The Future of Smart Mobile Devices?…07.08.10

This may be of interest to the Apple enthusiasts:

Einztein Knowledge Network…07.08.10

“Einztein, headquartered in Santa Monica, California, is the brainchild of three democratizers of education who believe in a world where learning should be a function of desire not privilege. Einztein serves as a universal campus from which online learners can easily explore the universe of free online courses delivered by any combination of text, audio, video and other media. Whether you already know the course you’re looking for, or you just have a general idea, the purpose of Einztein is to make online courses easy to find. All courses featured on Einztein are hand picked by our PhD level editorial team based on their completeness and quality.”

NRP Story: “Stanford Ushers In The Age Of Bookless Libraries”…07.08.10

National Public Radio is running a morning edition piece today focusing on Stanford University’s engineering library.  Here is there written article:

“The periodical shelves at Stanford University’s Engineering Library are nearly bare. Library chief Helen Josephine says that in the past five years, most engineering periodicals have been moved online, making their print versions pretty obsolete — and books aren’t doing much better.

According to Josephine, students can now browse those periodicals from their laptops or mobile devices.

For years, students have had to search through volume after volume of books before finding the right formula — but no more. Josephine says that ‘with books being digitized and available through full text search capabilities, they can find that formula quite easily.’

In 2005, when the university realized it was running out space for its growing collection of 80,000 engineering books, administrators decided to build a new library. But instead of creating more space for books, they chose to create less.

The new library is set to open in August with 10,000 engineering books on the shelves — a decrease of more than 85 percent from the old library. Stanford library director Michael Keller says the librarians determined which books to keep on the shelf by looking at how frequently a book was checked out. They found that the vast majority of the collection hadn’t been taken off the shelf in five years.

Keller expects that, eventually, there won’t be any books on the shelves at all.

‘As the world turns more and more, the items that appeared in physical form in previous decades and centuries are appearing in digital form,’ he says.

Given the nature of engineering, that actually comes in handy. Engineering uses some basic formulas but is generally a rapidly changing field — particularly in specialties such as software and bioengineering. Traditional textbooks have rarely been able to keep up.

Jim Plummer, dean of Stanford’s School of Engineering, says that’s why his faculty is increasingly using e-books.

‘It allows our faculty to change examples,’ he says,’ to put in new homework problems … and lectures and things like that in almost a real-time way.’

A New Trend In Libraries?

For the moment, the Engineering Library is the only Stanford library that’s cutting back on books. But Keller says he can see what’s coming down the road by simply looking at the current crop of Stanford students.

‘They write their papers online, and they read articles online, and many, many, many of them read chapters and books online,’ he says. ‘I can see in this population of students behaviors that clearly indicate where this is all going.‘

And while it’s still rare among American libraries to get rid of such a large amount of books, it’s clear that many are starting to lay the groundwork for a different future. According to a survey by the Association of Research Libraries, American libraries are spending more of their money on electronic resources and less on books.

Cornell University’s Engineering Library recently announced an initiative similar to Stanford’s — but the move to electronic books is also meeting some resistance. An effort by Arizona State University to use Amazon’s Kindle to distribute electronic textbooks was met with a lawsuit because the device wasn’t fully accessible to the visually impaired.

Meanwhile, back at Stanford’s new Engineering Library, librarians are looking forward to spending less time with books and more time with people.

‘That’s what we’re so [excited about],’ Josephine says, ‘the idea of actually offering more services, offering more workshops, offering more one-on-one time with students.’

But some Stanford students express mixed feelings about the shift. Engineering student Sam Tsai is checking out some old-fashioned paper books.

‘To read a book on the screen is kind of tiring for me,’ Tsai says,’so I sometimes like [the] paper form. But if I can access books online, it’s much more convenient for me, so I would actually prefer that as well.’

For now, at least, Tsai can have the option of both.”

“Developing a Sustainable Digital Workflow”…07.08.10

Since I am a “digital librarian” in the process of creating digital libraries in a non-library environment, I appreciated the below LITA recap excerpted below from Laura Choyce:

“…

Dreanna Belden (Assistant Dean of External Relations and Head of IT Services) and Hannah Tarver (Metadata Librarian) from UNT Libraries brought the “mean green” to DC.  Although I am a distance student at UNT, it was a pleasure to meet some of the UNT librarians who work so hard to make the library such a great resource to both on and off-campus students.

