MOBIUS Libraries

Says one curator, "I wish there were more articles headlined 'Thorough, Accurate Cataloging Pays Off!' "

So where was this document found? Was it in a suitcase in the attic of Dr. Leale's great-great-great-great granddaughter? Well, no, it was at the National Archives. Was it in a warped metal filing cabinet down a neglected set of stairs labeled "Beware of the Leopard"? No, it was in a box of other incoming correspondence to the Surgeon General, filed alphabetically under "L" for Leale. In short, this document that had been excavated from the depths of the earth with great physical effort was right where it was supposed to be.

In the case of the recent press on the Leale report, the report had not yet been catalogued, cutting off discovery for ordinary researchers searching with finding aids and online catalogues.

Any company that commits to the terms of the Defensive Patent License would have to pledge all of the patents it owns to this league of do-gooders. Any other member of the league would gain a free license to any other member’s patents, and no one in the league would be allowed to launch offensive patent lawsuits against other members of the league. Doing so would be grounds for the member to have its license revoked.

Regardless of the likelihood of success, it’s an intriguing idea. Even if it has no impact on the IBMs and Microsofts of the world, it might make trouble for patent trolls. If a patent has been de-weaponized, there’s no reason for a troll to buy it, Schultz said. “The trolls won’t go after the DPL people because they already have an irrevocable license, forever, for free,” he said. “We think this will decrease the weapon supply of trolls.”

The State of America’s Libraries Report for 2011 notes that library visitation per capita and circulation per capita have both increased in the past 10 years.

“In general, libraries embraced the internet right away,” says Raphael. “And not just to provide computers for patrons. They recognized that it became a new tool for librarians.”

In the absence of high-touch, personal connections many managers are reporting breakdowns in courtesy and respect, many of which are amplified by the stresses of the workplace. Some common examples I've heard recently include a last-minute request for "urgent" information without regard for what it will take to get it done; a manager ignoring emails and voice mails which delayed resolution of a customer problem; a team that worked all night to meet a budget deadline and then received neither feedback nor thanks for their work; and a manager in Asia who was required to attend regular teleconferences with a North American team that kept her up through the middle of the night, with no acknowledgement of what was involved.