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Help Save Texas Libraries
News from TLA.The Senate Finance Committee met on Monday to consider the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s budget. Senators heard testimony about TexShare, Loan Star Libraries, the K-12 Databases, and the impact of losing federal funds for library programs. Several representatives from TLA and stakeholder groups, including the Texas Municipal League and Texas PTA, offered testimony. Sen. Zaffirini asked many important questions about the ramifications of eliminating state funding for library programs. Sen. Whitmire cautioned many witnesses to “put a face on the cuts.”
As Senate Finance Committee members deliberate on the State Library’s budget, it is imperative that senators hear from constituents and stakeholder groups. Please call or send an email to your senator. Click on Protect Statewide Library Program and make your case for state support of library programs.
As Senate Finance Committee members deliberate on the State Library’s budget, it is imperative that senators hear from constituents and stakeholder groups. Please call or send an email to your senator. Click on Protect Statewide Library Program and make your case for state support of library programs.
Supplemental Journal Article Materials Teleconference
News from NISO.
NISO will continue its monthly open teleconference series next Monday, March 14th at 3:00 PM. This month, we will be discussing the NISO/NFAIS Supplemental Journal Article Materials Working Group project. This joint project from NISO and NFAIS(the National Federation of Advanced Information Services) aims to develop a Recommended Practice for publisher inclusion, handling, display, and preservation of supplemental journal article materials. Linda Beebe, Senior Director, PsycINFO at American Psychological Association, who serves as co-chair of the Business subgroup of the project will lead the conversation.
The Open Teleconferences are an quick way to get an update on the status of a NISO initiative. The calls are informal and questions and discussion is welcome. Following the featured discussion, there is also an opportunity for the NISO community to bring up any issue or topic of interest. This is an excellent time for you to raise any concerns, project ideas, or suggestions of focus for NISO in the coming year.
Other upcoming calls will be on on Z39.7 (Library Metrics & Statistics) Standing Committee Update on April 11; DAISY Revision Working Group Update on May 9; and the ISO TC 46 Work Update on June 13. Please mark your calendars. If you are unable to join us, this call will be recorded and made freely available on the NISO website following the event—as are all of the Open Teleconferences. For more information or to listen to the previous call discussions, please visit: http://www.niso.org/news/events/2010/telecon/
The calls are free and anyone is welcome to participate in the conversation. To join, simply dial 877-375-2160 and enter the code: 17800743#. All calls are held from 3-4 p.m. eastern time. We hope that you can join us.
NISO will continue its monthly open teleconference series next Monday, March 14th at 3:00 PM. This month, we will be discussing the NISO/NFAIS Supplemental Journal Article Materials Working Group project. This joint project from NISO and NFAIS(the National Federation of Advanced Information Services) aims to develop a Recommended Practice for publisher inclusion, handling, display, and preservation of supplemental journal article materials. Linda Beebe, Senior Director, PsycINFO at American Psychological Association, who serves as co-chair of the Business subgroup of the project will lead the conversation.
The Open Teleconferences are an quick way to get an update on the status of a NISO initiative. The calls are informal and questions and discussion is welcome. Following the featured discussion, there is also an opportunity for the NISO community to bring up any issue or topic of interest. This is an excellent time for you to raise any concerns, project ideas, or suggestions of focus for NISO in the coming year.
Other upcoming calls will be on on Z39.7 (Library Metrics & Statistics) Standing Committee Update on April 11; DAISY Revision Working Group Update on May 9; and the ISO TC 46 Work Update on June 13. Please mark your calendars. If you are unable to join us, this call will be recorded and made freely available on the NISO website following the event—as are all of the Open Teleconferences. For more information or to listen to the previous call discussions, please visit: http://www.niso.org/news/events/2010/telecon/
The calls are free and anyone is welcome to participate in the conversation. To join, simply dial 877-375-2160 and enter the code: 17800743#. All calls are held from 3-4 p.m. eastern time. We hope that you can join us.
Press release: i2S to acquire a majority interest in Kirtas Technologies
I've been waiting Kirtas for a number of years and have interacted with some of its employees, so this announcement is of personal interest to me. There is also a newspaper story about the deal from the Rochester (NY) Democrat & Chronicle, which offers some additional details.
