Digitization
Federated Search
Digitization, Federated Search
Later he said this about the second monopoly:Whereas the original lawsuit could have helped define fair use in the digital age, the settlement provides a new and unsettling form of media consolidation.
If approved, the settlement would produce not one but two court-sanctioned monopolies. Google will have permission to bring under its sole control information that has been accessible through public institutions for centuries. In essence, Google will be privatizing our libraries.
A growing number of people who have come out against this settlement. Unfortunately, those voices aren't being heard by the court because of the way court proceedings go. Yes, some have filed an amicus brief -- friend of the court filing -- but it is unclear if they will have any impact. Perhaps the Justice Department will decide to take action?!But the settlement would also create a class that includes millions of people who will never come forward. For the majority of books -- considered "orphan" works -- no one will claim ownership. The author may have died; the publisher might have gone out of business or doesn't respond to inquiries; the original contract has disappeared.
Google would get an explicit, perpetual license to scan and sell access to these in-copyright but out-of-print orphans, which make up an estimated 50 to 70 percent of books published after 1923. No other provider of digital books would enjoy the same legal protection. The settlement also creates a Book Rights Registry that, in conjunction with Google, would set prices for all commercial terms associated with digital books.
For the cost of 60 miles of highway, we can have a 10 million-book digital library available to a generation that is growing up reading on-screen.Given the emphasis on rebuilding our infrastructure and improving education, that is a powerful image. Let's hope the Administration is listening.
Google, Digitization, 
Brewster Kahle
Digitization, 
Newspaper
As announced here in March, there is a hybrid conference this year called Conversants. Conversants recognizes that we learn through conversations. Conversants is meant to be a conversation among library workers about libraries, with specific topic conversations being hosted both online and in person. One such conversation will happen on June 5 during the T is for Training podcast. That edition of T is for Training will focus on the topic "How to model appropriate and innovative use of technologies in libraries." The event is open to anyone who would like to participate on the call (voice) or in chat.They Named the Building After Us: The Library as Conversation from R. David Lankes on Vimeo.
Conversants
Details and descriptions of more than 4,000 documents on or about Martin Luther King Jr. will go public when Stanford's Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute launches a new online database on May 18. An additional 4,000 document records will be available by year's end.Later in the press release it states:
Because of copyright issues with the King Estate, the documents themselves will not be available online, but scholars will be able to discover from the records which original documents exist and contact the participating institutions to get access to them.Good news in general, but still a bit maddening that the full-text will not be online. While I totally understand why copyright exists, my heart believes that King's words would do much more good if they were in the public domain or available through a Creative Commons license.
Copyright
Digital Preservation
First, thanks very much to those who responded this past fall to our survey of digital project staff regarding JPEG 2000 implementation at your institutions. We have made the results available via our institutional repository at: http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/libr_pubs/16/And then (second email) they announced that they had presented their findings at IS&T Archiving 2009 Conference. The final report is available at http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/libr_pubs/19/ and the presentation is online at http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/libr_pres/21/
You may choose to download the survey results as a standalone .xls spreadsheet file or, if you prefer a somewhat smoother viewing experience, download and extract the .html version contained in the zip file at the same URL.
From our abstract:
The survey results reveal several key areas that JPEG 2000's user community will need to have addressed in order to further enhance adoption of the standard, including perspectives from cultural institutions that have adopted it already, as well as insights from institutions that do not currently have it in their workflows. Current users are concerned about limited compatible software capabilities with an eye toward needed enhancements. They realize also that there is much room for improvement in the area of educating and informing the cultural heritage community about the advantages of JPEG 2000. A small set of users, in addition, alerts us to serious problems of cross-codec consistency and they relate file validation issues that would likely be easily resolved given a modicum of collaborative attention toward standardization. Responses from non-users disclose that there are lingering questions surrounding the format and its stability and permanence, stoked largely by a dearth of currently available software functionality, from the point of initial capture and manipulation on through to delivery to online users.
JPEG2000
So where will you be over the next few weeks? My travel schedule is below. If one of these events interests you, please check your calendar and see if you can attend. The more people, the better the conversation!
Digitization, 
Social Networking Tools, Digital Preservation, 
Marketing
Basically, the Library will continue to charge for services we provide, but we are not going to try to exert any downstream control over copies of public domain works. This applies to items that we digitize as well as items already in digital form, and it applies to both unpublished and published material.Cornell's move reflects thinking that has occurred in regards to copyright including resolutions passed by the International Association of Research Institutes in the History of Art (RIHA) General Assembly in November 2008. Hopefully Cornell's move will pave the way for others to follow in their footsteps.
