Daniel

The Flickr Libraries and Librarians group is compiling a list of libraries (i.e. not individuals) with Flickr accounts. You can add your input to their discussion thread.

So far they have Reading Public Library and University of New Hampshire Library.

Please either help them out at Flickr, or use the comments here. I’ll pass along URLs provided here to Flickr.

Thanks to the Open CRS project, the following Congressional Research Service report on Google Book Search has been made available to the public:

While this six page report explictly denies any effort to predict the eventual court outcome, I found its “four factor” fair use analysis interesting:

The Library Project has the potential to be a great boon to scholarship, research, and the public in general. It is, nevertheless, commercial in nature because Google anticipates
that it will enhance its services utilization by the public and concomitantly increase advertising fees. With respect to the first factor, the purpose and character of use, the
searching and indexing goal appears to be a highly transformative use of the copied text.

There is little question that indexing basic information about any book alone, absent copying, would not constitute copyright infringement. While displaying snippets of text is closer to infringing activity, the prospective display, as described by Google, does not appear to usurp or negate the value of the underlying work.

Continued Below

Thanks to the Open CRS project, the following Congressional Research Service report on Google Book Search has been made available to the public:

While this six page report explictly denies any effort to predict the eventual court outcome, I found its “four factor” fair use analysis interesting:

The Library Project has the potential to be a great boon to scholarship, research, and the public in general. It is, nevertheless, commercial in nature because Google anticipates
that it will enhance its services utilization by the public and concomitantly increase advertising fees. With respect to the first factor, the purpose and character of use, the
searching and indexing goal appears to be a highly transformative use of the copied text.

There is little question that indexing basic information about any book alone, absent copying, would not constitute copyright infringement. While displaying snippets of text is closer to infringing activity, the prospective display, as described by Google, does not appear to usurp or negate the value of the underlying work.

Continued Below

The second factor is the nature of the copyrighted work. Digitizing the collections of the named libraries will encompass both factual and creative works, the latter being
entitled to the highest level of copyright protection. How the court views the third factor; amount of the portion used; will be significant. In order to create its megadatabase,
Google will scan the entire copyrighted work, a major consideration weighing against fair use. But it intends to display, i.e., use, at any given time, only brief excerpts
of the searchable text. Hence, is the digital reproduction incidental to an otherwise fair use or is it impermissibly infringing?

Finally, what will be the Library Project’s effect on the potential market for or value of the copyrighted works? Here, Google makes a strong argument that its indexing and text searching capability has the potential to greatly enhance the market for sales for books that might otherwise be relegated to obscurity. Its sampling of text permits members of the public to determine whether they wish to acquire the book.

The Publishers counter that copyright owners routinely receive license fees for authorized sampling. Google’s project may deprive them of the opportunity to participate in the creation of similar databases over which they have control and input. The Publishers have also expressed concern that the digital edition of the work Google returns to the participating library may facilitate piracy and/or additional unauthorized uses.

Makes for good reading at only six pages and the report will be updated as events warrant. Whether the public will see the updates will depend on whether someone gets their Congressmember to give them a copy and in turn submit that to OpenCRS or the University of North Texas Congressional Research Service Report Archive.

Mary Minow’s LibraryLaw Blog reports that people using Library Elf to track their checkouts and overdues may have their records exposed like these 228 Bloglines users.

My impression is that this that circulation records wouldn’t show if people used a pc-based newsreader instead of a public web-based one like Bloglines.

It’s also important to let any outraged people know that this isn’t the fault of the libraries because it is the patrons who sign up for Library Elf accounts.

Government Documents librarians are joining the “biblioblogosphere” Here are two relatively new blogs that are helping raise awareness of “news you can use” government information sources:

• Government Publications Library–University of Colorado at Boulder
• Red Tape Blog (Michigan State Univ)

The Red Tape blog is more Michigan focused, but still carries items of interest to all. The Colorado blog was started around Thanksgiving 2005 and uses a conversational document/gov web site of the day format.

Both blogs allow comments, although I didn’t see comments on either blog.

The diligent folks at the Urban Legends Pages have updated their list of Halloween legends for 2005. A topical link for all the scary questions you’ll get Monday.

Episode 56 of the business podcast For Immediate Release is a primer on podcasting given to McGraw-Hill’s communicators in New York City.

The episode covers what podcasts are, how to subscribe to them, how to produce them, and provides an overview of companies that use podcasts. I found it useful and fascinating. This episode could be effective in convincing your library management to do podcasting – IF that makes sense for your audience. Libraries serving populations that are majority dial-up won’t benefit from podcasting. It’s a broadband medium.

• Episode 56 – podcasting tutorial
• Powerpoint Presentation meant for following along with Shel’s presentation.
  

The Depository Library Council (DLC) invites the library community and general public to answer questions and post comments about the type of future they see for government information on their new blog, located at http://dlcvisionoutline.blogspot.com/.

Some of the topics that all citizens are being asked to consider are:

1. Library Roles in the Non-Exclusive Environment
2. Managing Collections & Delivering Content
3. Adding Value
4. Deploying Expertise

Take a look around, read a few of the background documents, and tell the Depository Library Council what kind of government information future the citizens of this country expect.

If you think that the blog postings only make sense to documents librarians, tell them that too. The DLC is looking for a vision that embraces all users of government information, not just depository librarians!

Seems like more people are getting interested in story hour!

I realize that some people may be bothered by this photo, but I think we should be celebrating any group that helps literacy along with read alouds.

Reprinted from the members only Alaska Library Association list with permission:

From: Patience Frederiksen 
Sent: Monday, July 25, 2005 10:24 AM
Subject: [AKLA list] Kudos To Kate Shugak

This weekend, I just finished reading Dana Stabenow’s most recent Kate Shugak mystery: A Taint in the Blood. I really enjoy this series, but especially when it is set in Anchorage and when Kate ends up at Loussac Library doing research. In this book, Kate goes to Loussac twice. Each time, she parks in the first row by the fountain, but all the way at the end so she can find her Subaru Forester when she comes out of the library.

Kate uses the microfilm of the Anchorage Daily News to search for details about a murder that took place thirty years ago. Later on, Kate learns some new information from a witness and realizes that she should have asked for help from a reference librarian at Loussac, because the librarian would have helped her find this new info much earlier in her investigation.

My only question is: what place sells coffee near the court building in downtown Anchorage and has the initials: MA? I could not place that restaurant. [Daniel’s note: a later e-mail to the list concluded the coffee place was Moose a la Mode.]

Kudos to Dana Stabenow for her vision of what a library provides and what a librarian can do!

Patience Frederiksen

An Alaska Department of Education and Early Development press release reports:

Education Commissioner Roger Sampson has named Kay Shelton Director of the Division of Libraries, Archives and Museums. The appointment also gives Shelton the title of Alaska State Librarian.

Kay Shelton is the first permanent director of the Alaska State Library since the departure of Karen Crane in December 2002. Kay had been in acting director status since February 2005.

The staff of the entire division cheered Kay’s appointment when it was announced this morning and look forward to her continued leadership.