tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211508212016-05-03T13:23:28.422-04:00New Jack LibrarianHi. I'm <a href="mailto:mita@aedileworks.com">Mita</a> and I've been blogging since 1999. Of course, this gives me no 'net cred as my first blog, <a href="http://rainbarrel.aedileworks.com/">Rain Barrel</a>, was done using Frontpage and hosted on Geocities. Yes, I am a <a href="http://leddy.uwindsor.ca/staff/mita-williams">librarian</a>. Changing the rules so more can win. My future self is awesome.Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.comBlogger336125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-16462537744428041112016-05-02T17:17:00.000-04:002016-05-03T13:23:28.433-04:00The City As Classroom vs. The City As Advertising PlatformNormally I post my talks here but last night I struggled so much with Blogger that I decided to post today's presentation <a href="https://medium.com/@copystar/the-city-as-classroom-vs-the-city-as-advertising-platform-c3a356753f67#.23e6x6vwo">The City As Classroom vs. The City As Advertising Platform that I gave at York University Libraries on Medium</a> instead.Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-12454177296468614942016-03-25T22:32:00.001-04:002016-03-25T22:38:49.056-04:00Knight News Challenge: Library Starter Deck: a 21st-century game engine and design studio for libraries<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/159728295" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://vimeo.com/159728295">The Library Starter Deck</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/futurecoast">FutureCoast</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div><br /><br />Last week, <a href="http://www.writerguy.com/">Ken Eklund</a> and myself submitted our proposal for the 2016 Knight News Challenge which asks,&nbsp; <i>How might libraries serve 21st century information needs</i>?<br /><br />Our answer is this: <b><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/evaluation/library-starter-deck-a-21st-century-game-engine-and-design-studio-for-libraries">The Library Starter Deck: a 21st-century game engine and design studio for libraries</a></b>. We also have shared <a href="https://d30e0k2qotp9aa.cloudfront.net/attachments/44b8af26-5946-45f4-a568-2eff779813af.pdf">a brief on some of the inspirations behind our proposal (pdf)</a>.<br /><br /><hr /><br />Two years ago I reviewed the 680+ applications to the 2014 Knight News Challenge for Libraries entries <a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2014/10/the-knight-foundation-news-challenge.html">and shared some of my favourites</a>. It was, and it is still a very useful exercise because there are not many opportunities to read grant applications (if you are not the one handing out the grant) and this particular set offer applications from both professionals and those from the public.<br /><br />You can also review the entries as an act of finding <a href="http://www.iftf.org/what-we-do/foresight-tools/signals/">signals of the future, as the IFTF might put it</a>. That's what I've chosen to do for this year's review. What this means is that I've chosen not to highlight here what I think are the best or most deserving to win applications (<a href="http://www.knightfoundation.org/blogs/knightblog/2016/3/22/knight-news-challenge-libraries-closes-more-600-entries/">that's up to these good people</a>) but instead, I made note of the applications that, for lack of a better word, <i>surprised </i>me:<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://Digital Book Intellectual Property Rights that Make Sense for the 21st Century By partnering with libraries, we are creating a collection of high-quality ebooks with the IP rights needed for a global digital world. ">Digital Book Intellectual Property Rights that Make Sense for the 21st Century</a>: By partnering with libraries, we are creating a collection of high-quality ebooks with the IP rights needed for a global digital world.&nbsp; <br /><br />&nbsp;</li><li><a href="http://Finding Hidden Histories in African American (Digital) Archives Pairing artists, writers, and students with African American archives to inspire new works and find materials that may be shared online. ">&nbsp;Finding Hidden Histories in African American (Digital) Archives</a>: Pairing artists, writers, and students with African American archives to inspire new works and find materials that may be shared online. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/rap-research-lab-mining-the-archive">Rap Research Lab: Mining the Archive</a>: Using the Hip-hop Word Count database to re-contextualize the library collection for Hip Hop relevance. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/kcresearch-connect-converse-collaborate">KCResearch: Educate, Inform, Engage</a>: KCPL will curate a reference-based, online portal bringing all points of view, comparative info and studies to important community issues. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/future-proofing-civic-data">Future-Proofing Civic Data</a>: We'll explore ways libraries can support preservation &amp; long-term access to Open Civic Data from community portals like OpenDataPhilly. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/building-dale-the-data-analyzation-library-explorer">Building DALE – the Data Analyzation Library Explorer</a>: The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library will create a digital librarian as the first AI enabled search portal within a public library setting<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/councilmatic-action-alerts-for-local-library-issues-in-city-governments">Councilmatic - action alerts for local library issues in city governments</a>: Councilmatic and a national librarians network will demystify the process of funding and budget process for libraries in city governments. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/national-novel-writing-month-and-come-write-in-building-hybrid-digital-physical-creative-communities">National Novel Writing Month and Come Write In: Building Hybrid Digital-Physical Creative Communitie</a>s: Come Write In provides programmatic resources, promotional materials, and collaborative tools to help libraries build robust communities. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/adaequatio-art-and-libraries-to-improve-the-capacity-to-know">Adaequatio: art and libraries to improve the capacity to know</a>: By turning library spaces into art spaces, this project will increase the sensibility that promotes a library patron's capacity to learn. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/evolving-the-book-in-the-browser-using-semantic-web-technologies-and-html5">Evolving the Book in the Browser (Using Semantic Web technologies and HTML5)</a>: Reworking HTML to create indexable, archival book objects to establish the library as publisher and the library in the life of the reader. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/read-write-library-open-source-tools-for-libraries-to-replace-community-outreach-with-community-ownership">Read/Write Library: Open Source Tools for Libraries to Replace Community Outreach with Community Ownership</a>: Adaptable digital and IRL tools that help libraries meet communities’ needs for collections that reflect their lived experience. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/library-to-jail-video-visitation-connecting-children-to-incarcerated-parents">Library-to-Jail Video Visitation: Connecting Children to Incarcerated Parents</a>: Connect children and families with their incarcerated loved ones through free, easily accessible community-based video visitation services. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/sharing-rare-materials-building-a-participatory-community-around-archival-and-special-collections-on-social-media-and-the-semantic-web">Sharing Rare Materials: Building a Participatory Community Around Archival and Special Collections on Social Media and the Semantic Web</a>: Give librarians, archivists, museum professionals, scholars, Web developers, and the public a platform to collaboratively expand access <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/collaborative-libraries">Collaborative Libraries</a>: P2P knowledge sharing by allowing the public to take on various roles as librarians using Zotero to create reading playlists. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/building-community-resilience-local-libraries-as-online-offline-crisis-hubs">Building community resilience</a>: local libraries as online/offline crisis hubs: Demonstrating the potential of local libraries to provide critical information and digital access in times of crisis and disaster. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/the-phantom-databooth">The Phantom Databooth</a>: The Phantom Databooth creates mobile data experiences for library users to empower a more data conscious citizenry. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/the-database">The Database: Big Data to Support Libraries</a>: To develop a shareable, data enriched, and well-segmented national database of library supporters, allies, organizations and advocates. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/archiving-and-disseminating-scientific-maker-projects">Archiving and Disseminating Scientific Maker Projects</a>: We propose to develop and pilot documentation standards for curating and disseminating scientific projects using open-source “maker” tech. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/musicat-open-source-software-for-libraries-to-create-digital-collections-of-local-music">MUSICat: Open-Source Software for Libraries to Create Digital Collections of Local Music</a>: We build software that empowers libraries to license local music and share it with their communities via streaming and downloads. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/the-reading-list-for-life">The Reading List for Life</a>: Reading List for Life is a simple online tool that will help adult library users create and customize reading lists for continued learning. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/free-library-of-philadelphia-cultureshare"><br /></a></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/free-library-of-philadelphia-cultureshare">Free Library of Philadelphia Cultureshare</a>: Redefining the delivery of library content, one inbox at a time. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/one-book-2-0">One Book 2.0</a>: We seek to upgrade our One Book program with mobile technologies that will fulfill the promise of stronger civic ties through culture. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions/the-time-browser-project">The Time Browser Project</a>: The Time Browser Project enlivens our record of past events and interactions, turning them into immersive flexible compelling experiences. </li></ul><br />I'd like to add there are many other deserving submissions that I have given a 'heart' to on the <a href="https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/how-might-libraries-serve-21st-century-information-needs/submissions">Knight News Challenge website</a> and if you are able to, I'd encourage you to do the same.Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-34374121810027030862016-03-08T20:56:00.000-05:002016-03-08T20:56:38.996-05:00New article in PartnershipJust a short note letting the world know that my talk at last year's Access 2015 conference has been formally written up as a contribution to <a href="https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/perj/issue/view/202">the latest issue of <i>Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research</i></a>.<br /><br />Thanks are extended again to those who made the Access Conference possible and much thanks also goes out to the <a href="https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/perj/about/editorialTeam">Partnership Team</a> who makes this valuable Open Access venue possible. Their editorial guidance and copy editing has made this work stronger. <br /><br /><br /><div class="csl-bib-body" style="line-height: 2; padding-left: 2em; text-indent: -2em;"><div class="csl-entry">Williams, Mita. “Library of Cards: Reconnecting the Scholar and the Library.” <i>Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research</i> 10, no. 2. <a href="https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/perj/article/view/3571">https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/perj/article/view/3571</a>.</div></div>Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-80883184227328862762016-03-04T09:58:00.003-05:002016-03-04T09:58:58.555-05:00G H O S T S T O R I E S <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">G H O S T&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; S T O R Y&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 1 </span></span><br /><br />It’s funny that I ended up as a librarian because my earliest memories of libraries were not entirely positive. <br /><br />While the children’s section of the central branch library and the school bookmobile regularly brought me joy (largely in the form of <a href="https://www.librarything.com/series/Peanuts+Parade">Peanuts Parade volumes</a>), I have distinct memories of being filled with <i>dread </i>every time I had to move through the towering shelves of the grown-up section of the library.<br /><br />Yes, the main library was largely devoid of the sound and colour and the furious activity of the children’s section, but that wasn’t the entire reason why it gave me the creeps. I distinctly remember that when I was younger I associated all the books on the shelves of the library with the work of dead people. Each book represented a person who was now gone and they had left their books behind and the terrible thing was that, by and large, it looked like most of the books stayed on the shelves, unread.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Oakland-columbarium-s.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Oakland-columbarium-s.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Now, I didn’t actually think that the library was haunted. And over time the whole library became&nbsp; comfortable to me. Eventually I became a librarian and now I think the library is and can be many, many things to many people.<br /><br />Some years ago, <a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2012/06/book-for-every-librarian.html">I wrote this</a><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br />What if every person who worked at a library was obligated to create and leave one book that remained in the library as long as it remained. Imagine the sense of legacy and the sense of connection that could be established by the shelves of these books. Imagine the ways that those who made these books would choose to express themselves. Would they write a history? a biography? poetry? How could these books connect the people to the place to the time of the library?</blockquote>&nbsp; <br />I still think of the library as a <i><a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/m/memento-mori">memento mori</a>.</i><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GV_6d2Bte2I/VtmaE1yhljI/AAAAAAAAXTs/makuwXXGYjo/s1600/urn1.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GV_6d2Bte2I/VtmaE1yhljI/AAAAAAAAXTs/makuwXXGYjo/s400/urn1.png" /></a>&nbsp;</i></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">G H O S T&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; S T O R Y&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span>2 </span></span> <br /><br /><h2 class="episode__title headline"> <a href="https://gimletmedia.com/episode/53-in-the-desert/"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">#53 In The Desert </span></a></h2><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"> <span class="episode__date"> February 4, 2016 </span> </span><br /><div class="featEpisode__hero"><div class="featEpisode__heroQuote"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"> <b><span style="font-size: large;">“You know, there’s always that fear that an unreasonable person is going to show up.”</span> <br /><span class="featEpisode__heroCitation"> </span></b><span class="featEpisode__heroCitation">-- Michael Saba, on his house being The Bermuda Triangle of cell phones.&nbsp;</span> </span></div></div><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="episode__player"></div><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1"><br /></div><iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/245374439&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;visual=true" width="100%"></iframe> <br /><div class="p1"><i><br /></i><i><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span class="s1">Strangers keep coming to Mike and Christina’s house looking for their stolen cell phones. Nobody knows why. We travel to Atlanta to find out what’s going on, in our thorniest Super Tech Support yet.</span></span></i></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">G H O S T&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; S T O R Y&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span>3</span>&nbsp;<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><a href="https://medium.com/@sailorhg/art-and-math-and-science-oh-my-f1dc4ebb3223#.wdj6i6rza"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Art and Math and Science, Oh My! </span></span></b></a><br />by<a class="link link link--darken link--accent u-accentColor--textNormal u-accentColor--textDarken" data-action-type="hover" data-action="show-user-card" data-user-id="2f9736323f55" dir="auto" href="https://medium.com/@sailorhg"> sailor mercury</a></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="1ff1" name="1ff1">Technology can bring art to life.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><figure class="graf--figure graf-after--p" id="1d7f" name="1d7f"><div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked" style="max-height: 389px; max-width: 700px;"><div class="progressiveMedia js-progressiveMedia graf-image is-canvasLoaded is-imageLoaded" data-action-value="1*U3-BxzouXtIMCZc6jakIzA.png" data-action="zoom" data-height="3240" data-image-id="1*U3-BxzouXtIMCZc6jakIzA.png" data-scroll="native" data-width="5832" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img class="progressiveMedia-image js-progressiveMedia-image" data-src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*U3-BxzouXtIMCZc6jakIzA.png" height="177" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*U3-BxzouXtIMCZc6jakIzA.png" width="320" /></div></div></figure></div><div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="9bf1" name="9bf1"><br /></div><div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="9bf1" name="9bf1"><br /></div><div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="9bf1" name="9bf1"><br /></div><div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="9bf1" name="9bf1"><br /></div><div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="9bf1" name="9bf1"><br /></div><div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="9bf1" name="9bf1"><br /></div><div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="9bf1" name="9bf1"><br /></div><div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="9bf1" name="9bf1"><br /></div><div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="9bf1" name="9bf1"><br /></div><div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="9bf1" name="9bf1">One very literal example of art bringing technology to life is the experimental theatrical show <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.sleepnomore.com/" href="http://www.sleepnomore.com/" rel="nofollow"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Sleep No More</i></a>: an interactive modern retelling of <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Macbeth</i> where you walk around 4 floors of the set to watch and interact with the actors.</div><div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="9bf1" name="9bf1"><br /></div><div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="28a6" name="28a6">For future shows, they’re working together with the MIT media lab on making the set itself more <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/theater/sleep-no-more-enhanced-by-mit-media-lab.html" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/theater/sleep-no-more-enhanced-by-mit-media-lab.html" rel="nofollow">interactive</a> with embedded programming: mirrors that write messages to you in blood or typewriters that type out cryptic messages to you if you linger too long in front of them.</div></blockquote></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">G H O S T&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; S T O R Y&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">4</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><header> <div class="l-subsection"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><h1><a href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/in-the-future-well-all-be-harry-potter/"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">In the Future, We'll All Be Harry Potter</span></a></h1><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="author-meta"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">by <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/author/jakob-nielsen/">Jakob Nielsen</a> on December 9, 2002 </span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="date"></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="topic-links"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><br />Topics: </span><br /><ul class="no-bullet"><li><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.nngroup.com/topic/human-computer-interaction/">Human Computer Interaction</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.nngroup.com/topic/predictions-and-milestones/">Predictions &amp; Milestones</a></span></li></ul></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"> </span></blockquote></div><blockquote><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"> </span></blockquote></header><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="lede"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Summary:</b> The world of magic is a world where inanimate objects come alive; it's as if they had computational power, sensors, awareness, and connectivity.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">By saying that we'll one day be like Harry Potter, I don't mean that we'll fly around on broomsticks or play three-dimensional ballgames (though virtual reality will let enthusiasts play Quidditch matches). What I do mean is that we're about to experience a world where spirit inhabits formerly inanimate objects.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">Much of the <a class="out" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=useitcomusablein&amp;path=tg/browse/-/1084186" title="Amazon.com: info about the Harry Potter books and films">Harry Potter books'</a> charm comes from the quirky magic objects that surround Harry and his friends. Rather than being solid and static, these objects <b> embody initiative and activity</b>. This is precisely the shift we'll experience as computational power moves beyond the desktop into everyday objects....</span></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">G H O S T&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; S T O R Y&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">5<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp; <a href="http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/journal/past-issues/issue-2/love-your-monsters"><img alt="http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/journal/past-issues/issue-2/love-your-monsters" border="0" height="282" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MxkWDbl025I/VtmeWlPUnmI/AAAAAAAAXT4/CF8aYImI6kE/s320/loveourmonsters.PNG" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">After reading a book of German ghost stories, somebody suggested they each write their own. Byron's physician, John Polidori, came up with the idea for <i>The Vampyre</i>, published in 1819,<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="body1" name="body1"></a><a class="footnote" href="http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/journal/past-issues/issue-2/love-your-monsters#foot1"><sup>1</sup></a> which was the first of the "vampire-as-seducer" novels. Godwin's story came to her in a dream, during which she saw "the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together."<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="body2" name="body2"></a><a class="footnote" href="http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/journal/past-issues/issue-2/love-your-monsters#foot2"><sup>2</sup></a> Soon after that fateful summer, Godwin and Shelley married, and in 1818, Mary Shelley's horror story was published under the title, <i>Frankenstein, Or, the Modern Prometheus</i>.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="body3" name="body3"></a><a class="footnote" href="http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/journal/past-issues/issue-2/love-your-monsters#foot3"><sup>3</sup></a></span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>Frankenstein</i> lives on in the popular imagination as a cautionary tale against technology. We use the monster as an all-purpose modifier to denote technological crimes against nature. When we fear genetically modified foods we call them "frankenfoods" and "frankenfish." It is telling that even as we warn against such hybrids, we confuse the monster with its creator. We now mostly refer to Dr. Frankenstein's monster as Frankenstein. And just as we have forgotten that Frankenstein was the man, not the monster, we have also forgotten Frankenstein's real sin.</span> </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Dr. Frankenstein's crime was not that he invented a creature through some combination of hubris and high technology, but rather that he <i>abandoned the creature to itself</i>. When Dr. Frankenstein meets his creation on a glacier in the Alps, the monster claims that it was not <i>born</i> a monster, but that it became a criminal only <i>after</i> being left alone by his horrified creator, who fled the laboratory once the horrible thing twitched to life. "Remember, I am thy creature," the monster protests, "I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed... I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous."</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"> <br />Written at the dawn of the great technological revolutions that would define the 19th and 20th centuries, <i>Frankenstein</i> foresees that the gigantic sins that were to be committed would hide a much greater sin. It is not the case that we have failed to care for Creation, but that we have failed to care for our technological creations. We confuse the monster for its creator and blame our sins against Nature upon our creations. But our sin is not that we created technologies but that we failed to love and care for them. It is as if we decided that we were unable to follow through with the education of our children.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="body4" name="body4"></a><a class="footnote" href="http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/journal/past-issues/issue-2/love-your-monsters#foot4"><sup>4 </sup></a> - <a href="http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/journal/past-issues/issue-2/love-your-monsters">Bruno Latour</a></span></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">G H O S T&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; S T O R Y&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">6</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">[<span style="font-family: inherit;">C</span>onfession: the whole point of this po<span style="font-family: inherit;">st is<span style="font-family: inherit;"> to encourage you to read th<span style="font-family: inherit;">is</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">]</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><h1 class="post-title"><a href="http://madelineashby.com/?p=1923" rel="bookmark">Our Gothic Future</a></h1><img alt="crimson-peak-mia-wasikowska1" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1924" src="http://madelineashby.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/crimson-peak-mia-wasikowska1-300x207.jpg" height="207" width="300" /><br />The other day, after watching <i>Crimson Peak</i> for the first time, I woke up with a fully-fleshed idea for a Gothic horror story about experience design. And while the story would take place in the past, it would really be about the future. Why? Because the future itself is Gothic.<br /><br /><span id="more-1923"></span><br />First, what is Gothic? Gothic (or “the Gothic” if you’re in academia) is <a href="https://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/romantic/topic_2/welcome.htm">a Romantic mode of literature and art</a>. It’s a backlash against the Enlightenment obsession with order and taxonomy. It’s a radical imposition of mystery on an increasingly mundane landscape. It’s the anticipatory dread of irrational behaviour in a seemingly rational world. But it’s also a mode that places significant weight on <a href="http://epublications.marquette.edu/gothic_secrets/">secrets</a> — which, in an era of diminished privacy and ubiquitous surveillance, resonates ever more strongly....<br /><br />... Consider <a href="https://medium.com/@ryan/bots-messaging-and-the-interface-visibility-scale-c77ce56f1401#.i3zag6xk6">the disappearance of the interface</a>. As our devices become smaller and more intuitive, our need to see how they work in order to work them goes away. Buttons have transformed into icons, and icons into gestures. Soon gestures will likely transform into thoughts, with brainwave-triggers and implants quietly automating certain functions in the background of our lives. Once upon a time, we valued big hulking chunks of technology: rockets, cars, huge brushed-steel hi-fis set in ornate wood cabinets, thrumming computers whose output could heat an office, even odd little single-purpose kitchen widgets. Now what we want is to be Beauty in the Beast’s castle: making our wishes known to the household gods, and watching as the “automagic” takes care of us. From Siri to Cortana to Alexa, we are allowing our lives and livelihoods to become haunted by ghosts without shells.<br /><br /><img alt="tumblr_lmx77aY7Lp1qjqqalo1_500" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1933" src="http://madelineashby.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tumblr_lmx77aY7Lp1qjqqalo1_500-300x226.gif" height="226" width="300" /><br />Now, I’m not at all the only person to notice this particular trend (or, more accurately, to read the trend through this particular lens). It’s central to David Rose’s book <a href="http://books.simonandschuster.ca/Enchanted-Objects/David-Rose/9781476725642">Enchanted Objects</a>, which you all should read. This is also why FutureEverything’s <a href="http://www.hauntedmachines.com/">Haunted Machines symposium</a> exists....</blockquote><br />&nbsp;<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">[<span style="font-family: inherit;">you really should <span id="goog_1689490393"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_1689490392">read the whole thing</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="goog_1689490394"></span>]</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">G H O S T&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; S T O R Y&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">7</span></span></span><br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en">avocado's thoughts about ghosts and thoughts about libraries are very intertwingled rn</div>— Avocado (@RealAvocadoFact) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealAvocadoFact/status/703589607821201408">February 27, 2016</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/copystar">@copystar</a> maybe there are things we can leave behind that are even more alive than ghosts and libraries are more like gardens than tombs</div>— Avocado (@RealAvocadoFact) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealAvocadoFact/status/703593168202276864">February 27, 2016</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-83475687804650793342015-11-20T16:15:00.004-05:002015-11-20T16:54:43.275-05:00Why I think faculty and librarians should not host their work on Academic.edu or Researchgate.comThis is an *evergreen* tweet of mine:<br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en">A gentle reminder: <a href="http://t.co/2yC34HE0cU">http://t.co/2yC34HE0cU</a> is a privately owned company funded by venture capital groups that will expect profit from it</div>— Mita Williams (@copystar) <a href="https://twitter.com/copystar/status/609155698249859073">June 12, 2015</a></blockquote><br />When this tweet is re-found and re-tweeted, it's usually followed by people following up with questions or challenging what I said.<br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en">Hm. As opposed to the academic journals from Springer, etc., which are... ? <a href="https://t.co/DdaEOyypZV">https://t.co/DdaEOyypZV</a></div>— Dave Gray (@davegray) <a href="https://twitter.com/davegray/status/666836670948376576">November 18, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/ruebot">@ruebot</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mrgunn">@mrgunn</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/captain_primate">@captain_primate</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/copystar">@copystar</a> isn't Twitter the same? Would I stop tweeting my articles on Twitter? Trying to understand</div>— ℳąhą Bąℓi مها بالي (@Bali_Maha) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bali_Maha/status/666961628357894150">November 18, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <br /><br />So I thought I'd summarize some of the reasons why I think faculty and librarians should not host their academic work on Academic.edu or Researchgate.com.<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Academic.edu is not an educational institution</span></b><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/Bali_Maha">@Bali_Maha</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mrgunn">@mrgunn</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/captain_primate">@captain_primate</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/copystar">@copystar</a> Twitter doesn't have an edu tld.</div>— nick ruest (@ruebot) <a href="https://twitter.com/ruebot/status/666961998106730496">November 18, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> "Academia.edu is not a university or institution for higher learning and so under current standards would not qualify for the EDU top level domain. The domain name "Academia.edu" was registered in 1999, prior to the regulations which required .edu domain names to be held by accredited post-secondary institutions. All .edu domain names registered prior to 2001 were <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.edu#Grandfathered_uses" title=".edu">grandfathered in</a> and not made subject to the regulation of being an accredited post-secondary institution"<i> </i>[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academia.edu#Domain_name">Wikipedia, Academia.edu, November 20th</a>].<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Commercial Repositories use dark-arts user design to encourage the uploading of articles that frequently are not under license of the author</span></b><br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/Bali_Maha">@Bali_Maha</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ruebot">@ruebot</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mrgunn">@mrgunn</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/captain_primate">@captain_primate</a> True, but not in an IR while aca. edu is designed to profit from individual culpability.</div>— Mita Williams (@copystar) <a href="https://twitter.com/copystar/status/666966538541486080">November 18, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <br /><br />Institutional repositories admittedly have some pretty bad user interfaces. But it's understood that some of the unpleasant friction that comes with uploading your research into your university's repository is because your institution will not automatically publish uploaded material without assurances that a publisher's right is not being infringed. Commercial repositories have disclaimers that express that they are also concerned that copyright is not being infringed, but the <i>extreme ease </i>by which a user can re-publish articles formally published elsewhere betrays the strength of this concern.<br /><br />Academia.edu continues to <a href="https://middlesavagery.wordpress.com/2015/05/04/beware-of-academia-edus-new-feature-sessions/">design services so slick that users don't realize that they have triggered them, such as their Sessions feature</a> which they launched and then disabled in May of this year. Also, services like Academia.edu <a href="https://keet.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/google-searches-sneaky-academia-edu-and-data-duplication/">appear to be designed to cannibalize traffic</a> from your official point of publication. <br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Selective enforcement from publishers keep universities from providing similar services that commercial repositories are trying to fill</span></b><br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/mrgunn">@mrgunn</a> while for profit companies like Aca .edu and Mendeley are allowed to grow. This is what I mean by selective enforcement of copyright</div>— Mita Williams (@copystar) <a href="https://twitter.com/copystar/status/667084881617375232">November 18, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <br />We need to resist the narrative that commercial repositories are filling a market need that libraries and universities have refused to pursue. <a href="http://yorkspace.library.yorku.ca/xmlui/handle/10315/2878">We have wanted a more social and inter-connected interface to research for some years now</a>. <br /><br />But when libraries and universities have responsibly hosted published research articles under fair user / fair dealing and have restricted use to classroom participants in Learning Management Systems (such as Blackboard) or library Course Reserve Systems we have been pursued and sued by publishers. In the Canada, <a href="http://boingboing.net/2012/02/20/canadian-universities-sign-bon.html">we have had to deal with Access Copyright</a> and the US,<a href="http://www.educause.edu/focus-areas-and-initiatives/policy-and-security/educause-policy/issues-and-positions/intellectual-property/georgia-state-copy"> libraries have been following The Georgia State Copyright Case</a> with much concern. <br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">In conclusion, this is my new "evergreen tweet" about Academia.edu</span></b><br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/mrgunn">@mrgunn</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/copystar">@copystar</a> for-profits exploiting selective enforcement to free-ride off work funded by non-profits? I'm okay w/calling that "bad".</div>— Nancy Sims (@CopyrightLibn) <a href="https://twitter.com/CopyrightLibn/status/667089364770426881">November 18, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-47900403054290942362015-11-15T09:31:00.000-05:002015-11-15T09:34:36.188-05:00What we've got here is failure to understand Scholarly CommunicationIf you follow conversations about<i> Scholarly Communication</i> (as I do), it is not uncommon to run into the frustrations of librarians and scholars who cannot understand why their peers continue to publish in journals that reside behind expensive paywalls. As someone who very much shares this frustration, I found this quotation particularly illuminating:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">As in Latin, one dominant branch of meaning in "communication" has to do with imparting, quite apart from any notion of a dialog or interactive process. Thus communication can mean partaking, as in being a communicant (partaking in holy communication). Here "communication" suggests belonging to a social body via an expressive act that requires no response or recognition. To communicate by consuming bread and wine is to signify membership in a communion of saints both living and dead, but it is primarily a message-sending activity (except perhaps as a social ritual to please others or as a message to the self or to God). Moreover, here to "communicate" is an act of receiving, not of sending; more precisely, it is to send by receiving. <b>A related sense is the notion of a scholarly "communication" (monograph) or a "communication" as a message or notice. Here is no sense of exchange, through some sort of audience, however vague or dispersed, is implied. <br /><br />&nbsp;</b><i>- </i><i><a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=Zb5uAAAAQBAJ&amp;lpg=PA7&amp;ots=oUFmk9ueQ3&amp;dq=A%20related%20sense%20is%20the%20notion%20of%20a%20scholarly%20%22communication%22%20(monograph)%20or%20a%20%22communication%22%20as%20a%20message%20or%20notice.%20Here%20is%20no%20sense%20of%20exchange%2C%20through%20some%20sort%20of%20audience%2C%20however%20vague%20or%20dispersed&amp;pg=PA7#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">"Speaking into the air", John Durham Peters, p.7</a></i></blockquote>Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-75934565190265195082015-11-04T18:07:00.001-05:002015-11-16T21:55:51.163-05:00The City As Classroom<hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zat9NnsIgW4/VjiVeJjbHKI/AAAAAAAAUkE/CZ3yxW437N0/s1600/Slide1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zat9NnsIgW4/VjiVeJjbHKI/AAAAAAAAUkE/CZ3yxW437N0/s320/Slide1.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />On Wednesday morning, I had the pleasure to the give the opening keynote to the <a href="http://wla.wisconsinlibraries.org/events-conferences/annual-conference/wla-conference-home">Wisconsin Library Association Annual Conference</a>. <br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qfY7Ig2PNvY/VjiVjBKIxbI/AAAAAAAAUlM/7pEfex5a2uQ/s1600/Slide2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qfY7Ig2PNvY/VjiVjBKIxbI/AAAAAAAAUlM/7pEfex5a2uQ/s320/Slide2.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />My name is Mita Williams and for the last 16 years or so, I've been working at the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario. If you don't know where that is, Windsor sits just across the river from the city of Detroit as you can see from this map. Some years ago, I played a game that challenged the player to 'map their life' for points. On screen is a map of my life circa 2008.<br /><br />In 2014 I had the privilege and the pleasure to have a year's sabbatical from work. During that time, I read, and wrote and volunteered and otherwise explored a variety of themes and I am grateful for this opportunity this morning to share with you some of what I learned that year and how it might fit into a context of librarianship and more importantly, into our communities. <br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-siPRdsdp2uo/VjiVpQI4qQI/AAAAAAAAUmo/lfyvXALCLks/s1600/Slide3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-siPRdsdp2uo/VjiVpQI4qQI/AAAAAAAAUmo/lfyvXALCLks/s320/Slide3.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The title of my talk is taken from the book pictured behind me: Marshall McLuhan's <i>City as Classroom</i>. It was published in 1977 and was the last book of his career. <br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e0MRS9PaMJI/VjiVvhxUuII/AAAAAAAAUn8/RxHCUxwDMzE/s1600/Slide4.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e0MRS9PaMJI/VjiVvhxUuII/AAAAAAAAUn8/RxHCUxwDMzE/s320/Slide4.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Please be aware that I am not a media ecologist. I have a degree in Geography and Environmental Science and I have never taken a single course from Communication studies. But I can say that I have read several of Marshall McLuhan’s works and have read this biography about the media theorist by Douglas Coupland of <i>Generation X</i> fame. I highly recommend it if you too need help trying to understand how a frumpy Canadian professor of renaissance rhetoric turned into a media celebrity for his scholarship.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YwpsKfQWHLg/VjiV30-2jsI/AAAAAAAAUpU/1C07RF5fXA0/s1600/Slide5.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YwpsKfQWHLg/VjiV30-2jsI/AAAAAAAAUpU/1C07RF5fXA0/s320/Slide5.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I'm interested in McLuhan's work for a number of reasons. The largest reason is that I am, like so many of us, constantly trying to make sense of what it means to be a digital citizen of the global village and it was McLuhan who warned us that electronic media would change everything around us and about us long before most.<br /><br />McLuhan also briefly lived in Windsor Ontario when he taught at the precursor of the University I work at now. In fact, <a href="http://islandmag.com/collections/frontpage/products/140">the photo on screen is evidently taken from McLuhan’s time at Windsor's Assumption University</a>.<br /><br />And if your eye-sight is super sharp, you might see that underneath the words, <i>Marshall McLuhan</i> on that magazine cover are everyone's favourite words '<i>The Future of the Library</i>.’<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k7xATls5z5E/VjiV72_5ZHI/AAAAAAAAUqc/e-wEeyhee_Y/s1600/Slide6.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k7xATls5z5E/VjiV72_5ZHI/AAAAAAAAUqc/e-wEeyhee_Y/s320/Slide6.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />According to the work 'McLuhan in Space: A Cultural Geography', as far back as 1957, Marshall McLuhan said he believed that because the electronic information explosion was just so massive and so powerful, most learning happens outside of the classroom. <i>The City as Classroom</i> follows up on this theme. It's a fascinating book and was written for an audience of high-school students.<br /><br />That being said, I have to confess, every time I pick up the book, I'm actually a little disappointed because this book does not contain the answers I'm looking for. No, the book is true to its pedagogical praxis and is largely filled with questions and difficult questions, at that.<br /><br />This is from the first page of the book: <br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Is school supposed to be a place of work? Is the work done by the students, or the staff, or both? Look up the root meaning of the word school (schola &lt;&nbsp; Greek <span lang="grc">σχολή</span> ). When you are at school are you separated from the community? If so, are you separated physically or in other ways?</blockquote><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u7IwPtE_hWI/VjiV71viTZI/AAAAAAAAUqY/iPnUSS3MKn8/s1600/Slide7.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u7IwPtE_hWI/VjiV71viTZI/AAAAAAAAUqY/iPnUSS3MKn8/s320/Slide7.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />And that is a good question to ask one's self when at school. It's also a good question to ask about the work that we do.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-33JmVMGpDb8/VjiV8YQYvrI/AAAAAAAAUqg/cttBPKNG8JE/s1600/Slide8.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-33JmVMGpDb8/VjiV8YQYvrI/AAAAAAAAUqg/cttBPKNG8JE/s320/Slide8.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />But for my talk today, I'm not answer that question directly. Instead, I'm going to explore the territory that might lead us to the answer to that question.<br /><br />During this talk, we are going to explore how we might embed the:<br /><ol><li>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; library / librarian in the community</li><li>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; collection in the community</li><li>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; community into space/time</li></ol><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YMtb3hLG7Ws/VjiV8ycEpNI/AAAAAAAAUqs/-35yV2Z6O78/s1600/Slide9.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YMtb3hLG7Ws/VjiV8ycEpNI/AAAAAAAAUqs/-35yV2Z6O78/s320/Slide9.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />So let’s begin:&nbsp; How do we embed the library/librarian in the community?<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yhQqOJ_DeLw/VjiVejFrvNI/AAAAAAAAUkI/frFIL8_cUvc/s1600/Slide10.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yhQqOJ_DeLw/VjiVejFrvNI/AAAAAAAAUkI/frFIL8_cUvc/s320/Slide10.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />For most of our existence, the obvious answer to the question, "How can a library system can increase its presence in a community?" has been the establishment of a branch library. It's important to remember while there are people who prefer the larger, grander spaces of the Central Branch and its greater choice of materials, for others, a library branch within walking distance is their ideal.<br /><br />But the obvious answer of more library branches isn't so obvious anymore. In my own community, my public library is facing a budgetary shortfall and so recently the city council proposed that some library branches be closed including the branch in the poorest neighbourhood of the city. When there was an outcry about this loss of service, the city suggested that the neighbourhood be served by a bookmobile instead.&nbsp; This begs the question, is the bookmobile an equivalent to a branch library?&nbsp; And if it’s not, why isn’t it?<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1gLm70Ptw24/VjiVegzSOAI/AAAAAAAAUkM/570IdvqGtqo/s1600/Slide11.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1gLm70Ptw24/VjiVegzSOAI/AAAAAAAAUkM/570IdvqGtqo/s320/Slide11.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />There is some urgency to this question.<br /><br />Despite the evidence that libraries are very well used, many communities are cutting back on the budgets of their library systems and thus cutting back on the hours and branches of their libraries. <a href="https://placesjournal.org/article/marginalia-little-libraries-in-the-urban-margins/">And interestingly, while *public* library branches were scaling back or even closing,&nbsp; *People's Libraries* - such as those in the temporary autonomous zones of the many Occupy camps sprung up</a>, as well as a variety of other civic and urban interventions such as the <a href="http://www.branchlibrary.org/">Branch project in Brooklyn</a>. <br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DgJcxZTB1eM/VjiVf9qTynI/AAAAAAAAUkc/CUOU_quEY-A/s1600/Slide12.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DgJcxZTB1eM/VjiVf9qTynI/AAAAAAAAUkc/CUOU_quEY-A/s320/Slide12.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />And as we are all aware, Little Free Libraries have also proliferated thanks to our well-intentioned neighbours in our community. There are two such Little Free Libraries within three blocks of where I live. I sometimes peek inside if I have the time to be curious, but I never visit a Little Free Library when I want to read a new book, and I think that’s the key to the experience.&nbsp; Now I don’t think the people who have a Little Free Library want to replace libraries. If anything, they want to celebrate reading and to contribute to the neighbourhood’s 'gift economy' and as such these libraries don't upset me much.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jFOJ8bYO1WM/VjiVgTXqcXI/AAAAAAAAUkg/Ii_L3JftS0k/s1600/Slide13.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jFOJ8bYO1WM/VjiVgTXqcXI/AAAAAAAAUkg/Ii_L3JftS0k/s320/Slide13.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />But when I learn about projects such as <a href="http://www.mhpbooks.com/jetblues-book-vending-machines/">the JetBlue Book vending machine project</a> - a project designed to distribute free books to the children the in 'book deserts' of Washington DC - well, that's when start feeling nervous about 'free book projects.'<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D9gKSuwcLBo/VjiVgcdBgDI/AAAAAAAAUkk/MqIotPypJMU/s1600/Slide14.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D9gKSuwcLBo/VjiVgcdBgDI/AAAAAAAAUkk/MqIotPypJMU/s320/Slide14.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Indeed, it is worth considering the natural extension of this particular kind of service as The Pioneer Library System in Norman, Oklahoma has done. <a href="http://www.envisionware.com/alphabytes_v2n7_pioneer-library-open-24x7">This branch library is essentially a self-contained vending machine that features books, DVDs, audiobooks and even acts as a WiFi hotspot.</a> And earlier this year they've added functionality for users to transfer ebook holdings from Overdrive to their personal devices.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qzidKqh-zYs/VjiVg1s3WSI/AAAAAAAAUkw/_zHJzcKFe8U/s1600/Slide15.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qzidKqh-zYs/VjiVg1s3WSI/AAAAAAAAUkw/_zHJzcKFe8U/s320/Slide15.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />But there have also been responses from libraries on the services end of the spectrum of the work we do. <a href="http://evancedsolutions.com/popularizing-pop-up-libraries/">There are libraries and librarians taking a page out of the urban tactics playbook and going to where the people are by having a regular or a temporary presence at festivals, farmers markets and the like</a>. And by presence I mean, specifically the presence of library staff.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XMDwd3DomPE/VjiVhgfHSgI/AAAAAAAAUk4/blAPuEWb0Cc/s1600/Slide16.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XMDwd3DomPE/VjiVhgfHSgI/AAAAAAAAUk4/blAPuEWb0Cc/s320/Slide16.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />And libraries such as the Cleveland Public Library have gone further with the pop-up library model through their<a href="http://www.libraryasincubatorproject.org/?tag=literary-lots"> Literary Lots program</a>, a program that "brings books to life" by transforming vacant lots in Cleveland into temporary educational spots for children.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fmx08Jlr4mE/VjpiC9JXJLI/AAAAAAAAUvU/fbsyA2slR4U/s1600/The%2BCity%2BAs%2BClassroom.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fmx08Jlr4mE/VjpiC9JXJLI/AAAAAAAAUvU/fbsyA2slR4U/s320/The%2BCity%2BAs%2BClassroom.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dfhNC7Sx_GA/VjiViQklRrI/AAAAAAAAUlA/VfZQ_5Q1a5I/s1600/Slide18.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br />One of the public library programs that I've been tracking is something called the <i>How to Festival</i>. These festivals are sometimes small in scale while other times they are really quite ambitious <a href="http://www.lfpl.org/how-to/">like the festival pictured here: 50 things in 5 hours.</a><br /><br />What particularly attracts me to the "How to festival" model is that it is designed to involve many non-profit groups and even business partners in order to pull off the breadth and the scale of the event, and in doing so, it celebrates and shares the knowledge that is embodied in the community and found in the residents themselves.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dfhNC7Sx_GA/VjiViQklRrI/AAAAAAAAUlA/VfZQ_5Q1a5I/s1600/Slide18.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dfhNC7Sx_GA/VjiViQklRrI/AAAAAAAAUlA/VfZQ_5Q1a5I/s320/Slide18.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Now, could libraries extend and embed these 'How to festivals' into the community in a more persistent model? And if you could embed single 'how to' sessions, could you then build on them to create a curriculum?&nbsp; One possible model that tries to do this very thing that I've discovered and have been trying to learn more about is the <a href="http://citiesoflearning.org/">Cities of Learning</a> project. The City of Learning project - from my understanding - involves or has involved Dallas, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Columbus, Washington DC, and Chicago.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J1G4JtKPejM/VjiVih2KqAI/AAAAAAAAUlE/C3ridhbASnU/s1600/Slide19.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J1G4JtKPejM/VjiVih2KqAI/AAAAAAAAUlE/C3ridhbASnU/s320/Slide19.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />The Cities of Learning project emerged from the Chicago based <a href="https://chicagocityoflearning.org/">City of Learning</a> project, which itself grew out of the city’s <a href="https://www.chicagosummeroflearning.org/">2013 Chicago Summer of Learning</a>. In that particular project, more than 100 youth-serving organizations including the Chicago Public Libraries and Mozilla joined together to make a single program that allowed the youth of Chicago to earn digital badges as recognition of the achievements of fulfilling specific creative and volunteer activities. <br /><br />This project is also the result of the support of the <a href="http://clalliance.org/">Connected Learning Alliance</a>, which is in turn supported by the McArthur Foundation.&nbsp; I mention this because it’s important to know that the creative and activity based programming is not an accident but is at the heart of its design.<br />Unfortunately, I don't know that much more about the Cities of Learning program. I don't know how successful the program is or whether it achieves <a href="http://10mbetterfutures.org/">the ambitious goals it sets for itself</a>. I will tell you that I love the idea of connecting volunteer and creative activities in a thoughtful way that brings youth to libraries, museums, galleries, and community organizations. That being said, when I see badges sponsored by Best Buy it does give me reason to pause. And perhaps that's unfair of me as businesses and large corporations are part of all of communities.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TJ6LsMiu2ts/VjiVj4OayEI/AAAAAAAAUlY/WDgrAG_XY2Y/s1600/Slide20.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TJ6LsMiu2ts/VjiVj4OayEI/AAAAAAAAUlY/WDgrAG_XY2Y/s320/Slide20.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I'm also curious is whether the youth involved are motivated by intrinsic or extrinsic motivations and how the badge structure helps in bridging the gaps between the two. I do believe that it is possible to create a structure that involves points and badges in a way that encourages participation and creativity without actually having to mean anything. And that's because I've played a game that is not dissimilar to Cities of Learning. <a href="http://sf0.org/">It's called SF0.</a><br /><br />SF0 was originally designed to be a game to be played in the city of San Francisco but really the game can be played anywhere. <br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"SFZero is a Collaborative Production Game. Players build characters by completing tasks for their groups and increasing their Score. The goals of play include meeting new people, exploring the city, and participating in non-consumer leisure activities" </blockquote><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVIfXj5FQRU/VjiVk4u-hiI/AAAAAAAAUlo/pzZdvBxorhU/s1600/Slide21.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVIfXj5FQRU/VjiVk4u-hiI/AAAAAAAAUlo/pzZdvBxorhU/s320/Slide21.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The map on my first slide of my talk was my entry for the task '<a href="http://sf0.org/copystar/taskDetail/?id=3876">Map your life</a>'. <a href="http://sf0.org/copystar/Leave-Clues/">This is my entry for the task, 'Leave clues'</a>.