As if you needed another reason to pick up PC Magazine, I’m quoted in this month’s issue. The article is on Web 3.0. In case you can’t get to the newsstand, the article is online at:
Plugoo Redux
I have been getting some traffic/use on the Plugoo IM link I put into a post as a test, so I’ve decided to put it on the sidebar. Feel free to IM me (at least until someone figures out how to spam it).
Lankes to Speak in Florence
The Regione Toscana- Servizi Bibliografici, the Regional Office in Tuscany, has invited Lankes to speak on “Library as Conversation: How to face the Challenge.” The talk will take place as part of a workshop which will be held in Florence on April 12th.
Participatory Networks at Midwinter
The final version of the Participatory Network Technology Brief (http://iis.syr.edu/projects/PNOpen/) developed for the ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy will be releassed at ALA Midwinter. The full brief will be available via the web. Many, many thanks to those who took the time to comment on the first public draft.
There was an active period of comments on the public draft of the Participatory Networks paper from mid-October to the first part of December. The comments came in three forms: e-mail to the authors, postings to a web based bulletin board systems, and comments and edits to the paper posted as a collaboratively edited WIKI. Commenters ranged from noted members of the library community, such as Karen Schneider, Walt Crawford and John Buschman to library science students. The most active mode of comments was the bulletin board and e-mail. Few actual edits were made to the WIKI site, with most participants choosing, instead, to leave comments via the WIKI.
The table below summaries the nature of the comments, and the anticipated effect in the final document:
| Comment Thread | Discussion | Anticipated Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Library 2.0 | Commenters felt the work of the Library 2.0 community was not well represented here, and that a lot of good work done was missed. | The Library 2.0 section of the document will be reworked to acknowledge the work of Library 2.0, and discuss a participatory librarianship model as a means of advancing the work of the Library 2.0 community. Many of the commercial Web 2.0 examples have been supplemented or replaced with Library 2.0 examples. |
| Use of the term â??Conversationâ?? | Several commenters felt the use of the word â??conversationâ?? was incorrect, or at best, straining the meaning of the word. Conversation was presented as an informal exchange of ideas between people. | The authors clarified the use of conversation and highlighted the use of â??Conversation Theory.â?? A separate theoretical piece is anticipated. |
| Commercialization of Libraries | The use of Web 2.0 technologies and the text seems to promote the use of commercial ideas in the library, and therefore seems to advocate for making the library online more commercial in nature. | More library examples were used to highlight how commercially developed technologies does not require commercialization. It was also noted tht there are some libraries in commercial settings. |
There will be two presentations on the brief at ALA Midwinter. The first Friday January 19, 2007 to the advisory board of ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy and the second, an open meeting, on Saturday January 20, 2007. The Saturday briefing will be part of the “Washington Office Update Session” 8:00 A.M.â??10:00 A.M., Washington Convention Center, Rooms 611-614.
Site Look Slightly Updated
You may notice, a few updated drawings to better reflect my current appearance (more hair on the chin, less on the top, etc.).
MacArthur Investing $50 Million in Digital Learning
Today the MacArthur Foundation is rolling out a big push into digital media and youth. They are working hard to create a field in the area with researchers and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines. I’ve been a part of this effort as an author for their MacArthur book series devoted to the topic (mine is a chapter on technology and credibility in the credibility volume).
Here’s a snip from the press release:
New York, NY, October 19, 2006 â?? The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today announced plans to build the emerging field of digital media and learning, committing $50 million over five years to the effort. The Foundation will fund research and innovative projects focused on understanding the impact of the widespread use of digital media on our youth and how they learn.
â??This is the first generation to grow up digital â?? coming of age in a world where computers, the internet, videogames, and cell phones are common, and where expressing themselves through these tools is the norm,â?? said MacArthur President Jonathan Fanton, who announced the new initiative today. â??Given how present these technologies are in their lives, do young people act, think and learn differently today? And what are the implications for education and for society? MacArthur will encourage this discussion, fund research, support innovation, and engage those who can make judgments about these difficult but critical questions.â??
Announcing the LISIG (Library and Information Science Interest Group)
The Syracuse University School of Information Studies is working with
the Onondaga County Public Library and Syracuse University Libraries to
create the Library and Information Science Interest Group (LISIG).
