DPLA Press Roundup: November 1-15, 2013
Whatever you think of Google as a company, the book-scanning decision is the right one
“This decision [Google against Authors Guild] will help others as well as Google, whether it’s the Hathi Trust or the Digital Public Libary of America. Some supporters of an aggressive approach to copyright may see Judge Chin’s decision as the wrong one, but anyone who believes in fair use as an important principle should be cheering this ruling, regardless of whether they think Google is an evil monopoly.”
From Matthew Ingram’s post on GigaOM, Whatever you think of Google as a company, the book-scanning decision in the right one
From portals to platforms: building new frameworks for user engagement
“The Digital Public Library of America was launched in April 2013. Explaining what it actually was, Dan Cohen, the Executive Director, pointed to three key elements: the DPLA was a portal, a platform, and an advocate for open public access to scientific and cultural content. We understand portals – they’re just web gateways or starting points. Similarly, the need for advocacy around open access is well-recognised within library and research communities. But what makes the DPLA a ‘platform’? The DPLA is not just a database or a website, it provides a set of tools that anyone can use to build their own application or interface on top of the DPLA’s aggregated data. This toolset is called an Application Programming Interface (API). APIs let computer programs talk to other computer programs, enabling application components to fit together like Lego blocks. DPLA’s API, Dan explained, would make ‘millions of items available in ways so that others can build creative and transformative applications upon them’.”
From Tim Sherratt’s paper for the National Library of Australia, From portals to platforms: building new frameworks for user engagement
Checking In With Google Books, HathiTrust, and the DPLA
“This article has looked at three large-scale digitization initiatives: Google Books, HathiTrust, and the DPLA. They are all unique projects with unique goals that, at the same time, struggle with common challenges. Certainly, there is an enormous amount of value in having massive collections of digital books at our fingertips, despite the aforementioned challenges. The year 2013 provides a useful vantage point for looking into these projects, especially since they range in age from nascent to nearly 1 decade. Big developments over the past 12 months have included the launch of the DPLA, a partnership between HathiTrust and the DPLA, a settlement between publishers and Google Books, and the release of a documentary about the Google Books project. Robert Darnton writes that ‘the DPLA took inspiration from Google’s bold attempt to digitize entire libraries, and [DPLA] still hopes to win Google over as an ally in working for the public good.’ There are undoubtedly further developments just around the corner.”
From Naomi Eichenlaub’s feature on Information, Today, Checking in With Google Books, HathiTrust, and the DPLA
DPLAfest Wrap-up: Digital Commonwealth: the Lake
“One of the great take-home messages from the event is the clever analogy drawn between the pooling of the United States’ digital assets into the DPLA via content and service hubs, as a water ecosystem whereby small libraries, archives, historical societies, and other communities (ponds) contribute their assets to state consortia and other larger networks like the Digital Commonwealth (lake) which are subsequently harvested by the DPLA (the ocean). This model allows the DPLA to ingest assets with great efficiency by culling large, standardized data sets with metadata that can be easily mapped, allowing for a streamlined and efficient process that keeps the DPLA slim and trim (think few employees and sustainable finances) for the benefit of users worldwide- and the benefits are many. For small institutions: the power of having assets searchable equitably alongside major institutions on an attractive and user-friendly portal , with a rapidly expanding toolbox of custom apps, widgets and other ‘hacks’ thanks to the DPLA’s open API (public docks?)- is a true rainfall for us all (pun intended). Furthermore, the DPLA is committed to sending web traffic back to individual institutions, and building support through community programs. This is evidenced by one of their credos: ‘Plan Nationally, Scan Locally’.”
From Molly Stothert-Maurer’s guest post on the Digital Commonwealth blog, DPLAfest Wrap-up: Digital Commonwealth: the Lake
Emily Gore, “Digital Public Library of America Has Launched DPLA”
From the Library of Congress’s YouTube page.
NC libraries put content online
“Digital content from more than 100 institutions across North Carolina is now available to the entire world at the click of a mouse, and UNC is helping make it happen. The North Carolina Digital Heritage Center, located in Wilson Library, will represent North Carolina in the Digital Public Library of America, and will serve as the state’s sole service hub on the site. Launched in April, the DPLA is a nonprofit organization that provides free access to collections of information from some of the largest libraries and archives across the nation. The project aims to serve as a national archive of cultural and academic materials.”
From Kristen Skill’s post on The Daily Tar Heel, NC libraries put content online
DPLA Launches Bookshelf Feature
“Browsing ebooks, serials, and journals on the DPLA (Digital Public Library of America) website recently became easier with the launch of the open source DPLA Bookshelf, a collection of the DPLA’s more than 1 million online books and periodicals. Users can now see search results by scrolling through a visual representation of a bookshelf, with titles and authors visible on the ebooks’ virtual spines. Ebooks are stacked vertically on the results page.”
From the post on Information, Today, DPLA Launches Bookshelf Feature