Pinterest and Copyright Concerns
"You have probably noticed that Pinterest is getting a lot of attention from teen librarians lately. If you have not seen this site for yourself, Pinterest is a social network/curation site based on the concept of a pinboard. Users share images by “pinning” them. Followers can see each other’s boards and “repin” images they like. It’s a great way to share programming ideas, with a clean, pleasant look and an easy-to-use interface. YALSA recently used Pinterest to share ideas for Teen Tech Week." -- Erin Daly, YALSA Blog, 3/29/12
Pinterest - Friend or Foe to Content Originators
"A few months back when I first started using Pinterest, I came across an amazing summer drink recipe on someone’s website. As a bartending enthusiast I was excited to share this content with my followers and try the drink out myself. Almost immediately I had a couple dozen people repin this post (a testament to the viral nature of the site) and a couple of comments. To my surprise, one of the comments was from the creator of the drink recipe asking me to please remove the pin." -- Alexia Holovatyk, Social Media Today, 3/27/12
Blackboard Buys 2 Leading Supporters of Open-Source Competitor Moodle
"For years, colleges looking for course-management software considered a choice between Blackboard’s dominant commercial product or an open-source alternative such as Moodle or Sakai. Now Blackboard essentially owns the open-source alternatives as well." -- Jeffrey Young, The Wired Campus, 3/26/12
Pinterest Listens to Users and Revises Terms and Conditions
"Pinterest can be a great way to increase the visibility of your brand or connect with other like-minded individuals in your industry (although it doesn’t help eliminate distractions for writers because it is so incredibly addicting, but I digress). For this reason, the social network has over 10.4 million registered uses, 9 million monthly Facebook connected users, and 2 million daily Facebook users according to Inside Network’s AppData tracking service. However, even with all of these users, the site was in serious jeopardy just a few short days ago." -- Amanda DiSilvestro, The Blog Herald, 3/27/12
Does Your Conference Have a Harassment Code of Conduct? Wish Mine Did
"I will not forget that one of my professional groups turned its back on me when I complained about sexual harassment at our conferences. I've held all the roles that give one some standing: host of the meeting, speaker, moderator, program committee. The people in power of late have been women. None of that helped. The year after I complained in a way that must have seemed "enough," registrants were required to check a legal disclaimer that they would not sue the organization for any reason once they had registered to attend. Some impact I have" -- Denise Graveline, The Eloquent Woman, 3/26/12
Friday, March 30, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Live, on Pinterest
I started using Pinterest for the IRC about six weeks ago. While the login invitation never arrived from Pinterest, friends - and a couple of very nice people DM'd me on Twitter - took care of the necessities. From that point, I 'invited' the IRC to join. After creating my account, it was a simple matter to start 'pinning' resources for the IRC. I announced our Pinterest page on the IRC Twitter account, the IRC Blog (and here), and requested a Pinterest icon added to the IRC web site. Interest in individual pins and boards was immediate; other users liked pins, followed boards, and I started exploring boards for the IRC to follow; Scholastic and CBC Books were two of my first Pinterest follows.
I hesitated to upload images as their terms seemed to say anything uploaded became their property to sell and monetize. While I did not particularly care if they used my uploaded QR codes, personal photographs of the IRC were another matter. Before moving forward, I discussed Pinterest with our campus copyright expert and we determined a few internal guidelines to follow.
I will not be abandoning the IRC blog or Twitter accounts for Pinterest; but envision Pinterest as another resource supporting collections and garnering interest in the IRC while providing information to users.
One of the most prevalent uses of Pinterest with libraries is the ability to create virtual bulletin boards for books. Any books ... new books, children's books, topical book lists ... all visually interesting with book covers and catalog links. I had immediate issues pinning book covers from our library catalog; the images are not large enough for the 'Pin It' bookmarklet to recognize. Like many users, I linked to a retail site for images. Completing the pin, I customized my entry with a persistent catalog link for users in the Pin description adjacent to the book title, call number and location.
And, I started to wonder.
There has been considerable discussion on blogs and Twitter about Pinterest. Users questioned the terms of use, the potential for copyright violation, and a need for updated terms of service. Several prominent users quickly deleted their Pinterest accounts.
I hesitated to upload images as their terms seemed to say anything uploaded became their property to sell and monetize. While I did not particularly care if they used my uploaded QR codes, personal photographs of the IRC were another matter. Before moving forward, I discussed Pinterest with our campus copyright expert and we determined a few internal guidelines to follow.
A lot has happened in the Pinterest-sphere over the two weeks.
Pinterest has updated it's layout for home pages, included a Facebook "like" buttons on individual boards, and more importantly, updated their terms of service and acceptable use policy. The University now has a Pinterest account. Their use of images is brilliant, instead of uploading they are pinning from the University's Flickr photostream. I've re-pinned several library pictures and will be working with them to add IRC photos to Flickr. The number of followers on Pinterest is twice that of Twitter and interest continues to grow. Last week a student told me one of her peers introduced Pinterest in class and invited everyone to join.
