Information for Sale: My Experience With Google Answers

"This may sound like an overgeneralization, but it seems that when you pay to have humans answer your questions, you often talk to so-called experts, and when you get answers for free, you either talk to a librarian, a random stranger, or an open source aficionado. The difference between the Google Answers' model and the public/academic library model appears mainly that when a librarian gives a patron a response to their reference query, the patron tends not to argue with her. If she tells the patron the question has no definitive answer, that response is more likely taken as fact rather than a personal failing on the librarian's part. The fact that all library patrons share the time of the librarians tends to encourage a polite acceptance that each patron's specific question is one of many needing to be answered.

In the Google Answers arena, I have seen researchers insulted, sworn at, and otherwise degraded by people not happy with the responses they received, when you might think that just not paying for the answer would be reprobation enough. Part of the Google Answers standards of conduct include politeness and friendliness at all times and not discussing Google policies or pricing with question askers. Catering and kowtowing to upset customers at the expense of explaining to them that their question was priced too low or phrased too poorly became a trade-off I had difficulty making....

The fact that there are people willing to answer a potentially difficult question for $1.87 does not mean that it is a good idea to encourage people to expect more research for less money, especially when supposedly interacting with experts. The Google Answers system prides itself on having talented workers and yet at the same time encourages — though does not force — them to frequently work for a fraction of the price that degreed, experienced experts could earn for the same work. While determining the free market value of this sort of information retrieval and presentation — most of which is available online, for free — is tricky, my experience working for Google Answers made me feel more often like I was being paid to do Google searches that the questioners didn't have the time or the skill to do, rather than using my research background and abilities to turn facts into actual knowledge." [Searcher, via Virtual Acquisition Shelf & News Desk]

LISNews.com comes up with two different views of school librarians from two different Springfields:

1. Schools Adjust to No Librarians - Springfield, Illinois (I'm embarrassed to say)
   "Elementary schools in Springfield, Illinois, USA -- the state capital where Abe Lincoln rests -- eliminated all librarian and assistant positions as part of big-time budget cuts. The State Journal-Register, in a hefty article, reports on the way each school is dealing with the situation. Or not.
   
   Oh, the one person who knew how to operate the library automation system was riffed, too."
    
2. School Librarians Vital to Improving Education - Springfield, Missouri
   " 'When Kim Hebner became a school librarian 22 years ago, she checked out books by stamping a due date on a card. Now, librarians must be computer literate, able to help students decipher the credibility of Internet sources and provide curriculum support for teachers. 'People used to think all we did was check out books and dust the shelves. But we’re an integral part of the school. School librarians are more important than ever. President Bush’s recent legislation “No Child Left Behind” recognized that school libraries play a vital role in improving student achievement nationally.' Read More."

Fictionwise Launches eBook Library Product

"Fictionwise, Inc., one of the world's leading eBook retailers, today announced the launch of Libwise--a product that allows any library or group to field a completely outsourced, automated eBook lending website. The product officially launches on October 7, 2002 at: www.libwise.com.

Steve Pendergrast, co-founder of Fictionwise, said: 'Libwise allows anyone--from a traditional public library to a corporate library or even an author fan website--to loan eBooks to their membership using a customized website branded by the library. Setup is simple, taking as little as an hour, and all hosting and customer support is handled by Fictionwise for a low monthly fee. No technical expertise is required.'

The Libwise product allows patrons to download borrowed eBooks to their personal computers or many popular handheld devices such as Palm, PocketPC, WinCE, Psion, or even some Nokia cell phones. EBooks are read using the free Mobipocket reading software. Mobipocket's secure technology enables eBooks to 'time-out,' which makes the entire model possible....

The Libwise product is very cost effective, making it practical for even tiny libraries, private clubs, church groups, author fan sites, or corporate libraries to field a fully featured eBook lending site. A site powered by Libwise can be set up, hosted, and fully supported by Fictionwise for as little as $29.95 a month. Administrators may select content from a growing catalog of thousands of contemporary titles in dozens of categories, both fiction and nonfiction.