ITHACA, N.Y. (May 11, 2009) – In a dramatic change of practice, Cornell University Library has announced it will no longer require its users to seek permission to publish public domain items duplicated from its collections. Instead, users may now use reproductions of public domain works made for them by the Library or available via Web sites, without seeking any further permission.
The Library, as the producer of digital reproductions made from its collections, has in the past licensed the use of those reproductions. Individuals and corporations that failed to secure permission to repurpose these reproductions violated their agreement with the Library. "The threat of legal action, however," noted Anne R. Kenney, Carl A. Kroch University Librarian, "does little to stop bad actors while at the same time limits the good uses that can be made of digital surrogates. We decided it was more important to encourage the use of the public domain materials in our holdings than to impose roadblocks."
The immediate impetus for the new policy is Cornell’s donation of more than 70,000 digitized public domain books to the Internet Archive (details at www.archive.org/details/cornell).
"Imposing legally binding restrictions on these digital files would have been very difficult and in a way contrary to our broad support of open access principles," said Oya Y. Rieger, Associate University Librarian for Information Technologies. "It seemed better just to acknowledge their public domain status and make them freely usable for any purpose. And since it doesn’t make sense to have different rules for material that is reproduced at the request of patrons, we have removed permission obligations from public domain works."
Institutional restrictions on the use of public domain work, sometimes labeled "copyfraud," have been the subject of much scholarly criticism. The Cornell initiative goes further than many other recent attempts to open access to public domain material by removing restrictions on both commercial and non-commercial use. Users of the public domain works are still expected to determine on their own that works are in the public domain where they live. They also must respect non-copyright rights, such as the rights of privacy, publicity, and trademark. The Library will continue to charge service fees associated with the reproduction of analog material or the provision of versions of files different than what is freely available on the Web. All library Web sites will be updated to reflect this new policy during 2009.
The new Cornell policy can be found at cdl.library.cornell.edu/guidelines.html.
About Cornell University Library One of the leading academic research libraries in the United States, Cornell University Library is a highly valued partner in teaching, research and learning at Cornell University. The Library offers cutting-edge programs and a full spectrum of services, rare books and manuscripts and a growing network of digital resources. The Library’s outstanding collections – from medieval manuscripts to hip hop and from ancient Chinese texts to comic books – preserve the past and pave the way for future scholarship. To learn more about Cornell University Library, visit library.cornell.edu.
Copyright
Having trouble getting your digital projects off the ground? Wish you had somewhere to turn for information and advice regarding digital project management? BCR’s Digital and Preservation Services unit has expanded its program to include training related to the full range of activities surrounding the management of digital collections. Take advantage of these newest training opportunities from BCR’s expert staff and guest trainers to learn new skills, grow with the changes in the field and increase your expertise.
May 15, Introduction to Mark up Languages (10-11 am or 2-3 pm MT)
Did you know that the term “markup” has actually been around for centuries? It is historically a publishing term, where early original manuscripts were “marked up” in preparation for printing. What does markup mean in this present technical age? Come decode the coding of markup languages like SGML, HTML, CSS, and XML. More importantly, learn about their impact on library and patron services. No “techie” experience required!
IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS
May 12, Analog-to-Digital Video Migration and All That Goes With It: Who does What, When, Where and How? BCR – Aurora, Colorado offices (9:00 am -4:00pm MT)
Whether you're the custodian of an enormous moving image library, a few shelves of videotapes or something in between, digitization is probably on your horizon if not already on your plate. Technology matters of course, but so does workflow and your role in it. This workshop condenses the lifecycle of a typical analog-to-digital conversion project into one workshop day so that you can get a feel for the workflows involved, ask technology questions along the way, and consider a migration project plan that will work for you and your stakeholders.
July 29-30, A Race Against Time: Preserving Our Audiovisual Media – Denver Public Library, Denver, Colorado
Attend this two-day program presented by the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (www.ccaha.org/) to learn how to maximize the life of all types of audiovisual materials, from wax cylinders and magnetic audiotapes, to LPs, audiocassettes and videocassettes. The program is funded by the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS) and the Andrew W. Mello Foundation, in partnership PALINET and co-sponsored by the Denver Public Library and BCR. Event registration and program details can be found at http://www.ccaha.org/education/program-calendar.
