Aaron

Open Access to Scientific Research

“A number of influential scientists have begun to argue that the cost of research publications has grown so large that it impedes the distribution of knowledge. Some subscriptions cost thousands of dollars per year, and those journals are usually available online only to subscribers. This looks less like dissemination than restriction, especially if it is measured against the potential access offered by the Internet. That is why a coalition led by Dr. Harold Varmus, the former director of the National Institutes of Health, is creating a new model, called the Public Library of Science.”

The full op-ed [NYT]

[via jen]

See also, the Open Archives Initiative

August 10, 2003 by Internet Libraries

OSS SOS From TSL

I was peaking at The Shifted Librarian (actually reading the page, not the RSS feed 😉 ) and saw the following:

RFH – Open Source Software Speaker

The next SLS Tech Summit is September 25, and we’ve had a few requests to do a session on open source software for libraries at the client workstation level, probably with a focus on public libraries. For example, how to deploy Open Office, Mozilla, Gimp, and anything else you think should be added to the list. We’re looking for one or two persons who could speak to this issue, preferably from experience.

If you are such a person or know of one, please contact me. The caveat, of course, is that we can’t really pay you with anything other than kindness, smiles, gratitude, and lunch. Thanks!

Any LISNewsers have some thoughts for her?

August 8, 2003 by Libraries

Unruly Librarians

From this week’s Onion:

This week’s What Do You Think Section has a bit about the Libera/Librarian mistakes as of late.

Embattled Liberia:
The Bush administration is still unsure what role the U.S. military should play in war-ravaged Liberia. What do you think?

“I don’t understand why everyone’s so up in arms about some unruly librarians.”
Ethan Templeton, Gaming Dealer”

[via jen]

August 8, 2003 by Librarians Libraries

If You Liked the Web Page, You’ll Love the Ad

Publishers, including The Washington Post’s Web site, which is owned by The Washington Post Company, and the car-buyers advice site Edmunds.com, have turned to Google or Overture to sell ads pegged to the content that each visitor selects. When a visitor goes to the Book World page on WashingtonPost.com, for example, the person is likely to see a text ad for a self-publishing company or some other book-related advertisement, placed there by Google’s advertising service.


The technology is not yet foolproof. The online edition of The New York Post, which is owned by the News Corporation, ran an article last month about a murder in which the victim’s body parts were packed in a suitcase, and Google served up an ad for a luggage dealer.

I wonder what the ads for a story about LISNews would look like?

Here’s the full article [NYT, reg’req]

via jen

August 5, 2003 by Google Internet

Update on Libraries in Iraq

Martin writes:

“A colleague who is attending the World Library and Information Congress (formerly known as IFLA) in Berlin, sent a note about a report by a French scholar attached to USESCO on the state of libraries in Iraq after the war. He describes the damage to the major repositories in Baghdad, Basra and Mosul, concluding that while there was extensive damage to buildings and many book collections were destroyed, the majority of the precious manuscripts have been preserved. The full report can be found at IFLA’s website.“[.pdf]

August 5, 2003 by Libraries

What is Permanent in the Digital Age?

This is supposed to be a paperless society, but many of us still
like to hold a piece of paper in our hands.
To me, a piece of paper means permanence, whereas an e-mail does not.
Here’s proof: Yesterday, I accidentally deleted all the e-mail messages on my
computer. Everything was gone because I touched a wrong button.
And that wasn’t the first time it happened. I did the same thing a few months
ago.


The article raises some issues that we’re all familiar with, but also poses an interesting point about the creation of content in the digital age. Because documents are generally replaced by new content when edited, will we see fewer drafts of important documents in the future?

There’s no mention, though, of hidden data in the digital world. (e.g. hidden metadata in Tony Bliar’s document or unstripped jpegs.)

Read the full story [from Kingstown Whig Standard]

August 5, 2003 by Uncategorized

Yes, Another Long Overdue Book

Just because we’ll probably have a near-complete of overdue book stories here….
The facts:

  • Years overdue:47
  • Date taken from library: April 19, 1955
  • Title: “Days and Deeds,” a compilation of poetry by Burton and Elizabeth B. Stevenson.

