Category: Technology

Call for Essays: We Can Do I.T. : Women in Library Information Technology

by RoryLitwin

Call for Essays Working Title: We Can Do I.T. : Women in Library Information Technology Editors: Jenny Brandon, Sharon Ladenson, Kelly Sattler Submission Deadline: March 27, 2017 (extended) Publisher: Library Juice Press Description of book: What roles are women playing in information technology (I.T.) in libraries? What are rewards that women experience, as well as … Read more Call for Essays: We Can Do I.T. : Women in Library Information Technology

CFP: Human Operators: A Critical Oral History of Technology in Libraries

by RoryLitwin

About the book Human Operators: A Critical Oral History of Technology in Libraries will be a collective oral history covering many of the issues in technology in librarianship in the early 21st century. Via edited and compiled interview transcripts, readers will get to “hear” the voices of librarians and archivists discussing tech topics from perspectives … Read more CFP: Human Operators: A Critical Oral History of Technology in Libraries

CFP: Unintended Consequences: the Paradox of Technological Potential (IEEE Potentials)

by RoryLitwin

IEEE Potentials is seeking contributions to a special issue guest edited by Ramona Pringle, Katina Michael and MG Michael. The theme of the issue is: “Unintended Consequences: the Paradox of Technological Potential”. We are looking for critical reviews and analyses, case examples, commentaries, interviews, opinion pieces, stories, projections and science fiction narratives from researchers, futurists, … Read more CFP: Unintended Consequences: the Paradox of Technological Potential (IEEE Potentials)

New Book by Joseph Weizenbaum

by RoryLitwin

Islands in the Cyberstream Seeking Havens of Reason in a Programmed Society Author: Joseph Weizenbaum with Gunna Wendt Translator: Benjamin Fasching-Gray Price: $28.00 ISBN: 978-1-63400-000-0 Published: October 2015 Printed on acid-free paper. Joseph Weizenbaum is best known in the English-speaking world for his 1976 popular critique of artificial intelligence, Computer Power and Human Reason. His … Read more New Book by Joseph Weizenbaum

Interview with John Russell

by RoryLitwin

John Russell is Scholarly Communications Librarian at the University of Oregon Libraries, which involves open access advocacy and scholarly publishing as well as digital scholarship services. He has been actively involved in digital humanities projects, primarily related to text encoding, and teaches a digital scholarship methods course as part of UO’s New Media and Culture … Read more Interview with John Russell

New issue of IRIE on Ethics for the Internet of Things

by RoryLitwin

International Review of Information Ethics (IRIE) Issue 022, Volume 22, December 2014 Ethics for the Internet of Things edited by Hektor Haarkötter, Felix Weil [ Current issue ] Editors’ note: Many science fiction phantasies already claimed that one day machines will be superior to human beings and computers will finally take over. But unlike in … Read more New issue of IRIE on Ethics for the Internet of Things

Vincent Mosco on C-SPAN

by RoryLitwin

Vincent Mosco, author of To the Cloud: Big Data in a Turbulent World, talked by remote video from Boston about the history of the development of the “cloud” and “big data,” and the economic, social, and cultural implications of massive data collection.

Cyberattacks against numerous French library websites

by RoryLitwin

Nicolas Beudon reports that last night there were cyberattacks against numerous French library websites, evidently by Islamist groups. They hacked into these sites using vulnerabilities in Drupal, WordPress, and ISS, as well as by cracking simple passwords. The messages they left on homepages objected to the identification of Islam with the terrorists, referring to it … Read more Cyberattacks against numerous French library websites

IFLA Internet Manifesto 2014

by RoryLitwin

IFLA approved its first Internet Manifesto in 2002. This provided an early recognition of the vital role that the Internet plays in the work of library and information services, and ensuring that individuals and groups have free access to information and can freely express themselves. The world has changed significantly since 2002 both physically and … Read more IFLA Internet Manifesto 2014

“How do we do things with our principles and also get our tasks done?” An interview with Hadassah Damien

by RoryLitwin

Back in May 2014, I interviewed the multitalented New York-based activist, performer, and technologist Hadassah Damien, whom I had originally met in January during a librarian-techie trip to Haiti. We spoke about technology, education, and related topics. MM: How would you describe yourself and your work? HD: I would describe the work that I do … Read more “How do we do things with our principles and also get our tasks done?” An interview with Hadassah Damien

Interview with Jason Bengtson

by RoryLitwin

Jason Bengtson is the Head of Library Computing and Information Systems at the University of Oklahoma’s Robert M. Bird Health Sciences Library. A co-editor of the Technology column of the Journal of Hospital Librarianship, he is also a member of the NN/LM South Central Region Technology Advisory Committee and ASIS&T. Jason is teaching a series … Read more Interview with Jason Bengtson

An ironic concern over net neutrality

by RoryLitwin

In her January piece on net neutrality in Wired Magazine that I have just now seen, former ALA President Barbara Stripling says, “…[W]ithout net neutrality, we are in danger of prioritizing Mickey Mouse and Jennifer Lawrence over William Shakespeare and Teddy Roosevelt. This may maximize profits for large content providers, but it minimizes education for … Read more An ironic concern over net neutrality

Interview with Tony Castelletto

by RoryLitwin

Tony Castelletto has been programming computers on one platform or another since the late 1980s, and received his MLIS in 2008 from Drexel. He has worked on unusual information projects throughout his career, starting as a technician on small NASA missions, managing the information pipelines that carried data from satellite to ground. Tony received his … Read more Interview with Tony Castelletto

Interview with Vincent Mosco about his new book

by RoryLitwin

Vincent Mosco is Professor Emeritus, Queen’s University, Canada. In his career he has focused on the political economy of information, communication, and the media. Back in the 80s he co-edited a book with Janet Wasko that was very influential to me as I was developing my thoughts on libraries and related subjects – The Political … Read more Interview with Vincent Mosco about his new book

Media predictions from 1975 Ecotopia…

by RoryLitwin

Print-on-demand from kiosks and electronic distribution of the news predicted in 1975…. Here is an excerpt from the 1975 book, Ecotopia, by Ernest “Chick” Callenbach. Thanks to Lincoln Cushing for sharing this with the PLG list… Although the general picture of the Ecotopian media is one of almost anarchic decentralization, a jungle in which only … Read more Media predictions from 1975 Ecotopia…

Interview with Jillian Wallis

by RoryLitwin

Jillian Wallis is a PhD student in the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies at UCLA. Her research addresses the data practices of researchers at the Center for Embedded Network Sensing, and developing systems for the effective distribution and use of sensor data. She will be teaching a class for Library Juice Academy next … Read more Interview with Jillian Wallis

Interview with Scott La Counte

by RoryLitwin

Scott La Counte is the head librarian for the Southern California Institute of Technology. He has given presentations on mobile application development at several different conferences, and is the author of Going Mobile: Developing Apps for Your Library Using Basic HTML Programming (ALA Editions Special Reports, 2011), and Build Your Own App for Fun and … Read more Interview with Scott La Counte

Two certificate programs starting in February

by RoryLitwin

Two certificate programs at Library Juice Academy are starting in February: The Certificate in User Experience (UX) and the Certificate in XML and RDF-Based Systems. Both of these programs are six courses in length, and both have been taught once already in the past year. The first class in each of these programs starts February … Read more Two certificate programs starting in February