Author: Hannah of SSCL

The intersection of technology and tradition is really interesting to me. Traditionally, we are a people often willing to help out, often renewed in enthusiasm by working with others for others, but not always enticed by the opportunities to contribute. Technology affords us a new vantage point on who needs our help, where they need it, and what kind of help. Helping isn’t just self-less in my opinion because of personal boons, I think. It’s a method for learning that puts you in the position to learn at the speed of change.

LinkedIn releases a daily rundown of the news with an idea at the end. Recently, this “learning at the speed of change” was there…

Idea of the Day: “Technology is changing too fast for you to rely solely on traditional learning methods,” says Ralph de la Vega, head of De La Vega Group and former AT&T chairman. Learning needs to happen at “the speed of change,” and be largely self-directed, to keep up with the pace of transformation in today’s work world.

– LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/government-shutdown-goes-work-week-amazon-cashierless-rundown/&gt;

Checkout these opportunities to learn what is changing, but also get a feel for changing with it, and maybe even affect change:

• Steuben County, Institute for Human Services volunteer needs review <http://www.ihsnet.org/news/2018-1-25/volunteer-opportunities-steuben-srvp-jan-2018&gt; And their excellent regional news Provider <http://www.ihsnet.org/provideronline&gt;
• Worldwide, @UnitedWay volunteer opportunities <https://www.unitedway.org/get-involved/volunteer&gt;
• At least national, @VolunteerMatch database <https://www.volunteermatch.org/

#Volunteer

Whenever I see talk of the latest electric self-driving vehicle endeavors, then I think of a song, actually. It’s pretty much only because of the chorus:

“This ain’t the modern world that I remember
The one they promised all us boys and girls
This ain’t the vision that the artist rendered
What happened to my modern world?”

-“Modern World” by David Wilcox, singer/songwriter/storyteller

Nonetheless, I’m in awe of where we are. Awe begets inquiry, and inquiry is my industry. Usually inquiry in the library biz is about getting the job done. For example, you need a quick DIY fix for your frozen pipes or hairstyle or back pain or income tax (no we don’t have forms at this time, writing this post, but give us a call and we’ll update you). The library biz is also about what just blazed through the sky–is it a bird, a plane, a falling star, or Superman?! It’s a wondering how we exist, what is the smallest known thing and the largest known thing? Inquiry is diverse.

Anyway, if you’re interested in considering what our modern world may be looking like soon enough, then here are some articles I found on the internet, or as Google Assistant or Siri might sat…“Here’s what I found,” “This came back from search,” “Here’s a result from the web:”

Self-Driving Tests in NYC by GM: <https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/17/16488330/gm-cruise-nyc-self-driving-car-test-cuomo&gt;

Designing Streets of the Future: <https://www.wired.com/story/nacto-streets-self-driving-cars/&gt;

How Autonomous Vehicles “See:” <https://www.fastcodesign.com/90146855/what-its-like-to-see-the-world-as-a-self-driving-car&gt;

How Virtual Reality Glasses Work: <https://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality-gear/glasses/how-do-they-work.html&gt;

@WikiHow articles give you suggestions (usually with pictures) on how to do a great many things, such as…

• Clean frost off car window quickly
• Sleep well with lower back pain
• Care for bearded dragon
• Toast sesame seeds
• Make lavender oil
• Tell if your dog is depressed
• Make a fly trap
• Buy bitcoins

It can make a nice first stop on the internet if you like step by step instruction on how to…

• Attach to an email on your phone <https://www.wikihow.com/Attach-Photos-and-Videos-to-Emails-on-an-iPhone-or-iPad&gt;
• File income taxes online <https://www.wikihow.com/File-Taxes-Online&gt;
• Apply for healthcare when unemployed <https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Health-Insurance-When-Unemployed&gt;
• Apply for a job <https://www.wikihow.com/Apply-for-a-Job&gt;

NOTE: always temper website advice with your own opinions guided by experience. If something doesn’t seem correct, take a break–consider telling someone what the website is suggesting and seeing what their opinions guided by experience say about it.

