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January 31, 2006

What do you think of Wikis?

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, by now you have at least heard the term " wiki" and you have probably heard about all the controversy surrounding Wikipedia (kind of an online encyclopedia with articles submitted by the general public). Recently, some inaccurate information was added to a Wikipedia biography and the subject of the biography became very upset, questioned the validity of the entire body of work, and threatened to sue. Then in turn the Dec. 14, 2005 issue of Nature magazine ran an article stating that on scientific topics Wikipedia was as "accurate" as Encyclopedia Britannica.

Wikipedia describes Wikis as follows:
"A wiki : (wee-kee or wick-ey) (according to Ward Cunningham) is a type of website that allows users to easily add and edit content and is especially suited for collaborative writing....The name is based on the Hawaiian term wiki, meaning "quick", "fast", or "to hasten" (Hawaiian dictionary). "

I personally love Wikipedia and adore the concept of individuals collaborating to create a free, easy to access body of knowledge. However, the potential for erroneous information to be disseminated to an unsuspecting public is a significant. The advent of wikis require librarians and teachers to stress the value of "information literacy." A good article on this topic appeared in the eSchool News

Wikis test students' research skills
'Information literacy' is key in dealing with online sources
By Roger Riddell, Online Editor, eSchool News

"Wikipedia and other reference sites that allow users to submit and edit content themselves are creating new challenges for educators. Experts say the rise of these kinds of web sites underscores the need for educators to teach students strong information-literacy skills..."

Evidently some teacher or librarian successfully instilled this idea in the heads of some young journalists in Minnesota. A 22 year-old, convicted sex offender was pretending to be a teenage member of the British nobility and wanted to enroll in their school. Even though this imposter had created a false entry for himself in Wikipedia, the student reporters unmasked him. The story appears in the Belleville News Democrat...

http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/nation/13613746.htm

Claim of royalty, a con revealed
" Joshua Gardner showed up at Stillwater Area High insisting he was a British duke. He had the card, the crest and even the accent. But the student newspaper staff had its doubts — and uncovered an impostor."
BY ALEX FRIEDRICH and MARY DIVINEPioneer Press ...

Skeptical journalism students at Stillwater Area High School helped unmask a convicted sex offender pretending to be a jet-setting, teenage member of British royalty who wanted to enroll at the school.

Posted by anna at 11:07 AM | Comments (0)

Libraries of the future?

One of my jobs here at NSLS is to keep an eye out for new trends and developments that will help provide the shado of a footprint of what libraries might look like in the future. Part of this is seeing what other libraries are doing. some of the sites I have really been impressed by are the National Library of Singapore From what I understand, this institution is a cross between a atate library, the Library of Congress, and a really large public library system like Chicago Public. They are doing many interesting and creative things. I particularly like the attractive way they have presented materials on their Celebrating Libraries Campaign. I really like the way this site allows people to share their own stories of how libraries have changed their lives.

Another one of my favorites is the Ann Arbor Public Library District. there entire Website is a blog. This allows for their information to be current, personal and interactive as patron comments are welcome. This is also a library that is very active in sponsoring online gaming events. Like the Singapore National Library, it manages to offer several high tech features while still maintaining the human element.

The third library I suggest you "visit" is the Orange County Public Library System in Florida. They are doing all kinds of inventive things to provide high levels of customer service. Their Website is "flashy" but somehow soothing.

The thing that impresses me about all of these libraries is the way they manage to create a clear and strong presence as an institution, keep the indidvidual user the focus of what they are doing, and provide several very high-tech features that invite human participation. I think this is what libraries will morph into. Please explore these libraries and let me know what you think.

Posted by anna at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)

January 30, 2006

Agatha Christie Celebration

I love mysteries and I think I have read everyone of Agatha Christie's. I keep changing my mind as to whether she is my favorite author of the cozies or if it is Dorothy Sayers. So many great authors and great books....

I think we should all celebrate Agatha, whenever we get the chance. This article from the Telegraph India even mentions Ms. Christie's personal mystery....

