Info Commons - Saturday - Session III
Libraries and Information Commons Workshop
Saturday
Panel 2: Part 2 -- Creation and Preservation of Commons
Ann Weeks -- ICDL
Weeks -- ICDL
ICDL: a concrete example of a virtual commons; 5-year projects, located at University of Maryland, first partnered with the Internet Archive
Includes 6 kids as part of the research team
Launched 2 years ago, was Java-based -- was a barrier to access to those without leading-edge technology (non-broadband, latest software, etc.); six-month project to make the content platform/software independent
Current: 526 books in 30 languages; goal of 40% public domain and 60% in copyright (historic and contemporary collections) -- virtually no one had digitized children's material before ICDL
Read-only site: doesn't support downloading or printing -- concern to adults, but it doesn't bother children
Metadata in English and original language of book; every page of the book is scanned
Simple and advanced search: look for books by location, color, age, "how the book made them feel" and peer ratings
ICDL will encrypt books (readable only via Adobe eBook Reader) at the publisher's/rightsholder's request
Still working on building critical mass
Books of literary/historical significance are identified by the contributors, who also tend to negotiate the rights themselves
ICDL is a commons due to the level of contribution/collaboration
Fred Stutzman -- iBiblio
Oldest and largest digital commons on the net (12 years old): providing space/hosting
Old and new models of commons
Old model -- Local repository; one major site, people go to the content
Next steps
The Internet has an intrinsic storage and sharing model
Information commons = silos (repositories existing independently without intermingling)
Networks that allow commons to aggregate
Standards-based methods of communications -- the next place
How do we discover information repositories
Building near-infinite amounts of storage allow for more opportunities for contribution/collaboration
The protocols and methods are existing ... it's a matter of getting them accepted across the board
Howard Besser -- NYU
Framework of evaluation of commons work/ideas
4 critical points
1) Philosophy of sharing and public discourse
2) A place for interaction and communication and creation (not just consumption)
3) A place that's free from commodification
4) A sustainable space that houses our cultural heritage and discourse
Actionable goals:
An importance of widespread access, preservation of historic and cultural material, resistance to enclosure and encroachment
Tools:
Tools and standards for discovery across multiple sites/repositories/commons, tools for communication, tools for preservation
Issues at the forefront:
Disenfranchisement of peoples by commodification
Increasing access
Current places of preservation
Who's part of the community of certain repositories
The Geneva Declaration of WIPO -- a non-commodification agenda to material/content/cultural products
The role of the local vs. the national
Problems with public TV ("only the tip of the iceberg")
Stages of digital library development - First Monday
We have digital library projects, but we haven't injected the value systems of libraries into those projects ... yet.
Specific projects:
Current project at NYU with Creative Commons-like licensing
Student database of papers for Howard's classes -- however, self-archiving doesn't work very well
NDIEPP-funded project to archive programs by local public TV stations -- many, many challenges
Fair use and the public domain are critical to the commons and are essential to creativity
Tom Phelps -- NEH
Cultural institutions and the commons
Example: Program on I.B. Singer -- programs, readings, blog, etc. put online
The NEH owns no rights to the programs it's funded -- a lot of libraries are copyrighting material funded by NEH and others
The re-use of film -- legal problem of permissions running out after limited time; libraries are using permissions as revenue sources
Developing more shared/collaborative websites across institutions
Combined effect of copyright and censorship/decency concerns -- increased caution/chilling effect
The cultural institutions need to talk to each other and share resources