Overview Technology - Bringing Power to the Information Pipeline October 23, 2004 Darlene Fichter http://library.usask.ca/~fich ter/ Data Library Coordinator University of Saskatchewan Library
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OverviewTechnology - Bringing Power to the
Information Pipeline October 23, 2004
Darlene Fichterhttp://library.usask.ca/~fichter/
Data Library CoordinatorUniversity of Saskatchewan Library
Overview What technologies have a “sweet spot”
for libraries?1. New (free or almost free) tools
Weblogs, RSS, Instant Messaging
2. Key components Metasearch and link resolvers
3. Digital projects and local communities Small-scale digital projects
Take a Moment
Think about family & friendsWhat technologies are they using now that
they didn’t 2 years ago or 6 months agoJot down three
Now, Consider
Have libraries made use of these new tools?How could we make use of them?
William Gibson’s Observation
“the future is already here,
it’s just unevenly distributed”
Technology
1
2
34
5
Tip: Where is the new technology on the hype cycle?
What do I Think is Waxing?
Broadband Home: Armchair RevolutionUltimate jukebox has every
– song ever recorded– movie ever made– game ever created– Every book ???
Infinite televisionEarly adopters: 12,500 songs,125 hours of video (300
gigabytes) on tap
Welcome to the Broadband Home of the Futurewww.wired.com/wired/archive/12.01/wiredhome_1.html
Broadband Library?
My “personal” libraryWhat will be our role?
– Digital library for the “have nots”?Or full circle?
– Institutions of learningMedia literacyTrusted advisors (reputation managers)
Broadband Library Challenges
How will we facilitate moving information in and out of the content repositories that we license?
How will “The Library’s Collection” be part of a “personal library”
How will we handle authentication and rights?
WiFi revolution
Always onAlways connectedAlways part of the “infosphere”
– Like air around us
WiFi Phones/Devices
People will snap up one device that offers – telephone, web and e-mail access, – unified address book, – a calendar for meetings.
Plus– Camera, portable music player
End of Browser Domination
There are 1.5 billion mobile phones in the world today. Already you can use them to browse the Web, take pictures, send e-mail, and play games. Soon they could make your PC obsolete.*
*Brad Stone, Your Next Computer. www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5092826/site/newswkkk
WiFi and Libraries
Is the library a “hot spot”?Are we ready to deliver
our services and content to range of devices?
What changes if our users are “always on”?
Infosphere
“Today’s digital kids think of information and communications technology (ICT) as something akin to oxygen: they expect it, it’s what they breathe and it’s how they live.
They use ICT to meet, play, date and learn. It’s an integral part of their social life; it’s how they acknowledge each other and form their personal identities.”*
*John Seely Brown, “Learning in the Digital Age,” The Internet and the University: 2001 Forum
How We Might See the Infosphere
Adapted from Cathy DeRosa, OCLC Presentation on the Environmental Scan
Web/InternetDatabases/Publications
LibraryCollections
Intranets & Institutional Content
How Our Customers See It
Databases/Publications
Expectations & Learned Behaviors
Infosphere is continuousOur users are used to the “AmaZooglePedia”
phenomena– Simplicity– Seamless
Major Challenge: Break Down Silos
Information silos or "stovepipes" result when information storehouses are created at different times or by disparate applications or groups– Databases from different vendors– Catalogue– Library site search
Photo Credit: Aaron’s Photos http://www.aaronisnotamused.com/gallery/newhampshire/ChimneysCreative Commons – Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 1.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/
Result
User is left to cope with the fragmentationFrustrated usersTime wastedLost opportunities
Libraries are Responding
Metasearch or federated search– allow users to search heterogeneous resources
including licensed databases from a single search interface
Metasearch Engines Break Silos By
Reducing the cognitive burden choosing databases
Minimizing time needed to learn a dozen different search interfaces
Increasing productivity by saving time repeating the same search and manually deduplicating result lists
Library Crosswalks –Link Resolvers
Photo Credit:
Constructed converging lines - walkways of the Otway Fly by thppt
http://chiastic.net/gallery/auGOR/CIMG1053
Link Resolvers
Based on the OpenURL FrameworkTransmit bibliographic information via
hypertext links in order to connect users to the full text content
Extra Option
The article
Full text in Science Direct
Focus is Shifting
1994-
1999-
2004 -
Connecting the Dots: Information to People
Collaboration and social software Use of the internet is shifting
– Online world has moved from reading web pages as solo activity to one of social interaction with chatting, commenting, and sharing information
The Hype about “Social Software”
What is it?“Social software can be defined as whatever
supports our actual human interaction as we colonize the virtual realm”*
*Jon Udell, The Social Enterprise, March 26, 2004, InfoWorld,
www.infoworld.com/article/04/03/26/13FEsocial_1.html
Some Types of Social Software
WeblogsFriends of friends sitesWikisInstant MessagingSocial bookmarking sites
Libraries and Weblogs
“Push Button Publishing” for the Web
No need to know HTMLNo need to know about FTP and serversSign up for an account at a free service like
– www.blogger.comHave a web page in 3-5 minutes!
