From jilloneill at nfais.org Mon Aug 5 09:45:44 2013 From: jilloneill at nfais.org (jilloneill at nfais.org) Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2013 09:45:44 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [nfais-l] NFAIS Enotes, 2013, No. 4 -- Little Boxes Message-ID: <1375710344.053515741@webmail.nfais.org> NFAIS Enotes, 2013, No. 4 Written and Compiled by Jill O?Neill Little Boxes: Changing the Interface and User Expectations ?Little Boxes on the Hillside, Little Boxes made of Ticky Tacky,? Does anyone remember that hit from the ?60?s that made fun of proliferating tract housing? ?There's a green one and a pink one, and a blue one and a yellow one,? You can still listen to Pete Seeger?s version on YouTube ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlSpc87Jfr0] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlSpc87Jfr0). I was reminded of that when my computer was upgraded this month -- new operating system, new interface, new 23? monitor. Suddenly everywhere I went (in a virtual sense), I was presented with many boxes on the screen. I?m sure you?ve encountered it as well during the normal course of your daily computer interactions. Windows 8 is a fine example. The design -- some call it Metro/Modern -- is well-suited to screens of multiple sizes and to touch-sensitive surfaces. It?s also aimed at encouraging the kind of apps one encounters in Google?s Chrome. Some of the principles behind the design are outlined at [http://blogs.kartographers.com/modern-ui-metro-the-new-design-interface/] http://blogs.kartographers.com/modern-ui-metro-the-new-design-interface/. The key ones to take away are ?touch first? and ?visual feedback? to confirm to the user that the system understood the touch command. The interface has to be simplistic and content-oriented; the user?s navigational choices are to be limited. There?s even a Pinterest board that was created by the Microsoft designers (see [http://pinterest.com/astort/metro-modern-design-museum/] http://pinterest.com/astort/metro-modern-design-museum/). Of course, in Microsoft speak, the boxes are referred to as ?tiles.? Its pervasiveness really struck me when I recently encountered a UK-based start-up app called Lumi.do. This site (developed by the founders of music discovery engine, Last.fm) asks the user to install an extension (found in the Google Chrome Web Store) in their browser for purposes of driving serendipitous discovery of Web-based content. That extension essentially shadows browsing behavior on the web and subsequently offers new content that it assumes the user has not yet seen. It also generates a list of categories of content that are somewhat flexible over time. Lumi came up with the following categories as matching my interests: ? Books ? Business ? Design ? Economics ? Law ? Science ? Software ? Technology. Those seem both accurate and appropriate as general topic areas governing my browsing habits while at work. The system will occasionally drop out one category (in my case, it was ?software?) in favor of picking up another (Lumi substituted ?culture?). The interface display of Lumi ([http://www.lumi.do/] http://www.lumi.do) is clearly designed for interaction on a touch-surface tablet. Each news story or web page has its headline displayed in a brightly colored square that contains an active link to the full text, along with machine-generated tags. Those tags can sometimes be surprising. A news story about the recent royal birth to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was tagged solely as Cambridge. Tapping on one of those tags naturally brings back all of the other news items that have been similarly tagged. The ambiguous Cambridge tag brought back a number of items that weren?t related to Kate Middleton -- one about a trendy bar in Cambridge that didn?t serve alcohol, another the web page that led me to the Microsoft Research offices in that city. The colorful tiles periodically rearrange themselves on screen when a new item is added to the user?s display. On a very large desktop monitor, this screen refresh can be jarring visually, disconcerting the reader, but on a tablet device, it is likely less of a problem. User interactivity is supported through social networks (bring your own) or via ?Collections,? the user-curated folders that are fueled through the user?s bookmarked or starred items. Lumi encourages social behavior so contact me directly if you want an invitation to check out the engaging application. The Next Web offers this write-up of Lumi at [http://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/07/11/meet-lumi-the-no-effort-content-discovery-engine-from-the-founders-of-last-fm/] http://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/07/11/meet-lumi-the-no-effort-content-discovery-engine-from-the-founders-of-last-fm/. Contrast Lumi?s visuals with those of Flipboard. If you?re unfamiliar with Flipboard, while it bills itself as a ?social magazine,? it actually started out as an iOS RSS reader, winning the iPad Application of the Year award in 2010. In March of 2013, it claimed 50 million registered users having expanded on to multiple platforms; the application is primarily engineered for use on tablets and mobile phones rather than the desktop. In a July move, Flipboard expanded to allow access to some percentage of the curated ?magazines? to be viewed on the web (see: [http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/23/4547648/flipboard-comes-to-the-browser-with-readable-online-magazines] http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/23/4547648/flipboard-comes-to-the-browser-with-readable-online-magazines). Open up Flipboard on a tablet and the grid layout of the magazines subscribed to by the user features rectangles, boxes, photos and very little text. Flipboard?s users curate content by aggregating RSS feeds from the standard news sources of magazines, newspapers, Twitter, Facebook, etc. The emphasis is on visual appeal, and those user-created magazines that it features on the web are those that are heavily graphic. The system also allows users to rearrange the order of content included in their individual magazines, as well as setting an image or cover story