Wolfram|Alpha is a new type of internet resource that has just gone “live”.  Many are calling it a new type of “search engine”, which it technically is, but it isn’t a search engine in the way we are used to envisioning one.  Others are calling it an “answer engine”, which isn’t a bad description.  Wolfram takes the user’s query and builds a response from a variety of resources that resembles what one might get from an almanac or or encyclopedic resource.  Wolfram’s own “about” page avoids any particular label.

Right now it has a relatively limited set of resources.  It does well with towns, states, people, movies, word definitions and many scientific questions in the areas of mathematics and chemistry (which is understandable considering that it was built using Mathematica as the foundation.  It doesn’t do well with music, books, television shows, and abstract concepts.  Much of this has to do with the data sets and methodology that is in place, and I expect to see much greater depth and breadth represented as time goes on.

I have spent a bit of time last night and this afternoon playing with it, and am fairly impressed.  Try a few queries, and be sure to view the “Source Information” link at the bottom of the results.  This provides a fairly generic listing of the resources used for that type of query.  Not all of the sources were necessarily used for your particluar query, but were the sources from which the data was extracted.  One can see that with the addition of additional resources, Wolfram could become powerful first step for research.

Some sample queries:

• DeKalb, Illinois
• World According to Garp (movie)
• World According to Garp (novel) [note that this one fails... no resources yet for literature]
• Heaviest Gas Element [many variations of this don't work, an example of syntax, I suppose]

and it doesn’t know quite how to handle leading articles, either:

• The World According to Garp (movie)

This is going to be a great reference; it needs time to mature and for additional data sets to be included.  This is certainly one place where the use of library cataloging information would be very, very beneficial.  Imagine being able to connect the dots between books, authors, publication dates, settings/locales, etc. and other data sets.

There are many sources of data that are mostly silos waiting to be tapped, Infochimps.org being one example.  How quickly and effectively they are able to incorporate useful data will partly determine how successful this resource becomes.  Improving their context recognition (i.e. figuring out what a person wants to know based on their typed input) is the other, perhaps harder, challenge.

Other sources of commentary and information:

• Resource Shelf’s Brief Users Guide to Wolfram
• Quizzing the World’s First Answer Engine
• MetaFilter’s entry, and resulting discussion/commentary
• Wikipedia’s Wolfram Alpha entry

In closing, I like their nod to 2001, A Space Odyssey in their load exceeded error screen:

I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that...

A library district in suburban Chicago (Schaumberg, Illinois) is implementing rules governing library user’s odor and library sleeping habits, but is stressing that the rules are not aimed at homeless users of the library.

This is a little hard to believe, as they also stress that they aren’t planning to invoke the rule against patrons who fall asleep while reading, but those who go into the library with the intention of sleeping.

A little background:  I started my library career in the Brookfield (IL) Public Library, and during the winter months, we had several homeless patrons who spent many hours each day in the library.  Odors?  Definitely.  One person in particular was so strong that I had to hold my breath whenever I was within 5 feet of him.  Just writing this is evoking the exact memory of the smell.

Initially, I didn’t understand why they were allowed.  I am sure that many of our patrons left the library sooner, and perhaps didn’t return as often during the winter months.  We definitely received complaints.  But the director, someone who I have grown to respect more and more over the years, insisted on allowing them a safe haven during the freezing temperatures.

My suggested solution?  Find a way to get people the services they need.  Resources for the homeless have improved, and everyone in need should avail themselves of those resources.  If those resources aren’t available, or even if the people who need them won’t use them, do not deny to them what may be their one safe shelter.  I occasionally wonder about the people I encountered as a page, and hope that their lives improved; but even if they didn’t, I feel happy that the library I remember so fondly also served as a safe place for them.

article found via LISNews

The Washington State Library has compiled a group of resources called Hard Times in Washington Libraries for the purpose of giving libraries, library staff, and library users ideas and tools to adapt to the current and upcoming fiscal crunch.

Included in the staff section of Hard Times are resources for Grants, learning opportunities, and advocacy, as well as a blog for ongoing additions and updates.