Managing multiple digital projects simultaneously

Dreanna Belden presented a very organized approach as to how the UNT libraries managed digital projects that originated from within the school, as well as other institutions in the Texas area.  Using 14 full-time staff and student workers, much of the digitization processes and metadata creation are done in-house.  Each collection has its own directory on the server, and within each directory are folders that house digital files at each phase in the digitization process (i.e. raw images, images that have undergone quality control processing, and OCRed images ready for upload).

One process I found particularly interesting was their use of a project wiki to track modifications to the objects. This collaborative approach enables students and faculty to all have access to what is going on in the project. Furthermore, the wiki contains training guidelines, which streamline the training process for any new students who work in the digitization lab each semester.

How UNT Handles Metadata

Hannah Tarver discussed the metadata creation process. For each project, a metadata template is created. The template is also created with a built-in controlled vocabulary, which can be accessed through drop-down menus in the metadata entry interface, or through a browsable subject vocabulary for subject terms.  Furthermore, each digital object within a project has an XML template document associated with it so that metadata for each batch upload into the repository is easily searchable. By utilizing a uniform metadata template, common error patterns in the metadata can be found in one batch-proof, instead of having to go through each record individually. The team at UNT uses an open-source text editor called J-Edit, which color-codes the XML templates for readability.

Grace Agnew (University Librarian for Digital Systems) and Jane Otto (Head of E-Monographs and Multimedia Cataloging Section) from Rutger’s University Libraries presented on the innovative structure of RUcore. Like UNT, the digital services departments at Rutgers manage multiple projects for faculty, as well as grant-funded digital initiatives.

Data-Driven Design

Grace Agnew discussed the multi-faceted architecture and organization of RUcore, a repository built on Fedora. Collections are classified based on from where they originated (provenance). Agnew highlights that there is more to metadata than just the descriptive metadata; rights, provenance, and technical metadata have the potential to create richer, contextual relationships between digital objects.  An object consists of 2 facets: its description, and the events with which it is associated. She mentions one research project, The Video Mosaic Collaborative, which presents videos of mathematics teaching sessions that can be reused and analyzed to improve math education. Event metadata can be created to track a particular video through its use in other education research project, any changes or interventions made, etc.

Trends and Challenges

Jane Otto further expounded on the use of more than descriptive metadata, and underscored the repository’s ability to accept digital objects in a variety of formats. As the costs of storage space decrease, an increasing trend in digital repositories is the archival of video.  She discussed many emerging challenges that accompanied moving images, such as the choice of a metadata scheme that could handle both analog and digital videos; this is compounded by quickly changing standards as the profession moves into the digital realm.

In order to meet these challenges, the importance of cross-training the staff was emphasized. Cross-training not only increases efficiency, but ensures that each employee is well-rounded and flexible enough to respond to a rapidly changing landscape.

Summing it up

The digital departments at both universities took on projects not just from within the institution, but also sought grant-funding and collaboration with outside institutions as well. This underscores the importance of the library’s role in digitization efforts, which in turn provides global access to researchers and users everywhere.

The representatives from UNT presented an established workflow for handling multiple digital projects. Their presentation highlighted streamlining quality assurance, a step that can often become the most time-consuming in a digital project. The team from Rutgers presented utilizing an even richer metadata structure that incorporates more than just descriptive metadata, and presented fresh ways of looking at how objects can be linked in a repository.

It was interesting as a student to see what skills were required for working in digital content. Clearly, technical knowledge is important, especially regarding metadata standards and how they can best be applied to a collection. Yet there were also less concrete skills, such as the ability to envision a collection not just as a stand-alone island, but how it can be molded and integrated into other collections and ideas. Also, there was an importance in finding ways to constantly improve the workflow, and discover how new technologies and processes could make things more efficient.

Overall, this was a very informative session on how institutions are managing their digital content, as well as future developments and challenges to overcome. I wish everyone reading this a happy 4th of July weekend, and for those of you who attended the ALA conference in DC…get plenty of rest, stay cool, and enjoy the holiday!

For more information on the presenting institutions and their collections, please visit the links below:

Digital Collections at UNT

RUCore – Rutgers Community Repository (Developers Area)“

New YouTube Mobile Website…07.08.10

GOL! Waka Waka! España in World Cup Final…07.08.10

World Cup, semi finals

Germany 0 – Spain 1

Advance report. Spain will be playing in their first ever World Cup final after beating Germany 0-1 in the semi-finals! Puyol headed in a corner from his Barcelona team mate Xavi with just over a quarter of an hour to go to take Del bosque’s side through to meet holland in Johannesburg next Sunday. (07.07.10)

World eBook Fair…07.08.10

World eBook Fair

Losing Libraries Website Launched…07.07.10

LosingLibraries.org

The Most Popular Social Identities…07.07.10

From Mashable!

