deborah: the Library of Congress cataloging numbers for children's literature, technology, and library science (Default)
2008-12-19 11:25 am

job posting and some link spam

If I didn't love my job, I would be applying to be a Library Developer for LibraryThing. You don't need to be in Maine (although ability to get their is a plus). Basically, I have all of their pluses. Alas, I also love my job. One of you should apply, seriously.

[livejournal.com profile] free_govt_info wonders if the new Bush administration regulations imply that librarians can legally refuse to give out information on subjects they feel run counter to their own personal set of beliefs.

Boston College is going to stop giving freshmen e-mail accounts. The number of pedagogical and security reasons why I think this is absolutely, utterly insane is overwhelming, but since I have no control over it, I will try not to get incensed. Luckily I think they are too smart for this at Tufts.
deborah: the Library of Congress cataloging numbers for children's literature, technology, and library science (Default)
2008-12-16 11:02 am

reserved for the people, not for OCLC

Thingology has been doing a good job of reporting on the dangers of the new OCLC policy [PDF] which goes into effect in February, explaining how it de facto removes work from the public domain. This is important: a private company is, by licensing terms, effectively stealing intellectual content created by government employees in the course of doing their jobs, and putting in noncompete clauses which make it implausible for these government agencies to contribute to public domain or open licensed efforts such as the Open Library. Read:

Then, if you are angry -- and you should be -- sign Aaron Swartz's petition. And then, if you are a librarian or a WorldCat user, sign the Petition for OCLC to Collaboratively Rewrite Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat Records.
deborah: the Library of Congress cataloging numbers for children's literature, technology, and library science (Default)
2008-07-31 09:12 am

immigration, libraries, and that evil Library of Congress

Why isn't the library blogosphere abuzz over the to-be-deported librarian (or library employee; the new stories are inconsistent but seem to imply a library employee) Marxavi Angel Martinez? 23-year-old Martinez has been married for two years, works in a library, is attending college, has a 15-month-old son, and plans to become a kindergarten teacher. She didn't criminally race across the border in hopes of stealing jobs from hard working Americans -- that is, unless as a three-year-old she decided to swim the Rio Grande.

You know, at some level it disgusts me that the main defense of Martinez I've seen in the news is, effectively, she had a skilled-labor job and white friends ("To go after productive citizens who have been our neighbors and friends for years? It's insane"), but if that's what it takes to make people realize that undocumented immigrants are also human beings, fine, I will take it. Although what the heck is up with this news story? "Alamance County ? Thousands of people use the internet at libraries around the Triad everyday, but it might not be the safest place. Sheriff Deputies in Alamance County arrested Marxavi Angel Martinez earlier this week. Martinez was employed by the county library system. She is facing federal charges for alleging aggravated identity theft, false claim to U.S. citizenship, social security fraud and fraudulent or misrepresentation of a material fact. This comes less than 24-hours after MySpace had security breach. ... Can the internet be trusted?"

Also, note to self: NEVER read the reader comments on immigration stories in the news. I simply don't have enough Sanity Watchers points to go around.

In more entertaining crazy news, LibraryThing has gotten a warning from Google AdSense for the "adult or mature content" in -- wait for it -- Library of Congress Subject Headings.
deborah: the Library of Congress cataloging numbers for children's literature, technology, and library science (Default)
2008-03-12 03:52 pm

mostly links, a few thoughts. Lawrence Lessig, librarything, Major league baseball, Stephen Colbert

Some library, book, archives, records, baseball fandom, and government information musings and links just so I can clear the tabs out of my browser again: Cut to save your screen real estate )
deborah: the Library of Congress cataloging numbers for children's literature, technology, and library science (Default)
2007-01-26 11:14 am

LibraryThing and FRBR

I got to thinking today (during Julie Allinson's presentation on using FRBR to model e-scholarship) about LibraryThing and FRBR. Unusually for me, before I braindumped here, I looked around to see what others have said about this. And I found that of course of course, Tim is not unaware of how the LT works system overlaps with some of the goals of FRBR.
Cut for lengthy meanderings )