that will provide the primary visual clue to the user over time. As you might expect, Walt Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal offers the clearest assessment of the company?s offerings at [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324105204578384512070576672.html] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324105204578384512070576672.html. The surprise is not that visual expressions of content are in the ascendency. The surprise is in the lack of discussion of its impact on user experience and user interface. To paraphrase the Steve Jobs? famous phrasing of ?It just works,? in the current environment, it?s just there. Video, photographic images, infographics, even Twitter?s Vine app indicate that the interface of the future will not treat these forms as some sort of separate document type. The future of the online interface is flexible, responsive, and visually dynamic. See how Google in its incremental redesign of YouTube is marketing OneChannel ([http://www.youtube.com/onechannel] http://www.youtube.com/onechannel) by emphasizing these points: ? The ability for a brand to include a trailer presented solely to non-subscribers in aid of making a good first impression. Google wants you to build your following on their platform. ? Video displays appropriately across multiple screens; Google promises that even on your refrigerator, YouTube content will be effectively and attractively displayed in an appropriate scale. The only requirement is that the user?s device has a browser. ? ?Your content as a unique snowflake.? Google?s system allows you to control the presentation layout of your videos and playlists. Take that, Flipboard! Similarly, Google?s Chrome browser gets a similar treatment. The user has an option of launching the browser in either Windows 8 mode or in the classical desktop mode. No functional difference, but a visual one. Lifehacker covers Awesome New Tab Page (ANTP) at [http://lifehacker.com/5857505/awesome-new-tab-page-is-an-information+rich-windows-metro+inspired-new-tab-page-for-chrome] http://lifehacker.com/5857505/awesome-new-tab-page-is-an-information+rich-windows-metro+inspired-new-tab-page-for-chrome, and New Metro Tab at [http://lifehacker.com/new-metrotab-adds-live-tiles-to-chromes-new-tab-page-927562142] http://lifehacker.com/new-metrotab-adds-live-tiles-to-chromes-new-tab-page-927562142. What emerges is the newest version of the personalized home pages that we saw in both the soon-to-be-defunct iGoogle and the My Yahoo pages. Google+ (which Google presumes will take the place of iGoogle) has the same block and tile approach to display. Even smaller organizations have gotten into the act. Blogging platform Wordpress offers 25 template versions of the Metro/Modern design (see: [http://wpbriefly.com/2013/03/wordpress-metro-themes/] http://wpbriefly.com/2013/03/wordpress-metro-themes/). USA Today (accessed via the web) has rethought its electronic layout. No reproduction of traditional printed columns here! The user is offered three options for viewing this morning?s fast food journalism via a linked grid of photos, a primarily text list view, or what USA Today calls the Big Page. The Big Page look takes the primary photo from the day?s lead story and spreads it across what it presumes is the user?s rectangular screen. Touch-sensitive large arrows - very similar to those in use in Flipboard - appear and disappear at the edges to move the reader back and forth through the content. Going to [http://www.usatoday.com/media/latest/news/] http://www.usatoday.com/media/latest/news/ will take the user to yet another grid layout of brief video clips and photos as a guide to the day?s events. Captions run fewer than ten words. Since its introduction with Windows 7 and extending into Windows 8, this Metro/Modern design has been hotly debated. See the comments appended to this history and analysis from Fast Company at [http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670705/microsoft-new-design-strategy#1] http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670705/microsoft-new-design-strategy#1. It?s a truly worthwhile read, but then go visit Fast Company?s Co.Design home page on the web to see how it compares. Adopting a more of a single-stream approach, that page is graphically heavy in its presentation with minimal accompanying text. Headlines are legible, but the snippets of text that accompany the visuals are sized in a miniscule 9pt font. The challenge, of course, arises when text-oriented content providers are faced with user populations who have been trained on operating systems and devices that are primarily oriented towards graphic images and visual cues. In the same way that Google?s single search box created a user expectation that is still wreaking havoc in our own information community, this Windows 8 Metro/Modern approach coupled with tablet adoption, has potential for an equal level of disruption when it comes to interface design. YouTube?s OneChannel referenced above featured prominently (see the second bullet) the value of a presentation that worked well across a gradient of user screens and devices. That value springs from responsive Web design, an approach that has been around for three or four years (a good short overview can be found at [http://johnpolacek.github.io/scrolldeck.js/decks/responsive/] http://johnpolacek.github.io/scrolldeck.js/decks/responsive/). Business Insider calls responsive design the gold standard in today?s content environment, but notes some drawbacks in a recently published report that can be found at [http://www.businessinsider.com/rise-of-responsive-design-pros-and-cons-2013-6] http://www.businessinsider.com/rise-of-responsive-design-pros-and-cons-2013-6. Content providers have sensibly been developing specific apps for use in a mobile environment, while preserving other interfaces that served the needs of access via the desktop. When Google announced the 2013 Scholar Metrics in late July, the content was still presented via text and numbers (see: [http://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=top_venues&hl=en&vq=en] http://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=top_venues&hl=en&vq=en). But