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060129/asp/look/story_5767018.asp
Murder she wrote
The UK is readying to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Agatha Christie’s death this year. She will be remembered in the Old Swan Hotel at a Crime Writer’s Festival, reports Shrabani Basu

On December 3, 1926, a 36-year-old woman left her home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, in the UK at 9.45 p.m. She drove her car at considerable speed and parked it precariously on the edge of a chalk pit in Surrey. Leaving her bag of clothes and private possessions inside, she travelled to London ...

Posted by anna at 5:02 PM | Comments (0)

The Rise, Fall, and Rise of E-Books

I got this article from the WSJ via a listserv I belong to. I think it makes a strong case for the e-book and I especially liked the first paragraph. I think the electronic format is the best format for things like textbooks, travel guides, journals, scientific information etc.

Yet the thing that nags at me is how many formats and "reading devices" will the consumer go through before we fill the "old technologies graveyard?" Books are still biodegradeable and once you have a book you don't need to get an upgrade every 18 months.

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB113779027926552261.html?mod=todays_free_feature

A Hundred Books in Your Pocket

The e-book will transform reading -- and writing
By TERRY TEACHOUT
January 21, 2006; Page P14

NEW YORK -- The e-book is back. So are the technophobes who swear it'll never catch on. They were right last time, and they might be right this time, too. Sooner or later, though, they'll be wrong -- and when they are, your life will change.

Posted by anna at 1:49 PM | Comments (0)

More on Podcasting

I think this is an interesting development! If iTunes is ready to pick-up podcasts from class lectures it seems like there should be a market for library and librarian produced material as well.

If libraries and librarians are going to survive we must boldly go where no librarian has gone before. If we want to stay in the information collection and dissemination business, libraries have to be in peoples pockets, in their earphones, on their telephone screens. We need to change our entire model and concentrate on the process and results of what we do as opposed to the space we do it in.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060127/apple_itunes_u.html

AP
Apple Expands iTunes Podcast Service
Friday January 27, 9:28 pm ET
By May Wong, AP Technology Writer

Apple Computer Introduces Nationwide Expansion of iTunes Podcast Service for Universities

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- In its latest move to broaden its iPod and iTunes franchises, Apple Computer Inc. has introduced "iTunes U," a nationwide expansion of a service that makes course lectures and other educational materials accessible via Apple's iTunes software.

[...]

Posted by anna at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2006

CLOCKSS-"A Large Dark Archive"

On one of the lists I blong to they mention an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education about a movement to create CLOCKSS - Controlled Lots Of Copies Keep Stuff Safe, a program to preserve e-journals. To quote from their Website:
"CLOCKSS is a collaborative initiative by a group of organizations drawn from publishers, libraries and learned societies. This two-year project will test the LOCKSS technology and social model to support a 'large dark archive' that is both fail-safe and has an acceptable process for providing continuing access for orphaned materials.

CLOCKSS is a Controlled use of LOCKSS for the purpose of ensuring the promise of long term access to published scholarly content in digital format. It provides additional functionality to that of the use of the LOCKSS system ('Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe') which is widely known in the scholarly communications world as a technology for ensuring the integrity of digital content, and is used as part of preservation strategies for electronic journals to which libraries subscribe."

This is a program worth watching. I have always been wary about continued access to online resources. I want the decision of what is saved and for how long and can it continued to be accessed in the hands of librarians. This looks like it might be a start.

Posted by anna at 1:23 PM | Comments (0)

Podcasting

The three big trends I see heading towards public libraries are blogs, podcasts and Wikis. You are probably tired of me nattering on about blogging, so, today we discuss podcasting.

Podcasting allows anyone to produce their own broadcasts. Yes, you could become the next Howard Stern (if you want!) I think public libraries can use this in a number of ways. We could record:
*Programs
*Book discussions
*Books read aloud
*Training and instruction
*Information about the library
*Information about the library in foreign languages
These are just a start to the list of what libraries could do with podcasts.

Our academic colleagues are further along than we are in using this tool and have several free podcasts available. Here are two sources to find free educational podcasts:

http://www.lib.duke.edu/reference/pri/podcasts

http://www.scordes.echoechoplus.com/b2/index.php

And here is one that lists free programs from our government:

http://freegovinfo.info/node/174

Posted by anna at 11:56 AM | Comments (0)