Watch what you read

Okay, I am an information professional and as such, I sometimes feel a responsibility to read books about information. You know how it goes--gotta stay up on things. I stumbled across an article about The Information Diet by Clay Johnson while doing research for work (it was one of the serendipitous finds of internet research). I had heard of this book before and after reading the article, I really wanted to read the book. My hold finally came in at the library (go libraries) and it is definitely worth reading. 

So, what is it about? Johnson basically compares the so-called "information overload" with obesity. This struck a chord with me, because I took a semester long class centered on information overload and was never really satisfied with their solutions (better technology! better organization! Better users? Not so much). There is quite a bit of fascinating information presented, and the comparison to obesity is really apt for the topic. 

Now, I'm not a huge fan of self-help books, and while this isn't a self-help book exactly, it does give recommendations to the user. But the author is very open about saying they are just suggestions, and each person will need to find what works best for them, which makes it easier to take. (Anyone who tries to sell me on a one-size fits all approach makes the skepticism flare up something awful, and that just brings on the mockery). 

Johnson's goal is to create a better informed populace. Too often we consume information the way we eat--we go for the 'fast food' of information, and what we get is overprocessed, high in 'calories', and low in mental nutrition. And because of that, that is the kind of information people create. He also points out that information consumption has physical effects that can be unhealthy, and so he provides some tips that can help us control our consumption and create better mental and physical health. 

One example: email. When we get an email, it effects our dopamine levels, and can affect our breathing and heart rate. We get a high from new emails. So then we check every ten seconds for new email to get that high. But that prevents us from focusing, and it messes up our balance. It's just not healthy. He recommends setting aside specific times (he has two) for checking email. I can say from personal experience, I'm a lot more productive if I don't keep my inbox open all the time, and I'm a lot better at actually dealing with my inbox if I'm not always in it. 

I'm not saying you should take everything in the book at face value, and I don't think Johnson is, either. But I do think there are some fantastic ideas in it that are worth considering. It can't hurt. 

Reading

As part of my job, I have been looking into Facebook and researching what it is. Which probably requires some explanation. No, I did not just crawl out of a cave, nor do I work in a cave. I work in an archive and my job is to save records of ALL types. Including digital ones, such as web pages. And social media. But, before I can save records, I have to know what the record is. So, what is Facebook? What can you strip away and still have Facebook? The ads? The banner? The background? Comments? Timelines? ???? That is what I'm researching, so I've been doing a lot of reading about social media and such and have found some really interesting articles. I've also been evaluating the extent of one of our web archive collections, to see how in depth our capture goes. Do we have all the pages, do they display the way we want them to, etc.

All my research and evaluating has cause me to think about the way the internet has changed how we read.

?????

When you pick up a book, you read a page. Then you turn it and read the next one. And the next. And the next. The pages aren't linked. You can skip around, but there is a limit to where you can actually go. Now, expand that to a library. You read a book. It refers to another book. You get that book. You read that book. Then you connect to another one. But there are still physical boundaries.

One of the things I love AND hate about the internet is that it is so non-linear. I read something on the internet. I click a link. Now I'm on a completely different site. I click another link. Another article, from another completely different site. It's messy. It's confusing. It's a giant maze, and there's no way to follow my trail back to the beginning. Of course, that can be said of the library experience, but it seems more possible to go back to the books I used two weeks later than to follow my internet trail two weeks later. When I search on the internet, I know I have to leave breadcrumbs somehow. (Yes, Hansel. Make a crumb of that link. And Gretel, email me that crumb). I mean, it's the internet. It's huge. Uncharted territory. Easy to get lost in. Sounds scary, right?

But there is something beautiful about the non-linear search. It's called serendipity, my friend. That beautiful "happy accident", where, through no planning of our own, we start at point A and end up at Number 929.* You know what I'm talking about. You sit down to find out the cost of new shoes and the next thing you know, you've learned that squirrels have tails specially constructed to protect them from the elements. It's like a conversation! (Oh, come on. You know you've had conversations like that). And maybe learning about squirrels isn't the most world changing discovery. But that same serendipity leads us to learn things that change the world.

So, to celebrate serendipitous discovery, I'm going to share with you an article I came across (which also talks about a book that I now want to read, so yes, it is relevant, even if it's a stretch) through serendipitous discovery. Enjoy!

*Archives do provide serendipitous experiences. Because an archive contains documents, not necessarily connected to one another, there is more of a non-linear approach to using archives. Archival collections aren't like books, where to understand Chapter 15, you probably need to have read chapters 1-14. A researcher in an archive can read documents from one folder, but skip other folders--or even documents--entirely. And, archival collections are only described at a very general, high level. Not every paper is mentioned in the catalog entry, or finding aid. So, the researcher has lots of opportunities to make their own discoveries. Go archives!

Literary Cuisine

Two weeks ago, I was opining about ebooks vs. printed books. Well, it just so happens that this letter appeared in my Google reader, and Harper Lee, who is obviously a more talented writer than me, expresses mutual sentiments about the printed page and reading in general much better than I do. So, read and enjoy. 

