theshiftingstacks

YouTube - Craig Mundie's TechForum: A Look Ahead

Two disturbing comments from Mundie:
“computing is becoming invisible” and “computers will work on our behalf not our behest”

I realize the technological trend is in this direction but not without consequences. Computers making human decisions for people is problematic at best. And if it’s invisible then the potential of excluding important information goes up. Eli Pariser sums up the issues in his TED talk.

Regardless of trends or the direction technology takes, there is good reason to raise ethical concerns for those folks like Mundie. Librarians are in a good position to see the man behind the curtain here, but perceived relevance of Librarians will potentially fall as well.

Rethinking Government: Why We Need Library Rental Fees

This is a great example of the shift away from institutions as a source of public good to the ideology of good for the individual. Greenfield omits how much rental fees would alienate users from the library and uses this gem of logic:

"...but anyone with a library card can rent that same book for free. At a time where the tax burden can often be onerous, doesn't it make sense to ask library users to pay a nominal fee for a book rental?"

Libraries are not free, that's why we pay taxes.

Greenfield's statement above is followed shortly by, "... the majority of taxpayers in a municipality do not use the public library."

If I follow the authors logic, instead of collectively paying less we pay more individually. People pay taxes on a range of services provided by the government so that collectively all our roads are paved, are electricity runs consistently, the fire department responds to emergencies, our water is sanitized, government publishes vital information for the public, citizens are educated, etc. All of these services are provided regardless of individual use.

Also, in a complex society reducing the amount of exclusion from these services has a collective benefit. Information operates in much the same way as any municipal service or good. One could make the extreme argument that we need to modernize all of these services in much the same way the author proposes to modernize the library. However the consequences of limiting the availability of those services would have a detrimental effect on society. For example, houses burn down if individuals fail to hire a fireman and/or the demand does not match the supply (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefighting#History).

The author's statement that "[the] library system has essentially undergone no fundamental change in the last century," is a vague and wholly incorrect statement. Libraries like every institution changed with the advent of the internet, albeit in a measured way. In fact, services and technology are constantly being added and changed to the library's many facets. The core of the library hasn't changed that of an information and community hub.

If people take the view that a service is only useful or valuable if I use it, then individuals will likely miss the point of services beyond his or her world view. In short, libraries are to provide a public service usable by all regardless of income, information need or use.

The FCC drafted rules for net neutrality and openned the document up for public discussion this past week.  Read more about it in an Ars Technica article.  The draft document can be found on the FCC website along with the statements of the chairpersons.  

Ars Technica points out that the guideline for network management, "other reasonable network management practices," potentially undermines the net neutrality rules.  Other pieces of vague language populate the document, leaving wingle room for both the telecommunications companies as well as the FCC.  In effect, the draft ruling is a living document and over time will change as issues arise.

The FCC's new rules are good news for libraries, as libraries increasingly become content providers.  Otherwise, a network environment where preference is given to for-profit consumer services, libraries might end up on the short end of the list.  A few services libraries offer come to mind that preferential treatment could effect; digital libraries, Skype reference (see Comcast vs FCC VoIP), how-to tutorials, etc.  Let alone downloading articles from a electronic resource.  At least for now the FCC is fettering ISP "network management" while the details of network neutrality are resolved.

 

Below is a list of the six principles of net neutrality set forth in the FCC document.  Number 5 and and 6 are additions to the list.  Again, the draft document can be found on the FCC website

1. Subject to reasonable network management, a provider of broadband Internet access service may not prevent any of its users from sending or receiving the lawful content of the user’s choice over the Internet.
2. Subject to reasonable network management, a provider of broadband Internet access service may not prevent any of its users from running the lawful applications or using the lawful services of the user’s choice.
3. Subject to reasonable network management, a provider of broadband Internet access service may not prevent any of its users from connecting to and using on its network the user’s choice of lawful devices that do not harm the network.
4. Subject to reasonable network management, a provider of broadband Internet access service may not deprive any of its users of the user’s entitlement to competition among network providers, application providers, service providers, and content providers.
5. Subject to reasonable network management, a provider of broadband Internet access service must treat lawful content, applications, and services in a nondiscriminatory manner.
6. Subject to reasonable network management, a provider of broadband Internet access service must disclose such information concerning network management and other practices as is reasonably required for users and content, application, and service providers to enjoy the protections specified in this part.

I came across a great post about Library Theory on LISNews by Vye Perrone. In essence, the author proposes that theory is important to talk about because it provides a back bone for what librarians do.  The daily practice in libraries often overshadows theory.  Perrone makes the point that though librarians are practicing librarianship, the principles behind the day to day vary from librarian to librarian.  In this view, Librarians are "how" centric and have little time for the "why."  Perrone's piece is worth reading as I thought the piece revealing of the library profession.  Librarians should talk more about the principles, or the "why," behind libraries.  Talking about principles helps solidify librarians and gives the library purpose.  To do otherwise is a disservice to the profession and patrons.

My move into a new place (and consequently a spotty internet connection) has interupted my blogging schedule.  I'll get my posts going again once I get settled.  However, before I put my website on vacation I did manage to update my Resume section.  You'll find I now include a Google Map with markers representing all of the libraries for which I worked.  Click on the big red pins and details of the location pop up in a window.  Most professional job histories I see on the web simply link to a resume or list the details on a web page.  While I do include a link to a pdf of my resume, the visual representation of my work history is more interactive and more interesting.  Obviously I can not fit everything on the map, for example, this web site.  At the very least, I do get a chance to display the geographical breadth of my work history, as well as incorporate an innovative tool.  As with all things on my site, the Google map is a work in progress and comments are welcome.  Below is a list of the modules and resources I used to build the Google Maps into my site.

Views - Drupal module to customize the display of the Google Map

GMap - The module that connects the Google Maps API to my site.

Location - The module allows Drupal to associate pages (or nodes) to geographical points.

GMap Tutorial - Druapl Therapy put together a great video tutorial about using GMap and Location.  I highly recommend all the video tutorials at Drupal Therapy, including the video on Views.

GMap with Views - Drupal Love is another great resource for Drupal users.  This video tutorial is a bit dry but gives very clear instructions on how to display a GMap using Views.  Note you may need to tinker with all the settings between the two modules to get it to look right.  I'm still working on my Views version of the same map, some of the styling of my theme does not translate very well into the GMap.