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James Bridle: New venture Librii is seeking to set up self-sustaining libraries with internet access in poor and isolated communities. A decade ago, Brewster Kahle, philanthropist and founder of the Internet Archive, created the first digital bookmobile: a complete printing press in the back of a car. With a power source, satellite internet connection, printer and binder, the vehicle and its descendants subsequently printed thousands of public-domain books where they were needed most, such as in rural areas without internet connection, including schools and refugee camps across Africa. In 2003, it was estimated that less than 1% of Africa's population had access to the internet. Since then, that figure has grown to just 15%. Private companies have been laying high-speed cables along the coasts, but it's slow to make progress inland: even where access is available, it is often low speed and unconnected to the facilities on the ground needed to make the most of it, particularly for education. (The vast majority of people in Africa who do access the internet do so via mobile phone.)
On Feb. 15, the Archive Team, a loose collective of programmers and netizens, received its equivalent of a 911 call: The founder of Posterous, a blogging platform,announced the site was shutting down -- and taking its users' content down with it. After years spent convincing people to trust Posterous as the repository for their baby photos, recipes, musings and travelogues, the company gave its over 15 million users just ten weeks to back up their information before it would be permanently deleted. A handful of Archive Team volunteers quickly convened in a chatroom to figure out -- like they had many times before in similar situations -- how to save Posterous' millions of posts from disappearing with the site itself.
" There is a lot of concern in the modern world about how the internet has impacted freedom of expression. This is especially true in the U.S., where speech is protected from government interference by the First Amendment of the Constitution. From the purely professional perspective of a librarian who is trying to organize information into easily-accessible catalogs and databases, there is certainly a strong reason to be in favor of the free exchange of information over the internet, without governmental restrictions, as it makes getting a holistic collection of our society’s views much easier. Most would agree that a librarian, by profession, believes in giving the type of assistance that will allow others to empower themselves with knowledge, and the question of how good librarians can be at this task hangs in the balance as governments and private corporations decide what sort of speech is protected in this new era of a truly globalized internet. Our profession, then, has an obligation to weigh in on this debate. Read more on this blog post written by David Winger here: http://hacklibschool.wordpress.com/2012/11/23/librarianship-and-freedom-of-expression-in-the-era-of-the-global-internet/ "
Via Fe Angela M. Verzosa
1. Data Management 2. Your data on Google 3. Your data on the Web 4. Browse the Internet safely
Via Patty Ball
A new book by Charles Leadbeater, 'We Think' explores the potential of the latest developments of the internet... > The Internet as enabler of mass innovation! "We Think explores how the web is changing our world, creating a culture in which more people than ever can participate, share and collaborate, ideas and information. Ideas take life when they are shared. That is why the web is such a potent platform for creativity and innovation. It's also at the heart of why the web should be good for : democracy, by giving more people a voice and the ability to organise themselves; freedom, by giving more people the opportunity to be creative and equality, by allowing knowledge to be set free. But sharing also brings with it dilemmas. It leaves us more open to abuse and invasions of privacy. Participation is not always a good thing: it can just create a cacophony. Collaboration is sustained and reliable only under conditions which allow for self organisation. Everywhere we turn there will be struggles between people who want to freely share - music, films, ideas, information - and those who want to control this activity, either corporations who want to make money or governments who fear debate and democracy. This conflict between the rising surge of mass collaboration and attempts to retain top down control will be one of the defining battles of our time, from Communist China, to Microsoft's battle with open source and the music industry's desperate rearguard action against the web." First 3 chapters here (for free): http://www.wethinkthebook.net/home.aspx
Via Ana Cristina Pratas
"Transformational Power of Internet Librarians: Promise & Prospect" "Internet librarians have been revolutionizing the Net for many years, and are poised to transform their communities in exciting new ways. As our technologist and keynote speaker David Weinberger says, we have to “build networks that make us smarter.” Hear about leading-edge tools, strategies and techniques for transforming campuses, communities and organizations at Information Today, Inc.’s 16th annual Internet Librarian. This conference provides the ideal opportunity to gather insights and ideas to ignite our imagination and spark innovation. It showcases creative and exciting new internet technologies and techniques and features lots of opportunities for connections and conversations." Presentations available here: http://www.infotoday.com/il2012/presentations.asp
"Today, only 35% of the world’s population are connected to the internet. Millions more don’t have the skills to use the information available online. Despite improved access to technology in many developing communities, access and guidance for all must be a government priority. Regular, stable and reliable access to the internet and help in using it generates opportunities to create, share and benefit from new knowledge. In the 2st century, governments must ensure this service exists so that people can improve their lives and communities.
