Backup backup backup

Today is a reminder why it is essential to have a backup of all your data, as I have just replaced my hard disk. My old disk was only 13 months old and thankfully I make regular multiple backups. For the geeks among you, my new disk is 500 GB WD Caviar RE2 (an enterprise class hard drive)—thankfully all that was lost today, was time...

Back from my hols...

Back from Cornwall and my holidays. Cornwall is one of the most beautiful places to visit. I have also just realised how long it has been since I updated this blog—August has simply vanished!

Today I have been reading an excellent article:

Langford, L. (1998). "Information literacy: a clarification." School Libraries Worldwide 4(1): 59-72.

This is a thought provoking and critical review of information literacy from the view of a school librarian. Langford provides a good introduction and background. She provides a short history and discussion of ‘literacy’ and the recent fashion of lexicon inflation through the creation of a myriad of new literacies. After this discussion, Langford turns her attention to clarifying a definition for the term. This is a very good and easy to read article which provides any information literacy student with some of the issues around literacy and information literacy.

Coffee and Cake

Today was spent writing (or trying to) – eBay if all truth be known become a distraction as I tried (unsuccessfully) to buy a very cheap portable DVD player for the car so that my four and a half year old can watch DVDs on the long drive down to Cornwall (and back up-again) when we go in a few weeks. Anyway, this afternoon we attended a little soriée, a sort of end-of-term coffee and cake with the other PhD students in the faculty and their families, this was a really good opportunity to meet people informally – I know Sam, by boy made a new friend.

Blasted Printers

Why does printing take so long? It is perhaps the antiquated laser printer in my shared office --never works -- this means that I am relegated to the trusty but slow hp-desk jet on my desk that frankly, Noah would find frustratingly slow. Oh- well the trials and tribulation of a PhD student! Anyway, the good intention today was to print the reams of articles I still consider ‘important’ and need to read of the next few (!) days.

Sheffield Hallam University (and I need a SatNav)

For those of you who, like me live in Yorkshire, and happen to need easy access to the early volumes of Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, from Vol. 1(1966) right through to the mid-eighties, then a trip to the stacks at Sheffield Hallam University Library is a must. This trip took the bulk of the day (although Leeds is only 40-50 miles away – however, I vowed that I would look on E-bay for a SatNav after spending considerably much longer driving than I should!)

Wonderful British Library

OK – much the same as yesterday, but time to get hold of some of those journal articles. I may have said this before, but I am so lucky to live 8 miles from the British Library Document Supply Centre, in Boston Spa near Leeds. It truly is a great place; the feeling that a large amount of the world’s published academic research is only a 20 minute drive down the road.

Old School Research

I have decided that this week, I will try as best as I can to ‘bottom’ my little history of information seeking study. However, as much of what I need to look at is older material i.e. pre-internet and digitisation, my research is what I have to call ‘old school’, having to go to libraries to look at physical journals, providing that its, they have the it! This is such a slow and cumbersome method—yet strangely enjoyable and satisfactory.