Computers in Libraries: Keeping Up

Gary Price, Genie Tyburski, and Steven Cohen talked about keeping up in "Tips for Keeping Up: Expert Panel" that was the last item on Track A on Wednesday. (Track A is Information Discovery and Search).

It was interesting to see their different perspectives. Steven Cohen, as you might imagine, is a big RSS fan and makes me feel three thousand years old every time he talks about how e-mail is dead. Gary Price is more moderate and says that you should use whatever works for you. Genie uses RSS feeds but also advocates the use of disposable e-mail addresses so when they turn into spam traps you can just deactivate them and turn off the spam flow.

One thing they all seemed to agree on is the need to make sure you don't overload yourself. Don't hit yourself with a firehose of information -- try to keep the information you're reviewing at a level with which you're comfortable.

And realize -- and take comfort in -- the fact that nobody can keep up. Countless numbers of Web pages and bits of data are generated each day; you will not keep up with it all. I really, really hate that fact, but once I relaxed and accepted it I didn't give myself an ulcer every time I missed a story.

Kudos to the gang for a great presentation.

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