Library Stuff

Save the Internet Blog – “Ask an Internet entrepreneur about the current state of our country’s broadband Internet, and you’ll probably get an animated response about the battle between content producers and service providers; a Sparta-esque fight led by the embattled masses rising up against discriminatory practices that threaten the freedom of the Internet. It’s practically Armageddon. Ask anyone under the age of 25, and they’ll probably tell you that the Internet is working just fine, thank you very much.”

lis.dom – “I spend a lot of time on the internet, and I don’t think I’m any stupider than I was before.”

the strange librarian – “How am i supposed to keep my staff up to date when the stuff i want to send them isn’t online? My staff is spread out throughout the state and i can’t just pass around a print journal for them to take a gander at. I need links, people!”

CNET News – “John Palfrey, one of Harvard’s leading thinkers on the Internet, has recently finished a study on kids raised in the digital age. He now has a few tips to share about Web porn, online piracy, and Sen. John McCain’s lack of tech know-how.”

eSchool News - “Libraries are reaching more students through services such as online homework help–but challenges remain”

New York Times: – “Two Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a bill that would subject broadband providers to antitrust violations if they block or slow Internet traffic.”

Avenue Square – “Libraries have been very helpful before the internet age. But, since cyberspace started, people tend to do research using the internet. The reason? According to a most recent survey, the internet is more reliable and convenient; just one click at the comfort of your own home and you can find all the resources that you need.”

AP – “Internet users should be free to surf where they want and download what they please. But shouldn’t the owners of the networks that make the Internet possible also have rights?”

IMLS Press Release – “The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced that it has entered into a cooperative agreement with the University of Washington to conduct a national study on the social, economic, personal, and professional value of free access to computers at public libraries.”

I see Jason Griffey, like most of my librar* friends, twice a year. I love spending time with Griff over a beer, chatting about our families, techie stuff, and other random stuff. But mostly, we laugh. He’s a great guy and deserves all the happiness with his new addition.

Now he says…

“[A]fter examining my prejudice, I came to one conclusion: I no longer have any patience with applications that are local. Unless the application I want AND my data live in the cloud, I just won’t use it. I’ve found myself, over the last 6 months to a year, moving nearly everything I do online. Documents are created with Google Docs, I prefer Gmail to any local mail client I’ve tried, heck, I’ve even started using Flickr’s editing deal with Picnik to do my photo edits, and I luuuuuuurve me some photoshop.”

I’m the same way. 98% of what I do on my computer takes place online. To me, that’s 2.0.