Google's goal of creating a giant literary database may not fit the traditional model of free public libraries.
LA Times Editorial: 2008 November 10
Google, whose corporate ambition is "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful," has reached a breakthrough agreement with book publishers to make millions of out-of-print volumes accessible to the public. Unfortunately, it's not clear how useful the pact will be to libraries and their patrons. That's because the deal promotes a "pay to read" approach that's the antithesis of the free public library model.
The deal grew out of a lawsuit that authors and publishers filed in response to a Google initiative to scan the collections of five major university libraries into a giant electronic database. The ostensible purpose of the database was to extend Google's search capabilities to the contents of some of the country's biggest libraries, providing what amounted to a card catalog for the 21st century. But Google had another goal as well: to give public libraries of all shapes and sizes access to rich digital collections of works, most of which were out of print.
In a settlement announced late last month, Google, the American Assn. of Publishers and the Authors Guild agreed to give publishers more control over what went into the database and how its contents were viewed. Google could make digital copies of entire works available to public and university libraries, but with limits. Significantly, public libraries would have free access only to previews of the digitized books, and only on one computer terminal per library building. Patrons can use Google's service to try to find a copy of a book at a nearby library, but if they want a digital copy, they'll have to pay for it. And even then, they won't be able to download the copy to their laptop or portable device; they can either print it or read it from the website where it will be stored. The Web-only approach requires better wireless Internet access than most people have today. Libraries that want to let users read copies for free will have to pay a subscription fee to a new "book rights registry" run by authors and publishers.
Proponents of the deal say it's just the starting point, and that Google and the registry will have the flexibility to explore more business models. The initiative will give publishers important new insights into how people want to use their works online and how digital technology is transforming the book market, they say. Nevertheless, some libraries are worried about a shift toward charging readers each time they take a book out of the digital stacks. It's unfortunate that Google and the publishers didn't take advantage of the emerging standards in the electronic book field to enable libraries to acquire and circulate digital versions of out-of-print titles. Companies such as Overdrive are providing a model for e-book lending that preserves the spirit of free public libraries. Google and the publishers should look for ways to apply that model to their new effort, helping libraries keep pace with a reading public that's increasingly eager and equipped for a world with less paper.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Government takes to 'that Internet thing'
Web access can lower barriers and appeal to younger people, officials say
Vito Pilieci
Canwest News Service
Sunday, November 09, 2008
After years of banning access to blogs, YouTube and Facebook, it seems the federal government has figured out that maybe that Internet thing isn't so bad after all.
In fact, it might even be useful.
At the annual Government in Technology conference, federal officials took the wraps off the government's internal version of the popular online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, which it calls GCpedia.
The service will allow federal employees to post, comment and edit articles placed on GCpedia by their peers.
By doing so, the federal government hopes it can make its processes and decision-making much more transparent. It also allows departments to share information better and catalogue policy developments or new services.
For example, information about climate change policies could be posted and commented on by scientists and bureaucrats from National Resources Canada (NRCan), Environment Canada and Industry Canada. The concept may help break down walls between government departments that have traditionally been stingy when it comes to sharing information.
"This way, not one person owns the information," said Brian MacLeod, chief information management architect, Canadian public sector, with Open Text Corp. "GCpedia proves that they (government) get it and they are using the tools available."
MacLeod spoke at the conference about the benefits of collaborative Internet technologies, which are called Web 2.0 technologies. He said to understand the benefits of new social networking technologies, all a person has to do is look at e-mail.
Most messages could easily be posted in a blog, or as short "yes" or "no" responses. Attachments could be shared on a GCpedia-like website, as opposed to blasting it to an entire mailing list, he said.
The worst part about sharing information through e-mail is that most of it gets deleted.
"As people engage in the community, you are capturing it," said Macleod. "You can record all of the dialogue, know how it evolved. All of the changes and all of the opinions. You acknowledge that these people exist and you can connect with them."
Macleod said adopting Web 2.0 applications will also help the government appeal to younger people, a priority for the aging federal public service.
The federal government is lagging behind other countries that have actively pursued collaborative technologies.
GCpedia emerged from an obscure National Resources Canada initiative called the NRCan Wiki. The department created the Wiki a year ago to better network its 5,000 employees. To date more than 1,900 are actively using the service.
"It's not just about gathering information, it's about collaborating," said Marj Akerley, chief information officer of NRCan. "Anyone coast to coast can contribute, we don't have to have meetings where we all get together and brainstorm."
Akerley said the NRCan Wiki worked so well that Treasury Board decided to use it as a template for a government wide version they called the GCpedia.
Still, it may be a while before GCpedia, or something like it, is opened up to all Canadians to allow them to comment and debate on federal government policies and initiatives.
"It is a culture change. People are very risk-averse within the government of Canada," Akerley said.
Vito Pilieci
Canwest News Service
Sunday, November 09, 2008
After years of banning access to blogs, YouTube and Facebook, it seems the federal government has figured out that maybe that Internet thing isn't so bad after all.
In fact, it might even be useful.
At the annual Government in Technology conference, federal officials took the wraps off the government's internal version of the popular online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, which it calls GCpedia.
The service will allow federal employees to post, comment and edit articles placed on GCpedia by their peers.
By doing so, the federal government hopes it can make its processes and decision-making much more transparent. It also allows departments to share information better and catalogue policy developments or new services.
For example, information about climate change policies could be posted and commented on by scientists and bureaucrats from National Resources Canada (NRCan), Environment Canada and Industry Canada. The concept may help break down walls between government departments that have traditionally been stingy when it comes to sharing information.
"This way, not one person owns the information," said Brian MacLeod, chief information management architect, Canadian public sector, with Open Text Corp. "GCpedia proves that they (government) get it and they are using the tools available."
MacLeod spoke at the conference about the benefits of collaborative Internet technologies, which are called Web 2.0 technologies. He said to understand the benefits of new social networking technologies, all a person has to do is look at e-mail.
Most messages could easily be posted in a blog, or as short "yes" or "no" responses. Attachments could be shared on a GCpedia-like website, as opposed to blasting it to an entire mailing list, he said.
The worst part about sharing information through e-mail is that most of it gets deleted.
"As people engage in the community, you are capturing it," said Macleod. "You can record all of the dialogue, know how it evolved. All of the changes and all of the opinions. You acknowledge that these people exist and you can connect with them."
Macleod said adopting Web 2.0 applications will also help the government appeal to younger people, a priority for the aging federal public service.
The federal government is lagging behind other countries that have actively pursued collaborative technologies.
GCpedia emerged from an obscure National Resources Canada initiative called the NRCan Wiki. The department created the Wiki a year ago to better network its 5,000 employees. To date more than 1,900 are actively using the service.
"It's not just about gathering information, it's about collaborating," said Marj Akerley, chief information officer of NRCan. "Anyone coast to coast can contribute, we don't have to have meetings where we all get together and brainstorm."
Akerley said the NRCan Wiki worked so well that Treasury Board decided to use it as a template for a government wide version they called the GCpedia.
Still, it may be a while before GCpedia, or something like it, is opened up to all Canadians to allow them to comment and debate on federal government policies and initiatives.
"It is a culture change. People are very risk-averse within the government of Canada," Akerley said.
Rupert trustee candidates answer teacher questions
Northern View: 2008 November 8
http://tinyurl.com/5wwbsn
Editor's note: Below are the answers of the Prince Rupert school trustee candidates to six questions posed by the Prince Rupert District Teacher's Union. The questions were posed by, and answers collected by, the PRDTU...
Question 5: Teachers are concerned about the erosion of library services in a district which has literacy as a high profile goal. Students have less access to libraries, Library Assistants have been cut back, and most elementary Teacher-Librarians have been replaced by Principals. What is your position on this issue?
Louisa Sanchez: Erosion of library services is indeed problematic considering the fact that LITERACY is one of our district goals. Many of our public schools libraries are close & some are open only part of the day. I visited and spoke to some of our library aides who are very concerned re: time given to do their job. I was appalled at what I saw and heard. We must all make the effort to ensure that our schools have resources to provide the print and electronic sources, the technology and the professional library staff to give all our children the skills and tools they need to navigate their way in this knowledge society. What a school thinks about its library is a measure of what it thinks about education. We must show that we value our school libraries by putting back our qualified librarians into our libraries and have them open on an all day basis.
Russell Wiens: I am embarrassed, we have set Literacy as our highest goal in the District. We have not shown ourselves to be the champions we need to be to make this happen.
Tina Last: I was very relieved to learn of the restoration of the library assistant’s hours. It seemed hypocritical to have literacy as a district goal and then limit the opportunity for students to access the tools needed to be successful at that goal. Libraries are the hubs of schools. They are a calm welcoming environment in a school and a place we want students to enjoy being and value. Simply put, they need to be open and accessible. As for who is manning the library I believe the teacher librarians while very important there can be difficulty in maintaining the continuity of that position. Where as the library assistants have often been in the library for a number of years and have developed a keen sense of that library, the students who frequent it and “own” its place within the school culture.
Terri-Lynne Huddlestone: The District Improvement Team acknowledged early on in their revision of the District Accountability Contract that one of the objectives for the district would be "To improve reading comprehension for every student in K-12". At that time, the Team made recommendations in their plan for specific actions to support this such as developing a district reading plan; implementing a district wide reading assessment; create a position on the District Service Team that will focus on supporting reading programming in K-9 classrooms; support the reading success of First Nations students; ensure that part of the secondary teacher librarian FTE is used to implement activities for students exceeding expectations in reading; maintain Literacy Support positions at both secondary schools at 0.25 FTE each; increased LRT (or other) FTE to support reading for gr. 1 students at risk; and create reading support blocks. These are just some of the actions that have been included in the contract, however, due to the significant budget shortfall that the Board of Education was faced with earlier this spring, many of these items were cut as funds were no longer available to support these. This included cut backs in staffing levels for our library assistants and other services within our schools.
Access to our libraries is crucial for our students. It is a learning centre in itself and the students should have the accessibility to be in there. The librarian assistants are crucial to the operation of the library. It is my understanding that based on our student enrollment at the end of September, the district had received funding that would help to reinstate teacher librarian time in the schools. While some Principals have assumed roles within the library, this has been a practice that has long been established in our district, this is not something new. Having a district goal of literacy and wanting to improve reading comprehension for our students, library time for our students is an important component to help them succeed.
Dorothy McLean: This is not fair to our Students, our Principals or our Library staff! I do not believe we should be cutting our staffing numbers from our Libraries, due to the fact that we have literacy as a high profile goal. Students need more access to Libraries not less, and we should not be taking Principals from other important duties. I do not believe that a school can provide a high standard of education with a part time Principal. Fund Libraries in All Schools, STOP CLOSING our Libraries!
Bart Kuntz: Extremely important topic, as we all know literacy and libraries go hand in hand. In support at September’s board meeting the staff recommended to add a portion of librarian time back from the previous spring budget had slated. I also sit on the DIT, which holds libraries and librarians in high priority to support literacy.
Brian Johnson: Principals are not librarians and they add to the cost of running our libraries. Our libraries should be open all day long when our schools are open with qualified librarians.
Leonard Alexcee: Library services play an important and vital role in our childrens' education. I am pleased to hear that librarian assistance may be reinstated because the librarian is the most important position in all schools. I would certainly seek to ensure that library services are all that they can be in our system.
June Lewis: As mentioned earlier, I am concerned with the fact that our children’s schools are lacking in Library use because of the size and the larger amount of children trying to access the same books. Reading is number one in all aspects of education. Reading will open all doors to all skills of life. It is a major tool in math, history, sciences, social studies etc. My children’s library is smaller then the one they had, the books available don’t challenge their minds. I am grateful I have talked with the principal and begun the process of looking into getting more. But you see this really shouldn’t have happened (school closers). But because this happened, this process should have been in place already.
Leona Peardon: Any loss of education opportunity should not and must not happen.
http://tinyurl.com/5wwbsn
Editor's note: Below are the answers of the Prince Rupert school trustee candidates to six questions posed by the Prince Rupert District Teacher's Union. The questions were posed by, and answers collected by, the PRDTU...
Question 5: Teachers are concerned about the erosion of library services in a district which has literacy as a high profile goal. Students have less access to libraries, Library Assistants have been cut back, and most elementary Teacher-Librarians have been replaced by Principals. What is your position on this issue?
Louisa Sanchez: Erosion of library services is indeed problematic considering the fact that LITERACY is one of our district goals. Many of our public schools libraries are close & some are open only part of the day. I visited and spoke to some of our library aides who are very concerned re: time given to do their job. I was appalled at what I saw and heard. We must all make the effort to ensure that our schools have resources to provide the print and electronic sources, the technology and the professional library staff to give all our children the skills and tools they need to navigate their way in this knowledge society. What a school thinks about its library is a measure of what it thinks about education. We must show that we value our school libraries by putting back our qualified librarians into our libraries and have them open on an all day basis.
Russell Wiens: I am embarrassed, we have set Literacy as our highest goal in the District. We have not shown ourselves to be the champions we need to be to make this happen.
Tina Last: I was very relieved to learn of the restoration of the library assistant’s hours. It seemed hypocritical to have literacy as a district goal and then limit the opportunity for students to access the tools needed to be successful at that goal. Libraries are the hubs of schools. They are a calm welcoming environment in a school and a place we want students to enjoy being and value. Simply put, they need to be open and accessible. As for who is manning the library I believe the teacher librarians while very important there can be difficulty in maintaining the continuity of that position. Where as the library assistants have often been in the library for a number of years and have developed a keen sense of that library, the students who frequent it and “own” its place within the school culture.
Terri-Lynne Huddlestone: The District Improvement Team acknowledged early on in their revision of the District Accountability Contract that one of the objectives for the district would be "To improve reading comprehension for every student in K-12". At that time, the Team made recommendations in their plan for specific actions to support this such as developing a district reading plan; implementing a district wide reading assessment; create a position on the District Service Team that will focus on supporting reading programming in K-9 classrooms; support the reading success of First Nations students; ensure that part of the secondary teacher librarian FTE is used to implement activities for students exceeding expectations in reading; maintain Literacy Support positions at both secondary schools at 0.25 FTE each; increased LRT (or other) FTE to support reading for gr. 1 students at risk; and create reading support blocks. These are just some of the actions that have been included in the contract, however, due to the significant budget shortfall that the Board of Education was faced with earlier this spring, many of these items were cut as funds were no longer available to support these. This included cut backs in staffing levels for our library assistants and other services within our schools.
Access to our libraries is crucial for our students. It is a learning centre in itself and the students should have the accessibility to be in there. The librarian assistants are crucial to the operation of the library. It is my understanding that based on our student enrollment at the end of September, the district had received funding that would help to reinstate teacher librarian time in the schools. While some Principals have assumed roles within the library, this has been a practice that has long been established in our district, this is not something new. Having a district goal of literacy and wanting to improve reading comprehension for our students, library time for our students is an important component to help them succeed.
Dorothy McLean: This is not fair to our Students, our Principals or our Library staff! I do not believe we should be cutting our staffing numbers from our Libraries, due to the fact that we have literacy as a high profile goal. Students need more access to Libraries not less, and we should not be taking Principals from other important duties. I do not believe that a school can provide a high standard of education with a part time Principal. Fund Libraries in All Schools, STOP CLOSING our Libraries!
Bart Kuntz: Extremely important topic, as we all know literacy and libraries go hand in hand. In support at September’s board meeting the staff recommended to add a portion of librarian time back from the previous spring budget had slated. I also sit on the DIT, which holds libraries and librarians in high priority to support literacy.
Brian Johnson: Principals are not librarians and they add to the cost of running our libraries. Our libraries should be open all day long when our schools are open with qualified librarians.
Leonard Alexcee: Library services play an important and vital role in our childrens' education. I am pleased to hear that librarian assistance may be reinstated because the librarian is the most important position in all schools. I would certainly seek to ensure that library services are all that they can be in our system.
June Lewis: As mentioned earlier, I am concerned with the fact that our children’s schools are lacking in Library use because of the size and the larger amount of children trying to access the same books. Reading is number one in all aspects of education. Reading will open all doors to all skills of life. It is a major tool in math, history, sciences, social studies etc. My children’s library is smaller then the one they had, the books available don’t challenge their minds. I am grateful I have talked with the principal and begun the process of looking into getting more. But you see this really shouldn’t have happened (school closers). But because this happened, this process should have been in place already.
Leona Peardon: Any loss of education opportunity should not and must not happen.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Obama and Libraries
By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 11/4/2008
It may be too soon to know how high libraries will fare on President-elect Barack Obama’s agenda, but it’s safe to say that the profession has a special place in the heart of the next president of the United States.
Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Washington office, says she’s confident that Obama will recognize the “importance of what we do” because he has a track record of supporting libraries in the past. Take, for instance, his address to ALA in June 2005.
“The library has always been a window to a larger world—a place where we've always come to discover big ideas and profound concepts that help move the American story forward,” he told the audience.
And speaking at the Democratic Convention in 2004, Obama voiced his concern about the Patriot Act and privacy issues by saying, "We don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States." The law, enacted in 2001, allows the government to secretly request and obtain library records.
But Obama’s real support for libraries will be apparent when it comes to renewing funding for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). Currently up for Congressional reauthorization, President Bush has already proposed $220 million in LSTA funding for 2009, a figure that includes $171.5 million, which allows the implementation of a formula that allows each state to receive at least $680,000 in base funding for libraries, says Sheketoff.
The same goes for how well Obama will fund the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program, which provides federal grants to high-need media centers to purchase up-to-date books and technology and provide professional development training to librarians. The program, originally authorized at $250 million, is currently funded at $19.4 million. It was funded at $20 million in 2003—the highest amount—but that’s no where near the $100 million that’s needed to transform it from a competitive grant to a formula grant, allowing each state to receive money, Sheketoff adds.
ALA has already informed Obama’s “domestic policy people” about the organization’s recent one-time request of $100 million in stimulus funding from Congress to “stem the bleeding” of critical library cutbacks and closures during these difficult economic times. Public libraries depend heavily on local property taxes to maintain operations, and increased foreclosure rates, lower home values, and fewer home sales have sharply reduced available funds, forcing libraries to cut services and hours, says ALA.
It’s still unclear whether Congress, which comes back on November 17, will pass a second economic stimulus bill. “But if they do another stimulus package, we hope to be a part of that,” Sheketoff says. “They did one for Wall Street. Hopefully, now they’ll do one for Main Street.”
Another item that ALA hopes Obama will look into is the connectivity issue and making sure that libraries have access to bandwidth. “In rural America, there’s inadequate bandwidth because there’s infrastructure,” says Sheketoff. “And in urban America, there’s not enough money for bandwidth.”
A recent ALA study shows that 73 percent of all libraries nationwide provide the only free Internet access in their communities—and in rural areas the rate rises to 83 percent.
“America’s free public libraries provide a lifeline for citizens in need across the country,” says ALA President Jim Rettig.
Obama’s past comments about the Patriot Act leaves ALA hopeful that the new administration will explore ways to make sure the law has “meaningful judicial and congressional oversight and eliminate all administrative subpoenas asking for library records,” Sheketoff adds.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Flip This Library: School Libraries Need a Revolution
School libraries need a revolution, not evolution
By David Loertscher -- School Library Journal, 11/1/2008
One of the biggest business battles of our time is between Microsoft and Google. The two have very different business models. Microsoft believes that if they build it, we will come—and buy their product. Google’s approach is different: if they build it, we will integrate it into our lives. We use Microsoft products on their terms, but we use Google products—from iGoogle to GoogleDocs—on our terms, to construct whatever we want...http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6610496.html
ALSC announces exceptional Web sites for children
ALA: 2008 November 4
(Chicago) The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, has added Web sites this fall to Great Web Sites for Kids (www.ala.org/greatsites), its online resource containing hundreds of links to commendable Web sites for children.
Great Web Sites for Kids (GWS) features links to valuable Web sites of interest to children, organized by subject headings such as animals; literature and languages; mathematics and computers; the arts; and history and biography. There is also a special section with sites of interest to parents, caregivers and teachers, plus an area devoted to sites in Spanish. The ALSC Great Web Sites for Kids Committee maintains and updates the site.
“Not all Web sites for kids are created equal,” said Karen Lemmons, co-chair of the committee and a library media specialist at Howe Elementary School in Detroit. “To make the cut and appear on the Great Web sites for Kids, a site must demonstrate commendable qualityand reflect and encourage young people’s interests in exemplary ways. Sites must stand up to an evaluation and voting process by the committee before being deemed ‘great’ and added to the GWS page.”
- ALSC’s GWS Committee voted to add the following sites in fall 2008:
- Adolescent Literacy - www.adlit.org
- Bob the Builder - www.bobthebuilder.com/usa/intro.html
- Career Information for Kids - http://www.bls.gov/k12/
- The Children’s Book Review - www.thechildrensbookreview.com
- Exploring Nature Educational Resource - www.exploringnature.org
- The Federal Communications Commission Kids Zone – www.fcc.gov/cgb/kidszone
- GoGooligans - www.gogooligans.com
- The Harry Potter Lexicon - www.hp-lexicon.org
- Leading to Reading - www.rif.org/leadingtoreading/en/
- Nutrition Explorations: Kids - www.nutritionexplorations.com/kids/main.asp
- The Road to the Capitol/National Mock Election - www.nationalmockelection.org/game/
- Vicki Cobb’s Science Page - www.vickicobb.com
- We Shall Overcome Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement National Register Travel Itinerary - www.nps.gov/history/NR/travel/civilrights
- Ziggity Zoom - www.ziggityzoom.com
- ZOOM by Kids, for Kids! - http://pbskids.org/zoom/help/contact/general.html
Members of the 2008 Great Web Sites for Kids Committee are: Karen Lemmons, co-chair, Howe Elementary School, Detroit; Becki Bishop, co-chair, Campbell Court Elementary School, Bassett, Va.; Amy Brown, Worthington Libraries, Columbus, Ohio; Robin Gibson, Granville, Ohio; Diana McFarland, Brunswick, Maine; Carla Morris, Provo City (Utah) Library; Marilyn Sobotincic, Medina County (Ohio) District Library; Terrell Young, Washington State University, Richland.
The complete listing of great sites with annotations and selection criteria can be found at www.ala.org/greatsites
Sunday, November 2, 2008
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