Digital Technology 

A Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections

This Framework is intended for two audiences: first, for people who are working in the context of projects and want to develop good digital collections; and second, for funding organizations and agencies that want to encourage the creation of good digital collections. [read more]

Surrogate or the Real Thing 

The Israel Museum and the Electronic Surrogate by Susan Hazan

If the intrinsic experience of a museum is about its material collections, why would a museum even want an electronic surrogate? [read more]

Bibliotheca Alexandria 

Bibliotheca Alexandrina: The revival of the ancient Library of Alexandria

At the meeting point of the three continents, Asia, Africa and Europe, Egypt has been the cradle of civilizations since ancient times.

The ancient city of Alexandria, one of the glories of antiquity, was at the beginning of the third century B.C. the birthplace of the great plan to build a library: the BIBLIOTHECA ALEXANDRINA. But the library, this vast storehouse of learning, was destroyed by a fire which ravaged Alexandria. The Egyptian Government, in close co-operation with UNESCO, has decided to build a new library in Alexandria to endow this part of the world with an important focal point for culture, education and science. [read and see more]

Official website of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina

New library 'open to all' by Tariq Hassan-Gordon of the Middle East Times

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina located just a stone's throw from the site of its historical predecessor will be a space for free speech and intellectual debate said the library's director-general, Ismail Serageldin.

"No question is off limits," said Serageldin on December 9 during a speech to the Cairo Foreign Press Association. "We have to have a space of freedom, for free speech. History teaches us that Socrates was given a cup of hemlock but his ideas survived."

Seragaldin, an internationally respected academic who was previously a vice president of the World Bank, may find that his vision for freedom of expression is undermined by the politics of the day. Once the library initiates its cultural programming and book collection, there may be a divergent interpretation of acceptable free speech between the library and the government. [read more]

E-Book News 

Adobe Not Giving Up On E-Book Market by Calvin Reid

Though it has watched a succession of major e-publishing operations go out of business, Adobe , the firm offering Adobe Acrobat and other e-publishing software, remains convinced that e-publishing and e-books will eventually grow into a significant market. [read more]

Newsstand 

The new RLG DigiNews is out.

Feature Article:
Emulation vs. Migration: Do Users Care by Margaret Hedstom and Clifford Lampe

The December D-Lib Magazine is out. As usual, lots of interesting reading. This one caught my eye: A Framework for Building Open Digital Libraries by Hussein Suleman and Edward A. Fox

Abstract:
Digital Libraries (DLs) have traditionally been positioned at the intersection of library science, computer science, and networked information systems. The different underlying philosophies of these three fields has had an unsettling influence on the development of DLs. While library science is fairly mature, networked information systems are constantly evolving to keep pace with Internet innovation. DLs are thus expected to demonstrate the careful management of libraries while supporting standards that evolve at an astonishing pace. This architectural moving target is a predicament that all DLs face sooner or later in their lifecycle, and one that few manage to deal with effectively. To exacerbate this problem, there has been a general desire for systems to be interoperable at the levels of data exchange and service collaboration. Such interoperability requirements necessitated the development of standards such as the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set and the Open Archives Initiative's Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH). These standards have achieved a degree of success in the DL community largely because of their generality and simplicity. Informed by those lessons, this project is an attempt to consistently extend known interoperability standards to form the basis of a framework of components for building extensible DLs. [read more]

Year in Books 

From Publishers Weekly--The Year in Books 2001

This is the debut of PW's "The Year in Books," an annual review examining noteworthy trends in books and publishing. This approach includes highlighting titles that we discern to be of exceptional quality and also citing books that are important for other reasons--because they have spearheaded a wave of similar books, encapsulated a notable point of view, stood apart from the pack or just sent buyers rushing to the checkout counters. We've also included titles that, despite their potential, failed to take off for various reasons. We hope that highlighting them here might give them a second chance. [read more]

The Web--Ten Years Old 

What will the Web be tomorrow?

A Web gadfly points his stinger, Jeffrey Zeldman interview

State of the Web: Glass half full, Tiffany Shlain interview

Charting the Web's next transformation, Tim Berners-Lee interview

Libraries in the Political World 

An axe to the root of our culture

Julia Lewis reveals how the government is forcing libraries to sell -- and sometimes pulp -- great works of literature in the name of vibrancy and multiculturalism. [read more]

Libraries and Archives Online 

Russian Archives Online

Technology News 

Xerox's Palo Alto Lab to become independent company

XEROX said today that it is transforming its Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) into an independent company.

The move sets the stage for "key strategic partners" to invest in the laboratory while ensuring that Xerox continues to control access to the center's research and technology, the company said in a statement.

Last year, Xerox announced plans to create the wholly owned subsidiary and said it would seek strategic, noncompetitive partners for PARC. The company said today active discussions are under way with potential investors.

The new company, which is expected to begin operations after Jan. 1, will continue to generate a stream of inventions, creating opportunities for Xerox and future investors to market PARC-developed technology commercially.

Xerox said it expects that PARC employees will transfer to the new company after the first of the year. A search for a CEO of the new company is under way.

Founded in 1970, PARC has developed such technology as the graphical user interface, client/server architecture, laser printing and Ethernet.

Xerox officials could not be reached for further comment.
(link via Hack the Planet)

Publishing 

Is Self-Publishing the Answer? by Mark Ortman

With several thousand manuscripts being submitted to publishing houses each week, only a very small percentage are selected. Persuading a publisher to finance and distribute your book is often a frustrating experience filled with rejection letters and delays. Even then, limited promotional backing for first-time authors often restricts the books potential. Unless you are a celebrity, a prolific writer, or have a proven track record, chances are slim of your gaining the favor of a commercial publisher.

All is not lost. Consider how Wayne Dyer (Erroneous Zones) James Redfield (Celestine Prophecy) and Richard Bolles (What Color is Your Parachute) got started. Publishers failed to see the value of their message. As a result, they self-published. Self-publishing has become one of the fastest growing segments in the publishing industry. [read more]

Copyright 

The Public Domain: Publisher Beware by Lloyd L. Rich

The purpose of this article is to provide publishers with an overview of the "public domain" and to make them aware of some of the complexities involved in determining whether a work is in the "public domain".

It covers:

• What is the Public Domain?
• Works That are Automatically in the Public Domain
• Protected Works that Enter the Public Domain
• Term of Copyright Protection
• Statutory Formalities
• Derivative & Combined Protected/Unprotected Works

[read more]

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