History of Copyright - MLA2011 Presentation

History of Copyright

Nick Lavely

Reference Librarian

Metro State.

Copyright is an agreement - the creator can have all the proceeds from her creation for a while, but society want free access after that.

The Past:

Plautus - 1st person to insist on being payed for using his work.

1710 - British Statute of Anne - very similar to a lot of current copyright law.

Each American Colony came up with their own copyright law. This was a very important issue to the colonies. There is, in fact, a copyright clause in the Constitution: “To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.”

1790

With the first congress came the first copyright law. Closely modeled on the British Statute of Ann.

• Covered maps, charts, and books.
• No prior materials were covered – created a public domain.
• Term was 14 years - renewable once for another 14 years.
• Requirement for a depository copy held by the Library of Congress.

1831

• Widows and children could renew.
• Term grew to 28 years, renewable once for 14 years.

1870

• Expanded author’s rights to include translations & dramatic adaptations.
• Included photographs - the hot new technology.

1906 - 1907

• Congress debated perpetual copyright. Mark Twain was a big fan.

1909 – New copyright law.

• Introduced corporate authorship and works-for-hire copyright.
• Term 28 years renewable once for another 28 years.

The Corporate Authorship and Works-for-Hire clause gave publishers (like newspapers) and production companies (like movie studios) the ability to own the rights of everything that was created under the auspices of their companies. It took away the automatic right for the creator to own what they created, which had previously been assumed by copyright law. All studios took advantage of this. D. W. Griffiths used employment contracts to force creators to sign away rights. It corporatized creativity.

“Authorship could not be considered mystical or romantic after 1909. It was simply a construct of convenience, malleable by contract.” (‘Copyrights and copywrongs: the rise of intellectual property and how it threatens creativity’ by Siva Vaidhyanathan, 2003, p. 102.)

1912

• Amended to include motion pictures.

1952

• Amended to include lectures, sermons and performance of nondramatic literary works.

1971

• Amended to include sound recordings.

New technology = new copyright law.

In this period congress would keep expanding copyright for 3 years when necessary so nothing was entering the public domain. This is messy; it creates a lot of orphan works, questions as to what was actually renewed, who has right to claim, etc. Hard for creators to keep up with.

1976 – New copyright law.

• Included any media known or unknown
• Established Fair Use and the 5 Rights of Copyright Holders
• Established library archive rights.
• Registration not required
• Term: life + 50 years, 75 years for works made for hire.

The 5 Rights of Copyright Holders are:

• To reproduce
• To prepare derivative works
• To distribute - sell, rent, lease or lend
• To perform publicly
• To display publicly

4 factor test of Fair Use from Section 107 of the Copyright Act:

• Purpose and character of the use – how creative? Fictional or Factual?
• Nature of the copyrighted work
• Amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
• Effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

Fair use is determined by case law not public law (law made by the legislature and signed by the president).

Offers restricted rights for copying, distribution, book to movie - make own version

It’s all right to consume media - borrow from library.

Fair use can encompass commentary, parody, limited educational use. It’s nebulous.

Library archiving - Single copy (not digital) for purpose of law

The default is - copyright on. Fair Use switches the paradigm.

Arguments to extend copyright:

• 56 year term is not long enough for an author and their dependents to gain the economic benefits.
• Life expectancy has increased.
• Growth in media has made older media more popular.
• The public already pays for public domain materials.
• Renewal process is time consuming.

1988 - Sonny Bono copyright extension.

• Steamboat Willie (earliest Mickey Mouse cartoon) was about to come out of copyright.
• Copyright holders – with Disney in the forefront, got copyright extended by 20 years.

Nothing new will pass into public domain until 2019.

The copyright agreement is out of balance.

Now

1998 - DMCA

• Signed by President Clinton.
• Works side by side with copyright.
• Limitation against reverse engineering & defeating DRM.
• Anti-circumvention rules.
• Fair use is not a defense.
• Term: ?

Library archiving - Section 108 update - 3 copies, digital; can copy the work if original format becomes obsolete.

What’s obsolete? 8-track is not an obsolete format, nor are LPs - as long as you can find something to play it on, it’s not obsolete.

Basically the DMCA means perpetual copyright as long as a lock exists.

Chilling effects:

• On research, publication, and journalism.
• On legitimate and/or fair use.
• On competition and reverse engineering.

Copyright/DMCA being used as a sword. People are using the DMCA to force removal of unfavorable comments. It’s easy to subvert fair use.

“It appears that the copyright laws are being used as part of a massive collection scheme and not to promote useful arts.” Judge Bernard Zimmerman

Medical Justice is a company that does medical forms. One of the forms you fill out at your doctor’s office might be one of their forms saying that if you review your doctor online, you give up your copyright on the review.

Current academia cases:

• Cambridge U Press v. Patton - Publishers are suing Georgia State University due to the amount and accessibility of content on eReserve system.
• Ambrose Video Publishing vs. University of California - Publishers are suing UCLA for copying a DVD and streaming it to students.
• Authors’ Guild et al vs. Hathi Trust - AG is suing a consortium of universities for sharing digital copies of their works, even though there’s lots of security in place to make sure there’s no access to the full text.

EBooks

• Overdrive, HarperCollins and the 26 loan cap.

There’s a loss of control at all levels. Licensing agreements are also used to subvert copyright laws and rights.

The current use of copyright is locking down our culture.

GoogleBooks (GB) is a fair use case.