I will not be abandoning the IRC blog or Twitter accounts for Pinterest; but envision Pinterest as another resource supporting collections and garnering interest in the IRC while providing information to users.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Weekly Reader
From #SXSW Why IP Law Still Matters in a Social Media Age
"At a recent South by Southwest Interactive Festival panel, intellectual property experts Chip Stewart, a Texas Christian University professor; Kathleen Olson, a Lehigh University professor; Victoria Ekstrand, a professor at Bowling Green State University; and Riyad Omar, general counsel of NewsRight, delved into the intersection of IP law and social media. They explained three pitfalls that social media professionals should be careful of and offered some tips to avoid them." -- Stephen J. Easley, SmartBlog on Social Media, 3/16/12
Who Gives a Tweet? Evaluating microblog content gives us an insight into what makes a valuable academic tweet
"While microblogging has been found to have broad value as a news and communication medium, and increasingly as a valuable tool in academia, little is known about more fine-grained content value. Our tweets might be funny, interesting, confusing, or just plain boring, but with little audience feedback it’s hard to tell; we’re often tweeting into a void. If we understood what content is valued (or not), and why, we may be able to 1) derive design implications for better tools or filters; and 2) develop insight into emerging norms and practice to help users create and consume more valued content." -- Paul André, Michael Bernstein & Kurt Luther, Impact of Social Sciences, 3/22/12
The Future of Apps and Web
"The Web Is Dead? No. Experts expect apps and the Web to converge in the cloud; but many worry that simplicity for users will come at a price. Tech experts generally believe the mobile revolution, the popularity of targeted apps, the monetization of online products and services, and innovations in cloud computing will drive Web evolution. Some survey respondents say while much may be gained, perhaps even more may be lost if the “appification” of the Web comes to pass."-- Janna Anderson, Lee Rainie, Pew Research Center: Internet & American Life, 3/23/2012
"At a recent South by Southwest Interactive Festival panel, intellectual property experts Chip Stewart, a Texas Christian University professor; Kathleen Olson, a Lehigh University professor; Victoria Ekstrand, a professor at Bowling Green State University; and Riyad Omar, general counsel of NewsRight, delved into the intersection of IP law and social media. They explained three pitfalls that social media professionals should be careful of and offered some tips to avoid them." -- Stephen J. Easley, SmartBlog on Social Media, 3/16/12
Who Gives a Tweet? Evaluating microblog content gives us an insight into what makes a valuable academic tweet
"While microblogging has been found to have broad value as a news and communication medium, and increasingly as a valuable tool in academia, little is known about more fine-grained content value. Our tweets might be funny, interesting, confusing, or just plain boring, but with little audience feedback it’s hard to tell; we’re often tweeting into a void. If we understood what content is valued (or not), and why, we may be able to 1) derive design implications for better tools or filters; and 2) develop insight into emerging norms and practice to help users create and consume more valued content." -- Paul André, Michael Bernstein & Kurt Luther, Impact of Social Sciences, 3/22/12
The Future of Apps and Web
"The Web Is Dead? No. Experts expect apps and the Web to converge in the cloud; but many worry that simplicity for users will come at a price. Tech experts generally believe the mobile revolution, the popularity of targeted apps, the monetization of online products and services, and innovations in cloud computing will drive Web evolution. Some survey respondents say while much may be gained, perhaps even more may be lost if the “appification” of the Web comes to pass."-- Janna Anderson, Lee Rainie, Pew Research Center: Internet & American Life, 3/23/2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
2012 ALAO Elections
Friday, March 16, 2012
2-Weekly Reader
What They Didn't Tell You About Being a Librarian
"First off, I enjoy my job as a librarian. That hasn’t changed in the 10 years that I’ve been a librarian. So, please excuse some of my snarkiness below. It’s the Friday before Spring Break (but we all know that most librarians don’t get a Spring Break) and I needed a little fun! Here’s a list of 10 things they didn’t tell you about being a librarian." -- Joe Hardenbrook, Mr. Library Dude, 3/9/12.
LITA Top Ten Technology Trends at ALA Midwinter
"The LITA Top Technology Trends panel discussion at ALA Midwinter in Dallas took place on Sunday, January 22, 2012. This year’s panel of technology experts was a combination of veteran and new faces: Stephen Abram, Gale Cengage Learning , Marshall Breeding, Vanderbilt University Library , Lorcan Dempsey, OCLC , Nina McHale, Arapahoe Library District, Colorado and Sue Polanka, Wright State University Libraries" -- M. Prentiss, LITA Blog, 3/1/12
Random House's eBook Price Hikes are Good for Libraries - IF
"Random House, the last of the Big 6 Publishers to allow libraries to purchase and lend ebooks on a 1-copy-1-patron (pretend-its-print) basis, said last month that it was going to raise its pricing for libraries. The new pricing isn't set in stone, but Library Journal has reported that libraries are being asked to pay as much as three times the price of a print copy for a lendable ebook from Random House." -- Eric Hellman, Go to Hellman, 3/4/12
Boomerang Kids Don't Mind Their Roommates -- err, Parents
"Not that long ago, continuing to dwell in your childhood bedroom in your mid-20s — let alone your early-30s — was considered the ultimate sign of failure. Today, it’s considered normal. In fact, the Pew Research Center declared it a “widespread phenomenon” that is embraced and understood." -- Jenna Johnson, Campus Overload - The Washington Post, 3/15/12
Change - The Encyclopedia Britannica Editors Say "It's Okay"
"If you were saving some of your budget to purchase the next print edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, I have some bad news for you. Yesterday the editors announced that after 244 years of publication, they are going to stop printing bound volumes and instead will focus on digital editions. This decision is not altogether unexpected, given that most reference sources are going digital, but it remains somewhat surprising to those of us who are used to the 30+ volume set gathering dust on the ready reference shelf." -- Veronica Wells, ACRLog, 3/14/12
Study Suggests Many Professors Use Interactive Tools Ineffectively in Online Courses
"Philadelphia—Professors can choose from a growing palette of Web-based tools to make their online courses more interactive. But a new study suggests that many community-college instructors aren’t taking advantage of those options. Instead, the professors are relying on static course materials that aren’t likely to motivate students or encourage them to interact with each other." -- Nick DeSantis, The Wired Campus, 3/6/12
Why are We Boycotting Elsevier?