Google Scholar is peripheral in the grand scheme of its overall product offerings and one can?t be sure if the static design remains just on that basis alone. Certainly there appears to be an emphasis on folding those older Google interfaces into something more current. Blogger, for example, may be the next one up as the current challenge is to persuade well-established tech bloggers to begin posting through the newer Google+ interface. See this challenge between two internal Google employees regarding blogging in the month of August at [https://plus.google.com/113117251731252114390/posts/9yokFFb65qe] https://plus.google.com/113117251731252114390/posts/9yokFFb65qe. A year ago, in discussing Microsoft?s Metro/Modern approach, user interface design professional Greg Cowin commented on how tired the 40 year-old desktop metaphor has become and how ill-suited it is to current expectations (see: [http://www.pursuitofgreatdesign.com/2012/03/why-has-microsofts-metro-design.html] http://www.pursuitofgreatdesign.com/2012/03/why-has-microsofts-metro-design.html). I suspect - no, I?m certain that the traditional interfaces found currently in library information resources appear equally tired to rising populations of users who encounter them daily. Cowin noted that Microsoft was emphasizing reductionism, simplicity, and fluidity. Are we? Some of what NFAIS members have watched occur through the adoption of discovery services in the library will have prepared them for re-thinking user interfaces, just as the experience gathered from mobile apps and user interaction will have done. But compare Microsoft?s design philosophy with the design of the online information interface that you offer your customers and ask yourselves if something new, something more engaging couldn?t be put into place. You don?t need to mimic the little boxes on the hillside; you just need to recognize that this area of the information industry is being disrupted as well and prepare for the fall-out! ************************************* 2013 NFAIS Supporters Access Innovations, Inc. Accessible Archives, Inc. American Psychological Association/PsycINFO American Theological Library Association Annual Reviews CAS CrossRef Data Conversion Laboratory, Inc. Defense Technical Information Center Getty Research Institute The H. W. Wilson Foundation Information Today, Inc. IFIS Modern Language Association OCLC Philosopher?s Information Center ProQuest RSuite CMS Scope e-Knowledge Center TEMIS, Inc. Thomson Reuters IP & Science Thomson Reuters IP Solutions Unlimited Priorities LLC ******************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jilloneill at nfais.org Wed Aug 7 10:40:17 2013 From: jilloneill at nfais.org (jilloneill at nfais.org) Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2013 10:40:17 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [nfais-l] Job Posting, Elsevier Message-ID: <1375886417.89578516@webmail.nfais.org> Posted by request of member organization, Elsevier: Job Description (To respond, go to[https://reedelsevier.taleo.net/careersection/51/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=SCI0015Y] https://reedelsevier.taleo.net/careersection/51/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=SCI0015Y) Thesaurus/Indexing Specialist-SCI0015Y Science and Technology : NA-USA-NY-New York Description Elsevier is the world's leading provider of scientific, technical and medical (STM) information, tools and resources. A global company based in Amsterdam, Elsevier partners with scientists, researchers, healthcare providers, educators and decision-makers in academic institutions, governments and corporations to help them find, evaluate and use information. Our breadth of content is unparalleled, spanning virtually every STM field in the world and includes such distinguished brands as Gray's Anatomy, The Lancet and Cell. Using innovative technology, we deliver our content through tools that help our customers be more productive and successful in their work. ScienceDirect delivers the worlds' leading journals electronically to over 11 million readers in 200 countries. And physicians in 95 percent of teaching hospitals rely on MD Consult to get critical information that can save lives. Elsevier employs over 7,000 people in more than 70 offices worldwide. We are an employer of choice, attracting and developing talented and creative people who thrive in a challenging and fast-paced environment. We offer an excellent compensation and benefits package as well as a real opportunity for career growth in a growing organization. Elsevier is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Elsevier Engineering Information (Ei) produces several scientific literature databases, including Compendex and GEOBASE, delivered online via the Engineering Village (EV) platform. Indexing and excerption of data add value to these bibliographic/A&I databases, generating precise and consistent search and retrieval through the use of controlled vocabularies, thesauri. The Scopus/EV Product Development group, as part of the Academic and Government Research Markets unit within Elsevier S&T, is responsible for the development, creation and maintenance of several Elsevier thesauri, and primarily, the Ei Thesaurus, used to index EV?s flagship database, Compendex. The Thesaurus/Indexing Specialist, working within the Scopus/EV Product Development group, is responsible for the development and maintenance of controlled vocabulary and indexing rules to govern both precision and recall of content covering nearly 200 engineering subject areas. Effective performance in this role will require working closely with product management, technical thesauri managers and internal and external experts to build upon, improve and expand our controlled vocabularies from not only content, but also end-user and product perspectives and needs. The Thesaurus/Indexing Specialist will do in-depth analysis of our thesauri on both a content and quality assurance (QA) level, and adherence to QA procedures for thesauri management also falls under his/her responsibility. The person in this role will be responsible for the development, implementation, and quality of rules ? whether manual