Unit 9 (Part Two) Report

I started out this unit exploring LIS schools only to find the South Korea links broken (and giving me errors that were NOT in English). I decided instead to explore the Simmons College website and search for information on their partnership with Vietnam. This too, unfortunately, turned out to be hard to come by. I did find a news story on their website on the Vietnam project and I think that this is a great way to train international students and support libraries abroad. I wonder if all of their coursework is online?

I love kimchi! One of my friends is Korean and they often cook it with rice - it's very tasty! After browsing around the National Library of Korea's site, I found an interesting link where they list the 'National Treasures' stored in the library. Apparently they have documents that date back to 1355! Their website seemed a bit ... stuffy. They were very straightforward and to the point, with no pretty pictures (so to speak) advertising their services. While it is true that all of the information you need about the library is there (even though there is no information FROM the collection, at least not that I found) and the website would most certainly pass the tests of Dr. Wildemuth's User Interface Design class, I didn't warm up to the site at all. I think there is something to be said for presenting your information in a manner appealing to the user!

The National Library of Cambodia was a bit confusing to navigate and I couldn't find any English at all. But I did find what I presumed to be exhibits. They have a very extensive database with over 2000 images! What I like about their site is that it gives you so many choices. For instance, they offer several different sizes to view their pictures and they offer an extensive list of categorized images.

For some reason I had trouble viewing both the South Korean Library and the National Library of Laos and I couldn't find their links anywhere! (The South Korean website was not in English and when I clicked on the 'language' button nothing happened. The NL of Laos link just seemed to be broken). All in all, the British Library website is still my favorite - and not just because I could read it (although that's important) :). They offered a good mix of information, online collections, and a user friendly/user approachable website (as in I wanted to keep poking around because it looked so interesting). The National Library of Cambodia seems to be moving in the right direction in that they offer a lot of content online and the National Library of Korea offers all of the information you could possibly request about the library. The problem with both of these was the interface - the Cambodian website was hard to navigate and the NL of Korea website was (even though easy to use) not inviting. I also wonder why the NL of Korea didn't offer more of its collection in a digital format?

I was amazed by the story of the private library in Vietnam. I love the saying "a book without a reader is dead" (Nguyen Huu Chau Phan's father). It's amazing that he has over 20,000 books! And I thought I had too many books for my apartment! I also agree with Doan Duy Thanh that the government and the public libraries should encourage these private libraries in remote areas and provide assistance for setting them up. What a great thing!

The article on the beginnings of LS education in Korea was interesting and brings a fresh perspective to the idea of organizing information. I especially empathized with the part 'cool in winter, hot in summer' (gee, where have I felt like that before? :) ). The author made some interesting insights into putting together and cataloging a collection (which I personally have little knowledge of) but can deeply respect. I especially liked the message he gives at the end: "By making decisions based on underlying principles, one can meet new situations, as well as often anticipate changes and developments to accomodate new media." His message certainly rings true now as we are going through such a tremendous change in the methods and formats we receive information. And by the way, the author had the following picture posted -- I hope my house (my own private library) someday looks like this:



The information on the coup in Thailand was ... well, strange. It's weird reading that tourists are acting as though nothing has happened and saying that nothing seems to have changed in Thailand. Don't get me wrong, nothing makes me angrier than when the mass media distorts the news but Wikipedia paints a different picture. Particularly, one of censorship. I don't like that the new government is censoring anything 'politically provocative' online. People should always have freedom of speech! I also can't believe that the Thai people are being so calm about the coup and the fact that martial law has been declared and their constitution suspended. Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if that happened in the US?!? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that the coup was peaceful and that everyone in Thailand seems to be just fine, I just can't believe that it is so quiet there. Although, if their former Prime Minister did some of the things Wikipedia reports - the corruption, drugs, human rights offenses, etc. - then perhaps many of the Thai are happy to see that he is out of office! And, apparently, at least some animals in Kenya were saved as a result of it!

