DrWeb's Domain

Electronic Resources & Libraries Conference will be held March 23-25, 2006

Electronic Resources & Libraries Conference will be held March 23-25, 2006.

Electronic Resources & Libraries Conference will be held March 23-25, 2006
Submitted by admin on October 16, 2005 - 14:16.

The ER&L Conference 2006 will be help at Georgia Institute of Technology’s premiere conference and learning facility in Technology Square. Join us and other information professionals as we look at the impact the digital environment has had on library collections and access to resources. Hear various perspectives and approaches on managing and accessing electronic resources.

Read more about ER&L Conference 2006

New group site, and upcoming conference.. ER&L stands for "Electronic Resources & Libraries," which I hope doesn't turn into one of those acronyms like VRD that is used over and over, but rarely identified in communications with others about what it stands for.. the Library profession needs to do a better job of naming and communicating the names, not just the "insider" acronyms.. just one of my pet peeves.. I'm sure that Bonnie and those behind the conference at Georgia Tech are tuned into this type of issue.. Happy Halloween...

Google Wants to Dominate Madison Avenue, Too - New York Times

Google Wants to Dominate Madison Avenue, Too - New York Times.

Google Wants to Dominate Madison Avenue, Too
By SAUL HANSELL, Published: October 30, 2005

Mountain View, Calif.
IN many ways, Larry Page and Sergey Brin seem an unlikely pair to lead an advertising revolution. As Stanford graduate students sketching out the idea that became Google, the two software engineers sniffed in an academic paper that "advertising-funded search engines will inherently be biased toward the advertisers and away from the needs of consumers."

They softened that line a bit by the time they got around to pitching their business to venture capitalists, allowing that selling ads would be a handy safety net if their other, less distasteful ideas for generating revenue didn't pan out.

Google soared in popularity in its first years but had no meaningful revenue until the founders reluctantly fell on that safety net and started selling ads. Even then, they approached advertising with the mind-set of engineers: Ads would look more like fortune cookies than anything Madison Avenue would come up with.

Six Apart - Mena's Corner: The Ups & Downs of a Successful Service

Six Apart - Mena's Corner: The Ups & Downs of a Successful Service.

October 26, 2005

The Ups & Downs of a Successful Service As many of you have noticed, during the last couple of weeks TypePad performance has not been what we aspire to and you pay for. While I am as displeased as you, at the current time I can do nothing more than apologize -- a weak sentiment without action to back it up. Ben has been in the midst of understanding and fixing the problems so I have asked him to write an update on the situation and tell you what we are doing to get back to the great service you have come to expect.

I'm very disappointed.. you did not contact your PAYING customers directly; I have been a subscriber since beta testing, and yet I've never heard from you or Ben or Typepad. Period.. today, it's failing again.. I have no idea if this post will work, or not, and that's not good for business, or for you.. you have not mentioned rebating money to the subscribers --as we are not getting what we paid for.. so, all in all, it's a huge failure, and nothing in this long note and post about servers and machines and growth makes a bit of difference.. we don't care, really, about the technical aspects of your side of the business.. you just need to take care of your customers better UP FRONT, communicate with them, and GIVE THEM what they pay for.. right now, you are doing none of that...

clioinstitute blog: Welcome to the clioinstitute blog

clioinstitute blog: Welcome to the clioinstitute blog.

Welcome to the clioinstitute blog

This blog has been created as an e-communication tool of the clioinstitute , a learning arm of the Cerritos Public Library in Cerritos, California.

We hope you will visit the clioinstitute blog to tap into resources to help you find new ways to:
• stimulate creative thinking
• imagine new possibilities for your library and community

New resources in each of the clioinstitute clio specific focus areas will be added regularly:
•creativity
•learning
•innovation
•organizational change

So bookmark this page or add it to your RSS feed. Visit often to add your comments and help inspire libraries to inspire communities.

Posted by eileen o'shea on October 18, 2005 09:15 AM | Permalink

TypePad's Growing Pains

TypePad's Growing Pains.

TypePad's Growing Pains
Neville Hobson
Expert Author
Published: 2005-10-27

TypePad seems to creaking under the strain of its own success. For some weeks now, I've been observing (and experiencing) constant server timeout problems when posting to this blog.

And I'm not the only TypePad user who's in this position.

In July, I posted with some frustration on the constant difficulties I encountered at that time. I tend to write posts offline using ecto for Windows, and this is what I said in July:

[...] What's been happening is that, on average, about two posts out of five don't publish correctly usually due to a server time-out or data-receive error. That's generally been the case for many months. It means I then have to log in to TypePad and re-publish from there. A real pain.