or automated -- governing indexing of the content in our databases. Key Responsibilities: ? The Thesaurus/Indexing Specialist will develop and enhance existing thesauri & classification systems. S/he will also edit, add new terms and construct appropriate term relationships in existing thesauri. Terms to be added, modified or enhanced will result from thesauri review and analysis, and from customer/sales priorities. ? The Thesaurus/Indexing Specialist will direct and set indexing priorities for a globally dispersed team (with dotted line reporting relationship to this person) working on indexing rules development, rules enhancement, quality control and strategy. ? The Thesaurus/Indexing Specialist will help oversee our operational relationship with our indexing vendor and set priorities for same. ? The Thesaurus/Indexing Specialist will define quality standards, prepare QA plans, develop test plans and write test reports. ? The Thesaurus/Indexing Specialist will support implementation of thesauri for end-user retrieval and navigation. ? The Thesaurus/Indexing Specialist will link in with the global indexing and A&I community and stay up-to-date with new developments in these fields. LI-UP1 Qualifications ? M.Sc. or equivalent experience in an engineering discipline; library experience could be helpful; 2-3 years working experience and excellent credentials; some experience with/knowledge of A&Is helpful. ? Experience with the creation, maintenance and usage of scientific taxonomies, thesauri, and ontologies. ? Knowledge of thesaurus management system(s) is a plus as well as a background in semantics, indexing ? Familiarity with basic functionality of automated tagging software and rules development/maintenance ? Strong technical and basic programming skills extremely useful. ? Familiar with QA standards and procedures ? Strong analytic and problem solving skills, able to quickly understand complex processes ? Cooperative, service-minded and pro-active approach to working with colleagues inside and outside the department ? Fluency in English, especially written. Job Posting Aug 6, 2013, 4:35:18 PM Closing Date Ongoing To respond to this listing, please visit: [https://reedelsevier.taleo.net/careersection/51/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=SCI0015Y] https://reedelsevier.taleo.net/careersection/51/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=SCI0015Y -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From BLawlor at nfais.org Fri Aug 16 15:37:58 2013 From: BLawlor at nfais.org (Bonnie Lawlor) Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 15:37:58 -0400 Subject: [nfais-l] NFAIS Webinar: World According to Google Message-ID: <000e01ce9ab8$1ccfbf40$566f3dc0$@nfais.org> NFAIS Webinar: The World According to Google - Understanding Google's Expanding Content Ecosystem >From phones to tablets to games, headwear, browsers, and even autonomous cars and balloon-based networks, Google has been moving forward with breathtaking speed towards dominating and breaking through in seemingly countless market segments. One thing's for sure in the midst of all this: where other companies think about carving up market pies, Google is on the march constantly to invent new pies and to reinvent old ones in order to acquire, analyze and generate more usable "signals" for customers and marketers than ever before. On September 26, 2013 NFAIS will hold a 90 minute webinar from 11:00am - 12:30pm EDST for its annual update on the Google landscape. John Blossom, award-winning industry analyst and President, Shore Communications, Inc, will bring you up to date on Google's major product and platform initiatives and put them into an encompassing context of how Google products are influencing the strategies of publishers and content service providers. The webinar will include insights based on John's attendance at this year's Google I/O developers' conference. He will review, analyze and rate the market-worthiness of Google initiatives such as: * Project Glass, * Drive Real time * API for collaboration * Natural language search and services * Google+ expansion and publisher integration * Packaged Web apps * Chrome cross-platform collaborative application * Chrome OS (r)evolution * Android growth and evolution * Education Initiatives * Developing nations initiatives * Mobile Commerce * Games and home/mobile entertainment * Video and audio standards * Cloud-based messaging and data storage for apps and * Cloud-based software development If you or your staff want to take a fresh look at Google, its current and future directions, and perhaps learn how your organization can learn from them to better meet industry trends, register for the NFAIS webinar today. NFAIS members pay $105, Sister Society members pay $115, and non-members pay $125. An unlimited number of staff from NFAIS member organizations can participate for a group fee of $255. The group fee for an unlimited number of staff from any Sister Society is $275, and from a non-member organization is $295. The registration form can be accessed at: http://nfais.org/event?eventID=526. For more information contact Jill O'Neill, NFAIS Director, Communication and Planning, 215-893-1561 (phone); 215-893-1564 (fax); mailto:jilloneill at nfais.org or go to http://www.nfais.org/. NFAIS: Serving the Global Information Community -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jilloneill at nfais.org Mon Aug 19 11:50:16 2013 From: jilloneill at nfais.org (jilloneill at nfais.org) Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 11:50:16 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [nfais-l] Corrected Date for Google Webinar - September 19 Message-ID: <1376927416.923424517@webmail.nfais.org> Please note corrected date in the announcement below. NFAIS Webinar: The World According to Google - Understanding Google?s Expanding Content Ecosystem From phones to tablets to games, headwear, browsers, and even autonomous cars and balloon-based networks, Google has been moving forward with breathtaking speed towards dominating and breaking through in seemingly countless market segments. One thing?s for sure in the midst of all this: where other companies think about carving up market pies, Google is on the march constantly to invent new pies and to reinvent old ones in order to acquire, analyze and generate more usable ?signals? for customers and marketers than ever before. On September 19, 2013 NFAIS will hold a 90 minute webinar from 11:00am ? 