Something fun to end blog posting on Tumblr for the semester.

JVL
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
trying on a metaphor
hello vonnie

roma★

izzy's playlists!
cherry valley forever
sheepfilms
Monterey Bay Aquarium

Janaina Medeiros
will byers stan first human second
let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open
Aqua Utopia|海の底で記憶を紡ぐ

ellievsbear
2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
KIROKAZE
AnasAbdin

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Claire Keane
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
seen from Russia

seen from United Kingdom
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seen from Malaysia
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@dwlis9134
Something fun to end blog posting on Tumblr for the semester.
One would think governments would have thought about this before.
OCLC, WorldCat and Cloud Computing
We’ve all heard the expression “just Google it” when we want to look something up online. For the most part people are using Google or Bing and a few others to search for their information even when it comes to research. There is nothing wrong with that as students we use Google all the time and often so do librarians. For some things Google isn’t ideal though. This is why “libraries are also getting involved in alternatives to search engines” (Jordan, 2011, p. 4). In addition, as search engines continue to evolve so do library systems and services (Jordan, 2011).
The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) has played a role in in the evolution of library systems. “OCLC’s current strategic direction can be summed up as Web-scale for libraries” (Jordan, 2011, p. 6). OCLC is talking about cloud computing and web-scale which essentially is “Web-based applications with shared data and services” (Jordan, 2011, p.6). Jay Jordan notes, “what is not often observed is that OCLC was conceived by Frederick G. Kilgour as a cloud computing organization way back in 1967, when there was no Web, no Internet, and no search engines or graphical user interfaces (2011, p. 7).
In 2006 OCLC launched WorldCat.org, which is the world largest library catalogue. People can search for any item in OCLC member libraries collection from around the world. WorldCat is freely available online at https://www.worldcat.org/ . People can limit their search to Books, DVDs, CDs, Articles or simply search everything. As mentioned in Jordan’s article people now can download an app to find items at libraries near to where people are living. WorldCat is also available to libraries with a different users interface. In academic libraries you will find this version of WorldCat likely under databases. The interface provides users more advanced search options. Here is the link through Western for WorldCat http://firstsearch.oclc.org/WebZ/FSPrefs?entityjsdetect=:javascript=true:screensize=large:sessionid=fsapp3-37317-htsb3c56-k8mskb:entitypagenum=1:0
I’ve used both versions of WorldCat both for my work and as a user of libraries. For my work in doing reserves in the library WorldCat has been very valuable. I had to at times temporary catalogue private copy items and searching for items in World Cat and the libraries that had the items in their catalogues gave me the bibliographical information I needed. I know that our ILL department also used WorldCat as one of the tools to see where items were located. I’ve used WorldCat when helping students locate bibliographical information or when they needed to know where a particular item they where looking for was located. As a student I’ve gone to WorldCat to look for particular edition information of a book and for publisher information for citations.
“The WorldCat database has been creating system-wide efficiencies in library workflow management since 1971….Going forward [OCLC is] extending WorldCat to represent the collective collection of the OCLC cooperative, including physical holdings such as books and journals, licensed digital content, and the growing array of local content that is being digitized” (Jordan, 2011, p. 16). It will be interesting to see what’s next for WorldCat. It is a trusted and reliable service that connects users and libraries with each other. It is also valuable for libraries in terms of collection development and to know where and which items are located at libraries around the world.
“OCLC is building its next generation of services in the computing cloud, where applications and data are stored on the Internet rather than on a local computer. Libraries can use an application without having to worry about supporting technology” (Jordan, 2011, pp. 16-17). The idea of cloud computing brings privacy issues into play and questions of what happens to records when the Internet is down or when a record simply disappears. I think there might be potential in cloud computing and library item records, but it must be approached in a well thought out and careful manner. Information on the cloud needs to be accessible while at the same time secure (both in terms of information not being stolen and information being lost). I don’t think we are quite there yet. I’m looking forward to see where OCLC takes their idea of cloud computing and how it will help libraries further evolve.
Jordan, J. (2011). Climbing out of the box and into the cloud: Building web-scale for libraries. Journal of Library Administration, 51(1), 3-17. doi:10.1080/01930826.2011.531637
Information Literacy and Digital Literacy