When used in a 'book club' environment, Libwise can be configured to automatically collect dues from patrons, while public libraries would use Libwise to validate card-holding patrons with their existing OPAC (open public access catalog) systems. Public libraries can also optionally enable a "donation" system that allows patrons to donate eBooks or cash to the library." [via Internet Wire, via Library Stuff]

Argh! They announce this the day the LSTA grants are due! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I tried to submit some questions, such as would Audible titles work with this system, but I got a blank screen when I hit the submit button, so I don't know if it really went through or not. I'll let you know if I get a response, but until then I guess we'll just have to wait for more official info on October 7th. Color me intrigued until then.

Addendum: Gary Price also notes that Adobe again announces Ebook Content Server, although in all fairness, it seems like their actually announce that it's shipping this time. However, it's more expensive and doesn't download titles onto handheld devices.

"Adobe Systems Incorporated...today announced the availability of Adobe® Content Server 3.0, the digital publishing system to manage, distribute and protect Adobe Portable Document Format-based (PDF) eBooks and digital content....

To kick-start library eBook collections, the Adobe PDF eBook Library Starter Pack is available at no charge with the purchase of a hosted eBook service — powered by Adobe Content Server 3.0 — from leading solution providers Baker & Taylor and OverDrive. Through the Starter Pack, libraries can immediately offer patrons up to 100 titles from publishers, such as: HarperCollins; Kluwer Academic; Rough Guides; Routledge; University of California Press; ipicturebooks; RosettaBooks; Stonehouse Press; DSI; and ComicsOne. Publishers represented on the Adobe PDF eBook Library Starter Pack will vary between solution providers."

"Version 1

Pass two elements:

• ISBN
• ZIP code

This might look like:

http://cardcat.com/isbn/1234567890/zip/94610/

Return:

• The book description and a list of libraries in or near the location that have this book in their collection. Availability info too. Link to each library's page for that book.  

Later releases:

• Follow the Amazon SOAP API.
• Extend to non-western languages and non-book holdings.
• Compare prices at local independent stores and on Amazon.
• Pass a report of queries to acquisition desks at local libraries (what's hot that you don't have on the shelf).

In the spirit of ISBN.nu."

Phil doesn't know it, but he just opened a major pandora's box in libraryland. In a room full of relatives, you don't talk about religion or politics. In a room full of geeks, you don't ask which operating system is best. And in a room full of librarians, you don't really want to ask about Earth's Largest Library.

You see, Amazon, Google, and AskJeeves have all rocked our world, and we're not much further along than we were when Steve Coffman wrote his controversial article in 1999. Which, unfortunately, means the answer to Phil's question is no one. At least, not in the foreseeable future.

It's not totally our fault, though. A little realized fact outside of libraryland is that we're completely beholden to our database vendors. For the most part, we can't build our own software for running library catalogs, mainly because of a lack of money, time, resources, and programmer librarians. So we have to rely on the handful of vendors that make the software that runs our catalogs. Naturally, these vendors don't really play nicely together, and it's a very drawn-out process to switch from one vendor to another so it's relatively rare.

Here's an example: the Virtual Illinois Catalog (VIC). I work on VIC, so if we're ever in a bar, I can tell you the stories-oy-the-stories (for example, how five days before it went live at the 1999 ILA conference where the Secretary of State cut the ribbon, it crashed and wouldn't restart when we tried to add a twelfth catalog). VIC lets you search twelve of the major shared catalogs in Illinois - 600 libraries, more than 40 million items. It uses the Z39.50 protocol to connect to the 12 catalogs which are run by 5 different vendors. Each of those vendors implements what should be a relatively straightforward Z39.50 protocol, and they do it in such strange and magical ways that we can only offer three types of lowest common denominator searches - title, author, and subject. And those are all keyword searches, because some of the vendors don't support phrase searching in Z39.50. We can't let search by ISBN or limit by format.