12:30pm EDST for its annual update on the Google landscape. John Blossom, award-winning industry analyst and President, Shore Communications, Inc, will bring you up to date on Google?s major product and platform initiatives and put them into an encompassing context of how Google products are influencing the strategies of publishers and content service providers. The webinar will include insights based on John?s attendance at this year?s Google I/O developers? conference. He will review, analyze and rate the market-worthiness of Google initiatives such as: ? Project Glass, ? Drive Real time ? API for collaboration ? Natural language search and services ? Google+ expansion and publisher integration ? Packaged Web apps ? Chrome cross-platform collaborative application ? Chrome OS (r)evolution ? Android growth and evolution ? Education Initiatives ? Developing nations initiatives ? Mobile Commerce ? Games and home/mobile entertainment ? Video and audio standards ? Cloud-based messaging and data storage for apps and ? Cloud-based software development If you or your staff want to take a fresh look at Google, its current and future directions, and perhaps learn how your organization can learn from them to better meet industry trends, register for the NFAIS webinar today. NFAIS members pay $105, Sister Society members pay $115, and non-members pay $125. An unlimited number of staff from NFAIS member organizations can participate for a group fee of $255. The group fee for an unlimited number of staff from any Sister Society is $275, and from a non-member organization is $295. The registration form can be accessed at: [http://nfais.org/event?eventID=526] http://nfais.org/event?eventID=526. For more information contact Jill O?Neill, NFAIS Director, Communication and Planning, 215-893-1561 (phone); 215-893-1564 (fax); mailto:jilloneill at nfais.org or go to [http://www.nfais.org/] http://www.nfais.org/. NFAIS: Serving the Global Information Community -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jilloneill at nfais.org Thu Aug 22 10:41:33 2013 From: jilloneill at nfais.org (jilloneill at nfais.org) Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 10:41:33 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [nfais-l] Job Listing, NAL, Indexer/Knowledge Engineer Message-ID: <1377182493.736125802@webmail.nfais.org> Posted by request of NFAIS member, the National Agricultural Library: National Agricultural Library has a job opening in the Indexing & Informatics Branch for a Technical Information Specialist. Open at USA jobs from Thursday, August 22 to Wednesday, September 4th. The position serves as Indexer / Knowledge Engineer for the NAL automated indexing system. Who May Apply: United States Citizen Here is a direct link to the vacancy announcement: [http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/349444900] http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/349444900 Jill O'Neill Director, Planning & Communication NFAIS Email: jilloneill at nfais.org Voice: 215/893-1561 Web: [http://www.nfais.org] http://www.nfais.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jilloneill at nfais.org Tue Aug 27 09:26:58 2013 From: jilloneill at nfais.org (jilloneill at nfais.org) Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 09:26:58 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [nfais-l] NFAIS Enotes, 2013, No. 5 - Chromecast Message-ID: <1377610018.552617931@webmail.nfais.org> NFAIS Enotes, 2013, No. 5 Written and compiled by Jill O?Neill Frustration-Free Packaging: Chromecast Despite what you may have heard, Google?s $35 Chromecast device really solves only a minor irritation of modern society -- that of how best to transfer streaming digital content from the single user?s small screen (primarily a solitary viewing experience) to a larger screen that enables a crowd-viewing experience. As announced, Chromecast seems primarily aimed at the consumer entertainment market and is primarily competitive with Amazon and Apple for those viewers (see: [http://chrome.blogspot.com/2013/07/from-tvs-to-tablets-everything-you-love.html] http://chrome.blogspot.com/2013/07/from-tvs-to-tablets-everything-you-love.html). The Chromecast device plugs into the individual?s flat-screen television (HDMI port required) which subsequently allows it to be detected on a wireless network in the viewer?s home. Set-up requires the Chrome browser and an app downloadable to a mobile phone or an extension to the Chrome browser on a laptop, but once that relatively simple tap dance is performed, the user can select content available through Google (YouTube or Google Play) and Netflix. (More content deals are in the works; see [http://www.technologyreview.com/news/517406/google-launches-a-dongle-to-bring-online-video-to-tv/] http://www.technologyreview.com/news/517406/google-launches-a-dongle-to-bring-online-video-to-tv/). Press the digital icon and the Chromecast hardware picks up the local wireless signal and streams video to the big screen. I tested it out on my home wireless network and the system worked largely as advertised. No stuttering, no pixelation, nothing to interrupt television program immersion. However, should the device not work as advertised, questions and support requirements are handled through Google Groups ([https://groups.google.com/forum/#!categories/chromebook-central/chromecast] https://groups.google.com/forum/#!categories/chromebook-central/chromecast) as Chromecast comes with little or no printed documentation. As one commentator noted, ?...it has enough solution power to nudge some cable-cutting fence-sitters. Its simple setup and accommodation to existing habits provide a compelling convenience factor, and convenience is what the media distribution business is built upon.? (see: [http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/02/is-chromecast-the-little-dongle-that-could-change-things/] http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/02/is-chromecast-the-little-dongle-that-could-change-things/). Says