Video: Authors@Google: Douglas Rushkoff

Douglas Rushkoff - author and theorist - coined the term "digital natives".  He thought digital natives would be able to surf the digital terrain like "natives", but that has not happened.  In fact, they are "way way worse at discerning between valid information and crap online...."

To hear him talk about this, view this video beginning at minute 9:15.  (Although if you start at the beginning, a couple of the analogies will make more sense.)  If you listen until minute 13:13, you will hear the core of his argument...and it is very interesting! (The rest of the video is also VERY interesting and worth listening to, if you have time.)



This is of interest to me because of the continued discussion at conferences and in the media about "digital natives" and "millennials".  Like some of my colleagues, I'm tired of us looking at millennials - who are assumed to be digital natives - as being naturally better at technology.  They are not.  (That may be a shock to you and I'm sorry.)  And after a recent rant about this in Google+, a colleague pointed me toward this video.

You might ask, "Jill, how do you know that digital natives aren't better at technology?" I watch them as well as those that are digital immigrants.  Those that are focused on how technology works - and what it is meant to do - will use it better than those that are not.  Another way of thinking about this is that those that use an iPhone don't inherently understand what an iPhone will do best (and how to make that happen). 

After listening to Douglass Rushkoff, I am vowing to stop using the term "digital natives", unless I'm explaining to someone why that term should not be used.  If you listen to him, I hope you'll vow to do the same.

Blog post: Scanning is different from digitisation

You may be thinking "of course, they are different!"  Still it is worth being reminded what the difference really is.  Richard M. Davis does a wonderful job discussing it in this blog post.


Boiling down his blog post to one sentence, digitization is about thinking about the entire process and then acting accordingly.  As Davis points out:

Without some conception of the end result, how the materials will be used and managed most effectively, all the scanning in the world isn’t going to amount to a successful digitisation project.

So true!

Blog post: Digitization is Different than Digital Preservation: Help Prevent Digital Orphans!

Kristin Snawder, a 2011 Junior Fellow working with NDIIPP.has written a passionate blog post about the difference between scanning and digital preservation. Snawder wrote:

Digital Preservation is an active, long-term commitment; scanning is a time-limited process.

Scanning is a process fixed in time.  You scan something once and if you do it correctly you are done and can move on to the next project.  Digital preservation is different, because it involves active management over time.  If you scan and then forget about the digital file, it may not be usable to future users.  You have to look at it as a long term commitment.  Think of it in terms of our orphaned data being adopted by a loving digital preservation department somewhere.

If you have someone who needs to be reminded quickly why digital preservation is important, have them read Snawder's blog post.

Wayback Wednesday: Advice

Recently, I have been spending a lot of time giving advice, whether it be advice on careers, grad school or job hunting. After I found myself pointing someone toward an old Digitization 101 blog post, I realized that I needed to resurface a few advice-giving blog posts that are still relevant. They are:

• By Request: Networking Advice
  
• What I want LIS students to know
• Follow-up to "What I want LIS students to know"
  
• My top seven presentation tips

And then there is the book that Ulla de Stricker and I wrote, which was published earlier this year.  (blog post) The Information and Knowledge Professional's Career Handbook is full of advice for new and seasoned information and knowledge professionals. Some of the advice from that book is in a 20-minute podcast, which was mentioned here several months ago.

If there is a piece of advice that you are seeking that is not covered above, leave a comment or send me a message and I'll consider making it a future blog post.

Report: Rapid Capture: Faster Throughput in Digitization of Special Collections

In May, OCLC published a new 23-page report entitled Rapid Capture: Faster Throughput in Digitization of Special Collections. According to an announcement, the report:

...provides examples of how to simplify and streamline digital capture of non-book collections. Nine case studies illustrate processes and procedures institutions have adopted to increase the scale of digitization of special collections. The intent in sharing these vignettes is to enable others to consider whether or not any of the approaches could be applied to their own initiatives to increase the scale of their digitization efforts.

Those featured in the case studies include:

• Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
• Archives of Traditional Music, Indiana University
• Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress
• Digital Collection Unit, The Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley
• Southern Regional Library Facility, University of California, Los Angeles
• Archives and Special Collections, University of Minnesota
• University Archives, University of Minnesota
• Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina, and
• Department of Manuscripts and Rare Books, The Walters Art Museum

If you have already read the report, how has it changed what you are doing?

Blog post: Rescuing 5.25″ Floppy Disks from Oblivion

Jeanne Kramer-Smyth, the author of Spellbound Blog, has written a piece on transferring data from old 5.25" floppy disks.  This follows Jason Scott's July 12 post where he offers to help people retrieve data from these old disks. He also wrote a procedure for how to do it. Scott said that a growing number of organizations and people are focusing on this, but that they are focusing on it too late.  The data on those disks may already be gone.  However, if you have 5.25 floppies, check out the Kramer-Smyth and Scott blog posts for information on how to rescue that old data.