FREE Webinar: The Social Library with Cliff Landis…07.06.10

FREE Webinar: The Social Library with Cliff Landis

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 10:00-11:00am

Join Cliff Landis as he talks about the ways social media has transformed the library users interact with each other, with the library, and with information. Cliff will also give timely advice on how libraries can use emerging social technologies to keep up with changing user needs. Participants in the webinar will learn how social network sites, microblogging tools, and free open source software can be used to perform outreach and proactive service via the social web.

This session is open to all librarians (school, public, academic, special)!

Registration

The Wednesday Webinar Series is brought to you by the Georgia Public Library Service and the Georgia Library Association PACE (Professional and Continuing Education) Interest Group.

eBooks – Libraries at the Tipping Point Virtual Summit…07.05.10

“…Libraries at the Tipping Point will bring together public libraries, academic libraries, and school libraries (K-12) in a day-long virtual conference environment. The day will be presented online and will include keynote presentations and panel discussions on the evolving concept of the book in a digital world and will keep participants future-focused and actively engaged in visioning and assuring an exciting role for libraries. Attendees will have access to webcasts and live chat rooms as well as the ability to interact with speakers and exhibitors.

• Librarians and library administrators will learn about current best practices for library ebook collections and explore new and evolving models for ebook content discovery and delivery.
• Publishers and content creators will learn how to effectively identify and develop the ‘right’ content offerings for each segment of the relatively untapped library ebook market.
• Ebook platform vendors and device manufacturers will learn just what libraries need and want in this rapidly changing environment…”

Inside the National Archive Vaults…07.05.10

UK Inquiry Into Public Libraries…07.05.10

The UK  Trade Union UNISON recently published The People’s Inquiry into the public library service

Battle Hymn of the Republic…07.04.10

“Battle Hymn of the Republic” by Julia Ward Howe — poem below as published in the Atlantic Monthly in February 1862:

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
“As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on.”

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me:
As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

“Founding Fathers” Declared Dependence on Creator God on “Independence Day”…07.04.10

(Flag that flew over Ft. McHenry when the Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key)

Though some of America’s “founding fathers” who delivered to us the national freedom we all enjoy were actually deists—like Jefferson and Franklin, it is interesting to review the following thoughts by them about our dependence on a sovereign Creator:

George Washington

1st U.S. President

“While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.”
–The Writings of Washington, pp. 342-343.

John Adams
2nd U.S. President and Signer of the Declaration of Independence

“Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God … What a Eutopia, what a Paradise would this region be.”
–Diary and Autobiography of John Adams, Vol. III, p. 9.

“The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.”
–Adams wrote this on June 28, 1813, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson.

“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever.”
–Adams wrote this in a letter to his wife, Abigail, on July 3, 1776.

Thomas Jefferson
3rd U.S. President, Drafter and Signer of the Declaration of Independence

“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever; That a revolution of the wheel of fortune, a change of situation, is among possible events; that it may become probable by Supernatural influence! The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in that event.”
–Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII, p. 237.

“I am a real Christian – that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ.”
–The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, p. 385.

John Hancock
1st Signer of the Declaration of Independence

“Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual. … Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us.”
–History of the United States of America, Vol. II, p. 229.

Benjamin Franklin
Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Unites States Constitution

“Here is my Creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That He ought to be worshipped.

That the most acceptable service we render to him is in doing good to his other children. That the soul of man is immortal, and will be treated with justice in another life respecting its conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental points in all sound religion, and I regard them as you do in whatever sect I meet with them.

As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and his religion, as he left them to us, is the best the world ever saw, or is likely to see;

But I apprehend it has received various corrupting changes, and I have, with most of the present dissenters in England, some doubts as to his divinity; though it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the truth with less trouble. I see no harm, however, in its being believed, if that belief has the good consequence, as probably it has, of making his doctrines more respected and more observed; especially as I do not perceive, that the Supreme takes it amiss, by distinguishing the unbelievers in his government of the world with any peculiar marks of his displeasure.”
–Benjamin Franklin wrote this in a letter to Ezra Stiles, President of Yale University on March 9, 1790.