• GB changes the paradigm and provides non-linear access by searching the whole card catalog – indeed the whole collection - for a term simultaneously. Highly transformative and does not supplant the need for the original.
• GB is basically creating an index, it is not creative.
• GB requires entire book to be scanned, but the database is secure and only a small portion is shown if copyright is an issue. It’s similar to a quotation. Snippets are not likely to effect purchasing. No need to prove absolute zero damage. Publishers have seen financial gains on GB.

The GB Settlement:

• Will give Google a de facto monopoly
• Setup is similar to ASCAP or BMI without the government controls
• What about library access? Licensing? Orphan works? $150 million immediately? No government oversight? It doesn’t address a lot of questions.
• It was settled out of court.

Afterword

American judgments are way out of proportion to the crimes:

• Sony BMG v. Tenenbaum (student) - He was sued for $675,000 for pirating 31 songs.
• Capitol vs. Thomas - as high as 1.92 mil for 24 songs. This is still in court – decision coming down.

Sweden – someone paid 30 dollars for pirating 24 songs. Much more reasonable.

7 things Google isn’t censoring.

Millions of people have a direct stake in copyright law.

48 hrs of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.

Since 1909, copyright law has encouraged lawyers for publishers, record labels, motion picture studios and distributors to write law that has benefited them.

ACTA - Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement:

• Taking DMCA global.
• Removing safe harbor exceptions unless ISPs enforce three strikes policy.
• Notice and takedowns.
• Mandatory prohibitions on breaking DRM, even for fair use purposes.
• Brings in the government to enforcement private rights – which is ridiculous.

The agreement was passed on 9/30/11 without ratification, going through the Senate, or going to the people.

Wikileaks ha shown how the US has influenced copyright in other countries.

The UK wants to extend copyright for 20 years – The Beatles’ copyrights are ending soon.

It’s all being settled out of court. Nothing is going to court.

--Melissa @ Central

What I learned at MLA 2011

The handouts for all the sessions at MLA 2011 are on MLA’s website: http://mnlibraryassociation.org/2011-handouts/

I attended the following sessions:

The kick-off keynote speaker was Anita Silvey, author of Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children’s Book: Life Lessons From Notable People From All Walks of Life. She shared heartwarming stories from her book.

Why Should We Use Social Media to Promote the Library?
Virginia Erbe is part of Rochester Public Library’s (RPL) communications team. She tweets twice a day. During National Book Month, she posted a daily book trivia question on Facebook. She uses Hootsuite to manage her posts. She posts a little game on the library’s Facebook page every Friday; for example, she asks the library’s Facebook friends to list their ten favorite books or some of their favorite authors. When she gets stories from library staff members, she re-purposes them as a Facebook post or a tweet. Virginia recommends using consistent user names for branding purposes. Also, don’t type like a robot—start a conversation with library users. Post as yourself occasionally. Know your audience. Actual posting on RPL’s social media sites only takes 20% of one staff person’s week. Virginia uses the bit.ly URL shortener because that free service provides statistics for how many people clicked on the shortened URL, which is usually a link to RPL. RPL has three facebook pages, three twitter accounts, two YouTube channels, Flickr, and two blogs.

Book Clubs: Hands On to Hands Off:
A panel of four librarians and one civilian presented information for library book clubs, including tips on creating book club in a bag kits, leading a library book club, running an online book club for children and teens, and selecting titles for a book club. Audra Otto, the coordinator of the MinnPost.com Book Club Club, had some great suggestions for reinvigorating a book club including twinning with another book club for one meeting a year and reading one biography, one mystery, one science fiction title each year. She also suggested reading a book that had been made into a film and then attending the film, reading a play aloud together, and meeting at an ethnic restaurant to discuss a book set in that milieu, but these last suggestions don’t seem practical for a library-sponsored book club.

Killer Cocktails/RART Happy Hour:
This event was cosponsored by the Twin Cities Crime Writers and Sisters in Crime (http://www.twincitysinc.org/). There were 17 Minnesota mystery writers at this event, who went from table to table talking about their work. I didn’t realize that a signature cocktail had been created for this event, but several attendees who tried it said it was delicious. Libraries can enter a drawing for $1,000 for their book budgets here: http://www.sistersincrime.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=53. The only requirement is that you need to include “a photo of one or more of your staff with three books in your collection by Sisters in Crime members.”

To Boldly Go: Fantastical Journeys through Science Fiction Readers’ Advisory:
This excellent overview of the science fiction genre was presented by our own Melissa Gray. Some of the titles Melissa suggested for someone just getting started in this genre included I Robot by Isaac Asimov (hard science fiction); the Foundation trilogy, also by
Isaac Asimov (idea driven series); Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (space opera); the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger (steampunk); and the Pern series by Anne McCaffrey (fantasy). Please refer to Melissa’s two-page handout (http://mnlibraryassociation.org/uploads/conf11/handouts/C2.pdf , which includes links to her blog and her Delicious.com page.

Readers’ Advisory Round Table Subunit Meeting:
Several members of RART expressed an interest in staff training in readers’ advisory. Rochester Public Library has instituted some RA training and is willing to share their methods, which include a monthly one-hour meeting for the 10 staff members in their Reader Services Division and other interested parties. Preparation for the meeting involves reading an article related to readers’ advisory and then reading a book in a specific genre and talking about it. The books the group reads and annotates are made into a library display with bookmarks, etc. I believe they call the monthly meeting “breakfast of champions,” but that might be what another library system is doing—my notes aren’t clear. We decided that audiobooks and their narrators would be a topic at our 2012 spring readers’ retreat.