If you have 3.5" floppy disks, you should be considering what to do with them now.  There are still 3.5" disk drives around, so you do have the possibility of reading those disks and transferring that data from them, without a huge amount of hassle.  Now would also be a good time to decide if you just want to toss the disks in the trash and forget about them. If you are going to throw away any disks, remember to render them unreadable by harming the media, especially if you think the disk contains any sensitive or confidential information.

Article: New Register of Copyrights: "Unfortunately, I start with enforcement"

Maria Pallante has been selected to be the new Register of Copyrights. She has the acting Register of Copyrights since the previous person stepped down in 2010.  In this interview, Pallante talks about fair use, DMCA and other topics.  The article title gets at one of key key points:

...I start with enforcement because, if you don't have exclusive rights in the first place, you can't get to the other questions.

In general, Pallante appears to be open to dialog and to change. I hope she will work with all sides and listen to many opinions.

Event: Goportis Digital Preservation Summit 2011

Received via email.

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fourteen renowned speakers, best cases, discussions and workshops, fascinating talks, many networking opportunities and direct contact to digital preservation experts  – that is how the Goportis Digital Preservation Summit 2011 presents itself –  the international conference by experts for experts.

I am very happy to invite you on behalf of Goportis – Leibniz Library Network for Research Information to our international meeting from 19-20 October in Hamburg.

Complete programme now online!  www.digitalpreservationsummit.de

Dr Adam Farquar, Head of Digital Library Technology at the British Library and founder of the Open Planets Foundation, will open the conference. He will give an overview on the necessary preparations for digital preservation of objects, identifying risks and underestimated challenges. The day concludes with different workshop sessions, where participants get the chance to ask their questions and find joint solutions.

On day two of the conference Prof. Seamus Ross, Dean of the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto, will introduce the Ingest process by giving examples from different digital collections. The following presentations will be on tools and the implementation of Ingest workflows for different types of material.

The Digital Preservation Summit 2011 will conclude with a panel discussion with Twitterwall on the topic of organisation & infrastructure for digital preservation.

Organiser of this global summit is Goportis – Leibniz Library Network for Research Information.

Find the complete programme now online: www.digitalpreservationsummit.de

If you register before 21 September 2011 you can profit from our special early bird price. Take the chance and participate for a reduced rate.

Blog posts: The Future is Collaborative Part I & II

Last year, Günter Waibel, Program Officer at OCLC Research, wrote a two-part series on collaboration:

• The Future is Collaborative Part I: Give The People What They Want
• The Future is Collaborative Part II: Early Exemplars

Waibel wrote:

...the 17,500 museums in the U.S. effectively divide what they have to offer over an equal number of institutional websites. To make matters worse, cultural content is not only silo’d into segregated sites, but further dispersed across 122,356 libraries and countless archives (I literally couldn’t find a count) across the U.S. All of them believe that they are at the center of their user’s universe – and none of them truly are.

I have written here before abiut the need for collaboration. Waibel's words serve as another reminder of their benefit.

If you haven't yet collaborated, what are you waiting for?

Digitization 101 - Improvements

As I announcement on Friday, Digitization 101 is getting a few changes and they've been implemented!  The changes are: 

• Consolidation of labels - those tags (on the right) that allow you to see posts on similar topics.  I eliminated several labels that were not heavily used and added several new ones.  Those labels will retrieve the most recent blog posts in those categories.
• A Google search box - This has been added above the "Popular Labels".  It will load the search results in that sidebar.  Any Internet search engine is not perfect, including Google.  If your search term is used in one of the sidebars, Google will retrieve many more pages that are necessary.  My suggestion is to try several search terms, perhaps selecting first a term that is not as popular in this blog (e.g., digitization). Yes, you will occasionally see Google ads (a feature that I can't control).
• The addition of "AddThis" - If you look below this blog post, you will see options that allow you to share any blog post more easily. 

While I've been testing the changes, I would appreciate feedback from you, especially if something is not working correctly (or could work better).  Thanks!

Changes coming to Digitization 101

Some changes are coming to Digitization 101:

• Consolidation of labels - those tags (on the right) that allow you to see posts on similar topics.  That consolidation has already begun, which means that currently there are some labels (tags) on the right that will retrieve nothing.  If that happens, select a similar term.  I'm consolidating in order to group information better and eliminate needless or redundant terms.
• The addition of a search box, so you can search the archives easily.
• The addition of "AddThis" which will allow you to share posts more easily.

I am looking to have all of the changes done in 7-10 days.

Thanks for your patience!

