Library Geeks 003 - The Thing You Do | One Big Library.
Library Geeks 003 - The Thing You Do | One Big Library.
An Interview with Tim Spalding and Abby Blachly on Podcast that Proves My Fears Unneccessary (oops!)
This interview really allayed my fears about Tim's site. Ironically, I find that his principles and ideals are very much in line with my own; and that, my librarian paranoia was actually uncalled for in the context of the Librarything site. Really and truly it appears that Tim and other Librarything users know nothing about you as an individual unless you decide to provide the site with personally identifiable information. Of course, there is the sticky issue of ISP addresses being traceable, but this is quite unlikely to be a strong concern for most people (Tim briefly mentions that, yes, he would cooperate with legally authorities if approached appropriately, but otherwise, this is a mute point).
So now that I am over my paranoia (see what working in a library can do to you-ha!ha!), I can see how valuable this site can be not only to users but to the future of librarianship. The implications of incorporating social tagging with traditional classification headings is really going to change the intuitiveness and accessibility of searching for materials. In the pod cast, Tim and Abby touch on the idea of OCLC making authoritative records available as open source material. The availability and understanding of library classification has existed as privelaged knowledge that primarily only librarians (especially cataloging librarians) have possessed. What will happen in the future if Tim figures out a way to completely and seemlessly mash tagging and controlled subject headings in a world wide arena (he states in the podcast he plans on going international with the site)? Imagine the power he could derive for compiling and sifting through the data (tags) people enter if grid computing takes off. His site may enable intuitive tagging to become a viable reality if statistical data is collected concerning tags for materials.
I highly recommend watching the hour and a half long podcast. Also, keep an eye on Librarything because it just may be a crystal ball for the future....
An Interview with Tim Spalding and Abby Blachly on Podcast that Proves My Fears Unneccessary (oops!)
This interview really allayed my fears about Tim's site. Ironically, I find that his principles and ideals are very much in line with my own; and that, my librarian paranoia was actually uncalled for in the context of the Librarything site. Really and truly it appears that Tim and other Librarything users know nothing about you as an individual unless you decide to provide the site with personally identifiable information. Of course, there is the sticky issue of ISP addresses being traceable, but this is quite unlikely to be a strong concern for most people (Tim briefly mentions that, yes, he would cooperate with legally authorities if approached appropriately, but otherwise, this is a mute point).
So now that I am over my paranoia (see what working in a library can do to you-ha!ha!), I can see how valuable this site can be not only to users but to the future of librarianship. The implications of incorporating social tagging with traditional classification headings is really going to change the intuitiveness and accessibility of searching for materials. In the pod cast, Tim and Abby touch on the idea of OCLC making authoritative records available as open source material. The availability and understanding of library classification has existed as privelaged knowledge that primarily only librarians (especially cataloging librarians) have possessed. What will happen in the future if Tim figures out a way to completely and seemlessly mash tagging and controlled subject headings in a world wide arena (he states in the podcast he plans on going international with the site)? Imagine the power he could derive for compiling and sifting through the data (tags) people enter if grid computing takes off. His site may enable intuitive tagging to become a viable reality if statistical data is collected concerning tags for materials.
I highly recommend watching the hour and a half long podcast. Also, keep an eye on Librarything because it just may be a crystal ball for the future....
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