Desert keynote: Engagement through Games: Reaching Library Users
through Playful Ways:
Dr. Scott Nicholson, Associate Professor and Program Director for the Masters of Science in Library and Information Science, Syracuse University, talked about games in the library and also had the audience create a role playing game.

E-books: What’s All the EXCITEMENT About?
This was a panel discussion with audience participation. I didn’t really get any new information from it but it was interesting to hear varying perspectives on the issue. Melissa was on the panel, so she can probably offer more insight than I can.

Things in a Flash: The Latest Web 2.0 Tools:
Five librarians introduced five different Web 2.0 tools. Several people talked about QR codes and their applications at the library. My eyes glazed over because I don’t have a smart phone so QR codes have no meaning for me. Two other topics were Wunderlist and Evernote, two list-making apps for the iPhone and iPad.

50 in 60 Book Blast
Library Associates Jennifer Larson and I joined Stephanie Hall, Director of Director of Libraries, Meinders Community Library in Pipestone, Minnesota; Joan Ennis, Librarian at the Northfield Public Library; and Angie Noyes, Librarian at the Hardwood Creek branch of Washington County Public Library; to present our 50 in 60 Book Blast. Each of us talked about 10 books: Nordic mysteries (me), science fiction/fantasy (Stephanie), women’s fiction (Joan), young adult (Jen), and paranormal fiction (Angie). We were lucky this year to start at the relatively civilized hour of 9:30 in the morning, and there were over 120 people in the audience, it was standing room only. We had one technical difficulty—the laptop quit for five minutes in the middle of our Prezi, but I was able to show our slides by holding up my new iPad 2. Also Stephanie had brought all her books, so I held them up during her portion of the show.

Go Forth!
The luncheon keynote speaker was William Kent Krueger, award-winning author of the Cork O’Connor series, who shared several heart-warming stories about his childhood and books and storytelling and libraries.

--Barb @ Highland Park

FOUNDATION CENTER NETWORK DAYS, PART TWO: RESOURCES FOR CHALLENGING QUESTIONS

The Foundation Center offers an “Ask Us” librarian chat service Monday through Wednesday, 9:30 am - 8:00 pm, Thursday and Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm (Eastern Time). Questions can also be submitted by email. They answered 4,000 chat & email questions in 2010.

A good place to start before asking a question is the Grantspace Knowledge Base, which replaces the old Foundationcenter.org FAQ. It includes tips on how to get started with proposal writing, starting a nonprofit, charitable statistics, and fiscal sponsorship. Fiscal sponsorship is when an individual or organization that does not have 501(c) (3) status partners with one that does. This increases the potential grant pool by a factor of at least 10, although there is usually a 5-10% fee. The new site Fiscalsponsordirectory lets you search for fiscal sponsors by state or area of interest.

In these challenging economic times, the Foundation Center librarians often get questions from people who need help for themselves, rather than getting a grant for their organization. Health and disability needs are the most common. If they need help right away, United Way’s 211 service is a good place to refer them. Benefits.gov offers easy access to government assistance programs. It asks you a series of questions, then gives you a list of assistance you may be eligible for. This makes it a good complement for the Foundation Center databases, since they do not include any government grants or programs. Ed.gov is a good site for adults returning to school or looking for vocational training. For people with disabilities, www.disabilityresources.org has funding information for assistive technology, vocational rehabilitation, and health care.

Although for-profit businesses are generally not eligible for grants from foundations, the Foundation Center offers links on where to get started for business loans and other assistance. Social Enterprise, which combines a social mission with business methods, is a hot trend these days. These are some good links that the librarians recommend to get started.

Nonprofits may need help with legal issues from time to time. The Nonprofit Law Blog is written by attorneys who cover topics like governance, fiscal sponsorship, forms, and intellectual property. If they want to know what to pay their new residence supervisor, the Economic Research Institute has a salary calculator that can be refined by state or zip code. If a nonprofit needs statistics in order to discover giving trends, the Foundation Center has some, as does the Center for Charitable Statistics and the Center for Philanthropy at Indiana University.

So, if you have a real foundation-related stumper, the Foundation Center librarians will be happy to help. I have contacted them a few times--once for a scan from a publication in their library, once to find out if they could recommend a title or not, and they were very helpful.


--Andrea @Central

THE FOUNDATION CENTER NETWORK DAYS PART ONE: STATE OF THE FOUNDATION CENTER

At the Foundation Center’s annual conference, its president Bradford K. Smith discussed trends in philanthropy and how they affect the Foundation Center.

The top five philanthropy trends are:


1) Growing--There are more billionaires every day. The Gates Foundation is encouraging all billionaires to give away half their wealth. It is predicted that giving will go up 2 - 4% in spite of the economy.


2) Global--The wealthiest man in the world is Mexican. There are a couple of Chinese billionaires in the top ten. The Foundation Center is adding more international foundations to their databases.


3) Not just about giving money--foundations are increasingly using targeted investing and subsidized loans as tools. They also offer staff, advice, and long-term business plans.


4) Technology--There is an expectation that organizations will be available online, on social networks and through mobile devices. Online giving sites, like Global Giving, connect directly to donors with no mediation. On the other hand, only 23% of foundations have web sites and 76% have 4 staff or less, so they are still filling out tax forms by hand in some cases. The Foundation Center is encouraging foundations to embrace technology by requesting electronic submissions and suggesting grant management software, as well as showing which Foundations are using Twitter, Facebook, etc. Their new web site Grantcraft offers guides, videos and training for Foundation staff who want to learn about best practices in the field.