the reviewer who actually had used the device for three weeks before discussing its value, ?The device takes a lot of friction out of bringing online video to the living room, and in turn makes TV watching a lot more enjoyable.? ([http://gigaom.com/2013/08/14/honest-chromecast-review/] http://gigaom.com/2013/08/14/honest-chromecast-review/). John Blossom of Shore Communications has been hosting a weekly Chromecast Friday event -- a Google Hang-Out that is subsequently uploaded to YouTube; the broadcast features discussions of actual usage and value at [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg8O13xByrA] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg8O13xByrA. In my personal experience, the system works well streaming from Netflix to a 32? high definition television. It does not, however, work with Amazon?s Instant Streaming Video even when watching through the Chrome browser. There have been mixed reports in the media coverage about this with some reporters claiming that it was possible although the streaming video would break up on occasion. I couldn?t even get it to that point. The Chromecast device can easily be incorporated into any number of environments -- classrooms, conference rooms, laboratories, auditoriums -- where availability of screens and use of video is the more efficient means of imparting either a chunk or a corpus of knowledge to a group. There are other devices similar to the Chromecast in functionality if not in size. The Roku Streaming Stick is a popular device, as a streaming option, and is similar in many respects to the Chromecast. The Chromecast is smaller in size and less expensive, but the Roku has a superior range of agreements with content providers, including Netflix. (For more on Roku, see [http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/other-gadgets/roku-streaming-stick1.htm] http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/other-gadgets/roku-streaming-stick1.htm). One key difference however is that Roku uses Mobile High Definition Links (MHL), an emerging standard interface(in the sense of enabling two things to interact). It has been the favored approach by such hardware manufacturers as Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, etc., for enabling mobile devices to ?talk? to high definition televisions. MHL is less common than the HDMI that Chromecast uses, the key difference being that MHL doesn?t require a separate power source whereas HDMI does. Inclusion of a MHL port on a television (insofar as I can tell) is an indicator of a ?smart? television, whereas HDMI is present on the more common ?dumb? monitor. As noted above, Netflix was one of the services whose content was immediately accessible through the use of Chromecast. I had just assumed that was due to Netflix?s current need for a powerful partner to help fend off Amazon?s Prime Instant Video service, streaming similar entertainment content through their Kindle Fire. (Remember that when it launched initially, the Kindle Fire was characterized by Jeff Bezos as a ?service? rather than as a device (see: [http://seekingalpha.com/article/296777-bezos-kindle-fire-is-an-end-to-end-service] http://seekingalpha.com/article/296777-bezos-kindle-fire-is-an-end-to-end-service). But I was struck by some research stats released in July by the Michigan start-up company, Deepfield,when they wrote of a parallel that existed between the two companies. Wrote Deepfield on their blog, ?When we last published some large-scale measurements in 2010, Google represented (a now seemingly small) 6% of Internet traffic. Today, Google now accounts for nearly 25% of Internet traffic on average. Only Netflix has larger bandwidth, but Netflix peaks last only for a few hours each evening during prime time hours and during Netflix cache update periods in the early morning.? (see: [http://www.deepfield.net/2013/07/google-sets-new-internet-record/] http://www.deepfield.net/2013/07/google-sets-new-internet-record/). Netflix and Google have much in common with regard to bandwidth. As a point of comparison, according to research also done by Deepfield and noted in Wired, Amazon a year ago represented only 1% of all internet traffic in North America, although that statistic was generated prior to the launch of the Kindle Fire HD. (see: [http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/04/amazon-cloud/] http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/04/amazon-cloud/). Amazon and Google are key players in switching traffic across the Internet and video is one of the key content forms that is being switched. The bulk of Google?s 25% share of North American Internet traffic comes from YouTube (see: [http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/07/google-internet-traffic/] http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/07/google-internet-traffic/). Their bandwidth usage puts them at the mercy in some respects of the bigtime telecomms, such as AT&T and Verizon, putting potential chokeholds on the flow of content. That?s why in recent months we?ve seen both Amazon and Google dabbling in the creation of their own pipelines for streaming. Google of course is pushing its own fiber service ([https://fiber.google.com/] fiber.google.com). Amazon in early July was seen to be testing out its own WiFi supply system (TLPS or terrestial low-power service) with third-party partner Globalstar. TLPS is an area that gets very technical very fast (well beyond my understanding) but I refer those interested to this GigaOm piece ([http://gigaom.com/2013/08/23/amazons-wireless-network-trials-are-no-mystery-its-testing-licensed-wi-fi/] http://gigaom.com/2013/08/23/amazons-wireless-network-trials-are-no-mystery-its-testing-licensed-wi-fi/) as the links contained in that article appear to lead to in-depth discussions. We?re not just talking about long form video content either when we talk about streaming video. Of rising interest are the apps available to consumers for creating video. Twitter?s Vine, an app for both iOS and Android devices, allows the viewer to capture and view six second loops of motion and sound. Announced