Mod Librarian

I ran across an interesting article on Wired.com regarding the Netflix decision to split off the DVD mailing division into a separate entity called Qwikster. Despite the fact that the Twitter account Qwikster currently belongs to a ‘pot smoking Elmo,’ the move to split may indeed be due to licensing.

Before splitting, Netflix was only able to negotiate rights and release windows for content for both the online and mail business together. Studios were able to leverage one against the other and as a result, as users no doubt noticed, the online selection was limited and lagged behind the release of the physical media.

Now, with the ability to make deals independently, both businesses should be able to offer better more timely content. As long as the split does not add another level of digital inconvenience to my days (like the Facebook changes), I applaud the cleverness.

Here are five things to discuss while sipping hot apple cider this fall:

1. Would you like to get scientific about search engine optimization?
2. Did you know you can search Google image with any image?
3. Want to hear an awesome podcast from ASPP on keywording photos?
4. Does a National Portrait Gallery contest trample artists’ rights?
5. What is it about the smell of a book (versus the smell of a Kindle)?

There are many good resources devoted to photo keywording. This one on the site Photopreneur discusses the importance of keywording for photographers submitting images to stock photo companies. Since the keyword guidelines for different companies vary slightly, it is crucial that photographers understand the guidelines and develop a system that incorporates all the parameters.

Applying keywords just once will be less time consuming and finding ways to automate and streamline the process is key. Another great resource is on one of my favorite sites, Controlled Vocabulary.

The Caption and Keywording Guidelines list questions you should ask yourself regarding the “aboutness” of any image. This list should assist you in creating a process that will lend speed, consistency and accuracy to your photo keywording efforts.

Check out the Research Center at the site for the International Center for Photography.

eMuseum is a searchable database of ICP’s Photography Collection. Each record includes information about the photographer, title, date, medium, as well as an image, when available.With over 20,000 records in the database and new content added daily, this resource provides a glimpse into a rich photographic history without leaving the couch.

Photomuse.org represents a collaboration between ICP and the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, providing more online resources for the study of photography.

Here are five things to amaze and delight the LIS community:

1. Need to find a library in a strange city? Try the Library Finder app.
2. Want to add some pizazz to a presentation? Check out these tips from Musings about librarianship.
3. Interested in seeing some sample LibraryThing data files?
4. What does your library degree mean to you?
5. Organize your images on the go with FlickStackr. Here’s some information.

The Stock Artists Alliance in conjunction with the LOC relays some invaluable information regarding photo metadata on the website PhotoMetadata.org. Embedding metadata on photos is vitally important to aid in identification of the creator, prevent copyright infringement and increase findability.

From informative tutorials, links to resources, explanations of metadata classes, types and structure to glossaries and a reference library, this site backs up the SAA’s Metadata Manifesto with useful and practical information.

The bottom line is that anyone creating photos should understand and employ metadata. In this digital age, content is misappropriated more than ever before. Also, with so much content out there, ensuring that your creations can be easily located is key.

Here is an interesting story about the site Bruce-Juice.com posting photos of celebrities allegedly illegally downloaded from the sites of large news agencies and photo sites. Check out the copyright disclaimer on the site:

Action is being taken as the agencies from which the photos were taken band together. More on this developing story here on Photo Archive News.

This was a big week for interesting tidbits, so here are a dozen things to discuss:

1. Can libraries learn from Target’s marketing?
2. Will the Sony eReader really be library friendly?
3. Interested in some innovative enterprise DAM software from ADAM?
4. Want to read about the restoration of some 1920’s Hitchcock films?
5. Enjoy this infographic on the growth of social media.
6. Check out this site devoted to copyright and art issues.
7. SXSW meets archival records.
8. Read about Stock Keeper for Mac - sounds like an easy and affordable DAM.
9. Hack Library School defends online LIS education. Heck, I got a great online education!
10. Update the Content Wrangler’s logo in a contest.
11. Look at Jeffrey’s cool EXIF viewer.
12. Read about Autonomy and IDOL OEM.

The George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film is turning to crowdsourcing to create metadata tags for their archive. In a partnership with Clickworker, an innovator in crowdsourcing technology, the project will involve the photo-tagging of more than 400,000 images.

“Our partnership with Clickworker enables us to make our photographs searchable and ultimately make our collections more accessible to the world,” said Dr. Anthony Bannon, the Ron and Donna Fielding Director at George Eastman House. “Clickworker not only provides professional insight into the subject matter of our images, but also the option of crowdsourcing in several languages, which is ideal for our internationally focused collections.”

This is a creative solution to the issue of too much digital content to effectively archive without a temporary giant workforce, but I wonder what it means in terms of consistency. However, whether freelance microtaskers working for Clickworker or volunteers at a museum, the result is the same - increased findability for resources that would have otherwise remained inaccessible for much longer.

Here are five things to ponder at your final BBQ of the season. Put away those white shoes!

1. Want to check out some future ready Northwest libraries?
2. Would you care to read Theresa Putkey’s insights on personas in UE?
3. Longing for an awesome site on controlled vocabulary?
4. Where is Charles Guggenheim’s archive?
5. Do you share Jason Griffey’s opinion that the future is already here?