Wayback Wednesday: Looking back over 2011

I cannot let the last Wednesday in 2011 go by without looking backwards over the last 12 months. What stands out amid the growing din of the "news"?

Google

• Google shut down its newspaper digitization program. (post) This was one of many things that Google did away with in 2011, in an effort to rid itself of those products and services that have not had the desired impact. (article)  Of course, after its long shopping spree, something was bound to be let go. (post)
• Google's amended Book Search settlement was rejected. (post) This was, of course, a surprise to no one.

HathiTrust

• In 2011, the Authors Guild turned its attention to the digitization work that the HathiTrust had been engaged in. (post)  The trial is scheduled to begin in November 2012. (article)

Georgia State 

• I keep thinking that the copyright lawsuit against members of the George State University administration should be settled by now.  The judge was expected to release his decision in early fall.  I've searched for any recent news and found none. Because so many colleges and universities are using digital course reserves, this will have far reaching implications. (related blog post)

And...yes...those all (above) have to do with copyright. 

Kenneth Crews (post), Clifford Lynch (post) and Henrik de Gyor 

• I am always amazed by the people I get to talk to...from Henrik de Gyor (Another DAM Podcast), who is a fellow blogger, to people like Clifford Lynch and Kenny Crews. While these weren't news highlights for you, they were for me!

Martin King III and Ambassador Andrew Young 

•  In April, I was invited to a meeting with Ambassador Andrew Young and Martin King III.  The photo on the right was taken on my iPhone and you can see Ambassador Young checking his iPhone!
• Is this digitization related?  Yes.  JPMorgan Chase has been working with the King Center to digitization over one million documents.  (article)  This fall, Syracuse University's library announced plans to digitize audio and video materials in the King Center archive. (article)  The idea for SU to get involved with digitizing materials at the King Center was born at this meeting.
• There were other digitization-related ideas that came out of this meeting, and I hope they come to fruition.
• The lesson...you never know who is interested in digitization! The project of your dreams may be waiting for you in the next meeting that you attend.

Amazing Digitization Programs

• There are many amazing digitization programs going on now and they people involved aren't always who you would imagine.  For example, it's JPMorgan Chase that is working with the King Center on its digitization efforts. JPMC didn't hand the project off to someone else, instead they learned what needed to be done, how to do it, and then got to work.
• Among the programs that I should be following more closely is the Digital Public Library of America.  This sounds like an effort that more people and organizations need to know about and get involved in. 
• The need to handle "big data" - which can be created through digitization - is growing, and so some of the "projects" people need to get involved in are around analysis, open access, preservation, etc.  These projects may not be glamorous, but they are definitely necessary.
• We have so much born digital content now that comes to us in a variety of way, that digitization doesn't have that "oh wow" affect on people. People are concerned about ebooks, new apps, tablet computers, smartphones, etc.  Digitization remains important when people look for something from the non-computer era, but that isn't something that people do every day.  Does this mean that we should digitize less?  No.  But it does mean that we need to continue to educate people about why it is important.

On a Personal Note

• I wrote more than 130 blog posts this year in Digitization 101.  While that will sounds like a lot to some people, actually my blogging has slowed down...and my focus has shifted.  I find myself drawn more to copyright concerns these days, even though the topic of digitization is important to me (and my teaching).   In 2012, look for a continued stream of posts on digitization, digital libraries, copyright, etc., but don't be surprised if you see a greater proportion of blog posts on copyright.
• Teaching at Syracuse University has kept me quite busy.  (Sometimes too busy!)  Yet this was a prolific year for me in terms of publications.  In March, The Information and Knowledge Professional's Career Handbook written by Ulla de Stricker and I was released and has received positive reviews.  In April, The Atlas of New Librarianship, which was written and edited by David Lankes, was released.  It includes a section on "special librarians" written by Ruth Kneale and I.  And finally, Academic Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement: Scholarship in Action and the Syracuse Miracle which contains a chapter that I wrote.
• I've done my best to enjoy every day!  I hope you've done the same.