Kids-and-Libraries

I promise this blog post is not just an excuse to quote Styx lyrics….. It is, in fact, an excuse to talk about Legos. Have you explored Legos lately? These are not your mother’s Legos. Check out, for example, the Lego Mindstorms Robotics Invention System. Wow! It’s the kind of toy that has dramatic teaching potential, but might be too expensive for a lot of families. The Plainsboro Public Library in New Jersey has created an innovative and exciting program using Lego NXT Robotics. Local engineers are involved with mentoring the student participants. Imagine the possibilities! Wheels are turning… or should I say gears are moving.

(Thanks to Henry’s dad for the heads up about this cool project!)

Our friend Jenny Levine over at THE SHIFTED LIBRARIAN reports that one teen librarian she knows is using DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION to settle fines and minor squabbles with teen patrons.

http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2007/01/21/gaming_for_fines.html 

Cathy Newland from Morrill Public Library in Hiawatha sent me this gem today: PC cases, mice, and keyboards just for kids! They even have kid sized computer desks!

Too, too cute. I love the big buttons on the keyboard (still in qwerty layout!) and the kid sized, fun themed mice. What a way to spice up your kids computers. Now, if only they had cell phone looking ones for teens… just kidding!

Kid Computers - Computers and Accessories for Children

Info Lit 2.0

“A recent post on the blog Alt Ref has gotten me thinking about information literacy in the 2.0 world. In his post, Brian stats that info lit is “very Un-Library 2.0 (the ‘proper way vs. your way)”. Why is this and how can it be changed?”

A good read, and worth thinking about.

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The internet filtering advocates are at it again… this time it’s not porn that’s the target… it’s social websites.

The Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006 (DOPA) seeks to “require recipients of universal service support for schools and libraries to protect minors from commercial social networking websites and chat rooms.” That means that for kids under 18, those customer reviews of products on Amazon you like to read while shopping… gone. Their favorite hometown blog? Gone. Their Flickr photos? Can’t get ‘em in the library. The way filtering works now is that it’s always on until someone eligible (over 18) ASKS to have the filter removed. To me this has always seemed like a punishment for people wanting to look up sensitive information at the library. Imagine if, in order to look at your favorite blogs, you had to ask the librarian to turn off the filter. No one would come to the library to use the computers anymore. This can’t be good, and is clearly against our mission to provide information access to all.

Here’s an interesting article about the bill, and a link to the text of the bill itself.

If you disagree, or even agree, with this bill, be sure to contact your legislator with your opinion.

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Text of the bill

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“MySpace.com, the social networking Internet site that is widely popular with young people but has alarmed some parents and law enforcement officials concerned about sexual predators, announced today that it is hiring a former federal prosecutor to be its first chief security officer.”

Worrying about kids is well and good… but couldn’t these pedophiles be doing this at the local park instead of online? Do we have “Chief Security Officers” for the local playground that do nothing but watch for pedophiles?

It’s something to think about.

You may wonder why I’m on about this… it’s because kids are going to use these tools whether you want them to or not. I say, TALK to your kids about internet safety, get involved in what they’re doing and let them know that they are not working in a vacuum; that anyone, anywhere can see what they post. For that matter, make yourself a MySpace account and make your kid your friend. But don’t, DON’T assume that the companies providing the service will do an effective job of keeping baddies away from your kids. It is your job to teach your kids effective strategies for dealing with baddies wherever they are, be that in the park or online.

Librarians: A class on internet ethics and responsible internet use for teens can certainly not hurt. Pair it with pizza and prizes of iTunes music cards and you’re set. Have the kids share their MySpace or Friendster pages… suggest that perhaps if they are not comfortable sharing what they’re posting with their peers over a projector in the public space of the library, that maybe what they’re posting isn’t really appropriate to be posted on the internet. Illustrate to them that the internet is no different from any public space, and that if they wouldn’t do it in the library (read, in public) then it’s probably not appropriate for posting on the internet either.

Let’s get this straight, I don’t want you to censor your kids… I want them to learn to censor themselves.

MySpace.com Names Chief Security Officer - New York Times