This latest brief, Providing Internet Access Through Public Libraries: An Investment in Digital Inclusion and Twenty-First Century Skills, underscores how libraries are preferred venues for public access to the internet. Governments can and should incorporate public libraries into national ICT and broadband initiatives, and public library staff must have access to necessary training in new technologies to use their library space and resources as a sustainable resource for their communities." PDF document: http://issuu.com/irex-dc/docs/librariespublicaccessv2/1
by Cindy Shamel : "The 16th annual Internet Librarian conference recently concluded in Monterey, Calif. More than a thousand registrants and 215 speakers tackled the topic Transformational Power of Internet Librarians. While the sessions ranged from accessibility of digital content to web analytics, two themes took center stage: the future role of libraries and the reality of ebooks. As it turns out, some would assert that the future role of libraries depends upon the ultimate impact of ebooks.
Role of Libraries Depending upon whom you ask, libraries should serve as a platform for networking, return to their core competency as the keeper of print books, or launch new products and services as the enabler of content creation. In the opening keynote address, David Weinberger advocated for the library as a platform for people, ideas, and works delivered through tools and services. Weinberger is senior researcher, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, co-director, Harvard Innovation Lab, and author of Too Big to Know. He says, rather than attempting to collect knowledge in the form of published works, librarians can advance knowledge through public learning, generous sharing, and the power of iteration. Weinberger used the experience of software developers as an example of fast, efficient, and effective learning as they collaborate through tutorials, versioning, and social connections to tweak and improve programs. He posited that libraries can serve as a networking platform that “provides the resources that let others create and flourish.”
Blake: "Staying Safe Online" that will cover a million and one tips on how to keep you and your computer safe. Privacy is a relative term. That is, the things that I consider important to my privacy, someone else might not care about. As librarians we usually key in on Confidentiality Threats. We want our patrons records safe. We also don't share that information with ANYONE else. In general, we are fierce about protecting our patrons’ privacy. This is something that has always set us apart from everyone else. Amazon won't do it. Google won't do it. Do I even need to say Facebook won't do it? People who come into the library or use our web sites don't worry about what's going to happen with their information (or at least they shouldn't need worry about it). They should know we are doing our best to guard their privacy. Keeping all our IT resources secure should be a large part of guarding that privacy."
"Lisa Kurt writes a great piece for the ACRL Tech Connect blog on Responsive Web Design and Libraries. This is such a timely article given that there are so many different mobile devices out there and libraries are striving to develop mobile-ready websites and native apps.
“The very basic benefit to creating a responsive website design is that you have one site for all devices- it’s intended to be inclusive for desktop machines and a variety of devices. A responsive site does not require anything of the user; no downloading or additional buttons to click, the result is immediate. That’s it. Rather than separate approaches for mobile through either a mobile site or mobile applications and then another approach for desktop machines- this method is flexible and covers it all under one design.”
Via Patrick Provencher
Ariel Schwartz: "It’s not about checking out more books. An initiative is focusing on libraries around the world as centers of social and economic change, as well as centers to help the most disadvantaged citizens."
