Blog Reflection #2

Being part of the “Echo Boom” generation (a new and exciting term for me), I feel pretty confident with using most technology. However, I’m still “blogger illiterate” (another new term), so please bear with me.

The information we’ve covered over the past couple of weeks has opened my eyes to the “invisible work” and commitment of a reference librarian. I didn’t think that the internet would replace the librarian, but now I KNOW it can’t. The internet is an amazing virtual tool, but the librarian is the one who manipulates that tool, and helps others to use it to be as successful as possible.

The library I usually go to (Cerritos Library) offers so much more than one would expect. And the various librarians are always available to assist with every aspect (Children’s Young Adult, Movies, Magazines, Computers, Reference, etc.). The information I’ve gained this week has given me insight to why librarians ask the questions they do and spend varying amounts of time with each patron.

Looking for ward to week 4!

Ready to begin again! Blog Reflection #1

Wow! I almost forgot about having this. I set up this blog for a previous LIB class, over 3 ½ years ago. It was my first experience with blogging (and actually, my only experience). I’m not very technology savvy so it was a huge accomplishment for me. I still don’t completely understand all the ins and outs of blogging, but I’m ready to learn.

I do not read any blogs on a regular basis. I have logged into tumblr.com a few times, but that was a long time ago. After reading my own information, I wish I had gone back and continued with it. However, my wish is about to come true with the beginning of this new class.

I believe content sharing is a great thing. Looking back on one of the subjects I researched in 2008 (Organ Donation) it reminded me of something that was very important to me, and could very well help someone else too. The value of posting true and accurate information is priceless, and including reference sources can save someone else a lot of time and effort.

Although this class is only a few days old, I am already looking forward to learning bigger and better things. Now that I’ve had a kick-start to my memory bank I remember how useful my previous intro class was and I would be very surprised if this one isn’t as good, or even better. Let’s do this!

Research Guides - Organ Donation

Overview

Organ donation takes healthy organs and tissues from one person for transplantation into another. Experts say that the organs from one donor can save or help as many as 50 people. Organs you can donate include kidneys, heart, liver, pancreas, intestines, lungs, skin, bone, bone marrow, and corneas. Anyone can be an organ donor regardless of age or background. Children under 18 must have parental consent to become a donor or to be issued a donor card.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Donation of Organs and Tissues
Transplantation of Organs and Tissues
Tissue and Organ Procurement
Health Policy—United States
Tissue Donors—Supply and Distribution


Keywords

Organ Donation
Tissue Donation
United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
Transplant
Cyclosporine
Altruistic
Ethics
Medical Aspect
Legal Aspect

Boolean search strategies work well to narrow down this topic to reference a specific organ. The listed keywords are used for general organ donation information.


Reference Sources

Call No.: KF3827.D66 Z958 1989
Williams, Phil. Life From Death: The Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Source Book, with Forms. Oak Park, Ill: P. Gaines, c1989.
This source includes information on U.S. laws and legislation regarding organ donation.

Call No.: RD129.5 .O74 2006
Ockerbloom, John Mark. Organ Donation: Opportunities for Action. Institute of Medicine, 2006. http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupid?key=olbp38405
This source discusses the likelihood that a given person or someone that he or she cares about may need a solid-organ transplant.

Call No.: L1836.60 or14
Mutscher, Gus. A Report to the 61st Legislature on Organ Transplantation. 60th R.S., 1967.
http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/scanned/interim/60/or14.pdf
This source is an actual scanned copy of new and changed laws passed by the 60th legislature to keep abreast of medicine related to organ transplantation.


Print Books

Shanteau, James & Richard Jackson Harris. Organ Donation and Transplantation: Psychological and Behavioral Factors. May 1990.
This source takes an in-depth look at reasons behind the shortage of organs for transplantation and why psychological research needs to be conducted.

Healy, Kieran Joseph. Last Best Gifts: Altruism and the Market for Human Blood and Organs. Univ. of Chicago Press, 2006.
This source describes why people practice unselfish concern and devotion to helping others.

Green, Reg. The Gift That Heals. Author House, Bloomington IN, 2007.
This book describes how people can turn tragedy into triumph by unselfishly saving a stranger’s life.


