This weeks notes.....

Digital Libraries

It's always interesting to see that Google is the main competition for any digital library or project that comes about. It is about time that many institutions are banding together and trying to make a splash in the world of digital libraries and actually try to compete with the Google model. Bill Nye should be excited that the NEH and all of the government programs are joining in on the crusade to establish a digital library. I was surprised to see NASA and the FBI on that list, but then again I'm sure an open access library could end up housing dangerous material and could pose a threat to national security. I guess we will see what becomes of it.

Dewey Meets Turing

This could be my favorite article ever. It honestly made digital libraries sound like some sort of evil secret plot against humanity. And anything that puts some sort of excitement into putting things in order in boxes makes me feel better. I mean really, "The Initiative?" totally a secret plot to destroy the world. The DLI could just be another clever acronym that is just a cover-up for something more sinister. I am not going to be surprised if I end up seeing James Bond walking around trying to foil any sort of plans. But regardless, as the Web grows, libraries and librarians are going to have to continue to work together and strengthen that connection to fight the good fight against copyright and intellectual property.

Institutional Repositories

This is basically a breakdown of all that is going on in the world of digital institutional repositories. Again, the ways of scholarly communication are constantly changing and putting more and more pressure on the institutions to create something new and also within the rights of intellectual property. Eventually all of the institutions are going to agree on a certain system and create an all digital library, but there are still many obstacles to overcome and no end in sight.