They have also created a page on WebJunction Washington containing resources that library staff can use to help patrons.  It was through this resource that I found a great four-page document called Shifting Gears : Rethinking Resources in Tough Times (pdf) created by Rose Chenowith, Library Development Consultant for the Alliance Library System in Illinois, who has worked with Reaching Forward South (my former place of conference).

This is a model for one way that libraries can get the word out and make a difference.  Ask yourself what you can do.  Check out what resources your area can provide.  WebJunction, your state library, your regional library systems, and various community organizations offer many resources that can make a difference for you, your library, and your library’s patrons.

found via LISNews

If you have been concerned about the possible effects of the global financial crisis on libraries, you aren’t alone.  The International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) has issued a statement that is not only short, succinct, and dire, but also proposes some solutions that would not only aid libraries and consortia, but the content providers from whom they purchase.

ICOLC Economic Statement.

This is a very powerful and constructive statement which is meant to initiate some significant changes in the way resources are offered, selected, and purchased.  My compliments to those who crafted the statement; it is a good, proactive document.  Adopting its suggestions will benefit everyone.  From the statements:

“While there may be practical limits to this principle, publishers, authors, scholars, and libraries will be best served by those solutions that retain as much access to as much content as possible.”

Note that there are many, many adopters of this statement, including CARLI in Illinois, as well as INFOhio, OHIOLink, OhioNet, and OPLIN, all in Ohio.  Check the list at the bottom of the statement to see if your consortial partners have adopted it.

found via the Disruptive Library Technology Jester

Many people have a memory of the moment they realized that Barack Obama was likely to become president.  For some, the moment came during the primaries, perhaps when they heard the speech he gave after the New Hampshire primary.

Others, and I know several who were present, will point to his announcement in Springfield, Illinois that he was running for the presidency.

There are others who will go back even further and point to his Keynote address at the 2004 Democratic Convention.

My moment was a bit more obscure, but it had to do with libraries.  I recall becoming convinced that he would run for president, and would likely win.  I expected it in 2012 or 2016 (he was early in his first-term as a U.S. senator, remember), but the past two years has been eerily like what I anticipated that day.

In June 2005, Barack Obama spoke at the American Library Association conference in Chicago, Illinois.  I can’t find a video of the speech, but the transcript is here.  I did find a discussion of his favorite book, however.

Always be aware of your local history, and keep an eye on popular culture.  My former stomping ground of DeKalb, Illinois played a pivotal part in the real-life tragedy that inspired the recently-released movie “Changeling“.  Kudos to historian Phyllis Kelley (full disclosure:  I worked with her daughter, Librarian Patsy Lundberg) for being a key member of the group which built the Joiner History Room collection that allows for such gems to be unearthed.

The DeKalb Daily Chronicle has the story, as does the Chicago Tribune.

Thanks to Patsy for the heads-up!

OCLC released their updated Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat Records yesterday, with implementation scheduled for mid-February.  If you see the phrase

We are reconsidering some aspects of the policy. More information will be available in the near future.

then you might suspect that it created quite a fuss.  It did, and OCLC responded by removing the policy from their web site.

Someone saved a copy of the web page; I will include the text of the policy in the next post.

The core criticism of the policy changes seem to revolve around the licensing of the records.  OCLC planned to include a license statement in a 996 field (from Terry’s Worklog):

996 $aOCLCWCRUP $iUse and transfer of this record is governed by the OCLC® Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat® Records.
$uhttp://purl.org/oclc/wcrup

Limits would include use of the records in anything that “substantially replicates the function, purpose, and/or size of WorldCat, for example for the purpose of providing cataloging services to libraries or other organizations.”  Cataloging services aside, how large does a union catalog have to be before it replicates the function of WorldCat, namely finding a library that owns a particular book?  Ohio’s Ohiolink sized?  Illinois’ I-Share sized?  Georgia’s Pines sized?