Paris, 3 March 2011
i2S to acquire a majority interest in KIRTAS TECHNOLOGIES
i2S to take a position in the United States, consolidating its leadership in the document scanning market. i2S announces that it has entered into a stock purchase agreement to acquire a majority interest in Kirtas Technologies Inc, based in Rochester, New York, USA. The world leader in robotic bound-document digitization systems, Kirtas will complement the i2s Scanning unit’s product line, its distribution network, its customer profile and its strong presence in the US market. The alignment with Kirtas reinforces the i2S Scanning unit
By aligning products and services with Kirtas, both companies will benefit from immediate synergies:
With an installed base of over 200 units in 35 countries, Kirtas represents nearly 70% of the world market for robotic scanners. In 2010, Kirtas sold over 40 units of its robotic digitization systems. Kirtas has been at the forefront of the digital revolution and has gained experience managing several major scanning projects: beginning in 2006 the company was selected by Microsoft for the "Live Book Search" project, whose goal is to scan works from U.S. public and university libraries, including Yale and Cornell Universities, in strict compliance with copyright laws. Kirtas carried out the digitization of 150,000 books between 2006 and 2008.i2S: world leader in scanners for bound documents
i2S is the world's leading producer of scanners for bound documents and large formats. The group relies on an indirect network of 40 distributors throughout the world, with 1,600 scanners installed in 80 countries. The Group addresses three market segments: Cultural Heritage, Self Service and international service provision (Global Services).
Cultural Heritage covers cultural and administrative assets and heritage collections (libraries, archives, museums, foundations, publishers).
Self Service corresponds to work environments, library reading rooms, school and university documentation centers, print centers, government and business.
Global Services - international players who project-manage large-scale scanning programs related to their original business, including large equipment manufacturers, IT service providers and telecom operators.
With the establishment in late 2009 of the public-private R&D consortium POLINUM* (*Operational Platform for Digital Books) dedicated to the promotion and interoperability of digital content, i2S, as the project coordinator, positioned itself as a leader in accessing information in the growing digital-knowledge economy.
The group's parallel strategy is to acquire the technological building blocks that will complete its range of scanners and image processing software. This was the goal of the 2009 acquisition of the Amanager company, which specializes in online multimedia content production applications.
Contacts
Kirtas Technologies, Inc : Roger O’Brien, CEO roger@kirtas.com; Mike Maxwell mmaxwell@kirtas.com
i2S Group: Jean-Pierre GERAULT – Chairman of the Board : jp.gerault@i2s.fr
Agnès B. MAULEON – Marketing & Communications Manager: a.mauleon@i2s.fr
i2S Inc: Etienne LAMAIRESSE – CEO: e.lamairesse@i2s.fr
Paris, 3 March 2011
i2S to acquire a majority interest in KIRTAS TECHNOLOGIES
i2S to take a position in the United States, consolidating its leadership in the document scanning market. i2S announces that it has entered into a stock purchase agreement to acquire a majority interest in Kirtas Technologies Inc, based in Rochester, New York, USA. The world leader in robotic bound-document digitization systems, Kirtas will complement the i2s Scanning unit’s product line, its distribution network, its customer profile and its strong presence in the US market. The alignment with Kirtas reinforces the i2S Scanning unit
By aligning products and services with Kirtas, both companies will benefit from immediate synergies:
- The combined resources of the two companies makes them a leading player in the worldwide scanning market.
- Increased market coverage through the combined distribution networks, geographical zones, market knowledge and customer profiles.
- Increased depth and breadth of current and future scanning systems and software.
- With this strategic investment in Kirtas, i2S acquires a position in the U.S. which will enable it to reinforce its approach to American libraries and forge new partnerships with digital content and Internet players.
- The United States was the source of the major paradigm shifts in digital and Internet history and i2S will take advantage of advances by Kirtas and POLINUM, such as KirtasBooks.com, as part of its strategy to become a key player in the emerging market of digital asset development. i2S’ third-generation digital library Divvalib, launched in October 2010 by Amanager, could be integrated into KirtasBooks.com, the site created in 2009 to scan and circulate books in e-Pub format and provide on-demand printing. KirtasBooks.com has distribution agreements with a number of university libraries, making more than one million titles available via their Digitize-on-Demand model.
- Republishing relationships with institutions such as Boston Public Library and with Barnes & Noble.
