meet the needs and replace the school and academic libraries for students in similar circumstances.