Report: Funding for Sustainability: How Funders’ Practices Influence the Future of Digital Resources

You may have already seen this report, which was published in June by Strategic Content Alliance/Ithaka S+R. "Funding for Sustainability: How Funders’ Practices Influence the Future of Digital Resources" provides information on current funding practices, including areas that can be improved in regards to defining and planning for post-grant sustainability.

Quoting the press release:

According to the report, which is based on interviews with representatives from more than 25 funding bodies in Europe and North America, funders engage in a rich range of planning activities to address different aspects of sustainability, including technical, content-based, access and discovery, and audience impact requirements. But, many funders only engage with their grantees at the beginning of the grant period and, all too often, funders and project leaders alike rely heavily on a university or other host institution as a back-up plan for long-term sustainability.

While the report is 60 pages in length, anyone who flips through it will see information that will draw him in, including questions to ask potential projects.  Those preparing to apply for a grant may find this useful in order to surface important questions/ideas in advance.

Blog Post: What Skills Does a Digital Archivist or Librarian Need?

Bill LeFurgy, digital initiatives librarian at the Library of Congress, wrote:

I often hear from students and others with questions about the skills they need to compete in the job market. What programming languages should I learn? How much do I need to know about specific digital formats? Which standards should I study in detail?

 “No, no–those are the wrong questions!”

That’s what I want to shout when I hear this line of inquiry. But I don’t yell because it’s rude and because I know the impulse flows from my own bias toward broader, more adaptive skills.

Read his complete answer, especially if you're a student wondering about the skills you really need!

The Right to Sell a Legal Copy of a Work

I just heard John T. Mitchell talk about "Copyrights v. Copy Rights: Current Law on Tactics Copyright Owners Use to Circumvent the Rights of Copy Owners" (a Center for Intellectual Property member event).  During his talk, he brought up UMG v. Augusto, which was decided by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year.  Quoting Mitchell:

In a case we had been watching for some time (UMG v. Augusto), the Ninth Circuit finally upheld the district court’s holding that self-serving restrictions placed on so-called “promotional” CDs could not limit the right of the owner of the CD to sell it without permission.

In the U.S., we recognize this right as being part of the First Sale Doctrine (which actually requires no actual sale).  Mitchell noted that we - because we've been brainwashed (my words) - and the Courts do not apply the First Sale Doctrine to software because the software industry has insisted that it doesn't apply.  However, I can sell a used book, but why can't I sell a used piece of software? I can lend a book, so shouldn't I be able to lend software? I can give a book away, so shouldn't I also be able to give software away?

By the way, the Center for Intellectual Property (CIP) holds monthly conversations for its members.  Member fees seem very reasonable, even for students.

Article: Do Not Forward This Article!

Quoting:

It is an all-too-common workplace scenario in the digital age: An employee receives an e-mail containing a weekly business newsletter to which his employer has subscribed for years. Thinking the information will be useful to others at the company, the employee forwards the e-mail to his boss and co-workers, and also posts the report to the company's intranet site...What the employee does not realize, however, is that this seemingly innocuous business practice could expose him and his employer to civil liability for copyright infringement.

The legal case mentioned in the  article cost the company $20 million in damages for years of copyright infringement.  The case and other information are laid out to remind you that you shall not copy, but doesn't discuss fair use at all (or risk).  Still it is worth reading AND worth reminding your colleagues about the law, any guidelines you have put into place, and who is actually taking the risk when copying is done.

Courses for Electronic Records Management and Digital Preservation

I received this via email.  A good reminder that there are good online options for learning more.

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There are still some places left on the following accredited distance learning courses offered by the Centre for Archive and Information Studies (CAIS) at the University of Dundee. The courses are tutored by experts and delivered online via an interactive, fully-supported, virtual learning environment. Further details of the courses are listed below. Please note that the closing date for applications is the 29th July.  Courses begin on the 19th September.

-        Electronic Records Management (15 weeks)

-        Management and Preservation of Digital Records (15 weeks)

CAIS also offers a Postgraduate Certificate in Digital Recordkeeping (60 credits) and is accepting applications for this and for Masters in

-        Archives and Records Management

-        Records Management and Information Rights

-        Records Management and Digital Preservation.

The deadline for Masters applications is the 15th July.

For more details and an application form please visit http://www.dundee.ac.uk/cais/cpd/ or contact armtraining@dundee.ac.uk.