With an installed base of over 200 units in 35 countries, Kirtas represents nearly 70% of the world market for robotic scanners. In 2010, Kirtas sold over 40 units of its robotic digitization systems. Kirtas has been at the forefront of the digital revolution and has gained experience managing several major scanning projects: beginning in 2006 the company was selected by Microsoft for the "Live Book Search" project, whose goal is to scan works from U.S. public and university libraries, including Yale and Cornell Universities, in strict compliance with copyright laws. Kirtas carried out the digitization of 150,000 books between 2006 and 2008.i2S: world leader in scanners for bound documents
i2S is the world's leading producer of scanners for bound documents and large formats. The group relies on an indirect network of 40 distributors throughout the world, with 1,600 scanners installed in 80 countries. The Group addresses three market segments: Cultural Heritage, Self Service and international service provision (Global Services).
Cultural Heritage covers cultural and administrative assets and heritage collections (libraries, archives, museums, foundations, publishers).
Self Service corresponds to work environments, library reading rooms, school and university documentation centers, print centers, government and business.
Global Services - international players who project-manage large-scale scanning programs related to their original business, including large equipment manufacturers, IT service providers and telecom operators.
With the establishment in late 2009 of the public-private R&D consortium POLINUM* (*Operational Platform for Digital Books) dedicated to the promotion and interoperability of digital content, i2S, as the project coordinator, positioned itself as a leader in accessing information in the growing digital-knowledge economy.
The group's parallel strategy is to acquire the technological building blocks that will complete its range of scanners and image processing software. This was the goal of the 2009 acquisition of the Amanager company, which specializes in online multimedia content production applications.
Contacts
Kirtas Technologies, Inc : Roger O’Brien, CEO roger@kirtas.com; Mike Maxwell mmaxwell@kirtas.com
i2S Group: Jean-Pierre GERAULT – Chairman of the Board : jp.gerault@i2s.fr
Agnès B. MAULEON – Marketing & Communications Manager: a.mauleon@i2s.fr
i2S Inc: Etienne LAMAIRESSE – CEO: e.lamairesse@i2s.fr
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Google Art Project
One of my students found this program and it is impressive. Imagine being able to walk through an art museum without physically being there? That is what Google allows you to do. Google used its street view technology to make this happen. While street view isn't the easiest thing to use, it does give you a capability not found elsewhere. Go ahead...try it out!
Since reading my student's blog post, Kenneth Crews has also blogged about the Google Art Project from a copyright perspective. My student has also followed up with a blog post about copyright and terms of use in regards to the program.
While I'm thrilled that Google has done this, I do wonder about its motives. Is this just a cool use of street view? Is this an experiment (project) or something that Google will truly stick with (program)? Is Google purposefully expanding its domain/reach? And...what is the catch? mmm....
Since reading my student's blog post, Kenneth Crews has also blogged about the Google Art Project from a copyright perspective. My student has also followed up with a blog post about copyright and terms of use in regards to the program.
While I'm thrilled that Google has done this, I do wonder about its motives. Is this just a cool use of street view? Is this an experiment (project) or something that Google will truly stick with (program)? Is Google purposefully expanding its domain/reach? And...what is the catch? mmm....
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Wayback Wednesday:The IST 677 blog
Looking back through my blog posts, I can see that I've mentioned my SU class - IST 677: Creating, Managing and Preserving Digital Assets - a few times. Often it has been to tell you that my students are blogging about digitization program (example, example).
In past semesters, every blog post was about a different digitization program. This semester, each student is selecting a program and then blogging four times about that program. At the end of the semester, the student will then write a wiki page about the program.Specifically:
The current IST 677 blog is not where students have always blogged for this class. Those sites include:
Want to dig into the archives yourself? Use the "popular labels" on the right side of the blog OR use your favorite Internet search engine to search this site (e.g, site:hurstassociates.blogspot.com plus whatever terms are relevant to you).
In past semesters, every blog post was about a different digitization program. This semester, each student is selecting a program and then blogging four times about that program. At the end of the semester, the student will then write a wiki page about the program.Specifically:
- Post #1 – Introduce the program. What is the focus of the program? What types of materials have been digitized? Who is the audience for the program? How was it funded (if known)? You may include comments on the site itself and its usefulness.
