Category Archives: libraries

From Wikipedia to our libraries

Posted on March 4, 2013 by John Mark Ockerbloom

I’ve heard the lament in more than one library discussion over the years.  “People aren’t coming to our library like they should,” librarians have told me.  “We’ve got a rich collection, and we’ve expended lots of resources on an online … Continue reading →

Posted in citizen librarians, discovery, libraries, online books, subjects | 24 Comments

From my library to yours

Posted on February 11, 2013 by John Mark Ockerbloom

Even with well over one and half million books and serials, the collection I maintain at The Online Books Page is far from comprehensive.  The gaps in coverage are not hard to notice at sites like mine, because most material … Continue reading →

Posted in libraries, online books | 2 Comments

Public Domain Day 2012: Five things we can do in the US

Posted on January 1, 2012 by John Mark Ockerbloom

It’s New Year’s Day again, and in much of the world, this means another year’s worth of works enter the public domain.  That’s a cause for celebration, as Europe and many other countries that have “life+70 years” copyright terms welcome … Continue reading →

Posted in copyright, libraries, online books, open access | 2 Comments

Libraries: Be careful what your web sites “Like”

Posted on September 27, 2011 by John Mark Ockerbloom

Imagine you’re working in a library, and someone with a suit and a buzz cut comes up to you, gestures towards a patron who’s leaving the building, and says “That guy you were just helping out; can you tell me … Continue reading →

Posted in crimes and misdemeanors, data, libraries, people, privacy | 2 Comments

A digital public library we still need, and could build now

Posted on June 15, 2011 by John Mark Ockerbloom

It’s been more than half a year since the Digital Public Library of America project was formally launched, and I’m still trying to figure out what the project organizers really want it to be.  The idea of “a digital library … Continue reading →

Posted in citizen librarians, copyright, libraries, people, sharing | 11 Comments

Opt in for open access

Posted on April 9, 2011 by John Mark Ockerbloom

There’s been much discussion online about Judge Chin’s long-awaited decision to reject the settlement proposed by Google and authors and publishers’ organizations over the Google Books service. Settlement discussions continue (and the court has ordered a status conference for April … Continue reading →

Posted in copyright, libraries, online books, open access | Comments Off on Opt in for open access

Two talks on making the most of metadata

Posted on October 29, 2010 by John Mark Ockerbloom

Earlier this week, I participated in the Books Online workshop in Toronto. The workshop featured an update from James Crawford on Google Books, and papers on social reading and ebook interfaces, and the development of ebook services for various communities … Continue reading →

Posted in libraries, metadata, online books, subjects | Comments Off on Two talks on making the most of metadata

“What do you read, my lord?” “Works, works, works”

Posted on September 8, 2010 by John Mark Ockerbloom

There’s been a lot of talk lately in the library world about the coming age of FRBR-ized library catalogs (prompted in part by development of RDA, a cataloging standard that uses FRBR).  Exactly what such catalogs will look like, and … Continue reading →

Posted in discovery, libraries, metadata, online books | 6 Comments

Journal liberation: A primer

Posted on June 11, 2010 by John Mark Ockerbloom

As Dorothea Salo recently noted, the problem of limited access to high-priced scholarly journals may be reaching a crisis point.  Researchers that are not at a university, or are at a not-so-wealthy one, have long been frustrated by journals that … Continue reading →

Posted in copyright, libraries, open access, publishing, sharing | 5 Comments

Lots of conversation keeps stuff sustainable

Posted on March 23, 2010 by John Mark Ockerbloom

Among the hats I wear at my place of work is that of LOCKSS cache administrator. LOCKSS is a useful distributed preservation system built around the principle “Lots of copies keep stuff safe” (whose initials give the system its name).  … Continue reading →

Posted in libraries, people, preservation, sharing | Comments Off on Lots of conversation keeps stuff sustainable