&nbsp; If you complete a task, do get a certain amount of points. But if you go above and beyond mere completion of the task and you delight other players with your entry, they can assign you additional points. The points, of course, don't mean anything and there are no winners in the game and the game never ends. You just keep playing and exploring.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dBQOJO52Xu8/VjiVkh39TZI/AAAAAAAAUlg/yIPWlCAAkUk/s1600/Slide22.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dBQOJO52Xu8/VjiVkh39TZI/AAAAAAAAUlg/yIPWlCAAkUk/s320/Slide22.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />At this point, I'd like to move to part two: exploring how we may embed our collections into our community.<br /><br />And to do so, let's continue our journey from the city as classroom to the city as playground. <br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B3NyyeWMkPE/VjiVlom3TSI/AAAAAAAAUlw/mWWjej6x-AE/s1600/Slide23.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B3NyyeWMkPE/VjiVlom3TSI/AAAAAAAAUlw/mWWjej6x-AE/s320/Slide23.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />This is a screen from the massively multiplayer 'augmented reality game' called <a href="https://www.ingress.com/">Ingress</a>. Ingress is a territory capturing game between two sides - the Enlightened and the Resistance - who battle over 'portals' which are only visible from your smart phone. In the real world, the portals are usually sculptures, landmarks, or historical monuments. The screen behind me shows the sculpture garden along the Riverside park that hugs the Detroit river, with the blue team (the Resistance) establishing lots of captured territory south of the river and team green (the Enlightened faction) dominating downtown Detroit.<br /><br />I have lots of friends who love Ingress and love how it draws them outside and encourages them to explore new places in search of portals and they have even found comradery through Ingress. For me, <a href="http://www.threepanelsoul.com/comic/egress">I found none of those things</a> and I think the game is terribly boring (Ingress fans: fight me).<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DLjBvQo8Hg0/VjiVmZskbaI/AAAAAAAAUl4/j7wgSMwqGos/s1600/Slide24.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DLjBvQo8Hg0/VjiVmZskbaI/AAAAAAAAUl4/j7wgSMwqGos/s320/Slide24.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Mobile devices have long passed the time of being ubiquitous and yet there are still very few games like Ingress. And that's probably for a number of reasons. For one, it's very expensive to run a game that uses the real world as a game board and that's because the real world is big and there generally needs to be some human intervention in its game-layer construction (Ingress was possible because it was bankrolled by Google - <a href="https://pando.com/2012/11/19/googles-ingress-is-more-than-a-game-its-a-potential-data-exploitation-disaster/">perhaps because it's really a mapping and data collection project?</a>).<br /><br />Also, in order to play the game in the real world, players need to not only have a smart phone, they need one with a generous data plan. Furthermore, because the phone must routinely use GPS for location, the game is a battery vampire. Its battery draw is so considerable, <a href="http://www.cheero.net/usa/lp/ingress/">there is a co-branded Ingress portable battery that is for sale.</a><br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5o32FU425Iw/VjiVmna8nmI/AAAAAAAAUl8/_SL-9r63vu0/s1600/Slide25.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5o32FU425Iw/VjiVmna8nmI/AAAAAAAAUl8/_SL-9r63vu0/s320/Slide25.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />While Ingress does not thrill me, the latest game yet to be released from Niantic Labs really and truely does. It is another augmented reality game and it's funded by Nintendo and it is called <a href="http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-video-games/pokemon-go/">Pokémon Go</a>. According to the promotional videos, the game will allow players to capture Pokémon 'in the wild' and to battle other players. Now you have to understand where I'm coming from - I spend about 3 hours a week at the local game store so my kids can play competitive Pokémon with others in the city and I have a fondness for the game and that particular gaming community.<br /><br />And so, of all the electronic wearables that we've hyped for- Apple watches, Google glass - the one that I'm probably most likely to buy is this one. This wearable means that you can be notified when you are near such a Pokémon without having to be looking at your cell phone. It's also an adorable hybrid of a Google map's location pin and a Pokeball. You gotta catch them all!<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-renhsvBg_bc/VjiVnRYhTMI/AAAAAAAAUmE/I5OgnTrzj14/s1600/Slide26.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-renhsvBg_bc/VjiVnRYhTMI/AAAAAAAAUmE/I5OgnTrzj14/s320/Slide26.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Now while my kids are obsessed with collecting Pokémon cards, my mother has an altogether different obsession. When she travels, she is likely to carry this book. It’s her bible. And she has a lifelist of all the unique birds she's seen. Yes, my mother is a bird watcher, or as she tends to call herself, a birder.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uslMTjq-blc/VjiVn6bPIAI/AAAAAAAAUmQ/2-eKxq1zhKM/s1600/Slide27.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uslMTjq-blc/VjiVn6bPIAI/AAAAAAAAUmQ/2-eKxq1zhKM/s320/Slide27.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />When it comes to birding, I've seen firsthand how new services build around mobiles devices have augmented the book and I'm going to say it - has made printed field guide obsolete. Most comprehensive birding books are heavy and bulky to carry whereas you can carry a birding app on your phone. These birding apps allow for a multitude of images for each species, as well as maps that express normal habitat and migration routes, and also feature sound recordings of bird song which is crucial tool for bird identification. But the feature that makes making current birding apps a bird of another feather is what is known as 'ebird integration.'&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sRePC5uQMsQ/VjiVocyL5sI/AAAAAAAAUmY/KYW_VX7gZvE/s1600/Slide28.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sRePC5uQMsQ/VjiVocyL5sI/AAAAAAAAUmY/KYW_VX7gZvE/s320/Slide28.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://ebird.org/content/ebird/">eBird </a>is a free online program that allows birders to report and share their birding observations with their friends and their friends at the Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This capturing and sharing of time-stamped and geotagged sightings provides a multitude of new services and benefits to both scientists and birders. Most profoundly ebird - unlike any print book - can help you find birds that have been recently spotted in the wild. <i>ebird changes the way you bird.</i><br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AY3neExkNfc/VjiVoz3eR2I/AAAAAAAAUmc/AZzijW8HpAA/s1600/Slide29.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AY3neExkNfc/VjiVoz3eR2I/AAAAAAAAUmc/AZzijW8HpAA/s320/Slide29.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />This ability to link the real world with the digital is still unfolding around us. There's much talk about the internet of things but those explorations tend to focus on goods within our homes like thermostats, lamps and garage doors.&nbsp; That being said, there are some interesting explorations that show that, just like ebird, the virtual/real connection holds a potential to completely reframe our relationships to the world. In my hometown, there are a group of citizens who have advocating that the city government to make the live, GPS clocked locations of the city buses available to the public <a href="http://hampelm.github.io/bus-map/">as they do in many other cities such as Detroit.&nbsp;&nbsp;</a><br /><br />Things change fundamentally when you no longer think of where an object should be and you start thinking about where an object *is.* Just think about being at a bus stop with no bus in sight even after five minutes the scheduled stop. Wouldn’t you like to know where your bus is?<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mfgKBXsPlzU/VjiVpq24EMI/AAAAAAAAUmw/i9uKQOLR_2I/s1600/Slide30.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mfgKBXsPlzU/VjiVpq24EMI/AAAAAAAAUmw/i9uKQOLR_2I/s320/Slide30.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />In order to embed our collections into our communities, we need to explore how we can link the real world with the digital. QR codes, for all the derision that they still attract, have not yet been replaced with anything else that does the job better. Or I should rephrase that - there are better ways of embedding information into spaces but these haven't been widely adopted yet. <a href="http://ruk.ca/content/what-exactly-pirate-box">For example, Peter Rukavena, the hacker in residence of the University of Prince Edward Island has embedded a little digital library locally by installing a Piratebox on a street lamp in Charlottetown.</a> The Piratebox provides historical digital objects from the university library's Islandora collection as well as&nbsp; Creative Commons licensed material. <br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dOFSdQlc5lo/VjiVrAyD6KI/AAAAAAAAUm8/h_-I6KPc65E/s1600/Slide31.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dOFSdQlc5lo/VjiVrAyD6KI/AAAAAAAAUm8/h_-I6KPc65E/s320/Slide31.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The challenge of course, is that you have to be aware that there is a Piratebox (or Librarybox) in the neighbourhood in order for you to find and connect to it. It's as if we can't escape the historical plaque as a means to provide context to the outside world<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJUtauKnPlE/VjiVrN_Y7EI/AAAAAAAAUnA/TqtSGz6Lo8U/s1600/Slide32.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJUtauKnPlE/VjiVrN_Y7EI/AAAAAAAAUnA/TqtSGz6Lo8U/s320/Slide32.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />That being said there is a technological space where there is massive potential for augmenting the real world with supplemental information and that is already being expressed with the surprisingly little discussed product <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.unveil&amp;hl=en">Google Goggles</a>. If you have an Android phone and you install and activate this app, Google Goggles will run an image search on every picture you take. It has an uncanny ability to discern and identify objects from features in the landscape. It can also identify books from their cover, it can give you consumer information from barcodes, and can even provide language translation from non-English scripts.<br /><br />Now, this being a Google product, it is impossible to know whether Google Goggles in a crucial component of how the company envisions the future of search or whether the service will be discontinued tomorrow.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zim4aUIwcCY/VjiVr9UOVZI/AAAAAAAAUnE/SzlIC6S_adg/s1600/Slide33.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zim4aUIwcCY/VjiVr9UOVZI/AAAAAAAAUnE/SzlIC6S_adg/s320/Slide33.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I'm going to return to Google shortly but before I do, I think it's also important to point out another contender that our users also tend to turn instinctively to in order find more information about the things&nbsp; they don't know much about and that's Wikipedia. If you've been following the work of the organization, you know that Wikipedia has been investing in the retooling of their site so that it works well in a mobile environment. In fact, you can <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.wikipedia&amp;hl=en">download the Wikipedia app</a> now and use it to discover Wikipedia entries that are nearby -- at least the ones that are nearby that have been appropriately geocoded with longitude and latitude coordinates.<br /><br />So we have two potential services that can help us find more information about the world immediately around us: one through Google and one through Wikipedia. One is a completely closed system driven by advertising. The other is committed to being ad-free, user generated and user supported.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8YkJ-P46X_A/VjiVsLy8OAI/AAAAAAAAUnM/ekjjSVXmLo4/s1600/Slide34.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8YkJ-P46X_A/VjiVsLy8OAI/AAAAAAAAUnM/ekjjSVXmLo4/s320/Slide34.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />But use of Wikipedia as a means to express community information to the community is not entirely problem free. The largest problem is that the fact that simply being and existing is not enough for having a presence in Wikipedia - entries must past the muster of 'notability' to the editors of Wikipedia.&nbsp; <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2007/sep/30/entertainment/ca-webscout30">Even if you are Jimmy Wales and you write a stub of an article about a butcher/restaurant you've visited, you are going to have an editor questioning the presence of that entry in the site and deleting your page due to a lack of notability. </a><br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KlMzLh2Ss4Q/VjiVsZFkG-I/AAAAAAAAUnQ/N64rviXhhZs/s1600/Slide35.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KlMzLh2Ss4Q/VjiVsZFkG-I/AAAAAAAAUnQ/N64rviXhhZs/s320/Slide35.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />There are many struggles that are inherent within Wikipedia and the one that I find is particularly interesting is the ongoing battle between of the <i>Inclusionist </i>and the <i>Deletionist </i>factions of the editor core. The issue of notability is particularly problematic because it means that Wikipedia - if it's not mindful - can end up perpetuating systems that already tend not to extend notability to groups such as women.<br /><br />Wikipedia is also biased towards media vs reality. Every single episode of any cartoon is going to be considered to be notable enough for inclusion. It's for this reason why there are so many more porn stars in Wikipedia as compared to female scientists. <br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7g4e493zNFQ/VjiVtPA59iI/AAAAAAAAUnk/IioNg1Ulu8M/s1600/Slide36.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7g4e493zNFQ/VjiVtPA59iI/AAAAAAAAUnk/IioNg1Ulu8M/s320/Slide36.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />It is essential that we extend this similar type of scrutiny to Google especially as Google Maps informs so much of our understanding of the world around us. It is important to foster a mindfulness towards what is found in Google maps and more importantly, a consideration of what is missing.<br /><br />If you've ever traveled with small and restless children, you may have done what I have done and try to search for a nearby playground when traveling. And perhaps it is only then when you realize that public playgrounds are features that are generally not expressed in Google maps unless they are businesses. <br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2ZMLuzm8QaI/VjiVtNeLQvI/AAAAAAAAUng/C_381_wvEnw/s1600/Slide37.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2ZMLuzm8QaI/VjiVtNeLQvI/AAAAAAAAUng/C_381_wvEnw/s320/Slide37.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />It is not generally understood that Google maps are fundamentally different from what we generally think of as maps, which are objective representations of space. But the Google map that I see is going to be different from the map that you see depending on what google knows about my searching habits, and perhaps even my habits to where I like to go out to eat.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LDwAunoj6Zw/VjiVumY4eWI/AAAAAAAAUn0/9KWP2gjyy-8/s1600/Slide38.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LDwAunoj6Zw/VjiVumY4eWI/AAAAAAAAUn0/9KWP2gjyy-8/s320/Slide38.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />We tend to think of maps as representations of real and definite things and maps in general are not particular strong in presenting uncertainty. <a href="http://opennews.kzhu.io/map-disputes/?_ga=1.48243875.420098949.1397702661">Whenever national territory is contested, Google makes it a policy to appease both sides by showing you the map that you would most likely want to see</a><br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YVl9YB71juc/VjiVvC7D1xI/AAAAAAAAUn4/zBKOlge3JUQ/s1600/Slide39.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YVl9YB71juc/VjiVvC7D1xI/AAAAAAAAUn4/zBKOlge3JUQ/s320/Slide39.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://gizmodo.com/why-people-keep-trying-to-erase-the-hollywood-sign-from-1658084644">This is a story in which a journalist discovers</a> that a particularly affluent neighbourhood in Hollywood that was frustrated by all the tourists coming through their hood as a way to approach the famous Hollywood sign managed to weigh enough of an influence that the directions in Google Maps now tell tourists to walk an hour and a half away so you can see the sign at a distance from the Griffith Observatory, instead of using the trails in the nearby park as a means to see it up close.<br /><br />It's as if you can control the map, you can control the territory<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H5pe5hrW5-4/VjiVxBPQfdI/AAAAAAAAUoM/8ra3aaK0Ekg/s1600/Slide40.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H5pe5hrW5-4/VjiVxBPQfdI/AAAAAAAAUoM/8ra3aaK0Ekg/s320/Slide40.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I don't have many stories like the one of the Hollywood sign but it is enough to give pause, especially as we consider that it wasn't long ago when the express mission of Google was to have all us all wearing Google Glass so that their directional and location information would be served to us directly into our vision.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JrzErBtDCQI/VjiVxXfm74I/AAAAAAAAUoQ/l8eJhFg-GmY/s1600/Slide41.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JrzErBtDCQI/VjiVxXfm74I/AAAAAAAAUoQ/l8eJhFg-GmY/s320/Slide41.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Another consideration to keep in mind is that we are judged not only by who we are but where we are from - this is a particularly click-baity headline <a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/asians-nearly-twice-as-likely-to-get-higher-price-from-princeton-review">but the story behind it is still an interesting one: some companies price their products depending on what demographic information your zip code betrays about you.</a><br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AoyZ8ec1-Q8/VjiVyGymtyI/AAAAAAAAUoY/hQV8H99pJbs/s1600/Slide42.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AoyZ8ec1-Q8/VjiVyGymtyI/AAAAAAAAUoY/hQV8H99pJbs/s320/Slide42.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/37/18/all-google-maps-neighborhoods-2014-04-25-bk_37_18.html">What happens when Google gets to decide what you call your neighbourhood</a>? What happens when the real estate industry has a vested interest in extending the boundaries of neighbourhoods that are gentrifying at the expense of your own.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-elk30XMv260/VjiVyw0-xOI/AAAAAAAAUog/GMv8m8n8yjY/s1600/Slide43.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-elk30XMv260/VjiVyw0-xOI/AAAAAAAAUog/GMv8m8n8yjY/s320/Slide43.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Even though we all now know that we live in the age of BIG DATA, we really don't know how high the stakes are and it might be many years before we realize how the maps of today shape the territories of tomorrow.<br /><br />We must not forget that from the 1930s to the 1960s, African Americans were effectively cut out of the legitimate mortgage market due to a banking practice called red lining.&nbsp; Redlining is named after the practice of outlining on a map in red where a good or service would not be extended to a neighbourhood based on the people who lived there.<a href="http://www.citylab.com/housing/2015/03/mapping-the-lasting-effects-of-redlining/388333/"> As you can see, the redlining maps made by banks in Detroit show a pattern that is eerily similar to the maps on the right, of present day poverty levels in the city</a>. It makes one pause to consider what algorithms of today will have also have generational effects.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MLUMy5B3LXs/VjiVzaCF0vI/AAAAAAAAUoo/ukN9zsCqWJo/s1600/Slide44.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MLUMy5B3LXs/VjiVzaCF0vI/AAAAAAAAUoo/ukN9zsCqWJo/s320/Slide44.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I remember one particular lecture during my undergraduate degree when my professor introduced our class to the idea that while we can occupy the same places, we - men and women of various ages and backgrounds and orientations - all experience these spaces differently and so they shouldn't be considered as equivalent.<br /><br />That statement is, in one way, completely obvious and self-evident. But this observation can still be a complete revelation to people who may be less aware how others in positions of various vulnerabilities move through space in a way in order to minimize aggravation or harm to their person.<br /><br />Behind me on the screen is an image of the <a href="http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/green-book-helped-keep-african-americans-safe-on-the-road/">Negro Traveller's Green Book which was a travel guide for African Americans during the time of the 1930s to the 1960s to help them specifically navigate their own country.</a><br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b4gERDUAd8U/VjiV0D5IIlI/AAAAAAAAUo0/3Yg6u28dAwE/s1600/Slide45.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b4gERDUAd8U/VjiV0D5IIlI/AAAAAAAAUo0/3Yg6u28dAwE/s320/Slide45.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />We all navigate the world differently depending on who we are. Are we in a wheelchair? Are we vegetarian?&nbsp; Do we need a private place to pray during the day? Are we a dad who needs a bathroom with a changing table? Are we frequently mistaken for another gender? Are we a mother who wants to nurse her child in a private space that’s not a bathroom? Are we homeless and in need of a place to clean up?<br /><br />For all our apps on devices, every city still needs some exploration to give up its secrets or a community to let you in on them. <br /><br />How can the library help our communities make their place their own?<br /><br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CaACBF3zBQk/VjiV0HllwWI/AAAAAAAAUow/hrjlq2lNFiQ/s1600/Slide46.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CaACBF3zBQk/VjiV0HllwWI/AAAAAAAAUow/hrjlq2lNFiQ/s320/Slide46.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Last section! Let's explore space/time.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_UL27JowSw8/VjiV15k5wzI/AAAAAAAAUpE/GPH38-G4CR4/s1600/Slide47.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_UL27JowSw8/VjiV15k5wzI/AAAAAAAAUpE/GPH38-G4CR4/s320/Slide47.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />There was a time - not that long ago, in which many a library reference desk would have its own set of reference sources. <a href="http://bklynlibrary.tumblr.com/post/131286447110/did-you-know-brooklyn-has-a-motto-and-an-official">Sometimes these would be collections of facts captured on reference cards as pictured behind me,</a> or sometimes they were developed into what we called The Vertical File.&nbsp; Sometimes these collections were for library staff; sometimes we made them readily available for the public.&nbsp; Many times, these collections were deeply local and the reason why they were maintained by the library was that no one was doing this work and this was work served the community's information needs.<br /><br />One of the things that I find so completely and utterly perplexing about librarianship is that we have seemed to give up this practice.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gvhjdvQCMPQ/VjiV29dG6vI/AAAAAAAAUpM/99tgZ_bVnnI/s1600/Slide48.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gvhjdvQCMPQ/VjiV29dG6vI/AAAAAAAAUpM/99tgZ_bVnnI/s320/Slide48.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />One of the projects that I wish more libraries would consider supporting is the <a href="https://localwiki.org/">LocalWiki </a>project.&nbsp; Like Wikipedia, the wiki is a grassroots effort to collect, share and open the world’s knowledge. But unlike Wikipedia, LocalWiki's goal to capture a place's local knowledge to anyone be able to learn about where they live — their local government, the history of their neighborhoods, the schools, the social services such as food banks— every facet of life in their community. If you are interested, please note that the Ann Arbor District Library has had some involvement in the work with the <a href="https://localwiki.org/ann-arbor/">Ann Arbor Localwiki project.</a><br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-an5pMNow3Es/VjiV3UzwP5I/AAAAAAAAUpQ/iTYaYjvGuUY/s1600/Slide49.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-an5pMNow3Es/VjiV3UzwP5I/AAAAAAAAUpQ/iTYaYjvGuUY/s320/Slide49.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />There are, of course, many alternatives to capturing local knowledge. Several slides back, I featured the <a href="http://wheelmap.org/en/">Wheelmap </a>website which seeks to capture and share places with wheelchair accessibility. One of the reasons why I chose to showcase that particular project is that the information that is shared on Wheelmap also gets add to <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=5/51.500/-0.100">OpenStreetMap </a>for other organizations to download and reuse and add to their own maps.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d0d_DiV0EFQ/VjiV4vN4V-I/AAAAAAAAUpg/46iY4m3UhHg/s1600/Slide50.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d0d_DiV0EFQ/VjiV4vN4V-I/AAAAAAAAUpg/46iY4m3UhHg/s320/Slide50.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=5/51.500/-0.100">OpenStreetMap </a>is a little known that is essentially, a Wikipedia for maps.&nbsp; I understand that the notion of a map that anyone can change is fundamentally unsettling to many people, but if you use apps such as Foursquare, Pinterst, Github, you've already seen and used OSM.&nbsp; If you would like to learn more about OpenStreetMap and/or Web Mapping, allow me to plug this <a href="http://www.ala.org/lita/learning/online/redrawingmap">three part webinar series from ALA by Celcily Walker and myself called Re-Drawing the Map</a>. <br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JIcmWdnnIFw/VjiV5HPqvTI/AAAAAAAAUpo/SVr9eEk9Jl4/s1600/Slide51.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JIcmWdnnIFw/VjiV5HPqvTI/AAAAAAAAUpo/SVr9eEk9Jl4/s320/Slide51.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I believe in everyone in librarianship should learn a little bit more about geospatial data because I believe that we are in the process of a gradual– what academics would call -&nbsp; spatial turn happening in the profession. <br /><br />Organizations like the New York Times frequently present their data journalism as a map because they know that the map is a visualization that allows their readers to immediately hone in on the place and context that means the most to them. Our readers and our researchers could enjoy the same benefit.<br /><br />On the screen here is the map interface of a photography collection that’s been digitized from York University using the Leaflet JavaScript library<br /><br />These, I believe, are some of the first steps towards a future in which we can imagine one day being finding relevant historical documents and images based on where one is standing.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BJ5sxo8TBOI/VjiV59Az_oI/AAAAAAAAUp0/EKxQsyDUdNg/s1600/Slide52.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BJ5sxo8TBOI/VjiV59Az_oI/AAAAAAAAUp0/EKxQsyDUdNg/s320/Slide52.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />There is much work to be done for such a future to come about. The amazing people of the New York Public Library are attempting to build "civic infrastructure" called the <a href="http://spacetime.nypl.org/">Space/Time directory</a>. The space time directory will be a map with layers and a time slider as well as a discovery tool that turns the city itself into a library catalog.&nbsp; The data produced by the data will be placed in the public domain and the project is being built so that others will have the ability to build Space/Time directories for their own city.<br /><br />They write,<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br />"The NYC Space/Time Directory will make urban history accessible through the kinds of interactive, location-aware tools used to navigate modern cityscapes. It will provide a way for scholars, students, and enthusiasts to explore New York City across time periods, and to add their own knowledge and expertise."</blockquote><br />Perhaps this is the city as classroom we've been waiting for. <br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9tbDvtOOVWs/VjiV53BiP3I/AAAAAAAAUpw/AomsZ0_lHHg/s1600/Slide53.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9tbDvtOOVWs/VjiV53BiP3I/AAAAAAAAUpw/AomsZ0_lHHg/s320/Slide53.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />And just in case you thought it was safe not to talk about the future of libraries.... I'm so sorry.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_2mV_fSJ0L4/VjiV6kgE3nI/AAAAAAAAUp8/gnKL_JrurwA/s1600/Slide54.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_2mV_fSJ0L4/VjiV6kgE3nI/AAAAAAAAUp8/gnKL_JrurwA/s320/Slide54.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />In either 1976 or 1978, a year before or after the <i>City as Classroom</i>, Marshall McLuhan paired up with Robert K Logan, a physics professor from the University of Toronto, to write a book on the future of libraries (because as we know from so many think pieces as of late, the one thing you never do to when you want to know about the future of libraries is to actually talk to a librarian).&nbsp; <a href="http://islandmag.com/blogs/news/17592773-marshall-mcluhan-manuscript-from-1976-uncovered-island-magazine-to-publish-excerpt">That work was never published and the only excerpts I've seen of it online are from an Australian art magazine called Island. Of that excerpt, less than 500 words were excerpted online.</a> From that, I’m going to end my talk of three sections with three quotations or ‘McLuanisms’ <br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hrUlFek9Djc/VjqN5zMOOqI/AAAAAAAAUwo/aUK79f4lStY/s1600/The%2BCity%2BAs%2BClassroom%25284%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hrUlFek9Djc/VjqN5zMOOqI/AAAAAAAAUwo/aUK79f4lStY/s320/The%2BCity%2BAs%2BClassroom%25284%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pC8NlcB8Gc8/VjiV65QuaLI/AAAAAAAAUqE/eE8JqMkuoDE/s1600/Slide55.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br />This is a strong counter idea to the <i>literal law</i> that we’ve taught that which is that the library is a growing organism.&nbsp; We might have to find new forms to thrive in our evolving niche.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-97R_6w7hj1Y/VjqNwXDaqWI/AAAAAAAAUwk/d9snxyo_iZw/s1600/The%2BCity%2BAs%2BClassroom%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-97R_6w7hj1Y/VjqNwXDaqWI/AAAAAAAAUwk/d9snxyo_iZw/s320/The%2BCity%2BAs%2BClassroom%25282%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br />Libraries need to have better control over the flow and storage of our information we provide for our communities if we want to see that information become embedded within our communities. We need to have systems that allow us to add geospatial data to allow for spatial discovery. We may also want to create the civic infrastructure that would allow our community to learn from and share with each other through us.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g1wq79ALt-w/VjqNwVveRkI/AAAAAAAAUwg/4tjHNZkNy9U/s1600/The%2BCity%2BAs%2BClassroom%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g1wq79ALt-w/VjqNwVveRkI/AAAAAAAAUwg/4tjHNZkNy9U/s320/The%2BCity%2BAs%2BClassroom%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />I included this quotation not to cast shade on those who are involved in management or who use data to make better decisions but because it brings me relief to know, that for all the foresight that Marshall McLuhan had about electronic information was going to change everything, he was still very confident that the library would remain as an important part of human culture.<br /><br />And what I love about this particular quotation, is that he reminds us that the libraries mission is to serve inspiration and creativity, which is something I know you have all done and will share during the next three days of the WLA conference.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K9__b2pEOMY/VjiV7FUNoYI/AAAAAAAAUqI/ujcfVMyUhpA/s1600/Slide56.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K9__b2pEOMY/VjiV7FUNoYI/AAAAAAAAUqI/ujcfVMyUhpA/s320/Slide56.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><hr />Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-74539584383532891002015-10-30T16:29:00.001-04:002015-11-01T11:15:53.192-05:00Libraries are for use. And by use, I mean copying.On Tuesday, I had the pleasure to speak to the good people of <a href="https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/libraries/ileadusa.html">ILEAD USA</a>. The words below are the notes that I brought to the stage with me. If you want to hear what I actually said during my talk <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ArEkWmYavU">you can watch it on YouTube</a>.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JKBjFrro5fQ/VjOGQlWhIBI/AAAAAAAAUZg/y8sjiEskE6g/s1600/Slide1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JKBjFrro5fQ/VjOGQlWhIBI/AAAAAAAAUZg/y8sjiEskE6g/s320/Slide1.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />My name is Mita Williams but because it's October I've changed <a href="http://twitter.com/copystar">my name on Twitter</a> to something Hallowe'en related. But you can still find me there and in many other online places as <i>copystar</i>.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o2nfc3DvwMQ/VjOGU34D8oI/AAAAAAAAUac/ZVi676bPn1I/s1600/Slide2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o2nfc3DvwMQ/VjOGU34D8oI/AAAAAAAAUac/ZVi676bPn1I/s320/Slide2.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I am going to start with a statement of disclosure. I use <i>copystar </i>as my IRC nick and Twitter handle because years ago I learned there was a Japanese photocopier company called <i><b>mita copystar</b></i>. And so, even though today I am going to be talking about copying and the library, I am not a financial benefactor of the photocopier industry.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oiGDS7BoQcI/VjOGXO_lFaI/AAAAAAAAUbA/evHwlEATZ8g/s1600/Slide3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oiGDS7BoQcI/VjOGXO_lFaI/AAAAAAAAUbA/evHwlEATZ8g/s320/Slide3.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />And I'm not going to be talking about the legalities of photocopying in the library. Instead I'm going to be exploring this particular idea: the use of copying as a means of collection development. <br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-smCC-XOFrhE/VjOGa2q0MqI/AAAAAAAAUcE/Ym71Lcf06J8/s1600/Slide4.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-smCC-XOFrhE/VjOGa2q0MqI/AAAAAAAAUcE/Ym71Lcf06J8/s320/Slide4.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Now I think it's safe to say that as librarians, we don’t tend to think about collection development in this way --&nbsp; we buy materials or subscribe to them -- which I think is interesting because arguably the most famous library in the world was built from copies. And piracy. <i>Literally </i>piracy. <br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o6jlS15BwQA/VjOGgXk1ZmI/AAAAAAAAUdY/OFu4NJuHKZ8/s1600/Slide5.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o6jlS15BwQA/VjOGgXk1ZmI/AAAAAAAAUdY/OFu4NJuHKZ8/s320/Slide5.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The Great Library of Alexandria became great because it was meant to be great and it was funded enough to be so. Copies of scrolls from far and wide were acquired by purchase but were also procured using more dubious practices. <a href="http://unllib.unl.edu/LPP/phillips.htm">Of note, ships entering the harbour of Alexandria would be searched for scrolls and these would be seized, brought to the Great Library where a copy would be made, and the Great Library of Alexandria would keep the original. </a><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qYLzvlNtsm8/VjOGjFodASI/AAAAAAAAUeQ/phXgLkBAT04/s1600/Slide6.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qYLzvlNtsm8/VjOGjFodASI/AAAAAAAAUeQ/phXgLkBAT04/s320/Slide6.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I would like to ask you why, in this world in which we can hit Control A, Control C and Control V (otherwise known as Select text, Copy text, and Paste text) and copy a book in just three keystrokes, why don't we have a Great Library of Alexandria of ebooks now? Why do we still look backward in time, instead of forward, when we think of a collection of the all the most important written works that the world has ever seen?<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g0qELDNbXIc/VjOGmIWw5hI/AAAAAAAAUfU/uXOnbFwW2jo/s1600/Slide7.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g0qELDNbXIc/VjOGmIWw5hI/AAAAAAAAUfU/uXOnbFwW2jo/s320/Slide7.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Depending on your level of fluency when it comes to the legal framework of ebooks, you may or may not know these are the bad guys that are standing in the way of digital preservation and our future library of Alexandria : DRM and DMCA<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M004W1Hv_OA/VjOGp-mjjwI/AAAAAAAAUgM/f23oqQaOPYc/s1600/Slide8.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M004W1Hv_OA/VjOGp-mjjwI/AAAAAAAAUgM/f23oqQaOPYc/s320/Slide8.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />In order to better express what I believe might be happening in our day and age, I made this flow chart. On this slide I'm trying to describe the circle of life of print books: an author writes, a publisher prints and sells, a library buys and shares, a reader reads, a reader writes...&nbsp; it is a thing of beauty (the process, not my chart).<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9aDpXiVQ1Kk/VjOGq7ulbqI/AAAAAAAAUgg/8WI9gTJPcL0/s1600/Slide9.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9aDpXiVQ1Kk/VjOGq7ulbqI/AAAAAAAAUgg/8WI9gTJPcL0/s320/Slide9.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Now, as I'm Canadian, I'm not as familiar with US law as my own. For example, we make use of <i>Fair Dealing</i> whereas you guys speak of <i>Fair Use</i>.&nbsp; So I have to rely on sources such as the good people of ALA <a href="http://www.ala.org/transforminglibraries/first-sale-doctrine-era-digital-networks">to let me know that the reason why libraries are allowed to lend print books in the first place is because of something known as the First Sale Doctrine.</a> The gist of which is this: if you buy a print book, you can re-sell, rent, or lend the book to someone else without having to acquire permission from the copyright holder.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r9rApRjIxcg/VjOGP39Lw-I/AAAAAAAAUZU/fxEY-d308H0/s1600/Slide10.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r9rApRjIxcg/VjOGP39Lw-I/AAAAAAAAUZU/fxEY-d308H0/s320/Slide10.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />But as librarians we all know that the rules around ebooks are fundamentally different. The parameters of what you can do with an ebook are not governed by the First Sale Doctrine and are instead set by a license agreement between the you and the publisher.&nbsp; Again, this text <a href="http://www.ala.org/transforminglibraries/frequently-asked-questions-e-books-us-libraries">is from the ALA's "Libraries Transforms" site:</a><br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The usual e-book license with a publisher or distributor often constrains or altogether prohibits libraries from archiving and preserving content, making accommodations for people with disabilities, ensuring patron privacy, receiving donations of e-books, or selling e-books that libraries do not wish to retain.</blockquote><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DZ9ywmFoaL4/VjOGQPExXYI/AAAAAAAAUZY/TZnvP7VF6X0/s1600/Slide11.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DZ9ywmFoaL4/VjOGQPExXYI/AAAAAAAAUZY/TZnvP7VF6X0/s320/Slide11.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />So as I mentioned before, in Canada, we have something that called<i> Fair Dealing</i> which has established that you can copy and use <i>some </i>of an ebook for the purposes of research, private study and teaching.<br /><br />This is great if you are an instructor at a university and you would like to provide your students with a copy of an essay from an anthology.&nbsp; It's great, that is, unless your library has signed a license that trumps <i>Fair Dealing</i> and instead establishes that the contents of the ebook in question cannot be copied and shared as such and can only be <b>linked to</b> in a course reserve system or learning management system.<br /><br />And copying a link from an ebook platform is somehow, perhaps coincidentally, absurdly difficult to do. Now the library is the position that it needs to communicate to faculty how to find a permanent link to books at a chapter level and how to add an ezproxy prefix to said link if that link is to be added to the Learning Management System and ... and at this point, no one can even.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lC6f4gIpwsE/VjOGQR7wxRI/AAAAAAAAUZc/SjLoODAJ4Ug/s1600/Slide12.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lC6f4gIpwsE/VjOGQR7wxRI/AAAAAAAAUZc/SjLoODAJ4Ug/s320/Slide12.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The most egregious example that I know of this is the Harvard Business Review <a href="http://library-blog.syr.edu/drs/2013/11/15/restricted-access-to-harvard-business-review-articles/">who, a couple years ago, took the top 500 articles from the magazine and said that if you want to do <i>anything</i> else than read the article - including the ability to directly link to said articles - colleges and universities would have to pay an additional fee</a> - which has been said to be in the five figures for at least one institution.<br /><br />Many institutions have refused to pay the ransom for these 500 articles and have to opted to keep their print subscriptions to keep these rights. Clearly, we need more than read-only access to library materials, but it's unclear where that line gets drawn from library to library. How much should the ability to print an item cost? How much is the right to save a personal copy? Why are these questions even acceptable?<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iHAeMVDXOfk/VjOGQkZ7PuI/AAAAAAAAUZk/_k3jCb3S9Q0/s1600/Slide13.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iHAeMVDXOfk/VjOGQkZ7PuI/AAAAAAAAUZk/_k3jCb3S9Q0/s320/Slide13.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Even material that's in the public domain can be effectively be taken out of it as soon as its been placed in a wrapper of what's known as Digital Rights Management or DRM.&nbsp; <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=aLe4HgLkgr0C&amp;lpg=PA67&amp;ots=-U70FjUucc&amp;dq=Copy%3A%20%20%20%20%20No%20text%20selections%20can%20be%20copied%20from%20the%20book%20to%20the%20clipboard.%20%20%20%20%20%20Print%3A%20%20%20%20%20No%20printing%20is%20permitted%20on%20this%20book.%20%20%20%20%20%20Lend%3A%20%20%20%20%20This%20book%20cannot%20be%20lent%20or%20given%20to%20someone%20else.%20%20%20%20%20%20Give%3A%20%20%20%20%20This%20book%20cannot%20be%20given%20to%20someone%20else.%20%20%20%20%20%20Read%20Aloud%3A%20%20%20%20%20This%20book%20cannot%20be%20read%20aloud.&amp;pg=PA67#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">In this somewhat well-known example</a>, Adobe once suggested that one could not read aloud its ebook version of Alice in Wonderland.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HXOfeJ8sLJk/VjOGR2u2hjI/AAAAAAAAUZ0/HxjbdCPBJE0/s1600/Slide14.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HXOfeJ8sLJk/VjOGR2u2hjI/AAAAAAAAUZ0/HxjbdCPBJE0/s320/Slide14.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />And so the population who could arguably benefit the most from the ascendance of ebooks - the visually impaired - are by and large restricted from using text to voice software lest that ability should cannibalize on the publisher's market of audiobooks.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jt2U2gegtiQ/VjOGRD1CMAI/AAAAAAAAUZs/td4kavWTyXE/s1600/Slide15.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jt2U2gegtiQ/VjOGRD1CMAI/AAAAAAAAUZs/td4kavWTyXE/s320/Slide15.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />And there are other shortcomings with DRM. For one, many DRM systems require some form of authentication with a server online. If this server is down, you may not be able to get access to the game, movie, or ebook that you have already locally downloaded.&nbsp; People who have tried to do the right thing and "bought" music from an online retailer such as MSN Music, Yahoo Music Store, or Puretracks (like me) can no longer access their licensed music because the servers that handled the DRM authentication have long been taken down. <br /><br />One way to think of DRM is as a lock. But as digital locks go, DRM isn't actually particularly difficult to break. But it's particularly illegal to break DRM because of the DMCA or Digital Millennium Copyright Act which states that it is illegal to even <i>try </i>to bypass DRM.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cq15_WhZJCI/VjOGRGZJIZI/AAAAAAAAUZw/1fGohSmxLZM/s1600/Slide16.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cq15_WhZJCI/VjOGRGZJIZI/AAAAAAAAUZw/1fGohSmxLZM/s320/Slide16.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The terms of the agreement that are enshrined in DRM are ideally formed from a negotiated&nbsp; agreement that balances the needs and desires of the publisher and the reader. However, as we have seen with the example of Harvard Business Review, publishers are largely in the position of power because they can always opt to cut libraries completely out of ebook circulation.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QntZpj0ErcI/VjOGSbDD4tI/AAAAAAAAUZ4/-73xN8E2pfY/s1600/Slide17.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QntZpj0ErcI/VjOGSbDD4tI/AAAAAAAAUZ4/-73xN8E2pfY/s320/Slide17.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://carlsbadca.libanswers.com/a.php?qid=119456">This webpage I found</a> captures almost everything wrong with the state of ebooks and libraries today. And we are at this point - as I think we all know - because libraries have largely outsourced the management of ebooks to Overdrive...<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tLE-tyYySi4/VjOGSrP23_I/AAAAAAAAUaA/yQwqIZz4Gd8/s1600/Slide18.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tLE-tyYySi4/VjOGSrP23_I/AAAAAAAAUaA/yQwqIZz4Gd8/s320/Slide18.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />... and the management of the DRM which is largely performed by Adobe, <a href="https://twitter.com/ulotrichous/status/519462187996565504">who does not have the same commitment to reader privacy as libraries</a>. <br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2mZrKr9zYxg/VjOGS7LpnMI/AAAAAAAAUZ8/BGjABGhVLL8/s1600/Slide19.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2mZrKr9zYxg/VjOGS7LpnMI/AAAAAAAAUZ8/BGjABGhVLL8/s320/Slide19.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />It should give us pause that DRM is so effective at locking out third parties from a producer's relationship with their customer, <a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/04/dmca-ownership-john-deere/">that companies such as John Deere</a> are telling farmers that's now illegal for them to repair their own farm equipment because the electronics of the tractor are now encased in the DRM and legally safeguarded by DMCA.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-raVCu6kBTNk/VjOGT2XLvFI/AAAAAAAAUaE/O4-PLIy6m-Y/s1600/Slide20.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-raVCu6kBTNk/VjOGT2XLvFI/AAAAAAAAUaE/O4-PLIy6m-Y/s320/Slide20.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />So now what? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqAwj5ssU2c">Are we screwed?</a><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tEIdT6sTcYw/VjOGUldMZsI/AAAAAAAAUaY/dFZE8Ql2ogw/s1600/Slide21.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tEIdT6sTcYw/VjOGUldMZsI/AAAAAAAAUaY/dFZE8Ql2ogw/s320/Slide21.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I know of <a href="http://readersbillofrights.info/librariansagainstDRM">librarians who refuse to buy ebooks with DRM for their own use</a> but I only know of two libraries that have made the same pledge (<a href="https://twitter.com/bfister/status/657645220025077760">one is the library where Barbara Fister works</a>). <br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C5d3c9v-GjQ/VjOGU7SSzzI/AAAAAAAAUag/Ry4ci4uUqb0/s1600/Slide22.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C5d3c9v-GjQ/VjOGU7SSzzI/AAAAAAAAUag/Ry4ci4uUqb0/s320/Slide22.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />That being said, I know of many librarians who know how to bypass DRM but will not suggest that they can do to the public because of the illegality of it all. If you are interested in exploring a "what if" scenario of librarians transgressing DRM,<a href="http://librarianaut.com/2012/09/19/your-friendly-neighbourhood-wretched-hive-of-scum-villainy-a-presentation/"> you might be interested in this talk by Justin Unrau.</a><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s3RDT_kOGF4/VjOGVb55K4I/AAAAAAAAUak/v4F-UksGfB8/s1600/Slide23.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s3RDT_kOGF4/VjOGVb55K4I/AAAAAAAAUak/v4F-UksGfB8/s320/Slide23.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Now I'm sorry to starting this talk off on such a dark note but my purpose was to get the bad news out of the way. I also wanted to talk about DRM and the DMCA because I have a feeling that many of us in the profession aren't aware that the capacity to make exceptions to the DMCA and break DRM is - in theory - in our wheelhouse.&nbsp; <a href="http://librarianofprogress.com/">Every three years, the Librarian of Congress is able to make exception to the DMCA. It is one of these exceptions that has made it possible to unlock a phone that is provided by a carrier.</a><br /><br />This means that the possibility for libraries to unlock DRM for the purposes of accessibility and preservation *is* possible.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C_TgurdaLTM/VjOGVgyhVAI/AAAAAAAAUas/Qcnc87Z3JfQ/s1600/Slide24.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C_TgurdaLTM/VjOGVgyhVAI/AAAAAAAAUas/Qcnc87Z3JfQ/s320/Slide24.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />But this doesn't mean libraries get to wait until that day that happens. Libraries are already embarking on a variety of strategies to thrive in a world where text is no longer a scarce resource<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c1zmD8EMxqA/VjOGV8_eXFI/AAAAAAAAUao/9M5OFprFE6o/s1600/Slide25.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c1zmD8EMxqA/VjOGV8_eXFI/AAAAAAAAUao/9M5OFprFE6o/s320/Slide25.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Now I suspect you are at ILEAD are here to discover and share your own strategies which just might include...<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DEK1xiS9x0g/VjOGWcsLT7I/AAAAAAAAUa0/zrbMZSXh5-M/s1600/Slide26.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DEK1xiS9x0g/VjOGWcsLT7I/AAAAAAAAUa0/zrbMZSXh5-M/s320/Slide26.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />... <a href="http://www.aadl.org/musictools">lending out objects that aren't easily copyable such as musical instruments</a>, scientific equipment, or household tools <br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B2ZGvQS9x7s/VjOGWXzhhVI/AAAAAAAAUa8/gVecUlvd_Aw/s1600/Slide27.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B2ZGvQS9x7s/VjOGWXzhhVI/AAAAAAAAUa8/gVecUlvd_Aw/s320/Slide27.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />...<a href="http://www.libraryasincubatorproject.org/?p=17243"> building environments where objects can be made</a>...<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WS-TOP-PjRM/VjOGWdAI76I/AAAAAAAAUa4/8OZZDToLKdg/s1600/Slide28.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WS-TOP-PjRM/VjOGWdAI76I/AAAAAAAAUa4/8OZZDToLKdg/s320/Slide28.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />... <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/241574/coworking_at_the_public_library.html">exchanging co-working space for community mentoring or teaching</a>...<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yub3VynIjfA/VjOGWx9gWzI/AAAAAAAAUbo/78n2Rdo0mVA/s1600/Slide29.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yub3VynIjfA/VjOGWx9gWzI/AAAAAAAAUbo/78n2Rdo0mVA/s320/Slide29.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />... hosting pop-ups or running events such as <a href="http://www.lfpl.org/how-to/">How to Festivals</a> in your community...<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fi8-xWMOMoE/VjOGXYOk6LI/AAAAAAAAUbE/gRTwHhvvQIc/s1600/Slide30.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fi8-xWMOMoE/VjOGXYOk6LI/AAAAAAAAUbE/gRTwHhvvQIc/s320/Slide30.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />... or just <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/cilip/blog/role-libraries-times-crisis">being there for community when your community needs you most</a>.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eGtbiNycUzQ/VjOGX5wNs1I/AAAAAAAAUbc/US5wpfDM5Zk/s1600/Slide31.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eGtbiNycUzQ/VjOGX5wNs1I/AAAAAAAAUbc/US5wpfDM5Zk/s320/Slide31.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />But despite DRM and DMCA, still want you, my dear colleagues - to consider the role of copying in collection development.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eylSyT2lbqM/VjOGYVncXHI/AAAAAAAAUbU/c8B3l5YMVTo/s1600/Slide32.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eylSyT2lbqM/VjOGYVncXHI/AAAAAAAAUbU/c8B3l5YMVTo/s320/Slide32.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />And I want you to consider this because culture itself, depends on copying...<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SrbptvCqGlo/VjOGY_QP-oI/AAAAAAAAUbg/zIJPMpPBxTg/s1600/Slide33.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SrbptvCqGlo/VjOGY_QP-oI/AAAAAAAAUbg/zIJPMpPBxTg/s320/Slide33.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Indeed...<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.</i><br /><br />—John Donne</blockquote><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SXB7YewwQQc/VjOGZhJ1k_I/AAAAAAAAUbs/0OzS36P6r4U/s1600/Slide34.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SXB7YewwQQc/VjOGZhJ1k_I/AAAAAAAAUbs/0OzS36P6r4U/s320/Slide34.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>The same might be said of all art. I realized this forcefully when one day I went looking for the John Donne passage quoted above. I know the lines, I confess, not from a college course but from the movie version of 84, Charing Cross Road with Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft. I checked out 84, Charing Cross Road from the library in the hope of finding the Donne passage, but it wasn’t in the book. It’s alluded to in the play that was adapted from the book, but it isn’t reprinted. So I rented the movie again, and there was the passage, read in voice-over by Anthony Hopkins but without attribution. Unfortunately, the line was also abridged so that, when I finally turned to the Web, I found myself searching for the line “all mankind is of one volume” instead of “all mankind is of one author, and is one volume.”</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>My Internet search was initially no more successful than my library search. I had thought that summoning books from the vasty deep was a matter of a few keystrokes, but when I visited the website of the Yale library, I found that most of its books don’t yet exist as computer text. As a last-ditch effort I searched the seemingly more obscure phrase “every chapter must be so translated.” The passage I wanted finally came to me, as it turns out, not as part of a scholarly library collection but simply because someone who loves Donne had posted it on his homepage. The lines I sought were from Meditation 17 in Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, which happens to be the most famous thing Donne ever wrote, containing as it does the line “never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” My search had led me from a movie to a book to a play to a website and back to a book. Then again, those words may be as famous as they are only because Hemingway lifted them for his book title.</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Literature has been in a plundered, fragmentary state for a long time.</i></blockquote><br /><br />If you have the chance, I would highly recommend you read the rest of <a href="http://harpers.org/archive/2007/02/the-ecstasy-of-influence/?single=1">Letham's The Ecstasy of Influence</a> and if you do, you have to read to all the way to the end -- I'm not going to spoil it for you!<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9D6F_tu60Ec/VjOGZgdlW3I/AAAAAAAAUbw/5WZrllw_qgs/s1600/Slide35.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9D6F_tu60Ec/VjOGZgdlW3I/AAAAAAAAUbw/5WZrllw_qgs/s320/Slide35.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />And it’s not only literature that has been in a plundered state for some time. One can argue that one learns the art of many a particular creative field by the act of copying, transforming, and combining elements.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u_lKsvnQbqU/VjOGZ38mnvI/AAAAAAAAUco/Afr1i6Jo3z0/s1600/Slide36.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u_lKsvnQbqU/VjOGZ38mnvI/AAAAAAAAUco/Afr1i6Jo3z0/s320/Slide36.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://everythingisaremix.info/blog/basic-elements-of-creativity-desktop-wallpapers">The wallpaper from the previous slide</a> is from<a href="http://everythingisaremix.info/"> The EveryThing Is a Remix</a> Project which makes the case that much of culture contain copied elements of works of the past, that are transformed and recombined and remixed. The first part is dedicated to music, the second on movies, the third on invention, the fourth on system failures of intellectual property<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xpNvb3enb_Y/VjOGaKZ7isI/AAAAAAAAUb0/zHlEpPv3-xI/s1600/Slide37.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xpNvb3enb_Y/VjOGaKZ7isI/AAAAAAAAUb0/zHlEpPv3-xI/s320/Slide37.