#DIY

Another service made available by your local library system:

The services hidden behind the purple Adult Learning Center are: Career Center, School Center, College Prep, and College Center. On the right, if it’s difficult to read them, we have Resources in Spanish, and High School Equivalency.

In other words, for all ages taking exams of one sort or another (GED, TASC, Citizenship, SAT/ACT/AP, career-specific) this may be a useful resource! Check it out at <http://www.ssclibrary.org/research/subscription-services/&gt;.

#examprep

Do you need your resume, want interview well, or are you interested in exploring what work you might actually want to perform? Give JobNow! a try at <http://main.stls.ny.brainfuse.com/&gt;.

It’s been my go-to website for resume templates for a while now, and it’s one of the many services available to us through our public library system. Here’s what our system director had to say about it last year: <http://www.stls.org/public-services/jobnow-a-comprehensive-resource-to-assist-job-seekers-in-your-community/&gt;.

Shout-out to the Finger Lakes Library System for their extensive and awesome list of resources! You may find them especially helpful or interesting if you or someone you know is seeking work: <http://www.flls.org/outreach/jobs/&gt;, Twitter: @FingerLakesLibs, Facebook: @fingerlakeslibrarysystem.

#jobsearch

In Steuben County, our governance system is working to get us all connected to the plethora of information that our generation’s kids are using to learn and grow. For those of us who want little to do with it, this survey can be the start of your neighbors and friends quieting down to you about their troubles. You might note that it’s also a way for seniors to stay at home and connect with their loved ones or keep mentally engaged. It’s also a way young parents find resources and network with other parents to better raise their children. Help us out here, take a moment:

Survey here at (https://steuben-yates-ny.baat-campaign.com/)

More on the NYS Broadband Program at https://nysbroadband.ny.gov/

I’ve dabbled with SoloLearn as a smartphone app, but it’s available across devices (https://www.sololearn.com/). I’m not fluent in any code language, but I greatly enjoyed their lessons in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript especially.  The chapters are short and offer intriguing, applicable, and skill-building morsels about code languages. I encourage you to check it out. You will need a login, but I it’s free and I find it to be pleasant to use.

Thanks @SoloLearn for making this resource available to all. Shout out to Mango Languages; if you haven’t heard of them, then ask your local library staff!

#LifelongLearning

Why watch: intriguing story of internet anonymity in under 20 min.

Why I’m posting it: during lunch one day, I stumbled upon this gem of a video that reminded me to take the opinions, feelings, and prejudices of my peers with a grain of salt–patience and openness. Just as each of us has a unique set of personal experiences, we also have a unique set of acquaintances and news sources informing us (as much as it only seems like small talk sometimes).

Moral of the story: asking and listening and sharing are more important than ever to balance, important to make a part of one’s life, and to do both online and IRL (In real life). Only Mr. Wilson says it in a much more engaging and pertinent way.

At the library, we offer free one-on-one instruction for: computers, software, tablets, smartphones; using the internet, using email, online job applications, creating a resume in Microsoft Word or OpenOffice; and more! We have modern equipment and friendly staff who make it fun to learn new skills or improve the ones you have.

Enough people have commented to me that they had no idea the library offers this service, and that it’s very valuable to them, that I realize we have to get the word out more. It’s true I might eventually be inundated with appointment requests, but this service has been available a few years already, and we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Would your friends or family like to use their tech more, but need a little help getting started?

We heard of this excellent Cybersecurity Knowledge Quiz given by the Pew Research Center and we want to share it with you and your friends:

http://www.pewinternet.org/quiz/cybersecurity-knowledge/

For the quiz results, visit:
http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/03/22/what-the-public-k
nows-about-cybersecurity/

Thanks to our assistant director and Southern Tier Library System for bringing this quiz to our attention!