Further Details:

Electronic Records Management

• Electronic records and their management: key concepts and terminology; unique properties of electronic records; implications of these properties for their management; understanding and coping in hybrid paper and electronic environments
• Incorporating electronic records management into the information fabric of your organisation: drivers for electronic records and information management; key elements of a successful electronic records program; mandates and policies; technical and social infrastructure; establishing collaborations with key personnel
• Getting started: simple first steps to begin managing your organisation’s information; understanding your organisation’s information landscape; sources of information to help you manage information; gaining practical experience; learning from the experience of others

Management and Preservation of Digital Records

• Computer science basics for recordkeeping and preservation
• Digital archiving and preservation processes: comparing digital archiving and analogue archiving technologies
• Systems to support digital recordkeeping and preservation: current status and limitations; the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) standard
• Metadata standards and metadata maintenance
• Organisational and business considerations
• The future agenda: how might the management and preservation of digital records evolve in future?

Call for Papers: IADIS International Conference WWW/Internet 2011

 As received in email.

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-- CALL FOR PAPERS - Deadline for submissions (2nd call): 29 July 2011 --

IADIS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE WWW/INTERNET 2011

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 5 - 8 November 2011

(http://www.internet-conf.org/)

* Keynote Speakers (confirmed):

Professor Maria Bielikova, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia

Professor Nivio Ziviani, Professor Emeritus at Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil

* Conference background and goals

The IADIS WWW/Internet 2011 conference aims to address the main issues of concern within WWW/Internet. WWW and Internet had a huge development in recent years. Aspects of concern are no longer just technical anymore but other aspects have aroused. 

This conference aims to cover both technological as well as non-technological issues related to these developments. Main tracks have been identified (see below). However innovative contributes that don’t fit into these areas will also be considered since they might be of benefit to conference attendees.

* Format of the Conference

The conference will comprise of invited talks and oral presentations. The proceedings of the conference will be published in the form of a book and CD-ROM with ISBN, and will be available also in the IADIS Digital Library (http://www.iadis.net/dl). The best paper authors will be invited to publish extended versions of their papers in the IADIS International Journal on WWW/Internet (ISSN: 1645-7641) and also in other selected Journals. 

The conference proceedings will be submitted for indexing to INSPEC, EI Compendex, Thomson ISI, ISTP and other indexing services.

* Types of submissions

Full and Short Papers, Reflection Papers, Posters/Demonstrations, Tutorials, Panels and Doctoral Consortium. All submissions are subject to a blind refereeing process.

* Topics related to WWW/Internet are of interest. These include, but are not limited to the following areas:

Web 2.0

- Collaborative Systems

- Social Networks

- Folksonomies

- Enterprise Wikis and Blogging

- Mashups and Web Programming

- Tagging and User Rating Systems

- Citizen Journalism

Semantic Web and XML

- Semantic Web Architectures

- Semantic Web Middleware

- Semantic Web Services

- Semantic Web Agents

- Ontologies

- Applications of Semantic Web

- Semantic Web Data Management

- Information Retrieval in Semantic Web

Applications and Uses

- e-Learning

- e-Commerce / e-Business

- e-Government

- e-Health

- e-Procurement

- e-Society

- Digital Libraries

- Web Services/SaaS

- Application Interoperability

- Web-based multimedia technologies

Services, Architectures and Web Development

- Wireless Web

- Mobile Web

- Cloud/Grid Computing

- Web Metrics

- Web Standards

- Internet Architectures

- Network Algorithms

- Network Architectures

- Network Computing

- Network Management

- Network Performance

- Content Delivery Technologies

- Protocols and Standards

- Traffic Models

Research Issues

- Web Science

- Digital Rights Management

- Bioinformatics

- Human Computer Interaction and Usability

- Web Security and Privacy

- Online Trust and Reputation Systems

- Data Mining

- Information Retrieval

- Search Engine Optimization

* Important Dates:

- Submission Deadline (2nd call): 29 July 2011

- Notification to Authors (2nd call): 9 September 2011

- Final Camera-Ready Submission and Early Registration (2nd call): Until 30 September 2011

- Late Registration (2nd call): After 30 September 2011

- Conference: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 5 to 8 November 2011

* Conference Location

The conference will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

* Secretariat

IADIS Secretariat - IADIS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE WWW/INTERNET 2011

Rua Sao Sebastiao da Pedreira, 100, 3

1050-209 Lisbon, Portugal

E-mail: secretariat@internet-conf.org

Web site: http://www.internet-conf.org/

* Program Committee

Program Chair

Bebo White, Stanford University, USA

Conference Co-Chairs

Pedro Isaías, Universidade Aberta (Portuguese Open University), Portugal

Flávia Maria Santoro, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Committee Members: *

* for committee list please refer to http://www.internet-conf.org/committees.asp

* Co-located events

Please also check the co-located events Applied Computing 2011 (http://www.computing-conf.org/) - 6-8 November 2011 and CELDA 2011 (http://www.celda-conf.org/) - 6-8 November 2011.

* Registered participants in the WWW/Internet conference may attend the Applied Computing and CELDA conferences’ sessions free of charge.