What about the OpenLibrary project?  Or LibraryThing?  Using information derived from an OCLC record without including the OCLC number and other OCLC references (like the above statement) would violate their terms, as I read them.  However, the last time I checked, the data itself is not covered under copyright and should be able to be extracted and expressed in creative ways (as long as OCLC’s creative way of expressing the data is not infringed).

We need to recognize the difference between the data held in these records and the expression of that data.  To enter into license agreements that suggest that we cannot recognize the data separate from the expression goes against core library principles.  This feels, in some ways, like the Major League Baseball statistics copyright battle from a few years back, in which the idea of the data itself being public domain was upheld.

One final note:  keep in mind the who and how behind the creation of these records.  We create them.  OCLC gathers them, disseminates them, and puts them to mostly good use.  If OCLC didn’t exist, there would be a need for some organization with a similar purpose.  They are not evil, they are not out to get us; they are, however, overreaching at times.

originally found via Thingology

Two planets of coincidence had to converge for me to make this decidedly non-library post:

1. I posted a reference to the Manual of Traffic Signs a couple of months ago.
2. I am familiar enough with example number three from DeKalb, Illinois to know what intersection it represents.

So, enjoy America’s 10 Most Confusing Traffic Signs!

from Metafilter

Kind of an interesting post on Open Access News over the weekend.  It seems that the license requirements for Elsevier’s electronic journals include printing a copy of the article, then scanning the article, before a library can provide that article as an interlibrary loan (ILL).

Part of my job is the scanning of articles for ILL, a task that is simultaneously interesting and monotonous.  I cannot think of any reason for their policy, except perhaps to make it inconvenient to provide their articles via ILL.  I will be watching to see if there is further developments….

Kind of an interesting post on Open Access News over the weekend.  It seems that the license requirements for Elsevier’s electronic journals include printing a copy of the article, then scanning the article, before a library can provide that article as an interlibrary loan (ILL).

Part of my job is the scanning of articles for ILL, a task that is simultaneously interesting and monotonous.  I cannot think of any reason for their policy, except perhaps to make it inconvenient to provide their articles via ILL.  I will be watching to see if there is further developments….

Digitized Book of the Week is a blog from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign library.  Each post has a link, along with sample images and descriptions, to books recently digitized within their collection.

This week’s book : The Steel Tubular Car Company by J.W. Post (1887)

found on MetaFilter

The Library Fix is the title of Garrison Keillor’s current column, and presents his take on the long-term role that libraries can play in society.  It also appears in today’s Chicago Tribune, though you may need to register for access.

It also reminded me of the first library I worked in, a Carnegie library in Brookfield, IL.  It was warm in summer, cold in winter, drafty, and the antithesis of ADA compliance, but it was a charming building.  Its replacement is a good library building, but doesn’t have the same charming feel to it.

Steven Bell – It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Web 2.0 World : Hidden Treasure or Just More Pressure? (Powerpoint) (Handout)

The title is adapted from It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, the “epic comedy” film from 1963. He likened our (libraries) search for “Library 2.0″ to the frantic search for the “big W” in the film, even showing a couple of clips.

He recommended a Wired magazine article by Chris Anderson called People Power.

A manifestation of the second-generation web is User Generated Content (which strikes me as a good summation of the change taking place).

Business Week’s June 11, 2007 issue of Inside Innovation has an incredible set of charts showing demographics of those using and generating content.

He recommended an article from the v.25#2 issue of Library Hi-Tech called Taking the information to the public through Library 2.0 (abstract only; sounds like an ILL opportunity).

He pointed out a blog post by David Lee King called How Can We Change the Unchangeable, or David’s Rant.

He showed several video clips of library staff scenarios (think of those training movies you see with acted examples):

• Library Director/Admin reacting to a librarian’s blogging
• Co-workers discussing the possibilities of a Wiki
• Instant Messaging as a library tool

His main points were to try out new technology, be open-minded about staff using technology, and recognize that much of Library 2.0 technology involves a time investment, but is otherwise low-risk (and low-cost).

His caveats were to focus on identifying problems needing solutions, find technology with the potential to solve those problems, learn about the technology, and practice.

