by Microsoft’s competition to Google Book Search, Live Search Books, is scheduled to release tomorrow (Dec. 7). The British Library, University of California, and University of Toronto have offered out of copyright books and more contributors will be added in Jan. 2007. Guess what I’m playing with tomorrow?
tech
Google News
Here’s an article from the BBC that discusses a new Google project, a literacy portal. “The Literacy Project enables teachers, organisations, and those interested in literacy to use the internet to search for and share literacy information.” Could have some interesting implications or applications for libraries.
Update: An interesting literacy side issue. Literacy groups in Canada are pushing to get the 17.7 million cut from their budget back. Read more from the CBC.
On the Tech Front
I’m very interested in technology but I must admit I’m a tech geek wannabe. I’m great at reading about new technology and software and maybe even playing at a very basic level. I don’t have the full grasp though, something I hope to gain in the future. Nonetheless, here are a couple of tech announcements lately that could eventually have an impact on libraries. Computers may get even faster in the near future thanks to a sticky silicon. A projector the size of a sugar cube has been created for use with mobile phones, PDAs, laptops, etc. Stephen Abram raises some considerations for libraries.
Podcasting 101
I thought I would pass this along for all those podcasters or future podcasters. Here's a link to a Podcasting Legal Guide from Creative Commons. I haven't done any podcasting yet but I'll definitely be looking at this more closely before I do, even though the guide is directed towards US law. Even those who don't know what podcasting is may want to look at this, as it does provide a section on what podcasting is and provides further resources for those with extra questions.
Stuff to play with
Just thought I'd pass along a couple of interesting library 2.0 stuff to play with. There is now a library 2.0 wiki. Firefox also has an extension for libraries: LibX. I haven't played with it yet, so no comments at this time. Have fun playing!
Update: I should really wait until I read all my rss feeds before posting. Here's another good resource to check out for Library 2.0 stuff.
The Future?
Take a look at this post from A Zulu in Silicon Valley. It looks at a search engine called Quece that actually searches by chat. They call it Conversational search. You search like you think. Simply type in your search, get results, and then you are asked another question, thereby refining your search. This sounds awfully like a reference interview. I haven't tried it out yet but it is certainly added to my to do list. I'll be keeping on eye on this one.
Web 2.0
For those of us still learning about web 2.0 and the myriad of applications that are associated with it, check out the blog A Zulu In Silicon Valley. I'm finding it a great way to find about many of the new applications that probably would have gone amiss. There just simply isn't enough time in a day to get it all done, the surfing and exploring, work, and of course, a life. It's also a nice way to start dreaming what possible library applications there might be with some of these things.
Free Information
There has been a lot of free information lately. ArchiveGrid has been discussed in a number of library blogs. This site allows free access to historical documetns from around the world.
Statistics Canada has announced that they will make all electronic publications found on their website (http://www.statcan.ca) free as of April 24th.
Exciting news from my library. We’ve hired Jeffery Trzeciak as our new UL. His presentation was Library 2.0 oriented. Can’t wait to see what we do!
No More Cards
A few stores in England have started using “Pay and Touch”, a system that means you don’t have to carry cards or cash around. It goes by fingerprint. Apparently, this system is in use in the States as well. Is this the future of circulation? No more library cards to weigh down your wallets? Personally, I find it all a little too big brother for me, but some like the convenience of it. Read more about it here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/oxfordshire/4784744.stm
Milestones
Well, it’s been recent period of milestones. Wikipedia English just entered its millionth entry. iTunes has had 1 billion songs downloaded.
What do these milestones mean for libraries? Obviously, these are technologies that libraries should be thinking about. Our patrons use them, so what can we do with them? This is where the whole library 2.0 debate or discussion comes into play. There are some great blogs out there discussing the 2.0 issues. Be sure to check out Stephen Abram’s Stephen’s Lighthouse and Micheal Stephen’s Tame the Web among the numerous great blogs out there (links on sidebar). More on Library 2.0 to come.