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />So please let me be clear. I am personally not anti-copyright, I do think of the artists who struggle to make a living while pursing a creative career, and I'm certainly not giving any personal license to plagiarize. But as this graphic from <a href="http://austinkleon.com/steal/"><i>Steal Like An Artist</i></a> suggests, it should not diminish art or artists to recognize that creative work does not come from thin air.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O_LGRLru2iA/VjOGaTMonHI/AAAAAAAAUb8/EYoIwXcgSN4/s1600/Slide38.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O_LGRLru2iA/VjOGaTMonHI/AAAAAAAAUb8/EYoIwXcgSN4/s320/Slide38.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Anyways, if this topic interests you at all, I recommend these reads - although - I ain't gonna lie - my favorite is <i>Reality Hunger</i>, which changed the way that I look at the novel.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ja4Aku8Do_w/VjOGagTjTYI/AAAAAAAAUcA/mVTCp7FgQMM/s1600/Slide39.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ja4Aku8Do_w/VjOGagTjTYI/AAAAAAAAUcA/mVTCp7FgQMM/s320/Slide39.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />When the personal copying of intellectual property is outlawed, only outlaws and artists can copy. For example, I'm pretty sure that Mick Jones of the Clash does not own the copyright of most of the 10,000 items in his collection and therefore, <a href="http://boingboing.net/2009/07/28/mick-jones-of-the-cl.html">isn't in a legal position to invite and allow users to make and take home scanned copies of the items in his collection for themselves</a>. While Jones has named his collection "The Rock and Roll Public Library" it's really more like a moving curated art exhibition.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7Rvo52gQ4C8/VjOGbdYYikI/AAAAAAAAUcQ/ehYjdYnBOW0/s1600/Slide40.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7Rvo52gQ4C8/VjOGbdYYikI/AAAAAAAAUcQ/ehYjdYnBOW0/s320/Slide40.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Some years ago, C Magazine, which is a Canadian magazine dedicated to the visual arts, d<a href="http://cmagazineart.tumblr.com/post/90785632818/c-magazine-111-libraries-autumn">edicated an entire issue on libraries</a>. A former colleague of mine Adam Lauder, wrote an article within it called <i>Performing the Library.</i><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sQHlfbhjY1Q/VjOGbZ4-kPI/AAAAAAAAUcM/7JAP8TZnuWA/s1600/Slide41.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sQHlfbhjY1Q/VjOGbZ4-kPI/AAAAAAAAUcM/7JAP8TZnuWA/s320/Slide41.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />And that's where about I heard of <a href="http://www.artsy-dartsy.com/posts/21-opening-night-of-copy-room-with-jeff-khonsary-feb-">Jeff Khonsary's <i>The Copy Room</i></a>. The project involved a room in Vancouver where there were photocopiers for people off the street could use for free on the condition that they leave a copy in the room. The copies build a reading room of material that reflected the community that use the copiers. It is sort of like the harbour of Alexandria, without the coercion. <br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sk7XDERW-xE/VjOGdxIyIpI/AAAAAAAAUc8/ajf1A1aCJ9Q/s1600/Slide42.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sk7XDERW-xE/VjOGdxIyIpI/AAAAAAAAUc8/ajf1A1aCJ9Q/s320/Slide42.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />So, let's take a scroll from the <i>Copy Room</i> and the <i>Library of Alexandria Playbook</i> and consider how we could also build collections using copies despite DRM and DMCA<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zF4L6ZQ25do/VjOGd4PVQJI/AAAAAAAAUdE/uGv8Pb7eUNc/s1600/Slide43.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zF4L6ZQ25do/VjOGd4PVQJI/AAAAAAAAUdE/uGv8Pb7eUNc/s320/Slide43.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Let's consider copying through the act of publishing. Or in other words, in digitization. <br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9it9MNGEu0s/VjOGeU4dCDI/AAAAAAAAUdA/gQUOQTpMmF0/s1600/Slide44.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9it9MNGEu0s/VjOGeU4dCDI/AAAAAAAAUdA/gQUOQTpMmF0/s320/Slide44.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />There are other libraries that have done this, but the first library that I have heard using this strategy <a href="http://pastforward.winnipeg.ca/cdm/singleitem/collection/musichist/id/3">is the Winnipeg Public Library who encouraged local bands to bring in their own music memorabilia </a>such as posters for their gigs and gigs past and the library would scan the work, keep a copy and give the work and the high-end scan back to the user.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O1-0OgATnIE/VjOGeuxzlOI/AAAAAAAAUdI/4lmPohxyOFo/s1600/Slide45.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O1-0OgATnIE/VjOGeuxzlOI/AAAAAAAAUdI/4lmPohxyOFo/s320/Slide45.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />The Edmonton Public provides a similar collection and has recently offered to host <a href="https://capitalcityrecords.ca/albums">100 albums from local bands music for distribution to the library-card holding public.&nbsp;</a><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8LE7Y3yf9Q/VjOGmaSKDCI/AAAAAAAAUfY/O3XBtj6rw58/s1600/Slide46.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8LE7Y3yf9Q/VjOGmaSKDCI/AAAAAAAAUfY/O3XBtj6rw58/s400/Slide46.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><br />My own public library, the Windsor Public Library as one of the most successful self-publishing programs that I know of, <a href="http://windsorstar.com/news/with-10699-books-printed-windsor-librarys-self-publishing-machine-is-a-hit">with over 10,000 books published in 3 years using the Espresso Book Machine</a>. One could only imagine if the library also ran a book distribution service for the books it published just as other self-publishers do such as Amazon and Lulu publishing.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f0bcam7L2Wc/VjOGfIJXSiI/AAAAAAAAUdM/oL-yj5xJajc/s1600/Slide47.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f0bcam7L2Wc/VjOGfIJXSiI/AAAAAAAAUdM/oL-yj5xJajc/s320/Slide47.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />That's admittedly a large ask, when, as we know, most libraries don't even host the ebooks that they already have. But there are exceptions - like <a href="http://evoke.cvlsites.org/">the Evoke system of the Douglas County Libraries of Colorado</a> who, as they say in their manifesto, they hope will become an ebook service without unnecessary constraints on access by the public.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JJ_NiQmoMs0/VjOGffOreLI/AAAAAAAAUdQ/6i1eVDw_kf8/s1600/Slide48.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JJ_NiQmoMs0/VjOGffOreLI/AAAAAAAAUdQ/6i1eVDw_kf8/s320/Slide48.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I also think we should remember that are contexts in which we can only make copies <i>before an </i>item is published.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C1Sm_Us2UQs/VjOGf0hUPrI/AAAAAAAAUdU/BlFvFfOyRZ0/s1600/Slide49.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C1Sm_Us2UQs/VjOGf0hUPrI/AAAAAAAAUdU/BlFvFfOyRZ0/s320/Slide49.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />And that context is the University -- where we should not forget that <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=ZlqTAwAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PA59&amp;lpg=PA59&amp;dq=Kate+Eichhorn+copy+shops&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=2tofMx_2gj&amp;sig=J45GQSFgqffRQa1JyEM4u7W759s&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;redir_esc=y#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">copying plays and has played a role in the scholarship since the middle ages</a>.&nbsp; In times of old, there were scribes that would make copies for students and faculty and I think we all of know of that little copy shop that's not quite on campus, but really close and don't blink an eye when someone comes in with a textbook.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i-TuiyVr_2A/VjOGggISmZI/AAAAAAAAUdc/9FLd8tjIap8/s1600/Slide50.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i-TuiyVr_2A/VjOGggISmZI/AAAAAAAAUdc/9FLd8tjIap8/s320/Slide50.PNG" width="320" />&nbsp;</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;But the scenario I want to bring to mind is the present day. I've been in Academic Librarianship for over sixteen years and that's a long to be in the midst of ever present Serial Crisis.<a href="http://justpublics365.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2014/10/20/introducing-open-access-series/"> And this crisis persists because faculty give their copyright away to the most prestigious journals who resell the scholarship back to libraries with obscene profit margins.</a></div><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6qgN81I0uGc/VjOGgwUf50I/AAAAAAAAUdk/ZfsNtvt6EwE/s1600/Slide51.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6qgN81I0uGc/VjOGgwUf50I/AAAAAAAAUdk/ZfsNtvt6EwE/s320/Slide51.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />One of the strategies employed by institutions is to create a safe harbour for scholarship called an <a href="http://digitalcommons.bepress.com/repository-research/">institutional repository</a>, where faculty of an institution are encouraged - either compelled by good will or mandate to place a copy of their scholarship. In some ways, its not dissimilar to the idea of legal deposit that some National Libraries require of publishers in their country. <br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GotHK1V06R8/VjOGg8xQ8XI/AAAAAAAAUdo/aGeMIPObwic/s1600/Slide52.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GotHK1V06R8/VjOGg8xQ8XI/AAAAAAAAUdo/aGeMIPObwic/s320/Slide52.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />You know that this idea is a powerful one because until recently, the publishing behemoth Elsevier decreed that the only way it was going to allow its authors to deposit in their home institution's repository if there was no mandate in place [<a href="http://www.michaeleisen.org/blog/?attachment_id=939">image</a>].&nbsp; <br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GjzbFMEibnI/VjOGhW6GJDI/AAAAAAAAUds/FYAUPxVec28/s1600/Slide53.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GjzbFMEibnI/VjOGhW6GJDI/AAAAAAAAUds/FYAUPxVec28/s320/Slide53.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Speaking of legal deposit...<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RYp21RLcm8E/VjOGhpo7WiI/AAAAAAAAUdw/eZzc5Gma1hM/s1600/Slide54.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RYp21RLcm8E/VjOGhpo7WiI/AAAAAAAAUdw/eZzc5Gma1hM/s320/Slide54.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />... the British Library has extended its traditional requirements of books to be placed in its collection and <a href="http://www.webarchive.org.uk/ukwa/">have extended its mandate to collect web sites of the nation.</a><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bHuyo8FaFvQ/VjOGh4kPKXI/AAAAAAAAUd0/HQe-GOLfLk4/s1600/Slide55.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bHuyo8FaFvQ/VjOGh4kPKXI/AAAAAAAAUd0/HQe-GOLfLk4/s320/Slide55.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Academic libraries are also beginning to start investigating and pursuing similar web archiving. But I don't think mine is at the moment, (at least not that I know of) and that makes me worry a bit. I am reminded by experiences of the University of Virginia Libraries who had already some experience with web archiving <a href="http://sullivan.lib.virginia.edu/items/browse">when one of the largest crises to hit their campussuddenly erupted and they were there and ready to capture the history as it unfolded</a>.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GRb7bZ-iC10/VjOGiHqsJsI/AAAAAAAAUd8/ByLWXiIU4uo/s1600/Slide56.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GRb7bZ-iC10/VjOGiHqsJsI/AAAAAAAAUd8/ByLWXiIU4uo/s320/Slide56.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />There are options if you think it’s important to preserve a website for the future even if your library doesn't have the infrastructure in place. One option is the Save Page Now option that's provided by the <a href="https://archive.org/web/">Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.</a><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3EatPVVGDNk/VjOGiNaDuaI/AAAAAAAAUeA/H5eZEX6XpGY/s1600/Slide57.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3EatPVVGDNk/VjOGiNaDuaI/AAAAAAAAUeA/H5eZEX6XpGY/s320/Slide57.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />It's important to be aware that there is a very simple defense mechanism that can be used to prevent websites from being added to the Internet Archive and that's a simple request is what is known as the <a href="https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/6062608?hl=en">robots.txt file</a> - a file that designates whether the owner doesn't want their page indexed in search engines.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZlSW7G_rt1Q/VjOGipNCczI/AAAAAAAAUeI/vpps--rU5es/s1600/Slide58.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZlSW7G_rt1Q/VjOGipNCczI/AAAAAAAAUeI/vpps--rU5es/s320/Slide58.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Unfortunately, there are terrible side effects from such a simple mechanism. A site might be archived and accessible by the Internet Archive's Wayback machine, but if the domain ever expires and is then bought out by someone else who then adds a robot text file, <a href="https://archive.org/post/423432/domainsponsorcom-erasing-prior-archived-copies-of-135000-domains">then the archive of same address will be lost forever.</a><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VzC28kLyIWs/VjOGi6wuR_I/AAAAAAAAUeM/KrqmgBfstYM/s1600/Slide59.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VzC28kLyIWs/VjOGi6wuR_I/AAAAAAAAUeM/KrqmgBfstYM/s320/Slide59.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Which all goes say this: relying on a single copy is a dangerous way to preserve our culture. That's why there's the strategy called <a href="http://www.lockss.org/">LOCKSS </a>- lots of copies keep stuff safe.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KX62Edad830/VjOGjbew6XI/AAAAAAAAUeU/GCPxMD3f5pU/s1600/Slide60.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KX62Edad830/VjOGjbew6XI/AAAAAAAAUeU/GCPxMD3f5pU/s320/Slide60.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Social media has its own challenges in terms of archiving.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Hw1OpAiLTQ/VjOGjqV9_lI/AAAAAAAAUeY/NBytsyIwliU/s1600/Slide61.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Hw1OpAiLTQ/VjOGjqV9_lI/AAAAAAAAUeY/NBytsyIwliU/s320/Slide61.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://inkdroid.org/2015/10/09/white-dudes-giving-speeches/">If you want to collect, for example, all the tweets related to the police shooting of Michael Brown of Ferguson, Missouri, you have to use Twitter's API in order to maximize what you can capture and Twitter's API only goes back the last nine days</a>, so you need to act in the moment.<br /><br />Alternatively, you can pay Twitter for the tweets after the fact. The present is free but the past has a cost.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pWQDTR5sdK4/VjOGj5_LN9I/AAAAAAAAUeg/qeB0dmY5aSU/s1600/Slide62.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pWQDTR5sdK4/VjOGj5_LN9I/AAAAAAAAUeg/qeB0dmY5aSU/s320/Slide62.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Of course the conditions of how much you can access Twitter's archives or the conditions of Twitter's API is subject to change at their discretion. <a href="http://politwoops.sunlightfoundation.com/">Recently, Twitter shut down the access of 31 accounts that captured the deleted tweets of politicians from around the world. </a><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CmU4oEIhvx4/VjOGkKxVSnI/AAAAAAAAUek/2ceEN5m1Rc8/s1600/Slide63.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CmU4oEIhvx4/VjOGkKxVSnI/AAAAAAAAUek/2ceEN5m1Rc8/s320/Slide63.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />That's not to say that the mass collection of tweets and other social media sites is without issues related to personal privacy and the right to be forgotten. <br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CvNPEcRAl4o/VjOGkutIQWI/AAAAAAAAUes/3E3XlaFqO5A/s1600/Slide64.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CvNPEcRAl4o/VjOGkutIQWI/AAAAAAAAUes/3E3XlaFqO5A/s320/Slide64.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />And for my last consideration of copying as collection development, I would like to suggest that libraries provide things for their readers to copy<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CrEB6xFfgPA/VjOGknhgY2I/AAAAAAAAUew/YuHqExOg6p4/s1600/Slide65.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CrEB6xFfgPA/VjOGknhgY2I/AAAAAAAAUew/YuHqExOg6p4/s320/Slide65.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://www.prelingerlibrary.org/home/">The Prelinger Library</a> and <a href="http://www.reanimationlibrary.org/">The Reanimation Library</a> are both examples of carefully selected of books and ephemera from variety of sources, including weeded collections of discarded published material from libraries, to create a collection of visually interesting material for the inspiration for artists and writers.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z8ntOT3o_zo/VjOGlIbryoI/AAAAAAAAUe8/sAaFnLF-aR8/s1600/Slide66.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z8ntOT3o_zo/VjOGlIbryoI/AAAAAAAAUe8/sAaFnLF-aR8/s320/Slide66.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />While libraries have done a very good job experimenting with makerspaces and I think these libraries would be remiss not to also read these two books and to consider how their library can also be thought of as inspiration and raw material for the various creative arts.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JaUKwr8pVTU/VjOGleEXFlI/AAAAAAAAUfA/kfQKWjX3J3w/s1600/Slide67.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JaUKwr8pVTU/VjOGleEXFlI/AAAAAAAAUfA/kfQKWjX3J3w/s320/Slide67.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://handmadelibrarian.com/2014/05/30/exploring-libraries-making-new-things/">This is an example from the blog Handmade Librarian</a> from which the previous book, Bibliocraft came from. This activity shown involves making fancy bookmarks featuring ornamental stitching<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gQJ9mHhykDw/VjOGlow9MjI/AAAAAAAAUfE/lmt99pjDTdM/s1600/Slide68.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gQJ9mHhykDw/VjOGlow9MjI/AAAAAAAAUfE/lmt99pjDTdM/s320/Slide68.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />That stitching was based on the braid alphabet found from the <a href="http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=2000307101">Etching and Engraving Picture file</a>, a collection that the San Francisco library clearly marks as copyright-free images. Creating similar such collections is an endeavour is something I wish all libraries would undertake.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zMxMD5DDzrA/VjOGmFnL1RI/AAAAAAAAUhU/c6kfQPKUOik/s1600/Slide69.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zMxMD5DDzrA/VjOGmFnL1RI/AAAAAAAAUhU/c6kfQPKUOik/s320/Slide69.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Penultimate section! <br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ncByF3_xmuc/VjOGmn8o5mI/AAAAAAAAUfc/8Nrwm-oHaWk/s1600/Slide70.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ncByF3_xmuc/VjOGmn8o5mI/AAAAAAAAUfc/8Nrwm-oHaWk/s320/Slide70.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Please don't be disappointed if a participant in your library's National Novel Writing Group decides to write Fan Fiction.&nbsp; Remember how people learn to be creative.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EzcRb7n7G1g/VjOGm9_ueMI/AAAAAAAAUfk/ZyzngRqzG8w/s1600/Slide71.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EzcRb7n7G1g/VjOGm9_ueMI/AAAAAAAAUfk/ZyzngRqzG8w/s320/Slide71.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://fanworksarefairuse.org/">I like to think that there's a growing understanding for those who create of 'transformative works'</a> and a better appreciation for these writers who are both writing out of love and writing within a community of readers who can provide support and guidance.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1SbvEXA9mbU/VjOGnDEu1fI/AAAAAAAAUfo/AqTQSLgnsqg/s1600/Slide72.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1SbvEXA9mbU/VjOGnDEu1fI/AAAAAAAAUfo/AqTQSLgnsqg/s320/Slide72.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />When we can, we should consider placing work in the creative commons so others may transform and adapt our work for their own use. Creative Commons Licenses are incredibly important and powerful tools. Everything on my blog that's my own work is designated as CC-BY.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_7EdlqXW8nQ/VjOGnReruRI/AAAAAAAAUfs/tp4UHI8E2e4/s1600/Slide73.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_7EdlqXW8nQ/VjOGnReruRI/AAAAAAAAUfs/tp4UHI8E2e4/s320/Slide73.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />But let's not forgot the larger picture.<br /><br /><a href="http://copyheart.org/">Copying is an act of love</a>. Copying is how we as readers and writers demonstrate such love. As Cory Doctorow and many others have also noted, the greatest threat to artists is not piracy but obscurity.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0TVpvZDTI0A/VjOGnuAbfpI/AAAAAAAAUfw/-ayRoALs_kU/s1600/Slide74.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0TVpvZDTI0A/VjOGnuAbfpI/AAAAAAAAUfw/-ayRoALs_kU/s320/Slide74.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Last set of slides!<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r5QiccS8eks/VjOGoBjv1KI/AAAAAAAAUf0/CihyAN6NRTA/s1600/Slide75.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r5QiccS8eks/VjOGoBjv1KI/AAAAAAAAUf0/CihyAN6NRTA/s320/Slide75.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Remember way back when I showed you this circle of life of printed material?<br /><br />( BTW, as these slides are my own work <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5RDRo0uB7m5amNGQjJrQTVBdlU/view?usp=sharing">they are available for you to reuse and remix as you see fit.</a>) <br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bT0xJCoDRns/VjOGozCQVFI/AAAAAAAAUf4/plZd0KmIlGw/s1600/Slide76.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bT0xJCoDRns/VjOGozCQVFI/AAAAAAAAUf4/plZd0KmIlGw/s320/Slide76.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Then DRM came along ...<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r6Vq0whuyrs/VjOGpMDIzcI/AAAAAAAAUf8/xMQwb6xDga0/s1600/Slide77.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r6Vq0whuyrs/VjOGpMDIzcI/AAAAAAAAUf8/xMQwb6xDga0/s320/Slide77.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />But now we know that this is not the whole picture. Libraries can bring their communities to the world by facilitating works that are in the creative commons and/or open access.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9d_lfISBYFA/VjOGpbAUr6I/AAAAAAAAUgA/bYLZQc1HqKg/s1600/Slide78.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9d_lfISBYFA/VjOGpbAUr6I/AAAAAAAAUgA/bYLZQc1HqKg/s320/Slide78.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The title of my talk, as you probably have figured out, was a riff on probably the only thing from our collective library education that we can collectively all remember. The first of Rangathan's laws is that books are for use.<br /><br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7OQ27_Bx3Ow/VjOGpjpww1I/AAAAAAAAUgU/D-HVvlDTusU/s1600/Slide79.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7OQ27_Bx3Ow/VjOGpjpww1I/AAAAAAAAUgU/D-HVvlDTusU/s320/Slide79.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />A couple of years ago, librarian and author, Barbara Fister re-wrote the 5 laws in the most the cynical language of our days.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ubwPGItW14E/VjOGqZu5GNI/AAAAAAAAUgY/srmL7fW8sPs/s1600/Slide80.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ubwPGItW14E/VjOGqZu5GNI/AAAAAAAAUgY/srmL7fW8sPs/s320/Slide80.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/library-babel-fish/books-are-reuse">But then she re-wrote the same laws this way</a>. I can't possibly improve on how we she captured many of the ideas that I was hoping to share with you today and so with that I would like to say...<br /><br /><hr /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QLwNQrfWsoE/VjOGqmv-bYI/AAAAAAAAUgc/VaRdJG0KDj4/s1600/Slide81.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QLwNQrfWsoE/VjOGqmv-bYI/AAAAAAAAUgc/VaRdJG0KDj4/s320/Slide81.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>Thank you.Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-38728155107058078502015-09-11T12:04:00.001-04:002015-09-12T08:43:08.065-04:00Library of Cards<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yexifrffe5Y/VfLa0xyqkzI/AAAAAAAATdg/3Vgg7P3Kl_g/s1600/Slide1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yexifrffe5Y/VfLa0xyqkzI/AAAAAAAATdg/3Vgg7P3Kl_g/s320/Slide1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />On Thursday, September 10th, I had the honor and the pleasure to present at <a href="http://accessconference.ca/">Access 2015</a>. I've been to many Access Conferences over the years and each one has been a joyful experience. Thank you so much to those organizing Access YYZ for all of us.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bUGQUKESras/VfLa2mtYyOI/AAAAAAAATeI/Grze7uDKUK8/s1600/Slide2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bUGQUKESras/VfLa2mtYyOI/AAAAAAAATeI/Grze7uDKUK8/s320/Slide2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Have you ever listened to the podcast <i><a href="http://99percentinvisible.org/">99% Invisible</a></i>?<br /><br /><i>99% Invisible</i> is a weekly podcast dedicated to design and architecture and the 99% percent of the invisible activity that shapes our experiences in the world.<br /><br />They’ve done episodes on the <a href="http://99percentinvisible.org/news/99-invisible-at-ted/">design of city flags</a>, <a href="http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/devils-rope/">barbed wire</a>, <a href="http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/lawn-order/">lawn enforcement</a>, <a href="http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/la-mascotte/">baseball mascot costumes</a>, and it’s <a href="http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/windsor-needs-a-new-flag-says-local-blogger">already influenced my life in pretty odd ways</a>.<br /><br />If I was able to pitch a library-related design to host, Roman Mars for an episode, I would suggest the history of the humble 3 x 5 index card.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lj_BeESVD8I/VfLa6w-HBlI/AAAAAAAATfY/zmtWESb8noc/s1600/Slide3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lj_BeESVD8I/VfLa6w-HBlI/AAAAAAAATfY/zmtWESb8noc/s320/Slide3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />That being said, for this presentation, I am not going to present to you the history of the humble 3 x 5 index card. <br />&nbsp; <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aotZwaxQeDQ/VfLa73zSerI/AAAAAAAATfw/Dga-QO2Z0XI/s1600/Slide4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aotZwaxQeDQ/VfLa73zSerI/AAAAAAAATfw/Dga-QO2Z0XI/s320/Slide4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />That’s what this book is for, <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/paper-machines">Markus Krajewski’s 2011 <i>Paper Machines</i></a> published by MIT Press. <br /><br />Now, before I had read his book, I had believed that the index card was invented by Melvil Dewey and commercialized by his company, The Library Bureau. But Krajewski makes the case that the origin of the index card should be considered to go as far back as 1548 with Konrad Gessner who described a new method of processing data: to cut up a sheet of handwritten notes into slips of paper, with one fact or topic per slip, and arrange as desired.<br /><br />According to Krajewski, when this technique goes from provisional to permanent – when the slips that describe the contents of a library are fixed in a book, an unintended and yet consequential turn takes place: it gives rise to the first card catalog in library history in Vienna around 1780.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1vU26P9J5Gw/VfLa8KAmNZI/AAAAAAAATf0/Vv8Rtz45N98/s1600/Slide5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1vU26P9J5Gw/VfLa8KAmNZI/AAAAAAAATf0/Vv8Rtz45N98/s320/Slide5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Most histories of the card catalog begin just slightly later in time -- in 1789 to be precise -- during the French Revolution. The situation at hand was that the French revolutionary government had just claimed ownership of all Church property, including its substantial library holdings. It order to better understand what it now owned, the French revolutionaries started to inventory all of these newly acquired books. <a href="http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.uwindsor.ca/stable/25542474">The instructions for how this inventory would conducted is known as the French Cataloging Code of 1791</a>.<br /><br />The code instructed that first, all the books were to be numbered. Next, the number of each book as well as the bibliographic information of each work were to be written on the back of two playing cards - and this was possible because at that time the backs of playing cards were blank. The two sets of cards are then put into alphabetical order and fastened together. One set of cards were to be sent to Paris, while a copy remains in each library.<br /><br /><a href="http://libraryhistorybuff.blogspot.ca/2011/03/first-catalog-cards.html">On the screen behind me, you can see two records for the same book.</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Kwr-MAA_4s/VfLa8CJQD_I/AAAAAAAATgc/gblqScqsw-8/s1600/Slide6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Kwr-MAA_4s/VfLa8CJQD_I/AAAAAAAATgc/gblqScqsw-8/s320/Slide6.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Again, my talk isn’t about bibliographic history, but I want to return back to the 16th century to Gessner for some important context. The reason why Gessner was making all those slips in the first place was to construct this, the <i>Bibliotheca Universalis</i> which consists of a bibliography of around 3,000 authors in alphabetical order, describing over 10,000 texts in terms of content and form, and offering textual excerpts. As such, Gessner is considered the first modern bibliographer.<br /><br />And <a href="https://archive.org/details/bibliotheca00gess">you can find his work on the Internet Archive</a>.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cveRF2vTxYE/VfLa8SGPojI/AAAAAAAATf8/GF5N6xANj9I/s1600/Slide7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cveRF2vTxYE/VfLa8SGPojI/AAAAAAAATf8/GF5N6xANj9I/s320/Slide7.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Gessner’s <i>Biblioteca Universalis</i> wasn’t just a bibliography. According to Krajewski, the book provides instructions to scholars how to properly organize their studies through the keeping excerpted material in useful order. Gessner was describing an already established practice. Scholars kept slips or cards in boxes, and when they had the need to write or give a lecture or sermon, they would take the cards that fit their theme, and would arrange those thoughts and would temporarily fix them in order using devices such as the one pictured. This hybrid book has guiding threads that stretch over the page so that two rows of paper slips can be inserted and supported by paper rails.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fsw4B7bKd-s/VfLa8UWTd5I/AAAAAAAATgA/K_96KvWwAAo/s1600/Slide8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fsw4B7bKd-s/VfLa8UWTd5I/AAAAAAAATgA/K_96KvWwAAo/s320/Slide8.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Until the Romantics came around and made everyone feel embarrassed about taking inspiration from other people, it was not uncommon for scholars to use Scholar’s Boxes. Gottfried Leibniz actively used what was known as an excerpt cabinet to store and organize quotations and references.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><a href="https://research.consortium.io/docs/book_liberation_manifesto/Book_Liberation_Manifesto.html"><i>Leibniz's method of the scholar's box combines a classification system with a permanent storage facility, the cabinet. So in a way this is similar to the use of Zotero or other citation management systems, but instead uses loose sheets of paper on hooks. The strips are hung on poles or placed into hybrid books</i></a></blockquote><br />And that’s the reason why I wanted to start my talk with a brief history lesson. To remind us that there is a common ancestor to the library catalog and the scholar’s bibliography, and that is the index card.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w0-4eLe_WA0/VfLa81Nc42I/AAAAAAAATgI/RBqLQLwiPlk/s1600/Slide9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w0-4eLe_WA0/VfLa81Nc42I/AAAAAAAATgI/RBqLQLwiPlk/s320/Slide9.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />So as we’ve learned, from as far back as Gessner’s 16th Century, writers have been using cards and slips of paper to rearrange ideas and quotations into texts, citations into bibliographies, and bibliographic descriptions into card catalogues.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-THF4v1QwHZY/VfLa01bAotI/AAAAAAAATdk/NkuojqPCcQ4/s1600/Slide10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-THF4v1QwHZY/VfLa01bAotI/AAAAAAAATdk/NkuojqPCcQ4/s320/Slide10.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />You can still buy index cards and card boxes at my local campus bookstore. That’s because there are still authors today, who still use index cards to piece together and re-sort parts of their paper or novel, or they use and rearrange digital cards inside of such writing software tools such as <a href="https://www.literatureandlatte.com/">Scrviner </a>to generate new works.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mitK1SVbZfE/VfLa07iaPTI/AAAAAAAATdo/4cBZL319Sd4/s1600/Slide11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mitK1SVbZfE/VfLa07iaPTI/AAAAAAAATdo/4cBZL319Sd4/s320/Slide11.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Now, I don’t write this way myself. But I do use <a href="http://zotero.org/">Zotero </a>as one of the tools that I use to keep track of citations, book marks,&nbsp; saved quotations, and excerpts of text that I have used or might use in my own work as a writer and academic librarian.<br /><br />Zotero acts as an extension of your web reading experience and it operates best as an add-on to the Firefox browser. If you use Zotero, you can usually easily capture citations that one finds on a page either because someone who supports Zotero has already developed<a href="https://www.zotero.org/support/translators"> a custom text scraper (called a translator) for the database or website that you are looking at</a> or that citation has been marked up with text that’s invisible to the human eye but can be found in the span HTML tags that surround the citation using <a href="http://ocoins.info/">a microformat called COinS</a>.<br /><br />Zotero also allows scholars to backup their citations to their server and in doing so, share their citations by making one’s <i>library </i>public on <a href="http://zotero.org/">Zotero.org</a>.&nbsp; Alternatively, scholars can share&nbsp; bibliographies on their own website using the<a href="https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/web_api/v3/start"> Zotero API</a> which is so simple and powerful you can embed a bibliography styled with APA with a single line of code.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-za3ljl6mdAU/VfLa1NoOOiI/AAAAAAAATds/waXavzDMMic/s1600/Slide12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-za3ljl6mdAU/VfLa1NoOOiI/AAAAAAAATds/waXavzDMMic/s320/Slide12.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />One of my favourite features of Zotero is not widely known. Zotero out of the box allows the scholar to generate ‘cards’ <a href="http://jasonpriem.org/projects/report_cleaner.php">which are called ‘reports’</a> from your bibliography.&nbsp; When I have a stack of books that I need to locate in my library, I sometimes find it’s easier for me to select and generate a report of cards from my Zotero collection rather than to search, select and print the items using my library’s expensive ILS system.<br /><br />There is a terrible irony to this situation. As I learned from the Library Journal column of Dorothea Salo, the design problem given to Henriette Avram’s, the inventor of the MARC records was to have “computers print catalog cards.”<br /><br /><a href="http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2015/02/opinion/peer-to-peer-review/marc-linked-data-and-human-computer-asymmetry-peer-to-peer-review/#_">As Salo says in her piece</a>, “Avram was not asked to design a computer-optimized data structure for information about library materials, so, naturally enough, that is not what MARC is at heart. Avram was asked solely to make computers print a record intended purely for human consumption according to the best card-construction practices of the 1960s.”<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-isvtpE9va_s/VfLa1aICqkI/AAAAAAAATdw/KR5JtI7nvyI/s1600/Slide13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-isvtpE9va_s/VfLa1aICqkI/AAAAAAAATdw/KR5JtI7nvyI/s320/Slide13.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Let’s recall that one of the reasons why Zotero is able to import citations easily is because of the invisible text of COinS and translators.&nbsp; <br /><br />The metadata that comes into Zotero is captured as strings of text. Which is great - a name is now tagged with the code AU to designate that the text should go in the Author field. But this functionality is not enough if you want to produce <i>linked data</i>. <br /><br />Dan Scott has kindly shared the code to <a href="https://github.com/dbs/ris2web">RIS2WEB </a>that allows you to run it on an export of a bibliography from Zotero in doing so create and serve a citation database that also generates of linked data using Schema. Afterwards, you can add available URIs.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ze7l7VioHYE/VfLa1tvLsLI/AAAAAAAATd0/WA2BC6XZGuw/s1600/Slide14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ze7l7VioHYE/VfLa1tvLsLI/AAAAAAAATd0/WA2BC6XZGuw/s320/Slide14.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />You can see the results of this work at <a href="http://labourstudies.ca/">http://labourstudies.ca</a><br /><br />When I showed this to a co-worker of mine, she couldn’t understand why I was so impressed by this. I had to hit Control-U on a citation to show her that this citation database contained identifiers such as from <a href="https://viaf.org/">VIAF: The Virtual International Authority File</a>. I explained to her that by using these numeric identifiers - invisible to the human eye - computers will be able not only find matching text in the author field, they will be better able to find <i>that one particular author. </i> <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z4-4a3r5Dl0/VfLa1o9QWsI/AAAAAAAATd4/Kea7Tnp9Nlc/s1600/Slide15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z4-4a3r5Dl0/VfLa1o9QWsI/AAAAAAAATd4/Kea7Tnp9Nlc/s320/Slide15.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />So can we call Zotero a <a href="https://www.cni.org/topics/digital-libraries/the-scholars-box-a-tool-for-gathering-creating-and-sharing-reusable-digital-learning-and-research-content/">Scholar’s Box</a> or <a href="http://papermachines.org/">Paper Machine</a> for the digital age?<br /><br />I think we can, but that being said, I think we need to recognize that the citations that we have are still stuck in a box, in still so many ways.<br /><br />We can’t grab citations from library database and drop them into a word processor without using bibliographic manager like Zotero as an intermediary to the capture structured data that might be useful to my computer when I need format a bibliography. Likewise, I can’t easy grab linked data from sites like the Labour Studies bibliography page.<br /><br />And we still really don’t share citations in emails or social media. <br /><br />Instead, we share the URL web addresses that point to the publisher or third party server that host said paper.&nbsp; Or we share PDFs that should contain all the elements needed to construct a citation and yet somehow still requires the manual re-keying and control c-ing and v-ing of data into fields when we want to do such necessary things as add an article to an Institutional Repository.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GOHJ8STzC1Q/VfLa1-yqjnI/AAAAAAAATd8/g4Epc6mopXk/s1600/Slide16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GOHJ8STzC1Q/VfLa1-yqjnI/AAAAAAAATd8/g4Epc6mopXk/s320/Slide16.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>Common Web tools and techniques cannot easily manipulate library resources. While photo sharing, link logging, and Web logging sites make it easy to use and reuse content, barriers still exist that limit the reuse of library resources within new Web services. To support the reuse of library information in Web 2.0-style services, we need to allow many types of applications to connect with our information resources more easily. One such connection is a universal method to copy any resource of interest. Because the copy-and-paste paradigm resonates with both users and Web developers, it makes sense that users should be able to copy items they see online and paste them into desktop applications or other Web applications. Recent developments proposed in weblogs and discussed at technical conferences suggest exactly this: extending the 'clipboard' copy-and-paste paradigm onto the Web. To fit this new, extended paradigm, we need to provide a uniform, simple method for copying rich digital objects out of any Web application. </i></blockquote><br />Now, those aren’t my words. That’s from this paper <a href="http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue48/chudnov-et-al">Introducing unAPI</a> written by Daniel Chudnov, Peter Binkley, Jeremy Frumkin, Michael J. Giarlo, Mike Rylander, Ross Singer and Ed Summers.<br /><br />This paper, I should stress, was written in 2006.<br /><br />Within the paper, the authors outline the many reasons why cutting and pasting data is so infuriatingly difficult in our sphere of tools and data.<br /><br />But what if there was another paradigm we could try?<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UKroRJCLAok/VfLa2M4lyNI/AAAAAAAATeA/rxikSVSqCaQ/s1600/Slide17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UKroRJCLAok/VfLa2M4lyNI/AAAAAAAATeA/rxikSVSqCaQ/s320/Slide17.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />In order to see how we might be possibly break out of the scholar’s box, I’m going to talk about a <i>very </i>speculative possibility. And in order to set us up for this possibility, I first need to talk about how cards are already used on the web and on our tablets and smart phones.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZIW72oqRfc/VfLa2BeQR9I/AAAAAAAATeE/z3Q98GpVg8o/s1600/Slide18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZIW72oqRfc/VfLa2BeQR9I/AAAAAAAATeE/z3Q98GpVg8o/s320/Slide18.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">https://blog.intercom.io/why-cards-are-the-future-of-the-web/</td></tr></tbody></table><br />If you look around the most popular websites and pay particular attention to the design patterns used, you will quickly notice that many of the sites that we visit every day (Twitter, Facebook, Trello, Instagram, Pinterest) they all use cards as a user interface design pattern.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vNkQV3HiVkQ/VfLa2bR8SKI/AAAAAAAATeM/0BO13LZyv9c/s1600/Slide19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vNkQV3HiVkQ/VfLa2bR8SKI/AAAAAAAATeM/0BO13LZyv9c/s320/Slide19.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">https://www.pinterest.com/khoi/card-user-interfaces/</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The use of cards as a design pattern rose up along with the use of mobile devices largely because a single card fits nicely on a mobile screen...<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JSKuzOa7jaI/VfLa3wiWyRI/AAAAAAAATeQ/91WQSFIZsQ0/s1600/Slide20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JSKuzOa7jaI/VfLa3wiWyRI/AAAAAAAATeQ/91WQSFIZsQ0/s320/Slide20.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />...while on larger surfaces, such as tablets and desktops, cards can be arranged in a vertical feed, like in Facebook or Twitter, or arranged as a board like Pinterest, or like a like a stack, such as Google Now or Trello.<br /><br /><a href="https://speakerdeck.com/christse/patterns-of-card-ui-design">This slide is from a slidedeck of designer and technologist, Chris Tse</a>. The rest of this section is largely an exploration of <a href="https://speakerdeck.com/christse">Chris’ work and ideas about cards</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tjMquAvJvmM/VfLa4OuBILI/AAAAAAAATeU/zzSx9e9iHzs/s1600/Slide21.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tjMquAvJvmM/VfLa4OuBILI/AAAAAAAATeU/zzSx9e9iHzs/s320/Slide21.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">https://speakerdeck.com/christse/patterns-of-card-ui-design</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Case in point, Chris Tse states, the most important quality of ‘cards’ is that of movement. But by movement, he isn’t referring to the design’s apparent affordances that makes swiping or scrolling intuitive.<br /><br />The movement of cards that’s really important is how they feed into content creation and content sharing and how cards feed into discussions and workflow. <br /><br />(How cards fit into <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanban_board">kaban boards</a> and shared workflow software like Trello, is a whooooole other presentation)<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zeVG1wQSv-I/VfLa4YCq71I/AAAAAAAATeY/v2FqxwSj3ho/s1600/Slide22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zeVG1wQSv-I/VfLa4YCq71I/AAAAAAAATeY/v2FqxwSj3ho/s320/Slide22.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">https://twitter.com/copystar/status/622459788606210048</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Social media is collectively made up of individuals sharing objects - objects of text, of photos, of video, of slideshows - and they share these objects with friends and to a larger public. Each of these objects are framed - by and large - within cards. <br /><br />It’s important to realize that the cards on the web are fundamentally more than just a just a design hack.&nbsp; If you are familiar with Twitter, you may have started to see cards that don’t just feature 140 characters - you see playable music (such as from <a href="https://twitter.com/copystar/status/622459788606210048">Soundcloud</a>), <a href="https://twitter.com/mia_out/status/641928255109472257">slideshows that you can read through</a> without leaving Twitter, and <a href="https://dev.twitter.com/cards/types/app">you can even download 3rd party apps</a> from Twitter advertising cards. When the business press say that Twitter is a platform, it’s not just marketing hype.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IOG5ZfWwKoE/VfLa5UO7sVI/AAAAAAAATe4/IVSUToeRvfM/s1600/Slide23.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IOG5ZfWwKoE/VfLa5UO7sVI/AAAAAAAATe4/IVSUToeRvfM/s320/Slide23.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />As Chris Tse says, cards are more than just glorified widgets.&nbsp; “When done right”, he says, “a card looks like responsive web content, works like a focused mobile app, and feels like a saved file that you can share and reuse". As “cards” become more interactive, he believe they will go from being just concentrated bits of content and turn into mini-apps that can be embedded, can capture and manipulate data, or even process transactions.<br />&nbsp; <br />But why isn’t this more obvious to people? I think the reason why is that cards don’t really feel this way is that most cards can only move within their own self-contained apps or websites.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WN7pGNsmkF0/VfLa5YWeOwI/AAAAAAAATe8/sKUM7NRBc3c/s1600/Slide24.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WN7pGNsmkF0/VfLa5YWeOwI/AAAAAAAATe8/sKUM7NRBc3c/s320/Slide24.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />For example, <a href="https://www.google.ca/landing/now/">Google Now</a> cards work with your Google applications – such as your calendar - but doesn't know about the events that you've RSVPed in Facebook.<br /><br />That being said, Google and Apple are working on ways into integrate more services into their services. In Google Now, I’m regularly offered news story based on my recent searches as well as stories that are popular to other readers who read similar stories using the Feedly RSS reader.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hy-Fpzz0Wak/VfLa5RruMzI/AAAAAAAATe0/RENHWBcTlgY/s1600/Slide25.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hy-Fpzz0Wak/VfLa5RruMzI/AAAAAAAATe0/RENHWBcTlgY/s320/Slide25.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />And this is a problem because <a href="https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2819496?hl=en">it’s Google who is deciding whose services I can choose from</a> for such card notifications. <br /><br />The apps on your smart phone live in a walled garden where things are more beautiful and more cultivated, but it is a place that is cut off from the open web. <br /><br />The fall of the open web and the rise of the walled garden is not a trivial problem. We should not forget that if you want your app to be available on an iPhone it must be in the Apple Store and the content of your app will be subject to the Apple Review process and Apple will take a 30% cut of what your app sells for.&nbsp; Content within apps curtail various forms of free and freedoms.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dZqVE5WPQ00/VfLa57b6wnI/AAAAAAAATfA/1YPA5Am2WVM/s1600/Slide26.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dZqVE5WPQ00/VfLa57b6wnI/AAAAAAAATfA/1YPA5Am2WVM/s320/Slide26.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />To bridge this split of the open web and the walled app garden, Chris Tse founded <a href="http://cardstack.io/">Cardstack.io</a>. The mission of Cardstack is to “To build a card ecosystem based on open web technologies and open source ethos that fights back against lock-in.”<br /><br />CardStack wraps single-page JavaScript applications as a reusable ‘card’ that can be embedded in native apps and other web apps. According to Chris, Cardstack.io HTML5 cards will be able to move between apps, between devices, between users and between services.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P8hxCQr5xeI/VfLa6CfkcJI/AAAAAAAATfE/fwHFiG0eVnY/s1600/Slide27.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P8hxCQr5xeI/VfLa6CfkcJI/AAAAAAAATfE/fwHFiG0eVnY/s320/Slide27.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>CardStack itself is comprised of other JavaScript libraries, most notably Conductor.js and Oasis.js and I cannot speak anything more to this other than to repeat the claim that these combined libraries create a solution that is more secure than the embedded content than the iFrames of widgets past.<br /><br />But notice the ‘Coming Soon’ statement in the top left hand corner? CardStack is still in beta with SDKs still being developed for iOS and Android systems.<br /><br />Despite this, when I first stumbled upon Chris Tse’s presentations about Cardstack, I was really excited by his vision. But the crushing reality of the situation settled mere moments later. <br /><br />Yes, a new system of cards to allow movement between siloed systems that could work in mobile or desktop environments, that would be wonderful - but wasn’t it all too late?<br /><br />And what does it mean if we all collectively decide, that it is all just too late?<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RNHDGM6plio/VfLa6jD_-kI/AAAAAAAATfc/_soq8-7r_aI/s1600/Slide28.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RNHDGM6plio/VfLa6jD_-kI/AAAAAAAATfc/_soq8-7r_aI/s320/Slide28.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>One of the challenges of promoting a new sort of container is that you can really show it off until you have some content to contain. You need a proof of concept.<br /><br />When I checked in later to see what Chris was doing as I was drafting this presentation, I learned that he was now the CTO of a new platform - that he confirmed for me is built using Cardstack as a component.<br /><br />This new platform has its origin from the art world’s <a href="http://sevenonseven.rhizome.org/">Rhizome’s Seven on Seven conference</a>. The Seven on Seven conference pairs seven visual artists with seven technologists for a 24 hour hackjam and<a href="http://rhizome.org/editorial/2014/may/5/seven-ideas-seven-seven-2014/"> in 2014, artist Kevin McCoy was paired up with technologist Anil Dash</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k7UKuU_97z4/VfLa6_ej4EI/AAAAAAAATfU/52Taauq4XKY/s1600/Slide29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k7UKuU_97z4/VfLa6_ej4EI/AAAAAAAATfU/52Taauq4XKY/s320/Slide29.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />McCoy and Dash were both interested in improving the situation of digital artists whose work can be easily be copied. With copying, the provenance of a digital work can be lost and as well as the understanding of what was original and what has been modified.<br /><br />They talked and worked on a proof of concept of a new service that would allow visual artists to register ownership of their digital work and transfer that ownership using blockchain technology - that's the technology behind bitcoin.<br /><br />Over a year later, this idea has grown into a real platform that is private beta and is set to be released to the public this month.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o-X8G02x0f4/VfLa7FkpUmI/AAAAAAAATfg/YW3ARKeJFFU/s1600/Slide30.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o-X8G02x0f4/VfLa7FkpUmI/AAAAAAAATfg/YW3ARKeJFFU/s320/Slide30.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I think two things are particularly awesome about this project. First the platform also allows for artists to decide for themselves whether the license for their work in the creative commons or requires a royalty and whether derivatives of their work is allowed. <br /><br />The other thing I love about this project is its name. If you look at the top left hand of this screen you will find that the name of the platform is spelled m-o n-e-g-r-a-p-h. The platform is called MONOGRAPH.<br /><br />And as we now know, you build a monegraph with cards.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DFfyPkkW-Z0/VfLa7X9D8tI/AAAAAAAATfk/armFUYaab4A/s1600/Slide31.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DFfyPkkW-Z0/VfLa7X9D8tI/AAAAAAAATfk/armFUYaab4A/s320/Slide31.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />We need to remember that the library and the bibliography are connected by the card.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ngBDsJQjlqE/VfLa7vCEJxI/AAAAAAAATfo/hQajuAXUhKU/s1600/Slide32.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ngBDsJQjlqE/VfLa7vCEJxI/AAAAAAAATfo/hQajuAXUhKU/s320/Slide32.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />As we continue to invest in crucial new endeavors in the digital realm, I think it's essential that librarians find new ways to surface our resources and allow them to be shared socially and to find the means by which scholars can save and sorting and re-use these resources that they find from our collections.<br /><br />We are part of a generative process. Cards of single ideas that are arranged and stacked build theses, which in turn, build papers, books which, in turn, form bibliographies which fill libraries.<br /><br />I would like libraries to find a way to back to Gessner’s <i>Bibliotheca Universalis</i>, a place where the library and the scholar were both connected.<br /><br />After all...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-826Oj1tgxiE/VfLa7sIpEnI/AAAAAAAATfs/d4xgzaYWLmw/s1600/Slide33.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-826Oj1tgxiE/VfLa7sIpEnI/AAAAAAAATfs/d4xgzaYWLmw/s320/Slide33.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-65480457902135584462015-04-26T18:55:00.000-04:002015-04-26T19:25:19.597-04:00Advice from a Badass: How to make users awesome<br />Previously, <a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2013/08/user-experience-vs-world.html">whenever I have spoken or written about user experience and the web</a>, I have recommended only one book: <a href="https://www.sensible.com/">Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug.</a> <br /><br />Whenever I did so, I did so with a caveat: one of the largest drawbacks of <i>Don’t Make Me Think</i> is captured in the title itself : it is an endorsement of web design that strives to remove all cognitive friction from the process of navigating information. This philosophy serves business who are trying to sell products with a website but doesn’t sit well with who are trying to support teaching and learning. <br /><br />Today I would like to announce that I hereby retire this UX book recommendation because I have found something better. Something several orders of magnitude better.<br /><br />I would like to push into your hands instead a copy of <a href="http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920036593.do">Kathy Sierra’s <i>Badass: Making users awesome</i></a>. In this work, Kathy has distilled the research on learning, expertise and the human behaviors that make both of these things possible.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://akamaicovers.oreilly.com/images/0636920036593/lrg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://akamaicovers.oreilly.com/images/0636920036593/lrg.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div><br /><br />You can use the lessons in <i>Badass </i>towards web design. Like <i>Don’t Make Me Think</i>, <i>Badass </i>also recognizes there are times when cognitive resources need to be preserved, but unlike the <i>Don’t Make Me Think</i>, Badass Kathy Sierra advises when and where these moments in specific points should be placed in the larger context of the learner’s journey towards expertise.<br /><br /><br />You see, <i>Badass: Making Users Awesome</i> isn’t about making websites. It’s about making an expert Badass.<br /><br /><br />In her book, Sierra establishes why helping users become awesome can directly lead to the success of a product or service and and then builds a model with the reader to achieve this. I think it’s an exceptional book that wisely advises how to address the emotional and behavioural setbacks to learning new things without having to resort to bribery or gamification, neither of which work after the novelty wears off. The language of the book is informal but the research behind the words is formidable.