Accept no substitutes

Day: September 25, 2006

Perkins Library Killed by FaceBook

Perkins Library was my friend. He/she/it/they had been my friend for a while now. That was before FaceBook began their jihad against fakesters. Not that Perkins was a fake. She/he/it/they represented the Library in its fullness, its aspect as a social creature or at least a social building with a social awareness, an interactive and responsive organism — not unlike the living Geisel Library protrayed in Vernor Vinge‘s Rainbows End.

Perkins isn’t the only Library to be destroyed by FaceBook, Jason Griffy over in Tennessee sees a trend and reports in from there. More Libraries killed. Vanished and not allowed to return.

FaceBook, about the be bought possibly by Yahoo!, is retracing the missteps of the faded Friendster as Fred notes over at Unit Structures.

The Blogging Section of the SLA-IT has the story on the University of Kenntucky Library.

FaceBook bring back my Library friend!

British Library says Copyright Law Needs Fixin’

via EduPage, which summarizes CNet’s fuller article of 25 September 2006:

The British Library has called for a wide-scale revision of existing copyright law, which, it said, inadequately addresses digital content, putting too much control into the hands of content producers and owners. Lynne Brindley, chief executive of the British Library, took aim at digital rights management (DRM) technology in particular, saying that it allows content producers to prevent legitimate uses of content, such as for academic purposes, for archival efforts, or for making content available to people with disabilities. Calling the problem a global issue, Brindley said that without “a serious updating of copyright law to recognize the changing technological environment, the law becomes an ass.” The Open Rights Group supported the library’s call for revising copyright law, saying that the current situation “allows publishers to write whatever license they like, which is what is happening now.” The British Library also said the question of orphaned works should be addressed–works whose proper copyright owners cannot be located easily or at all.

Lynne Brindley is a member of the Wilson Academy with whom I visited in Granada earlier this year. She has a great pull out quote in the CNet article: “Unless there is a serious updating of copyright law to recognize the changing technological environment, the law becomes an ass.”

Fred on Social Networks this Wednesday

What: The SILS Research Colloquium – Fred Stutzman will discuss his current research in the areas of social movements in social network services as well as some of the follow up work conducted on his Facebook research.

When: this Wednesday, September 27th at 3:30-4:45 pm

Where: Manning 208.

[My problem: Sally is giving a talk, “Elizabeth Spencer’s Voice at the Back Door and the Legacy of Reconstruction,” at the same time in a different building]

Julie/Julia Project’s Julie in Durham – Friday

Julie Powell

Blooker Prize winner, Julie Powell, will be reading and signing the paper (and I presume hardback) copies of her book, Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, this Friday, September 29, 2006 7:00 PM at the Regulator Bookshop in Durham.

It was a delight to be a Blooker judge and to get to read Julie’s book after having followed her adventures on her blog at Salon. This year Julie will be one of the Blooker judges herself.

If you like cooking, eating or being alive, you will love Julie and Julia.

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