"In my circles, the answer to this question is fairly obvious. But as I was trying to explain to undergraduates how messed up scholarly publishing is, I realized it's hard to grasp unless you already have been bruised by current practices. When you're just learning how information works and have only gotten as far as "you ought to use scholarly sources," it's very puzzling indeed. So I thought I'd try to break it down. Here are the reasons over 7,000 scholars are boycotting a publisher of over 2,500 scholarly journals." -- Barbara Fister, Library Babel Fish [Inside Higher Ed], 2/24/12
"First off, I enjoy my job as a librarian. That hasn’t changed in the 10 years that I’ve been a librarian. So, please excuse some of my snarkiness below. It’s the Friday before Spring Break (but we all know that most librarians don’t get a Spring Break) and I needed a little fun! Here’s a list of 10 things they didn’t tell you about being a librarian." -- Joe Hardenbrook, Mr. Library Dude, 3/9/12.
LITA Top Ten Technology Trends at ALA Midwinter
"The LITA Top Technology Trends panel discussion at ALA Midwinter in Dallas took place on Sunday, January 22, 2012. This year’s panel of technology experts was a combination of veteran and new faces: Stephen Abram, Gale Cengage Learning , Marshall Breeding, Vanderbilt University Library , Lorcan Dempsey, OCLC , Nina McHale, Arapahoe Library District, Colorado and Sue Polanka, Wright State University Libraries" -- M. Prentiss, LITA Blog, 3/1/12
Random House's eBook Price Hikes are Good for Libraries - IF
"Random House, the last of the Big 6 Publishers to allow libraries to purchase and lend ebooks on a 1-copy-1-patron (pretend-its-print) basis, said last month that it was going to raise its pricing for libraries. The new pricing isn't set in stone, but Library Journal has reported that libraries are being asked to pay as much as three times the price of a print copy for a lendable ebook from Random House." -- Eric Hellman, Go to Hellman, 3/4/12
Boomerang Kids Don't Mind Their Roommates -- err, Parents
"Not that long ago, continuing to dwell in your childhood bedroom in your mid-20s — let alone your early-30s — was considered the ultimate sign of failure. Today, it’s considered normal. In fact, the Pew Research Center declared it a “widespread phenomenon” that is embraced and understood." -- Jenna Johnson, Campus Overload - The Washington Post, 3/15/12
Change - The Encyclopedia Britannica Editors Say "It's Okay"
"If you were saving some of your budget to purchase the next print edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, I have some bad news for you. Yesterday the editors announced that after 244 years of publication, they are going to stop printing bound volumes and instead will focus on digital editions. This decision is not altogether unexpected, given that most reference sources are going digital, but it remains somewhat surprising to those of us who are used to the 30+ volume set gathering dust on the ready reference shelf." -- Veronica Wells, ACRLog, 3/14/12
Study Suggests Many Professors Use Interactive Tools Ineffectively in Online Courses
"Philadelphia—Professors can choose from a growing palette of Web-based tools to make their online courses more interactive. But a new study suggests that many community-college instructors aren’t taking advantage of those options. Instead, the professors are relying on static course materials that aren’t likely to motivate students or encourage them to interact with each other." -- Nick DeSantis, The Wired Campus, 3/6/12
Why are We Boycotting Elsevier?
"In my circles, the answer to this question is fairly obvious. But as I was trying to explain to undergraduates how messed up scholarly publishing is, I realized it's hard to grasp unless you already have been bruised by current practices. When you're just learning how information works and have only gotten as far as "you ought to use scholarly sources," it's very puzzling indeed. So I thought I'd try to break it down. Here are the reasons over 7,000 scholars are boycotting a publisher of over 2,500 scholarly journals." -- Barbara Fister, Library Babel Fish [Inside Higher Ed], 2/24/12
Monday, March 12, 2012
ALAO Newsletter: March 2012
- President's Report, Brian Hickam
- Past President's Report, Rocki Strader
- New Interest Group: Special Collections and Archives
- Interest Groups & Committees
- People & Library News
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