LISNews: Librarian News

The Desk Setup

Like many technologists, I may have had some vague notion that librarians had something to contribute to discussions about information and metadata and standards and access, but my concept of what librarians did and what they knew probably had more to do with stereotypes and anecdote than on an understanding of reality. Which is a shame. Although in the last few years I think we’ve done a really good job of making clearer connections between libraries and technology, I don’t think anyone is surprised when librarians are omitted from discussions about and between prominent technologists, such as the one facilitated by the Setup. (Note: by “librarians” I mean anyone who works in, with, or for libraries. Hat tip to Eli Neiburger for saying what I’d been thinking, only less clearly, for some time before he said those words out loud.)

In the most recent New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell examines the social activism in the age of social media. If you have any interest in library advocacy, you need to go read it now. The gist of this article is that social media is excellent for reaching a multitude of people, but it lacks some of the strong bonds that turn interest into action.

The kind of activism associated with social media isn’t like this at all. The platforms of social media are built around weak ties. Twitter is a way of following (or being followed by) people you may never have met. Facebook is a tool for efficiently managing your acquaintances, for keeping up with the people you would not otherwise be able to stay in touch with. That’s why you can have a thousand “friends” on Facebook, as you never could in real life.

This is in many ways a wonderful thing. There is strength in weak ties, as the sociologist Mark Granovetter has observed. Our acquaintances—not our friends—are our greatest source of new ideas and information. The Internet lets us exploit the power of these kinds of distant connections with marvellous efficiency. It’s terrific at the diffusion of innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, seamlessly matching up buyers and sellers, and the logistical functions of the dating world. But weak ties seldom lead to high-risk activism. -- Read More

Times are tough for the libraries and librarians in your life. No matter where you live, your library needs your support right now. To celebrate these passionate literary professionals, we have created another directory curated by GalleyCat Reviews readers.

At the end of this post, we are building a directory of the Best Library People on Twitter. Add your favorite library, librarian, or library journalist (or yourself) to the growing list. Our feeble list IS NOT COMPREHENSIVE–yet. Add your favorite library people in the comments, we’ll add them to the list.

Here's Galley Cat's List of "Best Library People on Twitter"...

Is Facebook set to become the 'folk reference desk' of the future? Maybe so, if the rollout of Facebook Answers is a success. From Information Today's NEWSBREAKS:

"What the evangelists of the Semantic Web say is true: the bigger the web gets, the harder it is to find what we want to know. To that end, the perennial concern for providing "answers" has again popped up-and this time indicators point toward a substantive change in the tone of the web, along the lines of the paradigm shift from directories to search engines. Two recent developments typify this change-Facebook Questions and Ask.com..."

More at "Facebook Questions & Ask.com: Cashing in on Mass Ignorance" (link).