Samuel Adams
Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Father of the American Revolution

“And as it is our duty to extend our wishes to the happiness of the great family of man, I conceive that we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world that the rod of tyrants may be broken to pieces, and the oppressed made free again; that wars may cease in all the earth, and that the confusions that are and have been among nations may be overruled by promoting and speedily bringing on that holy and happy period when the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and all people everywhere willingly bow to the sceptre of Him who is Prince of Peace.”
–As Governor of Massachusetts, Proclamation of a Day of Fast, March 20, 1797.

James Madison

4th U.S. President

“Cursed be all that learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ.”
–America’s Providential History, p. 93.

James Monroe
5th U.S. President

“When we view the blessings with which our country has been favored, those which we now enjoy, and the means which we possess of handing them down unimpaired to our latest posterity, our attention is irresistibly drawn to the source from whence they flow. Let us then, unite in offering our most grateful acknowledgements for these blessings to the Divine Author of All Good.”
–Monroe made this statement in his 2nd Annual Message to Congress, November 16, 1818.

John Quincy Adams
6th U.S. President

“The hope of a Christian is inseparable from his faith. Whoever believes in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion of Jesus shall prevail throughout the earth. Never since the foundation of the world have the prospects of mankind been more encouraging to that hope than they appear to be at the present time. And may the associated distribution of the Bible proceed and prosper till the Lord shall have made ‘bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God’ (Isaiah 52:10).”
–Life of John Quincy Adams, p. 248.

William Penn
Founder of Pennsylvania

“I do declare to the whole world that we believe the Scriptures to contain a declaration of the mind and will of God in and to those ages in which they were written; being given forth by the Holy Ghost moving in the hearts of holy men of God; that they ought also to be read, believed, and fulfilled in our day; being used for reproof and instruction, that the man of God may be perfect. They are a declaration and testimony of heavenly things themselves, and, as such, we carry a high respect for them. We accept them as the words of God Himself.”
–Treatise of the Religion of the Quakers, p. 355.

Roger Sherman
Signer of the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution

“I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the same in substance equal in power and glory. That the scriptures of the old and new testaments are a revelation from God, and a complete rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. That God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, so as thereby he is not the author or approver of sin. That he creates all things, and preserves and governs all creatures and all their actions, in a manner perfectly consistent with the freedom of will in moral agents, and the usefulness of means. That he made man at first perfectly holy, that the first man sinned, and as he was the public head of his posterity, they all became sinners in consequence of his first transgression, are wholly indisposed to that which is good and inclined to evil, and on account of sin are liable to all the miseries of this life, to death, and to the pains of hell forever.

I believe that God having elected some of mankind to eternal life, did send his own Son to become man, die in the room and stead of sinners and thus to lay a foundation for the offer of pardon and salvation to all mankind, so as all may be saved who are willing to accept the gospel offer: also by his special grace and spirit, to regenerate, sanctify and enable to persevere in holiness, all who shall be saved; and to procure in consequence of their repentance and faith in himself their justification by virtue of his atonement as the only meritorious cause.

I believe a visible church to be a congregation of those who make a credible profession of their faith in Christ, and obedience to him, joined by the bond of the covenant.

I believe that the souls of believers are at their death made perfectly holy, and immediately taken to glory: that at the end of this world there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a final judgement of all mankind, when the righteous shall be publicly acquitted by Christ the Judge and admitted to everlasting life and glory, and the wicked be sentenced to everlasting punishment.”
–The Life of Roger Sherman, pp. 272-273.

Benjamin Rush
Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution

“The Gospel of Jesus Christ prescribes the wisest rules for just conduct in every situation of life. Happy they who are enabled to obey them in all situations!”
–The Autobiography of Benjamin Rush, pp. 165-166.

“Christianity is the only true and perfect religion, and that in proportion as mankind adopts its principles and obeys its precepts, they will be wise and happy.”
–Essays, Literary, Moral, and Philosophical, published in 1798.

“I know there is an objection among many people to teaching children doctrines of any kind, because they are liable to be controverted. But let us not be wiser than our Maker.

If moral precepts alone could have reformed mankind, the mission of the Son of God into all the world would have been unnecessary. The perfect morality of the Gospel rests upon the doctrine which, though often controverted has never been refuted: I mean the vicarious life and death of the Son of God.”
–Essays, Literary, Moral, and Philosophical, published in 1798.