<br /><br />One topic that <i>Badass </i>covers that personally resonated was the section on the<i> Performance Progress Path Map</i> as a key to motivation and progress. I know that there is resistance in some quarters to the articulation of of learning outcomes by those who suspect that the exercise is a gateway to the implementation of institutional standards that will eliminate teacher autonomy, or eliminate teachers altogether. But these fears shouldn't come into play as it doesn't apply in this context and should not inhibit individuals from sharing their personal learning paths. <br /><br /><br />The reason why this topic hit so close to home was because I found learning to program particularly perilous because of the various ‘missing chapters’ of learning computing (a phrase I picked up from Selena Marie’s not unrelated Code4Lib 2015 Keynote, <a href="https://speakerdeck.com/selenamarie/code4lib-what-beginners-teach-us">What Beginners Teach Us </a>- you can find part of the script here <a href="https://speakerdeck.com/selenamarie/what-beginners-teach-us-passion-projects">from a related talk</a>). <br /><br /><br />I think it’s particularly telling that some months ago, friends were circulating this picture with the caption: <i>This is what learning to program feels like</i>.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/how-to-draw-an-owl?ref=image-entry-link"><img alt="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/how-to-draw-an-owl?ref=image-entry-link" border="0" src="http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/572/078/d6d.jpg" height="260" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />There’s a real need with the FOSS moment to invest into more projects like the <a href="https://drupalize.me/blog/201402/drupal-8-start-contributing-drupal-ladder">Drupal Ladder</a> project, which seeks to specifically articulate how a person can start from being a beginner to become a core contributor.<br /><br />Furthermore, I think there’s a real opportunity for libraries to be involved in sharing learning strategies, especially public libraries. I think the Hamilton Public Library is really on to something with their upcoming ‘Learn Something’ Festival.<br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Check out <a href="https://twitter.com/HamiltonLibrary">@HamiltonLibrary</a>'s "How-to Festival", a series of workshops on how to do stuff! <a href="http://t.co/lmHeYxyGd7">http://t.co/lmHeYxyGd7</a> <a href="http://t.co/de1vsi9IJ5">pic.twitter.com/de1vsi9IJ5</a><br />— Ad/Lib (@adlib_info) <a href="https://twitter.com/adlib_info/status/591232623415922689">April 23, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <br />Let’s not forget,<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The real value of libraries is not the hardware. It has never been the hardware. Your members don’t come to the library to find books, or magazines, journals, films or musical recordings. They come to be informed, inspired, horrified, enchanted or amused. They come to hide from reality or understand its true nature. They come to find solace or excitement, companionship or solitude. <a href="https://www.hughrundle.net/2012/04/04/libraries-as-software-dematerialising-platforms-and-returning-to-first-principles/">They come for the software</a>. </blockquote><br />While the umbrella concept of User Experience has somewhat permeated into librarianship, I would argue that it has not traveled deep enough and have not made the inroads into the profession that it could. I’ve been thinking why and I’ve come up with a couple of theories why this is the case.<br /><br />One theory is that many academic librarians who are involved in teaching have a strong aversion to ‘teaching the tool’. In fact, I’ve heard that the difference between ‘bibliographic instruction’ and ‘information literacy’ is that the former deals with the mechanics of searching, while ‘information literacy’ addresses higher-level concepts. While I am sympathetic to this stance (librarians are not product trainers), I also resist the ‘don’t teach the technology' mindset. The library is a technology. We can, and we have, taught higher level concepts through our tools. <br /><br /><br />As Sierra states, “Tools matter”. <br /><br /><br />But she wisely goes on to state:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br />“But being a master of the tool is rarely our user’s ultimate goal. Most tools (products, services) enable and support the user’s true -- and more motivating - goal.<br /><br />Nobody wants to be a tripod master. We went to use tripods to make amazing videos.”</blockquote><br /><br />The largest challenge to the adoption of the lessons of <i>Badass </i>into the vernacular of librarianship is that <i>Badass </i>is focused squarely on <b>practice</b>.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">“Experts are not what they know but what they do. Repeatedly.”</blockquote><br /><br />A statement like the above may be quickly dismissed by those in academia as the idea of practice sounds too much like the idea of tool use. (If it makes you feel better, dear colleagues, consider this restatement in the book: “Experts make superior choices (And they do it more reliably than experienced non-experts).”<br /><br />Each discipline has a practice associated with it. <a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2011/11/practice-makes-profession.html">I have previously made the case that the librarians regular activity of searching for information of others at the reference desk was the practice where our expertise was once made</a> (the technical services equivalent would be the cataloguing of materials).&nbsp; <br /><br /><br />But as our reference desk stats have plummeted (and our catalogue records copied from elsewhere), I still think the profession need to ask ourselves, where does the our expertise come from? Many of us don’t have a good answer for this, which is why I think so many librarians - academic librarians in particular - are frequently and viciously attacking the current state of library school and its curriculum, demanding <a href="http://gavialib.com/?s=rigor">rigor</a>. To that I say, take your professional anxieties out on something else. A good educational foundation is ideal, but professional expertise is built through practice. <br /><br />What the new practice of librarianship is from beyond the reference desk is still evolving. It appears that digital publishing and digitization is becoming part of this new practice. Guidance with data management and data visualizations appears to be part of our profession now too. For myself, I’m currently trying to level up my skills in citation management and its integration with the research and writing process.<br /><br />That's because there has been more fundamental shift in my thinking about academic librarianship as of late that Kathy’s book has only encouraged. I would like to make the case that the most important library to our users isn’t the one that they are sitting in, but the one on their laptop. Their collection of notes, papers, images and research materials is really the only library that really matters to them. The institutional library (that they are likely only temporarily affiliated with) may feed into this library, but its contents cannot be trusted to be there for them always. <br /><br /><br />For an example, consider this: two weeks ago, I helped a faculty member with an Endnote formatting question. As I looked over her shoulder, I saw that her Endnote library on her laptop contained hundreds and hundreds of citations that had been collected and organized over the years and how this collection was completely integrated with her writing process. This was her library.<br /><br />And despite not having worked in Endnote for years, I was able to help her with formatting question so she could submit her paper to a journal with its particularly creative and personal citation style. It seems that I have developed some expertise by working with a variety of citation managers over the years. <br /><br />I wouldn’t call myself a Badass. Not yet. But I’m working on it. <br /><br /><br />And I’m working on helping others finding and becoming their own Badass self. <br /><br /><br />It’s been many years now, and so it bears repeating.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">My professional mission as a librarian is this: Help people build their own libraries. <br /><br /><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20091121062925/http://onebiglibrary.net/story/because-this-is-the-business-weve-chosen">Because this is the business we’ve chosen</a>.&nbsp;</blockquote><br />Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-8695105073988370462015-04-25T16:26:00.000-04:002015-04-25T16:26:00.210-04:00The update to the setup<a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2015/03/the-setup.html">In my last post</a>, I described my current computer set up. I did so to encourage a mindfulness in my own practice (I am not ashamed of writing the previous sentence - I really do mean it). Forcing myself to inventory the systems that I use, made two things readily apparent to me. First, it is abundantly clear that not only am I profoundly dependent on Google products such as Google Drive, almost all of the access to my online world is tied together by my Gmail account. I aspire to, one day, be one among the proud and the few who are willing to use alternatives such as <a href="http://www.wired.com/2014/02/2203thompson/">Owncloud </a>and <a href="http://ruk.ca/content/setup">Fastmail</a> just to establish a little more independence.<br /><br />But before even considering this move, I first needed to address the second glaring problem that emerged from this self-reflection of my setup: I desperately needed a backup strategy. Massive loss was just a hard drive failure or malicious hack away. <br /><br />As I write this, my old Windows XP computer is sending years worth of mp3s, documents and digital photos to<a href="http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-external-desktop-hard-drive/"> my new WD Book which I bought on recommendation from Wirecutter</a>. When that’s done, I’m going to copy over my back ups of my Google Drive contents, Gmail, Calendar, Blogger, and Photos that I generated earlier this week using <a href="https://www.google.com/settings/takeout">Google Takeout.</a><br /><br />I know myself well enough that I cannot rely on making regular manual updates to an external hard drive. So I have also invested in a family membership to <a href="http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-online-backup-service/">CrashPlan</a>. It took a loooong time for the documents of our family computers to be uploaded to the CrashPlan central server but now the service works unobtrusively in the background as new material accumulates. If you go this route of cloud-service backups, be aware that its likely that you are going to exceed your monthly data transfer limit for your ISP. Hopefully your ISP is as understanding as mine who waved the additional costs as this was a ‘first offense’ (Thank you Cogeco!)<br /><br />My next step? I’m going to re-join the <a href="http://archiveteam.org/index.php?title=Main_Page">Archiveteam</a>. <br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="http://archiveteam.org/images/8/8a/Archivetime.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://archiveteam.org/images/8/8a/Archivetime.png" height="155" width="320" /></a></div>Because history is our future. Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-88780018588685341862015-03-29T14:46:00.000-04:002015-03-29T17:33:50.310-04:00The SetupFor this post, I’m going to pretend that the editors of the blog, <a href="http://usesthis.com/">The Setup</a> (“a collection of nerdy interviews asking people from all walks of life what they use to get the job done”) asked me for a contribution. But in reality,<a href="https://www.miskatonic.org/2013/01/10/i-uses/"> I’m just following Bill Denton’s lead</a>.<br /><br />It feels a little self-indulgent to write about one’s technology purchases so before I describe my set up, let me explain why I’m sharing this information.<br /><br />Some time back, in preparation for a session I was giving on Zotero for my university’s annual&nbsp; technology conference, I realized that <a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2011/05/zotero-why-before-zotero-how.html">before going into the reasons <i>how </i>to use Zotero, I had to address the reasons <i>why</i></a>. I recognized that I was asking students and faculty who were likely already time-strapped and overburdened, to abandon long-standing practices that were already successfully working for them if they were going to switch to Zotero for their research work.<br /><br />Before my presentation, I asked on Twitter when and why faculty would change their research practices.&nbsp; Most of the answers were on the cynical side but there were some that gave me some room to maneuver, namely this one: “when I start a new project.”&nbsp; And there’s a certain logic to this approach. If you were starting graduate school and know that you have to prepare for comps and generate a thesis at the end of the process, <a href="http://williamjturkel.net/how-to/">wouldn’t you want to conscientiously design your workflow at the start to capture what you learn in such a way that it’s searchable and reusable? </a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/infrastructures.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>My own sabbatical is over and oddly enough, it is now at the end of my sabbatical in which I feel the most like I’m starting all over again in my professional work. So I’m using that New Project feeling to fuel some self-reflection in my own research process, bring some mindfulness to my online habits, and deliberate design into My Setup.<br /><br />There’s another reason why I’m thinking about the deliberate design of research practice. As libraries start venturing into the space of research service consultation, I believe that librarians need to follow best practices for ourselves if we hope to develop expertise in this area.<br /><br />As well, I think we need to more conscious of how and when our practices are not in line with our values. It’s simply not possible to live completely without hypocrisy in this complicated world but that doesn’t mean we can’t strive for <i>praxis</i>. It’s difficult for me to take seriously accusations that hackerspaces are neoliberal when it’s being stated by a person cradling a&nbsp; Macbook or iPhone. That being said, I greatly rely on products from Microsoft, Amazon, and Google so I'm in no position to cast stones.<br /><br />I just want to care about the infrastructures we’re building….<br /><br /><a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/infrastructures.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/infrastructures.png" height="190" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><br />And with that, here’s my setup!<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Hardware</b></span><br /><br />There are three computers that I spend my time on: the family computer in the kitchen (a <b>Dell desktop</b> running <b>Windows 7</b>), my work computer (another Dell desktop running Windows 7), and my <b>Thinkpad X1 Carbon</b> laptop which I got earlier this year.&nbsp; <b>Grub </b>turned my laptop into a dual boot machine that I can switch between <b>Ubuntu </b>and <b>Windows 7</b>. I feel I need a Windows environment so I can run any<b> ESRI products</b> and all those other Mac/Windows only products if need be.<br /><br />I have a <b>Nexus 4 Android phone made by LG</b> and a <b>Kindle DX</b> as my ebook reader. I don’t own a tablet or an mp3 player.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldbackupday.com/en/">Worldbackup Day is March 31st</a>. I need to get myself an external drive for backups (<i>Todo1</i>).<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Software</span></b><br /><br />After getting my laptop, the first thing I did was investigated password managers to find which one would work best for me. I ended up choosing <b>LastPass </b>and I felt the benefits <i>immediately</i>. Using a password manager has saved me so much pain and aggravation and now my passwords are now (almost) all unique. Next, I need to set up<a href="https://twofactorauth.org/"> two factor authentication</a> for the services that I haven’t gotten around to yet (<i>Todo2</i>).&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />With work being done on three computers, it’s not surprising that I have a tendency to work online. My browser of choice is <b>Mozilla </b>but I will flip to <b>Chrome </b>from time to time. I use the sync functionality on both so my bookmarks are the automatically updated and the same across devices. I use <b>SublimeText </b>for my text editor for code, <b>GIMP </b>as my graphics editor, and <b>QGIS </b>for my geospatial needs.<br /><br />This draft, along with much of my other writing and presentations are on <b>Google Drive</b>. I spend much of my time in <b>Gmail </b>and <b>Google Calendar</b>. While years ago, I downloaded all my email using <b>Mozilla Thunderbird</b>, I have not set up a regular backup strategy for these documents (<i>Todo3</i>). I’ve toyed with using <b>Dropbox </b>to back up Drive but think I’m better with an external drive. I have a Dropbox account because people occasionally share documents with me through it but at the moment, I only use it to backup my kids <b>Minecraft </b>games.<br /><br />From 2007 to 2013, I used <b>delicious </b>to capture and share the things I read online. Then delicious tried to be the new Pinterest and made itself unusable (although it has since reverted back to close to its original form) and so I switched to <b>Evernote </b>(somewhat reluctantly because I missed the public aspect of sharing bookmarks).&nbsp;&nbsp; I’ve grown to be quite dependent on Evernote to save my outboard brain. I use <b>IFTTT </b>to post the links from my <b>Twitter faves</b> to delicious which are then imported automatically into Evernote.&nbsp; I also use IFTTT to automatically backup my <b>Tumblr </b>posts to Evernote, my <b>Foursquare check-ins</b> saved to Evernote (and Google Calendar) and my <b>Feedly </b>saved posts to Evernote. Have I established a system to back up my Evernote notes on a regular basis? No, no I have not (<i>Todo4</i>).<br /><br />The overarching idea that I have come up with is that the things I write are backed up on my Google Drive account and the library of things that I have read or saved to future reading (ha!) are saved on Evernote.&nbsp; To this end, I use IFTTT to save my Tweets to a Google Spreadsheet and my <b>Blogger </b>and <b>WordPress </b>posts are automatically saved to Google Drive (still in a work in progress. <i>Todo 5</i>). My ISP is <b>Dreamhost </b>but I am tempted to jump ship to <b>Digital Ocean</b>.<br /><br />My goal is to have at least one backup for the things I’ve created. So I use IFTTT to save my <b>Instagram </b>posts to <b>Flickr</b>. My Flickr posts are just a small subset of all the photos that are automatically captured and saved on <b>Google Photos</b>.&nbsp; No, I have not backed up these photos&nbsp; (<i>Todo 6</i>) but I have, since 2005, printed the best of my photos on an annual basis into beautiful softcover books using <b>QOOP </b>and then later, through <b>Blurb</b>.&nbsp; My <b>Facebook </b>photos and status updates from 2006 to 2013 have been printed in a lovely hardcover book using <b>MySocialBook</b>.&nbsp; One day I would like to print a book of the best of my blogged writings using Blurb, if just as a personal artifact.<br /><br />Speaking of books, because I’m one of the proud and the few to own a <b>KindleDX</b>, I use it to read PDFs and most of my non-fiction reading. When I stumble upon a longread on the web, I use <b>Readability</b>’s Send to Kindle function so I can read it later without eyestrain. I’m inclined to buy the books that I used in my writing and research as Kindle ebooks because I can easily attach highlighted passages from these books to my <b>Zotero </b>account. My ebooks are backed up in my <b>calibre </b>library. I also use <b>Goodreads </b>to keep track of my reading because I love knowing what my friends are into.<br /><br />I subscribe to <b>Rdio </b>and for those times that I actually spend money on owning music, I try to use <b>Bandcamp</b>. I’m an avid listener of podcasts and for this purpose use <b>BeyondPod</b>. Our <b>Sonos </b>system allows us to play music from all these services, as well as <b>TuneIn</b>, in the living room.&nbsp; The music that I used to listen to on CD is now sitting on an unused computer running Windows XP and I know if I don’t get my act together and transfer those files to an external drive soon those files will be gone for good.. if they haven’t already become inaccessible (*gulp*) (<i>Todo 8</i>).<br /><br />For my “Todo list” I use <b>Google Keep</b>, which also captures my stray thoughts when I’m away from paper or my computer. Google Keep has an awesome feature that will trigger reminders based on your location. <br /><br /><hr /><br />So that’s My Setup. Let me know if you have any suggestions or can see some weaknesses in my workflow. Also, I’d love to learn from your Setup.<br /><br />And please please please call me out if I don’t have a sequel to this post called The Backup by the time of next year's World Backup Day.Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-66586509894028514272015-02-13T13:35:00.000-05:002015-02-13T13:35:52.484-05:00Teach for America. Code for America. Librarianing for AmericaOn Friday the 13th, I gave the morning keynote at the <a href="http://onlinenorthwest.org/">Online Northwest Conference</a> in Corvallis, OR. Thanks so much to the organization for inviting me.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-whix_pP9f-8/VNuhMsrwKcI/AAAAAAAAObM/vii9wZeBm_8/s1600/station-wagon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-whix_pP9f-8/VNuhMsrwKcI/AAAAAAAAObM/vii9wZeBm_8/s1600/station-wagon.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Last October, I was driving home from a hackathon when I heard something extraordinary on the radio. Now, as human beings, we tend to get over-excited by coincidence - it’s a particular <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases">cognitive bias</a> called the frequency illusion - you buy a gold station wagon and suddenly you see gold station wagons everywhere (yes, that’s my gold station wagon behind me). But that being said, I &nbsp;still contend that there was something special about what I heard and when I heard it. Because you don’t hear people talking about Open Data on the radio very often.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VNjwUKN-yAw/VNurEyY-4CI/AAAAAAAAObc/T5igaOL8f84/s1600/HackWE3sm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VNjwUKN-yAw/VNurEyY-4CI/AAAAAAAAObc/T5igaOL8f84/s1600/HackWE3sm.png" height="197" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />So here’s the brief backstory. &nbsp;The local technology incubator in partnership with the local hackerspace that I’m involved with was co-hosting <a href="http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/hackwe-30-tickets-13259019083">a week long hackathon to celebrate Science and Technology Week</a>. &nbsp;I was just returning from its kick-off event where I had just given a presentation on the role of licensing in Open Data. &nbsp;This particular hackathon was a judged event, with the three top prizes being a smart watch, admission to an app commercialization seminar, and an exclusive dinner with an expert in the commercialization of apps -- which was kind of odd since the data sets that were provided for the event were sets like pollution monitoring data from the Detroit River, but hey - that’s the part of the challenge of making commercial apps out of open data.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fZO03hNbV_s/VNur4QOLTzI/AAAAAAAAObk/WhqhsP6QulQ/s1600/WhatOpenData.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fZO03hNbV_s/VNur4QOLTzI/AAAAAAAAObk/WhqhsP6QulQ/s1600/WhatOpenData.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br />While it has been said that we are now living in the age of Big Data, only the smallest subset of that data is explicitly licensed in such a way that we the citizen can have access and can make use of it without having to ask permission or buy a license.&nbsp; I’m the lead of Open Data Windsor Essex and much of my role involves explaining what Open Data is because it’s not largely understood. Because I’m talking to my fellow librarians, <a href="http://copystar.github.io/OpenDataSci/#/">I’m going to give you a very abbreviated version of my standard Open Data explainer:</a><br /><br />One of the most common definitions of Open Data comes from the Open Knowledge Foundation: <b>Open data is data that can be freely used, reused and redistributed by anyone - subject only, at most, to the requirement to attribute and sharealike.</b><br /><br />So, using this definition, a creative commons license of CC-BY : which means that the work has been designated in the creative commons as free to use without requiring permission as long as there is attribution is given is considered Open Data.&nbsp; But CC-NC which stands for Creative Commons Non-Commercial is not considered Open Data because the domain of use has been restricted. <br /><br />We in librarianship talk a lot about open source, and open access, but even we don’t talk about open data very much. So that’s why I was so surprised when there was a conversation coming from my car radio on the importance of Open Data.&nbsp; Granted, I was listening to campus Radio - but still, I think I reserve the right to be impressed by how the stars seemed to have aligned just for me.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lCX4ap4MInw/VNuthUMixmI/AAAAAAAAObw/gU0nN7yLBNo/s1600/596Acres.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lCX4ap4MInw/VNuthUMixmI/AAAAAAAAObw/gU0nN7yLBNo/s1600/596Acres.png" height="193" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The show I was listening to was <a href="http://windsorshakeup.com/">Paul Chislett’s The Shake Up on CJAM</a> and he was interviewing Paula Z. Segal, the lead executive of a Brooklyn-based organization called <a href="http://596acres.org/">596 Acres</a>. Her organization builds online tools that makes use of Open Data to allow neighbours to find the vacant public land hidden in plain sight in the city as the first step in the process of turning them into shared resources, such as community gardens.&nbsp; Perhaps not surprising to you now, but in 2011 there was 596 acres of such empty lots in Brooklyn alone.<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I4gP8SU6ZKk/VNuuWBmOckI/AAAAAAAAOb4/ytFl0kZIj6I/s1600/NYC-OD.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I4gP8SU6ZKk/VNuuWBmOckI/AAAAAAAAOb4/ytFl0kZIj6I/s1600/NYC-OD.png" height="186" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br /><br />Segal was telling the radio host and the listening audience that many communities make data - such as data that describes what land is designated for what purpose - open and accessible to its residents. However, most citizens don’t know that the data exists because the data is contained in obscure portals, and if even if they did find the data, they generally do not understand how to handle the data, how to make sense of it and how to make it meaningful to their experiences.<br /><br />Now when I heard that and whenever I hear similar complaints that the promise of Open Data has failed because it tends to add power to already powerful, I keep thinking the same thing - this is a job for librarians.<br /><br />It reminds me of <a href="http://eaves.ca/2010/06/10/learning-from-libraries-the-literacy-challenge-of-open-data/">this quote from open government advocate</a>, David Eaves:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span id="docs-internal-guid-78bcd3fd-797d-4b8f-6f15-bcc744a61109"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We didn’t build libraries for a literate citizenry. We built libraries to help citizens become literate. Today we build open data portals not because we have public policy literate citizens, we build them so that citizens may become literate in public policy.</span></span></blockquote><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-it-khau-lCk/VNuxyer3xHI/AAAAAAAAOcE/kWf2S_0G2Hs/s1600/librarianing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-it-khau-lCk/VNuxyer3xHI/AAAAAAAAOcE/kWf2S_0G2Hs/s1600/librarianing.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br />This brings us to the theme of this morning’s talk- which is not Open Data - although I will express today's theme <i>through it</i> largely because I’m back from a year’s sabbatical immersed in the topic and it’s still difficult for me to not talk about it. No, today I would like to make a case for a creating a nationwide program to put more librarians into more communities and into more community organizations. I have to warn you that I'm not going to give you any particulars about what shape or scope of what such a program could be; I'm just going to try to make a case for such an endeavor. I haven't even thought of a good name for it. The best I can come up with is <b>Librarianing for America</b>. On that note, <a href="https://chrisbourg.wordpress.com/2014/10/25/librarianing-to-transgress-closing-keynote-acrl-orwa-2014/">I would like to give a shout-out to Chris Bourg</a> for - if not coining the word librarianing - for at least, bringing to my attention.<br /><br />And I very much hope that perchance the stars will align again and this theme will complement <a href="http://onlinenorthwest.org/2015-program/">the work that I am very much looking forward to hearing today at Online Northwest</a>&nbsp;: about digitally inclusive communities, about designing and publishing, about being embedded, about sensemaking through visualization, about enhancing access and being committed to outreach.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sMTF4tQTeIE/VNuywuItklI/AAAAAAAAOcM/Uwa3Fq-Ia70/s1600/southdetroit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sMTF4tQTeIE/VNuywuItklI/AAAAAAAAOcM/Uwa3Fq-Ia70/s1600/southdetroit.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Before I continue I feel I should disclose that I’m not actually American. &nbsp;I grew up across the river from Port Huron, Michigan and I now live across the river from Detroit, Michigan. &nbsp;I literally can see Detroit from my house.<br /><br />And Detroit is the setting for my next story.<br /><br />A quick aside first - my research interest in open data has been largely focused on geospatial data as well as the new software options and platforms that are making <a href="http://copystar.github.io/intro-web-mapping-odd14/">web mapping much more accessible and viable for individuals and community groups&nbsp;</a> when compared to the complex geographic information systems commonly known as GIS - &nbsp;that institutions such as city governments and academic libraries tend to exclusively support.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fFrV-MGZ0qI/VNuz8PeegZI/AAAAAAAAOcU/Ji-dvjS6qC0/s1600/MaptimeDetroit.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fFrV-MGZ0qI/VNuz8PeegZI/AAAAAAAAOcU/Ji-dvjS6qC0/s1600/MaptimeDetroit.png" height="186" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />I mention this as a means to explain why I decided to crash the inaugural meeting of <a href="http://detroitography.com/maptime/">Maptime Detroit</a> that happened in early November last year. <br /><br /><a href="http://maptime.io/">Maptime is time designated to making maps</a>. It is the result of kind volunteers who find a space, designate a time, and extend an open invitation to anyone who is interested to drop in and learn about making maps. It started in San Francisco a couple of years ago and now there are over 40 <a href="http://maptime.io/chapters/">Maptime Chapters around the world. </a><br /><br />Now, when I went to the first Maptime Detroit event, there wasn’t actually any time given to make maps. For this inaugural meeting, instead there was a set of speakers who were already using mapping in their work.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VaN1wjKgl44/VNvEx_bX09I/AAAAAAAAOck/WLB1vc2CD_U/s1600/DetroitGeographicExpedition.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VaN1wjKgl44/VNvEx_bX09I/AAAAAAAAOck/WLB1vc2CD_U/s1600/DetroitGeographicExpedition.jpeg" height="182" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Not very many people know that Detroit has an amazing history of citizen mapping initiatives &nbsp;- the map behind me is from <a href="https://civic.mit.edu/blog/kanarinka/the-detroit-geographic-expedition-and-institute-a-case-study-in-civic-mapping">The Detroit Geographical Expedition from their work Field Notes Three from 1970</a>.&nbsp; I think you could make a case that another kind of community mapping outreach work is starting to emerge again through the many community initiatives that are supported by mapping that is happening in Detroit today.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-expPooVLFL0/VNvFuDSMpeI/AAAAAAAAOcs/3DA5qRG7r3s/s1600/DetroitWaterBrigade.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-expPooVLFL0/VNvFuDSMpeI/AAAAAAAAOcs/3DA5qRG7r3s/s1600/DetroitWaterBrigade.png" height="193" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Many of the organizations who are doing community mapping work were presenting at Maptime Detroit including Justin Wedes, an organizer from the <a href="http://detroitwaterbrigade.org/">Detroit Water Brigade</a>.<br /><br />As you might already know, the city of Detroit declared bankruptcy in 2013 with debts somewhere between $18 to $20 billion dollars.&nbsp; The city is collapsing upon itself at a scale that’s very difficult to wrap one’s mind around.&nbsp; <br /><br />The Detroit Water and Sewage Department is currently conducting mass water shut offs in the city which will affect over 120,000 account holders over an 18 month period at a rate of 3,000 per week. This will account for over 40% of customers who are using the Detroit Water system. As 70,000 of those accounts are residential accounts, it is thought that 200,000-300,000 people could be directly affected.<br /><br />The Detroit Water Brigade coordinates volunteers efforts in the distribution of bottled water to affected neighbours as well as acts an advocate for the UN recognized human right to water on behalf of Detroiters. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/nyregion/where-fema-fell-short-occupy-sandy-was-there.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=0"><br /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/nyregion/where-fema-fell-short-occupy-sandy-was-there.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=0"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ziHQHPWV4kA/VNvGSngbHQI/AAAAAAAAOc0/9o1rK-YF2pg/s1600/WhereFEMAFellShort.png" height="290" width="400" /></a></span></div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/nyregion/where-fema-fell-short-occupy-sandy-was-there.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=0"><br /></a><br />But at Maptime Detroit, Justin Wedes didn’t begin his talk with his work in Detroit. Instead he began his presentation by speaking about of his experiences with <a href="http://occupysandy.net/">Occupy Sandy</a>. &nbsp;In October of 2012, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/nyregion/where-fema-fell-short-occupy-sandy-was-there.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=1&amp;">while New York’s FEMA offices were closed due to bad weather, veterans from the Occupy Wall Street </a>community came forward and used their organization skills to mobilize ground support for those who needed it most. At first, Occupy Sandy was using free online services such Google Spreadsheets and Amazon’s Web Registry to collect and redistribute donations but by the end of their work, t<a href="http://tech.nycga.net/2012/11/29/occupysandy-technology-and-relief/">hey had started using the exact same software that the city of New York uses for dispatching resources during disasters.</a><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G7lHacyje9o/VNvG5aUUuDI/AAAAAAAAOc8/TOoBkgXsfVQ/s1600/paradise.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G7lHacyje9o/VNvG5aUUuDI/AAAAAAAAOc8/TOoBkgXsfVQ/s1600/paradise.png" height="100" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Wedes described the work of the Detroit Water Brigade and as he did so, he also told us how very different his experiences were in Detroit as compared to his ones in New York after Superstorm Sandy. After Sandy hit, he told us, those New Yorkers who could help their more badly damaged neighbours did so with great enthusiasm and that help was well received. &nbsp;With the water shutoffs in Detroit, however, Justin feels there is an underlying sense of shame in accepting help and the response from the community at large is more restrained.&nbsp; When he said this, the first thing that came to my mind was <a href="http://harpers.org/archive/2005/10/the-uses-of-disaster/">an article I had read years ago by Rebecca Solnit in Harper’s Magazine</a>. In that article, which was later expanded into a book called <i>A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster</i>, Solnit makes an observation humanity opens itself to great compassion and community when a disaster is brought on by weather but this capacity is strikingly less so when that disaster is man-made.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UX8IYx57WGU/VNvHZG3kRbI/AAAAAAAAOdE/s8eOF5L3dWw/s1600/detwater_affordability.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UX8IYx57WGU/VNvHZG3kRbI/AAAAAAAAOdE/s8eOF5L3dWw/s1600/detwater_affordability.png" height="263" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />There are many reasons why this water shut-off situation in Detroit came about and I'm not going to go into them, largely because I don't fully understand how things got to become so dire. I just want to draw attention to the tragic dynamic at hand: as the problems of Detroit grow - due to less people being about to pay for an increasingly costly and crumbling infrastructure, the capacity of the city government to deal with the worsening situation in turn, is also reduced.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E9OC5BBAAWk/VNvH7R9ZcHI/AAAAAAAAOdM/abOjxoSLLWg/s1600/Data%2BDriven%2BDetroit%2BStudent.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E9OC5BBAAWk/VNvH7R9ZcHI/AAAAAAAAOdM/abOjxoSLLWg/s1600/Data%2BDriven%2BDetroit%2BStudent.jpeg" height="182" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />What I believe should be of particular interest to us, as librarians, is that there has been a collective response from the philanthropic, non-profit community organizations along with businesses and start-ups to help Detroit through the collection and sharing of city data for the benefit of the city as a whole. <a href="http://datadrivendetroit.org/">Data Driven Detroit</a> does collect and host open data, but it also hosts datasets that are collected from public and private sources as a means to create “clear communication channels back and forth between the public, the government, and city service providers.”<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kqG6e3RNhJg/VNvIeUNjaKI/AAAAAAAAOdU/UyDKyBGIUXI/s1600/Motor%2BCity%2BMapping%2BPoletown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kqG6e3RNhJg/VNvIeUNjaKI/AAAAAAAAOdU/UyDKyBGIUXI/s1600/Motor%2BCity%2BMapping%2BPoletown.jpeg" height="182" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">One of the more striking datasets that's both <a href="https://www.motorcitymapping.org/#t=overview&amp;s=detroit&amp;f=all">explorable through a map</a> as well as <a href="http://d3.d3.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/7cfed5afb7654e2495ef4c1ead320aa5_0">available for download as open data</a>, is Detroit Property Information through the Motor City Mapping project.&nbsp; In In the fall of 2013, a team of 150 surveyed the entire city and took photos and captured condition information for every property in the city of Detroit. According to their information at this given moment, of Detroit's 374,706 properties surveyed, 25,317 are publicly owned structures. Of those, 18,410 are unoccupied, 13,570 require boarding up, and the condition of 2511 of these buildings are so poor that demolition is suggested.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Now, I can only speak for myself, but when I see these kind of projects it makes me want to learn the computer based wizardry that would allow me to do similar things. &nbsp;Because while I do enjoy the intellectual work that's involved with computer technology, what really inspires me is this idea that through learning to program, I can gain superpowers that take masses amount of data and do some good with them at the scales of a city.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bFVYlaTCeIk/VNvKKsN3MoI/AAAAAAAAOdg/TMYm_O8gSOs/s1600/Tiffani.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bFVYlaTCeIk/VNvKKsN3MoI/AAAAAAAAOdg/TMYm_O8gSOs/s1600/Tiffani.PNG" height="286" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In short, I want to have to the powers of Tiffani Ashley Bell. &nbsp;Tiffani heard about the plight of water-deprived Detroiters last July and after being urged on by a friend, she sat down and came up with the core of <a href="https://www.detroitwaterproject.org/">The Detroit Water Project</a> in about four hours. &nbsp;The Detroit Water Project pairs donors with someone in Detroit with an outstanding water bill and makes it possible for these donors to directly contribute to their water bill. Since the project started in July, over 8000 donors have paid $300,000 directly towards water bills.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Now, while I think this project is incredibly valuable and very touching as allows donors to directly improve the situation of one household in Detroit, the project admittedly does not change the dynamics involved that gave the grievous situation at hand.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So what is to be done? How can we combine the power of open data, computer code, and the intention to do good to make more systematic changes? &nbsp;How can we support and help the residents and the City of Detroit doing the good work that they already do?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This where I think another organization comes in: <a href="http://www.codeforamerica.org/">Code for America</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QuKNBAPGSsE/VNvKqMh2OVI/AAAAAAAAOdo/1wsNwzAS1og/s1600/work%2Bof%2BCode4America.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QuKNBAPGSsE/VNvKqMh2OVI/AAAAAAAAOdo/1wsNwzAS1og/s1600/work%2Bof%2BCode4America.png" height="186" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br />Code for America believes it can help government be more responsive to its residents by embedding those who can read and write code into the city government itself. &nbsp;It formed in 2009 and it works by enlisting technology and design professionals to work with city governments in the United States in year long fellowships in order to build open-source applications that promote openness, participation, and efficiency in government. <br /><br />In other words, it's a combination of service and app building that is paid for by the city, usually with the help of corporate sponsors. Each year Code for America selects 8-10 local government partners from across the US and 24-30 fellows for the program through a competitive application process.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.codeforamerica.org/governments/detroit/">In 2012, the Knight Foundation and Kellogg Foundation funded three Code for America fellows for a residency in Detroit</a>.&nbsp; These Code for America fellows worked with the Detroit Department of Transportation to release a real-time transit API and build the <a href="http://textmybus.com/">TextMyBus </a>bus notification system which launched in September of that year.<br /><br />In addition to TextMyBus, the fellows also built an app called <a href="http://www.codeforamerica.org/apps/localdata/">Localdata </a>to standardize location-based data collected by data analysts and community groups. "Localdata offers a mobile collection tool with a map interface as well as a paper collection option that can be scanned and uploaded for data syncing." This particular project joined the <a href="http://www.codeforamerica.org/companies/incubator-faq/">Code for America Incubator</a> and has since expanded into<a href="http://localdata.com/"> a civic tech startup company.</a><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--x2sT4XdDIE/VNvLYV7LqHI/AAAAAAAAOdw/BleUhAbJdiY/s1600/no-hackathons.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--x2sT4XdDIE/VNvLYV7LqHI/AAAAAAAAOdw/BleUhAbJdiY/s1600/no-hackathons.png" height="287" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />In my mind, Code for America can be thought of as a scaled up version of a civic hackathon. If you aren't familiar with hackathons, they are a generally weekend affair in which participants work solo or in groups to code a website or app that ostensibly solves a problem. Sometimes there are prizes and sometimes the event is designed as a means to generate the first concept of a potential start-up. Hackathons can be a good thing - you might remember from the beginning of my talk that I sometimes help out with them which I means that I endorse them - but I do admit that that have their limits (<a href="http://infotrope.net/2014/11/28/why-i-dont-like-hackathons-by-alex-bayley-aged-39-12/">many of which are described in this blog post behind me</a>). &nbsp;For one, it’s simply not reasonable to expect that a weekend of hacking is going to result in a wonderful app that will meet the needs of users that the programmers have likely not even met. &nbsp;But, with good event design that strives incorporates mentorship, workshops, and opportunities to meet with potential users of said apps, hackathons can be a great start towards a future collaborations. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ITh8TIqRqo/VNvLvx40YlI/AAAAAAAAOd4/lVeK1ydpDSk/s1600/NextCityCodeForAmerica.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ITh8TIqRqo/VNvLvx40YlI/AAAAAAAAOd4/lVeK1ydpDSk/s1600/NextCityCodeForAmerica.jpeg" height="182" width="400" /></a></div><br />Code for America also incorporates mentorship and training into its process. Those selected for a fellowship begin at an institute in San Francisco where fellows receive training about how local government and agencies work, how to negotiate and communicate as well as how to plan, and focus their future code work.&nbsp; That being said, Code for America has its own limitations as well. <a href="http://nextcity.org/features/view/What-Code-for-America-Does-In-Cities-Civic-Tech">This particular article gently suggests</a> that Code for America may - in some instances - seem to benefit the fellows involved more than the cities themselves. &nbsp;For one, it costs a city a lot of money - $440,000 - just to support a set of Code for America fellows for a year and then, after they leave, the city needs to be able to have the capacity to support the care and feeding of the open source apps that have been left behind.<br /><br />Which makes me think.<br /><br />If only... if only....<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lovhYd77gYI/VNvNUurwyII/AAAAAAAAOeE/c8W_EYq3DLY/s1600/librarianing4code.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lovhYd77gYI/VNvNUurwyII/AAAAAAAAOeE/c8W_EYq3DLY/s1600/librarianing4code.png" height="181" width="400" /></a></div><br />If only there were people who could also help cities help their communities who didn’t have to be flown in and disappear after a year. If there was only some group of people who could partner with cities and their residents who already had some experience and expertise in open data licensing, and who understood the importance of standardizing descriptors in datasets, who were driven to improve better user experience, and who understood that data use requires data literacy which demands both&nbsp; teaching and community outreach. <br /><br />Friends, this is work that we - librarians can be doing.&nbsp; And our communities need us. Our cities need us.<br /><br />Furthermore, I don't know whether you've noticed but every year emerges another an amazing class of passionate and talented freshly minted librarians and we are simply not building enough libraries to put them in.<br /><br />So I think it’s time to work towards making our own <i>Librarianing for America.</i><br /><br />I don’t think it’s possible to model ourselves directly on Code for America. It’s not likely we are going to find cities willing to pay $440,000 for the privilege to host 3 librarians for a year. &nbsp;At least, not initially. Let’s call that our stretch goal.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J8M_KIgj9sk/VNvOqHUdyVI/AAAAAAAAOeM/lxPcml9fIGA/s1600/Code%2Bfor%2BAmerica%2B-%2BBrigade.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J8M_KIgj9sk/VNvOqHUdyVI/AAAAAAAAOeM/lxPcml9fIGA/s1600/Code%2Bfor%2BAmerica%2B-%2BBrigade.png" height="186" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />We can start out small. Perhaps librarians could participate in one of the 137 <a href="http://www.codeforamerica.org/brigade/">Code for America Brigades</a> that bring together civic-minded volunteers to work together via meetups. &nbsp;There are a variety of other organizations that also draw on civic minded volunteers to work together towards other goals including the <a href="http://opendataday.org/">Open Knowledge Foundation</a>, <a href="http://hack4good.io/">hack4good</a>, <a href="http://crisismappers.net/">CrisisMappers</a>, and the <a href="http://hot.openstreetmap.org/">Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team</a>.<br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d-PQLUeg3IY/VNvPMF7U4WI/AAAAAAAAOeU/BxZmbgvlMOI/s1600/edmontonPublicLibrary.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d-PQLUeg3IY/VNvPMF7U4WI/AAAAAAAAOeU/BxZmbgvlMOI/s1600/edmontonPublicLibrary.png" height="193" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Or perhaps we can follow the lead of libraries such as <a href="https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/perj/article/view/3121#.VNwm4y6F60c">the Edmonton Public Library</a>, <a href="http://www.yorku.ca/web/yorkevents/event.asp?Event=33880">York University Libraries</a>, <a href="http://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-chattanooga-hackathon-national-day-of-civic-hacking-registration-6418990373?aff=efbevent">The Chattanooga Public Library</a>, and &nbsp;the University of Ottawa, who have all hosted hackathons for their communities.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8ieWC8UWIdk/VNvPsgRfxWI/AAAAAAAAOec/3zr_-ed0VqA/s1600/75percentonDataCleanup.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8ieWC8UWIdk/VNvPsgRfxWI/AAAAAAAAOec/3zr_-ed0VqA/s1600/75percentonDataCleanup.PNG" height="352" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>This is a slide that’s admittedly out of context. I took it from a Code for America presentation and I'm not sure how precise this statistic of 75% is to their project and even whether it can be widely applied to all projects. But, I do think it is safe to say that programming code is only as good as its data is clean and meaningful.<br /><br />And I say this because I don't believe that librarians have to know how to program in order to participate in <i>Librarianing for America</i>. I believe our existing skillset lends itself to the cause. Our values and our talents are greatly under appreciated by many, many people including librarians themselves. &nbsp;</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TMeIXMSnZok/VNvQBhwxmjI/AAAAAAAAOek/y7vdcqanWyo/s1600/KnightChallenge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TMeIXMSnZok/VNvQBhwxmjI/AAAAAAAAOek/y7vdcqanWyo/s1600/KnightChallenge.png" height="186" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>But it appears that that the talent of librarians is starting to be recognized.<a href="http://www.knightfoundation.org/grants/201550349/"> The City of Boston&nbsp; recently was awarded a Knight Foundation grant for the specific purpose of hiring a librarian as part of a larger team</a> to turn the City of Boston’s many Open Datasets into something findable, usable, and meaningful by its residents.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--5_MycbazY4/VNvQczoEGnI/AAAAAAAAOes/ccmIWWJB-s0/s1600/ILLEAD.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--5_MycbazY4/VNvQczoEGnI/AAAAAAAAOes/ccmIWWJB-s0/s1600/ILLEAD.png" height="212" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>And perhaps we can learn and expand on the work of <a href="https://ileadusa.wordpress.com/">ILEAD USA</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>ILEAD stands for Innovative Librarians Explore, Apply and Discover, and it is a continuing education program that is supported by grant funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and has librarians from ten states who are involved in this program</div><div><br /></div><div>ILEAD USA gathers librarians together with the goal to develop a team projects over a nine month period through a combination of intermittent face-to-face meetings and online technology training sessions. At the end of nine months, each team presents their project to the entire ILEAD USA audience, with the goal of either sustaining these projects as ongoing library programs or directly applying the knowledge gained from ILEAD USA to future collaborative projects. &nbsp; </div><div><br /></div><div>Now when I first proposed this talk, I was unaware of the work of the ILEAD program. And since then I’ve had the pleasure to speak with the its project director on the phone. I asked her if she was familiar with Code for America and she told me no, although she did know about Teach for America.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>I don’t know about you, but to me, ILEAD sounds a little bit like Librarianing for America to me. Or at least it sounds like what one possible form that it could take.<br /><br />Or it could be that <i>Librarianing for America</i> could be a placement service that matched and embedded librarians with non-profits. The non-profits could gain from the technical and material experiences of the librarian and the librarian would be able learn more about the needs of the community and form partnerships that can only occur when we step outside of our buildings.<br /><br />I don't think it's so far-fetched. Last year, my local hackerspace received three years of&nbsp; provincial funding to hire a staff coordinator to run a number of Open Data hackathons, host community roundtables and pay small stipends to community members who help in our efforts to making open data from the non-profit community more readily available to the community they serve. <br /><br />Now it just might be the Frequency Illusion, but I prefer to think it is as if the stars are aligning for libraries and their communities.. &nbsp;At least they appear so when I look up towards our shared horizon.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Thank you all for kind attention this morning and I very much look forward to spending this day librarianing with everyone here at OnlineNorthwest.. &nbsp;</div></div><div><br /></div>Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-38108963937698833052015-02-03T07:22:00.003-05:002015-02-03T11:42:33.485-05:00Be future compatibleHmmm, I thought blogger.com kindly published my last post but did not update the RSS feed, so I made this re-post:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">On February 1st, I gave a presentation the American Library Association Midwinter Conference in Chicago, Illinois as part of the <a href="http://alamw15.ala.org/node/26465">ALA Masters Series</a> called <a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2015/02/hackerspaces-makerspaces-fab-labs.html">Mechanic Institutes, Hackerspaces, Makerspaces, TechShops, Incubators, Accelerators, and Centers of Social Enterprise. Where do Libraries fit in? </a>:: <a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2015/02/hackerspaces-makerspaces-fab-labs.html">http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2015/02/hackerspaces-makerspaces-fab-labs.html</a> </blockquote><br />But after inspection, it looks like the RSS feed that is generated by Feedburner has been updated in such a way that I - using feedly - I needed to re-subscribe. Now, I'm not sure who is at fault for this: Feedburner, feedly, or myself for using a third party to distribute a perfectly good rss feed.<br /><br />I don't follow my reading statistics very closely but I do know that the traffic to this site is largely driven by Twitter and Facebook -- much more than hits from, say, other blogs.&nbsp; And yet, I'm disturbed that the 118 readers using the now defunct feedly rss feed will not know about what I'm writing now. I'm sad because while I've always had a small audience for this blog - I have always been very proud and humbled that I had this readership because attention is a gift.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2015/02/hackerspaces-makerspaces-fab-labs.html"></a>Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-53473124296724043102015-02-02T17:03:00.003-05:002015-02-02T17:18:20.674-05:00Hackerspaces, Makerspaces, Fab Labs, TechShops, Incubators, Accelerators... Where do libraries fit in?[ On February 1st, I gave this presentation the American Library Association Midwinter Conference in Chicago, Illinois as part of the <a href="http://alamw15.ala.org/node/26465">ALA Masters Series</a>. Thank you, good people of ALA.]<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mObMrggycLQ/VK062vpoR3I/AAAAAAAANhE/mi4ju9UbS7U/s1600/fieldguide.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mObMrggycLQ/VK062vpoR3I/AAAAAAAANhE/mi4ju9UbS7U/s1600/fieldguide.jpeg" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br />Today’s session is going to start out as a field guide but it’s going to end with a history lesson.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tg4e0GBR9fM/VK07PxhtjmI/AAAAAAAANhM/k34dFR4UoEk/s1600/cbase.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tg4e0GBR9fM/VK07PxhtjmI/AAAAAAAANhM/k34dFR4UoEk/s1600/cbase.jpeg" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br />We’re going to start here - with a space station called <a href="https://www.c-base.org/">c-base</a> that found/ed in Berlin in 1995.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nSZ67dazU64/VK0717HrocI/AAAAAAAANhU/vFd2alzUwhU/s1600/theHub.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nSZ67dazU64/VK0717HrocI/AAAAAAAANhU/vFd2alzUwhU/s1600/theHub.jpeg" height="186" width="400" />&nbsp;</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then we are going travel through time and space to the present day where business start-up incubator innovation labs are everywhere including <a href="http://www.uoguelph.ca/cbase/">CBASE&nbsp;</a> which is the College of Business and Economics from the University of Guelph.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kzjj5jNstbs/VK1ACYtHA2I/AAAAAAAANhg/73z5x2cpu0c/s1600/BackToTheFuture.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kzjj5jNstbs/VK1ACYtHA2I/AAAAAAAANhg/73z5x2cpu0c/s1600/BackToTheFuture.jpeg" height="356" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But before we figure out where libraries makerspaces fit in, we’re going to use the c-base space station to go back in time, just before the very first public libraries were established around the world, so we can figure out how to go back to the future we want. It is 2015, after all.