Where Do I Put All This Stuff?

Research.  It comes with being a student.  Whether you are researching a topic for a short essay, a final paper, your thesis,  or your own interest, you will accumulate information.  Links in one class could be useful in another class, or in another “bucket” of related information. 

Instead of amassing an unsorted bookmark list or a pile of mystery folders, think about embracing your inner librarian and start to curate your materials.  While this might not sound exciting, it’s not difficult and will become  useful to you through your academic career and beyond.   

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There are two answers to this question. But, before I share them, I would like to explain the evolution of the mobile application and smart phones to provide some additional background on the issue.

The answer is a bit cloudy and takes some digging to truly understand. First, you must acknowledge the difference between a mobile app and a mobile web site.  I’m not going to dive into the details on this, but simply stated a mobile app doesn’t require network access, running entirely on the device versus a mobile website where you have to connect to a site and transact data (bandwidth).

Now, there are many more differences… speed, user experience, functionality, and more. I will assume you understand these differences. However, I hadn’t really considered speed as an issue until it was mentioned at the Washington DC Digital Media Conference this summer by the mobile panel session I attended. Incidentally, this very issue was briefly discussed, though I found that the panel was quick to dismiss the issue (app vs. mobile web site).

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Unless you’re an astronaut your chances of visiting space any day soon are slim. So what are your options if you’re passionate about space studies and want to see satellite views from space, and learn more about information about missions? NASA has an app you can add to your iPhone or iPod Touch that can give you all these “astronaut views” and more.

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Kindle 3 by Amazon (courtesy Mashable and Amazon)

Is it pouring outside? Is there a foot of snow on the ground? Did the local branch shutter because of the economy? Do you live too far from the nearest library? Does your library not have the book you want?

These are just a few of the questions that come to mind when I think of the disadvantages of the traditional library system. While I have written about how libraries have been making a slow but steady shift from stacks to servers over the past 15 years, one of the most promising advances I have come across recently is the idea of loaning ebooks.

Within one week I came across two articles, one by Mashable regarding Amazon’s ebook lending program and another by my high school (the article is not yet on their web site, so I will look to update this post with a link once it is available).  Both articles illustrate the advancements in library accessibility that are coming of age thanks to the evolution of the internet and ebooks. This may bring new opportunities to rural communities and classrooms further democratizing literature.  Only time, imagination and bandwidth will tell.