Staying worse.. seems they don't have a good backup plan, or know how to move the live service while keeping it alive.. tough, but common, growing pains.. hope they solve it before too many people bail on the service...

CLIR Reports: Acquiring Copyright Permission to Digitize and Provide Open Access to Books

CLIR Reports: Acquiring Copyright Permission to Digitize and Provide Open Access to Books.

CLIR pub 134:
Acquiring Copyright Permission to Digitize and Provide Open Access to Books
Published by the Council on Library and Information Resources and Digital Library Federation

by Denise Troll Covey
October, 2005. 63 pp. $25
ISBN 1-932326-22-7
ISBN 978-1-932326-22-2

Full Text >> PDF with color graphs (6.8 MB) >> PDF with black-and-white graphs (6.6 MB) >>

[We are providing this report in two PDF versions. One version has all graphs in color, providing the best legibility; graphs in the other version are optimized for viewing in black and white.]

What are the stumbling blocks to digitization? Is copyright law a major barrier? Is it easier to negotiate with some types of publishers than with others? To what extent does the age of the material influence permission decisions? This report, by Denise Troll Covey, principal librarian for special projects at Carnegie Mellon University, responds to many of these questions. It begins with a brief, cogent overview of U.S. copyright laws, licensing practices, and technological developments in publishing that serve as the backdrop for the current environment. It then recounts in detail three efforts undertaken at Carnegie-Mellon University to secure copyright permission to digitize and provide open access to books with scholarly content.

Print copies of this publication will be available in November 2005. Information about how to order this publication will be placed on this page in the near future.

Why your dog is smarter than a wolf | csmonitor.com

Why your dog is smarter than a wolf | csmonitor.com.

Sci/Tech > Environment
from the October 26, 2005 edition

Why your dog is smarter than a wolf
By Colin Woodard | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – At Eotvos Lorand University's Department of Ethology, visitors are usually greeted not by a security guard, but by a delegation of friendly mongrels, tails wagging. Dogs have the run of the place. They play in classrooms, visit faculty members in their offices, or nap in the laboratories. Animals here are no surprise - ethology is the zoological study of animal behavior - but the total lack of cages is.

And why would there be, asks research fellow Adam Miklosi, who leads much of the research here into the cognitive abilities of man's best friend.

Microsoft to start online book searches - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com

Microsoft to start online book searches - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com.

Microsoft to start online book searches
Will try to avoid legal problems facing similar Google service
Updated: 8:33 a.m. ET Oct. 26, 2005

SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. is diving into the business of offering online searches of books and other writings, and says its approach aims to avoid the legal tussles met by rival Google Inc.

The Redmond-based software giant said Tuesday that it will sidestep hot-button copyright issues for now by initially focusing mainly on books, academic materials and other publications that are in the public domain.

WSJ.com - The Small Screen: Marketers Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love the DVR

WSJ.com - The Small Screen: Marketers Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love the DVR.

Marketers Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love the DVR
October 26, 2005

Bedoop. Bedoop. Bedoop.

That's the noise a TiVo makes when it skips ads, and it is the most dreaded sound in the television industry. As TiVos and digital video recorders offered by cable and satellite operators proliferate, viewers are gaining more control over how they watch television. And many of them are using that power to say goodbye to advertisements.
Digital video technology is both a blessing and a curse for the television industry. On the one hand, owners of DVRs are loyal television viewers. On the other hand, they like to skip over commercials that pay for creating the programs.

There is no denying that a major transformation in television-viewing habits is under way. But rather than diminish the role of advertising in the industry, the shift is likely to push both television executives and advertisers to find new ways of marketing to consumers.

Currently, there are about 3.6 million TiVos in the marketplace.

CLIR Reports: Acquiring Copyright Permission to Digitize and Provide Open Access to Books

CLIR Reports: Acquiring Copyright Permission to Digitize and Provide Open Access to Books.

CLIR pub 134: Acquiring Copyright Permission to Digitize and Provide Open Access to Books
Published by the Council on Library and Information Resources and Digital Library Federation

by Denise Troll Covey
October, 2005. 63 pp. $25
ISBN 1-932326-22-7
ISBN 978-1-932326-22-2

Full Text >> PDF with color graphs (6.8 MB) >> PDF with black-and-white graphs (6.6 MB) >>

[We are providing this report in two PDF versions. One version has all graphs in color, providing the best legibility; graphs in the other version are optimized for viewing in black and white.]

What are the stumbling blocks to digitization? Is copyright law a major barrier? Is it easier to negotiate with some types of publishers than with others? To what extent does the age of the material influence permission decisions? This report, by Denise Troll Covey, principal librarian for special projects at Carnegie Mellon University, responds to many of these questions. It begins with a brief, cogent overview of U.S. copyright laws, licensing practices, and technological developments in publishing that serve as the backdrop for the current environment. It then recounts in detail three efforts undertaken at Carnegie-Mellon University to secure copyright permission to digitize and provide open access to books with scholarly content.

