Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
My Dinner With Andre re-enacted by bunnies
The 30-Second Bunnies Theatre Library
The term is coming to a close next week. I have 2 lectures and 2 assignments left. I'm happy the term is over. I think I've done about as much as I can do well.
I'm not sure if this blog will have any life left, but I figure this post kind of cleanses the palette, so maybe I'll keep it going. I'm pretty sure I don't have anything original to say, but I'm good with the cut and paste so maybe I can finds things to post here doing that.
The term is coming to a close next week. I have 2 lectures and 2 assignments left. I'm happy the term is over. I think I've done about as much as I can do well.
I'm not sure if this blog will have any life left, but I figure this post kind of cleanses the palette, so maybe I'll keep it going. I'm pretty sure I don't have anything original to say, but I'm good with the cut and paste so maybe I can finds things to post here doing that.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tech People and Content People
Interestingly, Dr Tomer spoke about how librarians of the future need to have technology skills and I had a post idea about the same topic. It seems regular folk who are librarians and have a sense of content areas (etc) will have to develop technology skills in order to best serve libraries. Perhaps this is true. Maybe the hardcore tech folks will need to have an intermediary that speaks with both them and the library folks so things can get done. This is a common role in other industries where tech people have a hard time communicating with regular folk and regular folk have a hard time speaking tech language, so a project manager acts as the go-between.
I'm not advocating for another layer of work, rather that librarians need to be lifelong learners, especially with technology.
Amazon Sells More E-Books Than Hardcovers
I wonder how this will effect gift giving. Hardcovers make nice gifts, but people may be reluctant to give them as gifts if they are not wanted. I'm not sure if an e-book can be given as a gift in the same way. How do you unwrap an e-book? (I know there's a thing called a gift certificate.)
Maybe the look of hardcovers or the features of them will change in order to make them desirable (and marketable.) Maybe there will be extras in the print version. Heck, maybe it will be the other way around - maybe there will be extras in the print version. Or special features. In any event, I think some type of innovation in coming down the pike that takes advantage of this trend. What? I don't know exactly.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Exchanging Something of Value
Bynamite brings a somewhat different perspective to the privacy market. “Our view is that it’s not about privacy protection but about giving users control over this valuable resource — their information,” Mr. Yoon said.
Both the protection and the value approaches to the privacy market could well pay off, says Randy Komisar, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the venture capital firm. “What’s intriguing about Bynamite,” he said, “is its emphasis on privacy as revolving around choice and ownership of data, and ultimately a notion of an exchange of value.” (Kleiner Perkins is an investor in ReputationDefender but not in Bynamite.)
Although Bynamite is a tiny start-up, it points toward larger issues about privacy transactions and pricing of personal data. “In reality, we constantly make transactions involving our personal information,” said Alessandro Acquisti, an associate professor of information technology and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University.
Every search on Google, Mr. Acquisti notes, is implicitly such a transaction, involving a person “selling” personal information and “buying” search results. But people do not think about, or are unaware of, the notion that typed search requests help determine the ads that Google displays and what its ad network knows about them.
Bynamite, Mr. Acquisti said, is “simply trying to make these kinds of transactions explicit, more transparent to the user.”
Dr Tomer has talked about this issue in LIS 2600 & LIS 2000.
Friday, July 16, 2010
My cat Roberta
I'm surprised I haven't written about my adorable, precocious cat Roberta. I would marry her (if it was socially acceptable.) She's a special cat.
One of the things I've noticed about summer term for me is how fast everything is moving. I'm not seeing the ball, to use a baseball metaphor. Hopefully, I'll finish up the next two weeks without any injuries and the four week break till fall term will help me sort things out.
I hope fall term feels better than summer. I'd like to have a better plan for how I can get the school work completed week to week.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Skoolwerk
The most interesting things I've learned during my three semesters so far in Library School have been about myself.
- I don't like deadlines. They seem so arbitrary and they unnaturally pace the work differently than my brain would have paced the work.
- 15 (and even 12) week terms are too long.
- It's hard to stay motivated about doing great school work. I like learning, but I don't like many of the assignments (this isn't a particular comment on this term.)
- I like talking to my classmates and instructors. Sadly, there isn't enough of this.
- I've done a lot of work and learning that I'm proud of.
- I've turned in some assignments that I'm not so proud of. This is a positive too because it's been a good thing to recognize that learning is a process, not just something that's turned in as an assignment.
- I like the process more than results. I'm happiest when I'm assessed on the process, rather than simply the end result.
- That's it for now.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Brazil's Copyright Law Forbids Using DRM to Block Fair Use
- I wouldn't be blogging about Copyright (or any other topic) if working with a blog wasn't an assignment in LIS 2600.
- I wouldn't have any idea what they are talking about in Brazil with copyright if I didn't take LIS 2000.
I can understand a copyright holder wanted to protect her work. But with DRM, it seems they want to limit when I can access something I own. It's almost as if they want to change the idea of ownership to an idea like licensing. I can't own a digital work, rather I agree to some form of licensing so I can access the item. My $0.02 is that I don't like it.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Dreamweaver
I've realized that Dreamweaver isn't something I can teach myself. I'm having a hard time using the W3C tutorials too, so I've given up on learning an HTML Editor. I'll try my best and let the chips fall where they may (grade-wise). I like working with Blogger. I'd prefer to use Blogger to create a webpage.
I do have to admit that I'm happy to have learned whatever it is I have learned with HTML, etc. I just hope I can make it through the remaining coursework without having to learn much more about HTML and HTML editors. Frankly, I don't think I can learn it.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Stanford Ushers in the Age of Bookless Libraries
The reason for this change is that the engineering discipline is changing rapidly and print items aren't the best way to stay current in that field. Much of the research is best done with online journals and e-books. The library is responding to the needs of the engineering folks who use the library.
I don't think the age of the book-less library will be widespread. However, depending on the need of the user, the specific discipline, or the type of item, moving to e-items may make sense.
By the title of the NPR article, you would think book-less libraries were widespread.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Illinois Budget Crisis | Chicago Public Library Commissioner Reacts to FOX Chicago News' Story
Illinois Budget Crisis | Chicago Public Library Commissioner Reacts to FOX Chicago News' Story
I was happy to read the Chicago Public Library Director's response to a story about whether libraries were a waste of tax money. Someone may conclude that libraries are indeed a waste of tax money, but the story seemed to leave out the pertinent facts. The CPL Director responded and her letter is attached.
Part of the response mentioned how people turn to the library as their free resource for books, information, and entertainment in multiple formats: print, online, and in-person. I think librarians need to remind our communities that the "in-person" format (talking to a librarian) is one of the best resources available. No matter how big and pervasive Google becomes (for example), a conversation with a librarian is something that can add a great deal of value.
I was happy to read the Chicago Public Library Director's response to a story about whether libraries were a waste of tax money. Someone may conclude that libraries are indeed a waste of tax money, but the story seemed to leave out the pertinent facts. The CPL Director responded and her letter is attached.
Part of the response mentioned how people turn to the library as their free resource for books, information, and entertainment in multiple formats: print, online, and in-person. I think librarians need to remind our communities that the "in-person" format (talking to a librarian) is one of the best resources available. No matter how big and pervasive Google becomes (for example), a conversation with a librarian is something that can add a great deal of value.
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