Books return home 

Kafka's work goes back to Prague

The personal library of author Franz Kafka is to be returned to his native Prague.

The manuscripts, including some of the first editions of his work, had been owned by car giant Porsche.

The German auto manufacturer said it had acquired his library from an antiquarian book dealer in Stuttgart with a view to handing it over to the Franz Kafka Society in the Czech Republic.[read more]

Nine Lives? 

How a Librarian Can Live Nine Lives in a Knowledge-Based Economy by Bunella Longo

"Like cats moving through their fabled nine lives, I think that teachers and librarians should redefine their own roles beyond the confines of their respective traditions." [read more]

What happens when...? 

What happens when a library removes a formerly available print journal and replaces it with an electronically accessed version? From October 2001 through September 2002, University of California libraries are conducting a grant funded study to find out. Collection Management Initiative

The Future 

Technology 101: What Do We Need To Know About the Future We're Creating? by Howard Rheingold

Are we awake to the world we're building, or are we, as an old Sufi saying goes, merely asleep in life's waiting room?

The petroleum economy, nuclear power, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, lasers, organ translants, telephone and television and personal computer networks -- today's technologies have put staggering amounts of power into the hands of billions of people. More power is on its way in the next several decades, as present scientific knowledge drives future technological capability. Do we know what to do with the powers over matter, mind, and life that tomorrow's technologies will grant us?

If we don't already know the answers to these questions, what do we need to know to design, deploy, control, and live humanely with the tools we are creating? [read more]

You can never have too many books 

(Some Of) The Best Books of 2001: Suggestions for getting and giving by Benjamin Schwarz

History of the Book 

Fact, Fiction & the New World: The Role of Books in the Making of America

Books played a major role in the European discovery and settlement of the New World. Explorers looked for people, places, and things that were described in books, and they defined their encounters by referring to names and ideas from popular stories and ancient legends.

An Animated History of Books

Craig Charles narrates our animated history of books. He takes us back in time to where it all started with cave paintings and then leads us through the years ending with a glimpse of what the future might hold.

Recent Publications 

From CLIR The Evidence in Hand: Report of the Task Force on the Artifact in Library Collections

In 1999, CLIR convened a task force of scholars, academic officers, librarians, and archivists to investigate the role of artifactsãoriginal, unreformatted materialsãin library and archival collections, and the value of those materials for scholarship and teaching. The inquiry was sparked by a recognition of the growing tension between how much information is produced and how much can be acquired, preserved, and made accessible in meaningful ways. The task force members were asked to articulate a framework for making or evaluating institutional policies for the retention of published materials and archival or unpublished materials in their original form. This report contains the task force's findings and recommendations. Further details are in a press release published November 21, 2001.

The report in pdf

Digital Technology Issues 

The Open Digital Rights Language Initiative

The Open Digital Rights Language (ODRL) provides the semantics for a Digital Rights Management expression language and data dictionary pertaining to all forms of digtial content. The ODRL is a vocabulary for the expression of terms and conditions over digital content including permissions, constraints, obligations, conditions, and agreements with rights holders. The ODRL is positioned to be extended by different industry sectors (eg ebooks, music, audio, mobile, software) and to be a core interoperability language and has no license requirements.

Spectra Special issue on digital imaging (pdf, requires Acrobat reader)

(previous two links via Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog)

Browser Security 

Microsoft Internet Explorer Security Bulletin

Impact of vulnerability: Exposure and altering of data in cookies.
Maximum Severity Rating: Critical