Archives
Friday, December 19, 2003
libraries and standards
There’s a very interesting discussion about the nature of librarianship at mamamusings: libraries and standards. Be sure to read the beginning first. If you read the comments at mamamusings, you’ll see my response. I do disagree with Dorothea but she makes some good points. Moreover, she writes well so even her rants are a pleasure to read. I look forward to the hopefully continuing discussion.
Library Links — laura
Real sues Microsoft
Real sues Microsoft, alleges monopoly abuse
I’m shocked, shocked I say.
Computing News — laura
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
CAN-SPAM legal
Bush signs bill aimed at controlling spam
Critics of the bill, however, argue that its effects will be mostly ceremonial. Bulk e-mail operators outside the U.S. will be beyond the law’s jurisdiction, and the act overrides state antispam laws that are in some areas stronger than the new federal regulations.
The critics are most likely right but it feels like a good first step. Someone has to make it officially illegal first.
Computing News — laura
OSS in Public Libraries
NewsForge | Getting open source into public libraries
I have been spending the last six months working to get the first open source or free software CDs available in libraries as lending CDs. I have now succeeded; 415 public libraries out of a possible 507 have accepted them in Scotland.
After working on this project, I have gained respect for librarians. Supplying information in an unbiased manner is extremely difficult. They have also been sharing information for thousands of years before the birth of free software. Libraries are presently helping in a myriad of different ways in many more areas than just computers.
This is a great idea for a way to reach out to and support the community.
Open-Source Software — laura
Monday, December 15, 2003
Library Job Postings
Combined Library Job Postings - Lisjobs.com and Library Job Postings on the Internet
Lisjobs.com and Library Job Postings on the Internet have combined their job postings! This will save you time and effort sorting through duplicate listings, and brings you the most library-related postings in one location.
Searchable and has a RSS feed.
Career Info — laura
LIScareer.com
LIScareer.com — The Librarian & Information Professional’s Career
Development Center
LIScareer.com offers career development resources for new librarians and information professionals, MLS students and those considering a library-related career.��The site features practical articles contributed by information professionals, along with links to online and print resources.
Career Info — laura
Patents and Open Standards
Patents and Open Standards is a white paper by Priscilla Caplan that clarifies the meaning of those 2 terms and the possible intersection of them.
Copyright — laura
Web Design References
Web Design References, University of Minnesota Duluth
This site is dedicated to providing knowledge of web design and development. It advocates accessibility, usability, web standards and many related topics by:
Imparting news and information on making web sites obtainable and functional to largest possible audience.
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Providing topical news and information for designing web sites that are effective, efficient, engaging, error tolerant and easy to learn.
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Distributing pertinent news and information of web design and development theory and methods.
Website Design — laura
Santa Claus CMS
Peter Drucker has written about how we have spent the last fifty years focusing on the ‘T’ in information technology (IT). Drucker believes that we will spend the next fifty years focusing on the ‘I.’
Which is where Information Professionals need to be making themselves known.
Web Tools — laura
WEBMASTRY
Price, Gary WEBMASTRY SEARCHER Vol. 11 No. 10 Nov/Dec 2003
Google gave its users a sense that it was a “people” type of product. From day one, it created an image of being cool to use.
Sad but true, libraries and librarians have quite the opposite effect on many people particularly those with no clue of what the librarian of 2003 is all about. What have we done to change these ideas?
Unfortunately, not enough.
While this “Googlefication” was going on, information professionals, as a group, didn’t speak loudly enough to tell people that Google is just the tip of the iceberg and that Web searching has many limitations, depending on your information needs.
This article compares the rise of Google as the premier information retreival method with the growing invisibility of libraries in the public mind.
Library Links — laura
optimal usable web design
Designing a website that takes into account the human element requires both an understanding of our nature as well as our physiological limitations. Usable websites incorporate human tendencies and limitation into its overall design. The questions below are meant to address some of the more important human factors concerns in the design and building of usable websites.
A good summary of all of the research and conclusions that have been found so far. However, the final decision on usability is in the mind of the user. Therefore, there are as many “right” answers as there are people in the world. You should use these more as guidelines than laws.
Website Design — laura
EMTEL Results
EMTEL European Media, Technology and Everyday Life
All sorts of fun(?) papers using the EMTEL research.
EMTEL is a research and training network of European social scientists investigating the social dimensions of the Information Society in Europe. It includes 7 partners in 6 different countries (Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Norway, the UK). It involves more than 20 scholars, working on 7 different projects, 2 Key Themes, providing training and research resources to 8 Young Research Fellows.�
A co-ordinated research and training programme addresses, from a user point of view, key issues and problems of the Information Society through a series of thematically interrelated case studies. EMTEL�s objective is to investigate the realities and dynamics of the User Friendly Information Society .�
Library Links — laura
Friday, December 12, 2003
What When?
