RFID in Libraries

In this article, Caldwell-Stone discusses both the negative and positive consequences of using RFID systems in libraries. I found this article to be an informative one because while I had heard of RFID before, I’d never really known too much about its applications. It was distressing to read that this technology can be used, like so many others used in libraries, to affect a breach of patron privacy. The policy paper RFID in U.S. Libraries was also disconcerting because it seemed to place preponderance towards for-profit institutions and not libraries as the name would suggest. This article highlights that issues of privacy in the library are still as relevant as ever.

The Next Generation Library Catalog 

This article compared three different integrated library systems (ILS). Two of them were open source and the third was a commercial product. Personally, I found that many of the article’s conclusions fit with my own when comparing open source products and commercial ones. On my own computer, I use a couple of open source systems and they work incomparably better than their commercial variants. In an age when libraries face budget cuts, it is important that librarians master systems that combine immense utility with cheapness. This article (and my own thoughts) point to open source as the future for ILS.

Examining the Roles of Libraries in an E-book World

Like the title implies, this article is about the place of e-books in the library of today and tomorrow. While the author is right to point out that much of the buzz about e-books is due to hype pushed by manufacturers and sellers of this product, their growing importance should not be underestimated. I had the opportunity to visit Chicago this past December. While there, I noticed a very large number of people using e-book readers in a number of places, from public trains to museums. I was a little shocked, I think, because I do not own a reader or know many people who do. However, what I saw forced me to recognize that this type of technology is indeed here to stay and that libraries best “get with the program.” Fortunately, Joss showed that many libraries are indeed attuned to this new trend.

The Koha Saga

This article discusses the history of Koha, specifically the legal wrangling that it has gone through at the hands of corporations and its original open source developers. I find it unfortunate that some groups would try to make open source systems proprietary by copyrighting them. Additionally, Moody also underscores the importance of being vigilant when it comes to these issues. It is doubtful that Progressive Technology Federal Systems would have been quite as lenient as they were in enforcing the copyright.  However, the Horowhenua Library Trust were active in protesting the actions of PTFS and as a result, the company chose not to enforce it in New Zealand. Ultimately, this article shows that corporations do not always have the best intentions when it comes to dealing with public institutions like libraries.

Across the digital divide

McGuire’s article discusses the digital divide and how the growing trend toward e-books may (unintentionally) leave people behind. The sentiment expressed in the article is something that I agree with 100%. Unfortunately for many, poverty is “out of sight, out of mind.” As librarians, we cannot operate with this mentality. As individuals offering goods and services to the public, we need to acknowledge that many, many people are poor and consequently unable to obtain the latest and greatest piece of technology. Making absolutely sure that resources are available to this group is vital. Otherwise we will be failing to meet our goals as librarians.