in January, the app has grown in popularity and has been downloaded by more than 40 million users. Facebook, which acquired photo app Instagram in the second half of 2012 fought back by having Instagram offer a version that allows users 15 seconds rather than 6. The other key differentiator is that Instagram videos don?t loop. For the record, Instagram has twice to three times the user base of Vine (130 million users). VentureBeat offers a quick rundown of the best instances of use for Vine and Instagram videos(see: [http://venturebeat.com/2013/08/12/when-to-use-vine-and-when-to-use-instagram/] http://venturebeat.com/2013/08/12/when-to-use-vine-and-when-to-use-instagram/). The condensed message is that Instagram is better used for campaigns or series of messages while Vine is more suited to real time engagement. This is commonplace stuff for those with mobile phones. These tools are now in the hands of the rising population and they see no marvel in such tools -- only the basic value in use of the tools. In the mainstream media coverage, it is frequently suggested that Chromecast is an indication that streaming video is no longer just the system of choice for poverty-stricken youngsters who can?t afford cable. Streaming is mainstream. Just as Vine and Instagram indicate that video is as common today as Microsoft Word documents, Chromecast (and all the other devices of that ilk) are indicative that streaming is breaking up current models of broadcast and bundled cable packages. The biggest challenge facing streaming media at the moment appears to be the business model. Those living in New York City are well aware of the current tiff between CBS and the primary cable provider for the city, Time Warner. Ken Auletta used that tiff recently to note the long-term disruption over recent decades of the television industry and the difficulty felt by the cable-system owners and content providers in reframing their value proposition (see: [http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/currency/2013/08/cbs-time-warner-cable-and-the-disruption-of-tv.html] http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/currency/2013/08/cbs-time-warner-cable-and-the-disruption-of-tv.htm). Chromecast is merely another piece of hardware aimed at furthering that disruption while not losing the advertising revenue to other competitors. Earlier this year, Wired had run a short article discussing the status of streaming video, referencing research that said ?the amount of video watched on tablet devices and mobile phones in 2012 increased by 100 percent over the previous year, and also that advertisers are taking notice of the shift to online video viewership, with U.S. ad spending on streaming video content climbing 46 percent to reach $2.93 billion last year alone.? (see: [http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/03/streaming-video-advertising/] http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/03/streaming-video-advertising/). One analyst over at Motley Fool characterized Chromecast as being merely another data-gathering device for Google with regard to getting a better handle on what users were viewing. This in turn will permit Google to better target advertising tied to popular progams (see: [http://beta.fool.com/hjcranford/2013/08/02/is-chromecast-really-a-cable-killer/41889/] http://beta.fool.com/hjcranford/2013/08/02/is-chromecast-really-a-cable-killer/41889/). With Chromecast, Google went after the largest screen in the average consumer?s household -- the social screen of the television. Neither Amazon nor Apple (with its Apple TV) has had any notable success in addressing this particular screen. Analysts across a broad range of industries have all concluded that the tough issue thwarting the Internet companies (with regard to television) is the content distribution model involved -- the studios, the telecommunications providers, and the cable services themselves. There?s the old business model for pay-TV and whatever it is that the Internet utility companies are proposing as an alternative. Forbes thinks that the Chromecast is the way in which consumers will happily transition between the inconvenient and inflexible cable service model and the more fluid and convenient future of viewing on-screen content. However, even Forbes is still talking about it being a subscription model (see: [http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthickey/2013/07/30/source-chromecast-store-may-bundle-content-from-streaming-partners-into-one-package/] http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthickey/2013/07/30/source-chromecast-store-may-bundle-content-from-streaming-partners-into-one-package/). However, according to the Wall Street Journal, the cable companies themselves are beginning to doubt the future of bundled content -- their version of our community?s ?Big Deal? -- and are anticipating more a future surrounding the supply of broadband (see: [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323420604578647961424594702.html] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323420604578647961424594702.html). The Chromecast is primarily just a wedge that Google is using to break apart the siloes of content that Google wants to serve up profitably to its market. Or to use another metaphor, it?s a sleek can-opener that opens overly restrictive packaging surrounding content that the consumer wants to be able to get at for their own purposes. Which brings me to the relevance this topic has for the NFAIS membership. It?s been more than ten years since the publication of Kenneth Frazier?s article in D-Lib Magazine, ?The Librarian?s Dilemma? in which he called upon the library community to stop signing licenses for publishers? so-called Big Deals (see: [http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march01/frazier/03frazier.html] http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march01/frazier/03frazier.html). Over that period of time, there have been regular discussions of just how close we might be to the demise of the ?Big Deal? as a business model for the information community. The February 2012 issue of Serials Review ran a ?Balance Point? column that gathered together