[16155] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
[CurrentCites] Current Cites, October 2005
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Roy Tennant)
Mon Oct 31 20:35:23 2005
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Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2005 12:36:05 -0800
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU>
From: Roy Tennant <roy.tennant@UCOP.EDU>
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
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Current Cites, October 2005
Edited by Roy Tennant
Contributors: Charles W. Bailey, Jr., Shirl Kennedy, Leo Robert =20
Klein, Roy Tennant
Asaravala, Amit. "Putting AJAX to Work" InfoWorld (42)(October 17, =20
2005)(http://www.infoworld.com/infoworld/article/=20
05/10/17/42FEajaxcase_1.html). - If you're coo-coo for AJAX =20
(Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), you're likely to wolf down any =20
article on the subject. AJAX is a set of technologies that combines =20
behind-the-scenes server requests with changes in information on web =20
pages that don't require a complete rewrite of the screen. If you've =20
ever selected an item on a dropdown menu and, based on this =20
selection, more options show up magically on the screen, you may have =20=
already seen AJAX at work. This article from a recent edition of =20
InfoWorld looks at the technology from the perspective of "enterprise =20=
applications". If you can build an email application based on AJAX, =20
can an OPAC be far behind? - LRK
Covey, Denise Troll. Acquiring Copyright Permission to Digitize and =20
Provide Open Access to Books Washington, DC: Council on Library and =20
Information Resources, October 2005.(http://www.clir.org/pubs/=20
abstract/pub134abst.html). - As anyone who has tried to do it knows, =20
obtaining the right to digitize a work under copyright can be mind-=20
blowingly difficult. This CLIR study makes it clear just out =20
difficult it can be, based on the experiences of Carnegie-Mellon =20
University to acquire the rights to digitize books and provide open =20
access to them on the web. This paper is particularly interesting in =20
light of Google's position that they can digitize books and make =20
"snippets" of the text freely available on the web without violating =20
copyright. The outcome of the pending court cases will be watched =20
with interest by many. - RT
Gandel, Paul B.. "Libraries: Standing at the Wrong Platform, Waiting =20
for the Wrong Train?" EDUCAUSE (November/December 2005)(http://=20
www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm05610.pdf). - The issue of whether =20=
libraries have been rendered obsolete in the digital world is not a =20
new one. Recently, it's surfaced again in the wake of the University =20
of Texas announcing that it would expel the books from its =20
undergraduate library and turn it into an "information commons." And, =20=
of course, there is the 800-pound gorilla -- Google Print. Gandel -- =20
Vice President for Information Technology and CIO at Syracuse =20
University -- points out in this article that "the relationship =20
between collections, consumers, and the library as mediator remains." =20=
However, as he points out here, "the Web is affecting the very core =20
areas of library services: (1) collections, (2) preservation, and (3) =20=
reference." He explores each of these area in depth, discussing =20
commercial information aggregators, digitization and e-books, and =20
Google...which "has become the most widely used tool for addressing =20
all sorts of questions," virtually supplanting the reference =20
librarian at the local public library. Libraries have tried to rise =20
to the occasion, he says, with such initiatives as virtual reference =20
services. "But it is not clear whether these redesigned services can =20
compete with the rapidly growing commercial services available on the =20=
Web." Although libraries have largely adapted to incorporate new =20
technologies, the role of the librarian hangs in a sort of limbo. "It =20=
is not hard to imagine a scenario in which colleges and universities =20
will shift their resources to pay for a national information service =20
customized to the needs of the individual institution rather than =20
support their own local library reference service." Provocative =20
article. - SK
Kahle, Brewster. The Open Library San Francisco: Internet Archive, =20
October 2005.(http://www.openlibrary.org/details/openlibrary). - This =20=
digital "book" was created for the unveiling of the Open Content =20
Alliance, a collaborative project to digitize public domain works =20
held by libraries and other cultural institutions around the world. =20
"The Open Library website was created by the Internet Archive to =20
demonstrate a way that books can be represented online." This book is =20=
one of the first, although there are other "real" books at the site =20
that demonstrates one way these books can be put online. But it's =20
important to point out that there can, and will be, other online =20
depictions of these books, since the files can all be freely =20
downloaded by anyone. - RT
Plutchak, T. Scott. "The Impact of Open Access" Journal of the =20
Medical Library Association 93(4)(2005): 419-421. (http://=20
www.pubmedcentral.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=3D1250314). - Plutchak, =20=
editor of the Journal of the Medical Library Association, was =20
"astonished" when he looked at this open access journal's 6/04-5/05 =20
use statistics: it had had over 20,000 unique users visit the journal =20=
even though the Medical Library Association, which publishes the =20
journal, only has around 4,500 members. Thinking that the number was =20
inflated because of technical reasons, he contacted PubMed Central, =20
who hosts the journal, and was told if anything the number was low: =20
30,000 was more likely. Plutchak credits the journal's over four-year-=20=
old open access policy with raising JMLA's visibility, and he =20
recounts other interesting facts that demonstrate it. He then =20
discusses the impact of open access on subscriptions and MLA =20
membership (including some interesting data about ad trends), then =20
summarizes an informal online member survey probing attitudes towards =20=
free access and membership renewal and a survey of MLA Board members =20
about publication options if open access ceases to be viable. This is =20=
a fascinating look at one professional society editor's view of the =20
real-world impact of open access on his journal. - CB
Suber, Peter. "Does Google Library Violate Copyright?" SPARC Open =20
Access Newsletter (90)(2005)(http://www.earlham.edu/%7Epeters/fos/=20
newsletter/10-02-05.htm#google). - After drawing the distinction =20
between the two components of Google Print (Google Library and Google =20=
Publisher), Suber proceeds to clearly analyze the case both for and =20
against the Authors Guild's lawsuit against Google Library. Weighing =20
four arguments for copyright violation and six against it, he =20
concludes: "The authors=97and the publishers who share the same =20
grievance=97are getting far too much mileage from the claim that =20
Google's opt-out policy turns the usual copyright rule on its head. =20
This claim has a deceptive strength. It's strong because it would be =20
valid for most full-text copying. It's deceptive because it assumes =20
without proof that the Google copying is not fair use. Hence it begs =20
the question at the heart of the lawsuit. If the Google copying is =20
fair use, then no prior permission is needed and the opt-out policy =20
is justified. Moreover, Google has several good arguments that its =20
copying really is fair use, most notably its argument that its =20
indexing will enhance rather than diminish book sales and its analogy =20=
to long-accepted opt-out policies for search-engine indexing of other =20=
copyrighted content." For those readers who really want to dig into =20
the Google Library controversy, my recent bibliography on this =20
subject may also be of interest. - CB
Xiang, Xiaorong, and Eric Lease Morgan. "Exploiting 'Light-weight' =20
Protocols and Open Source Tools to Implement Digital Library =20
Collections and Services" D-Lib Magazine 11(10)(October 2005)=20
(http://www.dlib.org/dlib/october05/morgan/10morgan.html). - This =20
article demonstrates that doing new, innovative things in libraries =20
doesn't require inventing new technologies -- all one must do is to =20
combine existing protocols and technologies in new ways. Using a =20
combination of protocols such as OAI-PMH and SRU, along with tools =20
like Perl and Swish-e, Xiang and Morgan describe how they created two =20=
new library services. - RT
Current Cites - ISSN: 1060-2356 is hosted by the community at =20
WebJunction.org.
=A9 Copyright 2005 by Roy Tennant
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