Month: December 2006

Categories
Digital Culture

Folksonomies = Translation Engines

I was lounging about today, idly thinking about folksonomies (hey..it could happen) and I had what I consider a somewhat interesting idea. Are there any existing sites that allow for tagging in multiple languages? I suppose that del.icio.us does by default for language that use the Roman alphabet, but what about systems that use a non-roman…does flickr or technorati allow for Chinese or Japanese kanji? Or for Farsi?

For any system where this were the case, and there was an enormous database of folksonomic data to mine, and the folksonomies were in some way descriptive (it’s possible to have non-descriptive folksonomies…some people actually leverage del.icio.us by using specifically non-descriptive tags in order to pull very specific things from the organization)…well, if you were describing things in the world…would you be able to data mine such a folksonomy as a translation engine?

You would imagine that on flickr, a picture of a red ball might be tagged “red” and “Ball” by multiple languages. By doing some basic statistical work on the data, I think you could come up with a pretty good translation engine.

Anyone out there see that this couldn’t/wouldn’t work? Would this be better than traditional translation engines…I don’t know. It leverages the wisdom of crowds in an interesting new way, though.

Categories
Digital Culture

Last minutes as a reference librarian…

Today I’m heading out for the holidays, to be gone from MPOW until Jan 2nd. We’ll be traveling a bit (but not too much) and I’m looking forward to some honest relaxation.

When I return, I’ll officially be the Head of Library Systems, and a whole new universe begins. I’m already starting to see the edges of that world, with my to-do list growing minute by minute. But I’m excited, and we’ll see how well it goes. But for now, off to holiday, and presents, and good food, and family, and rest.

Categories
Digital Culture

Writing projects

Well, now that both contracts are signed, I can talk a bit about my next two writing projects.

First up, I’ve agreed to write an article for Library Journal. The topic? A new reference/instruction project here at UTC involving podcasts and iPod rentals. We’ve got grand plans that we hope to put into practice over the course of 2007 that involve video and audio production and leverage our new website (just launched today!). We’re looking for integration and experimentation from our reference/instruction team, and I have faith they’ll come up with uses that I can’t now imagine. But for LJ, I’m going to write up the entire planning process, from grant writing to how we’ll handle the various challenges involved in a project of this scope.

Second…I’m currently under contract to write a book for Linworth Publishing, tentatively titled Biblioblogging (almost certainly that will change), along with my partner in crime Karen Coombs. I plan on blogging portions of the work, research, and process involved in this writing as well.

These two things, along with the new job…well, let’s just say that 2007 is promising to be interesting if nothing else.

Categories
Digital Culture

Library Conference Wiki

Just to confirm a possible need: I’ve spent all day today trying to gather information on library conferences that might be of interest to me over the next year. This is surprisingly hard to do, especially when you don’t know what you’re looking for…google is amazing for search but terrible for browse, which is what I want to do. Entering something like “library conferences” is obviously useless, and I haven’t had any luck finding a good listing of stuff that librarians might be interested in attending. The ALA has a page, but that only lists ALA conferences (naturally). There’s a decent list over at Douglas Hasty’s page from Florida International University, but it only lists the biggies…no love for some of the small national conferences, and certainly nothing on local ones.

So, having found an information need, I seek to fill it. If I were to set up a wiki installation for this purpose, draft some basic organizational rules….would you use it? Would anyone out there help me seed the thing with information and links to the conferences that might otherwise go unnoticed?

Thoughts? I could have a wiki running within the week, I think. Would this help anyone plan the upcoming year’s travels?

Categories
Digital Culture

What do I need to know?

I call upon the wisdom of crowds: I will be moving into my new Head of Library Information Technology position in the new year. What information sources must I now attach myself to in order to fully embrace and excel at this job? I’m thinking:

  • Listservs?
  • Conferences?
  • Blogs?
  • Publications?

Lay the world of Info Tech management on me, and tell me where I should be participating and consuming!