The goal of LISIG is to bring together:
– librarians,
– Masters and PhD students interested in LIS,
– faculty members, and
– other interested parties
together on a regular basis to talk about bigger issues in library and
information science. The goal is to connect academia with practice by
facilitating cooperative research projects that connect faculty and
students with the needs of CNY libraries. Librarians are invited to
attend and bring their research needs for presentation.
Meetings are open to anyone interested and will be held twice a month,
once at OCPL and once at Bird library.
Meetings will be on Tuesdays from 1-2:30.
The fall dates and tentative locations are:
Oct. 10 – Syracuse University, Bird Library, Hillyer Room
Oct. 31 – OCPL, Central Library, Board Room (in the Galleries)
Nov. 14 – OCPL, Central Library, Board Room (in the Galleries)
Nov. 28 – Syracuse University, Bird Library, Hillyer Room
Dec. 5 – OCPL, Central Library, Board Room (in the Galleries)
Dec. 12 – Syracuse University, Bird Library, Hillyer Room
Questions about the Bird Library meetings should go to etcalvi@syr.edu
and questions about the OCPL meetings should go to gmcox@onlib.org.
Other questions can go to Scott Nicholson at srnichol@syr.edu.
Public Comments Welcome on ALA Participatory Network Draft
The public is invited to provide input and feedback on the latest draft of “Participatory Networks: The Library as Conversation,” a technology brief being written for the ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy. Read the draft, join the online discussion, or even WIKI the draft at:
You will also find more information at the site on the project as a whole. To give you an idea of what’s in the draft here is the table of contents:
NOTE TO READER
Executive Overview
1. The Goal
2. Library as a Facilitator of Conversation
3. Participatory Networking, Social Network and Web 2.0
3.1. Web 2.0
3.1.1. Web 2.0 Characteristic: Social Networks
3.1.2. Web 2.0 Characteristic: Wisdom of Crowds
3.1.3. Web 2.0 Characteristic: Loosely Coupled API’s
3.1.4. Web 2.0 Characteristic: Mash Ups
3.1.5. Web 2.0 Characteristic: Permanent Betas
3.1.6. Web 2.0 Characteristic: Software Gets Better the More People Use It
3.1.7. Web 2.0 Characteristic: Folksonomies
3.2. Core New Technologies: AJAX and Web Services
3.2.1. AJAX
3.2.2. Web Services
3.3. Library 2.0
3.4. Participatory Networks
4. Libraries as Participatory Conversations
4.1. Challenges and Opportunities
4.1.1. Technical
4.1.2. Operational
4.1.3. Policy
4.1.4. Ethical
5. Recommendations
Lankes 12th Most Productive LIS Faculty Member
A new article “Scholarly productivity of U.S. LIS faculty” by Denice Adkins, John Budd coming out in Library & Information Science Research, lists me as the 12th most productive LIS faculty member in terms of journal publications. Publish or Perish indeed.
Lankes Nominated to 3rd National Academy of Science Panel
Lankes has been nominated to the National Academies’ National Research Council policy study â??Transportation Information Manage-
ment: A Strategy for the Future.â?? From the National Cooperative Highway Research Program’s 2007 outlook:
The scope of the current National Research Council study is to â??â?¦provide strategic advice to the federal government and the states regarding a sustainable administrative structure and funding mechanism for meeting the information services needs of the transportation sector. The committee will define the core services that need to be provided, identify how they should be provided, and suggest options for funding.â??
It is clear that a concerted effort will be needed to begin implementing this study. A NCHRP project will serve as an appropriate first step in what will be a long-term effort to capitalize on the benefits to be gainedâ??in terms of increased efficiencies, cost savings and qualityâ??through better management of transportation information.
The objective of the research is to begin immediate implementation of recommendations from the policy study. Likely required tasks might include: (1) Develop a detailed business plan for implementing the administrative structure recommended by the Committee. (2) Establish perform- ance measures for evaluating delivery of the core services recommended by the Committee. (3) Engage key U.S. DOT, state DOT, and University Transportation Center personnel in supporting and facilitating implementation of the Committeeâ??s recommendations. (4) Develop a prototype website to demonstrate integrated information access and retrieval for a key transportation business need.