Information literacy has been a key advocacy issue for librarians for years. With information literacy comes knowledge and with knowledge comes the power to be informed and make personal and political choices. ALA on its website notes, “Libraries are major sources of information for society and they serve as guardians of the public’s access to information more generally” (n.d.). Once a person is information literate there is no telling what they can do. They could become Prime Minister, a doctor or a volunteer at a library helping someone else with their information literacy issue. “The instrumental value of reading for self-improvement and social accord was a central argument for public provision of library services, endorsed by rival ninetieth-century political philosophies of laissez faire individualism and state-sponsored reform” (McShane, 2011, p. 383).
Libraries today still play an integral role when it comes to information literacy. Library programs have something for everyone. There are story times for young children, book clubs, author readings, workshops on and books for cooking or gardening, and computer classes for seniors. The library is about the joy of lifelong learning. This learning today includes digital literacy. Many librarians are and have been leading the way when it comes to digital literacy. They are active online professionally (chat reference) and in their spare time (World of Warcraft). “Digital literacy, along with similar formulations such as web literacy, gained currency in the mid-1990s” (McShane, 2011, p. 386). As digital literacy is much more participatory it requires a new set of skills. “Consequently, the expanding use of the internet in cultural, commercial and government settings has led to a reframing of the digital divide as a ‘participation gap’, concerned not so much with questions of access, but opportunities for involvement in participatory culture” (McShane, 2011, pp. 386-387). I agree with McShane that it is more complicated than that. I also think that access is still an important issue. As with information literacy to become digital literate you need to have access to the information. This access includes the hardware and software that is needed. Libraries are integral to those that do not have or cannot afford computers, tablets or laptops. Libraries with providing programing on how to use the technologies are helping in bridging the digital divide. This programing for example teaches seniors how to use social media to connect with their grandchildren, which can make them feel less isolated and less marginalized. Other programs help young people with their resume skills and how to apply for jobs online. By advocating and offering programs to teach both information literacy and digital literacy, libraries are providing invaluable services to their communities. Libraries are providing opportunities for everyone to become more informed and learn something. ALA on it websites states, “Core values of the library community such as equal access to information, intellectual freedom, and the objective stewardship and provision of information must be preserved and strengthened in the evolving digital world” (n.d). I think this statement is key and that it is what many libraries are doing when it comes to digital literacy.
McShane in his article also touches on the use of digital technologies in schools. I saw a clip in early March on CBC on how a teacher in Whitby lets students use smart phones, tablets and laptops in the classroom. It’s an interesting piece. It seems students like the experience and since everyone participates even shy students feel more inclined to contribute. I have mixed feelings about the use of technology in the classroom, as it can be both beneficial and problematic. Here is the link http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/Toronto/ID/2440249474/?page=2
American Library Association (ALA). (n.d.). Access. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/access
McShane, I. (2011). Public libraries, digital literacy and participatory culture. Discourse-Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 32(3), 383-397. doi:10.1080/01596306.2011.573254
Libraries and NPM
Over the course of the semester I’ve come across ‘crisis’ talk in readings about in regards to libraries and not just in this course. This is interesting, as I wouldn’t say all the issues are necessarily a crisis. There are many challenges and changes that libraries have faced and have to face. It certainly hasn’t been easy for libraries and librarians, but many libraries have risen to the challenge, sometimes successfully and sometimes not. In the US the challenge has been greater than in Canada. Nonetheless as could be seen with current cuts to government libraries and Doug Ford in 2011 complaining that there are more libraries than Tim Hortons (which is not true) in the Ward he represents you get the picture of the challenges out there. Libraries along with other public institutions have not been immune to market forces. They have had to do more with less and have to keep proving their value. Efficiency, standardization and the deskilling of labour along with technological changes and postmodern consumer capitalism have all affected libraries. For the most part libraries have tried to juggle between what rules management / government implement with what patrons actually need.
Libraries are being run more and more like businesses. John Buschman points out that “gone are the areas of funding for buildings and collections – those now must be accomplished locally, with no hope for federal funding” (2005, p. 5). “In, sum library funding has been tied to the agenda of the “new” economy through the logic of the new public philosophy embedded in blue-ribbon panels, government reports, and public policy over the last 25 years” (Buschman, 2005, p.5-6).
