Tagmash: a boost for library intelligence

Tim Spalding, of LibraryThing fame, has come up with an intriguing twist on his book-tagging operation. He's capturing combinations of tags and turning the results into web pages. 'Tagmash' takes anyone who looks for a tag combination to a URL for that combination.

Since I'm reading Charles Handy's autobiographical "MYSELF and other more  important matters", I threw in 'Handy, philosophy' to Tagmash. This is what came back:

In fact I lie, because the tags list their soundalikes, which are usually misspellings and punctuated words. 'handy' stood alone while 'philosophy' included 26 alternatives. Anyone searching for 'Handy, philosophy' in future will be taken straight to the URL. New combinations take up to 30 seconds to materialise.

You can apparently skip particular tags by preceding them with a '-'. I tried, 'Harry, Potter, -fiction' and got the same 16 results with or without the final argument. But, by using a double-minus, I got a single result. As Spalding explains, "A single minus (-fiction) 'discriminates' against items tagged 'fiction'. A double minus (--fiction) disqualifies all books with the
fiction tag." Perhaps mine was a foolish choice of tags anyway.

According to Spalding, "Tagmashes work with different things, not a thing and its category." I tried "http://www.librarything.com/tag/florence,michelangelo" and, there on top of the list, was one of my all-time favourite books.

Alongside the results are a cloud of related tags, related tagmashes and a list of related subjects.

Like all Web 2.0 stuff, LibraryThing and its offshoots like Tagmash are work in progress. As people get involved and use the system and talk about it, ideas for refinements pop up and get incorporated. And, of course, the more people that use it, the more intelligently the underlying system behaves and the more any dross gets sidelined.

FoI users face poorly trained staff and fear of questions

In the forthcoming September issue of Information World Review we have an exclusive interview with an information professional who is at the coal face of using the Freedom of Information Act (FoI). Rebecca Lush is the Roads and Climate Change campaigner for Transport 2000, an independent body that lobbies for sustainable transport solutions.

One body that has a wealth of information on transport usage in the UK is, unsurprisingly the Department for Transport. Yet as this article details; getting access to that information is nigh on impossible. Without access to proper information a body cannot deliver on its stated aim - to inform the debate and help those keen to adopt more environmentally sustainable transport. You get a small inkling of government conspiracy and double dealing. But Lush and Transport 2000 are above the nail gnashing fears of conspiracy theorists. In fact their experience is of a civil service that is poorly trained on handling FoI requests.

She tells IWR's Alisdair Suttie: ‘Government agency staff at all levels need to be better trained to deal with requests under the Freedom of Information Act. There’s a prevailing attitude that anyone asking questions is automatically bad. Until this way of thinking changes, it will always be a struggle to obtain information as easily and readily as it should be.’

A search for FoI training reveals on data protection courses. Organisations known to and for information professional training such as Aslib, Cilip and TFPL don't seem to have seen this golden opportunity coming.

The future of libraries

“I have seen the future of libraries: It is to spend the future discussing the future of libraries.”

I had to share this wry comment with you, courtesy of Tim, founder of Librarything.com and its blog; Thingology last week. I think Tim makes a fair point; too often we can wax lyrical about a 2.0-monikered piece of tech and not enough about actually applying it.

In saying that, I think we are seeing evermore promising and exciting times for libraries really utilising such technology and with credible outcomes. This may be something like the BL’s digitisation project, Turning The Pages or Sound Archive online offerings, or as mentioned last week, the dauntingly ambitious Open Library initiative. 

With this in mind I have been keeping an eye out for some practical advice and information on other library 2.0 experiences. I think these may shed a little more light on what is out there and how it is being used.

Choice Reviews Online has some good material this month. You do have to register to access this content, but there is a free two month trial on offer; all for the price of some demographic information. One weighty essay; The Social Tools of Web 2.0: Opportunities for Academic Libraries, comes from InfoTangle contributor Ellyssa Kroski.