Via Trudy Raymakers
By Karen Coyle: "With the visible speed-up of all forms of information resources, even those that are ostensibly in traditional offline formats, doubts are growing about the ability of libraries to afford the costs of hand-hewn bibliographic control today and in the future. Linking and federating What if you extrapolate from developments within library systems, such as federated searching, enhanced catalogs, and OpenURL, to the idea of libraries on the web?" [...] "The Semantic Web will develop in two ways: First, by linking information that exists within documents, and second, by making the data itself accessible on the web. The ability to mark up information in documents could allow smarter access to that information than we get with keyword searching. For example, markup could identify the author of a document so that an author search could be done, something search engines do not provide today."
Via Trudy Raymakers
Dr Steve Matthews: "A recent article by Technology writer Christina Farr for GOOD Technology titled The Top 10 Technology Game Changers for the Next Decade sparked my interest, since technology is changing the game in libraries. "There were at least three of her 10 that I felt directly impacted libraries and the way we will have to do business. They are: 1. Visual Learning Robotics 2. Internet Data Expansion 3. Voice Recognition"
Via Pippa Davies @PippaDavies
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MT @cybraryman1 My collection of Librarian Blogs are here: http://t.co/qyTnRtHYhA lot of TL Super Stars there #txlchat thanks @cybraryman1 "The internet catalogue for students, teachers, administrators & parents.
Over 20,000 relevant links personally selected by an educator/author with over 30 years of experience."
Mary Meeker from leading venture capital investors Kleiner Perkins presented on internet trends at Stanford last week. It’s worth reviewing. The money quote: “The magnitude of upcoming change will be stunning—we are still in spring training.” Meeker lists 15 trends in support of this claim:
Via Dennis T OConnor
"It is important to understand that the real value of the Internet of Everything (IoE) lies in both the number and value of connections." YouTube video: http://youtu.be/bVNJfUOBzJEThe conversation: #IoE and #InternetofEverything [...] even if only a fraction of things connect to other things, the connections among them grow exponentially. So, while it’s fun to play with the numbers, it is clear that the most important aspect of IoE is the value that results from making intelligent and relevant connections to give people and machines the information needed to make better decisions."
Via Pierre Tran
Slides from a recent presentation.... “Digital citizenship isn’t just about recognizing and dealing with onlinehazards. It’s about building safe spaces & communities, understanding how tomanage personal information, and about being Internet savvy - using your online presence to grow & shape your world in asafe, creative way, and inspiring others to do the same.” (Digizen)
Via Ana Cristina Pratas
The University of Western Ontario - Western provides the best student experience among Canada's leading research-intensive universities. University-age students today are sometimes referred to as ‘digital natives’ – a group of people who have grown up with the Internet. But many young people are unsure of how to use computers and the Internet beyond social media or web-browsing purposes. Librarians are now helping students fill this digital void. Libraries are looking to teach students how to optimize research and many now offer workshops on how to make sense of the information they find. Librarians provide instruction on how to search efficiently within academic databases, using simple tricks such as adding brackets and asterisks to narrow down searches. Nowadays, it’s important to recognize not all students are tech-savvy and for libraries to have support services for students through liaison librarians. These librarians spend time in research-intensive classes introducing students to the library resources available to them. Read more here: http://communications.uwo.ca/western_news/stories/2012/November/librarians_move_to_fill_void_for_digital_natives.html
Via Fe Angela M. Verzosa
"The purpose of this white paper is to define and contextualise what we mean by web literacies - and to inform activities for people wanting to work towards gaining those literacies., It also serves as a reference point for those who want to help create a generation of Webmakers, people who can ‘write’ as well as ‘read’ the web. We see there being three steps to Web Literacies. First come Web Skills such as searching and using URLs appropriately. Two or more Web Skills combine into Web Competencies that we could call, for example, 'Browser basics' or 'Search Engine basics'. These are bundles of Web Skills for a particular purpose 'assessed' via a lightweight peer review system. Finally, Web Literacies consist of a range of these Web Competencies - for example, 'Browser basics,' 'Search engine basics,' and 'Web mechanics'. In addition, some element of self-reflection is required here to realise that you’re now able to ‘Explore’ the web at a beginner level."