- Post #2 – Copyright concerns. Every digitization program must consider copyright. From what you can discern, how has copyright affected the selection criteria for this program? What questions do you have about its treatment of copyright? Has the program adequately communicated copyright and “terms of use” to its users? What should it be doing differently?
- Post #3 – Metadata and search. Discuss how the program has described its digital assets. Do the descriptions and metadata help or hinder the user? Is the search capability easy to understand and use? What concerns or recommendations do you have?
- Post #4 – Digital preservation. Most digitization programs do not consider digital preservation (or long-term access) until a disaster occurs. From the information available, is the program involved in any digital preservation? What digital preservation concerns do you have about this site? What recommendations do you have in terms of digital preservation?
- Wiki Contribution: You will take the information from the four blog posts, as well as any additional information you believe is relevant, and edit it into one wiki page for the Digital Libraries Wiki. The amount of content on the page will be whatever you deem appropriate.
The current IST 677 blog is not where students have always blogged for this class. Those sites include:
Want to dig into the archives yourself? Use the "popular labels" on the right side of the blog OR use your favorite Internet search engine to search this site (e.g, site:hurstassociates.blogspot.com plus whatever terms are relevant to you).
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Metadata is Marketing
Increase Sales & Lower Costs: A Step-By-Step ONIX Guide for Publishers. ONIX (Online Information Exchange) is the standard in the publishing industry for computer-to-computer communication about bibliographic data. Basically, it allows you to represent information about your books in a neutral way: without any form attached to the content. In that way, ONIX gives publishers the ability to share infinitely more information about their books with infinitely more people, but often this opportunity is not taken advantage of. Reasons for this are many, but, in general, publishers have been unsure why they need to put extra information into an ONIX file.Link fixed.
MARBI Papers Revised
Papers from the Midwinter MARBI meetings have now been revised to reflect decisions made. See:
- Proposal No. 2011-01: Coding for Original Language in Field 041Discussion Paper No. 2011-DP01: Changes to Accommodate RDA Production, Publication, Distribution and Manufacture StatementsDiscussion Paper No. 2011-DP02: Additional attributes for RDADiscussion Paper No. 2011-DP-03: Identifying Work, Expression, and Manifestation records in the MARC FormatsDiscussion Paper No. 2011-DP04: Treatment of Controlled Lists of Terms for Carrier Attributes
Follow-up to CIP Community Conversation on "IP & Social Media"
This afternoon, I spent an hour engaged in a conversation with members of the UMUC Center for Intellectual Property community on the topic of "IP & Social Media". To the right is the only side that I used for the hour conversation. This blog post is a follow-up to that conversation, but it is not a complete summary of what was discussed.
What is "social media"? Interestingly, wiktionary at one point had this as a definition: media that is created to be shared freelyOf course, we use social media to share a wide variety of content, including content that is protected by copyright. However, the perception in the minds of many people is that content shared through social media is in the public domain and can be reused, repeated, remixed, etc. And that got me thinking...which turned into this train of thought...
I contend that we're using social media to have conversations like those that we have orally (using speech). Indeed look at Facebook, Twitter, and even some blog posts and you see conversations that would happen orally if they could. We even use photos and videos as a way of communicating...a way of talking. Oral conversation is not in fixed form and therefore cannot be copyrighted. If people are using social media to have a different type of oral conversation, do they expect that it will be protected by copyright law? Is the"copying" that occurs just a retelling of the conversation (the same way we have retold oral stories since time began)?
This line of thought above is one that I am wrestling with. Is it an accurate or even helpful point of view? I don't know. However, I have a feeling that I'll be testing this line of thought with some of my colleagues in the coming weeks.
During the hour, several URLs were shared. They were:
Some of our classes do tweet. For example:
Yes, I do allow tweeting during my class (IST 613) and I even tweet occasionally. I find it helpful to see what they are thinking or what examples stood out to them. And yes, they will use Twitter to communicate with me in-between class sessions, and that's okay with me.
At the end of the hour, someone asked what copyright blogs I follow. Here are the ones I currently follow:
In Twitter, I'm following these people who tweet on copyright (and likely also on other things):
Addendum (4:25 p.m.) - One thing I mentioned - and I could be incorrect - is that tweets may be too short to have copyright protection. ("Copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, or short phrases.") However, I could see tweets being like sentences in a email, where - perhaps - each sentence is too short to have copyright protection, but the entire email is protected by copyright.
