Oct

30

Context Book Report – Born Digital

October 30, 2009 |  Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment

“The role of libraries is increasing, not decreasing. The job may take on different contours, but its importance is only rising as Digital Natives grow up saturated in the information environment of the digital age (Palfrey, 2008, Chapter 11, Location 4344).”

Born Digital provides a road map for understanding how children, teens, and young adults are using, manipulating, and driving technology.  Libraries (specifically public and school libraries) must adapt to the demands of these Digital Natives in order to stay relevant and ultimately survive. The book is broken down into 13 chapters; each related to a specific area in which Digital Natives affect and is affected by different aspects of online and digital technology.  There are positives and negatives of growing up in a digital environment, but there are three areas where I think Librarians can assist the most.

Quality

There are billions of pieces of data on the internet, but not all information is equal.  Librarians can teach Digital Natives how to decide good and bad quality by teaching them evaluative techniques.  Parents, peers, teachers, Librarians, companies, and lawmakers all must be involved with how best to implement these processes (Palfrey, 2008, Chapter 7, Location 2942).  Librarians and students must “participate in information production directly (Palfrey 2008, Chapter 7, Location 2724)” as this is the best way to educate and instruct Digital Natives on how to use online sources to find the highest quality of information.  Digital literacy should be a part of every library’s offerings.

Overload

Information overload has been around for a very long time.  Digital Natives need to be provided with the right search skills and tools like RSS and del.ici.ous in order to avoid the effects of information overload.  While new technologies like semantic search aim to curb information overload, libraries still need to work with other public and private entities to develop strategies for the future (Palfrey, 2008, Chapter 8, Location 3329).  Education is the best way to help young people deal with information overload, and Librarians must be capable of teaching these skills.

Learners

Librarians need to be present in all the places that Digital Natives inhabit, in person and online.  Digital Natives may not learn the same as you or me, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t learning (Palfrey, 2008, Chapter 11, Location 4107). Librarians and parents need to determine goals for technology and use the right tools to communicate with young people.  Digital Natives can help institutions achieve these goals if we listen to the feedback they provide (Palfrey, 2008, Chapter 11, Location 4221).  Libraries should not implement every new technology that comes out; they just need to use the most relevant ones more effectively.  We must all get serious about how kids are learning and know when to use technology and when it has no purpose in the learning process.

These three chapters, along with the issues surrounding identity, dossiers, privacy, safety, creators, pirates, aggressors, innovators, and activists shape how Digital Natives interact with online environments. The lesson that I learned from this book is that parents, teachers, and Librarians need to solve digital gaps together, but children can also teach each other.  Governments, laws, and companies also play an important role in the future of online and offline society, but they cannot do it alone.  I agree with the authors in that “We see promise in the way that Digital Natives are interacting with digital information, expressing themselves in social environments, creating new art forms, dreaming up new business models, and starting new activist ventures (Palfrey, 2008, Introduction, Location 164).”  There are no easy answers as to how to deal with the growing number of problems associated with young people and digital issues, but our society will flourish if we can provide them with the framework for a secure and informed future.

Palfrey, J. & Gasser U. (2008). Born digital: Understanding the first generation of digital natives [Kindle]. Retrieved from Amazon.com


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