Hyperlinked MOOC Takeaway

I think that my main benefit from the Hyperlinked Library MOOC was clarity. The post that best illustrates this for me is "My Empty Reference Desk". I came to a realization that a librarian's professional blog is like a reference desk as a result of Sarah Ludwig's guest lecture.

 Another big realization came in my first post about multi-tasking. When I re-framed multi-tasking as inter-leafed practice, I felt better about it. It also helped me to choose tasks that were more compatible to combine. This has helped me in both my studies and my job. I may never feel as comfortable with multi-tasking as I am with single tasking, but I know now that I can do either one.

 I had the most fun writing "I Love Goodreads" because Goodreads has been such an important part of my life. Soon after I posted it, this social networking website began a process of change that was probably inevitable due to its major growth spurt. It will never be the same as it had been, but I will still look back on the old Goodreads fondly. As soon as I wrote this post, I knew that I wanted to form a Goodreads tribe. I'm glad that other members had the initiative to act as the leaders as I would have if I had the time to do so. I'm glad that the tribe accomplished something for the MOOC by establishing the group on Goodreads and providing a reading list for Context Book.

 My most emblematic quote from these posts would be: "I've been riding the connecting paths between books all my life." This is also a prime example of a realization because I never really wrote or thought about it that way. It just occurred to me that my life had been about discovering connections between books when I heard David Weinberger say that there weren't any.

 I also actually discovered phenomena that I knew little or nothing about during this course. I had only heard the word "Makerspace". Now that I know what it is, I've fallen in love with the concept. If I work for a library that has a Makerspace, I will want to establish the Makerspace fandom that I discussed in my Context Book assignment.

 Another phenomenon that I discovered as a result of this class, which is already causing controversy in the library profession, even before its release is Google Glass. As I said in my Director's Brief, it has great potential and equally great danger. A tool is never inherently dangerous. It's all in how it's used. I would like to be optimistic and assume that everyone will want to use the power of Google Glass for good. Yet humanity is a complex and unpredictable species. We never really know the consequences of any new technology in advance. Some librarians believe that there is reason to be concerned about Google Glass, and I can definitely see their perspective. Threats to intellectual freedom and privacy have been a major concern to me this semester as I have been making my way through the topics in the Intellectual Freedom Seminar. With that perspective, I can't look at Google Glass without a great deal of ambivalence.

 I feel that MOOCs in general are a good learning format for me. My first MOOC was on Google search, and it was also very helpful to me. I use the tools that I discovered through that MOOC every day. I am sure I will partipate in other MOOCs. I am very self-motivated and love to explore a curriculum on topics that interest me without the pressure of grades. I think I will always want to continue my education as long as I live. I hope to encounter some of the librarians I've seen in this course in other MOOC adventures.