Someone asked about a lawsuit against Twitter. The service has been the object of a defamation lawsuit. It seems to have been mentioned in a copyright lawsuit against AFP. That case is still moving forward.
What is "social media"? Interestingly, wiktionary at one point had this as a definition: media that is created to be shared freelyOf course, we use social media to share a wide variety of content, including content that is protected by copyright. However, the perception in the minds of many people is that content shared through social media is in the public domain and can be reused, repeated, remixed, etc. And that got me thinking...which turned into this train of thought...
I contend that we're using social media to have conversations like those that we have orally (using speech). Indeed look at Facebook, Twitter, and even some blog posts and you see conversations that would happen orally if they could. We even use photos and videos as a way of communicating...a way of talking. Oral conversation is not in fixed form and therefore cannot be copyrighted. If people are using social media to have a different type of oral conversation, do they expect that it will be protected by copyright law? Is the"copying" that occurs just a retelling of the conversation (the same way we have retold oral stories since time began)?
This line of thought above is one that I am wrestling with. Is it an accurate or even helpful point of view? I don't know. However, I have a feeling that I'll be testing this line of thought with some of my colleagues in the coming weeks.
During the hour, several URLs were shared. They were:
- 7 Big Questions: Taking the plunge with social media
- IBM Social Computing Guidelines
- Price Chopper Attacks Customer’s Job Over Negative Tweet
- Anthony Rotolo: Companies, and schools, need a strategy for social media
- Copyright and DMCA Policy
- SU iSchool: Social Networking
Some of our classes do tweet. For example:
- Tweets related to IST613 (Planning, Marketing & Assessing Library Services)
- Tweets related to IST 300 (Star Trek and the Information Age)
Yes, I do allow tweeting during my class (IST 613) and I even tweet occasionally. I find it helpful to see what they are thinking or what examples stood out to them. And yes, they will use Twitter to communicate with me in-between class sessions, and that's okay with me.
At the end of the hour, someone asked what copyright blogs I follow. Here are the ones I currently follow:
- Columbia University Libraries Copyright Advisory Office
- Copyright Advisory Network - the blog is not active currently, but their online forums are!
- Copyright Questions & Answers
- LibraryLaw Blog
- ©ollectanea
In Twitter, I'm following these people who tweet on copyright (and likely also on other things):
- Stanford CIS
- Berkman Center
- Larry Lessig
- Copyright Law
- Siva Vaidhyanathan
- Creative Commons
- Michelle Thorne
- Copyright Clearance Center
- Digital Koans
- Syracuse University's Copyright & Information Policy Adviser
- Kenneth Crews
- Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center
Addendum (4:25 p.m.) - One thing I mentioned - and I could be incorrect - is that tweets may be too short to have copyright protection. ("Copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, or short phrases.") However, I could see tweets being like sentences in a email, where - perhaps - each sentence is too short to have copyright protection, but the entire email is protected by copyright.
Someone asked about a lawsuit against Twitter. The service has been the object of a defamation lawsuit. It seems to have been mentioned in a copyright lawsuit against AFP. That case is still moving forward.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Getting Things Done
At the SLA Leadership Summit, I won one of the gift baskets (raffle) and it contained the audiobook version of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. I didn't realize that I needed a "tune up" in terms of how I manage my list of things that require my attention, but evidently I did! I've now listened to the book twice and will soon be handing it off to a friend who is looking forward to his own tune up.
So why mention the book here? Because we all have things that need to get done, but we don't always consider what the next logical action is. Our minds jump ahead to end result and not to the action that is required before we get to that step. With that tidbit in mind, I've been asking my student teams to consider what is the next thing that must be done and then who will be responsible for it. Yes, keep an eye on the big picture, but then recognize the steps that will get you there. I won't know for a while if this focus of mine will help them, but my suspicion is that it will.
As you consider what is on your plate, especially in terms of your programs and projects, think about what must happen next...whether that is an email, phone call, research, etc. Then check to see if there is something that needs to happen before it (there might be). Word that next action using verbs...write, call, talk to...so you know what the action really is. Amazingly, it will help.
The book, by the way, is much more than this, so it is worth reading or listening to so you can get your own tune up!