Our ultimate goal has always been to let you search the holdings of ALL Illinois libraries from within VIC and let you request any items that you find. However, VIC is fundamentally the same today as it was when it went live in 1999. Why? Politics, lack of funding, lack of consensus for how to proceed, lack of standards, and lack of time that the VIC development team can devote to the project. (Side note: VIC is about to be migrated to new software, which should help with some searching and port problems, but won't add the interlibrary loan request functionality, natural language querying, or search limiters we so desperately need).

So if we're having trouble connecting just 13 catalogs for the kind of search Phil describes, you can imagine how cold it will be in h@ll when we're able to connect libraries across the U.S., let alone the world. OCLC's Worldcat is kind of close, but it costs money to participate, and it's not open to the average person. You can only get access through a subscription purchased by your home library, which isn't very Amazon-like in its simplicity. Imagine having to type in a nine-digit authorization number and a password every time you want to search Amazon. As Damon Wayans used to say, "Homey don't play that."

So if we're dependent on our vendors and they don't want to work together or implement standards in ways that allow for collaboration, and we're too busy being librarians to create our own software, where does that leave us when it comes to Phil's request? Pretty much nowhere. A couple of years ago, the VIC development team contacted Amazon to ask if they'd let us use their software to run VIC, and their answer was no, not even for a price. My guess is that it would take a major (and I mean major) National Science Foundation or National Endowment of the Arts grant to even come up with a plan for something like this. There isn't anybody else stepping up to the plate so unfortunately, Phil, I wouldn't go out and buy that winter parka any time soon.

BookWorm

"Link letters together to make words.
Then click submit!
Don't let the red tiles reach the bottom, or your library will catch fire!" [via MetaFilter]

This would be an excellent game for cell phones. Every librarian in the country would play it!

Exploring PlanetPDA: The Librarian as Astronaut, Innovator, and Expert

"Depending on your age, "Star Trek" series preference, and gender, you've seen captain James T. Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, or Kathryn Janeway portray space travel and exploration as exciting, big-budget, and adventurous. Libraries are not seen as particularly big-budget, exciting, or adventurous, but in fact they are. In our own ways, we are astronauts and explorers, seeking out new technologies and strange information formats, often going boldly where our public has not gone before. For instance, when our hospital library was given the opportunity to explore the terrain and culture of PDAs by applying for and receiving LSTA grant funds from the Illinois State Library, we beamed up to the ship, ready for action and high adventure!

In this article, we will chronicle our trek, exploration, and adventures on Planet PDA (where the personal digital assistants are) and share how we integrated an alien technology into our library services. We will discuss issues, challenges, and possible strategies for libraries that wish to embark on such an adventure. Each of us was involved in a different aspect of the project: Carol Galganski, manager of the Library & Resource Center, as project director and grant administrator; Lori Bell as project coordinator, carrying out the various activities of the project; and Tom Peters as project evaluator....

We were able to play a pivotal role in introducing hand-held technology to our hospital. We were able to loan hand-held computers to medical staff at all levels, from medical students to attending physicians, from computer trainers to nursing case managers. We were able to expand available hardware and software for circulation with the purchase of Palm OS handhelds and two Compaq IPAQs, and more than 60 software programs for our clientele to use. We were able to offer orientation and training geared to each user to assist them in learning about and using this technology. Our library became the place to go when someone wanted to learn about PDAs....

Can librarians afford to view PDAs as an "alien" technology and try to ignore them? Over time, the place where people go to get information will shift from a physical place to the Internet, cyberspace, or PDAs, and the need for assistance in getting to the information and learning how to use and interpret it will only grow. By introducing PDAs to patrons, even on a small scale, the librarian is seen as a technology explorer, expert, and innovator. As information becomes available in more formats and delivery becomes more sophisticated, librarians can serve as explorers and early adopters of new technologies; as teachers and trainers for their clientele in the use and mastery of the technology; and as experts in utilizing and managing the information. Because this is a popular and growing new medium for the delivery of both reading material and information, librarians cannot afford to ignore it. Just as we are aware of print, online, and Internet resources, we must be familiar with PDA resources and be able to recommend and evaluate these resources for their users. " [Computers in Libraries]

Congratulations to everyone involved on a successful model grant!