Drawing clear lines between information systems
In many organisations, the intranet competes with e-mail, file shares, the document management system and records management. Information is scattered between these systems, making it difficult for users to know where to look.
What is needed is a clear policy about when these information systems should be used, and what they are for.
Web Tools — laura
Web Standards for Business
WaSP : Learn : Reference: Web Standards for Business
This article highlights the benefits of using Web standards for business sites (Internet, intranet and extranet sites). It is aimed at stakeholders from the marketing, communication and IT departments.
Website Design — laura
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Usability and OSS
Usability and open-source software development
Proceedings of the Symposium on Computer Human Interaction, (eds.) Kemp, E., Phillips, C., Kinshuk & Haynes, J., 6 July 2001, Palmerston North, New Zealand. ACM SIGCHI New Zealand. 49-54. ISBN: 0-473-07559-8.
Open-source is becoming an increasingly popular software development method. This paper reports a usability study of the open-source Greenstone Digital Library collection-building software. The problems highlighted by the study are analysed to identify their likely source within the social context of Greenstone’s development environment. We discuss how characteristics of open-source software development influence the usability of resulting software products.
Open-Source Software — laura
Monday, December 8, 2003
Right to Communicate
The Internet and the right to communicate
The Internet and the right to communicate by William J. McIver, Jr., William F. Birdsall, and Merrilee Rasmussen
First Monday, volume 8, number 12 (December 2003),
URL: http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue8_12/mciver/index.html
The “Right to Communicate” is an interesting balance to the controversy over information ownership.
Copyright — laura
Linux managing model
The Linux managing model by Federico Iannacci
First Monday, volume 8, number 12 (December 2003), URL: http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue8_12/iannacci/index.html
The pros and cons of open-source versus commercial or proprietary development have been argued as part of the open vs. closed debate but this article actually examines the process of development in the Linux operating system, one of the most developed rivals of Windows.
Open-Source Software — laura
OSS in Developing Countries
Licence fees and GDP per capita
Licence fees and GDP per capita: The case for open source in developing countries by Rishab Aiyer Ghosh First Monday
, volume 8, number 12 (December 2003), URL: http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue8_12/ghosh/index.html
this note argues that the controversy over total costs of ownership (TCO) of free vs. proprietary software is not applicable to developing countries and other regions with low labour costs, where the TCO advantage lies with open source, and the share of licence fees in TCO is much higher than in high labour cost countries.
If they are starting from scratch anyway, it is just as cost effective to learn open-source software as proprietary versions.
Open-Source Software — laura
Webpages Ephemeral
On the Web, Research Work Proves Ephemeral (washingtonpost.com)
Essentially, web URLs are becoming often used as references in scholarly works. However, the rate at which these resources as a whole move around, change and disappear, defeats the purpose of references in the first place.
At first it seems like an obvious observation but when you think about it, this is a central problem with the web as it is today that we will have to address somehow for the culture to keep moving forward.
Library Links — laura
OSS Misunderstood
How to Misunderstand Open Source Software Development
A very well-written and credible essay on open-source software from a professional developer.
Open-Source Software — laura
Sir Arthur C Clarke
OneWorld South Asia - Humanity will survive information deluge %u2013 Sir Arthur C Clarke
An interesting interview about the progression of communications media.
Library Links — laura
RIAA on the right path
‘We’re on the right path’ / Latest news / Root folder - p2pnet.net
The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) tells anyone who’ll listen - and that means most of the establisment media - that its sue ‘em all subpoena campaign against alleged copyright violators is a roaring success.
That is, of course, about as accurate as RIAA statistics claiming vast losses to its owners due to people using p2p applications to share music online…
Copyright — laura
Friday, December 5, 2003
Better Old Services
The Digital Librarian: Better Old Services for Digital Libraries
Library Links — laura
Tuesday, December 2, 2003
How To Survey
How To Conduct An Online Survey and Engage Customers In A Dialogue | ReachCustomersOnline.com
Because our websites are becoming increasingly important in interacting with patrons. They need to be as usable as possible.
Website Design — laura
Monday, December 1, 2003
Beyond the Job
Professional tips for librarians: Articles, job-hunting advice, professional development opportunities, and other news and ideas on how to further your library career. Compiled by the Library Job People, Sarah Johnson and Rachel Singer Gordon.
Career Info — laura