FTC Disclaimer: Digitization 101 is an Amazon affiliate and receives a small commission if you purchase a product or service from an Digitization 101 Amazon link. (Trust me, I'm not getting rich off of Amazon.)
So why mention the book here? Because we all have things that need to get done, but we don't always consider what the next logical action is. Our minds jump ahead to end result and not to the action that is required before we get to that step. With that tidbit in mind, I've been asking my student teams to consider what is the next thing that must be done and then who will be responsible for it. Yes, keep an eye on the big picture, but then recognize the steps that will get you there. I won't know for a while if this focus of mine will help them, but my suspicion is that it will.
As you consider what is on your plate, especially in terms of your programs and projects, think about what must happen next...whether that is an email, phone call, research, etc. Then check to see if there is something that needs to happen before it (there might be). Word that next action using verbs...write, call, talk to...so you know what the action really is. Amazingly, it will help.
The book, by the way, is much more than this, so it is worth reading or listening to so you can get your own tune up!
FTC Disclaimer: Digitization 101 is an Amazon affiliate and receives a small commission if you purchase a product or service from an Digitization 101 Amazon link. (Trust me, I'm not getting rich off of Amazon.)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Text-Image Linking Environment
The Text-Image Linking Environment is a tool to link a transcription to the image of a text.
The Text-Image Linking Environment (TILE) is a web-based tool for creating and editing image-based electronic editions and digital archives of humanities texts.
This initial release of TILE features tools for importing and exporting transcript lines and images of text, an image markup tool, a semi-automated line recognizer that tags regions of text within an image, and plugin architecture to extend the functionality of the software.
The Text-Image Linking Environment (TILE) is a web-based tool for creating and editing image-based electronic editions and digital archives of humanities texts.
This initial release of TILE features tools for importing and exporting transcript lines and images of text, an image markup tool, a semi-automated line recognizer that tags regions of text within an image, and plugin architecture to extend the functionality of the software.
Jill's Presentation & Travel Schedule: Spring & Summer 2011
I've got several things on my schedule that I want you to know about, in case there is an opportunity for our paths to cross:
- Feb. 22, 1 p.m. ET: CIP Community Discussion on "IP & Social Media" (online event)
- March 6-7: Attending the Olin Innovation Lab 4, Needham, MA
- March 21-23: Attending the Computers in Libraries Conference in Washington, DC. Presenting on March 23, 2:45-3:30 p.m., with Maurice D. Coleman and Paul Signorelli on "Planning and Realizing the Fourth Place"
- June 9: New York Archives Conference, Saratoga Springs, NY, presenting on "Convergence & Sustainability: Why Our Future is Bright" [exact time to be determined]
- June 12-15: Attending the SLA Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
DBpedia Spotlight - Text Annotation Toolkit released
Interesting tool released from DBpedia.
We are happy to announce a first release of DBpedia Spotlight - Shedding Light on the Web of Documents.
The amount of data in the Linked Open Data cloud is steadily increasing. Interlinking text documents with this data enables the Web of Data to be used as background knowledge within document-oriented applications such as search and faceted browsing.
DBpedia Spotlight is a tool for annotating mentions of DBpedia resources in text, providing a solution for linking unstructured information sources to the Linked Open Data cloud through DBpedia. The DBpedia Spotlight Architecture is composed by the following modules:
http://spotlight.dbpedia.org DBpedia Spotlight is provided under the terms of the Apache License, Version 2.0. Part of the code uses LingPipe under the Royalty Free License.
The source code can be downloaded from:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/dbp-spotlight
We are happy to announce a first release of DBpedia Spotlight - Shedding Light on the Web of Documents.
The amount of data in the Linked Open Data cloud is steadily increasing. Interlinking text documents with this data enables the Web of Data to be used as background knowledge within document-oriented applications such as search and faceted browsing.
DBpedia Spotlight is a tool for annotating mentions of DBpedia resources in text, providing a solution for linking unstructured information sources to the Linked Open Data cloud through DBpedia. The DBpedia Spotlight Architecture is composed by the following modules:
- Web application, a demonstration client (HTML/Javascript UI) that allows users to enter/paste text into a Web browser and visualize the resulting annotated text.
- Web Service, a RESTful Web API that exposes the functionality of annotating and/or disambiguating entities in text. The service returns XML, JSON or RDF.
