Social Networking: It Benefits Us All

I promise that I'll write a more serious and thorough post about social networking sites and their connection to library science someday soon.

However, I just had a library-related "eureka!" moment thanks to 43 Things, a site with which I've been involved for about a year or so. Although 43 Things has connections to Amazon.com, which is off-putting to some (I guess they fear that their lives will be used as market research material?), I find that there are a wide range of individuals using the site. The MySpace-Xanga-LiveJournal set definitely does, and older folks seem to like it, too. I think the goal-oriented flavor of 43 Things makes it appealing to many different people.

Now, my amazing discovery: it's not so much an amazing discovery as it is a fun and unexpected benefit from someone else's goals and hard work. I ran across an entry by an individual who remembered an educational series called Tomes and Talismans that was created in 1986 to teach children the basics of library and research skills. This series really made an impact on me when it was shown to me in the school library during 2nd or 3rd grade - the concepts are presented in the course of a science fiction drama about censorship or loss of knowledge resources (I think) and the preservation/rediscovery of knowledge. Pretty far out for children's educational television! I think that it definitely contributed to my life-long interests in science fiction, dystopian societies in fiction, and censorship issues, and it probably taught me some things about using the library, too.

Anyhow, this 43 Things member knew not only the title of the series (which I have been trying to remember for years), but he or she also did the legwork to discover that I might be able to obtain my own copy of the whole series for about 50 bucks. I think I may have to invest in this series once all of my loan money comes through. $50 is not much to pay to have access to such a formative part of my childhood. Amazing that this should turn up now; I'm just beginning my library degree, and suddenly I am connected with the (most-likely) low-budget television series that may have started the whole thing.

For those who might be interested: according to the 43 Things member, here is how to get ahold of your own copy of Tomes and Talismans.

Send a statement requesting a copy, and a check or money order for $48.00 to:

Mississippi Public Broadcasting
Attn: Millard O'Baner
3825 Ridgewood Rd.
Jackson, MS 39211

Enjoy!