WEBLIVE WORKSHOPS
May 19-20, Introduction to Digital Audio Projects (2 pm-4 pm MT)
This two-day online workshop will give museum, library and archive staff increased insight into all aspects of planning for a digital audio project. Participants will receive a strategy to help libraries and cultural heritage practitioners know what to expect when converting audio materials from analog to digital as well as how to create and serve born digital audio material.
July 7-9, Introduction to Dublin Core Metadata (10 am-12 noon MT)
This online workshop will concentrate on the creation of both simple and qualified Dublin Core metadata for digital objects. We will also explore the concept of devising best practices for cataloging, using the Collaborative Digitization Program’s Dublin Core Metadata Best Practices as a guide. Participants will have opportunities to practice with hands-on exercises.
July 14-16, Cataloging Sound and Moving Image: Introduction to Public Broadcasting Metadata Dictionary (PBCore) (10 am-12 noon MT)
This online workshop will explore the Public Broadcasting Metadata Dictionary (PBCore), a metadata schema that is based on Dublin Core. This schema is ideal for describing sound and moving image resources for rich discovery, retrieval, and archiving purposes. Participants will have opportunities to practice with hands-on exercises.
Register for all BCR Workshops: http://www.bcr.org/training/workshops/register.html
Learn about all the learning opportunities available from BCR. Subscribe to our BCReview online newsletter and Continuing Education RSS feed: http://www.bcr.org/rss.html
Digitization
From the JISC announcement...
Registration is now open for the JISC Digital Content Conference, to be held on 30 June - 1 July at the Cotswold Water Park Four Pillars Hotel, South Cerney, Gloucestershire.
The conference, as previously announced on this blog, has been organised in the the context of the completion of Phase 2 of the JISC Digitisation Programme and aims to discuss and decide the next steps that need to be taken to ensure the sustained integration of digitised content into research and education.
It will consider the issues facing the UK’s universities as they deal with creating, delivering, sustaining and using a whole range of digital content as well as looking into future opportunities and challenges. The following thematic strands will run throughout the conference:
o Managing Content
o Content Development Strategies
o Content in Education
o User Engagement
o Looking Into The Future
The event will be of interest to all decision makers involved in the provision and delivery of digital content to the education sector in the UK and internationally, including:
o Senior Librarians in further and higher education
o The librarians of the future - the new generation of librarians
o Managers of electronic resources and digital content provision
o Policy makers in charge of digital content strategies
o Government body representatives and policy makers
o Teachers, lecturers and researchers with an interest in digital content
The conference is free for delegates, including meals and accommodation.
For more information about the conference, a provisional programme and to register, go to the conference web site.
Digitization
For more information, contact Bethany Hawkins, Program Associate, at 615-320-3203 or by email to hawkins@aaslh.org.
Digitization
Digital Preservation
Copyright
As many of you will know DigitalPreservationEurope (DPE) are committed to making digital preservation materials available to the widest possible audience and to breaking down barriers to access. The release of a new series of short animations introducing and explaining digital preservation problems and solutions for the general public marks an important step reaching this goal.The video below is indeed for the general public. I could see this being viewed by trustees and board members of cultural heritage organizations as well as by business people. In each case, it would be a fun way of teaching them about digital preservation. One might even approach this as "hey, I'm going to show this to our staff, but wanted you to see it first as an FYI." (With the implication that they don't need to see it -- they know this stuff, right?! -- but should view it so they know what they staff will be viewing. Of course, while they are smiling at the cartoon, they'll be learning.)
We are delighted to announce that the first animation is now ready for viewing at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbBa6Oam7-w (See below for video)
We believe these cartoons encapsulate complex digital preservation issues and problems and explain them in a funny and easy to follow plot. Please fee free to make use of these animations as part of your own work to raise awareness and understanding about digital preservation.
Future animations will be released on our You Tube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/wepreserve
To learn more about DPE or to access our suite of preservation resources and tools, please go to http://www.digitalpreservationeurope.org.
Digital Preservation
...a patent awarded to Google gives insight into how the search behemoth accomplishes the task.Of course, this is just a piece of the technology that Google is using. Maybe future patents will reveal more?In short, Google has come up with a system that uses two cameras and infrared light to automatically correct for the curvature of pages in a book. By constructing a 3D model of each page and then "de-warping" it afterward, Google can present flat-looking pages online without having to slice books up or mash them onto a flatbed scanner.
Digitization, Google, 
Book
Digitization
Social Networking Tools, 
NFAIS
Social Networking Tools, NFAIS
Social Networking Tools, NFAIS