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QFQZ0XrOvbE/VK1ITRjNKWI/AAAAAAAANhw/IRZazMosTLc/s1600/BeFutureCompatible.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QFQZ0XrOvbE/VK1ITRjNKWI/AAAAAAAANhw/IRZazMosTLc/s1600/BeFutureCompatible.jpeg" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>But before we can talk about library makerspaces, we need to talk about hackerspaces.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pfkeBziw8H8/VK15MEC9lRI/AAAAAAAANiU/mEoAMyTs5KM/s1600/C-base-innen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pfkeBziw8H8/VK15MEC9lRI/AAAAAAAANiU/mEoAMyTs5KM/s1600/C-base-innen.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br />This is the inside of c-base.<br /><br />c-base is considered one of - or perhaps even - the very first hackerspace. <a href="http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/c-base">It was established in 1995 by self-proclaimed nerds, sci-fi fans, and digital activists who tell us that c-base was built from a reconstructed space station that fell to earth,</a> then somehow became buried, and when it was uncovered it was found to be borne with the inscription : <i>be future compatible</i>.<br /><br />The c-base is described as a system of seven concentric rings that can move in relation to each other. These rings are called <i>core</i>, <i>com</i>, <i>culture</i>, <i>creative</i>, <i>cience</i>, <i>carbon </i>and <i>clamp</i>. <br /><br />Beyond its own many activities, c-base has become the meeting place for German Wikipedians and it’s where the German Pirate Party was first established.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SDYlNS23wEQ/VLaWE7tVjPI/AAAAAAAANy0/D5NG4DBWICo/s1600/CCC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SDYlNS23wEQ/VLaWE7tVjPI/AAAAAAAANy0/D5NG4DBWICo/s1600/CCC.jpeg" height="207" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Members of c-base have been known to present at events hosted by the <a href="http://www.ccc.de/en/">Chaos Computer Club</a>, which is Europe's largest association of hackers that's been around for 30 years now. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So c-base is a hackerspace that is actually inhabited by what we commonly think of as hackers.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FHeGEm1LYuQ/VK15s4P-7PI/AAAAAAAANic/_43R8Jjitog/s1600/HackerSpacesMap.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FHeGEm1LYuQ/VK15s4P-7PI/AAAAAAAANic/_43R8Jjitog/s1600/HackerSpacesMap.jpeg" height="247" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Some of the earliest hackerspaces were directly inspired by c-base. There is story that goes that in August of 2007, a group of North American hackers visited Germany for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaos_Communication_Camp">Chaos Communication Camp</a> and was so impressed that when came back, they formed the first hackerspaces in the United States including <a href="http://www.nycresistor.com/">NYC Resistor </a>(2007), <a href="http://www.hacdc.org/">HacDC</a> (2007), and <a href="https://www.noisebridge.net/">Noisebridge </a>(San Francisco, 2008).<br /><br />Since then, many, many more hackerspaces have been developed - there are at least a thousand -&nbsp; but behind these new spaces are organizations that have are much less <i>counter-culture</i> in their orientation than the mothership of c-base. In fact, at this moment, you could say there isn’t a clear delineation between hackerspaces and makerspaces at all.<br /><br />But before we can start talking about makerspaces, I think it’s necessary to pay a visit two branches of the hackerspace evolutionary tree: TechShops and Fab Labs.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XolR37nMac8/VLA3S_1TqiI/AAAAAAAANj0/Qwg5o2FriIA/s1600/TechShops.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XolR37nMac8/VLA3S_1TqiI/AAAAAAAANj0/Qwg5o2FriIA/s1600/TechShops.jpeg" height="180" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://www.techshop.ws/">TechShop </a>is a business that started in 2006 which provides - in return for a monthly membership - access to space that contains over a half a million dollars of equipment, generally including an electronics lab, a machine shop, a wood shop, a metal working shop, etc. There are only 8 of these TechShops across the US despite earlier predictions that would be about <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2011/06/26/chain-of-diy-stores-sparks-inventions.html">20 of them by now</a>.&nbsp; They have been slow to open because the owner has stated that the business requires at least 800 people willing to pay over $100 a month in order for a TechShop to be viable.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-astyH9hjQak/VMaxpe_vsPI/AAAAAAAAOHw/3xncllzFSSU/s1600/TechShop2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-astyH9hjQak/VMaxpe_vsPI/AAAAAAAAOHw/3xncllzFSSU/s1600/TechShop2.png" height="261" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bXvwbOJJr4U/VLA3qc3sUqI/AAAAAAAANj8/hqfiTwMoceA/s1600/TechShop.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br />The motto of TechShop is <i>Build Your Dreams</i> here. But TechShops have been largely understood as places where members dream of prototypes for their future Kickstarter projects. And such dreams have already come true: the prototype of the Square credit card processing reader, for example, was built in a Techshop. I think it's telling that the Detroit Techshop has a bright red phone in the space that connects you directly to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in case of a patent emergency.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I_dWbYjix9E/VLA5CeLAs7I/AAAAAAAANkQ/aErzvKjWAZM/s1600/Ford%2B%2B%2BTechShop.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I_dWbYjix9E/VLA5CeLAs7I/AAAAAAAANkQ/aErzvKjWAZM/s1600/Ford%2B%2B%2BTechShop.jpeg" height="288" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Three of out of the 8 TechShops have backing from other organizations. TechShop's Detroit center opened in 2012 in partnership with Ford, which gives its employees free membership for three months. Ford employees can claim patents for themselves or they can give them to Ford in exchange for a share in revenue generated. Ford claims that this partnership with TechShop has led to a 50% rise in the number of patentable ideas put forward by the carmaker's employees,&nbsp; in one year.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Sp7M6AlvPA/VMazG66cQEI/AAAAAAAAOIA/qkmT2b1qDqg/s1600/DARPAiFAB.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Sp7M6AlvPA/VMazG66cQEI/AAAAAAAAOIA/qkmT2b1qDqg/s1600/DARPAiFAB.png" height="268" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-koRl3CyEXMI/VLA6ewGe1QI/AAAAAAAANkc/wpRZrKLUK-g/s1600/DARPA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br />TechShop's offices in Washington DC and Pittsburgh are being sponsored by DARPA, an agency of the Defense Department. DARPA is reported to have invested $3.5 million dollars into TechShop as part of its “broad mission to see if regular citizens can outinvent military contractors on some of its weirder projects.”&nbsp; But DARPA is not just helping pay for the space, they supposedly use the space themselves. <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-05-23/techshop-paradise-for-tinkerers/">According to the Bloomberg Business Week story I read</a>, DARPA employees arrive at midnight to work when the TechShop is closed to its regular members. <br /><br />You might be surprised, but we're going to be talking about DARPA again during this talk. But before that, we need to visit another franchise-like type of makerspace called the Fab Lab.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-feEZ6FuIhlI/VLA91rbtl8I/AAAAAAAANkw/qQo9wZGQrm8/s1600/How%2Bto%2BMake%2Balmost%2BAnything.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-feEZ6FuIhlI/VLA91rbtl8I/AAAAAAAANkw/qQo9wZGQrm8/s1600/How%2Bto%2BMake%2Balmost%2BAnything.jpeg" height="361" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />In 1998, Neil Gershenfeld started a class at MIT called "<a href="http://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/863.14/">How to make (almost) anything"</a>. Gershenfeld wanted to introduce industrial-size machines normally inaccessible to technical students. However, he found his class also attracted a lot of students from various backgrounds including artists, architects, and designers. This led to a larger collaboration which eventually resulted in the Fab Lab Project which began in 2001. Fab Lab began as an educational outreach program from MIT but the idea has since developed into an ambitious network of labs located around the world.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gsJGBWLikjM/VLBCxL9TDzI/AAAAAAAANlA/8ohPCmC-OKQ/s1600/FabLabsLists.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gsJGBWLikjM/VLBCxL9TDzI/AAAAAAAANlA/8ohPCmC-OKQ/s1600/FabLabsLists.jpeg" height="182" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The idea behind Fab Lab is that the space should provide a core set of tools powered by open source software that allow novice makers to make almost anything given a brief introduction to engineering and design education. Anyone can create a recognized Fab Lab as long as it makes a strong effort uphold the criteria of a Fab Lab, with the most important being that Fab Labs are required to be regularly open to the public for little or no cost. While it's not required, a Fab Lab is also strongly encouraged to communicate and collaborate with the other 350 or so other Fab Labs around the world. The idea is that, for example, if you design and make something using Fab Lab equipment in Boston, you could send the files and documents to someone in the Cape Town Fab Lab who could the same using their equipment.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-174oczLJSBc/VLBD9VLQJqI/AAAAAAAANlI/kbSSwKqB3yw/s1600/FirstPL.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-174oczLJSBc/VLBD9VLQJqI/AAAAAAAANlI/kbSSwKqB3yw/s1600/FirstPL.jpeg" height="182" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The first library makerspace was a Fab Lab. It was established in 2011 in the Fayetteville Free Library in the state of New York. <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2011/11/15/first-public-library-to-create-a-maker-space/">That's Lauren Britton pictured on screen who was a driving force that helped make that happen</a>.<br /><br />Now we don't tend to talk about Fab Labs in libraries. We talk about makerspaces. I think this is for several reasons with one of the main ones being - as admirable as I personally find the goals of international collaboration through open source and standardization - the established minimum baseline for such a Fab Lab generally costs between $25,000 and $65,000 in capital costs alone. This&nbsp; means that a proper Fab Lab is out of reach for many communities and smaller organizations. <br /><br />I think there's another reason why we think of makerspaces before we think of Fab Labs, TechShops or hackerspaces. And that's because of<a href="http://makezine.com/"> Make Magazine</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8T9ZfTnvR90/VLVxTjIh2aI/AAAAAAAANyE/VSQj5i9v-MU/s1600/Make01_cover-med.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8T9ZfTnvR90/VLVxTjIh2aI/AAAAAAAANyE/VSQj5i9v-MU/s1600/Make01_cover-med.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div><br /><br />Started in 2005 from the influential source of so many essential computer books, O'Reilly Publishing, Make Magazine was going to be called Hack. But then the daughter of founder Dale Dougherty told him that hacking didn’t sound good, and she didn’t like it. Instead, she suggested he call the magazine MAKE instead, because ‘everyone likes making things’.<br /><br /><br />And there is something to be said for having a more inclusive name, and something less threatening than hackerspace. But I think there's more to it as well. There is a freedom that comes with the name of makerspace.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M2jnwvlHTLM/VLfYiruU8NI/AAAAAAAANzw/x3Qh56_Y9Ks/s1600/i3Detroit.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M2jnwvlHTLM/VLfYiruU8NI/AAAAAAAANzw/x3Qh56_Y9Ks/s1600/i3Detroit.jpeg" height="182" width="400" /></a> </div><br />One my favourite things about makerspaces is that most of them are open to everyone - artists, scientists, educators, hobbyists, hackers and entrepreneurs and it is possibility for cross-pollination of ideas that is one of the espoused benefits of their spaces for their members. In a world where there's so much specialization, makerspaces are a force that are trying to bring different groups of people together.<br /><br />Here's such an example. This is <a href="https://www.i3detroit.org/">i3Detroit</a> which calls itself a DIY co-working space that is a "a collision of art, technology and collaboration".<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UwrVS8qeUM4/VMZ1uAiOMlI/AAAAAAAAOHA/TWhRfR6uVLM/s1600/ArtistSalon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UwrVS8qeUM4/VMZ1uAiOMlI/AAAAAAAAOHA/TWhRfR6uVLM/s1600/ArtistSalon.jpeg" height="180" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lLLVIxzd6hg/VLfUfOJqDdI/AAAAAAAANzc/KbcxhjWa5Yc/s1600/Bubbler.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br />There are also makerspaces that are more heavily arts-based.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.miss-hack.org/?about_md">Miss Despoinas</a> is a salon for experimental research and radical aesthetics that hosts workshops using code in contemporary art practice. It is physically located in Hobart, Tasmania.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VXLh4FL0dPU/VLfsawhrgaI/AAAAAAAAN0A/J5ukPoVuzM4/s1600/DETROIT-KITCHEN%2BCONNECT.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jd26LVFXutU/VLghjI3oquI/AAAAAAAAN1A/CiJXc1pSe98/s1600/HAXLR8R.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jd26LVFXutU/VLghjI3oquI/AAAAAAAAN1A/CiJXc1pSe98/s1600/HAXLR8R.png" height="213" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />There are presumably makerspaces that are designed primarily for the launching of new companies, although the only one I could find was <a href="http://www.haxlr8r.com/about/">Haxlr8r </a>.&nbsp; Haxkl8r is a hardware business accelerator that combines workshop space with mentorship and venture capital opportunities and official bases in San Francisco and Shenzhen, China.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8gZFq3fIyT8/VMZ62zyKyGI/AAAAAAAAOHc/RMehqZZqvr4/s1600/IndustrialCourtyard.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8gZFq3fIyT8/VMZ62zyKyGI/AAAAAAAAOHc/RMehqZZqvr4/s1600/IndustrialCourtyard.jpeg" height="182" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />That being said, I can't help but note that most of these maker spaces that I've found that are designed specifically to support start ups has been in <i>universities</i>.&nbsp; Pictured here is the "Industrial Courtyard" where students and recent graduates of the university where I work can have access for prototype or product development. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EZPpLW1dpLg/VLgnHdU7dfI/AAAAAAAAN1U/cfKnqRKbyr8/s1600/ResearchingMakers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EZPpLW1dpLg/VLgnHdU7dfI/AAAAAAAAN1U/cfKnqRKbyr8/s1600/ResearchingMakers.png" height="213" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />In some ways, this brings up us full circle because it's been said the originators of the first hackerspaces set them up deliberately outside of universities, governments, and businesses because they wanted a form of political independence and even to be a place for resistance to the bad actors of these organizations.<br /><br /><a href="https://civic.mit.edu/blog/natematias/researching-makers-hackerspaces-repair-and-civic-hacking">As Willow Brugh describes this transition from the earliest hackerspaces and hacklabs</a> : <br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The commercialization of the space means more people have access to the ideals of these spaces - but just as when "Open Source" opened up the door to more participants, the blatant political statement of "Free Software" was lost - hacklabs have turned from a political statement on use of space and voice into a place for production and participation in mainstream culture. </blockquote><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-thV6qfviZBw/VLguJSvWMRI/AAAAAAAAN1k/0D1PfUKrtKc/s1600/civicPaths.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-thV6qfviZBw/VLguJSvWMRI/AAAAAAAAN1k/0D1PfUKrtKc/s1600/civicPaths.png" height="213" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />For as neutral and benign makerspaces seemingly are ("everyone likes to make things"), there are reasons to be mindful of the organizations behind them. For one, <a href="http://civicpaths.uscannenberg.org/the-dark-side-of-diy-makerspaces-and-the-long-weird-history-of-diy-hobbyists-military-funding/">in 2012 Make Magazine received a grant from DARPA to establish makerspaces in 1000 U.S. high schools</a> over the next four years.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--bn4t4uRJtQ/VLgxrCGagGI/AAAAAAAAN1w/9X1pGmaszxg/s1600/OnEquity.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--bn4t4uRJtQ/VLgxrCGagGI/AAAAAAAAN1w/9X1pGmaszxg/s1600/OnEquity.png" height="213" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Now it's one thing if makerspaces simply exist as a place where friends and hobbyists can meet, work and learn from each other. <a href="http://empathetics.org/2014/11/09/on-equity-issues-in-the-maker-movement-and-implications-for-making-and-learning/">It's quite another if the makerspace becomes the basis of a model to address STEM anxieties in education.</a><br /><br />As much as I appreciate how the Maker Movement is trying to bring a playful approach to learning through building, it's important to recognize that makerspaces tend to <i>collect</i> successful makers rather than <i>produce</i> them. The community who participates in hackerspaces and makerspaces is pronouncedly skewed white and male.&nbsp; In 2012, Make Magazine reported that of its 300,000 in total readership, 81% are male, median age is 44, and the median household income is $106,000.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rA9ZXnPkrnw/VLg1CeBrzrI/AAAAAAAAN18/zVaWgy7FtGY/s1600/tascha.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rA9ZXnPkrnw/VLg1CeBrzrI/AAAAAAAAN18/zVaWgy7FtGY/s1600/tascha.png" height="213" width="400" /></a></div><br />&nbsp; <br />Lauren Britton, the librarian who was responsible for the very first Library Fab Lab/Makerspace is now studying as a doctoral student at Syracuse University in Information Science and Technology and a researcher for their Information Institute. She's been doing discourse analysis on the maker movement and <a href="http://tascha.uw.edu/2014/07/examining-the-maker-movement-through-discourse-analysis-an-introduction/">last year she informally published some of her findings so far</a>.&nbsp; She's already tackled STEM anxiety and I'm particularly looking forward to what has has to say about <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/01/why-i-am-not-a-maker/384767/?single_page=true">gender and the makerspace movement</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UBmmqCYwGLY/VMeo39niAGI/AAAAAAAAOI8/SpgZ_fz3qvo/s1600/staircase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UBmmqCYwGLY/VMeo39niAGI/AAAAAAAAOI8/SpgZ_fz3qvo/s1600/staircase.jpg" height="247" width="400" /></a></div><br />But there's no time to get into all of that now, because it is now time to hop into c-base and travel through and time and space to the time before public libraries. We are going to travel up the makerspace evolutionary tree to what I like to consider the proto-species of the makerspace : The Mechanics Institute.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tsWprSZ1DFg/VMeqJpOLoAI/AAAAAAAAOJE/k_e2ZPzXTWs/s1600/MechanicsInstitutes.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XcpTuWGiJR0/VMgCw-3xBFI/AAAAAAAAOJ0/Z_zKNHAajRI/s1600/MechanicsInstituteLondon.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XcpTuWGiJR0/VMgCw-3xBFI/AAAAAAAAOJ0/Z_zKNHAajRI/s1600/MechanicsInstituteLondon.png" /></a> </div><br />The world's first Mechanics' Institute was established in Edinburgh, Scotland in October 1821. Mechanics Institutes were formed to provide libraries and forms of adult education, particularly in technical subjects, to working men. As such, they were often funded by local industrialists on the grounds that they would ultimately benefit from having more knowledgeable and skilled employees. Mechanics Institutes as an institution did not last very long - the movement lasted only fifty years or so - although at their peak there were 700 of them worldwide.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TSmHEsmJEUc/VMgEBqJ9FPI/AAAAAAAAOKM/8a4-iSJgwBU/s1600/LondonPublicLibrary.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TSmHEsmJEUc/VMgEBqJ9FPI/AAAAAAAAOKM/8a4-iSJgwBU/s1600/LondonPublicLibrary.jpeg" height="382" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gm5ptf2MJ6k/VMgD1rr2zHI/AAAAAAAAOJ8/rfbE2YyIkhU/s1600/LondonPublicLibrary.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XcpTuWGiJR0/VMgCw-3xBFI/AAAAAAAAOJ0/Z_zKNHAajRI/s1600/MechanicsInstituteLondon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br />What I think is so particularly poetic is that many of the buildings and core books collections of these Mechanics Institutes- especially where I'm from which is the province of Ontario in Canada - became the foundation for the very first public libraries.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oftYjDGv-3g/VMhKnuxeugI/AAAAAAAAOKg/vFI1PbZfPgk/s1600/MechanicsChess.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oftYjDGv-3g/VMhKnuxeugI/AAAAAAAAOKg/vFI1PbZfPgk/s1600/MechanicsChess.png" height="186" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Although there are still some Mechanics Institutes still among us, like coelacanths evolutionary speaking- most notably <a href="http://www.atwaterlibrary.ca/about-us/history/">Montreal's Atwater Library</a> and San Francisco's beautiful <a href="http://www.milibrary.org/">Mechanics Institute and Chess Room</a>.<br /><br />Now, I have to admit, when I see <i>some </i>makerspaces, they remind me of mechanics institutes: subsidized spaces that exist to provide access to technologies to be used for potential start-ups. And if that remains their primary focus, I think their moment will pass, just like mechanics institutes. The forces that made industrial technology accessible to small groups will presumably continue to develop into consumer technology.&nbsp; <a href="http://boingboing.net/2013/04/29/bruce-sterling-on-startups-r.html">To live by disruption is to die by disruption</a>. <br /><br />This is one reason why I'm so happy and proud of the way so many libraries have embraced makerspaces and have made them their own.&nbsp; Because by and large, libraries keep people at the centre of the space- not technology.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ewjFjVp-ADw/VMhRRAy-bwI/AAAAAAAAOKw/e1Av1CLVVE8/s1600/TheBubbler.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ewjFjVp-ADw/VMhRRAy-bwI/AAAAAAAAOKw/e1Av1CLVVE8/s1600/TheBubbler.png" height="243" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zDjBEMRotKA/VMeqdnkDDuI/AAAAAAAAOJM/ESEVrrPILUw/s1600/Bubbler.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Librarians - by and large - have opted for accessible materials and activities in their spaces and have host activities that emphasize creativity, personal expression and learning through play.&nbsp; <br /><br />This is <a href="http://madisonbubbler.org/">The Bubbler</a> which is a visually arts based makerspace from the Madison Public Library. I have never been but from what I can see, they are doing many wonderful things. They hosts events that involve bike hacking, audio engineering, board game making, and media creation projects. I was particular impressed how they are working with juvenile justice programs <a href="http://madisonbubbler.org/metro-workshops/">to bring these activities and workshops to justice involved youth</a>. <br /><br />As long as libraries can continue to focus on building a better future for all of us, then we can continue to be a space where that future can be built.<br /><br />This concludes our tour through time and space. Thank you kindly for your attention.<br /><br />May your libraries and your makerspaces be future compatible.Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-54100062629426223212014-12-09T13:55:00.000-05:002014-12-16T11:00:31.921-05:00From DIY to Working Together: Using a Hackerspace to Build Community : keynote from Scholars Portal Day 2014On December 3rd, I gave a keynote for <a href="http://ocul.on.ca/spday/">Scholars Portal Day</a>.&nbsp; The slide deck was made using <a href="https://github.com/tmcw/big">BIG </a>and is <a href="http://copystar.github.io/SPDay14/SPDayKeynote.html">available online</a>.&nbsp; Thank you to <a href="http://www.scholarsportal.info/">Scholars Portal</a> for inviting me to be with one of my favourite communities.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LJ-mNRSuUas/VIcPPriMRrI/AAAAAAAAMzI/T3-sKpfATnE/s1600/You%2Bcan%27t%2Btell%2Bhow%2Bmany%2Bapples%2Bare%2Bin%2Ba%2Bseed%2B2014-12-09%2B10-00-29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LJ-mNRSuUas/VIcPPriMRrI/AAAAAAAAMzI/T3-sKpfATnE/s1600/You%2Bcan't%2Btell%2Bhow%2Bmany%2Bapples%2Bare%2Bin%2Ba%2Bseed%2B2014-12-09%2B10-00-29.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br />You can’t tell how many apples are in a seed.<br /><br />In May of 2010, I, Art Rhyno, Nicole Noel and late and sorely missed <a href="http://www.windsorpubliclibrary.com/?p=10030">Jean Foster</a> hosted an unconference at the central branch of the Windsor Public Library.&nbsp; <br /><br />Unconferences are seemingly no longer in vogue, so just in case you don’t know, an unconference is a conference where the topics of discussion are determined by those in the room who gather and disperse in conversation as their interests dictate.&nbsp; <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-moZfVG_vdcM/VIcPwCgzUKI/AAAAAAAAMzQ/693v5G07KB0/s1600/wechangecamp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-moZfVG_vdcM/VIcPwCgzUKI/AAAAAAAAMzQ/693v5G07KB0/s1600/wechangecamp.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The unconference was called <a href="http://infoservices.uwindsor.ca/wechangecamp/">WEChangeCamp </a>and it was one several <a href="http://changecamp.ca/about/">ChangeCamp </a>unconferences that occurred across the country at that time.<br /><br />At this particular unconference, 40 people from the community came together to answer this question: “How can we re-imagine Windsor-Essex as a stronger and more vibrant community?”<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7MLZIjQPnQI/VIcQtStppjI/AAAAAAAAMzc/wGOnWjH8pjk/s1600/windsor-hackerspace.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7MLZIjQPnQI/VIcQtStppjI/AAAAAAAAMzc/wGOnWjH8pjk/s1600/windsor-hackerspace.png" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />And on that day the topic of a Windsor Hackerspace was suggested by a young man who I later learned was working on his doctorate in electrical engineering.&nbsp; What I remember of that conversation four years ago was Aaron explaining the problem at hand: he and his friends needed regular infusions of money to rent a place to build a hackerspace so they needed a group of people who would pay monthly membership fees. But they couldn’t get paying members until they could attract them with a space.<br /><br />Shortly thereafter, Aaron - like so many other young people in Windsor- left the city for work elsewhere. It’s a bit of an epidemic here. <a href="http://blogs.windsorstar.com/opinion/come-to-windsor-belly-of-the-beast">We have the second highest unemployment rate in Canada and it’s been said that youth unemployment rate in Windsor is at a staggering 20%</a>.<br /><br />In Aaron’s case, he moved to Palo Alto, California to do robotics work in an automotive R&amp;D lab. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yKtAqR63ols/VIcRhQbCkCI/AAAAAAAAMzk/LrwtUX22luU/s1600/code4libn.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yKtAqR63ols/VIcRhQbCkCI/AAAAAAAAMzk/LrwtUX22luU/s1600/code4libn.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />In the meantime back in Windsor, in May 2012, I helped host <a href="http://wiki.code4lib.org/North#Third_Meeting:_University_of_Windsor.2C_May_24_and_25th.2C_2012">code4lib North at the University of Windsor</a>.&nbsp; We had the pleasure to host librarians from many OCUL libraries over those two days as well as staff from the Windsor Public Library. Also in the audience was Doug Sartori. Doug had helped in the development of the <a href="http://www.windsorsquare.ca/archives/31228/good-library-news">WPL’s CanGuru</a> mobile library application. He came to code4lib north because he was was curious about the first generation Raspberry pi that <a href="http://libraryblog.mohawkcollege.ca/2013/03/26/fun-with-raspberry-pi-thats-pi-not-pie/">John Fink of McMaster had brought with him</a>.&nbsp; You have to remember that in 2012 that the <a href="http://www.raspberrypi.org/">Raspberry Pi - the $40 computer card</a> - was still never very new in the world.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dCG4EbHgtQw/VIcTMvTKkJI/AAAAAAAAMzw/3AzT5WeCevI/s1600/Windsor%2BHackforge%2B%C2%BB%2BAbout%2B2014-12-09%2B10-20-06.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dCG4EbHgtQw/VIcTMvTKkJI/AAAAAAAAMzw/3AzT5WeCevI/s1600/Windsor%2BHackforge%2B%C2%BB%2BAbout%2B2014-12-09%2B10-20-06.png" height="186" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />A year later, in May 2013, Windsor got its first Hackerspace when <a href="http://hackf.org/">Hackforge </a>was officially opened. The Windsor Public Library graciously lent Hackforge the empty space in the front of their Central Branch that was previously a Woodcarver’s Museum.<br /><br />When Hackforge launches, <a href="http://hackf.org/member-directory/">Doug Sartori is president and I’m on the board of directors</a>. <br /><br />In our 20 months of our existence, I’m proud to say that <a href="http://hackf.org/past-events-and-press/">Hackforge has accomplished quite a lot for itself and for our community</a>.<br /><br />We’ve co-hosted three hackathons along with the local technology accelerator <a href="http://www.wetech-alliance.com/">WETech Alliance</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://metronews.ca/news/windsor/519051/garbage-zombies-and-open-data-dominate-windsors-first-hackathon/"><img alt="http://metronews.ca/news/windsor/519051/garbage-zombies-and-open-data-dominate-windsors-first-hackathon/" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D-nvywKSzJU/VIcVAqyEtDI/AAAAAAAAMz8/bjpkqjsllEs/s1600/Hackathon1.png" height="193" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The first hackathon was called <a href="http://www1.uwindsor.ca/cs/1313/hackwe-code-jam-1st-hack-a-thon-windsor-essex">HackWE </a>- and it lasted a weekend, was hosted at the University of Windsor and was based on the City of Windsor’s Open Data Catalogue.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gF4A5VDSjuc/VIcVwZjSCWI/AAAAAAAAM0E/GKVmNkMFq3o/s1600/Hackathon2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gF4A5VDSjuc/VIcVwZjSCWI/AAAAAAAAM0E/GKVmNkMFq3o/s1600/Hackathon2.png" height="191" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/newcomer-duo-wins-hackwe-challenge">HackWE 2.0 was a 24-hour hackathon</a> based on residential energy data collected by Smart Meters and was part of a larger Ontario Apps for Energy Challenge.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s9la1zF1qbw/VIcXw4uOk4I/AAAAAAAAM0Q/UZnFqKiWXv0/s1600/HackWE3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s9la1zF1qbw/VIcXw4uOk4I/AAAAAAAAM0Q/UZnFqKiWXv0/s1600/HackWE3.png" height="197" width="400" /></a></div><br />And <a href="http://www.stclaircollege.ca/news/2014_hackwe_top_prize.html">the third HackWE 3.0</a> - which happened just this past October -&nbsp; had events stretched over a week and based on open scientific data in celebration of Science and Technology week.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rwiFmk4_f34/VIcX9iAwvlI/AAAAAAAAM0Y/znEVzd1nVLU/s1600/summer-games.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rwiFmk4_f34/VIcX9iAwvlI/AAAAAAAAM0Y/znEVzd1nVLU/s1600/summer-games.png" height="191" width="400" /></a></div><br />We’ve hosted our own independent hackathons as well. Last year <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/earlyshift/episodes/2013/08/19/computer-hacker-summer-games/index.html">Hackforge held a two week Summer Games event</a> for people who wanted to try their hand at video game design. Everyone who completed a game won a trophy.&nbsp; <a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/12030858/">My own video game</a> won the prize for being the <i>Most endearing</i>.<br /><br />But in general, our members are more engaged in the regular activities of Hackforge.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tYgGKzegnsI/VIcYMub0toI/AAAAAAAAM0g/4XIowx-Uglc/s1600/TechTalks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tYgGKzegnsI/VIcYMub0toI/AAAAAAAAM0g/4XIowx-Uglc/s1600/TechTalks.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br />They include our bi-weekly Tech Talks that our members give to each other and the wider public, on such topics as Amazon Web Services, slide rules, writing Interactive fiction with JavaScript, and using technology in BioArt.<br /><br />We have monthly <a href="http://maptime.io/">Maptime </a>events in the space. Maptime is an open learning environment for all levels related to digital map making but there is a definite an emphasis on support for the beginner.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vFdlk_KSezo/VIcY38eyVmI/AAAAAAAAM0o/fw_EHXsc_1Q/s1600/maptime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vFdlk_KSezo/VIcY38eyVmI/AAAAAAAAM0o/fw_EHXsc_1Q/s1600/maptime.jpg" height="277" width="400" /></a></div><br />This photo is from our <a href="http://hackf.org/2014/05/14/maptime-was-a-good-time/">first Windsor Maptime</a> event which was dedicated to <a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=17/55.73543/9.12575&amp;layers=N">OpenStreetMap</a>. There are Maptime chapters all around the world, and the next <a href="http://www.meetup.com/OpenStreetMap-Toronto/events/211187492/">Maptime Toronto meeting is December 11th</a>, if you are curious and if you near or in the GTA.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RXrz3Wy-1mI/VIcZzmB7WuI/AAAAAAAAM0w/BuMJWTlNCJQ/s1600/guild.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RXrz3Wy-1mI/VIcZzmB7WuI/AAAAAAAAM0w/BuMJWTlNCJQ/s1600/guild.jpg" height="192" width="400" /></a></div><br />The <a href="http://hackf.org/2014/09/17/hackforge-software-guild-goes-weekly/">Hackforge Software Guild</a> meets weekly to work on personal projects as well as practicing pair programming on coding challenges called katas.&nbsp; For example, one of the first kata challenges was to write a program that would correctly write out the lyrics of 99 bottles of beer on the wall and one of more recent is how to code bowling scores. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N4gutrkge5Y/VIcai20varI/AAAAAAAAM04/GhfktvDybYc/s1600/ODWE.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N4gutrkge5Y/VIcai20varI/AAAAAAAAM04/GhfktvDybYc/s1600/ODWE.png" height="165" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />We also have an <a href="http://hackf.org/category/windsor-essex-open-data/">Open Data Interest group</a> and we are going to launch our own Open Data portal for Windsor’s non-profit community in 2015.&nbsp; We’re able to do this because this year we have received Trillium funding to hire a part-time coordinator and to small pay stipends to people to help with this work.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cgpMhu3yO3w/VIcbTubc2EI/AAAAAAAAM1E/IyD_2SDTAEQ/s1600/FordCity.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cgpMhu3yO3w/VIcbTubc2EI/AAAAAAAAM1E/IyD_2SDTAEQ/s1600/FordCity.png" height="220" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Our first dataset is likely going to be a community asset map that was compiled by the <a href="http://fordcityrenewal.blogspot.ca/">Ford City Renewal</a> group.&nbsp; Ford City is one of several neighbourhoods in Windsor in which more than 30% of the population is have income levels that at poverty level. Average incomes of those from the the City of Windsor as a whole isn’t actually that much less than average for all of Canada -<a href="http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/gap-between-rich-and-poor-neighbourhoods-widest-in-windsor"> its just that we’re just the most economically polarized urban area in the country</a>.&nbsp; That’s one of the reasons why, in January Hackforge is going to be working with Ford City Renewal to host a build your computer event for young people in the neighborhood.<br /><br />As well, our 3 year Trillium grant also funds another part-time coordinator who matches individuals seeking technology experience with non-profits such as the Windsor Homeless Coalition who need technology work and support.&nbsp; <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5exj4oOr3-Q/VIccMj9BmBI/AAAAAAAAM1M/x3UzmbzBhNw/s1600/lego-robots.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5exj4oOr3-Q/VIccMj9BmBI/AAAAAAAAM1M/x3UzmbzBhNw/s1600/lego-robots.png" height="193" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Hackforge has also collaborated with the Windsor Public Library to put on co-hosted events such as the <a href="http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/second-robot-sumo-event-of-the-summer-set-for-saturday">Robot Sumo</a> contest.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ptn2rsBRwuk/VIcczpJ1aZI/AAAAAAAAM1c/HGmQC3McHxc/s1600/spoke-pov2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ptn2rsBRwuk/VIcczpJ1aZI/AAAAAAAAM1c/HGmQC3McHxc/s1600/spoke-pov2.png" height="400" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />&nbsp;And we’ve worked with the City of Windsor to produce persistence of vision bicycle wheels for the their <a href="http://www.citywindsor.ca/residents/Culture/Pages/waves-Festival.aspx">WAVES light and sound art festival</a>.&nbsp; I know it’s difficult to see but in the photo on the screen is a bicycle wheel with a narrow set of lights that are strapped to three spokes on the wheel. When the wheel spins, the lights animate and give the impression that there’s an image in the wheel - it only works with the human eye - because of our persistence of vision - and it’s something that really come across in a photo very well.<br /><br />[<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApPtvEkjtZE">here's a video</a>!]<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KwsK3UVlT40/VIcdKYef0oI/AAAAAAAAM1k/rwX8Hnf0Ruw/s1600/library-box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KwsK3UVlT40/VIcdKYef0oI/AAAAAAAAM1k/rwX8Hnf0Ruw/s1600/library-box.jpg" height="262" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Also, the City of Windsor commissioned us to build a Librarybox for their event which I thought was really cool!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xpmTUscs9N0/VIcd1MrSMRI/AAAAAAAAM1s/D1-1dp75fII/s1600/3dprinters.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xpmTUscs9N0/VIcd1MrSMRI/AAAAAAAAM1s/D1-1dp75fII/s1600/3dprinters.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br />And like most other Hackerspaces,<a href="http://hackf.org/projects-and-equipment/"> we have 3D printers. We have robotic kits. We have soldering irons, and we have lots and lots of spare electronic and computer parts</a>. But unlike most other hackerspaces who charge their members $30 to $50 a month to join and make use their space, our hackerspace is currently free to members who pay for their membership with volunteer work.<br /><br /><br />This brings us to today in the last days of 2014.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xrVIF4O-efQ/VIceZXhWwMI/AAAAAAAAM10/hnlAec4_Jr0/s1600/Aaron.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xrVIF4O-efQ/VIceZXhWwMI/AAAAAAAAM10/hnlAec4_Jr0/s1600/Aaron.png" height="272" width="400" /></a></div><br />2014 is also the year that<a href="http://www.workforcewindsoressex.com/archives/automotive-driving-to-the-west-coast-and-back/"> Aaron came back to us from California</a>. He’s now my fellow board member at Hackforge.&nbsp; And, incidentally, so is Art Rhyno, who&nbsp; - if you don’t know - is a fellow librarian from the University of Windsor. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5gkDx156Wo/VIcenHAqbOI/AAAAAAAAM18/LfzjDVZUer8/s1600/From%2BDIY%2Bto%2BWorking%2BTogether%2BUsing%2Ba%2BHackspace%2Bto%2BBuild%2BCommunity%2B2014-12-09%2B11-08-53.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5gkDx156Wo/VIcenHAqbOI/AAAAAAAAM18/LfzjDVZUer8/s1600/From%2BDIY%2Bto%2BWorking%2BTogether%2BUsing%2Ba%2BHackspace%2Bto%2BBuild%2BCommunity%2B2014-12-09%2B11-08-53.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />I was asked by Scholars Portal if I could share some of my experiences with Hackforge in light of today’s theme of building community.&nbsp; And that is what my talk will be about today: how to use a hackerspace to build community. And I will do so by expanding on five themes.&nbsp; <br /><br />But as you know know - we are only 2 years old, and so - this talk is really about just the beginning steps we’ve been taking and those steps that we are still trying to take.&nbsp; We admittedly have a long way to go.<br /><br />Helping out with Hackforge has been a very rich and rewarding experience and I’ve learned much from it. And it’s also been hard work and sometimes it has been very time consuming. <br /><br />All those decisions we made as we started our hackerspace were the first ones we’ve ever had to make for our new organization. This process was exhilarating but it also was occasionally exhausting.&nbsp; Which brings us to our first theme:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-__FSbC1V2tc/VIce3-veAlI/AAAAAAAAM2E/lJ6kV7phPYo/s1600/1%2B--%2BInstitutions%2Breduce%2Bthe%2Bchoices%2Bavailable%2Bto%2Btheir%2Bmembers%2B2014-12-09%2B11-09-59.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-__FSbC1V2tc/VIce3-veAlI/AAAAAAAAM2E/lJ6kV7phPYo/s1600/1%2B--%2BInstitutions%2Breduce%2Bthe%2Bchoices%2Bavailable%2Bto%2Btheir%2Bmembers%2B2014-12-09%2B11-09-59.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Institutions reduce the choices available to their members<br /><br />The reason why starting up an organization is so exhausting can be found in Ronald Coase’s work. Coase is famous for introducing the concept of transaction costs to explain the nature and limits of firms and that earned him the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1991. Now I haven’t read his Nobel prize winning work, myself. I was first introduced to Coase when I read a book last year called <a href="https://openlibrary.org/works/OL16704857W/The_org">The org: the underlying logic of the office by Ray Fisman and Tim Sullivan. </a><br /><br />I also read Coase being referenced in <a href="http://www.shirky.com/weblog/2011/12/institutions-confidence-and-the-news-crisis/">a blog post by media critic Clay Shirky that was about about the differences between new media and&nbsp; old media</a>. It’s Shirky’s words on the screen right now:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YZ0I-BitjVI/VIcgSdjUAuI/AAAAAAAAM2Q/AUUvZQ0Vkjg/s1600/These%2Bfrozen%2Bchoices%2Bare.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YZ0I-BitjVI/VIcgSdjUAuI/AAAAAAAAM2Q/AUUvZQ0Vkjg/s1600/These%2Bfrozen%2Bchoices%2Bare.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">These frozen choices are what gives institutions their vitality — they are in fact what make them institutions. Freed of the twin dangers of navel-gazing and random walks, an institution can concentrate its efforts on some persistent, medium-sized, and tractable problem, working at a scale and longevity unavailable to its individual participants.</blockquote><br />Further on in his post Shirky explains what he means by this through an example of what happens at a daily newspaper:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The editors meet every afternoon to discuss the front page. They have to decide whether to put the Mayor’s gaffe there or in Metro, whether to run the picture of the accused murderer or the kids running in the fountain, whether to put the Biker Grandma story above or below the fold. Here are some choices they don’t have to make at that meeting: Whether to have headlines. Whether to be a tabloid or a broadsheet. Whether to replace the entire front page with a single ad. Whether to drop the whole news-coverage thing and start selling ice cream. Every such meeting, in other words, involves a thousand choices, but not a billion, because most of the big choices have already been made.</blockquote><br />When you are starting a new organization or any new venture, really, every small decision can sometime seem to bog you down.&nbsp; There is navel-gazing and random walks. <br /><br />We got bogged down at the beginning of Hackforge. We actually received the keys to the space in the Windsor Public Library in October of 2012.&nbsp; Why the delay? We had decided that we would launch the opening of our space with a homemade keypass locking system for the doors because we thought it wouldn’t take much time at all.&nbsp; <br /><br />And if we were considering how long it would take one talented person to build such a system by themselves, then maybe we would been right. But instead, we were very wrong. And looking back at it, now it seems obvious why this was the case:<br /><br />We had a set of people who have never worked together before, who don’t necessarily even speak the same programming languages, working without an authority structure, in a scarcely born organization with no promise that we will succeed or survive, nor sure promise of reward. <br /><br />Now it’s very important for me say that this so I'm absolutely clear - I am not complaining about our volunteers!!! <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WeHKR1iIrk8/VIchcOhlZiI/AAAAAAAAM2Y/LQTmy0dynAA/s1600/Hackforge%2Bwould%2Bnot%2Bhave%2Bexisted%2Bif%2Bit%2Bweren%E2%80%99t%2Bfor%2Bits%2Bvery%2Bfirst%2Bvolunteers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WeHKR1iIrk8/VIchcOhlZiI/AAAAAAAAM2Y/LQTmy0dynAA/s1600/Hackforge%2Bwould%2Bnot%2Bhave%2Bexisted%2Bif%2Bit%2Bweren%E2%80%99t%2Bfor%2Bits%2Bvery%2Bfirst%2Bvolunteers.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Hackforge would not have succeeded if it weren’t for those very first volunteers who made Hackforge happen in those early days when we were starting with nothing.<br /><br />And the same holds to this day. When we say that Hackforge is made of volunteers, what we are really saying is that Hackforge = volunteers.&nbsp; <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U2Bepxo1B7w/VIck3hsoIxI/AAAAAAAAM2k/GSwyCSoXBLY/s1600/Every%2Binteraction%2Bis%2Ba%2Bgift%2B2014-12-09%2B11-35-34.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U2Bepxo1B7w/VIck3hsoIxI/AAAAAAAAM2k/GSwyCSoXBLY/s1600/Every%2Binteraction%2Bis%2Ba%2Bgift%2B2014-12-09%2B11-35-34.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Our volunteers are especially remarkable because -- like all&nbsp; volunteers - they give up their own time that’s left over after their pre-existing commitments to work, school, family and friends. In volunteer work, <a href="http://textontechs.com/2014/01/every-interaction-is-a-gift/">every interaction is a gift</a>. But, that being said, not every promise in a volunteer organization is one that is fulfilled. Sometimes you learn the hard way that first thing on Tuesday means 3pm.<br /><br />But the delay wasn’t just from the building of the system. Once it was built, we then we had to make sure that the keypass system was okay with the library and that it was okay with the fire marshall. And we had to figure out how who was going to make the key cards, how they were going to be distributed and how we would use to decide who would get a keycard to the space and who would not.&nbsp; Ultimately, it took us 8 months to figure this all of this out. <br /><br />I wanted to explicitly mention this observation because I’ve noticed that within our own institution of libraries that <i>sometimes </i>when a new group or committee is started up, there is the <i>occasional</i> individual who interprets the slow goings and long initial discussions of the first meetings as, at best, extreme inefficiency, and at worst, a sign of imminent failure. <br /><br />When in fact, we should recognize that slow starts are normal.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JeGcurOkEOM/VIclaCW4qbI/AAAAAAAAM2s/PmCP1PQn5KM/s1600/Culture%2Bis%2Bto%2Ban%2Borganization%2Bas%2Bcommunity%2Bis%2Bto%2Ba%2Bcity%2B2014-12-09%2B11-37-51.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JeGcurOkEOM/VIclaCW4qbI/AAAAAAAAM2s/PmCP1PQn5KM/s1600/Culture%2Bis%2Bto%2Ban%2Borganization%2Bas%2Bcommunity%2Bis%2Bto%2Ba%2Bcity%2B2014-12-09%2B11-37-51.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3000839/why-here/zappos-ceo-tony-hsieh-on-building-a-virtuous-business-in-the-city-of-sin"><br /></a><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3000839/why-here/zappos-ceo-tony-hsieh-on-building-a-virtuous-business-in-the-city-of-sin">Culture is to a organization as community is to a city</a><br /><br />New organizations and new ventures happen slowly and furthermore, they should happen slowly because each decision made is one that further that defines the “how” of “what an organization is”.&nbsp; Are we, as an organization, formal or informal?&nbsp; Who takes the minutes at meetings?&nbsp; Do we need to give a notice of motion? Do we do our own books or do we hire an accountant? Do we provide food at our events?&nbsp; Do we sell swag or do we give it away? How should we fundraise?&nbsp; How do we deal with bad actors?&nbsp; Every decision further defines the work that we do.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ob8U2KtA7fA/VIcmRBF15PI/AAAAAAAAM20/kuZb6qsbk98/s1600/Take%2Bthe%2Btime%2Bto%2Bmake%2Bsure%2Bthat%2Bthe%2Bway%2Byou%2Bdo%2Bthings%2Bmatches%2Bup%2Bwith%2Bthe%2Bwhy%2Byou%2Bdo%2Bthings%2B2014-12-09%2B11-41-27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ob8U2KtA7fA/VIcmRBF15PI/AAAAAAAAM20/kuZb6qsbk98/s1600/Take%2Bthe%2Btime%2Bto%2Bmake%2Bsure%2Bthat%2Bthe%2Bway%2Byou%2Bdo%2Bthings%2Bmatches%2Bup%2Bwith%2Bthe%2Bwhy%2Byou%2Bdo%2Bthings%2B2014-12-09%2B11-41-27.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />It’s very important to take the time to take these steps slowly in order to make sure that the way you do things match up with the why you do things.&nbsp; As I think we can appreciate in libraryland, once institutions reduce choices of their members it is very difficult - although not impossible to open them up again for rethinking and refactoring. <br /><br />One of reasons why Hackforge has been very successful in its brief existence - is that it was formed with clearly articulated reasons and clear guiding principles that continue to help us shape the form of our work. And I know this, because the vision of what Hackforge should be was told to be me when I was invited to serve of the board when Hackforge began and, I can attest to the fact, that it is the same the as the one we have now. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MZR9kcmq3Pk/VIcnfdpyYCI/AAAAAAAAM28/yWjngpaV9g8/s1600/Hackforge%2Bsupports%2Bcapacity%2Bbuilding%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bcommunity%2Band%2Bsupporting%2Ba%2Bculture%2Bof%2Bmentorship%2Band%2Binclusivity%2B2014-12-09%2B11-46-08.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MZR9kcmq3Pk/VIcnfdpyYCI/AAAAAAAAM28/yWjngpaV9g8/s1600/Hackforge%2Bsupports%2Bcapacity%2Bbuilding%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bcommunity%2Band%2Bsupporting%2Ba%2Bculture%2Bof%2Bmentorship%2Band%2Binclusivity%2B2014-12-09%2B11-46-08.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Now, there are many different types of hacker and makerspaces: some are dedicated to artists, others to entrepreneurs, while others are dedicated to the hobbyist.&nbsp;&nbsp; Hackforge - in less than 140 characters has been described as this: Hackforge supports capacity building in the community and supporting a culture of mentorship and inclusivity.<br /><br />More specifically, we exist to help with youth retention in Windsor. We aim to be a place where individuals who work or want to work in technology can find support from each other.<br /><br />I know it might sound strange to you that we believe that our local IT industry needs support, especially when we read about the excesses of Silicon Valley on a regular basis. <br /><br />But in Windsor, there are not many options for those with a technology background to find work and so, despite of the impression we give to those pursuing a career in STEM, tech jobs in Windsor can be poorly paid and the working conditions can be very problematic.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0bymsYdBtqA/VIc4lZaevcI/AAAAAAAAM3U/keQQ4UZmc-8/s1600/ITExemptions.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0bymsYdBtqA/VIc4lZaevcI/AAAAAAAAM3U/keQQ4UZmc-8/s1600/ITExemptions.png" height="305" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Many of the provisions in the labour law - the ones that entitle employees to set working hours, to breaks between and within shifts, to overtime and even time to eat -<a href="http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/tools/srt/coverage_government_it.php"> have exemptions for those who work in IT.</a>&nbsp; I’ve been told that the only way to get a raise while working in IT in this town is to find a better paying job.<br /><br />The IT industry sometimes treats people as if they were machines themselves. <br /><br />Hackforge was built as a response to this environment. It was build in hopes that it could help&nbsp; grow something better.&nbsp; At Hackforge we know our strength does not come from the machines that we have in our space, but our amazing members and the time and work that they give to others.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />I mean, we love 3D printers because they are a honeypot that brings curious folks into our space, but the secret is we are not really about 3D printers.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JTEYTdynDJo/VIc5TccAEQI/AAAAAAAAM3c/19ARDJNUaIM/s1600/press-coverage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JTEYTdynDJo/VIc5TccAEQI/AAAAAAAAM3c/19ARDJNUaIM/s1600/press-coverage.png" height="193" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />And yet if you look at all of what our media coverage we receive, you would think we’re just another makerspace that loves 3D printers and robots.<br /><br />This is why it is SO important to be visible with your values, which is our second theme. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G5XpvzsJwkQ/VIc5yvzNpeI/AAAAAAAAM3k/iPgooZd422M/s1600/2%2B--%2BShow%2BYour%2BWork%2B2014-12-09%2B13-04-25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G5XpvzsJwkQ/VIc5yvzNpeI/AAAAAAAAM3k/iPgooZd422M/s1600/2%2B--%2BShow%2BYour%2BWork%2B2014-12-09%2B13-04-25.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Show your work<br /><br />One of the challenges that we have at Hackforge is that we don’t have very many women in our ranks.&nbsp; Women make up half of our board of directors but our larger membership is not representative of the Windsor community and it’s likely not representative in the other aspects of identity, for that matter, either.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NtR8H2lH-N4/VIc6ER30hjI/AAAAAAAAM3s/VQywdQZtGrw/s1600/panel-laugh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NtR8H2lH-N4/VIc6ER30hjI/AAAAAAAAM3s/VQywdQZtGrw/s1600/panel-laugh.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />We know that if we wanted to change this situation, it would require sustained work on our part. And so when we had our official launch of Hackforge last year, we, as part of the event, hosted a Women in Technology Panel that featured four women who work in IT, including the very successful Girl Develop IT from Detroit, all of whom both shared their experiences and offer strategies to make the field of technology a more inclusive environment and better place for everyone.<br /><br />In the audience for that panel discussion was a representative of WEST. WEST is a local non-profit group who works and stands for <a href="http://www.westofwindsor.com/">Women’s Enterprise Skills Training</a>. Starting next year, with the support of another Ontario Trillium grant, <a href="http://www.wetech-alliance.com/2014/11/05/member-spotlight-hackforge/">Hackforge and WEST are going to be launching a project that will offer free computer skills training workshops for women</a> as well as trying to create a community of support, and continue to advocate for women in the IT field.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nEBLk_ZSeCs/VIc6nNlIOJI/AAAAAAAAM30/nn93dL6LQFE/s1600/You%2Bhave%2Bto%2Bshow%2Byour%2Bwork%2Bin%2Bpublic%2Bif%2Byou%2Bwant%2Bcollaborators%2Bto%2Bfind%2Byou.%2B2014-12-09%2B13-08-07.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nEBLk_ZSeCs/VIc6nNlIOJI/AAAAAAAAM30/nn93dL6LQFE/s1600/You%2Bhave%2Bto%2Bshow%2Byour%2Bwork%2Bin%2Bpublic%2Bif%2Byou%2Bwant%2Bcollaborators%2Bto%2Bfind%2Byou.%2B2014-12-09%2B13-08-07.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />So I can’t stress this enough. You have to do your work in public if you want your future collaborators to find you. <br /><br />I have also another Women in Technology story to start our third theme. <br /><br />So remember I told you about unconferences? Well, the Hackforge members who run the Software Guild do something similar.&nbsp; Sometimes instead of coding, the folks do something like this.&nbsp; They write down all thing the things they want to talk about, vote for the topics and then talk the most voted topics within strict time limits. But they don’t call it an unconference:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LlaudxLXIbs/VIc6zrX0PrI/AAAAAAAAM38/vTZaspaN7Hk/s1600/Lean%2Bcoffee!%2B2014-12-09%2B13-09-08.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LlaudxLXIbs/VIc6zrX0PrI/AAAAAAAAM38/vTZaspaN7Hk/s1600/Lean%2Bcoffee!%2B2014-12-09%2B13-09-08.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />They call it LEAN COFFEE.<br /><br />I love it. It’s so adorable. <br /><br />Anyway, at one of these Lean Coffee sessions, our staff coordinator suggested the topic Women in Technology.&nbsp; And the response she received was this: We know there’s a problem because Hackforge doesn’t have enough women. But we are not sure how to fix this.&nbsp; <br /><br />To me, I found this statement very encouraging.&nbsp; <br /><br />Its sad, but in these these times, when people can admit that there’s a problem without any deflection or allocation of blame is actually very refreshing. <br /><br />I mean, within librarianship - we have some organizations who consistently organize speaking events made up of mostly men. Whenever I raise this matter I usually told that if the speaking topic is not about gender, then it’s not about gender. In other words, they tell me that there is no problem. <br /><br />But sometimes there is a problem.