Within this new public philosophy technology has also driven decision-making and budget allocating. Ed D’Angelo notes that “during the New Economy era most changes were attributed to information technology. But machines don’t manage change. People in positions of power do…Technology merely gives management to tools to carry its policies” (2006, p. 113). This is how the idea of New Public Management (NPM) entered libraries in the 80’s and 90’s. NPM advocates outsourcing, using part-time/ contract employees, flattening hierarchies of responsibilities and a reliance on technology. These points remind me of Taylorism and simply being a cog in the machine. For libraries NPM still plays are role how they are run today.
Within this context we find the example of public officials like Doug Ford questioning the value of libraries. Some of these officials ask, “Why do we need libraries? Everything is online!” This is why libraries need to push back and why advocacy has to go beyond repetitive lip service. Constantly repeating that libraries are wonderful when public officials are dealing with budget cuts, will not be enough of an argument to keep funding (Jaeger, Gorham, Bertot & Sarin, 2013). Showing that libraries are important to their communities is a difficult task, but the willingness to do so is the first step in what will continue to be an uphill battle (Jaeger, Gorham, Bertot & Sarin, 2013). Libraries are more than just buildings. They are places where the community meets, where discussion takes place, where various information on various topics representing various arguments can be found and where people that might be marginalized or new to Canada can feel safe and welcome. The library “[embodies] an essential element of democracy: a place where the ideal of unfettered communication and investigation exists in rudimentary for, allowing for critical and rational discussion of the issues of the day” (Buschman, 2005, p.9-10). It is that essential element of democracy librarians have to continue to push and fight for against all odds.
Buschman, J. (2006). Libraries and the decline of public purposes. Public Library Quarterly, 24(1), 1-12. doi:10.1300/J118v24n01_01
D'Angelo, E. (2006). Postmodern consumer capitalism and the public library. In Barbarians at the gates of the public library: How postmodern consumer capitalism threatens democracy, civil education and the public good (pp. 113-120). Duluth, MN: Library Juice Press.
Jaeger, P. T., Gorham, U., Bertot, J. C., & Sarin, L. C. (2013). Neutrality, and value demonstration in the age of austerity. The Library Quarterly, 83, 368-382. doi:10.1086/671910
"Mark Zuckerberg’s $2 billion buyout of Oculus Rift is just the latest step in Big Tech’s creepy march from software to sci-fi: Google and Facebook have dumped billions into companies that have nothing to do with their original projects in search or social. Relentlessly, the two companies are...
Google and Facebook are both terrifying in their own way. The thing is it's also not just Google and Facebook. As the article I linked to earlier today "Browser cookies" mentioned it's not just one website. The issue is various when we go to websites they collect your browsing information and then often it's shared with third party sites. Some of the website use visit with use the same third party sites. The problem then is there is overlap. From that a user profile can be created. I don't know how much clearing your browsing history helps? I try to do that especially after online banking or logging into government sites.
The fact that Google and Facebook are both private companies that offer "free" services tells us something else. It is not surprising that these organizations are trying to expand their products after they are in the business of making a profit. They just happen to make that profit with people's information. Google has bought YouTube, created Google Glasses, and dabbled in a genetic testing service. Facebook looked at creating a cell phone and bought Instagram in 2012. Microsoft as well has acquired Skype and has the Windows phone. Being away from home Skype has come in handy, but instead of creating a new account I simply used my Hotmail account. Google does the same with all of it's services. It's convenient in one way and scary in another as all your information is in one place. This is much easier for the companies though since they don't have to compile information from your various profiles as it's all there in one.To me the annoying and scary thing is that we can't get away from these companies. If you want to use the Internet, stay in touch with family and friends, and conduct business the likelihood is you are using a Google, Facebook, Android, Apple or Microsoft product to do so. I wish there were opt in options instead of opt out options. At least that would be something.
I bought a Google phone last summer. It was relatively cheap and it was on a two year contract. I should have known better. In order to get things to work properly I had to make a Google account which I didn't want to create. I didn't need another email address. The phone is okay and I know know matter what device you get these days there is some tracking especially when using Apps. At least I didn't by a Google Chromebook when I was researching lightweight laptops. I know other companies are not much better, but it seems Google has their hand in everything. So maybe Google is just a little more terrifying than Facebook, but just a little.
Just another confirmation of what we’ve been talking about in class all term. Privacy online doesn’t exits. This can be looked at in two ways. One since we get tracked anyway it doesn’t matter what we put up on the Internet. Two sine we know we are being tracked we should think about what we put on Internet about ourselves. Private companies and governments will track us. If we don’t like that it is up to us stand up and make some noise. This might be easier said than done but at least we know/ are aware about the issues. So many people either don’t know, don’t care or are not allowed to know. Be the change you wish to see.