The article mentions that…”The largest library book fines paid, according to the current Guinness files, is $292.20, paid to the Prairie Creek Library, in Dwight, Ill., in 1999 by Art Org who discovered a book which was 40 years overdue.” [from the kewanee star courier]

August 5, 2003 by Books Libraries Way Overdue

US to Send Troops to LibRARia

Bruce writes

“Already reeling from severe economic sanctions, the once-proud nation of Libraria now braces for a military invasion that Bush administration insiders describe as long overdue.

“We’ve given them every opportunity to comply with inspections,� said Homeland Security director Tom Ridge, referring to Article 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act. “But radical elements in Libraria have mocked the sanctions. They’ve shredded records, they’ve purged computer files. This will not stand.�

Bruce writes

“Already reeling from severe economic sanctions, the once-proud nation of Libraria now braces for a military invasion that Bush administration insiders describe as long overdue.

“We’ve given them every opportunity to comply with inspections,� said Homeland Security director Tom Ridge, referring to Article 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act. “But radical elements in Libraria have mocked the sanctions. They’ve shredded records, they’ve purged computer files. This will not stand.�President Bush, during his press conference on Wednesday, stressed the urgency of the threat posed by Librarians. “We know they are hiding something. And I promise the American people we will find it. Whatever it is.�

Analysts observe that the Bush administration’s policy differences with Libraria run deep. The president’s key advisors have long decried the country’s economic system, saying privately that it borders on socialism. Richard Kidd, economist with the conservative Heritage Foundation, summed up the objections of many close to the administration: “The whole place is an irresponsible free-for-all where nearly every commodity is furnished, even for the lazy and the unproductive. Libraria has been notoriously slow,� Kidd says, “to embrace the realities of the new global capitalism.�

The president indicated that regime change will bring “American values� to the rogue state. “There are some good people in Libraria, right-thinking people,� Bush acknowledged during his press briefing. “Some Librarians do understand the importance of branding, corporate partnering, all those kinds of advanced economic theories. And we will work with those leaders, to restore fairness and common sense to Libraria.� But the US will have to make a strong case for the invasion if it hopes to win the support of a skeptical United Nations.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Colin Powell’s dramatic 90-minute presentation before the UN Security Council cited intelligence reports of Librarian violations of Section 215 and showed alarming photos of “highly suspicious packages� found in breakroom refrigerators throughout Libraria. Powell, who once accepted a $70,000 fee to share his wisdom with citizens of the embattled nation, concluded, “I have dealt with these people. I understand how they think. And I can tell you: we will be doing the world a favor by toppling this regime.� Moderate members of the Security Council have resisted the use of force, advocating instead continuation of the UN’s controversial Food-for-Fines program.

Military experts agree that US troops will face few obstacles to a swift and decisive takeover. Although Libraria has an impressive infrastructure of fortresses and bunkers, many constructed of solid brick, most are now staffed by skeleton crews during dwindling hours of operation. Further, pointed out Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in a briefing last week, “many of their most seasoned soldiers are afflicted with incontinence and failing eyesight.� Younger recruits, Rumsfeld says, are forced to work at low pay with little job security. “We don’t expect much resistance from them. They’re apt to greet us with flowers and whimsical greeting cards. Those ones that you pass around and get everybody to sign.�

The US action, dubbed Operation Authority Control, has been years in the planning. On some fronts, the invasion has already begun. The footing of the impending ground assault was laid in April of this year when a secret team of US “cyber operatives� infiltrated Libraria’s Information Ministry in order to wreak havoc with its website, a mission Rumsfeld described as a “resounding success.�

Speculation has already turned to governance of a post-invasion Libraria. While the administration has said publicly that its goal is to have Librarians install their own leaders in accord with US aims for the region, an interim transition government remains a certainty. It will be headed, insiders say, by retired Lt. General Barnson Noble. “Barney’s a good man,â€? Bush told reporters Wednesday. “He’s got the kind of no-nonsense management style that you need in a place like Libraria, and he understands free-market principles. Barney will run things with a firm hand, an invisible hand. We’re in agreement on this. We’ll make sure that Libraria is run like a business.â€?”

August 4, 2003 by Libraries

LISNews Archives