5) Transparency--in this information age, there is an expectation that information on who gives what to whom is available. The Foundation Center is encouraging this trend with its web site, Glasspockets.org.




The Foundation Center and its cooperating collections help both grant seekers and grant makers deal with the changes in philanthropy. To quote a conference attendee, “The Foundation Center assists doers who want to do better. If your org/enterprise wants to be the best it can be, you need the Foundation Center's resources and services."

--Andrea @Central

Rondo's Small Business Resource Center

Small Business Resource Center at Rondo
Presented by Mary Ann Berglund
June 2011

Rondo’s Small Business Resource Center is geared towards the small business owner or micro-entrepreneur, defined by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as:

• Independently owned and operated


• For profit


• Not dominant in its field


• 5 or fewer employees

Funding a small business - Are there grants?
According to Mary Ann, grants for businesses are very hard to come by, and may be very specifically targeted. Loans are much more common.

The SBA has a section on their website devoted to Loans & Grants. This includes a section on government grants and a Search for Business Loans, Grants and Financing tool where you enter your information and they tell you what you’re eligible for. They also present loan seminars, but you need to go to a SBA district office. Ours is in Minneapolis.

The Neighborhood Development Center (NDC) and WomenVenture are also sources of loans, up to $35,000.

Classes and other expert help
The Resource Center hosts a lot of classes and presentations at Rondo. Many are through the Neighborhood Development Center (NDC), with whom they partner. This includes a 16 week entrepreneur class. To get into the class you need to interview, and there is a fee based on a sliding scale; at least $75.00. It consists of 8 classes and 8 one-on-one sessions. The NDC is also available for consulting, for instance on finances and marketing. They have interns at Rondo, and possibly other locations that entrepreneurs can come in and see for help.

SCORE offers one-on-one help free, even if their help would otherwise cost a lot of money. They do insist on a business plan.

Suggestions for small business materials for your collection

• A Guide to Starting a Business in Minnesota New ed. every year from the Minnesota Dept. of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Available electronically or in print through SPPL's catalog


• Legal forms for small business


• Materials on how to start a business in general, how to start a specific type of business, and home-based businesses


• Materials on financing a business


• Materials on business plans, basic accounting, marketing, and social networking for businesses

Referrals and Resources

• SPPL Event Calendar listing of entrepreneurial workshops and classes


• Neighborhood Development Center (NDC)


• SCORE – Bills itself as “Counselors to America’s Small Business”


• NDC intern at Rondo


• NDC intern at Lutheran Social Services, Eastside Financial Services, 965 Payne Ave, St. Paul (tentative Fall 2011)


• WomenVenture - Provides “one-on-one consulting, access to capital, and a variety of classes and workshops to help you build and grow your own business.”


• Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)


• James J. Hill Business Reference Library


• District Councils – The districts are basically St. Paul neighborhoods and the councils are their planning and administrative bodies


• Local community development organizations




• Aurora St. Anthony Development Corporation (ASANDC)


• East Side Neighborhood Development Company (ESNDC)


• Greater Frogtown Community Development Corporation


• North East Neighborhoods Development Corporation


• Riverview Economic Development Association (REDA)


• Selby Area Community Development Corporation


• Sparc (serves Hamline Midway, North End, South Como)


• Databases and Websites – These are resources linked to from the SPPL website


• North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) (good for use with ReferenceUSA)

Rondo Resources

• Circulating books, periodicals & DVDs


• Reference books including the Financial Ratio Benchmarks – how should the money be distributed in your business?


• Two dedicated business computers – One hour limit (Envisionware won’t let them extend the time)


• Business PlanPro (Rondo only) Takes you step-by-step through the process of building a business plan, and has sample business plans. You can’t save a business plan in progress on Rondo’s computers, but you can save it to a flash drive and open it up again w/Business PlanPro. Also at the J. J. Hill library.


• DemographicsNow (Rondo) Good for answering demographic question such as population, ethnic make-up of a neighborhood, etc.


• SRDS Media Solutions (Rondo only) – Marketing software

Melissa.

Library Journal Fall Announcements webinar, August 23, 2011

Today I watched the Library Journal Fall Announcements webinar. (The webinar will be archived in about a week and I will add the link to this post for those who want to view it.) In the meantime, the titles I think we will be getting requests for at the information desk include nonfiction titles Susan Orlean's Rin Tin Tin and Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron. The fiction titles that sounded the most readable to me were Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks, The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman, and The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margo Livesey.


--Barb P.@HI

Lino Lakes Transitions Fair Tuesday August 16, 2011

I (along with Lora B., AR) participated in the Lino Lakes Transitions Fair on August 16^th. The purpose of the fair is to provide a wealth of resources to incarcerated individuals who are near their release date. The organizations represented at the fair ranged from housing and medical assistance to addiction support and library services. Lora and I informed participants on how to obtain library cards and the library services they can take advantage of at their neighborhood library. Our most popular inquiries included computer class needs and employment help. We also shared early literacy information with inmates who have children. Nearly 300 inmates attended the fair and approximately 270 of them visited our table. I truly enjoyed this outreach opportunity and found it to be a rewarding experience.

--Regina

Morningstar

Hello!

I attended a Morninstar Webinar on Thursday 8/4/11, and here's what I learned.

Morningstar is an investment database. They offer information on Companies (Stocks), Funds (Mutual Funds), ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds), and Markets. Information includes (where relevant): price – current and historic, analysis, comparison, ranking, bond ratings, etc. I love that you can check out executive compensation under the Insiders tab on Companies, and you can get SEC filings. All the information you’d expect to see on an investment site, plus the value added feature of Morningstar analysis and opinion.

