NetLibrarians

Kim Rose kim.rose at squeakland.org
Thu Dec 14 10:21:04 EST 2006


Hello, all -

Don addresses the issue of an educational database...I am not sure if 
readers of this list are familiar with the International Children's 
Digital Library project -- http://www.icdlbooks.org/ (Tim Browne, 
Allison Druin and others).  This could be a great resource.  I 
believe there has been some exploration/discussion as to how this can 
link up with OLPC....
  Kim


At 5:46 AM -0800 12/14/06, Don V Black wrote:
>Hi All -
>
>The magnificence of the laudable task you have set for yourself 
>staggers even my overgrown imagination. 
>I have been waiting for this since the introduction of the 
>microprocessor over 30 yeas ago.
>
>How many Net-librarians will we need when we get to 100,000 laptops? 
>250,000? 1,000,000? 
>Remember that these OLPC devices will be in literally every 
>timezone, and in every language.
>Also we need to make them useless for adults, or the resources will 
>be mis-allocated.
>
>
>ABOUT VOLUNTEERS:
>
>1) Internationally: the process must be automated in some manner,
>      with the human element  introduced only when necessary (or requested). 
>      An academic specialty specific (or pedagogically specific) 
>cadre of volunteer
>      librarians could thus be efficiently allocated and accessed.
>
>2) Nationally: Another option is to make the resource available at 
>the local level,
>      and to encourage the client nations to provide a national 
>net-library clearing
>      house staff, thus reducing the language and timezone barriers.
>
>3) Locally: A hierarchy of students, teachers and volunteers could be accessed
>      via the OLPC device's network to provide local librarians, and regionally
>      specific libraries and support.
>
>With a networking plan in place, cost estimates could be generated, 
>and funding
>then becomes a real possibility.  Also, it is easier to find 
>volunteers, when they
>can understand their place in the bigger picture, and their exact duties.
>
>ABOUT AN EDUCATIONAL DATABASE:
>
>Another issue that I would like to address later.
>
>Kindest Regards,
>Don V Black, Founder
>Edutech Project
>
>===
>At 08:12 AM 12/13/2006, Idit Caperton wrote:
>
>>Joos,
>>Thank you for your email and putting your energy and thinking in an
>>important direction.
>>
>>Some things to think about:
>>1. Different styles/kinds of NetLibrarians? Real and Virtual?
>>2. Different NetLibrarians who are creating different kinds of experiences
>>for different people who have different personalities, purposes, needs, and
>>inquiries? Maybe NetLibrarians are not waiting in a specific library, but
>>rather creating one for you on demand based on what you are looking for?
>>3. How to create good "matches" and "mashes" for the above?
>>4. Generating on the fly different kinds of libraries in terms of content,
>>size, locations, and experiences?
>>5. How NetLibrarians are different than your current concept of Librarians.
>>Let's not try to imitate the old, but invent something new, different,
>>better...
>>- Idit.
>>
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: library-bounces at laptop.org [ mailto:library-bounces at laptop.org] On
>>Behalf Of Joos Search
>>Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 1:21 AM
>>To: library at laptop.org
>>Subject: Online librarians
>>
>>Hello all.
>>
>>I'm currently working on a "do-it-yourself" method for becoming an
>>online librarian.  I'm somewhat concerned that the children that we
>>are welcoming to the world of the Internet may just need some helpful
>>assistance finding the correct place to go sometimes.
>>
>>If I could use one word to describe the Internet it would be: Library.
>>  In fact, it's the best darn library in the world.  I helped to build
>>much of that library over the past 20 years through programming for
>>fun and industry.   I'm determined to take a gigantic step backwards
>>in my own life and **stop programming** in order to help persuade the
>>Internet that the library needs to have some librarians.  Otherwise,
>>"Web 2.0" may come along and perhaps move the Internet in a direction
>>that reduces the usability of the library.
>>
>>If I may, I'd like to extend the analogy to "the Internet is a town."
>>Let me explain.
>>
>>When the Internet originally began, it was a really small town with
>>just a library.  Anyone could come to the library to find information
>>or put up new information.   Then, the town began to develop.  They
>>put in a movie theater, and a mall, and strip clubs, and an amazing
>>telephone system, just to mention a few additions.
>>
>>And the library is still there, it's just not as flashy as all those
>>other new and hip things that are being added to the Internet town
>>everyday.  Fortunately, the library just got a fantastic new card
>>catalog (Google) and an amazingly growing encyclopedia (Wikipedia).
>>Unfortunately, the library doesn't have a librarian to tell any
>>visitor who just happens to stumble in where to go if it's their first
>>time.   And the librarian(s) really doesn't have to do much.  They can
>>  just be available if anyone has a question and be trustworthy.  While
>>they're not busy, they can help catalog and cleanup.
>>
>>In some ways, I'd like to help an effort to gather a group of advanced
>>Internet users to serve as Internet librarians.   Or, another way to
>>think about it would be Internet concierges.  Welcome to the Internet,
>>may I help you?
>>
>>I've started some research on the matter.  If you're interested, I'm
>>keeping it cataloged at joossearch at gmail.com.   Thanks for reading my
>>ramblings.
>>
>>-Jeremy Lueck.
>>aka Joos
>>_______________________________________________
>>Library mailing list
>>Library at laptop.org
>>  http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/library
>>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Library mailing list
>>Library at laptop.org
>>  http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/library
>>
>===================================
>               Don V Black, Chairman
>        IEEE-OC Video Game Engineers
>               http://www.gamesig.org
>        Executive Committee Member,
>IEEE CS Task Force on Game Technology
>                   1-949-548-1969
>                 dblack at ieee.org
>===================================
>           Affiliate of Center of GRAVITY
>  Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
>        University of California at Irvine
>      http://newport.eecs.uci.edu/~dblack/
>===================================
>
>_______________________________________________
>Library mailing list
>Library at laptop.org
>http://mailman.laptop.org/mailman/listinfo/library
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.laptop.org/pipermail/library/attachments/20061214/9e376451/attachment-0001.html


More information about the Library mailing list