responses from 13 industry experts and the abstract of the column notes ?It is evident from the submissions that the idea of opting out of the ?big deal,? or at least the debates surrounding the discussions, is gaining momentum. The problems are important and often controversial. Most authors agree that the ?big deal? is not dead yet, and some think it may never die completely.? (see: [https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/12858/1-s2.0-S0098791311001778-main.pdf?sequence=1] https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/12858/1-s2.0-S0098791311001778-main.pdf?sequence=1). In that Serials Review column, EBSCO Vice President of Academic, Law & Public Library Markets Kittie S. Henderson, wrote: ?When viewed in a library context, the ?big deal? evolved very quickly. As in any evolutionary process, it contained vestiges of the original model (historical spend based pricing for example). I think that elements of the big deal, such as access to what is perceived by a library as critical mass of content will remain. The business model for that content is changing, however, be it tiered pricing based upon institutional size or use, article-based pricing, diverting funds formerly used for traditional subscriptions to open access, or a new variable that we haven?t seen yet. ? Many of the Big Deals look like premium cable offerings; there are always titles or channels included in the package that the subscriber will never view and therefore resents being asked to pay for. By contrast, the various flavors of open access -- whether applied to articles, books, or data sets -- may resemble the Chromecast option. Frustration-free packaging to the research environment. But just like Chromecast, open access might be something of a necessary bridge to the next level of advanced information services. Between entrepreneurial spirit and sophisticated software, a new kind of approach will emerge and once again persuade users that value-add really is worth paying for. If you are interested in learning more about Google activities, register for the NFAIS webinar The World According to Google: Understanding Google?s Expanding Content Ecosystem (September 19, 2013, 11:00am ? 12:30pm EDST) in which John Blossom, President, Shore Communications, will provide an update. Go to [http://nfais.org/event?eventID=526] http://nfais.org/event?eventID=526 for more information. ************************************************** 2013 NFAIS Supporters Access Innovations, Inc. Accessible Archives, Inc. American Psychological Association/PsycINFO American Theological Library Association Annual Reviews CAS CrossRef Data Conversion Laboratory, Inc. Defense Technical Information Center Getty Research Institute The H. W. Wilson Foundation Information Today, Inc. IFIS Modern Language Association OCLC Philosopher?s Information Center ProQuest RSuite CMS Scope e-Knowledge Center TEMIS, Inc. Thomson Reuters IP & Science Thomson Reuters IP Solutions Unlimited Priorities LLC ******************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From BLawlor at nfais.org Tue Aug 27 17:03:36 2013 From: BLawlor at nfais.org (Bonnie Lawlor) Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 17:03:36 -0400 Subject: [nfais-l] NFAIS News Message-ID: <008601cea368$e5b95de0$b12c19a0$@nfais.org> Barbara Dobbs Mackenzie Elected as President, IAML It is my pleasure to report that Barbara Dobbs Mackenzie, NFAIS Immediate Past-President and President of R?pertoire International de Litt?rature Musicale (RILM), has been elected President of the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres (IAML - http://www.iaml.info/). She will serve a three-year term and then another three years as Past-President. IAML promotes the activities of music libraries, archives and documentation centres to support and facilitate the realization of projects in music bibliography, music documentation, and music library and information science at national and international levels. Barbara has served NFAIS exceedingly well during her time on the Board and the Presidential succession. IAML is very lucky to have her leadership and on behalf of NFAIS of NFAIS I offer congratulations on her election. Bonnie Lawlor NFAIS Executive Director 1518 Walnut Street Suite 1004 Philadelphia, PA 19102 USA 215-893-1561 Phone 215-893-1564 Fax blawlor at nfais.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From BLawlor at nfais.org Sat Aug 31 09:51:29 2013 From: BLawlor at nfais.org (Bonnie Lawlor) Date: Sat, 31 Aug 2013 09:51:29 -0400 Subject: [nfais-l] Stephen Wolfram speaking at the Library of Congress on September 4th Message-ID: <001c01cea651$31e50ee0$95af2ca0$@nfais.org> Stephen Wolfram Gives First Innovation Talks Lecture at the Library of Congress - Free to the Public Dr. Stephen Wolfram has been invited by the Library of Congress|FEDLINK, to give the first lecture in the Innovation Talks Speakers Series on Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 11:00am in the Coolidge Auditorium in the Thomas Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress in Washington DC. Wolfram is the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research, the creator of Mathematica and Wolfram Alpha. He is also the author of A New Kind of Science. He is considered to be one of the great minds in Technology. This hour long talk will be followed by a question and answer period. It is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Please click here to register. Innovation Talks showcase an exciting cross section of innovative research. Outstanding scholars, researchers, policy makers, and authors are invited to share their enthusiasm and knowledge on an amazing array of topics. These free public lectures provide the opportunity to hear from a diverse selection of change leaders about issues affecting our world. If you would like to nominate a speaker for future Innovation Talks, please send your suggestion to FedlinkResearch at loc.gov <mailto:FedlinkResearc h at loc.gov> Bonnie Lawlor NFAIS Executive Director 1518 Walnut Street Suite 1004 Philadelphia, PA 19102 USA 215-893-1561 Phone 215-893-1564 Fax blawlor at nfais.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: