Theory

Libraries, logistics and the long tail

Lorcan Dempsey Takes A Look at the many "long tail" discussions and says the real issue is how well supply and demand are articulated in a network environment. And when we think about it in this systemwide way the picture is less reassuring. Think of two figures. The first is that ILLs account for 1.7% of overall circulations. The second is about circulation.He says Libraries do indeed collectively manage a long tail of research, learning and cultural materials. However, we need to do more work to make sure that that long tail is directly available to improve the work and lives of our users.

What's the mission of the librarian in 2006?

Blogger Dan Chudnov has posted a very thoughtful answer to this question, based on the framework of the business book Good to Great by Jim Collins. In brief, his answer is: "Help people build their own libraries."

If a Library Is Bookless, What's In It?

Talk Of The Nation Covered Libraries yesterday. The "Bookless Library." Is it a contradiction in terms, or a sign of the times? Information technology changes as soon we think we understand it. With mammoth collections to maintain, libraries are struggling to keep up -- and to redefine their role.

Library Science in India: Vision for 2010

GreaterKashmir.com Has This from Dr. Abdul Majid Baba, who sums up the proceedings of the 25th All India Conference of the Indian Association of Special Libraries and Information Centres (IASLIC) hosted by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras from 16th to 29th December 2005 at Chennai

Does "Web 2.0" mean anything?

If you're like me (And you know you want to be) you roll your eyes everytime you see someone writing about "WEB 2.0." Joey sent over a link to Web 2.0 by Paul Graham of Yahoo Stores and
Lisp fame that's worth a read even if you don't think there's anything new in Web 2.0 other than the name.He says Originally, yes, Web 2.0was meaningless. Now it seems to have acquired a meaning. And yet those who dislike the term are probably right, because if it means what I think it does, we don't need it.

UFOs (Ubiquitous Findable Objects)

Peter Morville has an interesting one over on O'reily Network: UFOs (Ubiquitous Findable Objects). He says a clear sign of progress towards being able to find anyone or anything from anywhere at any time is the emergence of ubiquitous findable objects (UFOs). GPS, RFID, UWB, and cellular triangulation enable us, for the first time in history, to tag and track products, possessions, pets, and people as they wander through space and time.

Keeping Pace With Google: DVDs Are Not The Answer

It keeps clicking for me, and the good news is it seems to be clicking with some other folks as well. So I think this should raise a question. This is a simple question, though it's 800+ words long: With whom does this need to click for it to matter? Does it need to click with the ALA? The directors of the ACRL libraries? If I'm wrong, and this is yet just one more "end of the libraries" time, then our profession live through it just fine. If you agree with me, who should we being trying to convince we're right? Let me explain a little what I'm talking about here.

Like Karen, Gandel's "Wrong Train?" gave me a couple new clicks:

1. This is another "end of the libraries" time when some people are very worried.

2. We are nodes. We are a small piece of a huge information industry that we used to have a monopoly on. -- Read More

2 Not so easy questions to answer

Andrea Mercado presents us with a couple of "Not so easy questions to answer", along with a couple of good answers. The Massachusetts Library Association application for a scholarship asks 2 simple questions:
1. How are libraries adapting to life in the 21st century?
2. What is the role of the library in promoting literacies?

Andrea says "On first read, I thought this would be easy. Actually, not so much."

Google and Yahoo - illiterate monks?

There's a fantastic thread over on the SHARP-L list: "Google and Yahoo - illiterate monks?".
The SHARPists have been discussing Google, electronic texts, and the future of the printed word. There's over a dozen messages so far, and they're all worth a read.

The Political Economy of Reading

The lecture, "The Political Economy of Reading", [PDF] the second of the John Coffin Memorial lectures in the history of the book arranged by the University of London, is now published.

It is published under Creative Commons, a new form of limited copyright, that enables researchers, teachers, and students to dowload, copy, and circulate it without risk of running into the normal restrictions.

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