I read the article on AIDS in Thailand because (as I believe I have mentioned in previous posts) I have completed a good bit of coursework on sex workers in Thailand. It sounds like that even though different organizations are doing as much as possible to get antiretroviral drugs in Thailand that there are still many, many problems. For one thing, the article reports that AIDS survivors can't go back to their families because they are outcast. Also, apparently some people are becoming immune (essentially) to the cost effective drugs and having to have more expensive drugs to fight the disease. What I wonder is that even though organizations are obviously trying to keep those with the disease alive, are they doing anything to stop the spread of it? Like sex education and protecting sex workers (which is a HUGE industry in Thailand) - thus helping stop the spreading of the disease? This problem is such a stigmatized issue (not just in Thailand) that only by educating the masses will we stop the stereotype assumptions and helping stop the disease from so rapidly spreading.

Also, it was so sad to read about the flooding issues in Bangkok. I think it's terrible that these incredibly ancient sites are being destroyed by flood waters. I truly hope that the renovation work is successful!

I want to visit the Paper Museum! Browsing through their exhibits, I found a past one on kites that was "dedicated to childhood innocence". I love this kite that they displayed:



I also enjoyed looking at their current exhibit on 'San Soo Hwa'. Apparently this type of art shows paintings in nature using philosophical concepts. It also is the most popular form of Korean landscape paintings. And the images are truly breathtaking:

On the exhibit site they say that: "... the viewer can perceive universal truths when he/she views and reflects upon San Soo Hwa paintings." I love this idea! I really could spend all day looking at these paintings. I also watched a video on 'TIGI's' adventure. That was a lot of fun to watch - the paper tiger has a dream that confirms his worth - I'm not sure how they even made that video but I enjoyed it!

I'm going out in search for some origami paper later today but in the meantime I looked around on the origami.com website and I am very impressed with the dinosaurs:

I think I will try to make a crane - it is the the symbol of good luck! I am so impressed by this creative art form - it seems that anyone can fold paper and I love that there are so many great things you can do with it.

I had no idea that Singapore has the highest standard of living in Asia! I find it amazing that they have been ruled by other countries and have little to nothing in terms of natural resources, but have managed to export products that have economically put their country ahead. I also wish our government took more responsibility in terms of preserving nature and encouraging public transportation.

The food of Singapore certainly reflects its diverse ethnic background. Wikipedia reports that it has roots in Malaysian, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, and even some Western ethnic dishes. Also, it seems that most of the food purchased in Singapore comes from food centers like the Telok Ayer Market pictured below:


One ethnic dish I would like to try is Chendol:

It is a dessert made with coconut milk, rice, and sugar with toppings potentially including red beans and grass jelly. I also found a site for a restaurant in Singapore that serves traditional styled desserts - they have great pictures! I mean, just look at the Chocolate Ice Kachange:


The 'killer litter' article was, well, over the top. Don't get me wrong, I HATE litterers but kicking someone out of their home? In the article some of the people through out some pretty incredible things (a microwave?!?) and apparently a girl was killed because someone threw a flower pot out of the window. That's serious littering! I agree that they should definitely be punished and told to stop - it also seems that the offenders are older women: coincidence? Or are they just not aware of the new rules and way of life?

I forgot that people in Singapore can't chew gum! I do remember some of our international students last year wanting to take a ton of gum back with them! I wonder why that rule started? I'm sure my dentist would be happy!

Here is an interesting site on the MDA (Media Development Authority) in Singapore. I don't like regulating information on the Internet nor do I like censorship, but I do think parents should pay attention to what their children are browsing too! Some of the MDA documents are heavily focused on family issues concerning the Internet and even mentions classes that teach parents how to regulate what their kids view. Having said that, government regulation is an entirely different thing - censorship is BAD - end of story!

I really enjoyed the videos - I think I would like to visit Baan Kata Villa and do yoga on the rocks myself!

This unit was an area of the world that I honestly didn't know that much about - learning the history and tradtions of this area was definitely tell well spent. With all of the news about Thailand's coup I will definitely be paying attention in upcoming weeks to see what happens. I also enjoyed reading about all the different libraries of the area and how far they've come over the years. All in all, a very interesting unit - I want to go try out origami and maybe even chendol!