Carson Block Consulting

Technology Vision. Technology Power. Your Library.

Talking Tech Trends and Privacy at DPLA Fest

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What does the future hold for technology in libraries?  I had the honor of joining two smart, passionate people-you-should-know at Digital Public Library of America‘s DPLAfest at the Library of Congress in Washington DC during the spring of 2016 to discuss the possibilities.

DPLA’s page on the session, including a transcript, is here.

Speaker Biography: Alison Macrina is a librarian, privacy activist, and the founder and director of the Library Freedom Project, an initiative which aims to make real the promise of intellectual freedom in libraries by teaching librarians and their local communities about surveillance threats, privacy rights and law, and privacy-protecting technology tools to help safeguard digital freedoms.

Speaker Biography: John Resig is a staff engineer at khan academy and the creator of the jQuery JavaScript library. He is the author of the books “Pro JavaScript Techniques” and “Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja.” He has developed a comprehensive Japanese woodblock print database and image search engine: Ukiyo-e.org. Resig is a board member of the Japanese Art Society of America and is a visiting researcher at Ritsumeikan University working on the study of Ukiyo-e.

Thanks to Jamie Hollier, DPLA Board Member and President of Anneal, Inc. for organizing this excellent panel.

 

 

 

 

DPLA turns a significant corner

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Have you heard of the Digital Public Library of America?  If not, this is a great time to get acquainted.  As a member of the Audience & Participation workstream, I attended two days of DPLA meetings in Chicago on October 11-12.

One goal of the DPLA is to take content that already exists – especially rich archives of local history that have been digitized across the country — and make it easy to discover and use for people all over the world, whether they are using a computer or a mobile device.

The DPLA is also creating a structure that will make it easier for libraries, museums and other cultural heritage groups across the country — both big and small — to make their unique and historic treasures available to the world.

With a major new funding grant from the Knight Foundation , a newly seated board of directors, and hundreds of highly-energized volunteers, the DPLA is on track to release a  the first version of the DPLA platform in Spring 2012.

The  DPLA is also looking for its first Executive Director.  As one participant put it, someone who wants to get up every morning and ask themselves “How will I help change the world *today*?”  Are you as excited about this as I am?  If so, please submit your suggestions to the DPLA! 

Summertime, summertime…

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Well, I’m not the most active blogger on the planet. An update once a quarter is enough, right? :o) Lots of cool things are on the schedule for the rest of the year, including a July keynote address for the WiLS World Conference in Wisconsin! I’ve also been invited to join the audience and participation workstream for the Digital Public Library of America — honored and thrilled!

Speaking is always a blast, but I love working directly with clients even more! Library Facility Master Planning (tech) has been so much fun, and working with other libraries on technology reviews and improvement plans has been just as great. When doing the tech reviews/audits, the IT pieces are often the simplest, and what really needs the most attention are the people who make it all happen, and the communication structures that connect everyone. There’s also been lots of action on the eBook and eMaterials front — it’s on everyone’s minds and libraries are beginning to take action!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — I love my work!

Other talks include TEDx FoCo (yowsa!), the Marmot User’s Group meeting (another yowsa!), Internet Librarian (Yowsa yowsa!), The New York Library Association (yowsa yowsa yowsa!), and more!

I have a mid-year’s resolution is to blog more frequently. Wish me luck!