For our 7th and final blog post we had to write about our actual presentation. I was really nervous but I think I did a good job.

There were five different places you could do your presentation in. The lab, library and the three classrooms. I did mine in the library which was quite obvious since mine is about libraries. There were nine other people who were also doing there presentation in the library. Samantha, Noy, Om, Kate, Nate, Avery, Karine, Sarina and Chase. But that doesn’t matter.

I was going second so I was really nervous. I was nervous because I thought I might mess up badly and it would look bad. I had only one presentation before mine which meant I had less time to be nervous. Before I knew it it was my turn to present.

While presenting I was really nervous but it was also really fun. I messed up a few timed but I knew my lines and it was really enjoyable. Before I knew it my presentation was over. Here is my video:

I think that all the hard work that went into this project. I really enjoyed it and had a really fun time. Even though it had its ups and downs. I think this was a great end of year project and I am looking forward to middle school.

While working on our final project we had lots of ups and downs. This blog post is about them.

First, let’s talk about the first step. Picking an Ignite or a TED Talk. At first I wasn’t sure what to do because I wanted mine to be easy like an Ignite but also I wanted to control it more like a TED Talk. Eventually I chose a TED Talk because I had more to write and I liked the control better.

After we had chosen whether are presentation is a Ignite or TED Talk we had to write our script. This was hard because at first my script was only 2 minutes and it needed to be at least 3. I started adding a lot but it still wasn’t 3 minutes. Eventually after a lot of editing I made it a bit over 3 minutes. This process was hard because we had little time but a lot of work.

Then we had to make the slide show. This was quite easy because all we had to do was find pictures that match our slides. I think this was one of the easiest parts of the process.

Finally on to the practicing. I found this hard because I am not very good at memorizing. Eventually after along time I memorized it. We also had to perform in front of the class for practice. On the first time I was really nervous because I was worried I might forget something but on the second time I wasn’t nervous at all.

I think this was a really cool capstone experience. I can’t wait to perform in front of our parents.

For Capstone we have to do an essay about our main inquiry question. My essay was about how libraries have adapted to technology since that was my main inquiry question. This essay will help us when doing our projects so we had to work really hard on them. Here is my essay.

Technology is a really big part of our lives. Have you ever thought about how everyday places have adapted to technology? Well, do you know how libraries have adapted to technology? The main ways libraries have adapted to technology are how librarians training is adapting to technology, how libraries are embracing computers, and how libraries are now also technology centers.

The first main way libraries have adapted to technology is how librarians training is now different and changing to fit with the new era of technology. One example of this is how librarians now have to know all new tech. People come into the library for help. One of the librarians I interviewed, Eileen Corbett a Scarsdale Public Librarian says, “Sometimes grandparents will come in trying to email their grandchildren, [but] they don’t know how to use email.”  This shows that some people are not fully updated with technology so librarians have to keep up with the times for other people’s sake. Another example is that libraries have places where you can come to ask librarians questions about technology. One library that has this is the Westport library. When interviewing Margaret Pastel a Westport public librarian, she showed me one of the many places in that library where you can go to ask questions about technology on a daily basis. They also have special events where they have specialists come to help with technology problems help but most of the time it is just the local librarians. This shows that libraries have to be almost specialists and know all the latest technology.

Another way libraries have adapted to technology is they have embraced computers. One example of this is now you can access your local library catalog from home. This is useful because if you are on holiday or it is late at night you can check if a book is in or if they even have that book without waiting to go the library. This is different to before when you would have to search through cards to find a book. Another example is you can go to the library to use a computer if you don’t have one at home. According to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, people use library computers for job/college applications, contacting family, school work, searching the internet and much more. Many people use library computers in poorer areas because they may not own their own computer so a library is there only way to access the internet.

My final way that libraries have adapted to technology is how in some libraries there is more technology than books. In some libraries there are only a few bits of technology but in most, at least ⅓ of the library is technology. One example of this is the bibliotech library in San Antonio, Texas. This library has absolutely no books. It opened in 2013 and According to Web Box Tech is one of the world’s first ever bookless library. This shows that some libraries have completely left books in the past. Another example is Do Space. Do Space is a library in Omaha, Nebraska. It is only filled technology as well. However, Do Space is different to Bibliotech because it has more advanced technology like laser cutters and the latest 3d printers.These libraries show that a library isn’t just a place filled with books.

Libraries have adapted to technology in 3 main ways. How librarian training is changing, how they have embraces computers, and how libraries are turning into technology centers. In all, all of these things show how “Libraries aren’t just books, they are an information centers” – Eileen Corbett. Libraries are now not just rows and rows of dusty books, they are now places where people can go for all sort of information and help.

I hope you enjoyed my essay. I worked quite hard on it and this was probably the hardest blog post yet.

For my second interview I went to the local public library. Here I interviewed Scarsdale children’s public librarian Eileen Corbett. This time I wasn’t as nervous as last time because it was my second one and thankfully I wasn’t late. I thought this interview was much easier because I had already done it before so I knew what was coming.

My interview questions were the same as last time but if you don’t remember they were:

1. Does your job only concentrate on books or has it gone into technology?
2. How has technology affected being a librarian (training/responsibilities)?
3. How has technology affected how often people visit the library?
4. How has technology affected why people visit the library?
5. What do you think of electronic reading devices?
6. How does where a library is located geographically (i.e., urban vs. suburban vs rural) affect the amount/level of technology in a library?
7. How have computers helped efficiency in the library?
8. What are the main advantages of increased technology in libraries?
9. What are the main disadvantages of increased technology in libraries?
10. How do you personally feel about added technology in libraries?

Some of the answers that she said to my questions were surprising and different to my interview with Mageret Pastel but I thought this was a really good interview.

For Capstone we had to do an interview related to our topic. I decided to do two interviews. One was with Westport makerspace librarian, Margret Pastel, and the other was with Eileen Corbett, a Scarsdale children’s librarian. Today i’m going to be focusing on Margret Pastel.

I was really nervous about this interview because it was my first and it was in person so I couldn’t hide behind the camera. Unfortunately there was a lot of traffic so when we got there we were an hour late. When we got there she gave me a mini tour of the makerspace lab. We saw somethings they had made in the makerspace and we also saw 4 3d printers, and two of those were working. This eased my nervousness a little but I was still really nervous when it was time for the interview.

Here were the interview Question I asked:

1. Does your job only concentrate on books or has it gone into technology?
2. How has technology affected being a librarian (training/responsibilities)?
3. How has technology affected how often people visit the library?
4. How has technology affected why people visit the library?
5. What do you think of electronic reading devices?
6. How does where a library is located geographically (i.e., urban vs. suburban vs rural) affect the amount/level of technology in a library?
7. How have computers helped efficiency in the library?
8. What are the main advantages of increased technology in libraries?
9. What are the main disadvantages of increased technology in libraries?
10. How do you personally feel about added technology in libraries?

I got less nervous as the interview went on but it was still nerve-racking when she asked me a question. I gathered a lot of information from this interview and I was really happy about it. If I was to do this interview again I would try to be louder and confident. Here is a picture of me:

For our Capstone project we had to do a site visit to a site related to our topic. I went to the Westport library to do the Virtual Reality demo. I chose this because it shows how much libraries have changed from only supplying books to doing VR demos.

The VR demo was run by around high school aged kids. When we first walked in there was no one else there but there were technical difficulties so we had to wait 10 minutes before it started. In those 10 minutes I looked around the maker space lab and saw that there were 2 3D printers. Once it started it was really fun. I went first because it was only my brother and I. You entered a blank world. After 5 minutes in the headset I had completely forgotten I was in a library. Here is a picture:

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The day before I had gone on an interview at the Westport library, which you will see in my next blog post. During that I got to see the 3D printers working. I think that was really cool because they were 3D printing an award which you didn’t used to do in libraries.

I think this was a really cool learning experience because I got to see how VR worked and it helped my project by showing me how the maker space was embracing technology.

The first step in Capstone is choosing our topic. At first I didn’t know what to do but finally I settled on Architecture or libraries. I still didn’t know which on I was going to pick when the deadline of choosing was coming up. I was talking about the possibilities of both topics when I decided libraries would be better.

I decided libraries would be easier because there are more directions I could go in with it. When I chatted with Mrs Edwards we decided libraries overall is to broad  of a topic so I narrowed it down to libraries and how technology is effecting them. I think this is a good subject because I really love reading and technology so his combines them both. I am really excited about my Capstone project and learning all about it!