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Learning Commons

Posted by Jocelyn on December 8th, 2008

The library is now a thing of the past. It has officially been replaced with “Learning Commons.” This new spin on a timeless classic may motivate people to spend time in a place that both encourages and inspires learning. In today’s Boston Globe there is a piece about Chelmsford High School revamping their outdated library to encompass a more modern trend of library as meeting place. Complete with cozier spaces for cafes, comfortable furniture and booth seating for groups, the Learning Commons is a place that has become popular to work and meet up with friends.

“It has that Barnes and Noble feel,” said Premal Patel, 18, a senior at Chelmsford High School. “You can focus more on the learning experience.”

The changing face of libraries is a recent development and one that is taking the learning experience in a positive direction. Eliminating the negative perception of libraries as a place where conversation is forbidden and everything is out dated will help get people back into their local libraries. With more and more authors doing signings at libraries, why not enhance the overall appeal of these institutions? Anyone who has ever walked through a Barnes & Noble on a weeknight and seen the groups of people huddled in chairs or at tables, reading or discussing books and projects, knows that as a society we are in desperate need for locations conducive to learning, meeting and conversing. Let’s bring back the library!

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Romance Survives Recession

Posted by Jocelyn on December 2nd, 2008

A recent article in The Scotsman points to the one thing that is going to flourish during times of economic instability…ROMANCE NOVELS!

It seems that as we fear our pension fund is nose-diving and we need a bridging loan to afford our weekly shop, the world of Italian stallion business tycoons, mysterious sheikhs and an endless supply of young virginal hotties for them to seduce, is truly irresistible.

The British romance publisher Mills and Boon, meanwhile, has reported this year as the most successful in its 100 year history. The publisher’s spokesman, Digby Halsby, says romances are “recession-proof, as people seek joyous relief from the gloomy news headlines”.

It is this guarantee of good surviving evil and love conquering all that has readers gathering their romance novels close and slipping beneath covers to escape from the peril of the latest economic report. But this isn’t just happening now. Historically, during times of economic upheaval, people would use romance and entertainment as a way of escaping reality.

“Remember that the time of the Great Depression in the 1930s was Hollywood’s Golden Age,” she says. “Films like the Busby Berkeley musicals took the world by storm, because people just desperately needed cheering up,” says romance novelist Sara Craven, who calls the romance genre, “Fairy tales for grown-ups.”

So if you are looking for a sweet treat to escape into, head to the romance section of your local bookstore. Because honestly, how can you be depressed when you have books like these waiting for you on your nightstand? Check out one of my favorites, Susan Mallery, for a sweet escape!

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Sifting Through the Chaos

Posted by Jocelyn on December 1st, 2008

I was recently reading through Seth Godin‘s Permission Marketing when I found a quote that struck me as particularly poignant. It was actually in the introduction written by Don Peppers.

The truth is your whole problem comes down to a question of time and energy, doesn’t it? Technically, life is easier for you than it was for your parents, because so much of the drudge work is now done by machines. But for some reason you’re busier than ever, isn’t that right? And doesn’t it seem as though every day you get still busier?

How can this be? Simple. Because there are so many more claims on your attention, that’s why. You’re already overloaded with an embarrassment of opportunities to absorb your time and expend your funds doing things, watching things, using things. But every day even more opportunities are presented to you.

I think this is an interesting and common question. With all the steps we are taking forward, are we getting lost and overwhelmed in Web 2.0? Or are we just opening our eyes to a tremendous amount of opportunities? An “embarrassment of opportunities?”

UPDATE: I found an article in the Columbia Journalism Review titled Overload! that covers this topic.