Impact of the Format of a Book

The last time I remember being truly impacted by the format of a book was a couple years ago when I was still a preschool teacher. It was a a distinctly difficult rainy day, leaving the whole class was stuck inside and rather restless. I was doing a lesson on farms and farm animals and had borrowed a board-book on farms from the public library. The book was interactive, involved having children answer questions, count, look underneath and pull tabs and search for animals. My students were incredibly engaged the entire lesson, increased cognitive development on many topics and encouraged their love of reading. After the lesson many students remained in the reading area to re- read the book and other books. This made for a much more relaxed and organized environment. Therefore, the interactive format of the board- book had a very positive impact on both my day, my students’ day and their experience with learning. I do wonder how children’s books will be impacted by the increasingly digital age, when children at the age of three already know how to play games on an iPad?

If anyone wishes to know more information on the positive cognitive developments of reading on children you may find the following webpage interesting.  http://www.earlychildhoodteacher.org/blog/encouraging-preschoolers-cognitive-development-with-books-and-shared-reading/.

Greetings

My name is Holly and I am in my second year of the MI program, specializing in LIS.
I live and work in Cobourg, Ontario where I am an information services technician at the Cobourg Public Library, a grower of vegetables, and a keeper of bees.
My academic work at the University of Toronto is supported by an MA in English Literature from York University and a BA in Canadian Studies from Trent University. My academic interests lie in the cross-pollination between the ecological humanities, postcolonial theory, and Canadian poetry.
As someone who hopes to work in public libraries for years to come, I am already engaged in debates surrounding the future of the book. I appreciate the opportunity this course provides to examine and unpack the topic further.

Hello!

Hello everyone!

My name is Marlena. I am a second year MI student with a concentration in LIS. I am also part of the Book History and Print Culture collaborative program.

I completed my Bachelor of Arts at UofT, majoring in History and English. I first met with Prof. Galey before beginning my studies at the iSchool, and am very much looking forward to finally being able to take one of his classes.

My interests are in community-led librarianship, social justice frameworks, and accessibility. When I’m not commuting, at school, or page-ing, I like to knit, make jewelry, and go on hikes.

Intro

Hello Everyone!

My name is Isabel Fine and I’m in my second year at the iSchool doing an MI in the LIS stream. I did my B.A. at UofT. I started off with a Major in English and Minors in Near and Middle Eastern Studies and History, but I kept shaving off Minors as I went and ended up doing a Specialist in English. Mostly I love books and reading, so it suited me well.

I work as a Page in the Toronto Public Library system. While I love the public library and what it stands for, overexposure to the public has made me interested in other forms of librarianship. I still don’t know what kind of librarian I want to be when I grow up, but I definitely want to be one.

I took Rare Books and Manuscripts last term and I thought this course would be a nice follow-up. It seems like the history of the book is changes in format or medium accompanied by outcries about the end of civilization. It’s happened before and it’s happening now. I’m excited to learn about how books will fare in the digital world and how this new medium will change the experience of reading.

Hello world!

My name is Jelena (pronounced like Helena with a Y, if you’re wondering).

This is my last semester of the MI program. I am making my way through the LIS stream and the Book History and Print Culture collaborative program. Before coming to the iSchool, I studied English Literature (mainly Canadian and Anglo-American modernist poets) as well as Biology and Canadian Studies at McGill.

I became interested in this class after hearing about it in my book history courses last year and especially after working on the final project in Analytical Bibliography last semester (which was about applying bibliographical principals to digital projects). I’m excited to learn about the more technical aspects of e-books.

In general, my interest is in digital reading and participatory media. I’m interested in learning about the effects of interfaces on discourse, which I hope will give me insight into scholarly discourse that occurs outside of traditional university settings. I’m also happy to have an excuse to play Portal again!

historiated
Source: Robert Pfeffer
“Inhabited Initial”
Pfeffer Simpelgotisch Font

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My main blog: https://thetiniestbookshelf.wordpress.com/

Introduction

Hello everyone my name is Kali Braden and I am a second year LIS student in the MI program. I got my Bachelors of Applied Sciences from the University of Guelph and a Post Graduate Certificate in Speech and Language Sciences from Brock University with the intention of becoming a Speech and Language Pathologist. After about two years of being a Preschool Teacher I shifted gears and decided to become a librarian! More specifically an academic librarian but with a focus on working with students with disabilities.

I was introduced to this course when I took Analytical and Historical Bibliography with Professor Galey last semester and his description of the course made it sound very interesting and a positive extension of that course. Additionally I think the potential implications of a turning digital world is of interest for anyone with a future in library or archive sciences and I am interested in what the course will reveal!

Intro

Hello all! My name is Sam Bellinger and I am a first year master’s student in the LIS stream doing the Book History and Print Culture program collaboratively. I did my B.A. here at U of T in English and Spanish and was lucky enough to have an assistantship at the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies (within the E.J. Pratt library) where I was first exposed to the the world of rare books! I worked on several research projects there and you can see some photos from one here: https://www.crrs.ca/featured-book/frb7/
I’ve been enamoured with early modern print ever since and am really looking forward to incorporating ideas about the future of the book into my education on its history.

I was a member of Professor Galey’s Analytical Bibliography class last semester which provided a wonderful foundation for thinking about how to describe and analyze digital artifacts by drawing on the same traditions of bibliography found in book history, while also incorporating different methods from media studies. I’m looking forward to gaining theoretical skills for thinking about digital texts alongside the practical skills needed for dealing with this content.

Nice to meet you all!

Welcome and Introduction

Hello everyone!

My name is Amrita Maharaj and I am a 3rd year Interactive Digital Media (Undergraduate) student at the Mississauga Campus. My program is affiliated with the Faculty of Information that launched a combined MI/BA program last spring and I am currently a combined student as well, with a focus in Critical Information and Policy Studies. This is my first master’s degree course, so I am a little nervous but excited to be here.

I took a course with Alan Galey last semester, Knowledge Media Design: Contexts and Practices, which looked at the history of the book as a reading interface. I am interested in narrative structures and looking at interface design for assistive technologies for those with disabilities. I hope to expand my knowledge about the future of the book and how technology aids/hinders its progress.

Currently, I am a Research Assistant for Prof. Rhonda McEwen on Eye-gaze technologies for those with disabilities and for the Technologies for Aging Gracefully (TAGlab) with a focus on intergenerational games.

My interests include: video games, manga/anime, semiotics, gender issues in video games, human computer interactions (HCI), privacy and surveillance, immersive environments for mobile devices, and intellectual property.

Here is a picture of my rabbit (he’s the cutest!) See you all in class next week.

Mokoface

Amrita

Greetings!

Hello blogmates!

My name is Stephanie Duncan and I am a second-year LIS & ARM student. I participated in the Book History and Print Culture collaborative program while I was doing my MA in French Literature in 2011/12; this is how I became interested in the histories and future of the book, and also how I was introduced to Alan Galey. Now, having studied LIS for several semesters, I figured it would be nice to revisit the subject and study digital humanities in more depth. I also think that this will be a great course to end the program with!

Some of my objectives for the course are to become more familiar with the technical aspects of things like blogs and e-books; to understand the functions of print books as well as e-books; and to experiment with different visions of e-books and other reading platforms. I look forward to exploring these topics with all of you!