- Annotation Java / Scala API, exposing the underlying logic that performs the annotation/disambiguation.
- Indexing Java / Scala API, executing the data processing necessary to enable the annotation/disambiguation algorithms used.
http://spotlight.dbpedia.org DBpedia Spotlight is provided under the terms of the Apache License, Version 2.0. Part of the code uses LingPipe under the Royalty Free License.
The source code can be downloaded from:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/dbp-spotlight
By Request: Networking Advice
If you approach each new person you meet in a spirit of adventure you will find that you become increasingly interested in them. - Eleanor Roosevelt, Quotable Eleanor, p. 109
I received an email from a shy MLS student during the winter holidays that asked for advice on networking. (This might be considered a natural follow-up to the advice I gave in November.) So...
First a little back story: If you've seen me in person, you would think that I've always been an extrovert. However, I began life as an introvert. My ability to talk to anyone about anything is balanced with alone time which is when I recharge my engines. This isn't unusual. You'll find other people that seem to be good at networking who get their energy in other ways (e.g, reading a book). And I'm not a natural networker and I suspect that most people aren't. It is skill that I've cultivated and I know you can, too.
Networking Tips:
A reminder...Ulla de Stricker and I wrote a book to help students and practitioners have successful careers. The Information and Knowledge Professional's Career Handbook: Define and Create Your Success will be available soon. You can read more about it here. For those who are networking in order to locate a professional opportunity, several of the chapters will be of interest, including "Developing your brand: the professional image" and "Looking for a job: tips and tricks".
FTC Disclaimer: Digitization 101 is an Amazon affiliate and receives a small commission if you purchase a product or service from an Digitization 101 Amazon link. (Trust me, I'm not getting rich off of Amazon.)
I received an email from a shy MLS student during the winter holidays that asked for advice on networking. (This might be considered a natural follow-up to the advice I gave in November.) So...
First a little back story: If you've seen me in person, you would think that I've always been an extrovert. However, I began life as an introvert. My ability to talk to anyone about anything is balanced with alone time which is when I recharge my engines. This isn't unusual. You'll find other people that seem to be good at networking who get their energy in other ways (e.g, reading a book). And I'm not a natural networker and I suspect that most people aren't. It is skill that I've cultivated and I know you can, too.
Networking Tips:
- What stops people from networking is that they think they have nothing to say, aren't interesting, or are too shy. I bet you talk to the checkout clerk at the supermarket about your groceries, right? That is a short, focused conversation. When you're networking, your conversations can also be short and focused.
- In Syracuse, NY, the natural conversation starter is the weather. At a conference, the natural conversation starter is asking about the sessions. For example, "what sessions have you thought were the best so far?" (Notice that it is an open-ended question and not a yes-no question. This gives the person an opportunity to say something meaningful.) Every situation has a natural starter...and once you know it, you can use it over and over and...!
- Remember to introduce yourself. If you want to make a connection with the other person, that person needs to know who you are. "Hi, I'm..." "By the way, I'm..." "...nice to meet you. I'm..." And say your name clearly. Even though you know who you are, it can be helpful practicing saying your name and your affiliation, so that you are guaranteed to say it smoothly. ("Hi, I'm Jill Hurst-Wahl. I just graduated with my MSLIS with a focus in digital libraries.")
- In class, I had a student introduce herself as "Merrilee, like merrily you row along". I can tell you that I instantly committed her name and face to memory because she had given me a way of remembering her name. Yes, providing a "hook" that helps the person remember your name OR putting who you are in context can be useful. For example, "I'm Jill Hurst-Wahl and I just attended the session you gave on digital libraries." Not only did I tell the person my name, but I also provided a little context for the conversation.
- If this is someone that has some synergy with you, give the person a business card. This not only gives the person your contact information, but it reminds them of your name. (Honestly, I have had many great conversations with people that I know, but whose name I can't remember. Exchanging business cards is very helpful.) Feeling awkward handing over your card? "Here's my card, in case you want to talk about this later." "My contact information has changed a bit, so here's my new business card." "I don't know if you have my contact info, so here's my card."
- Have a business card! You can get cards very inexpensively through places like Vistaprint.com. If you are unemployed, you card could similar be your name and your contact information, and a few words about your focus or expertise. If you are a student, your card should contact your contact information and some indication of your school/program. Also consider a few words about your career aspiration.