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H7BNlgEah7Y/VIc7BSm1PJI/AAAAAAAAM4E/FwkZch2WwaA/s1600/Maptime-Detroit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H7BNlgEah7Y/VIc7BSm1PJI/AAAAAAAAM4E/FwkZch2WwaA/s1600/Maptime-Detroit.jpg" height="328" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Look at this photo:&nbsp; from this you would never guess that it was taken in a city that is over 80% African American.&nbsp; This photo from the first meeting of Maptime Detroit that I attended last month.&nbsp; One of the first things that was said during the evening’s introduction was a simple statement by the organizer.&nbsp; “I want to acknowledge who isn’t this in room”&nbsp; And what followed was a plan to hold the next Maptime meetings, not in the mid-town Tech Incubator, but within the various neighbourhoods in the city and alongside partner organizations already working with Detroiters where they live.<br /><br />So before we can be more inclusive, we need to recognize when we are not. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-__HbXuJirTw/VIdAFzjLUmI/AAAAAAAAM4U/z9RBEtGl-bc/s1600/3%2B--%2BAcknowledge%2Bwho%2Bis%2Bnot%2Bin%2Bthe%2Broom%2B2014-12-09%2B13-31-40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-__HbXuJirTw/VIdAFzjLUmI/AAAAAAAAM4U/z9RBEtGl-bc/s1600/3%2B--%2BAcknowledge%2Bwho%2Bis%2Bnot%2Bin%2Bthe%2Broom%2B2014-12-09%2B13-31-40.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />We can start by acknowledging who isn’t in the room. It isn’t hard to do. <br /><br />Quinn Norton wrote a lovely essay about this called <a href="http://www.quinnnorton.com/said/?p=610">Count</a>. Speaking of counting, we are now at theme four.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xkkfI3zQqjc/VIdAgcIW7dI/AAAAAAAAM4Y/xwUZiZwJiIc/s1600/4%2B--%2BA%2Bmailing%2Blist%2Bis%2Bnot%2Bacommunity.%2B2014-12-09%2B13-33-26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xkkfI3zQqjc/VIdAgcIW7dI/AAAAAAAAM4Y/xwUZiZwJiIc/s1600/4%2B--%2BA%2Bmailing%2Blist%2Bis%2Bnot%2Bacommunity.%2B2014-12-09%2B13-33-26.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />A mailing list is not a community<br /><br />What you might find surprising is that - for Hackforge being a gathering of people who generally love love love the Internet, is that we really don’t even have a strong online space for folks to hang out in, with the exception of our IRC channel.&nbsp; We used to have forum software, but is was so overwhelmed with spam on a daily basis it was almost immediately rendered unusable.&nbsp; <br /><br />Also, Hackforge doesn’t even have a listserv mailing list.&nbsp; <br /><br />And I would go as far to say that one of the reasons why Hackforge has been as successful as we have been is in part, because that we *don’t* have a mailing list.<br /><br />There’s a website that’s called<a href="http://runningahackerspace.tumblr.com/"> Running a Hackerspace</a> that is a collection of animated gifs that metaphorically capture the essence of Running a hackerspace. I think it’s particularly telling that there are many recurrent topics that arise this Tumblr: like the complaints that folks don’t clean up after themselves.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BsRDPlkF_Vw/VIdBjIaOEVI/AAAAAAAAM4s/EViFUZAnW3o/s1600/YouMakeMeSad.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BsRDPlkF_Vw/VIdBjIaOEVI/AAAAAAAAM4s/EViFUZAnW3o/s1600/YouMakeMeSad.png" height="320" width="298" /></a></div><br /><br />(And this is when I confess that when I drop by Hackforge, I am also sometimes made sad). <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OBUX0Ni2grU/VIdBt-TNRKI/AAAAAAAAM40/hZBdIOi1uPk/s1600/running-a-mailinglist.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OBUX0Ni2grU/VIdBt-TNRKI/AAAAAAAAM40/hZBdIOi1uPk/s1600/running-a-mailinglist.png" height="193" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />But the most prevalent theme in the blog is mailing list rage. <br /><br />You would think this would have been a solved problem by now: how do you support project work that is done asynchronously and dispersed over geography. Many open source communities are finding that the traditional tools of mailing lists, forum software, and IRC channels are not doing enough in helping their communities do good work together. More often than not, these technologies seem to be better than boosting the noise rather than the signal. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RcZBVyo28LY/VIdCXu3pU6I/AAAAAAAAM48/lVTe-m-oHWY/s1600/slack.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RcZBVyo28LY/VIdCXu3pU6I/AAAAAAAAM48/lVTe-m-oHWY/s1600/slack.png" height="147" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Distributed companies like<a href="https://make.wordpress.org/chat/"> Wordpress are moving from IRC to software platforms such as Slack</a>. As I’ve mentioned before,&nbsp; I’m involved with a largely self-organized group called Maptime and we also make use of Slack, which is essentially user friendly IRC, chat, and messaging along with images, file sharing, archiving and social media capture.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0HnNKCOopZE/VIdCqgf0BzI/AAAAAAAAM5E/cx--xRf8HBY/s1600/NationBuilder.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0HnNKCOopZE/VIdCqgf0BzI/AAAAAAAAM5E/cx--xRf8HBY/s1600/NationBuilder.png" height="193" width="400" /></a></div><br />At Hackforge, we’ve recently decided to use the <a href="https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira">Jira issue tracker</a> to manage the hacking work that we need to do in the space and we will be switching to <a href="http://nationbuilder.com/">Nation Builder</a> software to manage our members and member communications. When activists, non-profits, and political parties are using software like Nation Builder to manage the contact info, the interests, and the fundraising of tens of thousands of people, it makes me wonder when libraries are going to start using similar software to manage the relationships it has with its community.<br /><br />And at a time when my neighbours who rent the skating rink for collective use, use volunteer management software to figure out who’s turn it is to bring the hot chocolate, I would like to suggest that libraries perhaps could start using similar software to - at least - manage our internal work and communications as well.&nbsp; Good tools make great communication possible within organizations and our communities. They are are worth the investment.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ICaIeRwWm8A/VIdDJPvmCzI/AAAAAAAAM5M/fehVLpxOky4/s1600/5--%2BInvest%2Bin%2Bbut%2Bdo%2Bnot%2Boutsource%2Bcommunity%2Bmanagement%2B2014-12-09%2B13-44-42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ICaIeRwWm8A/VIdDJPvmCzI/AAAAAAAAM5M/fehVLpxOky4/s1600/5--%2BInvest%2Bin%2Bbut%2Bdo%2Bnot%2Boutsource%2Bcommunity%2Bmanagement%2B2014-12-09%2B13-44-42.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Invest in but do not outsource community management<br /><br />Before I end my presentation with this last theme, I do want to offer a caveat to everything I’ve said.&nbsp; If you asked all of the people who have been involved in Hackforge - those who have come by our events, spent time in the space, or even volunteered some mentoring at an event - if you asked them if they felt they were part of a community, I think most people asked would probably say, no.&nbsp; I think we have a wonderful group of people who have contributed to Hackforge and&nbsp; I think we have a group of people who have even found friends at Hackforge, but I think we still can’t call the whole of what we do "a community" - at least not yet.&nbsp; <br /><br />Hackforge is approaching its 2nd birthday and this talk has been a wonderful excuse to reflect on what we do well and what we still need to work on.<br /><br />What works for us are regular events, contests and Hackathons. We are well aware of the limitations of hackathons and how they produce imperfect work but, for us, it seems to be that&nbsp; that pre-defined limits and deadlines produce more work and generate more interest and excitement than unstructured free time seems to. <br /><br />Unlike many hackerspaces, we don’t tend to have many group projects. The door project - as you have learned - was one of few group projects, and that one took longer than expected. In our early months, we also had a LED sign project that was never completed and actually resulted in some people leaving Hackforge in frustration.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1LYcdVupw6A/VIdDa0UVGKI/AAAAAAAAM5U/MQFhWaqK6-Y/s1600/We%2Bare%2Ba%2Bvolunteer%2Borganization%2Band%2Bas%2Bsuch%2C%2Bby%2Bthe%2Bprocess%2Bof%2Bevolution%2C%2Bwe%2Bare%2Ba%2Bplace%2Bfor%2Bthe%2Bpatient%2Band%2Bthe%2Bforgiving.%2B2014-12-09%2B13-45-14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1LYcdVupw6A/VIdDa0UVGKI/AAAAAAAAM5U/MQFhWaqK6-Y/s1600/We%2Bare%2Ba%2Bvolunteer%2Borganization%2Band%2Bas%2Bsuch%2C%2Bby%2Bthe%2Bprocess%2Bof%2Bevolution%2C%2Bwe%2Bare%2Ba%2Bplace%2Bfor%2Bthe%2Bpatient%2Band%2Bthe%2Bforgiving.%2B2014-12-09%2B13-45-14.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br />We are a volunteer organization and as such, by the process of evolution, we are a place for the patient and the forgiving. Sometimes we have gotten our first impressions wrong.<br /><br />One of the largest challenges I think we have as an organization is to be more accessible to beginners.&nbsp; In fact, that the feedback that we’ve been getting.<br /><br />Aaron recently had a tech talk about tech talks and the message he received was that Hackforge should provide more sessions for beginners.&nbsp; And this is a particular challenge that we haven’t really addressed yet. We’re luckily that Hackforge has people who are both generous with their time and not afraid of public speaking and give tech talks. But many of our speakers don’t preface their talks with an introduction that a newbie could understand. They are so excited to have fellow experts in the crowd and they jump right into the code or electrical specs or what have you.<br /><br />Likewise, it’s amazing and wonderful that we have regular supportive events like our member’s coding katas in which those who work with software can practice and share their coding practice with others. But at the moment, we don’t really have anything for those who want to learn how to code.&nbsp; And you might not be shocked to hear this, but Hackforge’s machines like our 3D printers - lack even the most basic documentation on how to use the machines. <br /><br />Without expanding the work of communicating, documenting, explaining, and teaching, Hackforge won’t be able to attract new members.&nbsp; <br /><br />Hackforge started as a top down organization.&nbsp; Our job as board has been to the build the systems that will allow more of the day to day work of the Hackforge to move from the board to our community and program managers.&nbsp; We were able to hire our managers in the middle of this year and already, they have made wonderful contributions to Hackforge.&nbsp; Our next challenge will be how to move more of the operational work of the managers to the members themselves. <br /><br />In other words, the challenge for Hackforge is to ensure that the work that needs to be done - all of that communicating, documenting, explaining, teaching - needs to be embraced by all of its members as a community of practice.&nbsp; And through this practice, it’s hoped we can&nbsp; build a community. <br /><br />So, those are my five themes for building community with a hackerspace:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/---hhQ0FxLr4/VIdEBhvqyrI/AAAAAAAAM5c/zodGQPpVfPw/s1600/Institutions%2Breduce%2Bthe%2Bchoices%2Bavailable%2Bto%2Btheir%2Bmembers.%2BShow%2Byour%2Bwork.%2BAcknowledge%2Bwho%2Bisn%E2%80%99t%2Bthe%2Broom.%2BA%2Bmailing%2Blist%2Bis%2Bnot%2Ba%2Bcommunity.%2BInvest%2Bin%2Bbut%2Bdo%2Bnot%2Boutsource%2Bcommunity%2Bmanagement.%2B2014-12-09%2B13-47-57.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/---hhQ0FxLr4/VIdEBhvqyrI/AAAAAAAAM5c/zodGQPpVfPw/s1600/Institutions%2Breduce%2Bthe%2Bchoices%2Bavailable%2Bto%2Btheir%2Bmembers.%2BShow%2Byour%2Bwork.%2BAcknowledge%2Bwho%2Bisn%E2%80%99t%2Bthe%2Broom.%2BA%2Bmailing%2Blist%2Bis%2Bnot%2Ba%2Bcommunity.%2BInvest%2Bin%2Bbut%2Bdo%2Bnot%2Boutsource%2Bcommunity%2Bmanagement.%2B2014-12-09%2B13-47-57.png" height="185" width="400" /></a></div><br />Institutions reduce the choices available to their members (so choose carefully)<br />Show your work (so future collaborators can find you).<br />Acknowledge who isn’t in the room (Count is only the start).<br />A mailing list is not a community (Invest in tools that do better).<br />Invest but do not outsource community management.<br /><br />The work of figuring how to get a bunch of people to come together and face a shared challenge isn’t just the way the build a community.&nbsp; This is also how political movements begin.&nbsp; It’s also how a game begins. I would like to thanks to Scholars Portal for giving me the opportunity to begin Scholars Portal Day with you all.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EgO2GjFRjsw/VIdEVdtjzgI/AAAAAAAAM5k/uN9L3Xn-fxA/s1600/Thank%2Byou.%2B2014-12-09%2B13-49-41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EgO2GjFRjsw/VIdEVdtjzgI/AAAAAAAAM5k/uN9L3Xn-fxA/s1600/Thank%2Byou.%2B2014-12-09%2B13-49-41.png" height="148" width="320" /></a></div>Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-79955816335155884952014-10-02T22:46:00.001-04:002014-10-02T22:55:38.193-04:00The Knight Foundation News Challenge Entries That I Have ApplaudedThe Knight News Challenge has been issued and it's about libraries:<br /><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/brief.html"><b>How might we leverage libraries as a platform to build more knowledgeable communities?&nbsp;</b></a><br /><br />I'm reviewing these entries because I think some of them might prove useful in a paper I'm currently writing. There are some reoccurring themes to the entries that I think are quite telling.<br /><br />Of the 680 entries, there's some wonderful ideas that need to be shared. Here are some of the proposals that I've applauded:<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/the-library-freedom-project-bringing-privacy-education-and-digital-tools-to-local-communities-through-libraries">The Library Freedom Project: Bringing Privacy Education and Digital Tools to Local Communities Through Libraries</a> : The Library Freedom Project teaches librarians about privacy rights, law, and tech tools to protect patrons from dragnet surveillance.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/openarchives-reinventing-libraries-as-interactive-hubs-that-empower-local-communities-to-securely-share-preserve-and-verify-their-media-by-leveraging-the-resources-of-mith-witness-the-internet-archive-and-freedom-of-the-press-foundation">OpenArchive: Uniting Libraries and Archives to Empower Engaged Citizens</a>: We want to create a world where a people’s history is the primary history; where we leverage the resources of libraries and public interest organizations to collect, preserve, and amplify local citizen media<br /><br />&nbsp;</li><li>&nbsp;<a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/making-the-invisible-visible-a-digital-overlay-on-the-in-library-visit-that-combines-mobile-technology-with-location-based-sensors-to-reveal-the-full-riches-of-the-public-library-community-in-the-palms-of-their-hands">Making the Invisible Visible: a digital overlay on the in-library visit that combines mobile technology with location based sensors to reveal the full riches of the public library to our communitie</a>s: A context-aware mobile application that intelligently reveals previously hidden resources and opportunities based on your locations, interests and actions as you walk through the library.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/nyc-space-time-directory-community-driven-urban-history-with-the-ease-of-google-maps">NYC Space/Time Directory: Community-Driven Urban History With The Ease Of Google Maps</a> : The NYC Space/Time Directory does for old New York what Google Maps does for modern cities, turning historic maps and data into time machines.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/how-to-index-digitize-make-searchable-thousands-of-aging-video-cassettes-of-tv-news-establishing-cost-effective-models-for-digital-tv-libraries-starting-with-the-marion-stokes-collection-the-largest-private-collection-of-us-television-news"></a></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/how-to-index-digitize-make-searchable-thousands-of-aging-video-cassettes-of-tv-news-establishing-cost-effective-models-for-digital-tv-libraries-starting-with-the-marion-stokes-collection-the-largest-private-collection-of-us-television-news">New models for creating open digital television libraries -- starting with the Marion Stokes Collection, the largest private collection of U.S television news</a> : Starting with the historic Marion Stokes Collection, the Internet Archive will add to its free and open research library of television news--creating cost effective processes, technology, and digital access to historic videotapes and sharing this model with others. <br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/empowering-libraries-to-hear-all-voices">Empowering libraries to hear all voices</a>: Loomio breaks down barriers to inclusive library-centered community engagement by making online participation disability-accessible.</li></ul><ul><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/librii-digital-community-library-in-africa">Librii: Digital Community Library in Africa</a> : Librii’s mission is to stimulate cultural creation in developing countries by providing access to digital and physical resources.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/beyond-asset-maps-linking-the-community-to-vital-resources">Beyond Asset Maps: Linking the Community to Vital Resources</a> : Beyond Asset Maps: Linking the Community to Vital Resources will build a more knowledgeable community by creating a digital hub to connect vulnerable residents to critical services.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/building-libraries-together-new-tools-for-communities-to-help-build-digital-libraries-of-the-future">Building Libraries Together</a>: new tools for communities to help build digital libraries of the future: Give global communities the tools they need to save, manage and share their cultural treasures forever for free.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/crowd-sourcing-a-digital-community-archive-for-the-future">Crowd-Sourcing a Digital Community Archive for the Future</a>: We want to create a crowd-sourced community digital archive in Rochester, NY, to preserve records of the community's present for the future.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/how-libraries-can-work-together-to-save-the-world-from-link-rot-perma-cc">How Libraries Can Work Together to Save the World from Link Rot: Perma.cc</a>: Perma is a platform for libraries, authors and publishers to work together to ensure that online source materials are preserved and accessible to readers forever.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/making-historic-software-eternal">Making Historic Software Eternal</a>: Imagine an emulator that plays every computer program, game, and app in your browser - one click and you're in software history.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/building-reading-using-data-to-add-a-layer-of-digital-transparency-to-the-exterior-of-the-library">Building Reading - Using data to add a layer of digital transparency to the exterior of the library</a>: We want as many people as possible to see how libraries are sources of knowledge that support communities through sharing data about how the library functions -- in real time -- on the outside of the library itself.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/local-local-online-communities-and-libraries">LOCAL: Local Online Communities And Libraries:</a> LOCAL will empower public libraries to create, preserve, and provide ongoing access to local history collections of the meaningful online content documenting their communities.<br /><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/safe-harbor-guide-community-toolkits-resilient-neighborhoods"><br /></a></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/safe-harbor-guide-community-toolkits-resilient-neighborhoods">Safe Harbor Guide</a>: Community toolkits, resilient neighborhoods: Libraries, neighborhoods, and federal agencies work together to create the first Safe Harbor Guide for collaborative disaster response planning.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/gitenberg-modern-maintenance-infrastructure-for-our-literary-heritage">GITenberg: Modern Maintenance Infrastructure for Our Literary Heritage</a>: Help libraries use and maintain Project Gutenberg public domain ebooks to serve their communities... with GitHub!<br /><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/maptime-public-library-a-k-a-null-island-inter-library-loan-niill"><br /></a></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/maptime-public-library-a-k-a-null-island-inter-library-loan-niill">Maptime Public Library, a.k.a Null Island Inter-Library Loan (NIILL)</a>: Maptime Public Library is an online library designed for map making beginners that connects resources for both geospatial and open source technology learning, all while teaching the basic terminology necessary to navigate this technical space.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/booknode-using-book-journeys-and-traces-of-readers-to-build-community">BookNode: Using Book Journeys and Traces of Readers to Build Community</a>: BookNode uses journeys of books and traces of their former readers to extend the library’s reach, all while creating a playful and social urban experience that builds a strong local community.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/reward-your-worst-customers-the-push-to-create-repeat-non-offenders">Reward your worst customers</a>: the push to create repeat non-offenders: Let your worst customers keep their privileges in order to rebuild their library credit and become responsible customers.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/make-the-things-that-measure-the-future-libraries-open-hardware">Make the Things that Measure the Future</a>: Libraries and Open Hardware: Develop, deploy, and train librarians on open hardware devices that let libraries more effectively and efficiently serve their communities<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/civic-ticker-libraries-mobilizing-citizens-to-inform-and-be-informed">Civic Ticker: Libraries Mobilizing Citizens to Inform and be Informed</a>: Ann Arbor District Library will pioneer a new way for libraries to inform their communities, transforming libraries from passive collectors to active producers of news and information.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/upgrading-all-libraries-ebook-catalogs-to-become-a-publishing-platform-for-indie-authors">Upgrade Libraries' eBook Catalogs into a Publishing Platform for Indie Authors:</a> Linking up all libraries' ebook catalogs so they become THE publishing platform for indie authors looking to be discovered by the most avid readers.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/an-aspiration-graph-in-every-community">An aspiration graph in every community</a>: Libraries help build an “aspiration graph” in their communities that makes it possible to see what residents dream about being able to learn or do, and makes it easier for educators and entrepreneurs to build an economy of opportunity around residents’ expressed aspirations.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/powers-of-ten-scaling-up-libraries-capacity-to-build-better-worlds-with-code">Powers of Ten: Scaling up libraries’ capacity to build better worlds with code:</a> I’ll develop a coding curriculum and teaching model specific to librarians’ real-world needs, so they have more ways to change the world.</li></ul><br /><ul></ul><br />For the purposes of my paper, I'm interested in the intersections of Open Data and Libraries. Here are the entries that touch on these two topics:<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/the-people-s-public-information-portal-transform-the-california-state-library-into-an-open-source-center-for-public-information-and-civic-engagement-by-building-a-cadre-of-informationistas-who-ll-foster-an-open-date-culture-in-state-government">The People’s Public Information Portal: Transform the California State Library into an open source center for public information and civic engagement by building a cadre of informationistas who'll foster an open data culture in state government</a>: Begin creating a modern, open data, open source code portal housed in the State Library and, over time, connect it to California’s 1,182 public libraries to improve statewide access to government information, boost civic awareness and spur community action.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/the-librarian-of-the-future">The Librarian of the Future</a>: Providing data analysis and visualization training to librarians in city, school, and college libraries, so that they can respond to the growing needs of their communities by making the library the seed incubator of data driven local change.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/an-open-data-roadmap-for-public-libraries">An Open Data Roadmap for Public Libraries</a>: Our goal is to establish a framework for libraries to better harness open data in order to improve resident interactions between government and civic organizations, improve data management practices at public and civic institutions, and enhance the library as a central place for civic discourse and information literacy.<br /><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/nevada-data-access-portal-ndap-promoting-data-literacy-and-nevada-data-resources-to-the-community"><br /></a></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/nevada-data-access-portal-ndap-promoting-data-literacy-and-nevada-data-resources-to-the-community">Nevada Data Access Portal (NDAP): Promoting Data Literacy and Nevada Data Resources to the Community</a>: With the Nevada Data Access Portal (NDAP), community members will be able to access an external portal through UNLV Libraries to research and collect data. #dataliteracy #NVdata<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/libraries-as-labs-for-open-government">Libraries as Labs for Open Government</a>: Convene Oaklanders from every neighborhood in Oakland’s public libraries, to experiment with technologies for open government and work with technologists to make these tools more useful to them and their communities.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/pittsburgh-s-community-information-commons-storytelling-problem-solving-resource-sharing">Pittsburgh’s Community Information Commons</a>: Storytelling, Problem solving, Resource sharing: The Community Information Commons will be a shared knowledge base of community history, issues, and resources for problem solving, strategizing, and engagement using open source software (Collective Access) to curate and disseminate content.<br /><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/leverage-library-taxonomies-for-open-data-and-the-web"><br /></a></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/leverage-library-taxonomies-for-open-data-and-the-web">Leverage Library Taxonomies for Open Data and the Web</a>: Use library skills to build new taxonomies that make open data more discoverable.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/l-a-drone-cartography-project">L.A. Drone Cartography Project</a>: We will give L.A. residents precise spatial knowledge about their communities with meaningful layers of historical and real-time data to help them better understand where they live.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/visualizing-the-smart-city">Visualizing the Smart City</a>: Leveraging the City's open data, social media analytics and the Library's own statistics, we will create an installation that provides data visualizations that respond to user feedback and interaction.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/from-open-data-to-open-knowledge-using-libraries-to-turn-civic-data-into-a-valuable-resource-for-citizens-the-research-community-and-city-hall-alike">From open data to open knowledge: Using libraries to turn civic data into a valuable resource for citizens, researchers, and City Hall alike</a>: We seek to turn the City’s Open Data collection into a true knowledge resource by working with libraries in our community to catalog the information and provide essential context to citizens and researchers.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/data-libraries-let-people-search-less-time-for-reliable-local-data-how-a-metadata-and-open-source-software-can-help">Data libraries: Let people search less time for reliable (local) data</a>. How a metadata and open source software can help: A module in Datawrapper, where libraries can add metadata to a dataset - thus enabling search and re-use of such data.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/turning-libraries-into-community-observatories">Turning Libraries into “Community Observatories”</a>: We turn libraries into “community observatories” where residents work together to crowdsource data, make mapstories, and explore the historical evolution of their local communities.</li></ul><br /><br />And I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that I am also collaborating on this entry:<br /><br /><b><a href="https://newschallenge.org/challenge/libraries/submissions/over-under-around-through-a-national-library-library-game-to-build-civic-engagement-skills-oh-and-btw-it-brings-new-people-to-appreciate-what-libraries-do">OVER UNDER AROUND THROUGH: a national library-library game to build civic engagement skills</a>: OVER UNDER AROUND THROUGH is kinda like a dance-off challenge: libraries challenge each other – but instead of “show us your moves” the challenge is “show us how you would take on” actual community challenges such as economic disparity and racial tensions</b><br /><br /><br />In many ways, this Knight News Challenge is just such a dance-off. Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-47343172876523558382014-09-14T21:54:00.004-04:002014-09-14T21:54:51.182-04:00The story of our future : This changes everything<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/15/demographic-art">In the middle of her column</a> that is ostensibly about the television series <i>Red Band Society,</i> New Yorker critic Emily Nausbaum summarized John Green's YA bestseller <i>The Fault in Our Stars</i> with insight:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Among the many appealing qualities of Green's novel is how much it's about storytelling itself, and the way in which books function as a badge of identity, a marker of taste and values... For all it's romantic contours, "The Fault in Our Stars" is centrally a dialectic about why people seek out stories, one that never quite takes a stand on the question of whether we're right to wish for greater clarity in our art, characters we can "relate" to, or, for that matter, a happy ending.</blockquote><br />If you had to encapsulate the future of libraries as a story, what story would that be?<br /><br />Stewart Brand's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Buildings_Learn"><i>How Buildings Learn</i></a>?<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">In this world, technology creates a fast, globalised world where digital services and virtual presence are commonplace. Overall, the mood is fairly optimistic, but digitalisation and connectivity soon create too much information and format instability, so there is a slight feeling of unease amongst the general population. Physical books are in slight decline in this world although library services are expanding. The reason for this is that public libraries now take on a wide range of e-government services and are important as drop-in centres for information and advice relating to everything from education and childcare to immigration. In this scenario, libraries have also mutated into urban hubs and hangouts; vibrant meeting places for people and information that house cafés, shops, gyms, crèches, theatres, galleries and various cultural activities and events.</blockquote><br />William Gibson's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuromancer">Neuromancer</a>?<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">This is a world gone mad. Everything is accelerating and everything is in short supply and is priced accordingly. Electricity prices are sky-high and the internet is plagued by a series of serious issues due to overwhelming global demand. In this scenario, public libraries are initially written-off as digital dinosaurs, but eventually there is a swing in their favour as people either seek out reliable internet connections or because there is a real need for places that allow people to unplug, slow down and reflect. In this world, information also tends to be created and owned by large corporations and many small and medium sized firms cannot afford access. Therefore, public libraries also become providers of business information and intelligence. This creates a series of new revenue streams but funding is still tight and libraries are continually expected to do more with less and less funding and full-time staff. </blockquote><br />Ray Bradbury's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_451">Fahrenheit 451</a>?<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">This world is a screenager’s paradise. It is fast-paced, global and screen-based. Digitalisation has fundamentally changed the way that people consume information and entertainment, but it has also changed the way that people think. this is a post-literate world where physical books are almost dead and public libraries focus on digital collections and virtual services. In this scenario, books take up very little physical space so more space is given over to internet access, digital books and various other forms of digital entertainment. Public libraries blur the boundaries with other retailers of information and entertainment and also house mental health gyms, technology advice desks, download centres and screening rooms. Despite all this, public libraries struggle to survive due to a combination of ongoing funding cuts, low public usage and global competition.&nbsp;</blockquote><br />Or Rachel Carson's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Spring">Silent Spring</a>?<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">In this scenario, climate change turns out to be much worse than expected. Resource shortages and the high cost of energy in particular mean that the physical movement of products and people is greatly reduced and individuals are therefore drawn back to their local communities. It is a world where globalisation slows down, digital technology is restrained and where all activities are related to community impact. Public libraries do well in this world. People become voracious consumers of physical books (especially old books) and libraries are rediscovered and revered by the majority of the population due to their safety and neutrality. they are also highly valued because they are free public spaces that promote a wide variety of community-related events. Nevertheless, there are still pressures caused by the high cost of energy and the need to maintain facilities. The phrase ‘dark euphoria’ (Bruce Sterling) sums up the mood in this scenario, because on one level the world is falling apart but on another level people are quite content.&nbsp;</blockquote><br />These scenarios come from a remarkable document produced five years ago in 2009 for The Library Council of New South Wales called <a href="http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/services/public_libraries/docs/bookendsscenarios.pdf">The Bookends Scenarios [pdf]</a>.<br /><br />It's the only document in the library literature that I've seen that seriously addresses our global warming future.&nbsp; It's the only one that I've come across that confronts us and forces us to consider how we may shape our institution and our services now so we can be there for our community when its in greatest need.<br /><br /><br />If you had to encapsulate the future as a story, what story would that be?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GOKksMRz5bU/VBY8COsQlHI/AAAAAAAAKDA/ra4KiulevWo/s1600/climatechangeposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GOKksMRz5bU/VBY8COsQlHI/AAAAAAAAKDA/ra4KiulevWo/s1600/climatechangeposter.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div><br />I suffer from <a href="http://www.wired.com/2011/02/transcript-of-reboot-11-speech-by-bruce-sterling-25-6-2009/">dark euphoria</a>.&nbsp; I worry about global warming. <br /><br />That's why I'm going to take part in the <a href="http://peoplesclimate.org/">People's Climate March in New York City on September 21th, 2014</a>. <br /><br />I'm going because our leaders are not even talking about taking the necessary action to reduce atmospheric carbon and to mitigate the effects of climate change.&nbsp; This is a movement that requires all of us to become the leaders that we so desperately need.<br /><br />There's a book that goes with this march: <a href="http://thischangeseverything.org/">This changes everything</a>.<br /><br />I'm not normally one for marches. I share the suspicion that gatherings and marches themselves don't change anything.<br /><br />But events change people. There are events that define movements.<br /><br />You couldn't have an Occupy Movement without Occupy Wall Street.&nbsp; And without Occupy Wall Street, we wouldn't have had <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/nyregion/where-fema-fell-short-occupy-sandy-was-there.html?pagewanted=all">Occupy Sandy</a>.<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/nyregion/where-fema-fell-short-occupy-sandy-was-there.html?pagewanted=all"><br /></a><br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Fight to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EndRacism?src=hash">#EndRacism</a>...for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClimateJustice?src=hash">#ClimateJustice</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/peoplesclimate?src=hash">#peoplesclimate</a> BOOM <a href="http://t.co/nOJSoLMUJd">pic.twitter.com/nOJSoLMUJd</a><br />— REEP (@reep_ace) <a href="https://twitter.com/reep_ace/status/511243286238232577">September 14, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <br />I understand the feelings of helplessness and darkness when reading or hearing about another terrifying warning about the threat of global warming. I struggle with these feelings more than I care to admit.<br /><br />I find solace from these feelings from a variety of different sources beyond my family, friends and community.&nbsp; Of these, the study of history oddly enough, gives me great comfort.&nbsp; It has helped me find stories to help me understand the present.<br /><br />There are those who call the <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/179461/new-abolitionism">Climate Change Movement, the second Abolition Movement</a>, and I think this description is fitting for several reasons. For one, it gets across that we need to draw upon our shared moral fortitude to make it politically necessary to force those in power to forfeit profit from oil and coal, which unchecked, will continue to cost us grievous human suffering.<br /><br />It also describes the sheer enormity of the work that must be done. The analogy makes clear how it will be necessary to change every aspect of society to mitigate climate change at this point.<br /><br />And yet, it has happened before.&nbsp; Ordinary people came together to stop slavery.<br /><br />On that note, and I hope I'm not spoiling it for you, I took great comfort in the last passage of David Mitchell's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Atlas_%28novel%29">Cloud Atlas</a>, a book of several pasts and a future.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Upon my return to San Francisco, I shall pledge myself to the abolitionist cause, because I owe my life to a self-freed slave &amp; because I must begin somewhere.</blockquote><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">I hear my father-in-law’s response: &nbsp;“Oho, fine, Whiggish sentiments, Adam.&nbsp; But don’t tell me about justice!&nbsp; Ride to Tennessee on an ass and convince the rednecks they are merely white-washed negroes and their negroes are black-washed whites!&nbsp; Sail to the Old World, tell ‘em their imperial slaves’ rights are as inalienable as the Queen of Belgium’s!&nbsp; Oh, you’ll grow hoarse, poor and gray in caucuses!&nbsp; You’ll be spat upon, shot at, lynched, pacified with medals, spurned by backwoodsmen! Crucified!&nbsp; Naïve, dreaming Adam.&nbsp; He who would do battle with the many headed hydra of human nature must pay a world of pain and his family must pay it along with him! And only as you gasp your dying breath shall you understand your life amounted to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean!”<br /><br />Yet what is any ocean but a multitude of drops? </blockquote>Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-24650966584668576012014-07-01T16:06:00.002-04:002014-07-01T19:09:11.100-04:00My Top Tech Trend: One Click Server Installs: New RealmsOn Sunday I was part of the <a href="http://www.ala.org/lita/ttt">ALA Annual Conference's Top Tech Trends Panel</a>, which I shared with good company: <br /><ul><li><a href="https://twitter.com/Nadaleen">Nadaleen F. Tempelman-Kluit</a> : <i>moderator</i></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/griffey">Jason Griffey</a> : Open hardware&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/ranti">Ranti Junus</a> : Data and digital assets management&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/bohyunkim">Bohyun Kim</a> : Bio-hackerspace and the DIYbio movement</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/davidleeking">David Lee King</a> : Mobile First Philosophy&nbsp;</li><li><a href="http://twitter.com/rschon">Roger Schonfeld</a> : Anticipatory discovery for current awareness of new publications&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/varnum">Ken Varnum</a>:&nbsp; Personally-tuned discovery system&nbsp;</li></ul><br />You can watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWVOBN3GKes">the 90 minute discussion on YouTube</a> if you'd like (my five minutes of fame <a href="http://youtu.be/aWVOBN3GKes">begin at 11:35</a>). Some of us are writing up notes and links from the event. Here are the words that I meant to say:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://d1y0oqfyli6x95.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/realms.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://d1y0oqfyli6x95.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/realms.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />You may not know this but already thousands of families around the world are already taking advantage of my top tech trend for this year, which is <b>One-Click Server Installs.</b> Since March, thousands in the US are using this particular technology from the company Mojang through its new service called <a href="https://minecraft.net/realms">Minecraft Realms</a>. Minecraft Realms allows users to have private Minecraft servers hosted by Mojang for $13 a month for up to 20 people. As such, Minecraft Realms allow for a safe, private place for kids to build collaboratively with their their friends across the neighbourhood and even with their cousins across the country.<br /><br />Now, for a long time, Mojang made Minecraft available to be installed on servers but this ability was restricted to those who had the ability and the means to install software on a server.&nbsp; And that's why I'm so excited about this particular technology:<i> it promises to lower the barrier of access to a whole set of powerful software to the end user and to the end library</i>.<br /><br />For example, the <a href="http://www.gc.cuny.edu/Home">CUNY Graduate Center</a> is currently developing <a href="http://dhbox.org/">DH Box</a>. Their mission is to make well established Digital Humanities software including <a href="http://omeka.org/">Omeka</a>, <a href="http://www.nltk.org/">NLTK</a>, <a href="http://ipython.org/notebook.html">IPython</a>, <a href="http://www.rstudio.com/">R Studio</a>, and <a href="http://mallet.cs.umass.edu/">Mallet </a>readily available on a pre-configured DH server so scholars and future scholars can get to the business of using software for investigations instead of spending their time doing the labor intensive work of installing it all. <br /><br />I'm not sure what software that they are going to use to run this project but it's likely that it's going to be one of the big three in this space: <a href="http://www.getchef.com/chef/">Chef</a>, <a href="http://puppetlabs.com/">Puppet </a>or <a href="http://www.docker.com/">Docker</a>. What this type of software does is that it automates the process of setting up a server. You see, if you've never set a server up before, you might not know that there are a number of processes that have to happen in step in order to get a machine ready for production. First the server software has to be installed on the server, and the programming languages for the software that you then install install next. And then there are the program dependencies and modules that have to be to be in place and then everything has to be configured so it can all work together. Once all the hard work of setting up the steps is in place, this type of software remembers the process not unlike a recipe, so the next time you need a similar server, it will run all these steps for you. In fact, I've already seen people <a href="https://twitter.com/_inundata/status/433714328689053697">on twitter swap recipes for servers</a> - such as one for <a href="https://github.com/drewconway/data_science_box">a Data Science Box that's hosted on github</a>. <br /><br />And if you don't have a computer under your desk to install server software, there are services such <a href="http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/">as Amazon EC2 that give you cloud computers</a> which you can use to load software on and <a href="http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/">Amazon Web Services Marketplace</a> that provides one-click pre-configured server instances so you can try out software such as <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/B009SV1ZKG/ref=srh_res_product_title?ie=UTF8&amp;sr=0-2&amp;qid=1404238421058">ThinkUp </a>or try your hand at languages and frameworks such as <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/B007IA2QVG/ref=srh_res_product_title?ie=UTF8&amp;sr=0-3&amp;qid=1404238541097">Ruby on Rails</a>. <br /><br />If you are not interested in using Amazon there are other companies that provide this type of service, such as <a href="https://www.heroku.com/">Heroku</a>. And, in what I think it is an interesting development, last month or so <a href="http://www.wired.com/2014/06/eric-brewer-google-docker/">Google announced that its own cloud computing services would be making much more use of Docker</a>. What that actually means I'm not sure, so we'll have to see about that. <br /><br />But what I do know is that there are other related projects that libraries should keep an eye on. In particular, <a href="http://librarylab.law.harvard.edu/blog/2014/03/06/dan-cohen-on-the-dplas-proposal-to-the-fcc/">the Digital Library of America recently put in a proposal for e-rate funding</a> - which is funding from the FCC that is used by libraries and schools to provide internet access to the people in their communities - and the DPLA's proposal is that they provide digitization software - presumably using the server automation tools that we're talking about - to public libraries so everyone can get involved in making community collections more readily available.<br /><br />So those the reasons why I'm very excited about this technology trend. And I'm also excited to now hear from my fellow panelists about their choices. Thank you.<br /><br /><hr /><br />As this was a panel discussion, there were opportunities to ask and answer questions from both the audience and those on stage.&nbsp; I got my nose in there a several times.<br /><br />In response to an audience question about what type of hardware to buy for the library in a mobile-first world, I suggested that we consider what sort of work our users would like to engage in when they are at the library.&nbsp; While we use mobile phones and tablets to access information during the day, especially during commutes and when we crash on the sofa at the end of a hard day, there is still a need for machines<a href="http://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/"> for those who do</a> things, when we are engaged in 'long-form' work such as editing video.<br /><br />In response to Bohyun Kim's introduction to Bio-hackerspaces, I mentioned that O'Reilly publishing has books supporting <a href="http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920017691.do">biology </a>and <a href="http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596514921.do">chemistry projects</a> in the home.<br /><br />In response to two similar questions, one <a href="https://twitter.com/adr/status/483686303473864704">from a colleague from Columbia</a> and another colleague from a place I don't know, both bout how to expand services when resources are scarce, I suggested partnering with organizations such as Hackerspaces where there are frequently civic-minded technology enthusiasts who would love to use their skills in meaningful work and that gives back to the community. <br /><br />In response to Roger Schonfeld's trend of antidisciplatory discovery: <br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">.<a href="https://twitter.com/copystar">@copystar</a> has good idea re: using syllabi and faculty reading lists as raw material for recommendation services. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/alaac14?src=hash">#alaac14</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/alattt?src=hash">#alattt</a><br />— jason clark (@jaclark) <a href="https://twitter.com/jaclark/statuses/483356787903434752">June 29, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <br /><br /><br /><br />One place in the conversation where I missed my opportunity to speak up was after David's response to our moderator's question of whether always available mobile connection would affect our&nbsp; work-life balance.&nbsp; David's response was there was little he could do if his employees wanted to work outside of established working hours because they loved their job.<br /><br /><br />Chris Bourg rightly followed up on this response<br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">how abt asking about gender &amp; class w/ respect to work-life balance &amp; empoyer-provided mobile phones? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/alattt?src=hash">#alattt</a><br />— Chris Bourg (@mchris4duke) <a href="https://twitter.com/mchris4duke/statuses/483353260951339008">June 29, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <br /><br />And I am grateful that she brought this up.&nbsp; Because I respectfully disagree with David's response:&nbsp; I believe that the ever-constant of contact with work means and will increasing mean that more employees will be responding to work emails at home because of increasing expectations from their place of work.<br /><br />When childcare, housework, and eldercare fall predominantly on women's shoulders, the constant threat of having to provide labour that is involved along with always being on call to respond to technical emergencies - much less keeping up with technology and <a href="http://www.ashedryden.com/blog/the-ethics-of-unpaid-labor-and-the-oss-community">dealing with the expectation to contribute to open source projects in one's "spare time"&nbsp; - can feel heavier when you are a woman. </a><br /><br /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <br />Adding salt to the wound, where I live, <a href="http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/tools/srt/coverage_government_it.php">IT professionals fall outside of normal employment standards</a>. They are not even entitled to time to eat. For real.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/tools/srt/coverage_government_it.php"><img alt="http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/tools/srt/coverage_government_it.php" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ciqZi6K6jSA/U7MKL9noB4I/AAAAAAAABgQ/bxcrw96PZVM/s1600/Information+Technology+Professionals-+Industries+and+Jobs+with+Exemptions+or+Special+Rules+-+Ontario+Ministry+of+Labour+2014-07-01+15-20-46.png" height="322" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />But it doesn't have to be this way:<br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">French labor contract accounts for after hours electronics. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/alaac14?src=hash">#alaac14</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/alattt?src=hash">#alattt</a> <a href="http://t.co/xCcOC3aOAh">http://t.co/xCcOC3aOAh</a><br />— Chris Strauber (@cstrauber) <a href="https://twitter.com/cstrauber/statuses/483348962062000128">June 29, 2014</a></blockquote><br /><br /><hr /><br />Our panel discussion was designed to generate a wider discussion (see #<a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&amp;q=alattt">alattt </a>) and I would like to thank LITA for letting me be a part of it and what I hope will be a longer conversation about technology and the world we want.<br /><br />And on that note, I'm going to sign off so I can install Minecraft on our family's new-to-us laptop so we can collectively build together in our own local LAN server.&nbsp; After that perhaps, we will explore new Realms.Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-68521447180363418932014-03-19T16:13:00.003-04:002014-03-19T16:13:56.716-04:00The Origin of the Future is in the PresentThis is the text and <a href="http://copystar.github.io/libtechconf2014">slides</a> from my keynote address at the <a href="http://libtechconf.org/">2014 Library Technology Conference</a> on March 19, 2014. Thank you very much for the organizers for inviting me.<br /><br /><hr /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xh8hoa6-UxM/UynzORvd4bI/AAAAAAAABcw/XolCF-p8028/s1600/slide1-corrected.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xh8hoa6-UxM/UynzORvd4bI/AAAAAAAABcw/XolCF-p8028/s1600/slide1-corrected.png" height="151" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br />I would like to begin at the beginning. I would like to begin with an origin story. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-59zsSd_5dkg/UyWlQAkidRI/AAAAAAAABUI/Uaf2rxmJcCk/s1600/slide2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-59zsSd_5dkg/UyWlQAkidRI/AAAAAAAABUI/Uaf2rxmJcCk/s1600/slide2.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Origin stories can be found in comic books. Even those of us don’t regularly read comics&nbsp; already seem to know the backstory of how Batman, Spiderman, and Superman came to be. Origin stories, of course, also hold an important place in our mythologies: Here is Athena, goddess of wisdom and of warfare, springing, fully formed and armored, from the head of Zeus. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-enAUQXZyYYo/UyWlTzuNrII/AAAAAAAABVc/TiJZJwirAzs/s1600/slide3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-enAUQXZyYYo/UyWlTzuNrII/AAAAAAAABVc/TiJZJwirAzs/s1600/slide3.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Origin stories are still popular today. Almost every tech start up seems to have a one. HP’s&nbsp; humble beginnings in a small garage. Twitter’s cultural tipping point during South by Southwest in 2007.&nbsp; Facebook’s turbulent origins that were worthy of a movie. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OczqFEcUTA#t=401" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DWOKDbTanj8/UyWlXtpmYyI/AAAAAAAABW4/atIP6TT6LTA/s1600/slide4.png" height="188" width="400" /></div><br /><br />Women in technology have a practice of sharing their origin stories. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OczqFEcUTA#t=401">Sumana Harihareswara shared hers at the OSBridge Conference some years ago</a> where she described how she became involved in community organizing around open source software. <br /><br />Sharing an origin story, such as the moment you found wanting to know more about computer programming, is useful for several reasons. First, it reminds us that there are many origin stories out there and that there is not one set path that we must follow to a destination. And origin stories remind us - that it is often moments of enchantment or illumination that first capture our imagination and then our attention and *that* is what sets us on a path to a profession or lifetime pursuit.<br /><br />I would like you to take a moment to think about your own origin story when it comes to libraries. And I give you permission to ask other people about their origin story over the course of the 2014 Library Technology Conference, perhaps use as an icebreaker if you find yourself beside someone you don’t know.<br /><br />I’m not going to start this talk by telling you my library origin story, I’m going to share with you another woman’s .&nbsp; See if you can recognize it.&nbsp; And no googling as this text is pretty much taken directly&nbsp; from the biography that I found on her official website. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OgGbkdcovzU/UyWla1W9iAI/AAAAAAAABYM/s0bOp9cPaEw/s1600/slide5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OgGbkdcovzU/UyWla1W9iAI/AAAAAAAABYM/s0bOp9cPaEw/s1600/slide5.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />This woman...<br /><br />...was born in McMinnville, Oregon, and, until she was old enough to attend school, lived on a farm in a town so small it had no library. Her mother arranged with the State Library to have books sent to her town and acted as librarian in a lodge room upstairs over a bank. She loved to read books but when the family moved to Portland, she found herself in the school's low reading circle, an experience that has gave her sympathy with struggling readers.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VixgcDfjCgg/UyWlfTFSE6I/AAAAAAAABZg/9s4JP9aWclE/s1600/slide6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VixgcDfjCgg/UyWlfTFSE6I/AAAAAAAABZg/9s4JP9aWclE/s1600/slide6.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />By third grade she had conquered reading and spent much of her childhood either with books or on her way to and from the public library. The school librarian once suggested that she should write for boys and girls when she grew up. The idea appealed to her, and she decided that someday she would write the books that she longed to read but was unable to find on the library shelves: funny stories about her neighborhood and the sort of children she knew.&nbsp; <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FY8lraaNGTU/UyWljDZFYMI/AAAAAAAABa8/5p1kueCWecE/s1600/slide7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FY8lraaNGTU/UyWljDZFYMI/AAAAAAAABa8/5p1kueCWecE/s1600/slide7.