Category Archives: librarything

Changes

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There have been quite a few changes around here in the last few weeks. The major one for this blog is that I’ve upgraded it to WordPress 3.0 — a very smooth and easy process, by the way — and changed the theme to one of the ones that come with WordPress 3.0 because I liked it so much. The typography is easier to read and the theme is clean and uncluttered.

Another change is that I’m leaving my current job to go back to the library at the company where I work. I’m leaving information architecture to focus on managing the library’s web presence along with a few other people, starting July 12. I’m happy to be going back to a place with which I am familiar, to a setting where I think I belong.

I’ve also begun what I think is the fifth year of teaching an online course at UIUC GSLIS. This year is the first time I have used GSLIS’s new online classroom platform, called Elluminate, which is much more interactive and functional than the previous method of conducting classes over the Internet. One of the things I am most looking forward to in the class is the last online class session, when Tim Spalding of LibraryThing will join us to share his views on librarians, the future of books, library data, or anything else he deems important to discuss.

OCLC tries to checkmate

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This past week I heard rumors about pending changes to OCLC’s policy governing use of records contributed to WorldCat. There was every reason to be concerned about these changes even before the details of what they contain were “leaked.” I just finished reading a post by Terry Reese on this topic, and Terry makes very good points. Basically, based on what I’ve read, I agree that OCLC is trying to checkmate the likes of LibraryThing and others by monopolizing control over library-generated metadata. Oh right, I forgot, this is “for the benefit of its members.” Ugh. Please, folks, wake up and smell the coffee on this.  I find it interesting that Terry raises comparisons with Microsoft (and AT&T), something that I’ve done many times in the past.

License-free bibliographic data [Updated]

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Thanks to a discussion on the oss4lib list, I was made aware of this post by Karl Fogel about the importance of insisting “that bibliographic data be license-free.” His comment is in the context of the recently released draft report of the Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control. Karl recommends that the open comment phase to the general public for this report be an opportunity for as many people as possible to support the principle of license-free bibliographic data. A finger is pointed at OCLC here. Sounds like a worthy cause.

[Updated 12/12/2007:  This a.m. I read the most recent Thingology blog post from Tim Spalding and lo and behold, it was more about the topic of license-free bibliographic data.  He points to an online petition started by Aaron Swartz of Open Library fame.  I'm going to add my name to it and I encourage anyone else who supports this view to do so as well.]

Right on target

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Call me cranky. Say I am just not willing to write anything positive about this organization. Whatever. I inwardly cheered when I read Tim Spalding’s (LibraryThing) critique of OCLC’s latest report. It is right on target. By way of contrast, Andrew Pace gushes about how “this is our report; we paid for it” and how we should be proud of OCLC for producing it and making it freely available. Gag. This is NOT our (the entire world of libraries) report! And why should we (again, the implication is that ‘we’ encompasses all librarians) be thrilled with a glossy report that cost how much? to produce, and a weird new logo that cost how much? for someone to dream up? Ugh. All I can see are dollar signs when most libraries have relatively little dollars to spend.

Tim makes a more cogent point that the report makes no mention of LibraryThing or any of its competitors, yet purports to be a report that discusses social networks. That is pretty strange, I agree.

Why am I being so negative? Well, for one thing, I think we (yes, I am implying all librarians) are way too ready to swallow any old codswallop presented to us in a nice package. Let’s be a lot more discerning and critical for a change. Also, and more precisely, I strongly object to the idea that keeps getting pushed by prominent techie leaders that OCLC represents us (implying, all libraries). It represents many, but not all.

Staying current: a survey response

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Ann Ercelawn, a dear friend and co-moderator of the SERIALST discussion list, posted a survey on that list yesterday that asked for responses to a series of questions relating to how we keep current within the LIS field. Below is the response I sent her. It’s not as detailed or complete as it should be but I was in a hurry ;-)

1) What are the websites that you find most useful?

I find that I rarely go to a library-related website anymore, instead relying on RSS feeds. And if a library-related website doesn’t offer an RSS feed, I am highly unlikely to refer to it much again.

2) What listservs do you find indispensable?

Here, too, I am finding myself really paring down my participation in listservs. I’m still subscribed to SERIALST and I also pay attention to SFX-DISCUSS-L, LIB-STATS, LIS-E-JOURNALS, and ERIL-L. That’s about it, though.

3) What are the most important formal publications (in print or online) that you read on a regular basis?

Serials Review, LCATS, D-LIB, Library Journal. Increasingly, though, I am not reading formal publications as much, instead, as in the case of websites and listservs, relying on blogs, wikis, and RSS feeds to obtain the information about what’s going on in my areas of interest. I am much more selective about what parts of formal publications I read.

4) What are the top 5-8 blogs that you read?

Walt at Random, Thingology (LibraryThing’s ideas blog), Roy Tennant’s Digital Libraries, Peter Scott’s Library Blog, One Big Library, Lorcan Dempsey’s Weblog, LISNews.org, Information Wants to Be Free, Hectic Pace.

5) Are there podcasts that you listen to on a regular basis?

Not really, but ones I have listened to and/or recommend include Library Geeks by Dan Chudnov, and the podcasts output as part of the SirsiDynix Institute.

6) What other resources do you consult or recommend?

I am a huge fan of RSS because it saves me so much time and money. Use a free RSS reader like Google Reader or Bloglines and begin collecting library-related feeds. You won’t be sorry.

LibraryThing for Libraries: a great idea

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Here is a link to a post by Tim Spalding of LibraryThing that describes his latest adventure: LibraryThing for libraries. What can I say? Just, WOW. If I had control over a library catalog that would be suitable for this, I’d jump on it right away and implement his free widget. Too bad my library catalog represents a collection that is highly specialized…

Link to Thingology (LibraryThing’s ideas blog): Sneak peek: LibraryThing for Libraries

Great article on LibraryThing

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Great article (found via Steven Cohen’s Library Stuff blog) on LibraryThing. While some competitors have recently entered the same type of niche (such as Shelfari), noone does it better than Tim Spalding, Abby Blachly, and others at LibraryThing.

Link to A Cozy Book Club, in a Virtual Reading Room – New York Times

A virtual visit with LibraryThingers

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This past Saturday I logged into iChat and saw that Tim Spalding was online as well, so I sent him a request to do a video chat. (For those of you unlucky enough to not be Mac owners, well, this kind of interaction is a piece of cake!) Tim accepted my invitation and he and I were able to have a brief conversation. Abby Blachly was there too, in the background, so I got to say hi to her as well. It was nice because none of us has ever met in person. One of the things I asked them was why on earth they appeared to be hard at work on a Saturday?! Turns out they were just minutes away from hosting the first official LibraryThing barbeque/picnic. Wish I could have been there!