- If your employer won't give you business cards, create your own! While you may not be able to use the organization's logo, the card can have your name and contact information.
- Consider including on your business card the URL for your LinkedIn profile and other relevant (and professional) social media accounts. For many, this is much more useful than having your mailing address.
- It is advised that when you receive a business card that you should write information on it about the conversation you had with the person or any other pieces of information that will help you remember who the person is. This requires effort and dedication that we don't always have. However, if you can do it, you'll find it useful. (If I receive business cards while attending an event, I write the event name or acronym on the cards, which I find helpful.)
- Longer conversations are beneficial, but this is where shy people may feel quite uneasy. Consider framing the conversation, so that it remains comfortable. "Can we talk over a quick cup of coffee?" "Do you have 15 minutes, so we can talk?" "I have a quick question..."
- Talking over food gives you something else to do besides talk. Your hands have something to occupy them and sipping a drink gives your mouth something to do while you mind listens.
- And there is the magic word...listen. Networking isn't just about talking; it is about listening. Learn how to be an active listener, then ask open ended questions, listen carefully to the replies, and ask follow-up questions when appropriate. You'll gather lots of useful information and the other person will think that you are a wonderful conversationalist!
- If you find yourself standing by yourself, go find someone to talk with!
- If you see someone standing by him- or herself, go over and talk with the person! This is likely someone who doesn't know how to jump into a conversation. The person will be grateful that you made the effort to engage him/her in a dialogue.
- Sit with people that you don't know at events and talk with people you don't know. While it would be fun to sit with your friends, that doesn't help you expand your network.
- Remember that it is quality not quantity. It isn't the number of people that you talk with, but the quality of the conversations that you have. In other words, it is better to talk with a few people and make excellent connections that to talk to lots of people in very quick (likely meaningless) conversations.
- I once watched a woman enter a networking event and walk through the crowd just saying "hi" and handing people her business card. This was not networking. She made no meaningful connections. In fact, she likely turned people off. She went for quantity, not quality.
- Play baseball! A baseball diamond have four bases and the runner must touch all of the bases in order to score a run. Create a virtual baseball diamond when you go to a networking event. The entrance is home base. Look around the room and select locations that are first base, second base and third base. Go to the area where first base is and find someone to talk with. When that conversation is over, head to the area where second base is and network. Then move to third base and do the same thing. Finally, head home and continue networking. What will you have done? First, you will have had four conversations, hopefully with people that you don't know. Second, you will have "worked the room", meaning that you didn't stand in one spot for the entire time. Cool! What happens if you don't make it to home plate? That may not be a bad thing. You may have found yourself in a worthwhile conversation that stopped you from working the entire room and that is okay.
- It is possible to network all the time. That may be a scary thought for some people, so think of it this way...it is always possible to encounter someone with whom you want to make a connection. When you run into someone like that, take the opportunity to exchange contact information, schedule time to talk, or whatever is appropriate.
- Networking doesn't mean staying out all night, drinking heavy or eating too much...in case you wondered.
- After a networking event, review the cards that you received from other people. If you promised to follow-up with anyone, make sure that you do it. Consider dropping quick follow-up emails to anyone with whom you had a useful conversation. "It was good talking with you...." If appropriate, connect with people on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
- After attending my first Computers in Libraries (CIL) Conference (2006), I was "friended" by several people in Flickr after I uploaded conference photos there. Yes, that was appropriate given that we were all using Flickr for CIL photos, and it did lead to use becoming friends through other tools.
- Have fun! While you should be professional in your networking activities, engaging in fun events with potential colleagues is okay. And honestly, even in lighter moments, serious topics and wonderful connections can be made.
A reminder...Ulla de Stricker and I wrote a book to help students and practitioners have successful careers. The Information and Knowledge Professional's Career Handbook: Define and Create Your Success will be available soon. You can read more about it here. For those who are networking in order to locate a professional opportunity, several of the chapters will be of interest, including "Developing your brand: the professional image" and "Looking for a job: tips and tricks".
FTC Disclaimer: Digitization 101 is an Amazon affiliate and receives a small commission if you purchase a product or service from an Digitization 101 Amazon link. (Trust me, I'm not getting rich off of Amazon.)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
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