John Witherspoon
Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Clergyman and President of Princeton University

“While we give praise to God, the Supreme Disposer of all events, for His interposition on our behalf, let us guard against the dangerous error of trusting in, or boasting of, an arm of flesh … If your cause is just, if your principles are pure, and if your conduct is prudent, you need not fear the multitude of opposing hosts.

What follows from this? That he is the best friend to American liberty, who is most sincere and active in promoting true and undefiled religion, and who sets himself with the greatest firmness to bear down profanity and immorality of every kind.

Whoever is an avowed enemy of God, I scruple not [do not hesitate] to call him an enemy of his country.”
–Sermon at Princeton University, “The Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men,” May 17, 1776.

Alexander Hamilton
Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution

“I have carefully examined the evidences of the Christian religion, and if I was sitting as a juror upon its authenticity I would unhesitatingly give my verdict in its favor. I can prove its truth as clearly as any proposition ever submitted to the mind of man.”
–Famous American Statesmen, p. 126.

Patrick Henry
Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.”
–The Trumpet Voice of Freedom: Patrick Henry of Virginia, p. iii.

“The Bible … is a book worth more than all the other books that were ever printed.”
–Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry, p. 402.

John Jay
1st Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and President of the American Bible Society

“By conveying the Bible to people thus circumstanced, we certainly do them a most interesting kindness. We thereby enable them to learn that man was originally created and placed in a state of happiness, but, becoming disobedient, was subjected to the degradation and evils which he and his posterity have since experienced.

The Bible will also inform them that our gracious Creator has provided for us a Redeemer, in whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; that this Redeemer has made atonement “for the sins of the whole world,” and thereby reconciling the Divine justice with the Divine mercy has opened a way for our redemption and salvation; and that these inestimable benefits are of the free gift and grace of God, not of our deserving, nor in our power to deserve.”
–In God We Trust—The Religious Beliefs and Ideas of the American Founding Fathers, p. 379.

“In forming and settling my belief relative to the doctrines of Christianity, I adopted no articles from creeds but such only as, on careful examination, I found to be confirmed by the Bible.”
–American Statesman Series, p. 360.

Today many ask the question ”Who is Jesus…Really?“

Preserving the United States “Declaration of Independence”…07.04.10

The Wired article July 4, 1776: Preserving the Declaration discusses the history of efforts to preserve the American Declaration of Independence:

“…The Declaration of Independence can be fairly said to stand alongside the Magna Carta and Bill of Rights as the most important documents in the history of democracy. Its significance was understood from the moment it was signed, so one is left to wonder why its preservation was ignored for so long.

During the Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence was rolled up and toted around like a Thomas Bros. map, although, given the vicissitudes of war, that’s perhaps understandable. Less understandable is what came later. Water was spilled on it while it was being copied in 1823. Then it was tacked up on the wall at the U.S. Patent Office for about 40 years, where it was subjected to a strong northern light.

Finally, the suggestion was made in 1903 that maybe it shouldn’t be exposed to sunlight and, oh, by the way, maybe it should be kept dry, too. The latter turned out to be a bad idea because the Declaration, which was written on parchment, actually needs a bit of moisture to keep from cracking

It wasn’t until 1951 that the first modern preservation efforts began. The document was sealed inside a bronze, bullet-proof glass case at the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. Humidified helium replaced oxygen to prevent further erosion, and the glass was filtered to cut down on light exposure.

Beginning in 1987, using camera equipment developed for the Hubble Space Telescope, preservationists were able to monitor the Declaration for even the most minute signs of fading or flaking ink.

The measures proved effective, so much so that the Declaration outlived its original protective case. After undergoing careful inspection for further erosion in 2003, the document was resealed in a titanium casement filled with inert argon gas. Similar preservation techniques are used to protect the Bill of Rightsand Constitution.

The Declaration of Independence remains on display in the rotunda of the National Archives, where it is seen by roughly 6,000 tourists every day. At night, when the crowds have all gone home, the case is lowered 22 feet into a vault…”

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Study Results Conclude Reading Takes Longer on iPad and eReaders…07.04.10

From Mashable!:

“It takes longer to read books on a Kindle 2 or an iPad versus a printed book, Jakob Nielsen of product development consultancy Nielsen Norman Group discovered in a recent usability survey.

The study found that reading speeds declined by 6.2% on the iPad and 10.7% on the Kindle compared to print. However, Nielsen conceded that the differences in reading speed between the two devices were not “statistically significant because of the data’s fairly high variability” — in other words, the study did not prove that the iPad allowed for faster reading than the Kindle.

