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Elizabeth V. Joslin

English 101.002

Ms. Angela Kennedy

November 7th, 2010

The Library Just Got Bigger

Technology has had a huge impact on how we, as a nation, and even most of the world,

define and approach literacy. It has helped to change what we learn, how we learn and when we

learn. It has broadened the definition of literacy to encompass, not just knowing how to read and

write, but also how to know when we need information, what information is needed and how to

find and analyze the information once we have it. We are just now beginning to see the results of

these shifts in our country. These changes sometimes leave many people feeling uneasy. When

most societies go through any sort of technological revolution, there will be some who don’t (or

cannot) make those changes. Where we are today is no accident, and is the result of planning

among many groups across many sectors (public and private), to address economic needs and to

adapt to changes in science.

In 1989, The American Library Association’s Presidential Committee on Information

Literacy released a report evaluating the current state and future of literacy in America. In the

report they state that “Information is expanding at an unprecedented rate, and enormously rapid

strides are being made in the technology for storing, organizing, and accessing the ever growing

tidal wave of information.” They went on to say, “To respond effectively to an ever-changing

environment, people need more than just a knowledge base, they also need techniques for

exploring it, connecting it to other knowledge bases, and making practical use of it.” And they

warn us, “How our country deals with the realities of the Information Age will have enormous
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impact on our democratic way of life and on our nation's ability to compete internationally.”

(The American Library Association’s Presidential Committee on Information Literacy)

This was written in 1989. Computers weren’t a common household item and the Internet

wasn’t a blip on the radar of most Americans. Though I doubt the authors of the report

understood how large the “tidal wave of information” would grow, I feel they rightfully advised

that one of the best ways to prepare for the tidal wave was to educate our society about how to

navigate through the mass of information. If you fast-forward 21 years, to a small town in East

Texas, the repercussions of that tidal wave can be felt. In a struggling town, leaders are working

to have the city be included in a taxing district for a University or Community College.

The City is working toward this goal because being in the taxing district means the city’s

residents pay cheaper tuition to go to college. Cheaper tuition generally encourages more people

to go to college. An educated population better enables the city to compete with other (larger)

cities, to attract industries and companies looking to re/locate. In addition, city leaders are

starting to realize the importance of having a basic technological infrastructure in place to attract

businesses and industries. Job creation enables the small town to maintain its infrastructure and

grow.

It is in instances and considerations like this, I notice literacy’s roles as adaptive and

powerful in our society. In my own case I believe anything I can learn in school, if I am

determined enough, I can learn on my own and with the help of a tutor or mentor. However, I

must adapt to a society that now says, without a degree, I can pretty much expect to work a

menial and/or laborious job well into my 60’s (or beyond). Wanting to avoid this, I’ve enrolled

back in school and am now working toward a degree in Landscape Architecture. This will
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require me to utilize a broad base of skills and knowledge. By the time I am done with my

college degree, it’s my expectation, in addition to developing other literacies (such a the use of

software programs and knowledge of plants, architecture and land-use laws), I will have built

upon my writing skills enough to be able to write comprehensive reports and research papers.

In my first semester of college my English class required me to seek out a number of

sources to form my thoughts on the state of literacy in America. Not once in my work did I visit

a traditional library, yet in just one day of research I saw evidence of a vast number of people

who are able to read and write. Every web page, every advertisement, every “Terms and

Agreement” form, every step of the way – words, words, words. I find it unsettling when people

make the claim that “no one writes anymore,” not because I believe it to be a true or accurate

statement, but because there is an abundance of evidence readily available to anyone with a

computer or library card, proving just how much people still write.

One of the people I interviewed for my English paper, Susan (Hutchison), stated she

almost never used pen and paper to write; yet she writes more than ever. Several respondents

mentioned they hadn’t realized just how much they write, and just how much technology has

helped to make it the case. Oddly enough, the youngest respondent, Samantha (Grey), an

Elementary school student, said she almost never uses a computer to write, and the oldest

respondent, Phyllis (Martin), said she almost always used a computer to write. I know from

personal experience, Samantha frequently uses her computer to make music and videos. This is

something Phyllis rarely, if ever, does. These examples highlight technology’s far-reaching

impacts on literacy, across generations and for a broad spectrum of purposes.

If there is a crisis in this country, I think it is due to more on an alliteracy problem—

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being able to read and write, but being indifferent to learning beyond that. It’s worth considering

the fact that a number of people some deem illiterate have probably been provided the shiny

tools of technology but have not been taught how to utilize them for purposes beyond

communication or entertainment. In my Plant ID course, the Professor has created a Facebook

page for the Horticulture Department, and we were told it would be advantageous to follow the

page. We, as students, benefit from the information about assignments, jobs and events the

teacher shares, and it didn’t take long for us to use the page to share information amongst each

other. One classmate takes pictures when we go through field labs and posts them to her blog,

and many students find these pictures helpful to use while studying. I use the page to share links

to helpful online study materials.

This juxtaposition of people who use the computer solely for communication and

entertainment, and another group of people using the very same tools and forums for purposes of

obtaining and sharing information to aid in the learning process, underscores just how diverse

technology is in its ability to cater to a variety of communicative and literary needs. No longer is

the student limited to the hours and materials of school or the neighborhood brick and mortar

library. To have a computer with Internet access, or even certain phones, is to have access to

countless colleges and libraries, day or night, ever-present and waiting for the next eager student.

Teachers, too, are increasingly taking advantage of technology, to aid them in finding and

preparing class materials, organizing class curriculums, checking papers for plagiarism, to teach

(computers hooked up to projectors) and to help one another become better teachers. The video

iTeach101 (iTeach101), in the archives of the National Conversation on writing, is ripe with

examples of how teachers are starting to use technology. The video’s creator is both a teacher
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and a student, and in the first shot of the video you see a large flat screen computer monitor on

the wall, with various other technical devices about the desk he is sitting at. This short video

provides insight into what it is like to be a first-year English teacher, and the creator also shares

ideas on how to be most effective as a first year teacher. Posted on “Youtube,” a site also

frequently used for purely “entertainment” purposes, this video sits free, day or night, for first-

year and future first-year teachers to see.

Technology has thoroughly seeped into every aspect of education and literacy in our

country. The tidal wave of information is here, and it continues to gather momentum. There is no

shortage of people with the ability to read and write in the country. Children are still taught how

to read from books you can hold in your hands, and are taught how to write sentences and do

math with a pencil and paper. Prepositions, punctuation and pronouns are still taught, as are all

the rest of the rules of the English language. Fears about the impacts of technology should have

less to do with the fact that fewer people are reading or writing with traditional tools, and more

concern should be focused on teaching people that these ‘toys’ are also valuable resources to be

used to our advantage. With nearly unlimited access to a mind-blowing amount of information,

having the ability to navigate and wade through the tidal wave is critical.
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Works Cited

The American Library Association’s Presidential Committee on Information Literacy. The

American Library Association’s Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final

Report. Association of College and Research Libraries.10 January 1989. 02 November

2010.<http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/whitepapers/presidential.cfm>

Hutchison, Susan. Attorney, Foreman Lewis and Hutchison. Personal interview. 26 Oct. 2010.

Grey, Samantha. Elementary school student, fifth grade. Personal interview. 26 Oct 2010.

Martin, Phyllis. P.H.D, Retired, former Teacher and Economic Development Director. Personal

interview. 26 Oct 2010.

iTeach101. Sylwester Zabielski. TAMU-Commerce. 12 Jan. 2009.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiJVPNl0dGM>