Today's topic: Wikipedia

IT IS the biggest encyclopedia in history and the most successful example of “user-generated content” on the internet, with over 9m articles in 250 languages contributed by volunteers collaborating online.

Does anyone else think that the restrictions on Wikipedia are getting tighter and tighter than advertised and originally planned?

He does suggest that as Wikipedia's popularity grows it will bring its own end as the "one-stop shopping model will likely fragment".

I do not know of this will happen. We see this in our own library collections that we are pushing more resources to a one-stop approach. Do people really think that we will revert back to having to find information from only a single appropriate source?

See the Plain Dealer article for some more highlights.

Go to http://maps.google.com/ and enter a Cleveland address. Hit "street" view and if the streets are highlighted in blue you can get the view as if you are driving by. Just click on the street and enjoy. Arrows direct your travel and your view.

I went with the "full screen" view and the images are very good quality and can be zoomed. Not quite good enough to read a license plate, but they show quite a bit of detail.

All the numbers are quite intriguing. The over 26 hours per day of tasks in 24 hours really hit home.

Source: http://mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg/?p=119

Source: http://www.commoncraft.com/photosharing

In my article, Libraries Exploring Their Second Life, I highlight how libraries and other organizations are utilizing Second Life. I focused on Ohio but included other examples as well.

Game players scored nearly 50% higher on tool control and overall performance than other trainees.

Really? I did a similar project on photoremediation during my undergraduate degree in chemical engineering and I found all the necessary information from the library.

I have two concerns with this video and the suggestions made. First, I question where else did these students look. Second, Google is doing some wonderful things but they are not the only source. It leads me to challenge are libraries doing enough to be in front of the users eyes.

Animator vs. Animation by *alanbecker on deviantART

A New Jersey Library Starts Lending Kindles from Library Journal (12/13/2007)
The Sparta Public Library, NJ bought two $399 Kindles and loans them to patrons.

Kindling? Amazon's eBook Reader, Kindle, Is Latest Device To Fire Up the Market from Library Journal Academic Newswire (11/20/2007)
Includes some quotes from a discussion on the Web4Lib Electronic Discussion list.

Textbooks
I get students all the time that want the opportunity to download electronic versions of their textbooks to their laptop or other device. The size and sometimes the number of textbooks in a given semester makes them practical in a dorm room, but not in the classroom. Students often already carry laptops or other materials and
do not want to lug books as well. If they could include all their text books on a Kindle for in the classroom usage or studying when away from their dorms, it can be a great market to pursue.

Textbooks in the Library
Many libraries do not buy textbooks for their collections. There is an expectation that students purchase their needed books. Textbooks become dated too quick and would gather dust on library shelves that could be used for other materials. To be fair a library would be forced to keep textbooks on reserve so they are always available for usage. Keeping hundreds of textbooks on reserve causes many space concerns. What if libraries had a few Kindles available that contain the current e-versions of the school's textbooks?

Best Sellers, Leisure Books, or Other Rarely Used Materials
Many academic libraries provided limited access to best sellers or other leisure reading materials. Students are often forced to locate the local public library or purchase online from companies like Amazon. What if libraries had Kindles available and the library staff purchased patron-requested items? Many libraries already spend money on interlibrary loan, so would this be any different?

Departmental Training Tool
Many departments circulate books or journals for their staff to read as a professional development or awareness tool. Could a Kindle serve a similar role?

Laboratory or Clinical Usage
Would researchers use a Kindle with all their reference manuals, books, and data loaded on it?

Roving Reference
We have seen many libraries that now offer "roving reference" where the librarians come to the user rather than sitting behind a desk. Would a Kindle with the standard reference books be used to support this type of service?

I was very impressed with the overall usability. The text reads just like traditional print text. It has none of the glare or backlighting of other electronic devices. The size is that of an average book, and the weight is only slightly more.

Positives:

• Readability - Reads likes traditional printed media.
  
• Portability - Has built-in memory, plus can uses SD memory cards.
  
• Extras: Plays MP3s from built-in speaker or headphone jack.
  
• Does not require wifi access points as it uses Sprint's network at no additional cost to the user.
  
• Includes QWERTY keyboard that can be used for searching within text, annotations, and other uses.
  
• Adjustable text size should be a strong selling point for those with eye problems that may have trouble getting access to other print materials.
  
• Purchase books, magazines, and newspapers.

Negatives:

• Price: $400 - Do I need to say more?
  
• Carrying case - Designed to imitate a book cover, but I do not think it will last long. It does press on the keys and I think over time the Kindle will start to slide out.
  
• Only back and white text, no color.
  
• Scroll wheel and the menu system assumes everyone is familiar with an iPod-like system. I showed it to a small group of people in a meeting and only 2 of the 6 instinctively understood how to use it.
  
• Requires two hands to hold, unless you have fairly large hands.
  
• Only uses a single cellular network for online access - Sprint. How good is Sprint's coverage in all areas? I do not know personally.
  
• Limited to Amazon's selections for purchases with rights restrictions in place.
  
• Charged to read blogs and there are only specific ones available.
  
• 10 cents to send files to your Kindle and I have heard that not all file formats cooperate.

Unknowns:

• Construction - Will it hold up over long-term use?
  
• Availability - Amazon constantly lists it as sold out.

I do think it has a future. As the prices falls over time, it will gain popularity. I think it can be a strong sell in certain user markets, such as travelers, people that do not purchase books for their own collection, and techies. At $400, I will not be buying one anytime soon.

I will be heading to Philadelphia for ALA Midwinter in January. I will post my plans and updates here.

Anyone else going?

See the full announcement for more information.

The 15 people enrolled in Jerry Floersch's podcast class on Tuesday evenings are taking to the streets like ace reporters to capture stories from the world of social work.

Floersch is an associate professor of social work at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. He is experimenting in this new pilot class with ways to supplement and enrich textbook content with the sounds of real people, ranging from clients to agency staff and administrators who can describe how they do their job or provide advice on a particular situation.

See the full photo set from my Flickr account. Or visit the Cleveland Public Library in SL.

Cleveland Public Library, of Cleveland, Ohio, is opening a new sim on Friday, November 16th. Cleveland Public Library is the third largest public research library in the United States, and also is the largest repository of chess-related items in the world. The island includes playable, life-size chess sets, and the Main Library building currently features an exhibit of historical chess sets owned by the library in real life. Also be sure to check out the Photo Gallery (believe us, you'll know it when you see it!), where we have an exhibit of sheet music related to Cleveland and Ohio.

The sim will open to the public at 7pm EST with tours as time and guides allow. Grand opening activities will include two live music performances: Picker Apogee at 8pm and Nad Gough at 10pm. A costume contest for the best chess-related costume will take place at 9pm, with a $1000 Linden dollars grand prize to the winner. The life-size chess sets will also be available for casual or competitive play. Please IM Lebachai Vesta with any questions. Please join us to celebrate this major opening in Second Life!

More information was shared at PLSL 2.0 - Public Libraries in Second Life blog in a recent post.