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An interesting organization but sounds ultimately like a variation of the LOCKKS concept, namely preserving a digital archive by means of multiple copies on data nodes, so if one fails others step in to replace it.

The FBI raided the Detroit Public Library over allegations a library official had ties to a contractor hired to update the library's computer systems and personally benefited from the contracts--which were in the $2 million dollar range. Interestingly the president of the Detroit Library Commission says the the issues were longstanding the raid was overdue in happening.

I'm just surprised that it took academic libraries so long to catch on-- public libraries were really at the forefront of this movement.

The burgeoning presence of ebooks on library catalogs is producing an unexpected problem-- what if the patron wants a print version of a book as opposed to an ebook version? How do you tease that out of MARC? RDA's GMD appears to be helpful, but not a useful as the Leader, 007, or 008 fields.

An article that addresses a problem which has come up before, namely "junk" books made from electronic files, in this case physical copies as opposed to eBooks, but with the same problems. Material in the text is missing, as well as the publisher and print date, edition, the notation about original language or any information about the author. Such information, separated from the original work, means that the context and in some cases documentation for the book are lost, which could harm research and preservation in the long run.

The author talks about how using electronic devices can alter our accustomed behaviors, such as mistakenly swiping a finger when reading a printed newspaper expecting it to turn the page the same as if it were on a tablet. He then carries this over into an argument that the brain changes that cause this hasten the adoption rate for new technologies. Ultimately I disagree with this as it's only becoming habituated to an interface, and not something intrinsic with the medium itself.

A different concept that is part of a concept (and Facebook app) called a "Social Book," Thomas More's "Utopia" is put online with all the versions, notes, and commentary, and users are encouraged to write--whether to add commentary, notes, or rewrite the book in portions. I see this being a good utility for "deep thinking" or classic works (War and Peace, The Republic, etc.) but I note there doesn't seem to be a versioning system or method to track edits, and ultimately no way to lead a discussion or system of debate, and in some ways it's like a repackaged wiki. Lastly, outside of scholarly works I could imagine it devolving into a sort of fan fiction or endless rewriting to suit people's tastes.

Newer 3D printers coming on the market are much larger in size, able to "print" objects 2-3 feet in dimension, or about the size of a bicycle frame. Printers of these size would be something to consider for a Maker Space as they would unlikely be affordable to an individual and would require a community use to justify the cost.

This is a cool idea-- basically, it's a way to link the data in Wikipedia across languages to cut down on redundancy and help the information flow across language barriers.

Reports of bedbug demise have been greatly exaggerated, it seems.

That's a relief. I was itchy just thinking about that.

Wayne Bivens-Tatum at the Library Journal offers a general criticism at how current copyright law is designed solely with the benefit of publishers in mind.

A video that explains some concepts about open access; some concepts are a little too idealized, some research involving material that is patented or financed by commercial interests may not be free. However, some other points, such as the extreme cost of journals, or that patrons may not know if materials are suitable until they've already paid for them is spot on.

Not exactly the first time one of these has been tried, but very close to it. The success or failure ultimately isn't how much access it provides but how much it will serve the needs of the user public.

A short article about Aaron Swartz, one of the founders of Reddit who committed suicide recently. At issue is not that he was accessing an archive of unauthorized articles from Jstor, but if the prosecution and potential sentence fit the the crime and if overall more information should be free

This sounds like a good choice, and makes me even more excited for what the DPLA could have in store.

A set of recommendations from BOAI (Budapest Open Access Initiative) for open access to research, including self archiving and open access journals.

I'm not certain if all these are necessary (such as a personal voice in social media) but others are (creating a basic mobile website) and show some of the ideas currently in vogue.

Really neat ideas from Harvard Libraries!

We should do this with Help Desk requests!

An article that covers some open access and peer reviewed projects such as the Public Library of Science (www.plos.org) and ultimately makes the conclusion that research should be free because no part of the process should cost very much, and some of the hold up is academia not considering open access journals "prestigious" enough to merit tenure. I would agree in principle, especially if commercial publishers are removed from the equation. However, a lot of applied science and research relies on funding that may involve copyrighted or trademarked material, so some research will always be restricted.