Categories
Digital Culture

ZOMG! I has a n3w j0b!

After a lot (and I mean a LOT…probably far too much) soul searching, I’ve decided to try out a different position here at UTC Lupton Library. I was offered and I have accepted the position of Head of Library Information Technology.

This means a transition out of doing tons of reference and instruction work…but I’m planning on keeping my nose in that realm as much as possible. It’s just too good for tracking what the patrons are actually concerned with to not stay involved. At the same time, I’ll be taking on the huge burden of all tech in the library…all wires, systems, applications, and boxen are to be my purview. I’d be lying if I wasn’t a bit nervous about the whole thing.

The big concern? We use the VTLS library system…and byzantine wouldn’t begin to describe my feelings about ILS’s. Add in that we’re one of less than a dozen academic libraries that use it, and my circle of assistance is pretty low.

The big opportunity? Pretty much everything. Digital repository, ticketing system for patron issues, getting our archives online…tons to keep me busy. I’m really excited about the opportunity.

Categories
Digital Culture

9 ways we’ll know that Heroes has jumped the shark

I am absolutely addicted to the new NBC show Heroes. It has everything I want in a serial TV show…good characters, interesting unknowns, and superpowers!

But, in looking to the future, I thought I’d capture for posterity 9 ways that we’ll know that Heroes has jumped the shark.

1. Claire decides that it would be better if everyone has matching uniforms that say “Team Heroes!” on them.

2. It is discovered that the “evolutionary leap” isn’t limited to just humans, and they are joined by Sparky the Dog (power: runs at supersonic speeds and leave a trail of sparks in his wake) and Mongo the Super Intelligent Spider Monkey.

3. Ando wakes up in The Matrix.

4. Horn-Rimmed-Glasses wakes up one morning, rolls over to discover Suzanne Pleshette, and declares that he just had the oddest dream…

5. We discover that all of the Heroes are actually aliens, sent by a galactic invasion team.

6. Pete and Mysterious Black Man end up in the same room, and the whole universe explodes from the interaction of their powers.

7. Claire and Pete continue their verbal flirtation, making it completely aware to everyone around them that they want each other. Then they give in to temptation.

8. Hiro spends an entire episode running towards Radioactive Guy, all the while screaming “KENADAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!” He never gets any closer.

9. It is revealed that the “evolutionary leap” will happen to everyone on Earth soon, and as we know, when everyone is special, it just means no one is.

Categories
Digital Culture

Texas?

So a friend from Immersion wrote it up for CRL News.

He asked to use a couple of my photos.

After a few back and forths with CRL because my photos are Creative Commons licensed, we came to an agreement to use them.

They asked how they wanted my credit given, and I sent them this blurb:

Photo by Jason Griffey, www.jasongriffey.net, reference and instructional technology librarian, UT-Chattanooga.

So they publish it, and guess what gets printed?

CRL News

*sigh*

I’ve asked for a correction, but haven’t heard anything yet.

EDIT: Still no word from ACRL about how this can be fixed. Anyone have a name I should contact?
Categories
Digital Culture

Giving it all away

Cory Doctorow has an amazing essay in Forbes, called Giving It Away. Concerned with how giving away electronic copies of books drives sales of printed copies, it’s a clear and amazing set of thoughts on the current publishing world.

I’m particularly caught up in publishing issues right now, given that I’m negotiating with a publisher for publication of a book. I wonder if I sent them a copy of this essay it could possibly make a difference….

from the essay:

The thing about an e-book is that it’s a social object. It wants to be copied from friend to friend, beamed from a Palm device, pasted into a mailing list. It begs to be converted to witty signatures at the bottom of e-mails. It is so fluid and intangible that it can spread itself over your whole life. Nothing sells books like a personal recommendation–when I worked in a bookstore, the sweetest words we could hear were “My friend suggested I pick up….” The friend had made the sale for us, we just had to consummate it. In an age of online friendship, e-books trump dead trees for word of mouth.