Via Nik Peachey, Terheck, michel verstrepen
"IFLA, together with Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL) and the Internet Society (ISOC) will hold a workshop during this year''s Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Baku, Azerbaijan. The workshop will highlight the importance of libraries for guaranteeing public access to the internet and the essential role libraries are playing in this. Every day, the world's 230,000 public libraries play a key role in enabling tens of millions of users to access up to date and crucial information through the Internet. You can find further information on this in the background brief. The workshop is intended to further develop the conversation surrounding libraries as agents for development, and to raise awareness within the IGF's multistakeholder community that libraries are the perfect partner to solve the problem of digital inclusion. If you are not in Baku, the good news is that you can still join and actively participate in the workshop via remote participation where you can add your questions and comments. We look forward to your active input in the session. If you are in Baku for the IGF, please come and join the discussion in Workshop 130 (6th November, Room 7, 14.30pm Baku time)." More information: http://wsms1.intgovforum.org/content/no130-digital-inclusion-and-public-access-internet-what-policymakers-need-and-how-libraries-
>A great list of resources for all levels of librarians. "Here's a megalist for my fellow media specialists/teacher-librarians. It's taken a while to gather all the information and I will continue to add to this page. Currently there are close to 185 sites listed. There is SO MUCH information out there! Please feel free to add your suggestions!"
Via Dr. Laura Sheneman
"The Internet of Things & Services is a major driver for technological development and will dramatically change products, services, and markets. It not only empowers people to collaborate, but any product or service developed by people – or those emerging from such collaboration. The technology will definitely change business, but the social implications will change our society beyond our wildest dreams. We are in the transition to a new society: We are in the 2nd Renaissance."
Via Pierre Tran
By Matt SDimon: "Brewster Kahle never had to work again after selling his company to Amazon for a quarter-billion dollars in the dot-com boom. But he then began working on building the world's biggest digital library, earning him a spot in the Internet Hall of Fame. Brewster Kahle is taking the steady-as-she-goes approach to building a library on the internet, gingerly skirting around copyright minefields, and scavenging the easy (copyright free) leftovers." [...] "So the Archive takes whatever it can get. No information is too obscure — Kahle just got back from Bali, where he helped digitize everything ever written in Balinese. And nothing is wasted — every physical book that is digitized is sent across the San Francisco Bay to Richmond, where it’s added to one of many climate-controlled shipping containers. So far Kahle has archived 500,000 books, with another 500,000 in process. Though he admits he’ll never get there, Kahle wants to collect one of every book ever written. “I think it’s a supply problem,” he says. “It’s not a demand problem. People want it…. People aren’t really stupid out there. They may be very particular, very peculiar, and they may not be interested in the things you are, or maybe even vote the same way you do, but they’re interested in what they’re interested in.” So grows the second library of Alexandria, a collection with something for everyone. Except for the invading hordes. Not that they’d have any idea where to begin lighting fires."
Via nickcarman
Martin Brinkmann : "The Internet Archive over at archive.org is a non-profit that is building a digital library of Internet sites, accessible via the Wayback Machine, and other forms of culture in digital form. It is one of the largest repositories for books, music, images and movies which are all freely available for download at the site. Up until now, users who visited the website could either download the files directly to their computers, or in the case of media files, stream the contents instead. Today, over one million torrents (currently 1.399,074 torrents) have been made available including the sites live music converts, a movie and audio book collection, and lots of books." http://archive.org/ ; "provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public."
by Porter Anderson: The distinction between “the Internet” and “books” is arbitrary, and will disappear in 5 years. Start adjusting now"
Via Trudy Raymakers
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