In reviewing our holdings, I came across the International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, provided via Emerald Insight. This journal was previously published as Campus Wide Information Systems, and incorporated Academic and Library Computing, Library Workstation Report, PC Report, and M300. According to the journal's information page, it "provides a forum for the sharing of the latest theories, applications, and services related to planning, developing, managing, using, and evaluating information technologies in administrative, academic, ...

A recent paper Evaluating systematic transactional data enrichment and reuse by James F. Hahn shared by IDEALS shines light on some of the topics we've discussed in relation to patron recommendations, subject mapping, and the potentials (or hinderances) of machine learning. I was happy to see this kind of use of Library of Congress Subject Headings, as imperfect as they are, to reso...

The 1619 Project is an event organized by The New York Times that challenges us to reframe U.S. history by marking the year 1619 as the foundation of the nation, alongside the 400th anniversary of a Portuguese slave ship arriving at Port Comfort in the British Colony of Virginia. The project coincides with a special

Neoliberalism, Platform Capitalism, and the Commodification of the Library Patron Many librarians separate what they do at work with the world at large, and view the library as an autonomous space that provides methods, services, and resources for a more just society, contributing to a public good. These notions often simplify or ignore complex contemporary issues, and typically align with library mission statements and what Stephen Bales calls “Big Ideas” like Truth, or Freedom[1]. Karen P. Nicholson provides a thorough overview ...

Recently New York City's public libraries including Queens Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and New York Public Library announced their plans to suspend contracts with video-streaming vendor Kanopy citing unsustainable pricing models as the main motivator in ending their agreements. In circumstances I am most familiar with, library patrons were allotted a maximum of 6 films per month, and libraries were charged $2 per view. Views, of course, are not defined by finishing a film. Once the film is started, it subtracts from the patron's allotted monthly films and the library is charged...

This morning I talked with Aaron DeVera at White Ops about the United States's foray into the Russian power grid, the fourth industrial revolution (including Internet of Things and AI automation in factory and agricultural realms), Facebook content moderation, and Alexa in the classroom - all lovely dystopian topics plaguing our society.White Ops is a cybersecurity company that fights malicious ads and botnets online. White Ops director Tamer Hassan was recently named the #1 most creative person in business this yea...

I came across a fascinating article in The Baffler that outlines how Spotify's streaming service builds user profiles and a classification system based on user mood to curate mood-specific playlists and provide mood-related data to third-party advertisers. Many people already know this, but it spurred some thoughts in relation to libraries, search, and how patrons find materials.I started thinking about my own experiences using Spotify, Netflix, and other streaming platforms that offer...

Marshall Breeding provided an overview of software trends in libraries across the globe in last year's Library Systems Report from American Libraries. A 2019 systems report is expected in early May. In his report, Breeding notes that more academic libraries are moving away from traditional Integrated Library Systems (ILS), and towards new modular products provided by Library Service Platfor...

[caption id="attachment_30247" align="alignright" width="225"] June 2018 staff picks[/caption] School design is a modern problem; modern in the sense that it originally developed in response to the industrial revolution, and the complexities of industrial society.  An ever-incre...