To find historic stock prices, after the upgrade on 8/9/11, go to the Performance tab, and then click on “Price History.” Fill in the requested information, and away you go.

The “Screen for” option under Companies, Funds, and ETFs leads to screening tools to help you narrow down your options from thousands of possibilities. First “Select Data to Screen on” (you can select “General” and then click the Morningstar Screens button to the right. Answer the resulting questions and Morningstar will help you find options that meet your criteria.

This database will also help you with your portfolio. There’s a Portfolio X-Ray that, when you enter all your portfolio information and what your goal is, will analyze your portfolio and tell you where you might want to make amendments. There are also calculators for college and retirement to help you figure out a figure to use as a goal.

One of the real strengths of this database is all of the educational opportunities. Under the Portfolio section, you can learn about asset allocation and there are a series of Goal Primers to teach you the “ins and outs of goal-based investing.” There’s also an Investing 101 video here that the instructor highly recommended.

The “Help and Education” tab offers many more learning opportunities, including guides for using the database, a second set of Goal Primers, a glossary of investment terms, and information on “Morningstar’s proprietary ratings and measures.” They’ll soon be launching a Tutorial Center with 3-5 minute videos. There’s also an Investment Classroom which includes Stocks, Funds, and Portfolio curriculums, each including a number of 10 minute lessons at different levels, each of which ends with a quiz. So Morningstar is a great alternative to books for patrons who want to learn about investing.

Under the Newsletters tab, Morningstar offers “PDFs of the most-popular newsletters from our mutual fund, stock, and ETF strategists.” This includes the basic Mutual Fund paper that we get in print.

You need to have the pop-up blocker disabled on your browser.

Current news is not part of the database. The Market Overviews in the Market tab will include financial news of the past quarter or year – whichever time period you pick. That would include things like the Debt Ceiling issue. Morningstar.com offers the current financial news, and you can get a market news feed. You do have to register for Morningstar.com to get the good stuff, but you can do it for free.

Melissa.

DEVELOPING ONLINE PATRON TUTORIALS

E-book tutorial from the Carmel Clay library.

Online patron tutorials are a way to teach patrons about our resources in a way that they can access from home at any time. They are also used by patrons who are reluctant to ask for help. Usually they are created using a video camera or screencasting software ware such as Captivate or Camtasia.

Online tutorials should be available in several places on the library web site: on a banner with rotating "tutorials of the day", on a dedicated page, next to the resources it discusses (databases, e-books, etc.). They should be promoted on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Libraries can partner with other agencies. Dallas Public Library offers a tutorial on applying for a job with the city of Dallas. Screencasts can be done in multiple languages, and the software usually has closed captioning.

Requirements for screencasting:

• Time to do it


• Training-can learn screencasting in an hour


• A good microphone


• Screencasting software (there are free options)


• Subject expertise--staff should have this, they train patrons every day!
  


• Hosting--some libraries pay to have tutorials hosted on their own web site, however there are free sites like YouTube that will do it for you.

Screencasts shouldn't be more than 3 minutes, and they should be light and informal. They don't have to be perfect or have fancy production values.


Should your library use online tutorials?

• Do you have commonly asked questions?


• Do you have resources accessed remotely?


• Do you have excellent resources that aren't getting enough attention?

Then the answer is yes!




Handouts and an archived version of the webinar are available here.


--Andrea @Central

HANDHELD LIBRARY V: Summing Up

Here is a summary of what I learned in the rest of the Handheld Librarian sessions.


The popularity of smart phones & tablets has changed patrons' expectations of the library. Mobile information seeking is quick --"info-snacking". Many patrons text on their phones, so some libraries have instituted SMS reference--it's easier than email, but more private for embarrassing questions or if the patron is afraid of feeling stupid for asking. Patrons expect web sites to be mobile-friendly. They like to search using what's in their pocket rather than walking to their computer even if it's harder to search on the mobile device.


Top trends:

• Location-based services: They can promote the library as a fun thing to do. The problem is what to give as incentives to check-in--an extra hour of internet? Take off fines? Patron gets to choose a book display theme?
• QR Codes--Can be used for library tours--to publicized databases and online resources that relate to a call number area--can put on a flyer and it links to your web site--can have one next to the bibliographic record in the catalog so it sends the call number to the patron's phone.
• Augmented reality--Can be used for a historical tour of a neighborhood--can translate signs into other languages--in the future, we might us it to show how to do something or use something when you point your device at it (the technology's not quite there yet).

Recommended apps for librarians:

• Evernote
• Dropbox
• Google Docs
• Jotnot-it can scan documents onto your mobile device.
  
• Goodreads

Issues:

The patron has to inform the applications where they are located in order to use them, so privacy is an issue. Use of mobile services could widen the digital divide when patrons without smart phones are unable to access information. QR codes and augmented reality require an always-on Internet connection. Libraries may have policies that discourage phone use.


All the individual webinars are archived here (requires latest version of Flash).

--Andrea @C

HANDHELD LIBRARIAN IV: Books on the Web

Presented by Peter Brantley

"No one is in charge of the preservation of our growing cultural heritage in digital books." -P. Brantley

Good, reliable archives are increasingly important and libraries need to be involved in preserving digital books in the future. We need to convince publishers to help us by reminding them that the loss of their assets would affect them negatively. There needs to be a national policy on digital preservation. Current US law privileges print as the best format for preservation--what if something only exists in digital form?


