Monday, February 2, 2009

MIS--Better Together

In lecture the professor often speaks of libraries being "third places" and places where everyone can go and feel equal and accepted. However, I disagree with this statement because I know many individuals that have trouble with reading and feel awkward in libraries because they have to search for books in an area that they feel inferior in. I chose "combine the youth and adult nonfiction sections...adults with a wide range of reading abilities patronized the library" as my MIS because I feel that this move helps readers to feel comfortable searching for books they are interested in and can easily read.

4 comments:

  1. I definitely agree with you Megan. I, as a sophomore in college, sometimes still have difficulty navigating my way around an unfamiliar library. Also, integrating the adult and children sections helps to eliminate the divide of ages, this way older people are able to assist younger children in picking appropriate and fun books.

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  3. I also found it interesting how they combined the youth and adult nonfiction series. I feel that it is very accomodating for those adults who are uncomfortable admitting their reading level yet I was curious how a parent might view this. What if your child picked out a book that was way above his/her level or contains inappropriate material? Because it is all mixed into one section it is hard to explain to a child that a certain book is "not allowed", especially for children that need all the encouragement they can get to pick one book out to begin with.

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  4. Although eliminating the age divide would reinforce the idea that libraries are democratic and neutral places, I do have to agree with Samantha's point. Even if combining sections would help adults feel more comfortable with their reading level, children could stumble upon books that are not only out of their level, but are also contain inappropriate themes for their age groups. And to explain to a child, who probably rarely visits the library anyway, that they can't check out a book, a book that they may have not even known existed if the sections were separated, might discourage library usage by planting the idea that libraries are controlling, or something to that effect.

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