I’m at Richard Bland College in Petersburg VA for the day, meeting in the library, and was a bit surprised to see this sign conspicuously posted at the library entrance. I’m not surprised such bans are common in K-12 libraries – but in colleges? A companion sign that I didn’t photograph prohibits cell phones with the comment, “People are studying!” Well not using YouTube I guess!
UPDATE: I learned from another attendee at the meeting that the ban was put in place by “the IT department.” The library itself was (shhhh!) exceedingly quiet. Another sign said “No talking”. On my return drive I thought about the difference between that traditional learning environment, the “library”, and learning spaces such as the Johnson Center where students are reading and writing yet also texting and talking – interacting with each other and the world beyond – and learning. I really have little question which environment is more conducive to learning.
Not only was YouTube banned from the library, but neither my (AT&T) Blackberry, (AT&T) aircard nor (Sprint) cell phone could get a signal from within the library’s “community room”. In order to gain access to the college’s wifi network I had to sign a document promising adherence to their policies. The library’s technical services staff didn’t know what username guests could use (though they gave me a password) and explained to me they were understaffed (ah but not too understaffed to make signs prohibiting cell phones, etc.). I eventually obtained a username but yet another layer of software protections succeeded in keeping my computer from accessing their network even with a sanctioned username and password combination. I finally just gave up. Perhaps it was all bad karma for posting a picture of their social networking sites ban, or perhaps it’s part of a different pattern.
UPDATE #2: I can’t help wonder what is meant by the “etc.” in the sign. What’s the common feature of the banned sites? Bandwidth use? Social networking purpose or outcome?
Traditionally the library is the heart of the university. Except, that library seemed like a morgue to me.
As we talk about these digital media there seems to be a tension between “decentralized, democratized” uses and centralized – dare we say authoritarian? – approaches to technology management. Often this conflict seems to be manifested in the form of “system constraint” claims. Nevertheless there is power and control involved. Who should possess the power, and the control?
Our classrooms and educational institutions are arguably highly centralized institutions. I understand the institution in this post (RBC) caters primarily to students requiring significant remedial work and advertises itself as “the Junior College” of VA. When you enter the campus there is a flashing “school zone” speed limit sign and “SCHOOL” painted on the street. What those signs conjured up in my thoughts were all the behavioral control components of our primary and secondary schools that arguably precipitate rebellious reactions from students.
That was the rest of the context within which the “BANNED” sign appeared. As we have these conversations about how technology has democratizing effects, etc., I am reminded that our institutions of higher education, too, are inherently authoritarian to some extent. Do we encourage students to think, learn and succeed when we (literally) treat them like children and impose restrictions on their use of technology in this manner? I really don’t think so.
Thanks so much for posting this photo and report, Gil. My immediate thought was that the library sign offered yet another indication of institutions of education telling students very clearly indeed that the information and technology literacies that form an integral part of their lives, and with which they are often expert, have no place in higher education. If we can’t help students amke these connections, who will?
I know from many conversations with librarians that students’ uses of library computers for social networking and more random internet browsing, for example, sometimes means that computers aren’t available for the searching of library catalogues and databases (but this was a much bigger problem when far fewer students arrived at university with laptops and smart devices). But even so, we should be able to find ways around such needs without outright bans, and without the creation of the kind of cognitive dissonance you were getting at, Gil, where some teachers may be requiring students to integrate video and images and ??? into assignments and presentations and the library is say, “No YouTube.”
As faculty members, librarians, administrators, etc. we might be able to rationalize the ban but often students just see the message….
My point was that different perspectives on the educational value of YouTube exist within the higher education community. I made my point via a first person report. These new technologies exist within institutional contexts – like libraries – that have their own characteristics that have evolved over decades or centuries. This is an example of a direct clash of contexts, is it not? Pointing that out was my point. Pointless?
Hmmm, watch out for that Karma.
This is an example of pointles posting from an educational perspective anyway. It does however show that I read John’s post and found it funny and interesting, it is a validation, it builds community, so is it really pointless…..?
Does this mean DoD changed their policy of prohibiting access to social networking websites?
I admit to experiencing feelings of “digital entitlement” such that when my aircard, Blackberry and cell phone simultaneously won’t work I become irritated and irascible. More to the point, though, I was in a meeting in which access to web resources would have yielded a much different conversation. I keep marveling at how we seem to be at an infancy stage of using digital resources in some areas (like meetings) and they can make a huge difference.
That is interesting, the Department of Defense went through a period of not allowing any access to the same web-sites for quite a period, only to receive both an up-roar and a realization that it’s government employee’s needed the access to do their work…. Maybe this college will itself go through a full circle of “education”
Chris.