Challenges of digital preservation:

• Many ebook formats: ePub is becoming a major player, but Amazon has its own format for the Kindle. Also, each company adds its own digital rights management software.
• A book is complex: contains text, maps, illustrations, a forward, even video.
• Items can be lost: misplaced, staff member retires and no one knows how to access it.
• Digital databases require complex systems which increase danger of loss (cascading errors): e.g. Tumblr's recent big database failure, Flickr deleting the wrong account and having no way to get it back. What if that happened to your ebook?
• Format obsolescence: The British Library saved a digital census on an obsolete laserdisc format and it was almost lost.
  

Advantages of library involvement in digital preservation:

• Practice: Libraries have preserved things for 1,000s of years using redundancy- lots of copies keep stuff safe.
• Low storage costs: We can preserve in redundant formats more easily now.
• Standing: Libraries are answerable to the public, not stockholders as in the case of Google and its Book Search. Also, Google Book Search is not preservation-quality.

Players to look at in digital preservation:

• Internet Archive
• Smashwords
• Europeana Library
• Portico

Copyright needs to move forward in a digital age. We need to record copyright information for the whole world and make it an easy database query. The Copyright Office says electronic transmission is making an illegal copy, even for preservation purposes. Instead, we should require a digital copy for copyright--if you want full copyright assertions, you have to deposit a copy in a national repository.



Slides are available here and the archived webinar is here (requires latest version of Flash)

--Andrea @Central

HANDHELD LIBRARIAN III: The State of Mobile Connectivity

Lee Rainie is the Director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, a non-profit, non–partisan “fact tank” that studies the social impact of the internet. Since December 1999, the Washington D.C. research center has examined how people’s internet use affects their families, communities, health care, education, civic and political life, and work places. Pew is not about "fixing", "promoting" or "thwarting" the Internet, it just looks at its impact.

Due to the Internet, access to information has changed in four main ways:

1. Volume: information is much easier to find than in the past, but sometimes it's more than you want.
2. Velocity: information comes faster than when waiting for the evening news or the daily newspaper. Also, you can find out stories that are important to you, not just the big news.
3. Vibrancy: information is multimedia and interactive.
4. Relevance: information seeking can be tailored to your interests.

In addition to changing information-seeking behavior, the Internet encourages people to become content creators. 2/3 of adults have created content to share online (3/4 of teenagers):

• 62% belong to social networking sites
• 50% share photos
• 33% create tags
• 32% rank & rate things
• 30% share personal creations
• 14% are bloggers
• 12% use Twitter--mostly young people
• 4% use location-sharing services

85% of Americans have cellphones. It is the fastest-growing technology in history of the world. 57% connect to the internet wirelessly, either by laptop or cellphone or both. Interestingly, African-Americans and Latinos are more likely to access Internet wirelessly and use more functions of the cell phone. 1/3 of Americans don't have broadband Internet-- usually people who are poor, speak English as a second language, rural, or less educated--so the digital divide is still a big issue.


Use of mobile devices:

• 35% have apps, 24% use apps
• 76% take pictures
• 74% text (more text than talk in 2009--frequency)
• 42% browse Internet
• 38% email
• 35% IM

Ownership of devices:

• 55% laptops
• 50% DVR
• 45% Mp3 players
• 42% game consoles
• 7% ebook readers
• 6% tablets

People are stressed by volume of info in their lives--social networks are "sentries" that tell them what is important in the world, evaluate information for them, and give them forums for action. Librarians can be "nodes" in social networks and provide help & information.


What libraries can offer:

• Navigation literacy--as the volume grows
• Connections & context literacy--finding sources and making connections
• Skepticism
• Showing value of contemplative time--multitasking isn't as effective as some people think
• Instruction in how to create content
• Instruction in how to be a good online citizen
• Content for patrons' devices
• Curating information online, not just their own collections

In short, librarians can be digital life/citizenship coaches.


Slides are here and an archived version of the webinar is here (requires latest version of Flash).

--Andrea @Central

HANDHELD LIBRARIAN II: Augmented Reality 101 for Libraries

Presented by Sarah Houghton-Jan and Nate Hill

Augmented reality is like the robot's vision in the Terminator movies or like the future of Minority Report. You point an AR-enabled device at something in reality, and obtain digital information about it. AR requires GPS, a camera and an accelerometer (which tells if you are pointing up or down). iPads and tablets can use Augmented Reality applications, but smart phones are the most common devices.

Some Augmented Reality apps:

• Layar
• Wikitude
• Google Goggles
• Monocle (part of Yelp)

Layar is currently the most popular app. Libraries can make their own apps within Layar. It includes such things as a Beatles tour of Liverpool.

Wikitude connects real world locations to Wikipedia--it gives you historical facts about an area and points to potential areas of interest in the background.

Google Goggles lets you scan books, CD covers, artwork etc. --you can look at an object online or even buy it.

Monocle lets you find local bars and restaurants when you shake your phone 3 times.


Houghton-Jan and Hill decided to create a local history walking tour of San Jose with Layar. They created it as a web app because they couldn't find an iOS or Android developer to help them. The tour itinerary was created by special collections librarians. I especially like the links to old photographs of the locations.

Their tips for Augmented Reality apps:

• Make sure there's documentation so someone else can come in --they used regular html/css code for more sustainability.
• Use low-resolution photos so they load fast.
• You can do almost all the same things in a browser than an app, and it's also cross-platform.
• It helps to have a couple of devices with different OS so you can see what they look like on different operating systems and test them.
• You can do down to a couple of meters, but GPS can't do smaller than that yet--you can't do each floor of a building.
  