Some Ways Libraries Use Weblogs
New ResourcesLibrary Construction NewsTeen BlogsBook discussion blogs
www.waterborolibrary.org/blog.htm
RSS & Libraries – Spread the News
What is RSS?
Rich Site SummaryReally Simple SyndicationThink of it as a machine readable file (XML) that
includes headlines of new content on your web site and links back to your site
Why have an RSS Feed?
Free publicity!Who
– Individuals will subscribe– Other web site publishers will list your “headlines”– Content is searchable in RSS search engines
News is freeComes free with weblog or can easily be
created by hand or with a script
Instant Messaging and LibrariesSome libraries are using it for “low cost” reference or
in the libraryPluses
– Familiar to many of the library’s younger users– Natural fit for them
Things to consider– Keeping a copy of the transcript– Not as private as it’s hosted off site– Not all the bells and whistles of some packages
Data Library and Instant Messaging
Are you there?Quick answersCut down email glut
– Can you meet Tuesday?– How about Wednesday?– 10 emails later …
Libraries and Social Software
Are we prepared to help our organizations make use of social software applications?– Initiators and leaders– Supporters– Participating
Are we ready to make internal and external content available as RSS feeds and to authors of Weblogs and Wikis?
Small Scale Digital Projects with a Big Impact
Most libraries have unique collections– Photographs– Local history– Unusual or rare materials
Specialized indexes or finding aids– All the songs that mention “Saskatoon”– All the hockey stars from “Saskatoon”
Libraries as Content Creators/Curators
Tour a few projectsTypical staffing requirements
– Part-time one staff member– Teams of 4 students for 4 months
Native Law Cases (1800’s to present)
All case law related to aboriginal people of Canada from courts in Canada and England
Start in 1994 –
Canadian Native Law Cases
http://library.usask.ca/native/
Northwest Resistance
Materials about battle between the Métis people & the Government of Canada: biographies, maps, broadsides,
http://library.usask.ca/northwest/
Special Exhibits
http://library.usask.ca/spcoll/postcardsindigenous/
Directory Site with Two Partners
http://library.usask.ca/native/directory/
Today: Building an Aboriginal Scholarly Portal
One place to lookCommunity (social software)More than scholarly resources
– Events– People – News– Special Tools
Development Site: http://library.usask.ca/test/abportal
Digital Library Projects
Many opportunitiesCan be very inexpensive
– Part-time, students, volunteers, or staff– Provide guidance and direction
Take time to learn about metadata standards– Dublin core, MODS, TEI, EAD– Standards provide the means for interoperable
digital libraries
Our Challenge
Make time to plan for the future
Be savvy about technology change
Be strategic– Discover the “sweet spot” for libraries and users– Participate, experiment, learn together
“Never Doubt that We Are Needed”We need to seize the opportunities to deliver content
in context to a new generation of collaborative and social software tools
Our skills and expertise can help increase productivity and tailor information to support business processes
Librarians bring a unique perspective and set of skills to the interplay between people, information, and work processes
Questions
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