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />And so Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, Ellen Tebbits, and her other beloved characters were born. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pbJ9CAdg2u0/UyWlkHCfVkI/AAAAAAAABbE/IfNq9fNvRC8/s1600/slide8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pbJ9CAdg2u0/UyWlkHCfVkI/AAAAAAAABbE/IfNq9fNvRC8/s1600/slide8.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />If you haven’t guessed it already, that was the official biography of children’s author Beverly Cleary, --&nbsp; a life that was formed and defined by libraries.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E_X5RLX9FNQ/UyWllDy8KlI/AAAAAAAABbM/7PbTXfMGfn0/s1600/slide9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E_X5RLX9FNQ/UyWllDy8KlI/AAAAAAAABbM/7PbTXfMGfn0/s1600/slide9.png" height="187" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />I have friends who grew up with not much. They’ve told me that, like for Beverly Clearly, the library was an oasis in their childhood. It was an abundance of riches that could be drawn from time and time again. <br /><br />Libraries were and remain a place of generosity.&nbsp; For libraries are not just a place for those who have an appetite for reading that outpaces what they can afford but remain a refuge for students, for the elderly, for the disenfranchised, *for anyone* who needs to come in from the rain and find a place to sit down.<br /><br />I’ve been asked to open today’s conference with a look forward to the future of libraries.&nbsp; I’ve told stories about the Future of Libraries before and it’s always been my best received work.&nbsp; But as we know from the small print of so many investment commercials, past performance cannot be considered an indicator of future performance. <br /><br />And that is the challenge of what we have, collectively, together before us:&nbsp; How can we make a future of libraries that is as important and as generous as our past?<br /><br />What will be the future of the library if the Internet continues to make text no longer scarce and makes our abundance, no longer impressive?&nbsp; And what will be the future of our world at large? Will our children live in a world of scarcity or abundance?&nbsp; Endless austerity or the dawn of post-scarcity?<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5IaL_1Ajj9U/UyWlMlVwAmI/AAAAAAAABTA/td3dCcJtT3Q/s1600/slide10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5IaL_1Ajj9U/UyWlMlVwAmI/AAAAAAAABTA/td3dCcJtT3Q/s1600/slide10.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Will the academic library of the future look like this: a study hall with wifi?<br /><a href="http://www.ameliaacker.com/soft-discipline-and-open-libraries-in-denmark/"><br /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bTvExfs5K6w/UyWlMir1tnI/AAAAAAAABS4/btgltO-3waA/s1600/slide11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><img alt="http://www.ameliaacker.com/soft-discipline-and-open-libraries-in-denmark/" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bTvExfs5K6w/UyWlMir1tnI/AAAAAAAABS4/btgltO-3waA/s1600/slide11.png" height="188" width="400" /></div><br /><br />Will the public library look like this?<br /><br /><br />This is how the residents of Præstø Denmark get into their library. They have to swipe their social security card for entrance. And they have to do so because there is no library staff in their completely “open service” library. <a href="http://www.ameliaacker.com/soft-discipline-and-open-libraries-in-denmark/">As the essay that this image links to suggests</a>, this library is the surveillance state brought to its logical conclusion.<br /><br />If these two scenarios are our future, what will form the library origin stories of our future readers, our future advocates, and our future colleagues?<br /><br />In my previous talks, I have framed the Future of Libraries through the telling of five different stories.&nbsp; The premise is that these investigations are not unlike the story of the five blind men and the elephant: each describe the shape of something emerging in the present, but the whole remains elusive.&nbsp; And I have two disclaimers: I am not a futurist, nor do I suggest that these possible futures are inevitable.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2013/05/the-future-of-library-and-how-to-stop-it.html" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PkCVHKKCU30/UyWlM87bshI/AAAAAAAABS8/28_blmn51hg/s1600/slide12.png" height="188" width="400" /></div><br /><br />In my <a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2013/05/the-future-of-library-and-how-to-stop-it.html">2013 The Future of the Library (And How to Stop It) Talk</a>: I told these five stories.&nbsp; They are stories that describe the strange ways libraries have been turned inside out.&nbsp; About how our collections have gone online and our buildings are now designed to collect people. I told stories of how libraries are now created by activists and artists as community building exercises. And I told how we, as librarians, can help in these efforts by providing linked open data as well as the doing the work of digitizing and capturing the digital human record.<br /><br />It is 2014 and I now have five new stories to tell you.&nbsp; <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qi6-SLaCTqU/UyWlNAWTdxI/AAAAAAAABTE/6294GF29MGA/s1600/slide13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qi6-SLaCTqU/UyWlNAWTdxI/AAAAAAAABTE/6294GF29MGA/s1600/slide13.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Let’s begin with 1000 True Fans<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H4ShC0wXlMI/UyWlNTFvFxI/AAAAAAAABTU/9wRjguCnRDo/s1600/slide14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H4ShC0wXlMI/UyWlNTFvFxI/AAAAAAAABTU/9wRjguCnRDo/s1600/slide14.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />I began this talk with a story of an author so shaped by libraries that it defined her life and work.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OisEIYfimL8" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EYRrvPyaBc4/UyWlOpagIoI/AAAAAAAABTk/3qQkqNfAGt8/s1600/slide15.png" height="188" width="400" /></div><br /><br />Now let me tell you the story of another author. He wrote his last novel here, in the Central Library of Amsterdam.&nbsp; I don’t know what effect libraries had on him when he was younger, but I do know that is a strong advocate of libraries today.<br /><br />We know many other authors who champion libraries and defend them when necessary. Some that come to mind include Cory Doctorow, Zadie Smith, Neil Gaiman, and Lemony Snicket. <br /><br />Many authors - especially those who write for children and young adults - recognize how valuable the work of connecting books with readers that is done by librarians. They value the school and public librarians who create the space - both physical and intellectual - where the reading choices of young people are taken seriously. <br /><br />But while many authors may love libraries, the organizations that represent their interests like the Authors Guild and their respective publishers have a much more adversarial relationship with us, as institutions.<br /><br />There are several reasons for this, but I think it’s safe to say that the situation has escalated largely because creative work remains time-consuming and emotionally expensive to produce while advances in technology has made such work very easy and almost free to reproduce.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l5O7ijhrB0Q/UyWlNj2De4I/AAAAAAAABTQ/3VzBR82NWug/s1600/slide15-5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l5O7ijhrB0Q/UyWlNj2De4I/AAAAAAAABTQ/3VzBR82NWug/s1600/slide15-5.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />When librarians ask how can we preserve ebooks and make them available in our collections for future generations, the answer we frequently receive in return is, How can do you expect a creative person to make a living these days?&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />Keeping in mind that this doesn’t answer the question we asked nor is it the question that we were established as an institution to answer,&nbsp; let’s try to answer this question. If just for our friends, our authors.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thelongtail.com/about.html"><img alt="http://www.thelongtail.com/about.html" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FywMGqf2rT4/UyWlOtoF5dI/AAAAAAAABTw/f7CM6KElPx4/s1600/slide16.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Remember the Long Tail?&nbsp; This was the conceptual model that came out in 2004 that helped us understand the brave new world of online shopping. It wasn’t that long ago - yet it’s hard to remember - when our choices of what our next book, album or movie to spend time with was restricted to what was physically available in your town, stocked in a local store or library.<br /><br />The theory of the long tail is that physical retailers can only stock a limited amount of products so they sell only the ‘popular hits’ to make the most money, while online retailers of digital products have no such limitations and so they can aggregate the sales of the ‘long tail’ of less popular niche products. <br /><br />Over the last ten years, the long tail has proven to be good for two groups of people; the first are the people who run these aggregators of culture : Amazon, iTunes, and Netflix. The second group of people are consumers, who have never as much access to different entertainment choices as they do today.<br /><a href="http://kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/1000_true_fans.php"><br /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pGNCnoezJ_4/UyWlOo2CrYI/AAAAAAAABTs/5QOHmHX9mGc/s1600/slide17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/1000_true_fans.php"><img alt="http://kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/1000_true_fans.php" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pGNCnoezJ_4/UyWlOo2CrYI/AAAAAAAABTs/5QOHmHX9mGc/s1600/slide17.png" height="151" width="320" /></a></div><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br />But the long tail is a decidedly mixed blessing for creators... The long tail does not raise the sales of creators much, but it does add massive competition and endless downward pressure on prices. <br /><br />Other than aim for a blockbuster hit, what can an artist do to escape the long tail?<br /><br />One solution is to find 1,000 True Fans</blockquote><br /><a href="http://kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/1000_true_fans.php">That passage is from author Kevin Kelly</a> who suggests that a True Fan is one who is willing to support an artist’s work for the tune of $100 a year.<br /><br />In 2008, Kelly’s suggestion was considered audacious. But I think the future will show how on target he really was. <br /><br />Now, I’m not saying that this model is fair but I will say that for some types of content and for some artists, this model is working.&nbsp; For example, there are podcasts and web comics that are freely available online and where the artist compensation is largely derived from sales of tshirts and other promotional items. And, in the example of NPR, funding for free content and news service comes through pledge drives.<br /><br />Whether we call it crowd-funding or public patronage, it is one of the few models that exist as an alternative to advertising.&nbsp; We are starting to see crowd-funding is starting to supplement other creative activities as well.<br /><br />We’re starting to see crowd-funded journalists…<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-geCeK0zloIk/UyWlPbmEpLI/AAAAAAAABT0/2MR9v5lMIgk/s1600/slide18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-geCeK0zloIk/UyWlPbmEpLI/AAAAAAAABT0/2MR9v5lMIgk/s1600/slide18.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />...crowd-funded programmers…<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jtNMNZ7-oew/UyWlP3LH7uI/AAAAAAAABUE/89FgVyvRBKM/s1600/slide19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jtNMNZ7-oew/UyWlP3LH7uI/AAAAAAAABUE/89FgVyvRBKM/s1600/slide19.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />crowd-funded criticism ….<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5BMfrl-MZ0/UyWlQWvgucI/AAAAAAAABUY/t9LMW5OOJCo/s1600/slide20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5BMfrl-MZ0/UyWlQWvgucI/AAAAAAAABUY/t9LMW5OOJCo/s1600/slide20.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />and even crowd-funded activists. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YFvdv842Q4k/UyWlRAPTWmI/AAAAAAAABUU/avzE4dWl1_Q/s1600/slide21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YFvdv842Q4k/UyWlRAPTWmI/AAAAAAAABUU/avzE4dWl1_Q/s1600/slide21.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />And I think we are starting to see a new kind of author who writes for children and who understands the importance of having True Fans.<br /><br />The children’s author of the future, I believe is going to be more like John Green. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w-BBk68Hs70/UyWlRvUZwPI/AAAAAAAABUw/_UNAEv7MYhM/s1600/slide22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w-BBk68Hs70/UyWlRvUZwPI/AAAAAAAABUw/_UNAEv7MYhM/s1600/slide22.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />If you haven’t heard of John Green yet, you will probably will soon as his latest book, The Fault in Our Stars is going be released shortly as a major motion picture. John Green wrote a large part of that work while in a writer in residence in Amsterdam.<br /><br />John and his brother Hank have a video channel called the vlogbrothers that they started seven years ago. If the number of fans can be thought of as equivalent to the number of YouTube subscribers, they have 1.8 million of them.&nbsp; And there are many more than 1000 True Fans among them.&nbsp; Indeed, their non-profit organization, Project For Awesome has raised over $2.1 million dollars over the last 5 years for charitable projects that are both nominated and picked by their fans.<br /><br />I bring attention to their work because I can find no better example of artists who understand how to use the internet as platform for engagement for their fans to connect to each other. They have seem to have taken the lessons of the long tail to heart and through their various side-projects such as their record label, tshirt store, fan conventions, and Subbable, their subscription service for already free videos, they have become aggregators of the work many other artists.<br /><br />Of course, not every author can or will be as successful as John Green, but his story suggests that finding 1000 true fans for each author&nbsp; - which remains still a very difficult and challenging achievement -&nbsp;&nbsp; isn’t as outrageous as it sounded in 2008.&nbsp; <br /><br />We can extend the work that libraries already do - connecting readers with works - by helping and supporting local authors find and connect to readers.&nbsp; We can do this by starting or continuing hosting writers in residence programs and writing circles.&nbsp; And we can look to the niche publishing models that seem to be surviving despite the Internet. In particular, I’m thinking about how we might borrow from the various science-fiction and fan conventions which creates an International circuit that brings authors and artists to their readers every year. <br /><br />Maybe it’s not enough for us to just provide access to books. Perhaps libraries should work together and create or our own circuit of events to help maintain and grow a reading and writing culture and connect it to the already thriving participatory culture on the internet. We organize wonderful conferences for each other in the profession. Perhaps we should host conferences for our own communities.<br /><br />We can learn from John Green. Perhaps the best way to save print is to teach authors how to record and edit sound and video at the library. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SJLOcM3LknE/UyWlRWxNRrI/AAAAAAAABUc/hXlUDx18xiY/s1600/slide23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SJLOcM3LknE/UyWlRWxNRrI/AAAAAAAABUc/hXlUDx18xiY/s1600/slide23.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Story Two: Making a Mesh of Things<br /><br />Now suppose you wanted to create an audio and video studio in your library. Because we work in institutions, this usually requires having to make a case for it and to ask for permission. Understandably, we need an ok from our administration. But not so understandingly we frequently also need permission from our IT department.&nbsp; <br /><br />I recognize that many libraries are beholden to the IT Departments of their parent institutions and I know first hand how this can limit one’s technology options. For example, at my own place of work, it’s necessary to engage in certain amount of subterfuge in order to get root access to a campus server.&nbsp; That being said, I know it’s a privilege to even have such a complaint, as I know of&nbsp; libraries whose IT departments lock-down work computers completely to prevent staff from downloading unsanctioned software.&nbsp; <br /><br />I would like to talk more about running a server because running an application for use by people other than yourself frequently requires one.&nbsp; If you have access to a server, you have access to the public. With a server, you can be on the web and you can be of the web.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oh5-2fV9TJ8/UyW4O4fszzI/AAAAAAAABb4/vola8wSxuvI/s1600/slideDomain.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oh5-2fV9TJ8/UyW4O4fszzI/AAAAAAAABb4/vola8wSxuvI/s1600/slideDomain.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br />That’s how it used to be - when the web was young. If you worked at the university you could have access to your very own folder on the campus server. That the web we lost. Now, most of our online work is limited to form filling, or confined to Learning Management System or the underworld of an Intranet. Academia hid its work away. And then it had nothing to show for when the world suddenly became enamoured with MOOCS.&nbsp; <br /><br />We knash our teeth when we receive another wave of LinkedIn requests and shake our heads when a young person we know posts something less than professional on Facebook. And yet we don’t provide our students with the tools or guidance to build a place of their own on the web. These are just some of the reasons I’m personally very interested in <a href="https://umwdomains.com/">University of Mary Washington’s Domain of One’s Own project</a>. All incoming students are given their own domain names and Web space and the freedom to create subdomains, install any LAMP-compatible software, setup databases and email addresses, and carve out their own space on the web that they own and control.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />LAMP by the way, stands for&nbsp; Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP/Python/Perl.&nbsp; I make mention of this because it’s not enough to have access to a server to run software.&nbsp; You need to have a server with a particular combination of pre-installed programming languages and utility programs, as well as their dependencies.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9QozCFOdtSQ/UyWlRyoeIpI/AAAAAAAABUs/vA67K6KEL_w/s1600/slide24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9QozCFOdtSQ/UyWlRyoeIpI/AAAAAAAABUs/vA67K6KEL_w/s1600/slide24.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />For example, let’s say that you are looking for an alternative to listservs and you would like to try out Discourse - the open source forum software that’s supposed to be a million times better than the bulletin board type systems that are still remarkably common on the web today. Discourse doesn’t run as a paid, hosted service yet but it is available if you know how to clone the publicly available code from GitHub. All you need is to have access to a server that has Postgres 9.1, Redis 2.6, Ruby 1.9.3 and 1 GB of RAM already installed.&nbsp; <br /><br />That sounds complicated because it is complicated. And for most of us curious about trying this software, this point would probably be the end of the experiment. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rbp2lTf2KgI/UyWlTtWOdJI/AAAAAAAABVY/W9vBQhazz_g/s1600/slide29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rbp2lTf2KgI/UyWlTtWOdJI/AAAAAAAABVY/W9vBQhazz_g/s1600/slide29.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />But that barrier has greatly come down, because someone else has already set up a script that will create the exact server I would need for Discourse and as well as Discourse already installed for use. It’s a one-click server install that runs on Amazon Web Services.<br /><br />And this is possible because of virtual machines. <br /><br />It’s not really the place of keynote to explain the mechanics of virtual servers. So let me say that a virtual machine is when a larger more powerful computer is able to imagine into being (that being, to simulate) one or more less powerful computers. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-or2SUqa1NzQ/UyWlTY-6syI/AAAAAAAABVw/M0zpw7FQVPQ/s1600/slide28.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-or2SUqa1NzQ/UyWlTY-6syI/AAAAAAAABVw/M0zpw7FQVPQ/s1600/slide28.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />You know why I think people use the term ‘Cloud’ as a jargon?&nbsp; I think its because describing virtual machines or VMs are so damn Matrixy it’s almost hard to take seriously. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HcrchgKVAe8/UyWlUZObNdI/AAAAAAAABVk/_jxVRHES1mE/s1600/slide30.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HcrchgKVAe8/UyWlUZObNdI/AAAAAAAABVk/_jxVRHES1mE/s1600/slide30.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />But we should take this seriously.<br /><br />To be clear, I am not suggesting that the knowledge of how to install software on servers and interact with the underlying stack is obsolete. By no means! But I will suggest that this shift to virtual machines takes server software from being in the domain of an institution to something more readily available to the end user.&nbsp; Indeed, families around the world are setting up servers just to get their kids out of their hair.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JeFznEo8H_I/UyWlUfJowcI/AAAAAAAABV4/PbP9axxi3w0/s1600/slide31.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JeFznEo8H_I/UyWlUfJowcI/AAAAAAAABV4/PbP9axxi3w0/s1600/slide31.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />What I think is particularly important about virtual machines is that they can reduce the barrier of learning use software on servers because a virtual server instance can be easily shut down and started up again if you really screw something up.<br /><br />Want to try to make something using the programming language Ruby? You can run a server with Ruby installed along with a whole set of other integrated server tools already installed for 2 cents an hour. When you’re done, you can close the server and only pay for the time you used.<br /><br />It’s too soon to see whether VMs will destable the centralizing force of IT in our institutions, or, in another cruel twist of fate, contribute to the to trend of increased centralized control through technology.<br /><br />But I do think that this present of virtual servers allow for a particular future of libraries that, if I could call on the power of magical thinking, I would try to bring about.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IAnzubXi-yA/UyWlUi2GQhI/AAAAAAAABVs/qQAxKVPOwpM/s1600/slide32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IAnzubXi-yA/UyWlUi2GQhI/AAAAAAAABVs/qQAxKVPOwpM/s1600/slide32.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />If it’s too much to ask for the library to provide domain space for our students, I would like to see a future in which the library becomes the public cloud server for smaller cultural organizations in their community.&nbsp; If the library already has to the expertise to maintain the servers for the work that it needs to do already, why not share this expertise with other organizations who don’t have as many professional and skilled staff as we do. <br /><br />I know that sounds crazy, but at least one library that is already doing this now. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZbCCrhtewIc/UyWlVOxaZZI/AAAAAAAABWA/vs-ik57vErw/s1600/slide33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZbCCrhtewIc/UyWlVOxaZZI/AAAAAAAABWA/vs-ik57vErw/s1600/slide33.png" height="300" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />The Ann Arbor Public Library’s hosts the Ann Arbor’s <a href="http://arborwiki.org/">ArborWiki</a> Project. Created in 2005 and now running on open source LocalWiki software, this site has over 11,000 pages, 1,000 images and 300 maps all a result of&nbsp; community driven efforts to share local knowledge.<br /><br />I love this project for many reasons. In many ways I see the <a href="http://localwiki.org/">LocalWiki</a> project as an extension of the newspaper clipping service reference librarians used to maintain.&nbsp; I see a need for the localwiki project, because I think it complements and does not compete with Wikipedia.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ovx0FWqBHxo/UyWlVYoWx_I/AAAAAAAABWU/bVgnf_RhnBw/s1600/slide34.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ovx0FWqBHxo/UyWlVYoWx_I/AAAAAAAABWU/bVgnf_RhnBw/s1600/slide34.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Wikipedia is a great gift to us all but it does have “Notability guidelines.”&nbsp; And as anyone who has ever tried to add an entry to Wikipedia knows that if your subject is not considered ‘noteable’ by an editor you will feel the wrath of the Deletionists.<br /><br />Now the Ann Arbor District Library has the technical know how to run servers because as an organization, they have decided to a support a local infrastructure. This allows them to pursue a variety of inspiring projects such as the streaming of local music to their community and the scanning and hosting of digitized historical newspapers for access to all.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LwIw_PjpkCE/UyWlVkSw5kI/AAAAAAAABWI/jX6kcELyt-k/s1600/slide35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LwIw_PjpkCE/UyWlVkSw5kI/AAAAAAAABWI/jX6kcELyt-k/s1600/slide35.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Again, I recognize that not all libraries have a commitment to such an infrastructure. But even if your library does not invest in local servers, there is still a chance that a cloud-served library platform is your future. Indeed, it may already be on it’s way. <a href="http://librarylab.law.harvard.edu/blog/2014/03/06/dan-cohen-on-the-dplas-proposal-to-the-fcc/">The Digital Library of America has applied to the FCC for e-rate funding</a> to build a yet undetermined structure to host content from public libraries. <br /><br />But as promising as may sound to some to have another organization - whether that be DPLA or Amazon - manage the library’s technical infrastructure “in the cloud”- I don’t want to over-sell virtual servers. For one, while they make data processing cheaper, moving your terabytes of digitized newspapers over the wires to such a server can make costs add up quickly.&nbsp; If the economics of data transfer doesn’t change, then it suggests that large data sets should be kept locally while processing and indexing should be done virtually.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-shxoLoJ3Tl0/UyWlWP6FvoI/AAAAAAAABWc/Ly7Z0kQe0ms/s1600/slide36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-shxoLoJ3Tl0/UyWlWP6FvoI/AAAAAAAABWc/Ly7Z0kQe0ms/s1600/slide36.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The library used to be the central place for information for our community and about our community. Now, we are just a node in a larger network. This shift has been very challenging to us. <br /><br />But if we - as a profession - can accept this change in the dynamic then we can take the next step.&nbsp; We can try to connect our work directly with other organizations in our community and try to directly support them. Maybe hosting their website might not be the most appropriate way to help, but perhaps there are other services we can provide for them. Perhaps like the Chattanooga Public Library we can host their data, as they intend to in their new Open Data Portal. And maybe, just maybe, in the future we can serve up library-management software for them.<br /><br />If libraries are just another another node in the network, then the next best thing we can do is strive to become a central node and provide strength to our communities. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p8FVgN8IJIc/UyWlWXCNGWI/AAAAAAAABWY/p9y6nV9FKAM/s1600/slide37.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p8FVgN8IJIc/UyWlWXCNGWI/AAAAAAAABWY/p9y6nV9FKAM/s1600/slide37.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />You know the joke about the person who describes themselves as an expert at quitting smoking, because they’ve done a hundred times?&nbsp; That’s how I feel about myself and computing.&nbsp; I’m an expert at learning to code because it feels like I’ve tried to do it at least dozen times in at least a dozen different ways. <br /><br />One thing I’ve learned about learning to code is that you can do pretty amazing things even if you just learn to “read” code. &nbsp;I've come to understand that it’s actually fairly rare for advanced computer users to write entire programs from scratch by themselves.&nbsp; It’s more accurate to say that these users instead tend to have developed a favourite set of programming tools that they use or script together when they need to apply themselves to a project.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uPvKu1pg6t8/UyWlW1LH73I/AAAAAAAABWs/neKoEbovAkk/s1600/slide38.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uPvKu1pg6t8/UyWlW1LH73I/AAAAAAAABWs/neKoEbovAkk/s1600/slide38.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Whereas consumer computer users tend use software applications like Excel to turn tables of numbers into graphs or charts, advanced computer users may be more inclined to use a library.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eHzq9MOB9g8/UyWlXdk4xKI/AAAAAAAABWw/R-fILvv_swg/s1600/slide39.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eHzq9MOB9g8/UyWlXdk4xKI/AAAAAAAABWw/R-fILvv_swg/s1600/slide39.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Or a module. The words modules and libraries are usually used interchangeably when talking about computer languages.&nbsp; A programming library can be described as is an add-on that you can run within a particular computing language that gives you new commands that are usually specific for a particular type of functions or a specific use in a discipline.&nbsp; For example, there is a module called the NLTK or <a href="http://www.nltk.org/">Natural Language Toolkit</a> which provides specialized commands that perform tasks such as breaking down a piece of text into individual sentences.<br /><br />This difference between how consumer computer users and their more skilled computer colleagues admittedly isn’t so much new as “new to me”.&nbsp; You see, for the last two years I’ve been working alongside software developers outside of academia as part of my involvement with a local hackerspace.&nbsp; Sharing favourite Python libraries is favourite conversation topic at Hackforge.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MGVByn7naQc/UyWlkIhNkyI/AAAAAAAABbA/Jber8WSP9x4/s1600/slideDH.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MGVByn7naQc/UyWlkIhNkyI/AAAAAAAABbA/Jber8WSP9x4/s1600/slideDH.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Why I believe this kind of computing practice should be on the radar of librarians, is because&nbsp; a growing number of our faculty - or perhaps more accurately - our graduate students also do their computing this way.&nbsp; You can see this kind of approach in the Digital Humanities, for example.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KeFVpH9BV6s/UyWza7aRELI/AAAAAAAABbk/f7QQWDHUDHY/s1600/slidescipy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KeFVpH9BV6s/UyWza7aRELI/AAAAAAAABbk/f7QQWDHUDHY/s1600/slidescipy.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />You also see it such practice in scientific, engineering and mathematical computing. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lyFE0tgyoqo/UyWlZMFbg8I/AAAAAAAABXg/pVZj5D0UP74/s1600/slide44.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lyFE0tgyoqo/UyWlZMFbg8I/AAAAAAAABXg/pVZj5D0UP74/s1600/slide44.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The evidence is only anecdotal at this point, but there is a feeling that programming modules are increasingly being adopted by statisticians, over more traditional software suites such as Excel, SPSS, SAS, and Matlab.&nbsp;&nbsp; And as more non-data scientists get involved with data, it been suggested that they will opt for an add on of a programming language that they already know how to use rather pay for and then learn the peculiarities of specialized software. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ruBL1m9fQw/UyWlZYxp0yI/AAAAAAAABXo/_E3F8SJyJss/s1600/slide45.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ruBL1m9fQw/UyWlZYxp0yI/AAAAAAAABXo/_E3F8SJyJss/s1600/slide45.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Many programs that offer graphical interfaces such as Excel are simply not strong enough to do the work on large data sets.&nbsp; Or perhaps its more accurate to say that consumer computers aren’t powerful enough for bigger data.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4KupOa-l-3E/UyWlZtD0gTI/AAAAAAAABYA/8Bij4-O8Q84/s1600/slide46.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4KupOa-l-3E/UyWlZtD0gTI/AAAAAAAABYA/8Bij4-O8Q84/s1600/slide46.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Remember I told you how virtual servers are changing things?&nbsp; Here’s a data scientist sharing his recipe how to create a powerful but temporary virtual computer using Amazon Web Services that will install the statistical package called ‘R’, the computer language python and the science-related python libraries that he uses in his work.<br /><br />This <a href="https://github.com/drewconway/data_science_box">Data Science Box</a> also installs a particular python library that I’d like to showcase, because it suggests a whole new possible future for scientific computing and science education. It’s called <a href="http://ipython.org/notebook">iPython Notebooks</a>.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-icQkzkKPsBM/UyWlZ459v9I/AAAAAAAABYQ/jD9pZ5uup_c/s1600/slide47.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-icQkzkKPsBM/UyWlZ459v9I/AAAAAAAABYQ/jD9pZ5uup_c/s1600/slide47.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />I need to warn you that we are getting to strange Matrix-y territory, again.<br /><br />To briefly explain, iPython Notebooks allow code and documentation to be shared online. When the pages are viewed online in your browser, they are static. But when you copy that same notebook onto your personal computer that has iPython Notebook already installed, you can run and edit the code in the page the itself - as it sits in your web browser.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QjD26QcKmN0/UyWlaIXjy6I/AAAAAAAABX0/XOZB8Q6GFWY/s1600/slide48.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QjD26QcKmN0/UyWlaIXjy6I/AAAAAAAABX0/XOZB8Q6GFWY/s1600/slide48.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Change the code here - hit run - and it will change the the graph here. <br /><br />What this means is that every single chart, graph, and data visualization in an iPython notebook&nbsp; can become an opportunity for interaction.&nbsp; This means you could download a chapter of a book and then adjust the variables in the graph of the page to see how they might fit in a different scenario.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UAZPnJKuAgM/UyWlahroCQI/AAAAAAAABYI/vxcGWCJ_1n0/s1600/slide49.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UAZPnJKuAgM/UyWlahroCQI/AAAAAAAABYI/vxcGWCJ_1n0/s1600/slide49.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />It’s as if Bret Victor’s concept of <a href="http://worrydream.com/ExplorableExplanations/">Explorable Explanations</a> is becoming a little closer to reality.&nbsp; Bret Victor is an interface designer and no less than Edward Tufte said will be one of the most important in the future of graphic design.&nbsp; Bret Victor uses the umbrella term Explorable Explanations to describe where text is used not as something to consume but as an environment to think in.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--1SlzPcwzjg/UyWlbCySYkI/AAAAAAAABYU/Ccp6vd4J5bM/s1600/slide50.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--1SlzPcwzjg/UyWlbCySYkI/AAAAAAAABYU/Ccp6vd4J5bM/s1600/slide50.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />When we make learning visible, we make learning possible. Many of know this this the same way that I know this : I learned how to make websites by ample use of Control-U, which reveals the HTML code behind the screen. iPython Notebooks does something similar.<br /><br />Such visibility is essential for communication and education in science and social science. Because it’s not enough just to let others know what methods and operations you use. If you want science that is replicable, you need to share the order of these operations too. <br /><br />Already journal articles have been supplemented with iPython Notebooks and there are already courses in computing and statistics that use <a href="http://nbviewer.ipython.org/github/fperez/blog/blob/master/130507-Berkeley-iSchool-OpenData.ipynb">such notebooks as class texts.</a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-81Y-1u6uAAM/UyWlbUq4l5I/AAAAAAAABYk/0ub__gwButE/s1600/slide51.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-81Y-1u6uAAM/UyWlbUq4l5I/AAAAAAAABYk/0ub__gwButE/s1600/slide51.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Books such as this one on <a href="https://github.com/CamDavidsonPilon/Probabilistic-Programming-and-Bayesian-Methods-for-Hackers">Bayesian Methods for Hackers, that are built on iPython Notebooks</a> can allow themselves to have multiple remixed editions by multiple authors and as such it challenges our idea of the book itself, which we generally understand as a discrete object.<br /><br />iPython Notebooks blur the line between code and codex -- just like apps. But unlike apps, which are designed so they do not allow themselves to shared or copied, notebooks are open and copyable and they are essentially made of text.&nbsp; One of my greatest fears as a librarian, is that publishers will decide to put essential works such as the DSM for individual sale in app stores and cut libraries out completely.&nbsp; <br /><br />I’m not suggesting that writing books in python and published on GitHub is going to that future of publishing but it shows us a form that it could be if we choose to move in this direction.&nbsp; In fact, there was a startup called Editorially that launched last year that tried to bring similar functionality but with an interface that was friendly to&nbsp; non-programmers, but sadly the venture failed to gain traction and it has already folded.<br /><br /><br />And yet iPython Notebooks remain and show us how these sorts of systems could bring entirely new functionality to what we think of as pages.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-plJ9Jf41yIM/UyWlbwUCMgI/AAAAAAAABYs/AHBXYUEPgKQ/s1600/slide52.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-plJ9Jf41yIM/UyWlbwUCMgI/AAAAAAAABYs/AHBXYUEPgKQ/s1600/slide52.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Ed Summers in his delightful talk <a href="http://inkdroid.org/journal/2013/11/26/the-web-as-a-preservation-medium/">The Web As Preservation Medium</a>, tells a story that illustrates this nicely. He tells us what happened after two authors, Mark Pilgrim and Jonathan Gillette (otherwise known as _why), independent of each other, make the decision to delete all of their own online code and written work and to leave the web without explanation. In both cases, the works of these two men were reassembled by fans from copies on the Internet Archive and from github fragments that their readers had saved for themselves.&nbsp; It was just as if an ancient work had been reassembled from pieces found from commonplace books. <br /><br />Not counting the books that have been written on a type-writer or handwritten and then typeset and published using a manual letterpress, every book published now either is an ebook or at one time was an ebook today.<br /><br />In the future we will still have books, its just that some of these books will bring us more uses than ever before. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lmVL7A4LWv8/UyWlbxZWhqI/AAAAAAAABYo/KfHqdukORcU/s1600/slide53.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lmVL7A4LWv8/UyWlbxZWhqI/AAAAAAAABYo/KfHqdukORcU/s1600/slide53.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Even in the future, I think we can agree that a book is still for use.&nbsp; <br /><br />And it goes without saying that libraries are for use.&nbsp; But the question that is worth raising is, if so, then for what uses?<br /><br />If we look at our mission statements, we will that answer expressed in the most passive of verbs. What does a library do? We are provide access to knowledge with reference services. <br /><br />But all we know that there’s a lot more that goes on in a library than that. And I'd like to think that in the future of library, those activities are going to brought closer to mind and reflected in the space and the organization of the library itself. <br /><br />Because the library has to be much more than just access. The library has to be about use.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CVpznM002s0/UyWldX5je9I/AAAAAAAABY8/0qvmmiti-Zg/s1600/slide54.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CVpznM002s0/UyWldX5je9I/AAAAAAAABY8/0qvmmiti-Zg/s1600/slide54.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />I was at a THATCamp workshop led by Jon Voss when he casually mentioned that he had found a particular map from 'crate-digging' in a library.&nbsp; ‘Crate-digging’ is a phrase that describes how DJs comb boxes of records in search of the perfect sample.<br /><br />I really love this phrase because it expresses the feeling of browsing in a library that captures both the work involved and the hope of treasure that will make it worthwhile.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3EumSNdh7qU/UyWld6Y9QBI/AAAAAAAABZA/1pbcMCRjYs0/s1600/slide55.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3EumSNdh7qU/UyWld6Y9QBI/AAAAAAAABZA/1pbcMCRjYs0/s1600/slide55.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Jon Voss works for <a href="http://www.historypin.com/">History Pin</a>. The History Pin website allows people to upload their photos and videos relating to history and to pin those works on a map with a timeline.&nbsp; But the goal of&nbsp; this not-for-profit company is not just to fill their map with pins. Their mission is bring people together by sharing small pieces of personal history and to connect them into a larger shared history. Jon Voss is wonderful ambassador for Open Linked Data and as such champions the ways that others can like be HistoryPin build on collections made open and available by libraries, archives, museums and other cultural organizations. <br /><br />Now unfortunately, by and large, libraries don't go out of their way to tell our their users what they have that is in the public domain or placed in the creative commons and available to artists and entrepreneurs looking for inspiration or plunder.&nbsp;&nbsp; The good news that many of our more recent digital collections make this license information readily available, But our library catalogues and discovery layers decidedly do not.<br /><br />When I think about how libraries could re-organize themselves to better support the re-use of their materials, a number of artist libraries come to mind. as well as one particular library blog.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ye48qTc8Wrk/UyWld19NnyI/AAAAAAAABZM/OnFySJHBfr4/s1600/slide56.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ye48qTc8Wrk/UyWld19NnyI/AAAAAAAABZM/OnFySJHBfr4/s1600/slide56.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />One example of an artist's library that I’m particularly fond of is the <a href="http://www.reanimationlibrary.org/">Reanimation Library</a> in Brooklyn that is the work of librarian Andrew Beconne. It’s a small, independent “Presence Library”that is open to public . It holds a collection of books that been previously discarded and culled and have been acquired for their visual content by Andrew.<br /><br />It’s called the Reanimation Library because the goal of the collection is not to be comprehensive (which is the ideal that so many of our own collection development policies still strive for).&nbsp; <br /><br />Instead, the hope is the public visits of the library will Reanimate the works within. The library is designed to inspire art.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BMTEJOCS39I/UyWleHrfknI/AAAAAAAABZU/jt0EkpqUIQU/s1600/slide57.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BMTEJOCS39I/UyWleHrfknI/AAAAAAAABZU/jt0EkpqUIQU/s1600/slide57.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />You can read more about the Reanimation Library at the Library as Incubator Project<br /><br /><a href="http://www.libraryasincubatorproject.org/">Library as Incubator Project</a> is a blog, and soon to be a book, and is an invigorating way to re-look at the library and to re-imagine it’s advocacy and outreach work. <br /><br />The Incubator regularly publish stories about the works made by artists and makers of all levels made within libraries and they pay special attention to those who work from material drawn from&nbsp;&nbsp; library collections.&nbsp; They also share activities that allow other libraries to start similar art projects.<br /><br />With the Makerspace movement that’s currently pushing through libraries at the moment, many libraries are considering what tools they can make available to their communities. &nbsp;That's wonderful but let’s not forget that we also hold the raw materials for inspiration and appropriation that artists and inventors can work with.<br /><br />We can organize our space and design activities that highlight this connection between insight and creation, between hand and heart, and we are lucky to have the Library as Incubator Project as an inspiration to us.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3g_wqnxe48I/UyWleV42N-I/AAAAAAAABZQ/9Bc0Xoegyl0/s1600/slide58.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3g_wqnxe48I/UyWleV42N-I/AAAAAAAABZQ/9Bc0Xoegyl0/s1600/slide58.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Speaking of makerspaces, what is the Information Literacy of the Library Makerspace?<br /><br />Or if the concept of information literacy is too contentious and thorny, let me ask some simpler questions instead.<br /><br />What do we hope our community will make in our makespaces?&nbsp; What do we hope our community will learn?&nbsp; <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lW_gpCptsjc/UyWlfqjLMNI/AAAAAAAABZ0/dagYHc5CAHU/s1600/slide59.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lW_gpCptsjc/UyWlfqjLMNI/AAAAAAAABZ0/dagYHc5CAHU/s1600/slide59.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />While there are exceptional examples of maker spaces being brought into the library, I’m afraid that many libraries are treating 3D printers the same way as we treat 2D printers. We see them as expensive institutional equipment that we provide to the public and the expectation is that as long as our community covers the cost of the raw materials, we’ll deal with any of the jams, paper or plastic.<br /><br />And as such we are missing a huge opportunity to make something really big. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vz5Xivrhek4/UyWlfmNOXBI/AAAAAAAABZs/-XJtaQKEWh8/s1600/slide60.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vz5Xivrhek4/UyWlfmNOXBI/AAAAAAAABZs/-XJtaQKEWh8/s1600/slide60.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><a href="http://quartz.syr.edu/blog/?p=1400">Two years ago, R. David Lankes wrote about a visit to his local public library’s Fablab</a> and how, during the course of that visit, his then 11 year old son was recruited to teach a class on how to make things with duct tape. <br /><br />Lankes noticed that what really hooked his son to the space was not the 3D printer, but the moment when his son came back two weeks later and saw that the librarians had hung his duct tape Fab Lab sign on the Lab door. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qB2mID4DGtk/UyWlf1XGFRI/AAAAAAAABZw/IQe-WIViLQE/s1600/slide61.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qB2mID4DGtk/UyWlf1XGFRI/AAAAAAAABZw/IQe-WIViLQE/s1600/slide61.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />David Lankes wrote the Atlas of New Librarianship and has coined this mission of librarians, which I have taken to heart.<br /><br />The MISSION of LIBRARIANS is to IMPROVE SOCIETY through FACILITATING KNOWLEDGE CREATION in their COMMUNITIES<br /><br />How can we facilitate knowledge creation in our makerspaces?&nbsp; I think its it’s actually easier than we may first think. <br /><br />We can do it the same way we facilitate knowledge creation in our communities in our libraries.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zFsxNFMaFR4/UyWlg3XWRrI/AAAAAAAABaE/ZteXh_XNNHQ/s1600/slide62.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zFsxNFMaFR4/UyWlg3XWRrI/AAAAAAAABaE/ZteXh_XNNHQ/s1600/slide62.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />We can do it by saving the stuff that gets written down!<br /><br />Documentation. It separates screwing around from science. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MgElSh4pTHQ/UyWlgzf1OHI/AAAAAAAABaI/uMtQbj-bH-4/s1600/slide63.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MgElSh4pTHQ/UyWlgzf1OHI/AAAAAAAABaI/uMtQbj-bH-4/s1600/slide63.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The practice of writing down what you’ve learned and putting it in place so that you and others can find it again when you or someone else needs it, is as important than ever. The internet has not made this less important. If anything, it has made documentation more important as every act of shared learning now can become a gift to person who might need it halfway around the world over ten years later.<br /><br /><br />Having maker spaces in the library can be a wonderful thing. We just need “more library” in makers spaces.&nbsp; In fact, such work has already been recognized as needed for Maker culture.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OsNs6oZ7zgI/UyWlhCzrHVI/AAAAAAAABaM/2IuzNLJcSYg/s1600/slide64.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OsNs6oZ7zgI/UyWlhCzrHVI/AAAAAAAABaM/2IuzNLJcSYg/s1600/slide64.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><a href="http://archive.makezine.com/04/ownyourown/">In 2006, Make Magazine published a 16 point Bill of Rights</a> which includes this proclamation<br /><br />Docs and drivers shall have permalinks and shall reside for all perpetuity at archive.org.<br /><br />This sounds like library work to me. <br /><br />If every library a maker space, then every maker space, a library. <br /><br />And I’m sure we will get there as we tinker with these spaces, as we drop what’s not working and expand and iterate and grow towards what our communities respond to. <br /><br />As David Lankes reminds us : “The Maker Space concept does not work unless all are involved – librarians, members, experts, children, parents – understand that they are all learning at the same time.”<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kagLU77Z1ZQ/UyWljIMXnBI/AAAAAAAABaw/W76CoHGNZPs/s1600/slide67.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kagLU77Z1ZQ/UyWljIMXnBI/AAAAAAAABaw/W76CoHGNZPs/s1600/slide67.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Lankes also suggests that libraries should move From a culture of lending to a culture of sharing and I couldn’t agree more.&nbsp;&nbsp; All five stories that I’ve told you this morning are essentially just iterations of this theme.<br /><br />Sharing is an act of generosity and the library is a place of generosity. Our future is will continue as long as we can continue to inspire new origin stories.<br /><br />I like to think that the path of how to achieve this is already on the sitting on shelves of our libraries at this very moment.&nbsp; In fact, I believe that the answer to the question of how we should go forward can already be found within ourselves.<br /><br />Every one of us in this room has figured a part of our shared future already. All of us have found a little a way forward that works.&nbsp; All we need to do is to write these ideas down and share these stories and experiences of what we have learned and to listen and to learn from others who do the same. <br /><br />That’s why we are here at the 2014 Library Technology Conference. I can’t wait to hear your experiences and your stories.&nbsp; <br /><br />Thank you very much to the organizers who have done so much good work to allow for so much learning to happen in these next two days. And thank you all kindly for listening.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-StDPtac1bjA/UyW3V1OZJlI/AAAAAAAABbw/24gif4Y0FHw/s1600/lastslide.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-StDPtac1bjA/UyW3V1OZJlI/AAAAAAAABbw/24gif4Y0FHw/s1600/lastslide.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-86611960365171247372014-01-15T21:52:00.001-05:002014-01-15T21:55:28.034-05:00Why librarianship is difficult and contentiousIt is the month of Janus when we take one last long look behind at the year that was and then after this reflection, we turn away from the past, look straight ahead and step forward into the unknown next.<br /><br />And that is why I started my 2014 by doing some reading from Bret Victor’s <a href="http://worrydream.com/Links2013/">annotated bibliography of favourite puzzle pieces of 2013</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dxLKzmg_-aI/Utb93nSll2I/AAAAAAAABPc/9Mifj-ns5E8/s1600/Links+2013+(3).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dxLKzmg_-aI/Utb93nSll2I/AAAAAAAABPc/9Mifj-ns5E8/s1600/Links+2013+(3).png" height="178" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />I didn't tackle these pieces in order because that would mean I would have to have read the Latour article first, and I'm just not up to it. Well, not yet. I suspect I will tackle the daunting French sociologist’s work with my investigations into cartography this year. <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/book/10.1002/9780470979587">The Map Reader</a>, which I have also started tackling recently, just happens to cite Latour on the first page of the first chapter. In fact, both Victor and my Map Reader cite the same work:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NfWUz5r4bgs/Utb_Tl-nyuI/AAAAAAAABPk/CnyvzZzjsSw/s1600/Links+2013+(4).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NfWUz5r4bgs/Utb_Tl-nyuI/AAAAAAAABPk/CnyvzZzjsSw/s1600/Links+2013+(4).png" height="238" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />So rather than read the items in order, I started on Bret Victor’s reading list with what I thought I would be most familiar with, which was this: “<a href="http://www.sfu.ca/~egan/Difficult-article.html">Why education is so difficult and contentious (2001)</a>”<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nNW60bxki-k/Utb_-vABaGI/AAAAAAAABPs/sgAMNYXARtA/s1600/Links+2013+(5).png" height="138" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I enjoyed this essay very much. I knew that education feels to me like its made out of a multitude of conflicting missions but Egan’s piece help clarify to me how they can be reduced to three elemental ones and, more importantly, that each one of these inherently conflicts with the others.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And this reading is timely because (as of today) there are a <a href="http://blogs.princeton.edu/librarian/2014/01/libraries-neoliberalism-and-oppression/">couple</a> of <a href="http://beerbrarian.blogspot.ca/2014/01/libraries-as-structures-libraries-as.html">conversations</a>&nbsp;unfolding online that are similarly trying to tease apart the original mission of the library to find when and how the spectre of neoliberalism began to seep in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">On that note, I would like to suggest that the mission of the library is similarly bound to three ideas and just like Egan’s three missions of of education, the triad of missions within libraries both support and undermine each of the other. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">[To explain, I'm just going to use the context of *Canadian Academic Librarianship* and I apologize in advance for viewing the profession through such a narrow lens. &nbsp;There are several examples that I thought of that would illustrate similar points in public librarianship or in a larger global context but I found switching contexts was difficult for me to without confusing things.]</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><ul><li><b>The first mission of the library is to support a Plato's ideal of education through literacy</b></li><li><b>The second mission of the library is to support the Institution that funds it</b></li><li><b>The third mission of the library is service to the community's needs</b></li></ul><br />I think that this perspective of this trellus of mission statements is useful because it can explain <a href="http://kenhaycock.com/future-libraries-five-years-live-2/">why some of us in our profession see a future that may end in five years</a> while the rest of us can’t see any end of a need for a deeper and more critical understanding of knowledge creation within the scholarly sphere and the outside world for our students and the community at large.<br /><br />The institutional need for having a library to provide the *supplemental* texts (mandatory texts being textbooks and on reading lists) that support student and faculty teaching and research seems less urgent *institutionally*<i>&nbsp;</i>with with every year that passes due to the growing ubiquity of internet access and the apparent ease of finding and acquiring material through Google (or through email or by other means if necessary) that satifices.<br /><br />And with every year vendor-publishers continue to develop and grow their aggregations of turnkey collections of ebook, video, and digitized primary research materials and slice those collections into a variety of models to meet the ROI needs of each of segmented markets within the academic sector. Why spend millions of dollars on owning when you can rent?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCkBGl0Pmio/UtcziML6gJI/AAAAAAAABP4/Fvl1B7xxeNw/s1600/ebrary+++ebrary+for+Academic+Libraries.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCkBGl0Pmio/UtcziML6gJI/AAAAAAAABP4/Fvl1B7xxeNw/s1600/ebrary+++ebrary+for+Academic+Libraries.png" height="303" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />(Amusingly, the triple mission statement can also be read to explain why in Canadian Academic Librarianship there are three national organizations to serve the profession. There’s the Canadian Library Association (the supports and promotes within the institutional), CAUT (which supports and promotes the individual within the wider societal aspects of the profession), and the fledgling organization of CAPAL - the Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians - which is focused on the research needs of those who are employed in post-secondary institutions.)