Wired, data required, information desired, knowledge inspired

A very interesting piece from Clive Thompson’s column in Wired magazine (May 2008)

“Information Overlord: Collected too much data? Let a new Web app separate out the good stuff”

The author speaks of how we live in a time of scavenging for information – there is so much information so readily available that we spend more time sorting and “filing” what we have acquired rather than absorbing the information contained within. So much information is available on the internet… on subjects we might not have researched in the past since time was an issue. Now you can search to your heart’s content on the mating habits of characters from Star Trek… and there’s probably some fan website where this is discussed.

“But this datastream lifestyle offers increasingly diminishing returns because it requires so much active labor.” Clive Thompson introduces a website he has used called Twine; it takes key concepts from your bookmarks/favorites and uses it to find new content for you.

I would love to be able to do this online – as a librarian, you already do it in a more physical aspect (the building) and we have done it online with access to databases and such… but this more customized research is a key skill that unfortunately does not get used much in the public library. At my old library we used to do subject requests which were long detailed searches on more esoteric subjects. Barium producers in the United States who deliver small shipments? New developing medical technology not yet available in reference materials? Amassing information for an author writing a historical novel?

These are skills that all librarians have – these are skills that we are taught. However, I believe a human touch is integral to what we do as well. Reading the body language of an individual asking a question about health will alert us to the fact that the patron is embarrassed and does not want to state what they are looking for. Reading the body language of a teen who makes a face when shown the first items of your search… then asking some probing questions to find out what the teen would enjoy. You can apply this human touch online just as easy. How does the patron currently organize their bookmarks? What has been visited frequently? How about finding what content the patron is bookmarking on individual pages rather than the website in general?

Enjoy reading.