[WEB4LIB] "Generation shifts" and technology

[William Denton]

On 5 January 2005, Sloan, Bernie wrote:

: Maybe it's just me, but I'm not sure I buy into the "generation shift"
: concept entirely. The idea seems to revolve around each new human
: generation being more technologically adept, or integrating technology
: into their lives more completely, than the preceding generations. But I
: see evidence that this isn't so cut and dried.

Me too.  I'd be interested to see studies of library school students to
see how technologically adept and involved they are, both the young ones
right out of a bachelor's degree and the older ones who are coming back
after a few years (or decades) of other work.  The skills of people coming
right out of undergrad could be compared to their cohort in general.

I'm a student at the library school at the University of Toronto, where
there are three streams of study: archives, libraries, and information
systems.  The IS people are pretty solid with computers, I think, but in
the library stream most people know enough to use Word and EndNote and
maybe Dreamweaver, but that's about it.  Databases scare most of them.
I'm not sure how much instant messaging goes on.  It's no hotbed of
PDA-sporting geeks who radiate podcasting RSS feeds, that's for sure.

Bill
-- 
William Denton : Toronto, Canada : http://www.miskatonic.org/ : Caveat lector.