This one from the forthcoming redesign of the Johnson County Library site is amazing. Just mouse over each of the staff photos for the full effect.
Tim Worstall get’s to claim “first” on this idea. I wonder who’ll be second. Let’s just close down the lending libraries and buy every citizen an Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription. I’ll use the numbers from my native UK here simply because I have a better grasp of them. As a country we spend some...
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HOST: Alexander Heffner
GUEST: John Palfrey
AIR DATE: 06/21/14
I’m Alexander Heffner, your new host on The Open Mind.
For more than a half-century, my grandfather explored the universe of ideas from this chair, and I was fortunate to benefit from his tutelage.
In taking his seat as he hoped I would, I’ll carry on Open Mind’s mission as he conceived it: “To elicit meaningful insights into the challenges Americans face in contemporary areas of national concern…a quiet and thoughtful excursion into the world of ideas.”
Paying attention to issues such as immigration, climate change, and the nature of our digital society, Open Mind’s commitment to non-adversarial conversation in the public interest continues here today…as I welcome my first guest.
There is no more perceptive analyst of technology and “Digital Natives,” those who came of age during the Internet revolution, than John Palfrey: Chairman of the Digital Public Library of America and Head of School at Phillips Academy, Andover, where he leads a seminar on “Hacking: A Course in Experiments.”
The former Henry Ess Professor and Vice Dean at Harvard Law School, Palfrey was Executive Director from 2002 to 2008 of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, where he co-authored the critically acclaimed bookBorn Digital.
I know John Palfrey to be a most inspiring champion of open access, digital literacy, and youth empowerment – both in his stewardship of the Digital Public Library and as a mentor to many Harvard and Andover students. While eternally optimistic that the digital world is a glass half-full – not half-empty – Palfrey is sensitive to the human values, ethical, and legal considerations of a pre-Google world that sometimes appear in conflict with the tactics of WikiLeaks or Edward Snowden.
In a February lecture in Akron, Ohio, Palfrey compellingly explored the uses and misuses of technology, the digital divide between naïve and sophisticated Web-users, and the Digital Public Library’s role in bringing knowledge to more communities – topics we’ll explore in a moment.
But first I want to ask John Palfrey how he sees this generation of Digital Natives to be evolving, if there remains a tension between “open access” and “privacy”, and if, perhaps, a second generation of Digital Natives has already arisen without these clashing interests.
Kerstin Habenicht, a librarian at Waterloo Public Library, had a volunteering applicant stand her up for an interview last week. On Monday, Habenicht received an email with an interesting excuse. The applicant arrived promptly on time at 3 p.m. in Waterloo, Iowa. The interviewer was ready right at 3 p.m. — in Waterloo, Ontario....
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Congress recently took a giant leap forward to improve the delivery of job training and workforce development by passing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA). Overwhelmingly approved by both the House and the Senate and supported by the President, the legislation is the result of a bipartisan agreement that recognizes the...
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If there’s one phrase I dislike more than the latest company touting itself as the “Netflix for books,” it’s when the retort is that such a thing already exists and it’s called the library. The library is not a Netflix for books. While there are plenty of reasons a company would want to step in and...
Read more →Our professional ethics and values and the current copyright regime are in conflict. While the American Library Association lobbies for change while supporting the current intellectual property regime, how are we information professionals going to proceed? Because I’d rather not support this particular law, set of laws, at the expense of what I believe,...
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Copyright! Complicated, confusing, and not clear-cut. What does a librarian need to know? Michael Sauers and Laura Johnson, from the Nebraska Library Commission, will present scenarios to discuss, as we all shine a light on the subject and try to figure out what a librarian needs to do. (Early on in the show we...
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More and more librarians and library-lovers are realizing that they have a lot in common with Mozilla. While some people think Mozilla is just a tech company that makes Firefox, these savvy “Mozillarians” know that they’re more than that: Mozilla is a global community of people who believe that openness, innovation, and opportunity are key to the continued health of the Internet.
Mozilla creates initiatives like Webmaker and drives the Hive Learning Networks — both focused on advancing web literacy, connected learning, and digital skills. These programs spark creativity and innovation, as well as build tools, curricula, and a community of people dedicated to helping others. Initiatives that enable citizens to develop 21st-century skills, become creators and shapers of the web, explore interests and opportunities, and develop themselves and their communities. Which kinda sounds like, well, what librarians do 
In this session we’ll highlight some Webmaker tools and resources, showcase some emerging Mozillarians, and give you some easy ways to get started by throwing a Webmaker Party.
In this monthly feature of NCompass Live, the NLC’s Technology Innovation Librarian, Michael Sauers, will discuss the tech news of the month and share new and exciting tech for your library.
Presenters:
Åke Nygren, Stockholm Public Library
Over the years Åke has been active in various library projects with a focus on lifelong learning, learning environments, digital inclusion, and social media. He is currently working with digital signage and social media for the Stockholm Public Library Digital Library Dept. Åke is a big fan of Mozilla and other projects working for a free and open internet. In January 2014, he launched a collaborative blog — Mozillarian.org — where he and other “Mozillarians” explore the intersection between the Mozilla community and the library world.
Chris Lawrence, Mozilla Foundation
Chris is the Senior Director of Mozilla’s Webmaker community team. Through this work Chris helps guide the Hive Learning Network project — helping to spread connected learning and web literacy through the exploration of digital skills for youth and educators. He is a graduate of Bank Street College’s Museum Education program and previously worked at the New York Hall of Science.
Christine Prefontaine, Facilitating Change
Christine is a strategist, activist, innovator, and designer. She is the founder of Facilitating Change, a boutique consultancy focusing on international, nonprofit, and community development. Her recent work focuses on civic media and technologies, libraries and other innovation spaces, and web-first publishing. She is a huge library advocate and an active member of the Mozilla community. Previously, she worked for the Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) at the University of Washington Information School, Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and Deloitte’s Emerging Markets Group.
For more information, to register for upcoming NCompass Live events, or to listen to recordings of past events, go to the NCompass Live Webpage.
We have been invited to document the day-to-day proceedings at Wadjimup Community Library. Join us, as we get a glimpse into the hardships and struggles that these women face on a daily basis.
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