Print copies of this publication will be available in November 2005. Information about how to order this publication will be placed on this page in the near future.

DigitalKoans: Blog Archive: The Google Print Controversy: A Bibliography

DigitalKoans: Blog Archive: The Google Print Controversy: A Bibliography.

The Google Print Controversy: A Bibliography

This bibliography presents selected English-language electronic works about Google Print that are freely available on the Internet. It has a special focus on the legal issues associated with this project. Page numbers for print/electronic publications are not included unless they are mentioned in the electronic version.

Association of American Publishers. "Google Library Project Raises Serious Questions for Publishers and Authors."

Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers. "Google Print for Libraries—ALPSP Position Statement."

Authors Guild. "Authors Guild Sues Google, Citing ‘Massive Copyright Infringement’."

Great and timely bibliography from Charles W. Bailey, Jr. at University of Houston.. only the first 3 items listed; there are many more on the site...

Lost Rhapsody

Lost Rhapsody.

Lost Rhapsody (Flash movie)

More than 100k views

This is a little flash movie I made for fans of the show LOST. I hope you like it! SPOILER WARNING: reveals major plot points, and yet will make little to no sense for people who have not watched the first season. Watch at your own risk!

This is a very funny, very creative movie done in Flash as a "tribute" ? to Lost.. enjoy!

ENZB Early New Zealand Books

ENZB Early New Zealand Books.

About the ENZB Project

The Early New Zealand Books Project has been developed by staff at The University of Auckland Library. It aims to provide the keyword-searchable text of significant books published about New Zealand in the nineteenth century.

Illustrations and maps in the books have also been digitised, with a higher resolution version available by clicking on the image in the text.

Some early New Zealand books have been republished over the years but many are only available in restricted collections. The accounts of early travellers have been a prime source of information about traditional Maori society and culture. There is also great interest in accounts of the earliest British settlements. The ability to search this body of literature for words and names will be of benefit to both scholars and genealogists.

Cool and fine digital library effort from New Zealand.. should I say "Down Under"? More information about the project is on the site...

Library Journal - Where Learners Go

Library Journal - Where Learners Go.

Where Learners Go
By Joan K. Lippincott — October 1, 2005
How to strengthen the library role in online learning

Libraries have traditionally played an important role in supplying high-quality information services and products used by people seeking to learn. They have always provided facilities that promote and encourage learning.

The Internet has transformed the American culture into a learning society, an anytime, anywhere cornucopia of learning opportunities. The Internet gives the public a very available, encyclopedic source of information. With the Internet at home, school, work, or through a library, it is simple for anyone to look up virtually any topic and immediately find many resources that offer relevant information in just a few clicks. This accessibility is seen by librarians as both a threat and an opportunity. Libraries have been the obvious place to continue or extend learning beyond the formal classroom. Now the Internet is a strong competitor as "the place" to go for information to support learning. According to Steve Jones (The Internet Goes to College, Pew Internet & American Life Project, http://www.pewinternet.org/ ), only nine percent of college students use the library more than the Internet for information searching.

Recommended professional reading...

InfoToday Blog: Internet Librarian 2005 (Monterey, CA)

InfoToday Blog: Internet Librarian 2005 (Monterey, CA).

Public Librarians Leading the Way

The Demo Derby kicked off last night with a presentation by two librarians from Minneapolis Public Library, and Track B today features some of the most forward-looking Internet librarians around. And, yes, they are working in public libraries! Michael Stephens, the organizer and moderator for this track, and other public librarians are way out in front, whether it's scooping up the latest video iPod and other gadgets, blogging for outreach and presence, lending audio books on iPod Shuffles, or coming up with tricks and tips to solve spyware problems on public computers.

Mark Track B on your schedule, and stop by DeAnza I today to share the buzz and learn from some vibrant, charismatic public librarians -- and elsewhere on the program. I count 21 public librarians in the Speaker Roster, printed in the final program!

Nancy Garman
ITI, ngarman@infotoday.com
Technorati/Flicker Tag: IL05
posted by Info Today @ 10:51 AM | Permanent Link

Nice coverage, as always, on the Internet Librarian 2005 Conference, starting up in Monterey, CA.. the main blog site is http://www.infotodayblog.com/ .. I was able to attend last year --great time, great conference, and great area to visit, but alas, this year, no can do.. I will be going instead this year to Pasadena, CA for the California Library Association (CLA) conference.. I hope the IL05 is a big success...