Other news in my reading realm: I'm a little bit excited because I have an ebook in the Apple iBookstore. It's not really all that amazing or anything. I got an offer through Blurb to upload an ebook for free, so I did. And then they gave me the option to send it to Apple, and I figured, what the heck, and what do you know, they approved it and put it in their store. And I do want to be published someday, so I guess this is a first step. But I want to be published by a publisher. 

I know that self-publishing can turn out some decent stuff, but I also know that there is value to having editors. Don't get me wrong--I've read some stuff that has gotten through a publishing house and wondered what on earth the editors were thinking. Still, there is something to be said for having professional editors. And somehow it feels more legitimate. Besides, I can't illustrate worth a darn, so that throws a kink into self-publishing. But we live in this technology age where the masses have a lot more say in things, and sometimes, that's not a good thing, because some people really like the fast food equivalent of literature. McDonald's is popular, but not necessarily good quality. 

At the same time, think about some of the classics. Why on earth are they classic? And some of the literature put out by the big publishers--I get that escargot is a delicacy, but that doesn't mean it's not disgusting. (I can't say I know from experience, never having eaten it, but it seems like there is some fine cuisine that is an acquired taste, and if you have to acquire the taste for it, it makes you wonder what you are doing to your taste buds in the process). 

Anyway, whatever your literary tastes are, don't be afraid to try something new. And I hope that someday, I write something that is at least of the nice, sit-down and dine quality. 

I, (not a) Robot

Now I've probably gotten your hopes up and you are expecting a review on I, Robot. I apologize, that is not what you are in for today. No, today I am going to weigh in on digital versus hard copy. Mostly because on my other blog I was reminiscing on the good old days of laying on the floor looking at maps and atlases. You know, back in the good old days, before Google maps existed and the internet was something only academia and government knew about. (Yes, there was a time like that, and no, it was not that long ago. Relatively speaking). Besides, my reading list this week has consisted of a lot of Terry Pratchett, because I've really been in the mood for some humor and whimsy, and the Discworld just fills that niche so beautifully. I should also mention, I finished Mao's Last Dancer. I highly recommend it, and at some point I will write about the value of (auto)biographies in studying history. I will say, I learned a lot about life in Communist China, it is an inviting read, and be sure to look for the more recent editions, because there have been additions since its original publication date.

Alright. Digital versus printed. I confess, I am old school and I am biased towards print. It isn't quantifiable, but there is something different about holding a book, turning pages, feeling the weight and size and shape of the book in your hands. It is a more personal experience. I don't know why, but turning pages is really important. It seems like I've heard that the more senses you can use, the more something sinks in (don't quote me on that, because I don't know if it's true, but it does make sense. The more of your senses you use, the more pathways you are making in your brain, something like that). With printed materials, you can use sight, but also touch. And there is the possibility of smell, too, especially with older books. Maybe the what makes the difference for me, I don't know. All I know is that holding a book is a very different experience from holding an e-reader, and I prefer the book experience, myself.

That being said, there are things I really like about digital books. It's true that you can carry a ton of them and space is not an issue, although I have found that that isn't a very compelling argument. The only time that would be helpful is if I'm travelling, and if I'm travelling, I don't need oodles of books, because I'm going to be doing other things. And I can carry the books I need for reading while en route. One exception: class readings. Apparently, textbooks are a thing of the past, and pdf's and online readings are the way to go these days. (I earned a master's degree and purchased roughly five textbooks, and half of those are really compilations of articles that were published by various professionals. So, it was incredibly useful to be able to put those readings on one device and take them with me, because who wants to bust out the laptop on the 20 minute bus ride? And printing them all? Let's talk expensive. I will also say that digital books tend to be less expensive than printed ones, which is another distinct advantage.

So, I'm not completely opposed to digital books, and I own quite a few myself. But, my preference will always be the good old-fashioned print copy.

So much to read, so little time

I have a serious problem. There are too many books to read. At present, I am in the middle of 5 books, not counting the one I started over a year ago about English history (no, I am not making balanced progress on all of them, but they are all on my list and I am past page one and I started them within the last 3 months), and my to read list is over 50 books long. True, it probably needs to be culled. But still...there are WAY too many books to read.
My dilemma is not helped by having access to a very good library, or by being part of book clubs and a family that reads a lot and a very literature oriented circle of friends, or by limited time (which, yes, should be spent reading, but not of the leisure kind. Reading of the scholastic kind, which is also great), or by the amazon era, in which recommender systems compound the problem by finding even more books to add to the list. Honestly, how am I ever supposed to keep up? I think I need some tougher standards for what makes my to read list.
A few weeks ago, I was seriously considering buying a Kindle, so I could put my class readings on it and read on the bus and while walking around campus (yes, I can read and walk, and have never injured myself doing so. Other than taking a year or two off my life here and there when I almost run into a tree or something). It was a really tough decision because, yes, it would be handy, but it's not really a necessity. I just need to be smarter about using my time. But the argument that clinched it for me was this: If I were to buy a Kindle, I would feel obligated to read homework assignments on the bus, instead of feeling justified in doing some nice leisure reading. And I sometimes spend 45 minutes doing bus rides. Now, why on earth would I want to take away my one justifiable reason to read for fun?
I did not buy a Kindle.

What's on your to-read list?