Category Archives: Licensing

E-Readers and the Future

ALA TechSource has a brief blogger forum post on the state of E-Book Readers.  The quote that I think is most worth thinking about comes from Jason Griffey: E-books are the future of reading in a very real way, simply … Continue reading

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Document Freedom Day!

Today is the second annual celebration of Document Freedom Day! So why are open document formats important?  What happens when someone sends you a document created with Microsoft Word 2007, and saved with the default file format?  You get a … Continue reading

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Amazon and Contracts

Authors Guild:  Contracts Forced Amazon to Flip on Kindle is an article on CNet.com in which the Authors Guild asserts that Amazon turned off the Kindle’s Text-to-speech function (unless authorized by a book’s publisher) due to contractual obligations, not pressure … Continue reading

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Confusing Assistance with Performance

Amazon.com has given in to the Publisher’s Guild on the issue of text-to-speech capabilities in the Kindle 2. In their press release, Amazon states up front that “Kindle 2’s experimental text-to-speech feature is legal: no copy is made, no derivative … Continue reading

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LibraryThing on the ARL Report

Research Libraries Clobber OCLC Policy is a title, and a descriptive one at that, for LibraryThing’s report of the ARL’s report on the OCLC licensing policy kerfluffle (I keep coming back to this word). It is, however, an interesting read, … Continue reading

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Sending OCLC on its way

Sending OCLC on its way is a post by Peter Brantley on his Thoughts and Speculations blog.  It focuses on the library world’s reaction to OCLC’s licensing change, and cautions against our overreacting. He is not an apologist for OCLC, … Continue reading

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Walt Crawford on the Google Books Settlement

The March 2009 issue of Walt Crawford’s Cites & Insights is devoted to a 30 page essay on the Google Books settlement.  His is an opinion that spans many of the issues : he is at once a writer, fair … Continue reading

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OCLC Policy – Final Report to the ARL Board

The ARL’s Ad Hoc Task Force has submitted their final report (pdf) on the OCLC license policy change, and there is a great deal of constructive advice for OCLC to use.  The report’s Summary of Recommendations: OCLC needs to develop … Continue reading

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OCLC Announces Review Board Members

OCLC announced the members of the Review Board of Shared Data Creation and Stewardship yesterday, save for a member yet to be announced from the European National Library: Christopher Cole (FEDLINK): Associate Director for Technical Services, National Agricultural Library Poul … Continue reading

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Open Solutions for Libraries

Open Solutions for Libraries Gain Momentum is an article on Information Today which gives an excellent overview of the current state of library data and sharing.  Not only does it present the current struggle with OCLC’s licensing efforts with a … Continue reading

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May You Live in Interesting Financial Times

If you have been concerned about the possible effects of the global financial crisis on libraries, you aren’t alone.  The International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) has issued a statement that is not only short, succinct, and dire, but also … Continue reading

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Data Isn’t Copyrightable

Data, Copyrights and Slogans, Oh My! is a post on the Common Knowledge blog discussing the idea that data is not subject to copyright.  With the OCLC kerfluffle still echoing about the libibliogosphere, it stands out as a nice, succinct … Continue reading

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Library Books in your Search Engine

Why you can’t find a library book in your search engine is an article in The Guardian.  It is a good overview of the broader issues surrounding the OCLC Licensing problem, and is written for the general reader (i.e. this … Continue reading

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Using Our Time Wisely

Karen Coyle wrote an excellent post about OCLC’s delayed implementation of the records licensing policy.  An exerpt: Those of us who promote open access must use this time wisely. First, we need to get some solid legal advice. It’s clear … Continue reading

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OCLC Creates Review Board of Shared Data Creation and Stewardship

Some big news from OCLC:  They are creating a review board to solicit feedback about their licensing policy (and judging from the press release, the entire concept of sharing library data).  They are drawing from the OCLC Board of Trustees … Continue reading

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Why Libraries Must Reject the OCLC Policy

We are now one month away from the implementation of OCLC’s new records policy.  Tim Spaulding at Thingology has compiled seven arguments why libraries should resist the license. Even if you don’t feel that OCLC intends to take a hard … Continue reading

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A Look Back, A Look Ahead

2008 was an uncertain year for Libraryland.  Ideas and tools abound for how we can do more with what we have, and we are becoming more aware of what it is we have : data and the systems to organize … Continue reading

Posted in Google, ILS, Libraries, Library 2.0, Licensing, OCLC, Online Services, OPAC, Open Access, Open Source, Software, Web Design | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

OCLC License Policy – A Recommendation

I wrote a recommendation, on request, about the impact to my workplace of the OCLC license policy changes that are scheduled to start in February.  I am posting an exerpt here, not because I feel it brings anything new to … Continue reading

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OCLC Policy and Federal Libraries

Another installment in the exploration of the effects of OCLC’s licensing policy changes, this one an examination of various Federal Library records by Thingology’s Tim Spaulding.

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