A total of 24 participants (10 is about average for a usability survey) were given short stories by Ernest Hemingway to read in print and on iPads, Kindles and desktop PCs. Hemingway was chosen because his work utilizes simple language and is “pleasant and engaging to read.” The narratives took an average of 17 minutes and 20 seconds from start to finish — enough time to get readers fully “immersed” in the stories, Nielsen explained.

After reading, participants filled out a brief comprehension questionnaire to make sure no one had skimmed through a story. Users rated their satisfaction with each device; the iPad, Kindle and printed book scored 5.8, 5.7 and 5.6, on a scale of 7, respectively, while the PC received an average score of 3.6 — due, in part, because reading on a PC reminded readers of work. Participants also complained about the weight of the iPad and the Kindle’s weak contrast.

As Nielsen notes, the satisfaction ratings on the survey are promising for the future of e-readers and tablet devices. However, I can see universities and businesses taking less kindly to e-readers if further studies prove that they handicap reading speed.

Social CRM…07.03.10

Jeremiah Owyang:

“…He raises a good point that social media empowers everyone in the organization to now have a customer touchpoint in this flattening tools. Yet this means that customers will need a consistent experience regardless of who they talk to in sales, marketing, support, or in-person. As a result, this is creating some unique cultural changes inside of companies, companies with many silos will start to have to come together to provide those consistent experiences. Do check out Charlene’s book Open Leadership which can help leaders make sense of how to approach this cultural change…”

21 Century Learning Environments…07.03.10

Cory Doctorow on Copyright…07.03.10

USA (EEUU) – One Nation Under God…07.02.10

Happy Birthday, America!

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic forwhich it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

New Pew Report: The Future of Online Socializing…07.02.10

From the summary of the new Pew Internet and American Life Report The Future of Online Socializing:

“The social benefits of internet use will far outweigh the negatives over the next decade, according to experts. They say this is because email, social networks, and other online tools offer “low friction” opportunities to create, enhance, and rediscover social ties that make a difference in people’s lives. The internet lowers traditional communications constraints of cost, geography, and time; and it supports the type of open information sharing that brings people together.

While they acknowledge that use of the internet as a tool for communications can yield both positive and negative effects, a significant majority of technology experts and stakeholders participating in the fourth Future of the Internet survey say it improves social relations and will continue to do so through 2020…”

The Online Library of Liberty…07.02.10

The Online Library of Liberty

“The Online Library of Liberty website has been selected by the Library of Congress to be archived as part of their Minerva project to collect and preserve material ‘of historical importance to the Congress and to the American people.’ The OLL website will join a select group of websites which will be cataloged and preserved for future generations of researchers. It will be part of the “Single Sites” collection of thematic or event-based web sites..”

Social Media for Social Good…07.02.10

Mobile Impacts on Library Services…07.02.10

From Lorcan Dempsey who just participated in in LITA’s Top Tech Trends panel at ALA this year:

“…five ways in which mobile is impacting our services:

1. Atomization: get to relevance quickly. Mobile encourages designers to think of atomic services rather than complicated workflows or rich multilayered experiences. And to think about services that are immediately relevant and convenient. Room or equipment booking or bus time tables may become more visible, for example.
2. Localization: where you are can matter. WolfWalk is a nice example of a library application which is location aware. It associates materials from NCSU’s special collections with historic buildings on campus. “The application supports a map view with geotagged placemarks for 90 major sites of interest on the NCSU campus, and a browse view for quickly locating a known site by name.”
3. Imbrication: our physical and digital spaces overlap. Andy Walsh, of Huddersfield University, for example,discusses how QR Codes (and RFID tags) can be used to connect library places with network information services. And I was interested to see a QR code prominently displayed on one vendor booth at ALA providing a link to further information online.
4. Socialization: microcoordination and ad hoc rendezvous affect how we think about space. Mobile communications allow us to coordinate as we go: let’s meet up in an hour in Starbuck’s; I am in Target, will I buy these ones?; I thought you were going to be here 15 minutes ago? I have written before about Starbuck’s as ‘on-demand place’ for the type of ad hoc rendezvous that we are now used to. William Mitchell has written about how this affects our need for different types of space, and we can see how this impacts library space:
   

   “The fact that people are no longer tied to specific places for functions such as studying or learning, says Mr. Mitchell, means that there is ‘a huge drop in demand for traditional, private, enclosed spaces’ such as offices or classrooms, and simultaneously ‘a huge rise in demand for semi-public spaces that can be informally appropriated to ad hoc workspaces’. This shift, he thinks, amounts to the biggest change in architecture in this century. [Economist. "The new oases," (10 April, 2008). Quoted here.]