It’s interesting that Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and other U.S. technology companies are asking for more transparency in regards to the collection of people’s information by the U.S. government. Facebook itself has been criticized for collection user information and what it does with that.
Whoops, Microsoft who previously has criticized Google for looking at customers e-mails has done the same.
Thank you Turkey for providing a wonderful example at an attempt of state Internet filtering. This fits perfectly into the class discussion we had today. Tech savvy Internet users are already getting around the filtering process of Twitter. In the article it’s pointed out that this was a political move. It’s pitting people in urban centers that are heavy Internet users against those in rural areas that use the Internet much less or not at all. It will be interesting to see what happens come election time.
Lots of stuff happening out there in the world of technology
Thanks to CBC there are 3 news stories I'm sharing today.
This story is sweet. Social media used for something good. It's nice to see that it happens.
Twitter was down for quite some time yesterday. Once upon a time, that was an annoyance. But not anymore. Now, when Twitter goes down, it’s a full-on problem. Twitter is no longer simply a place where people come to make jokes and drop quickie status updates. It’s practically infrastructure.
"Twitter is too big, too grown up, too vital to experience significant downtime anymore." -Mat Honan
Looks like Twitter doesn't need any help from celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres for it to crash. The 2014 Oscars had Ellen tweeting a selfie with numerous celebrities which thanks to millions of re-tweets momentarily crashed the Twitterverse.
As the screen grab above tells you, I’ve used up my name changing freebies on Facebook.
Did you know we had a limited number of name changes? I certainly didn’t.
Originally, I had my full name on Facebook, but because of its conspicuous nature I decided to change it to the phonetic Ukrainian spelling. Alas, I cannot spell so I had to change my name again. That’s it, three name changes.
Does anyone else think this odd? Perhaps a little bit of an invasion of privacy? In my personal opinion, it’s none of Facebook’s business what I want to go by on Facebook versus the outside world.
My married name (as of next spring) will just have to be an alternate name because nothing out there will convince me to give Facebook a copy of my ID.
@ LISers: We talk about the evils of Facebook all the time. Can we just invent a new website, please? All I want is a social media site that won’t sell my information, won’t invade my privacy, and doesn’t put my name in search engines. Come on, that can’t be hard! 9723 project next semester maybe? We can get the whole of FIMS together, I guarantee there’s enough FB hate their to fuel it.
This blog post made me curious and so I Googled "what names are allowed on facebook". Well, now both Google and Facebook know that I'm curious about. So Facebook wants you to use your real name. They would prefer you to use the one on your credit card or student ID. They are okay if you use a nickname or maiden name. It makes sense that you shouldn't pretend to be someone you are not. You don't want cause any harm. However, what happens when you want to use Facebook, but not have your whole life on display. What happens if you don't have a nickname or have never been married? I guess you could use your mom's maiden name, but are you then becoming a person that may or may not exit.They want you be safe in the Facebook community and have people use real names so people know who they are connecting with.The question then becomes if you have 300 Facebook friends you don't know all the people you are connecting with anyway. It can enter a gray area regardless. Then there is the issue of the information Facebook is collecting form you and your privacy. It's not just in the interest of the Facebook community for you to use your real name, but also in the interest of Facebook. Protecting your information online as much as you can is always good practice. As discussed before in class your information is the commodity Facebook wants. This it how it makes money after all.
I would be all for creating a social media site of our own if anyone knows how. I would like to make the rules and opt into services rather than opt out. I want to choose the privacy settings that suit me and are not chosen by a corporation. If it exists on the web Google or another search engine will track it and that is more than enough.
This article is interesting and relevant to what we talked about in class today. It seems iTunes and Netflix may have competition. Popcorn Time is an illegal site (think Napster) that lets people download movies most of which are copyrighted. The website does warn that any downloads are done at a person's own risk, but that's about it. From the screenshot the site looks clean and user friendly. When one looks at movies on Google Play and iTunes (in SD) American Hustle costs $19.99. When I browsed Netflix (as a preview) American Hustle didn't even show up. Like Napster before it, because it's easy and free it's appealing. It is yet to be seen what happens. In the article, Gil Zvulony an Internet lawyer states: "It's like an arms race...There's always new innovation."
Misener, Dan. “Popcorn Time is like 'Netflix for pirates'”. CBC News | Technology & Science. CBC.ca, 11 March 2014. Web. 17 March 2014.
This certainly would make studying easier. Like Vedran Dronjic, lecturer and cognitive scientist U of T I'm skeptical.