Digital Libraries

At the Ontario Library Association Superconference earlier this month, I argued that library schools need to offer a course in copyright, licensing agreements for electronic products, and digital rights management (DRM), because they all affect the future of how libraries will interact with our users as entertainment and information becomes increasingly digital. It's unfortunate that at a time when the broadcast flag is again rearing its ugly head and media and publishing companies continue to try to buy legislation giving them free rein with users' rights, most librarians are completely unaware of just how much these moves could affect them. Read More »

Years ago, the rallying cry, "Think globally, act locally," gained a certain popularity. It encouraged us all to consider the global, long-term consequences of our everyday actions, so we could then concentrate on making personal decisions and actions that were as socially, culturally, and environmentally responsible as possible.

The phrase then got boiled down to a single word—"glocal"— which, for some reason, always makes me think of the old phrase "local yokel" meaning a dull and gullible country bumpkin or clodhopper.
Read More »