Possibilities for the future of Augmented Reality:

• Recognize any object--e.g. point it at an apple and it tells you it's nutritional qualities.
• See who lives in the houses in a neighborhood.
• Hold it up to a person to find their social networks.

Augmented reality assumes being always connected to the Internet. A lot of people still aren't, so it could be a digital divide issue. As you can imagine, their could be privacy issues, so librarians need to provide patrons with information so they can decide what information to share.



Slides are available here and the archived webinar is here (requires latest version of Flash).



--Andrea @Central

HANDHELD LIBRARIAN I: Next Trends in Mobile Technology

Next Mobile trends HHLIB

Click above to view slides. Archived version of webinar is here (requires latest version of Flash).

The presenter, Joe Murphy, says keeping current with mobile trends helps libraries stay relevant. According to this article, smart phones are now outselling PCs. There were 10 billion downloads in Apple's app store, and the iPad is now the most successful mobile device of all time.

He discussed four major trends:

1. Mobile Photos (Instagram, Hipstamatic, Photoshop Express)
2. Location Services (Foursquare, Gowalla, SCVNGR, Mytown, Loopt)
3. Entertainment Check-in (Miso, Getglue, Philo)
4. Social Recommendation Services (Google Hotpot, Bizzy, Foodspotting)
   

Mobile photos involve taking pictures on your mobile devices, editing them on the same device, then sharing them with others. Libraries could use these services to publicize themselves by showing photos of events. Instagram has 2 millions users, but has only been around for 2 months. These services also make it really easy to share to other social media such as Facebook, Flickr or Twitter.

Location services are a form of mobile social gaming--users check in and gain in-world & real-world benefits such as a free coffee. At root, they are a marketing tool--the more users follow, the more they gain rewards. They can also be used to meet friends or even find a lost wallet. Foursquare is the largest, at 7 million users.

Check-in services are similar, except they are about what you are doing rather than where you are going, combining digital and real-world engagement. Getglue lets you "check in" to movies, video games, thinking about a topic, chatting, and reading a book. You can share easily to Facebook and Twitter. The thinking about a topic could apply to the library. Getglue is definitely one to keep our eye on, according to Murphy. Miso and Philo are similar, but only cover television.

Social recommendation services such as Google Hotpot and Bizzy have you rate local business and they will recommend others to you based on your preferences. Foodspotting is specific to restaurants and you can post photos of meals.

Murphy also mentioned an attachment to the iPhone that lets you swipe credit cards and make payments. While not a trend yet, it could become one in the future.

These trends change patrons' expectations, so flexibility is key. For example, don't be too strict with patrons taking photos if it becomes an important discovery tool that can promote the library.



--Andrea @Central

Grantspace

Grantspace is a new website from the Foundation Center. It does not replace the http://www.foundationcenter.org/ web site, but acts as a supplement to it. The latter is a site for everyone (grant-seekers, grant-makers, media, politicians, etc.) while the former is especially geared to grant-seekers and teaching them how best to use the Foundation Center’s resources. So a lot of the links are familiar, but now they are all in one place.

The four main parts of Grantspace are Subjects, Skills, Classroom and Tools. Subjects are divided into the five main areas of grant-making: Arts, Education, Environment, Health Care and Human Services. Grant-seekers can find jobs, RFPs, news, Funder tweets, reports, and podcasts in their area of interest.

The Skills area has information on planning, proposal writing, management, legal issues, and using Foundation Directory Online. It includes sample cover letters and proposals that can be downloaded as pdfs .

The Classroom area has a training calendar with free and paid in-person classes and webinars. A search of the calendar can be limited by location or skill area.

The Tools area has a knowledge base of questions and answers, sample documents, the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature (a catalog of all the Foundation Center library’s books and articles, some of which are available online), a collaboration database, and the TRASI database for evaluating the social impact of a program.

Registration at Grantspace is not required, but it allows the patron to make comments, share items, create a profile, and subscribe to free e-newsletters.

If a patron is interested in a Foundation Center class at the library but is unable to make it in that day, or they want to learn more about grant-seeking before they come in to search Foundation Directory Online, please introduce them to Grantspace.

--Andrea @Central

Serving 21st Century Patrons 2010 Online Conference Part Three: TechSoup for Libraries

Techsoup was formed to help libraries and nonprofits and to be a one-stop shop for technology needs. It offers free content, events, resources, and donated products, plus discounts on software and technology from companies like Microsoft, Adobe and Symantec. All public libraries and 501 (c ) (3) nonprofits are eligible for the discounts. Refurbished computers are also available.

Techsoup is based on the idea that libraries shouldn’t have to “reinvent the wheel”--someone else may have done it already. Librarians can learn from articles, webinars (all archived later on the web site), and a blog with guest librarians. Recent webinar topics include cloud computing, open source software, and security basics.

Librarians shared some cool technology ideas in the chat for the webinar, including the following:

1. A technology petting zoo where patrons can “play” and learn about ereaders such as the Kindle, Nook, and Ipad and decide which device if any is best for them (and learn which ones work with the library’s ebooks)
2. A Docsend station that connects to the copier and lets patron scan and edit their resumes and then save them to a flash drive.
3. A flash drive bracelet.

1. QR Codes on the library’s Directions & Hours web page that links to turn-by-turn directions for patrons with mobile phones.
2. Using Libguide software to create pathfinders on different topics.