He referred to an article in the April 2004 American Libraries titled A Dozen Solutions to all Library Problems (which makes some great points with a dose of humor).

Design thinking – libraries approaching problems like designers approaching problems

Library revolution: designers went directly to patrons – how they use library, what they want to do but cannot, etc. They did not use the library staff as a primary resource for the design.

Stages for implementing change:

1. Reflect, analyze, diagnose and design
2. Imagine and visualize
3. Model plan and prototype
4. Implement

Designing Better Libraries (one of Steven’s blogs)

He used an interesting prop to illustrate increased tension associated with technology: a block of wood with a bolt partly screwed into it… he uses a ratchet to tighten the bolt… increasing the tension.

“Reverse the Technology Ratchet”

• consider the opportunity costs
• Balance experimentation and investment of time
• pick your edge – leading or trail
• identify your compassionate pioneers
• reverse mentoring (relatively new library people training established people on newer methods)
• make a plan and let it guide (but there are exceptions)

Website: Steven Bell’s Keeping Up Website

We must learn to evolve

Example: Change. Deal with It. (a.k.a. Jim Carroll’s squirrel experiment)

He concluded with a quote from David Bishop, Charles Deering McCormick University Librarian at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois:

We have watched whole professions go out of business as a result of changes in technology. Libraries are not immune. Change must happen soon and across the board if libraries of all types are to remain viable.

Notes: This was essentially a keynote, and did not go in-depth on any topic. It hit many points, and used a great deal of humor to do so. It was a great start for the conference, and the end quote sets the tone for one of the later sessions.

Big news from the Google Book Search Library Project today:

The number of libraries participating in the Google Book Search Library Project just got a whole lot bigger with today’s addition of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC). The CIC is a national consortium of 12 research universities, including University of Chicago, University of Illinois, Indiana University, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

There are a lot of libraries in that list, and having lived in Northern Illinois for most of my life, I am familiar with many of them (and in fact am planning to visit another one, Ohio State University, within the next couple of weeks to look at a hard-to-find book).

thanks to Ryan Eby for an e-mail post to Web4Lib

Geonames is an online database of places.  Type in the name of a place, be it a town, city, geographic feature, or landmark, and you get a list of places with that name.

Want to know how many places in Colorado have the name Illinois?  Or whether Anytown really exists?  This is your resource!

The Advanced Search allow you to limit your searches by feature and continent.

from TechCrunch

Bacon as a Bookmark?  Librarians Tell All is the title of Mike Hardin’s column in today’s Columbus Dispatch.  He details various objects found inside returned library books, as described by Columbus area librarians.

The “cat in the bookdrop” library happens to be located about one block from my workplace.

I know a librarian in Illinois who found a strip of uncooked bacon in a book, but I cannot remember who it was… can anyone jog my memory?

Digital versions of books by and about Abraham Lincoln, brought to you by the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and the Open Content Alliance.

from ResourceShelf

This article, dated a few weeks ago, on a Chicago news radio station’s website makes it sound as though libraries are more dangerous than they are.

I suspect that many of the “thousands of files” depicting the crimes were either a question of interpretation (“I know pornography when I see it”) or relatively minor issues that, perhaps like my former place of employment, the staff wouldn’t initiate calling police unless we actually witnessed it ourselves.

If you are not familiar with it, though, check out Illinois’ Library Records Confidentiality Act for yourself. I think it benefits more than harms, and that in a criminal investigation, obtaining a subpoena for things such as telephone and library records would be part of an established process. Why should it have taken 2 days to obtain one in this case?

By the way, the act does not cover a library hiding criminal activity, as the article suggests, just circulation and usage records.

While at Reaching Forward South last week, I met someone from the Lincoln Trail Library System who is involved in a project called PolyTalk.

PolyTalk is a volunteer group from Illinois libraries that provide translation services between patrons and library staff.  They set up schedules so that when you have someone in your library who doesn’t speak English, and you don’t have someone who speaks their language, you can call them and have your conversation translated.

Also, their list of vendors that specialize in foreign-language materials is worth a look (scroll down the page).