<br /><br />I remember of one of my first job interviews for a librarian position in a chemistry library for a large multi-campus university. &nbsp;When it became my turn to ask a question to my interview committee, I naively asked if I was to support to the work of the faculty of the researchers and students of the Chemistry department, or was I supposed to support the chemistry needs of the university as a whole. &nbsp;Even though this was over a decade now, I remember quite clearly the Chemistry faculty member on the committee lean back, put his hands behind this head, smile and say ‘That’s a very good question’ and then not answer the question. <br /><br />Now, over a decade later, all I have are more questions with no definitive answers. Now I wonder, if the institution's overwhelming and immediate concern is to cut costs and if you work in a library (which is what is charmingly referred to as a <i>cost center</i> in the business literature) well, then what is that library supposed to do?<br /><br />The common response has been to spend more energy aligning the library's goals with the larger institution and to provide the larger institution with evidence and anecdote that describes how and how much the activities of the library actively contribute to the metrics that define success within the institution.<br /><br />Perhaps this has always been the case but I think what has changed is that until recently, the concerns of balancing the library’s requirements within the institution has been primarily the responsibility of library administrators. &nbsp;What seems to have changed is that there is an expectation that the profession as a whole should start to adopt institutional metrics. To these ends, Information Literacy standards were formed. Lists of official competencies were drafted. &nbsp;But to what end? (Measuring an elephant is not the same as feeding an elephant).<br /><br />There's a danger with using metrics, as well. &nbsp;If you use reference desk statistics or item circulation numbers to demonstrate use and then those numbers start to plummet, you need to find new, more sophisticated metrics to demonstrate your value. And now, coincidently, there are new conferences created dedicated to the matter of ‘Assessment’ and there have been new positions created within academic libraries for ‘Assessment Librarians.’<br /><div><br /></div>I like to think there's another way forward.<br /><br />If librarians are taking on more of the administrative work of justifying their labour in an institutional context, I think we should expect more library administrators to increase their efforts in championing our work towards the other wider missions that librarianship contains. <br /><br />In the end, it is what will save us five years from now.<br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Words of wisdom, &amp; entrapment, from <a href="https://twitter.com/adr">@adr</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23libraries&amp;src=hash">#libraries</a> <a href="http://t.co/2tI41HptK1">pic.twitter.com/2tI41HptK1</a><br />— Jacob Berg (@jacobsberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacobsberg/statuses/420003353473458178">January 6, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-73699595235838109262014-01-03T09:37:00.003-05:002014-01-03T09:37:49.175-05:00A Place for Place<a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/09/teaching-and-learning-visualiz/">There has only been one department in the 375+ year history of Harvard that has ever been dismantled and that was the Geography Department.</a> &nbsp;Since then many other Geography Departments have been dealt a similar fate including the one at my My Own Place of Work which disappeared some years before I started my employment there. Some of its faculty remain at the university, either exiled to Sociology or Political Science or regrouped as Earth Sciences, depending on which of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Two_Cultures">The Two Cultures</a>&nbsp;they pledged allegiance to.<br /><br />I have an undergraduate degree in Geography and Environmental Science and as such I sometimes feel that I'm part of an academic diaspora.<br /><br />So after almost 20 years of librarianship I've made one of my sabbatical goals to ‘<a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2013/11/home-and-school-and-library-and-city.html">re-find my inner geographer.</a>’ My hope is that through my readings I will be able to find and apply some of the theories and tools that geographers use in my own practice.<br /><br />I think I have already found a good example to use a starting point as I try to explain in this post what sort of ground I'm hoping to explore and how it may apply to librarianship.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ha5vJYiMmp0/UsYjEUzSJGI/AAAAAAAABOY/-BivXsqvVEc/s1600/A+Radical+Journal+of+Geography+++AntipodeFoundation.org.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ha5vJYiMmp0/UsYjEUzSJGI/AAAAAAAABOY/-BivXsqvVEc/s1600/A+Radical+Journal+of+Geography+++AntipodeFoundation.org.png" /></a></div><br /><br />It came to me as I was browsing through <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/anti.v45.5/issuetoc">the most recent issue</a> of <a href="http://antipodefoundation.org/about-the-journal-and-foundation/a-radical-journal-of-geography/">Antipode: The Radical Journal of Geography</a> when my eyes immediately fell on an article whose topic was literally close to home. It was an article about migrant worker experiences in “South-Western Ontario”.<br /><br />I had to download and scan most of the article before I could learn that what was being referred to as ‘South-Western Ontario’ was actually East of where I live. And that’s when I noticed that the official keywords associated with the article (migrant workers; agriculture; labour control; Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program) made no mention of place. And this struck me as a curious practice for a journal dedicated to *geography*. <br /><br />But I know better to blame the editors of Antipode for this oversight. The journal is on the Wiley publishing platform (which they call the “Wiley Online Library”, huh) which provides a largely standardized reading experience across the disciplines. On one hand, it’s understandable that location isn't a standardized metadata field for academic articles as many papers in many disciplines aren't concerned with a particular place. On the hand, I do think that is telling that the within academia there is &nbsp;much more care and effort dedicated to clarifying the location of the <i>author</i> rather than that of that of the <i>subject</i> at hand.<br /><br />(I will, however, blame the editors for using the phrase ‘South-Western Ontario’ <a href="http://www.google.ca/trends/explore#q=%22south-western%20ontario%22%2C%20%22southwestern%20ontario%22&amp;cmpt=q">when the entire world uses ‘Southwestern Ontario”</a> in reference to these parts. Their choice of spelling means if you search the “Wiley Online Library” for <i>Southwestern Ontario</i>, the article in question <i>does not even show up</i>.)<br /><br />There is another reason why I'm concerned that the article at hand doesn't have a metadata field to express location and that is this: <b>without a given location, the work cannot be found on a map</b>. And that’s going to increasingly be a problem because the map is increasingly where we will live.<br /><br />Let me explain what I mean by that.<br /><br />You may know that Google became the pre-eminent search engine based on the strength of its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PageRank">PageRank</a> algorithm which, unlike its peers at the time, created relevance rankings that takes into account the number of incoming links to that page as a means to establish authority and popularity and make it less immune to spam.<br /><br />In those heady, early days of the Internet finding news and more from around the world was deliriously easy. Oddly enough one of the challenges of using the Internet back then was that it was hard to find info about the features of your small town. The Internet was wonderfully global but not very good at the local.<br /><br />But now, in 2014, when I search for the word ‘library’ using Google and I receive my local library system as the first result.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mswxWIIicjw/UsYktO3es0I/AAAAAAAABOk/Q6wBI0Ge7xU/s1600/library+++Google+Search.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mswxWIIicjw/UsYktO3es0I/AAAAAAAABOk/Q6wBI0Ge7xU/s400/library+++Google+Search.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />This is because <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226884">Google is now thought to incorporate 200 some factors in its page ranking</a>.<br /><br />And one of the most important factors is location.<br /><br />In fact, I would go so far to say that, just like real estate, the three of the most important factors for search is location, location, location.<br /><br />It's location because if you search for political information while in Beiing your experience using the Internet is going to be significantly different from that of Berlin because of government enforced filtering and geofencing.<br /><br />It's location because if you search for Notre Dame in the United States you are probably going to get something related to football rather than a cathedral in Paris.<br /><br />And it's location because so much of our of information seeking is contextual based. If I'm searching for information about a particular chemical additives while at a drug store, it’s probably because I'm about to make a consumer choice about a particular shampoo and not because I need to know that chemical's melting point.<br /><br />(An aside: imagine if by the very act of entering a library space, the context of your searches were automatically returned as more scholarly. Imagine if you travelled to different spaces on a campus, your searches results would be factored automatically by the context of a particular scholarly discipline?)<br /><br />While it’s difficult to imagine navigating a map of research papers, it is much easier to understand and appreciate how a geographical facet could prove useful in other interfaces. For example, if I'm looking for articles about about a whether particular social work practice conforms to a particular provincial law in Canada, then the ability to either pre-select articles from that province or filter articles to a list of results pertaining to that province could prove quite useful. <br /><br />It's surprising how few of our library interfaces have this ability to limit by region. Summon doesn't. Neither does Primo. But <a href="http://islandpines.roblib.upei.ca/opac/en-CA/skin/roblib/xml/rresult.xml?rt=keyword&amp;l=4&amp;d=2&amp;ol=4&amp;tp=keyword&amp;t=social%20work">Evergreen</a> does and so does <a href="http://searchworks.stanford.edu/?f%5Bgeographic_facet%5D%5B%5D=Ontario&amp;q=social+work&amp;search_field=search&amp;utf8=%E2%9C%93">Blacklight</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://searchworks.stanford.edu/?f%5Bgeographic_facet%5D%5B%5D=Ontario&amp;q=social+work&amp;search_field=search&amp;utf8=%E2%9C%93"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EU0ApFtFcO8/UsYp_QvwA9I/AAAAAAAABO0/OkXkHTEg_ww/s400/SearchWorks++SUL++Search+Results.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />There are other examples of using maps to discover texts. <a href="http://experimental.worldcat.org/mapfast/">OCLC has been experimenting with placing books on a map.</a> They were able to do so by geocoding Library of Congress Subject Heading Geographical Subdivisions that they parsed so that they can be found on a map on a desktop or nearby where you are while holding a mobile phone.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://experimental.worldcat.org/mapfast/"><img border="0" height="158" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wjGUHyxWpOg/UsYt3WM666I/AAAAAAAABPA/mheP72BZkyI/s400/mapFAST+(1).png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />And there are many, many projects that seek to place digitized objects on a map, such as the delightful <a href="http://www.historypin.com/">HistoryPin</a> which allows you to find old photos of a particular place but of a different time visible only when when you look through the world through the magical lens of your computer or your mobile phone. <br /><br />Less common are those projects which seek to make available actual texts (or as we say in the profession the<i> full-text</i>) accessible in particular places outside of the library. One of my favourite of such projects is the work of <a href="http://ruk.ca/content/what-exactly-pirate-box">Peter Rukavina who has placed a Piratebox near a park bench in Charlottetown PEI </a>that makes available a wide variety of texts: works of fiction (yes, about that red-headed girl), a set of city bylaws, and a complete set of community histories from the <a href="http://www.islandlives.ca/">IslandLives</a> repository.<br /><br />When you think about embedding the world with a hidden layers of images and text that can only be unlocked if know its secrets, well that sounds to me like a gateway to a whole other world of experience, namely, games, and <a href="http://www.cracked.com/article_19346_the-5-most-insane-alternate-reality-games.html">ARGs or alternative reality games</a> in particular. <a href="http://nonchalance.com/">Artists</a>, <a href="http://www.ghostsofachance.com/">museums</a>, and <a href="http://activehistory.ca/2012/05/tecumseh-lies-here/">historians</a> have created alternative reality games that merged the physical exploration of place with narratives and as such have created <a href="http://horasperditam.wordpress.com/">new forms of story writing and storytelling</a>.<br /><br />Personally, I think its very important that libraries become more aware of the possibilities of <i>in situ </i>searching and discovery in the field and there are many fields worth considering. &nbsp;Over the holiday break, I bought the<a href="http://www.audubonguides.com/field-guides/bird-identification-app.html"> Audubon Birding App</a> which acts as field guide, reference work, includes a set of vocal tracks for each bird to help with identification, allows the creation of to store my personal birding life list, and a provides means to report geocoded bird sightings to <a href="http://ebird.org/content/ebird/">eBird</a>&nbsp;-- while being half the price of a comparable print work. &nbsp;We, the people of print have a tendency to dismiss and scoff at talk of the end of the print book, but I don't see any of our reference works on our shelves providing this degree of value to our readers like this app does.<br /><br />In my opinion, there’s not enough understanding of this potential future of works that take into account the context of place. Otherwise, why would our institutions force our users to visit the a physical library in order to access a digitalize copy of historical material that we might have already had in our collection but in microfilm?<br /><br />So, as you can see, there’s a lot of territory for myself to explore during the next 12 months and I think I'm going to start by going madly off in all directions. <br /><br />I do hope that by the end of this time I will have made a convincing argument to my peers that we have an opportunity here to do better. &nbsp;I hope that one day the article in question that I started this train of thought - the one about migrant agricultural workers in South-Western Ontario - &nbsp;should, when and if its included in an in a library maintained institutional repositories, have a filled out location field.<br /><br />And then perhaps one day, those in the future who will work those fields in South-Western Ontario can discover it where they work.Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-69991552270673057862013-11-23T14:30:00.003-05:002013-11-23T14:39:51.016-05:00Home and School and Library and City<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lQYl-Yqms5Q/UpEEfK4e4TI/AAAAAAAABNc/o-6mBsbJHCI/s1600/HSKE.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lQYl-Yqms5Q/UpEEfK4e4TI/AAAAAAAABNc/o-6mBsbJHCI/s320/HSKE.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />You probably don’t know that I hold the illustrious position of President of the <a href="https://kehomeandschool.wordpress.com/">King Edward Home and School Association</a>. Since September I've been chairing our monthly meetings as well as the occasional special meeting like the one when we as a group all sat around my dining room table and discussed what we wanted to fund raise for this year.<br /><br />The best way to understand our budget prioritizations is to think of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs">Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs</a>. If we end up reaching our ambitious fundraising goal we are going to purchase 10 iPads for the school (yes, yes, I know that <a href="http://www.hackeducation.com/2013/11/13/google-play-for-education/">iPads are problematic as educational technology</a> but when the Principal, the teacher's rep and the majority of your volunteers all want to work towards buying iPads, you commit to iPads). But before we spend any money on tablets, we’re going to make sure that we make good on our commitment to support field trips, school clubs, referees, replace broken music and sports equipment, and help pay for the festivities to send off the graduating class of grade eights.<br /><br />But our primary budgetary goal that comes first is to continue to support the our snack and breakfast programs that we run in the school. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday a small group of committed Home and School volunteers meet in the school’s staff room and clean, cut and distribute fruits and vegetables into baskets for each class so that come first ‘nutrition break’ everyone who is hungry can have something to eat. Our school also holds a ‘Breakfast Club’ so that kids can start the day with food in their stomachs as long as they arrive at school earlier enough to take advantage of the program. &nbsp;And that’s a key point - it’s not so much that there are many families in this neighbourhood who can’t afford breakfast (although they most certainly exist) but it’s more that there are many families who are supported by adults who have so many demands on their time such as part-time or shift work that on some days it takes all their available time and energy just to get their kids out of the house and to school on time.<br /><br />The economic conditions of the neighbourhood where I live is changing and the make-up of our volunteers at Home and School reflects that change. Not long ago King Edward Home and School had many more active volunteers who were 'stay at home' parents and so the scale of the fundraising and social events were a degree larger than what they are now. &nbsp;I don’t think it’s coincidence that our core volunteers are retirees (grandparents who are primary caregivers), work part-time or on contract, or are stay-at-home. When we lose an active volunteer it’s usually because of the good fortune that they've found full-time work.<br /><br />This means that the nature of our activities as an organization has changed. We find that many parents are very happy to support our activities that support the school but they are likely to participate in our events <i>only</i> if they don’t have to commit to giving <i>time</i>. For example, many parents are happy to donate baked goods to a particular event, but can’t or won’t commit to helping out planning or putting on that event.<br /><br />My experiences with Home and School has quietly shifted some of my thinking about the services that we provide as a librarian at a university. I know this because when I took the bus to work this week and watched all the students come on board, I couldn't help but wonder if they were starting the day with a good breakfast in them. And as I tried to see the library from their perspective, I realized that it probably means little to them that the library is the heart of campus learning (in so that we pump out text for reading that turns into writing that turns into publishing that returns to the library, the heart of the campus, and our arteries that pump out the text again and this allows the body of knowledge to move and grow and I probably should have stopped this metaphor before it even started) . &nbsp;The most important service we might be providing is to simply being a warm, dry place to sit down before and between classes.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">I'm comfortable going a good deal further than merely arguing that the presence of well-loved and well-used public spaces in a city is a collective good. I conflate that presence more or less directly with civilization itself. My reasons for thinking so are all pretty basic, even obvious, but I find that it sometimes helps to spell these things out explicitly. Consider:</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">— <b>Civilization means providing for everyone’s basic biological needs</b>, among which are shade and some degree of shelter from the elements; clean potable water; and a safe place to use the toilet, and otherwise conduct the rudiments of bodily hygiene. These provisions need to be widely distributed and available throughout the community, situated in a way that allows them to be utilized without undue surveillance (and certainly without shame), and this can only happen under the conditions of relatively uncontrolled access that public space affords.&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">The most vulnerable among us have the greatest need for such facilities, of course. They ought to be able to avail themselves of same for pragmatic reasons of public health, but also because being able to clean oneself up helps immeasurably with “presentability” when applying for assistance, or a job, or otherwise moving uncomplicatedly through the bourgeois world. (Speaking from personal experience, it’s hard to gather up the courage to walk into a clinic, a classroom or an office when you know perfectly well that you smell, and that the smell is offensive to the people around you.)</blockquote><br /><br />The above is an except from Adam Greenfield’s <a href="https://speedbird.wordpress.com/2013/09/22/public-space-civilization-and-the-self/">Public space, civilization and the self (long)</a><br /><br />The reason why I brought the larger context of public space and ultimately why I've been reflecting on the matters of time constraints and civic participation is that I'm less than 40 days away from a year long sabbatical. &nbsp;Unstructured time to pursue one’s own interests is perhaps one of the finest luxuries in the world and I am well aware of what a privilege it is. &nbsp;I titled my sabbatical application as ‘Library as city, city as library’ and here is an excerpt of what I proposed to work on way back in September 2012:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">In November of 2011, MIT Press published a set of twenty-four essays in a work entitled from “From Social Butterfly to Engaged Citizen: Urban Informatics, Social Media, Ubiquitous Computing, and Mobile Technology to Support Citizen Engagement.” The work explores the possibilities that mobile devices, mapping, gaming, augmented reality and other technologies may have on citizen engagement. Notably, there is no mention of libraries working within this context. Mobile devices allow for information to be geographically situated in a specific locations. How can the library distribute its collections on a map or in a space outside of itself in the places where they are immediately needed or brought to mind? This question has not been fully explored within the profession.</blockquote><br /><br />I briefly toyed with the idea of setting up a new, separate blog just to reflect this new focus of placing library work in a larger context that explores the notion of the smart city, spatial thinking, local knowledge among other important ideas related to geography…<br /><br />(recently over lunch I inadvertently made my friends laugh with my proclamation that I needed to re-find my inner geographer “So you’re a lost geographer?” &nbsp;Ha. Ha.)<br /><br />... but I am a seasoned enough blogger to know that the title of a blog really doesn't matter much to the reader. And I know enough of my own site analytics that most of my traffic comes from real-time referrals from Twitter and Facebook. If a piece of writing resonates enough for someone who wants to share it, then it doesn't really matter where it comes from. <br /><br />This particular insight probably requires a whole article to unpack and I'm looking forward for having the time and space to do so in 2014.Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-53579298191426766872013-08-09T14:36:00.001-04:002013-08-09T17:29:38.998-04:00User Experience vs. the WorldThis post includes the slides and some of things I said during a brief presentation I made to the LIS 9706 User Experience Research class at FIMS, Western University on August 8, 2013. Thank you Lu Xiao for inviting me!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KMthVlMGgdg/UgLk1_8JXTI/AAAAAAAABBs/knscKVYXg-M/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KMthVlMGgdg/UgLk1_8JXTI/AAAAAAAABBs/knscKVYXg-M/s400/1.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />If you are going to do user experience work in a library setting you will frequently find yourself designing against certain constraints. For myself, there are seven constraints I find myself facing again and again.<br /><br />For this presentation I have, mostly for my own amusement, decided to represent each of these constraints as one of the seven characters of the <a href="http://scottpilgrim.wikia.com/wiki/League_of_Ramona%27s_Evil_Exes">League of Evil Exes</a> from the graphic novel series, <a href="http://www.scottpilgrim.com/">Scott Pilgrim</a>.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://scottpilgrim.wikia.com/wiki/League_of_Ramona%27s_Evil_Exes"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bx81cmp70Zk/UgJhu76yrfI/AAAAAAAABBc/gy8y8mJnR-8/s1600/2.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Our first constraint: The Institution!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_KTcori-xyY/UgLmOLRR9wI/AAAAAAAABEU/3OGDfaWxCHY/s1600/3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_KTcori-xyY/UgLmOLRR9wI/AAAAAAAABEU/3OGDfaWxCHY/s400/3.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The front page of the library where I work currently looks like this:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://leddy.uwindsor.ca/"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-frQCT4H7NRc/UgLmOsLddEI/AAAAAAAABEo/ktYaMWx49QM/s400/4.png" width="400" /></a> </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />But the look of the front page will change this month because our parent organization, The University of Windsor, has recently changed the theme of its website and we've expected to change ours accordingly.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VzdyBE2zZ5g/UgLmO1ogXKI/AAAAAAAABEk/K8iJ8kJ8I-o/s1600/5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VzdyBE2zZ5g/UgLmO1ogXKI/AAAAAAAABEk/K8iJ8kJ8I-o/s400/5.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The official policy at the University of Windsor is that web pages are first and foremost geared towards prospective students and alumni. Web-based student services are delivered through a variety of intranets. <br /><br />But the library's services are geared towards current students and faculty and our website reflects this. This difference in intended audience inevitably results in differences in what we believe should be presented on our site.<br /><br />The specific details may be different, but almost all university websites reflect a similar conflict of purpose.<br /><a href="http://xkcd.com/773/"><br /></a><a href="http://xkcd.com/773/"><br /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://xkcd.com/773/"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QbCx994lA00/UgLmPcdzpzI/AAAAAAAABFQ/Q2KbRNxaBqA/s400/6.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Sometimes it's best to resign yourself to the fact that the Home page is beyond your control.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g9x78s_vYac/UgLmPsHf5qI/AAAAAAAABE4/L-NBDaNVTcs/s1600/7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g9x78s_vYac/UgLmPsHf5qI/AAAAAAAABE4/L-NBDaNVTcs/s400/7.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Constraint 2 are the dreaded "People Who Do Not Read"<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Eyj4vbITQLw/UgLmP6FtbTI/AAAAAAAABFA/60Ka4cAay2g/s1600/8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Eyj4vbITQLw/UgLmP6FtbTI/AAAAAAAABFA/60Ka4cAay2g/s400/8.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />I deliberately chose to mention in this section dedicated to people who do not read that The 'Home page is beyond your control' is a comforting lesson that I learned from Steve Krug's book '<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/dont-make-me-think-a-common-sense-approach-to-web-usability/oclc/61895021">Don't Make Me Think</a>.' It is my only reading recommendation for you in this presentation - other than the<i> Scott Pilgrim</i> series. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qAdyBPDGA-o/UgLmQAvhKXI/AAAAAAAABFE/YB1_XAOsUXg/s1600/9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qAdyBPDGA-o/UgLmQAvhKXI/AAAAAAAABFE/YB1_XAOsUXg/s400/9.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Krug's book reminds us that good websites present clear and understandable actions that match the user's intentions. If the reader has to think about where they need to click next or read three pages of text to find the link they need, <a href="http://seriouspony.com/blog/2013/7/24/your-app-makes-me-fat">then the design of that page is failing them</a>.<br /><br />When someone complains that 'people don't read', it's a good sign that the design in question can and should be improved by adding design cues and removing everything that doesn't lend itself to helping the reader make the one choice that matters in that context.<br /><br />Because we don't read websites...<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jBQ75L6RhhI/UgLmIwClbRI/AAAAAAAABCE/avueRdLwuS0/s1600/10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jBQ75L6RhhI/UgLmIwClbRI/AAAAAAAABCE/avueRdLwuS0/s400/10.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />... we <i>use</i> websites.&nbsp; <i>A website is for use. </i><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bmbRZZSXsNw/UgLmI1he66I/AAAAAAAABB8/-NiSK8O9h_g/s1600/11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bmbRZZSXsNw/UgLmI1he66I/AAAAAAAABB8/-NiSK8O9h_g/s400/11.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Just as library staff use library space differently than its readers, library staff tend to use the library's website differently as well.<br /><br />For example, library staff already know the terminology of their institution and so they will likely want to be able to access something from the library webpage <i>by name. </i>For example, they will want to find the 'In process form' on a site map. Readers, on the other hand, only want to see a form at the time and point of need. Following our first example, readers should find the <i>In process</i> form while they are in the library catalogue when the book that they want in currently <i>in process</i>.<br /><br />But it's much more complicated than that. And that's because <a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2009/10/pre-designing-your-library-website.html">we cannot unsee what we have seen before...</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l-k7iKO_ixE/UgLmI4XfZJI/AAAAAAAABCA/Ek9RcLw9Ick/s1600/12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l-k7iKO_ixE/UgLmI4XfZJI/AAAAAAAABCA/Ek9RcLw9Ick/s400/12.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c72FElaEyug/UgLmJCWSZTI/AAAAAAAABCw/wv_Z2DTAW08/s1600/13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c72FElaEyug/UgLmJCWSZTI/AAAAAAAABCw/wv_Z2DTAW08/s400/13.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />One way to break out of this cycle is to work toward iterative improvements to our websites that are guided by<i> evidence of user behaviour.</i><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tgzqv7cl9ow/UgLmJcDB4yI/AAAAAAAABCM/lpOMwpy07bA/s1600/14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tgzqv7cl9ow/UgLmJcDB4yI/AAAAAAAABCM/lpOMwpy07bA/s400/14.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100201105850/http://carsonified.com/blog/design/how-to-understand-your-users-with-personas/?replytocom=15788">While this particular webcomic</a> nicely illustrates the difference between designing for wants vs responding to needs via focus groups, the web team that I chair gathers most of its evidence through Google Analytics and other data collection programs such as <a href="http://www.crazyegg.com/">CrazyEgg</a>. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uNIi6GFD6RU/UgLmJrNwTQI/AAAAAAAABCY/Hq8YnIqSzWk/s1600/15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uNIi6GFD6RU/UgLmJrNwTQI/AAAAAAAABCY/Hq8YnIqSzWk/s400/15.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The one thing that surprised me when I made the transition from science librarian to UX librarian, was the realization of how much work user experience work demands <i>continual education</i> of best practices to one's peers. It is only recently that have realized that I have not done enough of it.<br /><br />Recently I presented a form to my peers - a form, mind you, that had been modelled closely to one that I knew was already successful (that being, well used) at another similar institution (it's not copying... it's <i>heuristics</i>!) When the form was presented to my department, some of my colleagues recommended to cut down the form in length considerably and to change of all the drop-down menus to something more horizontal because 'students don't like to scroll.'<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LBDvKRBn3nM/UgLmKPRB2hI/AAAAAAAABCg/jlToLN-u4hE/s1600/16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LBDvKRBn3nM/UgLmKPRB2hI/AAAAAAAABCg/jlToLN-u4hE/s400/16.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Students don't like to scroll? Have my colleagues not heard of Pinterest or used Facebook lately?&nbsp; Have they not realized that the one of the hallmarks of 2013 web style is something called <i>infinite scroll?</i><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sCVAwQzZerI/UgLmKQS6XNI/AAAAAAAABCo/pi1JAEx4lQE/s1600/17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sCVAwQzZerI/UgLmKQS6XNI/AAAAAAAABCo/pi1JAEx4lQE/s400/17.png" width="400" />&nbsp;</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By the way, I think it's important to pay some attention to the most popular websites that your audience already uses and to make note how these sites both look and behave. If you can design your website to look and act similarly, then your users will have an easier time using your site because they will have already figured out how it works and you already know they like it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp; </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IrtKeVzAtqs/UgLmKqpiIYI/AAAAAAAABC0/9LFOejh_Zok/s1600/18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IrtKeVzAtqs/UgLmKqpiIYI/AAAAAAAABC0/9LFOejh_Zok/s400/18.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />I have two examples of how I have tried to employ this type of designing. In the screenshot below, you might be able to recognize elements of both Twitter (the icons) and Google style (the title in the bold, followed by the url and then a brief one line excerpt that describes the resource) that was incorporated into what was once a long bullet list of text.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aRI6LsER9r0/UgLmK8Y6XAI/AAAAAAAABDM/RgzivIJ9hAY/s1600/19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aRI6LsER9r0/UgLmK8Y6XAI/AAAAAAAABDM/RgzivIJ9hAY/s400/19.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />And one similarly made design decision that I regret and our web team is reconsidering is the promotional 'carousel' that is currently featured on the front page of our homepage.&nbsp; While the stats indicate that databases featured on the carousel do experience a small increase of use from being showcased, it's difficult to justify why it should be largest element on the screen.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JbSDsUshf6U/UgLmLMObnZI/AAAAAAAABDA/lylLbOxdINk/s1600/20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JbSDsUshf6U/UgLmLMObnZI/AAAAAAAABDA/lylLbOxdINk/s400/20.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />But - in my defense, I can say we were just copying the zeitgeist of the web design at the time. But times have changed and now that the evidence is in that they aren't being used by readers, it's probably worth asking <a href="http://shouldiuseacarousel.com/">Should I Use a Carousel</a>?<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WFe6DJopoqs/UgLmLXT_SqI/AAAAAAAABDI/NxS_Uq6rxTQ/s1600/21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WFe6DJopoqs/UgLmLXT_SqI/AAAAAAAABDI/NxS_Uq6rxTQ/s400/21.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />A word of warning. Some of my colleagues have been resistant to the idea of evidence-based web design. It's possible that some of yours might be too.<br /><br />That being said, some of this resistance might come from a more fundamental difference of philosophy behind the web design.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2dYC_8HTItk/UgLmLkrbP2I/AAAAAAAABDk/4Vl1WdM9YK4/s1600/22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2dYC_8HTItk/UgLmLkrbP2I/AAAAAAAABDk/4Vl1WdM9YK4/s400/22.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />In my experience I have found that recommending the best practices found in a book called 'Don't Make Me Think' doesn't always go over well when you work in an institution that is dedicated to getting students to slow down, reflect and well,<i> to think</i> about their research process. <br /><br />For example, John Kupesmith's '<a href="http://www.jkup.net/terms.html">Library Terms That Users Understand</a>' has been around for ten years now. This means that the evidence that library readers misunderstand the term 'library catalogue' has been around for ten years and yet it was only since last year that my library's website changed the label <i>Library Catalogue</i> to <i>Search Catalogue for Books, Videos</i>.<br /><br />The resistance to replace the words <i>Library Catalogue</i> with <i>Find Books</i> existed largely because of this line of thinking : students should know and be expected to know that you use a library catalogue to find books. Some even said that replacing language like <i>Library Catalogue </i>with <i>Find Books</i> is dumbing down our work.<br /><br />Likewise, some librarians chose not to consider and respond to <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/asi.20601/abstract">the evidence that suggests</a> that <i>Advanced Search</i> is rarely used and when it is being used, it is likely used incorrectly. Librarians are experts at searching and if students can't search then it just proves that we need to teach them how to search. All of them.<br /><br />Our complicated search interfaces prove that we are better than Google.<br /><br />Also, the idea of defaulting to basic search makes you a terrible person for even suggesting it. And you are a control freak. Who do you think you are? <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hq5KI2lNKfw/UgLmL1V6W5I/AAAAAAAABDc/ssk2a0ZjxT0/s1600/23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hq5KI2lNKfw/UgLmL1V6W5I/AAAAAAAABDc/ssk2a0ZjxT0/s400/23.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Well, I do know this. I am not the user, and myself and my colleagues, <a href="http://www.walkingpaper.org/5526">we are not our patrons</a>.<br /><br />Let's compound the problem. Let's buy and license products that matches&nbsp;<i> librarian needs and expectations</i> of how searching and researching should be rather than the needs of our readers based on how they search. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OePK3SdbDAY/UgLmMGHPvpI/AAAAAAAABDg/dd-5S_EtY2w/s1600/24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OePK3SdbDAY/UgLmMGHPvpI/AAAAAAAABDg/dd-5S_EtY2w/s400/24.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Is research supposed to be hard?<br /><br />Well, I know writing can be hard and critical thinking and close reading can be hard. But I don't think that means that making the texts readily and easily available for us to read and learn from should be hard. <a href="https://twitter.com/mjsuhonos/status/365115697866604545">And I'm not alone. </a><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iKVS0YdiQnc/UgLmMmvWMiI/AAAAAAAABD8/0mzzKwRVzK8/s1600/25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iKVS0YdiQnc/UgLmMmvWMiI/AAAAAAAABD8/0mzzKwRVzK8/s400/25.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Last constraint!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d9i7PAdgoGw/UgLmM8n4syI/AAAAAAAABD0/ddC_R9IAOjc/s1600/26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d9i7PAdgoGw/UgLmM8n4syI/AAAAAAAABD0/ddC_R9IAOjc/s400/26.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />This is not a common design constraint but it is one that might sneak up on you in future.<br /><br />Let me be clear - games are wonderful and libraries are wonderful and games and libraries can be wonderful. I'm just suggesting a note of caution when you are approached by someone who wants to reduce rich meaningful experiences into <i>points alone</i>.&nbsp; Points can be useful but the goal of a game is not to accumulate points. Games are for fun.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IlwY3guZ9w0/UgLmNO0Sa0I/AAAAAAAABD4/eR9846K6uSA/s1600/27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IlwY3guZ9w0/UgLmNO0Sa0I/AAAAAAAABD4/eR9846K6uSA/s400/27.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The world is a strange, complicated and wonderful place and we should be cautious of reducing those complexities to Pavlovian mechanics.<br /><br />This applies to game design, web site design, and to education as a whole.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://homepages.gac.edu/~fister/loex13.pdf" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BC-cXBRkB40/UgLmN8jGxFI/AAAAAAAABEE/K7fqCJvwqMI/s400/28.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2012/06/book-for-every-librarian.html">Libraries need to be places where people can see where they can make a difference. We should not be indifferent to the hopes and aspirations of our readers.</a><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ak_cDndMm6E/UgLmOIgw_sI/AAAAAAAABEs/TE44OtO1t0E/s1600/29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ak_cDndMm6E/UgLmOIgw_sI/AAAAAAAABEs/TE44OtO1t0E/s400/29.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Thank you and good luck in your pursuit of achieving your hopes and aspirations. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-stISYDsS5gU/UgLmOEdWqUI/AAAAAAAABEQ/RZHmoRfYes8/s1600/30.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-stISYDsS5gU/UgLmOEdWqUI/AAAAAAAABEQ/RZHmoRfYes8/s400/30.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21150821.post-73609909484654256092013-07-30T15:50:00.003-04:002013-08-01T08:10:22.204-04:00Library as Copy Machine: Part Two: Libraries Are for UseI was at a THATCamp workshop led by <a href="http://wearewhatwedo.org/speaking/jon-voss/">Jon Voss</a> when he casually mentioned that he had found a particular map from 'crate-digging' in a library.&nbsp; <br /><br /><a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=crate%20digging">Crate-digging</a> is a term that DJs use to describe looking through old records for samples that they can mix and remix into new work. <br /><br /><a href="http://everythingisaremix.info/watch-the-series/">But it's not just music where everything is a remix</a>. <a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2013/04/how-should-reality-be.html">Literature has been in a plundered, fragmentary state for a long time.</a><br /><br />And the state of copying and its influence in the arts is only going to increase. I agree with Cory Doctorow when he says that "<a href="http://youtu.be/vamjcLIWpio">contemporary art that's not designed to be copied is not contemporary</a>."<br /><br />As such, libraries, by and large, are <a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2013/07/the-library-as-copy-machine-part-i.html">no longer contemporary institutions</a>.<br /><br /><h2 class=""><span class="mw-headline" id="First_law:_Books_are_for_Use.">First Law: Books are for Use. And Use&nbsp;Costs The Reader&nbsp; </span></h2><br />Libraries provide <i>access</i> to words, sounds, maps, software, data, film, videos, etc. But, due to copyright and other instruments of intellectual property protection, only a relatively small percentage of what we offer can actually be <i>used</i> in a commercial work like an app or be re-mixed or re-interpreted for an artistic piece - at least not without getting permission from a publisher or paying a fee first.&nbsp; <br /><br />By and large, libraries don't go out of their way to tell our their users what they have that&nbsp; in the public domain or creative commons and available to artists and entrepreneurs looking for inspiration or plunder.&nbsp; <br /><br />If the reader is lucky, <a href="http://swoda.uwindsor.ca/node/781">each item from the library will be described with clear rights information</a>. And ideally - a digital collection would have such rights information available as a <i>facet</i> <a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/search/index?filters[title_uuid_s][]=Diana%20Davies%20photographs,%201965-1978||f7ffc990-c5ae-012f-eb75-58d385a7bc34&amp;keywords=&amp;layout=false#/?scroll=0">so one would have the ability to only see what works can be re-used without having to ask permission first</a>.&nbsp; Barring that, it would be wonderful if our library catalogues and digital repositories had this metadata machine-readable for <a href="http://openattribute.com/">tools such as Open Attribute</a>.<br /><br />But more often than not, the right to <i>use</i> is traded away by libraries for a discount in <i>access</i> from <a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2013/06/the-heritage-heritage-minute-and.html">entities that are not forthcoming about when and how much they will charge for use of the materials they make available</a>.<br /><br />And this is problematic for so many reasons. Restictions on data and software prevent our scientists from replicating experiements which is, you know, doing science. And it prevents our (digital) humanists from being able to make things with the very materials that we license for them on their behalf.&nbsp; <br /><br /><h2>Fourth Law: Save the time of the reader.&nbsp; Unless it makes the publisher uncomfortable.</h2><br />Here's another example. Supposed you are a professor of a course with 80 students in your class that's starting in a week. You decided that will have two assigned readings for each of the 12 weeks in the course, with some being journal articles and some being book chapters. You already have all the works as PDFs and because you want to make sure your students do the readings, you plan to upload them into the course management system to give them no excuse for coming unprepared to class. And then you are told that you <i>can't </i>because <a href="http://windsor.scholarsportal.info/licenses/MyiLibrary">the library had signed a license agreement that gave that right away</a> and thus, you are required to instead add "durable links with a proxy prefix" (<i>whatever that means</i> - you're a pretty savvy Internet user and you've never heard of <i>that </i>before) for <i>some </i>of the articles (and how were we supposed to know that?) And now you have to trust that each of your 80 students will find, use, and download or print those articles from these links. Once you re-find those links again.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U0EM7BN0tsU/UffS4M4dbII/AAAAAAAABBA/LdPjgSOKkHU/s1600/MyiLibrary+2013-07-30+10-16-42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U0EM7BN0tsU/UffS4M4dbII/AAAAAAAABBA/LdPjgSOKkHU/s320/MyiLibrary+2013-07-30+10-16-42.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />After how many minutes do you expect our hypothetical professor to struggle with finding out how to make a durable link to the chapter she wants her class to read (see above) before that professor decides to <i>toss it </i>and to discretely give the 80 students a link to her Dropbox account? <br /><br />Here's another question. Will budget-starved libraries continue to sell away every type of use of a document just as long as they can have access?<br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Just came across my 1st EBSCO warning that I pretty much can't do anything w/ the HBR case study I just found. I'm scared to send the link.<br />— janeschmidt (@janeschmidt) <a href="https://twitter.com/janeschmidt/statuses/362269480434413570">July 30, 2013</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <br /><br /><h2 class="mw-editsection-expanded"><span class="mw-headline" id="Second_Law:_Every_person_his_or_her_book">Second Law: Every person his or her book.&nbsp; Even if they want to make money off of that book </span></h2><br />I'm on the board of directors of <a href="http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Hackerspaces+viral+communityoperated+workshops+spread+across+Canada/8684424/story.html">one of the more recently created hackerspaces in Canada</a>. and I'm proud of the group for many reasons - but one reaon is the group's interest and work in Open Data. <a href="http://hackf.org/">Hackforge </a>volunteers have already contributed to<a href="http://metronews.ca/news/windsor/519051/garbage-zombies-and-open-data-dominate-windsors-first-hackathon/"> an Open Data CodeJam</a> and just a couple weeks ago, we had our first meeting of an <a href="http://www.meetup.com/Windsor-Hackforge/events/128075352/">Open Data Special Interest Group</a>. After the formal meeting, we had our-post meeting meetup, during which a local software developer complained that he wanted to make an app using some government produced geographic data that was tantalizingly readily available but was stricted to non-commerical purposes by its license. <br /><br />Even thought I agreed with him, I took the role of the apologist. I tried to explain that many people who come from the non-profit sectors of government, social services, and academia (wait, we're still non-profit, right?) have an bias against commericalization and&nbsp; think they are working through their good intentions when they make their works available but for non-commerical use (unfortunately without realizing that this will turn their contributions into <a href="http://stallman.org/articles/online-education.html">orphan works</a>). <br /><br />I got an eye-roll in response, and I unfortunately can't remember the exact wording of the scathing retort but it was along the lines of 'oh so they want people to use their works unless it actually becomes valuable.'<br /><br />I've found that software developers are more aware than librarians what the ramifications of licensing can bring about and pretty much all of them have a strong opinion on what's better, <a href="http://fosswire.com/post/2007/04/the-differences-between-the-gpl-lgpl-and-the-bsd/">GPL or BSD</a>.&nbsp; Furthermore, there's a growing understanding that the success of apps that require local information may only be sustainable if they can replicated across communities, which means that having common licenses are increasingly important. Luckily, there is movement <a href="http://blog.data.gov.bc.ca/2013/06/british-columbia-adopts-canadian-open-government-license/">to adopt such licences among the governments in Canada</a>. <br /><br />But what about libraries?&nbsp; Well, I'm not the only one who wonders <a href="http://blog.reeset.net/archives/996">if libraries can really be effective advocates of Open Data.&nbsp;</a><br /><br /><span class="post-format-icon"></span> <br /><div class="entry-container fix"><div class="entry fix"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div class="first-para">This is one of those questions that I ponder ever now and again, because I wonder how effective libraries really can be as open data advocates when our current practice demonstrates that we don’t fully believe in the concept.&nbsp; Well, I should qualify that – we have no problem believing that other people have a moral obligation to make their research and data open to the world using the most permissive (CC0) licenses available, but we have an extremely difficult time doing the same.</div></blockquote></div></div><br /><h2 class=""><span class="mw-headline" id="Fifth_Law:_The_library_is_a_growing_organism">Fifth Law: The library is a growing organism. But the Internet is much much bigger and grows much much faster </span></h2><h3 class=""><span class="mw-headline" id="Fifth_Law:_The_library_is_a_growing_organism"></span></h3>There's is much derision around the phrase of Web 2.0 but I don't think we should be completely dismissive of its promises. Personally<i>, the Web 2.0 We Lost </i>bit that I miss the most was this :<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">BitTorrent thus demonstrates a key Web 2.0 principle:<a href="http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html?page=2"> </a><i><a href="http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html?page=2">the service automatically gets better the more people use it</a>.&nbsp; </i></blockquote><br />In <a href="http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail3329.html">Publishing 2.0</a>, Tim O'Reilly provides other examples that can fit in a Library 2.0 context. Here's<a href="http://idratherbewriting.com/2008/06/12/systems-that-get-better-the-more-people-use-them/"> a brief summary of that talk from 2008</a>:<br /><br /><ul><li><b>Google.</b> With Google, every time a user makes a link to another site, Google uses that hyperlink to better inform its search algorithm.<br /><br /> </li><li><b>Amazon.</b> Borders and Barnes &amp; Noble have the same stock of books, but Amazon integrates user reviews and commentary to add more value to their literary collection. With each review, the site gets more valuable.</li></ul><br />It's almost been 10 years since the first Web 2.0 conference. And at this point I was going to write again about the current state of library software but <a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2013/02/you-build-library-with-books.html">I can't even</a>.&nbsp; Not anymore.<br /><br />Instead, I recommend you read <a href="http://edchamberlain.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/random-musing-on-the-headless-library-and-other-search-trends/">this intriguing post on Headless libraries</a> (h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/lisalibrarian">Lisa Hinchliffe</a>).<br /><br /><h2 class=""><span class="mw-headline" id="Third_Law:_Every_book_its_reader">Third Law: ????</span></h2><br />When I think of the future of education, I don't think of MOOCs.<br /><br />Instead, I think of the person who decides to learn something and works at it <i>by doing it </i>for the better part of a year, documents the process for themselves and others, and at the end of the self-imposed challenge, that person is able to show off a remarkable transformation:<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_show_with_zefrank">The Show with Ze Frank</a></li><li><a href="http://kottke.org/13/07/how-to-learn-how-to-dance-in-a-year">Dance in a year</a></li><li><a href="http://blog.jenniferdewalt.com/post/56319597560/im-learning-to-code-by-building-180-websites-in-180">Learning to Code By Building A Website a Day</a></li><li>my new blog: <a href="http://theplaceisnow.aedileworks.com/">The Place Is Now </a></li></ul><br />Libraries aren't always part of a formal educational system but it is generally understood that learning is part of our collective mission. Now combine that with the growing understanding that <a href="http://commonspace.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/makingislearning/">making and learning are deeply-intertwined.</a><br /><br />Libraries need to become places where people learn by doing and we need to start sharing our ideas and our spaces in order to support this mission. This doesn't mean we have to give up work providing literature; I'm suggesting we supplement this work with author readings, book clubs, <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo</a> support groups, and help with self-publishing. Likewise with film, audio and video.<br /><br />Our public needs need work that they can use in their learning.<br /><br /><h2>Profit!!! or</h2><h2>What do libraries that are built for re-use look like? </h2>There are exceptional libraries that have been established and maintained specially for the re-use of work by artists including&nbsp; <a href="http://www.prelingerlibrary.org/home/about/">Prelinger Library </a>and <a href="http://www.reanimationlibrary.org/pages/overview">Reanimation Library</a>.<br /><br />I also highly recommend following the work of<a href="http://www.libraryasincubatorproject.org/"> The Library As Incubator Project</a> that highlights specific projects and exhibits that libraries big and small have developed in collaboration with artists: <br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div><a href="http://www.libraryasincubatorproject.org/?page_id=9"><b><b>The mission of the Library as Incubator Project is to promote and facilitate creative collaboration between libraries and artists of all types, and to advocate for libraries as incubators of the arts.</b></b></a> We serve this mission both through the Library as Incubator Project website and through other offline projects.</div><div></div><div>On our website, we:</div><ul><li>Feature artists, writers, performers and libraries who exemplify the “library as incubator” idea.</li><li>Highlight physical and digital collections and resources that may be of particular use to artists and writers.</li><li>Provide ideas for art education opportunities in libraries with our program kit collection and practical how-to’s for artists and librarians.</li></ul></blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/02325497717583954629" rel="nofollow">Richard Veevers</a> in a comment to<a href="http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2013/07/the-library-as-copy-machine-part-i.html"> the first part of this post</a>, kindly recommended watching a particular talk by Eli Neiburger's 2012 talk and after watching it,<b> I whole-heartedly second that recommendation. </b><br /><br />It's called <a href="http://www.vala.org.au/vala2012-proceedings/vala2012-plenary-6-neiburger">Access, schmaccess.</a> <br /><br />Mita Williamshttps://plus.google.com/106291540024020424135noreply@blogger.com1
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