Dissertation Proposal!

As I have mentioned in my profile I am a graduate student working on a doctorate in education.  This has been a journey I have been on for five years.  Many people ask me what I plan to do once I have completed my degree and I tell them not much different from what I am doing now.  I'll have more time to read things other than academic journals and textbooks.  I also won't be traveling to my college which is 50 miles away from my house, each way. 

So right now I am working on the proposal for my dissertation.  Throughout this academic journey I am amazed at the changes that have taken place since I was in college (undergraduate and graduate) years ago.  I am able to take classes with people from all over the country through online learning.  I also have not stepped into a college bookstore during my tenure working on this degree (but I know Amazon very well - thank goodness for Amazon Student!). 

As I am doing the work on the literature review for my dissertation I have not had to visit the library at my school.  I am spending many hours on the virtual library and finding much of what I need.  There may be a need for me to look at actual documents rather than documents online but so far I have managed to find everything I need online.  I remember as an undergrad, many years ago, spending untold hours in the stacks at the library at my college looking up articles and sources for research papers. 

I love the convenience of doing my searches online and having the resources available to me whenever I have a little bit of time to work.  Yet it seems like something is missing.  The library, in addition to being a source of knowledge, was also a source of connection and community when I was in college.  Visiting the library allowed you to catch up with friends and spend time together. 

This is not a whine about the "good old days."  Trust me I would not give up my Kindle Fire and the ability to download books immediately from Amazon or the library.  I love the convenience of technology and the immediacy of it, in terms of access.  Yet I can still remember spending hours in the stacks, hearing the hum of the white noise in the library and trying to stay awake while doing research.  Then after my work was completed I would walk back to my dorm on a cold, or snowy night bundled up and carrying books and the fruits of my labor. 

We have gained so much with the advances in technology but maybe lost a little also.  Think about that when you are connecting at your next WIFI Hot Spot.