Periodicals

Organ Donation. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Vol. 299, No. 2, Jan. 9/16, 2008
This issue of the scholarly journal, JAMA, includes an article on how organ donation can be life-saving for patients with organ failure. It reports information on disparities in access to organ transplantation between rural and urban populations. It also includes a chart on the type of organs that can be transplanted and the number of patients waiting for transplants.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/299/2/244

Howards, Lawrence. Ethics of Organ Donation. Milwaukee Journal Sentinal (JS Online). June 1999.
This source deals with ethical questions that families of deceased people have when they decide whether or not to donate their loved one’s organs.
http://www2.jsonline.com/alive/column/jun99/howards62099.asp

Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, AMA. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Vo. 273. 1995
This source deals with both ethical and legal matters when deciding to donate a loved one’s organs.


Website Resources

The OrganDonor.gov website contains up-to-date information about donation basics, risks, research, legislation, and how to get involved. It also provides current statistics on the number of waiting list candidates, recent transplants that have taken place, and donors who have saved lives.
http://www.organdonor.gov/

For people interested in learning about becoming a live organ donor, this site provides a wealth of information on who can be a living donor, the types of living donations, risks, and recovery.
http://www.donatelife.net/UnderstandingDonation/LivingDonation.php

Blog Reflection 5 - All Good Things Must Come To An End

I never thought I would say this about a summer class, but I’m kind of sorry this class is coming to an end. It has opened my eyes to realize how much libraries are needed in every community. My previous experiences with libraries were simply going in, checking out a book, and leaving. I think the assignment we had where we had to review what services and tools are provided at a public library opened a lot of doors for me. I also learned what research really is really about.

This was not my first online class, but I wish it would have been. This class should be a requirement for all new college students. I actually got to know my “classmates” better and had more interaction with them than I do in a traditional classroom. For a class like this, the online format was wonderful! I could do my studying and research whenever I had time available. Some of my other classes would not work out well with an online format, as I would need face-to-face communication with an instructor and other students. At times an online class is harder than a traditional class because we really have to stay on top of things and have great time management skills. If a workshop was offered for this class I probably would attend just to meet people, but I don’t think it is necessary for learning purposes. Our instructor provided excellent communication and learning tools. I appreciate all of the support from both my instructor and fellow students!

Blog Reflection 4

The video “Information R/Evolution” was an eye-opener and it made me reflect on all of those times I struggled trying to find information using a card catalog. It’s one of those moments when we realize that “change is good!”

Information competency can mean a number of things, but the definitions I learned in this class include recognizing the need for information; knowing how and where to obtain information; choosing the proper sources; organizing, analyzing, and interpreting the information acquired; and being able to use and accurately communicate that information to others. Information competency is very important when doing research because with so many options available to us, it is very easy to access information that can be less than accurate, which would result in our papers not being 100% correct. There is no point in putting together a research paper with inaccurate information.

I know I have more to learn about being an information competent student, but with the help of this class I’m on the road to success!

Blog Reflection 3

Before taking this class, my idea of “research” was simply looking up a subject and taking for granted that the information I found was true. I would google a subject and use the information that appeared in the first two or three sites that showed up. Now that I am a little more informed about how to actually “research” something I think several of the papers I’ve submitted in the past may have been less that accurate. I used to always use information provided on sites maintained by specific organizations, but now I can see how the information may have been (or most likely was) biased toward their own beliefs, and not necessarily research based.

I don’t think that research has necessarily become easier, but it has become more precise. I still found that I had to really dig for information, but at least now I know how to extract real information. I never before looked for a publisher’s name, but now it is one of the first criteria I use. And depending on what type of information I am looking for, I now check to see how current a publication is.

Blog Reflection 2

The last two weeks have been really interesting and informative. I learned so much about evaluating and citing information and how to tell if an article is relevant to a topic. The assignment we did on evaluating periodicals was a real eye-opener. I never realized how different journals and magazines are, yet they are similar. One of the things that I found to be extremely valuable was what to look for when trying to find legitimate information on the internet. It is so easy to search for something and get conflicting information. I have used search engines, but never used subject directories before. All in all, I think the most appreciated piece of information I learned during the past two weeks was when we were learning about services offered on LBCC online library. I have already used the 24-hour librarian!