Diary of the future first head librarian at Boston Public Library sold on eBay for almost $600. [thanks matthew]
Month: December 2004
Google + libraries = I still don’t know
I’d like to see this Google/library overlap really hit the popular culture consciousness. I’d like to see folks songs about the bookmobiles and people writing me letters at my library saying “I will still come there, even if all the books are available online” I’d like to see some good library art and some good library rallying songs and manifestos. I don’t think we have to be anti-Google to do it, I think we just need to stick up for our own wonderful selves and explain why the idea of a publicly owned space for enhancing your own info-lexicon is a social good and one worthy of funding, support, and appreciation. Google will always be a wonderful tool for librarians and others to use, but Google will never belong to me. Google will never have a comfortable chair, and sometimes you just want a comfortable chair.
internet archive steps up to the plate
Then again, I think maybe I just need to work for this new project. All digitized content of some major libraries — including the Library of Congress — available freely to online users. [riba rambles]
card catalog art continues
Speaking of library art, check out this description of a new art show by the guy who owns the LAPL’s old catalog cards. [thanks chris]
hi – 21dec
Hi and Happy Solstice. The days just start getting longer, starting now. I’ve been spending some time mulling over the various responses to the Google/Libraries news from last week, including Karen’s reprinting of Mark Rosenzweig’s comments with some of her own, Rory, and Chuck. While I don’t have a manifesto-worthy response of my own, I just want to point out that most of the issues that are wrapped up in this one event — issues like privacy, commercialization of information, ownership of information, copyright and the future of libraries — have already been playing themselves out, in smaller ways, in libraries everywhere. The fact that one publicly-traded company has been able to use their vast resources to leverage co-operation with prestigious libraries just forces us to examine a lot of these issues together, and all at once. Learn why this issue matters, and then tell your collegagues and friends.