5. Mobile and cloud go together. We have multiple connection points which offer different grades of experience (the desktop, phone, xBox or Wii, GPS system, smartphone, netbook, Internet radio/music streaming, and so on). While these converge in various ways, they are also optimized for different purposes. A natural accompaniment of this mesh of connection points is a move of many services to the cloud, available on the network across these multiple devices and environments when they are needed. This means that an exclusive focus on the institutional Web site as the primary delivery mechanism and the browser as the primary consumption environment is increasingly partial.

Google Safer Encrypted Searching…07.01.10

From the Google blog:

“Since we introduced our encrypted search option last month, we’ve been listening closely to user feedback. Many users appreciate the capability to perform searches with better protection against snooping from third parties. We’ve also heard about some challenges faced by various school districts, and today, we want to inform you that we’ve moved encrypted search from https://www.google.comto https://encrypted.google.com. The site functions in the same way. For more information on this change, please read on here…

As people spend more time on the Internet, they want greater control over who has access to their online communications. Many Internet services use what are known as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connections to encrypt information that travels between your computer and their service. Usually recognized by a web address starting with ‘https’ or a browser lock icon, this technology is regularly used by online banking sites and e-commerce websites. Other sites may also implement SSL in a more limited fashion, for example, to help protect your passwords when you enter your login information.

Years ago Google added SSL encryption to products ranging from Gmail to Google Docs and others, and we continue to enable encryption on more services. Like banking and e-commerce sites, Google’s encryption extends beyond login passwords to the entire service. This session-wide encryption is a significant privacy advantage over systems that only encrypt login pages and credit card information. Early this year, we took an important step forward by making SSL the default setting for all Gmail users. And today we’re gradually rolling out a new choice to search more securely at https://www.google.com…”

When you search on https://www.google.com, an encrypted connection is created between your browser and Google. This secured channel helps protect your search terms and your search results pages from being intercepted by a third party on your network. The service includes a modified logo to help indicate that you’re searching using SSL and that you may encounter a somewhat different Google search experience, but as always, remember to check the start of the address bar for “https” and your browser lock indicators

“Building the Digital Branch: An ALA TechSource Workshop with David Lee King”…07.01.10

ALA TechSource:

“Every library needs a presence on the Web. Whether you work at a large academic library or a public library in a small town, you need to be able to provide service and content to your patrons beyond the walls of your building. In this workshop, David Lee King will take you through the process of building an effective, user-friendly library website that will exand and enhance your library’s presence in its community.

This event will take place on Tuesday, August 3rd at 2:30pm Eastern (1:30pm Central, 11:30am Pacific).

Whether you’re looking to launch your first website, redesign your site, or expand the site you have, this workshop will provide practical guidance for every step of the process.

David Lee King is the Digital Branch & Services Manager at Shawnee and Topeka County Public Library, and a sought-after writer and presenter on the topic of library websites. By signing up for this workshop, you’ll have a unique oppportunity to work directly with David during the interactive presentation, which will include Q&A and discussion.

Sign up now and engage in 90 minutes of discussion and interactive learning you can’t get anywhere else—all for the low cost of $50.00.

Building the Digital Branch will include:

• Defining the Digital Branch
• A Guide to Usability on the Web
• Gathering Information and Planning
• Building the Branch
• What to Do Once Your Site Is Built
• Creating Community through the Digital Branch
• Planning for Expansion

New Kindle DX Reader Released with Price Cut…07.01.10

Graphite Kindle DX ($379) is available for pre-order now and it will be available July 7th.

PC World says:

“…By shaving more than 20 percent from the price, to $379, Amazon repositions its 9.7-inch E-Ink e-reader as falling somewhere between the less expensive, smaller-screened e-readers, and Apple’s shiny, multipurpose device.

The new Kindle DX keeps the same name as its predecessor, but it has two core improvements that promise to bolster readability. The case gets a color change, from putty to graphite; in my experience, a darker case helps text jump off an E-Ink screen. In this case, the display has a higher-contrast E-Ink display…”

What to do before you digitize: A roadmap for smaller institutions…07.01.10