Side note: the cover story for this month's CIL carries the fascinating title "The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Your Virtual Libraries" by Roy Balleste. Here's the description:

"If you think artificial intelligence is only the stuff of sci-fi, welcome to the 21st century. Learn what AI really is and what it can do for library service. The author, who's implementing AI, includes examples to look at and vendors to contact in this primer."

Unfortunatley, it's not available online, so if you need to ILL it, the article starts on page 10 in the October 2002 issue (v.22, no.9). I'll try to report on it when our copy makes its way around to me.

More Audible news, because I know you just can't get enough. (I really don't get commissions or kickbacks from them, and I'm just a member of the club, not the president!)

Will provides me the opportunity to note to iPod owners that subscribing to Audible titles can make you a happy camper, and Lori sends the following reminder:

"The next meeting of the ILA RTSF Technology Users' Group will be at the Chicago Library System on Wednesday, November 20 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Following lunch, there will be a brief TUG business meeting. CLS and TUG are honored to have Saul Amdursky, Director of the Kalamazoo Public Library address the library community. Under Mr. Amdursky's leadership, the Kalamazoo Public Library received the LJ Gale Library of the Year 2002 Award for its ability to understand its mission and clientele in innovative ways, such as KPL's use of digital audio books (read: Audible). Join us in listening to Saul Amdursky discuss some of KPL's most innovative programs and practices that can benefit all types of libraries. There will be time for group discussion at the end of the presentation. The fee for this program is $50 which includes lunch. You can register for this exciting event at http://www.chilibsys.org/CE/workshops/LJgalelib.htm."

Today is scramble day for Illinois librarians. Applications for LSTA grants are due to the Illinois State Library by 4:30 p.m. The timing of the Illinois Library Association conference at the end of September made an already short time frame even tighter, so librarians across the State are busy Fed Ex-ing the requisite 25 paper copies of their grants or, in some cases where Fed Ex doesn't guarantee same-day delivery, they're driving the paperwork down to Springfield themselves.

But it's all for a good cause, because these types of grants are often the only way libraries can do creative, innovative, or dream-big services and programs. Somehow, my home library was able to put together four different grants, which is pretty impressive. I'm also excited about a grant submitted by the Peoria Heights Public Library with help from Lori Bell at the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center. They're asking for seed money to start an Audible group purchase. As far as I know, this will be the first time that an agency that specifically serves the Blind & Physically Handicapped (BPH) population will offer audio ebooks. If the grant is funded, of course. There are a few public libraries involved, too, so it's an exciting opportunity! I've got my fingers and toes crossed for you, Lori!

Here at SLS, I'm lighting candles for our own grant proposal. We see a gaping hole for ways to exchange information between the 12 Library Systems that cover the State, as well as within each System as we try to communicate more efficiently with our member libraries. Blogging and RSS are a natural for this, so in collaboration with Chicago Library System, Heritage Trail Library System, and River Bend Library System, we wrote a grant to create a "News Exchange Web Service" that would offer both of these features (along with other components) to the participating Systems. Each will receive a server and software that will allow them to implement internal and external blogs, as well as create individual and group news aggregators.

Anyone on staff will be able to post news without needing to know HTML or FTP, thereby removing a major bottleneck to how quickly we disseminate information. All content will be syndicated automatically via RSS so that we can subscribe to each other's news feeds and offer the same type of service to our members (embedded news aggregators). In addition, we'll be able to collaborate on shared link directories, so we'll have Yahoo-like categories devoted to grant information, legal opinions, legislative updates, human resources issues, etc.  Any Illinois librarian will be able to take advantage of these shared collections of links and resources, especially with the spiffy search engine we're including.

Beyond that, we hope the other eight Library Systems will see the benefits of this software and that a phase two grant could implement it for them, as well, thereby enabling true news syndication across the entire State! I hope our vision of what this could truly mean for Illinois libraries comes through on paper and that the evaluators give it a chance.

That's all I can really say about it for now, but expect lots of details if it gets funded. Realistically, we probably won't find that out until some time in January.