--Andrea @Central

Serving the 21st Century Patron 2010 Online Conference, Part 2: 21 Ideas for 21st-Century Libraries

Kim Bolan-Cullin and Rob Cullin had some exciting ideas about making libraries “shoppable” without a lot of expense. They call their approach “refreshovation”--more than buying one new couch, but much less expensive than a full renovation.

First, they suggest getting input from patrons in as many ways as possible. A Powerpoint presentation with lots of pictures helps people know what their options are. Patrons may not be aware of new things like downloadables, so they only ask for what they know about already.

A “shoppable” library should be very welcoming, with lots of seating amidst the shelving and materials shelved faced out. Small-group collaboration is of increasing importance, so there should be places set aside for it. Other possibilities include: a coffee shop, a business center, and a library within a shared space.

Spaces can be updated cheaply with paint, signs, and furniture. New ideas like self-service holds, roving reference, and re-organizing desks to make them more user-friendly (think of Apple “Genius bars” and how they turn the computers towards customers) can be implemented without much expense.

Youth services is sometimes overly focused on zero to 5-year-olds. What about 5-8 or 8-12? Each age group should have areas with interactive items that stimulate their developments. Teens should have a separate area and be given input.

Furniture should be modular so your library can be flexible. Instead of a dedicated training area, how about laptops and furniture on casters so training can be done in different places? In a meeting room, maybe some comfy chairs with little laptop tables instead of hard chairs and big tables. For small-group collaboration, use screens for semi-private areas that don’t need to be monitored.

Signage should be very clear in a shoppable library. Avoid using jargon like circulation, reference, and youth services. Stacks should have words on signs in addition to call numbers. Digital picture frames can be used to create digital signs. Patrons want to be able to navigate on their own.

Another way to give patrons more self-service options is with vending machines. Some libraries use Redbox for popular movies and save their budget for independent, foreign, or educational DVDs. A few libraries have added vending machines with library materials at transit stations or other locations as a sort of “stationary Bookmobile”. There are also vending machines with office supplies for a study area or business center.

Don’t spend your money on things the patrons aren’t asking for. Remember to weed, weed, weed, Think about new, unconventional collections like cake pans, fishing poles, and electric meters.

Patrons want to learn and use new technology in the library. Don’t forbid them. Instead, use QR codes on signs which give patrons information via cell phones. Teach lots of classes and have lots of programs. Staff don’t have to be super-techno-wizards to teach, they can learn about things via web sites such as Instructables or How Stuff Works and teach them to patrons. Hire for attitude, train for skill. Cross-train staff to break down barriers.

With these tips and flexibility to their community’s needs in the future, any library can “change no to yes” and be something to all people.

An archived version of the webinar, links, and slides are available here. Lots of interesting pictures of libraries.

--Andrea @Central

Followup to the Previous Post: Rice Street Comes Through for Their Neighborhood in a Time of Chaos

So......at 2:15p.m. on Friday, the fire alarm went off at Wellstone Elementary (for real) and 600 children, plus their teachers, marched out into the 12 degree cold....... most without coats. We didn't know this was going on until a school staff member came in and told us about the alarm, and asked if some kids could come in to get warm. Karen said sure, and then 600 children poured into the library. We started putting classes in the meeting room, still not realizing how many were coming, and when that was full, they moved into most of the nooks and crannies of the building. The kids were grateful, the teachers were grateful, the principal was grateful.....we were entertained! Anything's more fun than writing an annual report! About 3:30, the buses came to pick up the kids and took them back to school. I guess it was a computer smoking in the administrative offices that set everything off. We were so happy that we could help out. Talk about being an "active center of neighborhood....engagement!"

Mary Margaret (via Karen H.)


Way to Stay Committed to Great Customer Service When Your Library Is in Chaos!

Serving the 21st Century Patron 2010 Online Conference, Part One: Staying Committed to Great Customer Service When Your Library is in Chaos

Pat Wagner has been helping libraries in crisis since 1975, so she knows whereof she speaks. These days, there are more and more staff and patrons in emotional crisis than ever. While we cannot hope for chaos to just miraculously stop, we can use certain project management tricks to help.

Things to remember:

1. Somebody has to be the adult.
2. People get stressed out in a time of change because they lose mastery & status--they have to learn new things--maybe what you were best at isn't as important anymore or has been superseded by technology.
3. When things are crazy, don't forget it's all about the customer.
4. Have compassion for other people.

Things to avoid:

1. Getting addicted to drama--why be obsessed by someone something you don't like?
2. Sarcasm-it’s a barrier to self-knowledge.
3. Venting doesn't work--Our bodies get addicted to the "flight or fight chemicals" that venting releases. Also, venting is too public--it creates an audience for people's mistakes--they can't back off their behavior.

What can help:

1. People should get the same service no matter what time they come in--remember, patrons are used to businesses with 24 hour service by phone and online.
2. Play fair-- no exceptions for people you like.
3. Rules should be written--new staff shouldn't have to guess.
4. If someone has a really long hard question, ask them to write down the steps needed. It will help them understand how tough it is. Maybe a one-on-one librarian session?
5. Use good humor and cartoons for signs--don't point fingers at people.
6. A workplace coach.

Wagner’s thought can be summarized as: “Don’t be a jerk.” A jerk is a person who is indifferent or unaware of their behavior.

Recommended books:

What You Can Change and What You Can't--Martin Seligman

The New Peoplemaking ---Virginia Satir

An archived version of the webinar, links, and slides are available here.

There was also a lively discussion on chat about the similarities and differences between Wagner’s philosophy and FISH! Both are customer-oriented, but the play aspect of the latter could lead to sarcasm and hurtful humor if taken too far.

--Andrea @Central