Wikipedia has been in the news lately and has popped up in a few threads on Web4Lib. Penny Arcade has a great comic as usual. Penny Arcade is one of my favorite comics and I recommend it. Some of them do require some computer/gaming knowledge and the language may offend some but I almost always find them hilarious.
Casey gives a good description of Library 2.0 and why it’s useful. I’m in the camp that it’s a buzzword and might be overkill. However I reduce it to something really simple: change. By using the term I think it makes the statement that libraries MUST change. Admitting this can be hard for some but having an umbrella term can be helpful. Some things are already done in some cases but the discussion of the future is important and the required changes more so.
Click on image for larger view on Flickr. Came across the site via Information Aesthetics. An interesting map of keywords though the websites look to be ads, irrelevant ones as well. Very little information on the site regarding how they construct things. Try it yourself. I post this because it’s related to Casey’s clustered search results post. Technorati Tags: libraries
Discussed, in a podcast of course: A very fun and candid conversation with Gwen Dapper on December 2, 2005. Gwen is a web developer and an Instructional Technologist from San Jose State University. Gwen has just finished a course description for a proposed class on podcasting at San Jose State University. She and I talk as we look over her course outline. She hopes to teach this course at San Jose State.
A report is now online regarding fair use, something that should interest everyone. It looks like you can request free printed copies as well. Are increasingly heavy assertions of control by copyright and trademark owners smothering fair use and free expression? The product of more than a year of research, Will Fair Use Survive? paints a striking picture of an intellectual property system that is perilously out of balance. Will Fair Use Survive?
Blyberg has a nice overview of what he’s learned so far in implementing what I would presume is a huge overhaul of a library presence. I recommend reading the whole thing, especially if your planning such changes yourself. Lessons learned: aadl.org 3.0 If your implementing changes please share your experience.
A humorous look at book buying: Books: Seen, and Not Read - Newsweek Periscope - MSNBC.com. A recent study of 2,100 Brits found that more than a third of them buy certain titles solely to look intelligent I own A Brief History of Time but I did actually read it, though I was once a physics major. I also have a large collection of other books I have yet to read though really want to.
The 100+ Johns Talis warned us about are at it again. This time providing Enhanced Patron History outside of the OPAC. What I like about this implementation is that it’s Opt-In and extensible. I have a feeling that the data will be much more usable being it’s outside the OPAC. Add on that it’s opt-in and you have a very useful service that patrons can use if they choose. I have a feeling that if this was a product that there wouldn’t have been that consideration.
In the debate over Google Book Search there’s always discussion over the usefulness of limited pages, people reading online, copyright and whether there’s even a point. I’m of the camp that thinks it will be a great achievement. For those wondering about whether such a thing would help sell books here’s a real-world example (using Amazon’s offering): Semco: The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace - Signal vs. Noise (by 37signals)
Planning appears to be happening regarding an online conference about higher ed and new technologies. Nice to see that they are having a Library/Information track. As a former education major (and one that was into the tech side) I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on this one. Being online I might actually be able to “go” for once. More info at: Information Wants To Be Free » Blog Archive » HigherEd BlogCon