Kroski discusses which kind of 2.0 tools to use, why an academic library should use them and how they benefit both it and its users. For example, topics covered include how content collaboration software such as wikis can be usefully applied in a library environment. This includes everything from subject guides to a website or intranet. Then there is social bookmarking software like del.icio.us that easily assembles substantial lists of online material. This can be applied to things such as reading lists and subject guides. Bibliographies have benefited from a tool called CiteULike which has been particularly well used with various journal articles to record full citation information and then shared with others in the community. Sharing different formats of media such as the BL, digitisation example I gave above, shows how effective information distribution can have many different dimensions. Perhaps most importantly, through the re-engaged relationship libraries have with their users

There is also a fairly substantial buyer’s guide available from Choice. It details a stack of online academic resources available. It’s pretty much a software directory, so there is no need to go into much detail about those listed, suffice to say that if you are in the market for some new heavy-weight kit this might be a good resource to refer to.

Finally, for a slightly quicker run-down on what other applications the e-learning community are using, have a look at the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies site. They have been asking their community members what their choice online tools are, compiling a favourites list. There are familiars like Google and Firefox – that will come as no surprise to most of us, but there are a few applications in here that might be worth checking out. If you have any to recommend yourself let us know.

Barometers aren't always reliable

Open-source ECM firm Alfresco Software recently released what it called its “first-ever global survey of trends in the use of open-source software in the enterprise”.

Based on responses from 10,000 users, the Alfresco Open Source Barometer came to a very interesting conclusion:

“Windows is increasingly a popular evaluation platform for open source software but most enterprises use Linux when they go into production.”

Well, most enterprises that are Alfresco customers, maybe, but I doubt that data stands up quite so well at other shops.

One more point caught my attention:

“The research also showed that the UK lags behind in the adoption of open source, suggesting less government emphasis compared with other European countries such as France, Germany, Spain and Italy."

Maybe that’s true, although Alfresco’s customers probably aren’t a wholly reliable guide, at least when taken in isolation.

And one final one:

“Deployments of Red Hat have grown at a rate twice as fast as Novell SUSE since the controversial November 2006 patents and interoperability agreement announced by Novell and Microsoft.

‘This finding suggests that customers may not like the terms of the deal as more information became public,’ [said an Alfresco spokesman].”

Hmm, based on the best part of two decades attempting to get responses from real-life users on this sort of industry storm in a teacup, I really doubt that many customers give a damn one way or the other.

The Alfresco user barometer is a good starting place for arguments and might mature into a very useful indicator but this is a company just starting out. I’ll be waiting a little longer before I’m confident that its research can always offer broader insights into the minds of the ECM user community.   

The liberation of public information

Ants have been in the news a lot recently. They fill holes in the road with their bodies so that their colleagues can move swiftly. In an emergency, they slow down and proceed in an orderly fashion, thus speeding the escape of the whole community. Most things that ants do are for the good of the community as a whole because, without the community, they wouldn't thrive.

The government's agonising over public information has been in the news a lot too. And it's interesting to note the differences between its approach to life and the ants'. First of all, if you read any of the public pronouncements on public information, a lot of attention is paid to its 'value'. Yes, 'social value' is chucked in for good measure, but it's clear where the obsession lies.

Imagine yourself in a government department that is custodian of some public information and you are rewarded according to how much you can extract from others for the privilege of sharing it. How would you feel if someone came along and said "hey, the taxpayer has already paid for this information, you should be giving it back at no more than the cost of delivery." Gulp.

It's not an attractive thought is it? But this is exactly what has been facing those who govern us for several years. I think that opening up public information was first mooted in the year 2000. Only this year, when the clamour from outside is too loud to ignore, is the government really giving the appearance of trying to address the issue.

But, the people whose departmental funding depends on getting outside revenue aren't going to like it and they will talk endlessly about the commercial value of the IP or the need to provide a return on the public's investment. Or the need to create a 'data mashing' function within government in order to add more commercial value to the stuff we've already paid for.

The idea that liberating the data so that others can do a better job of the 'mashing' does not sit at all well with them.

Watch these people closely. They claim they will have a set of proposals ready for public comment by the end of this year. We should all be poised to scrutinise this and give our feedback. It will be a good test of whether they really want to listen or just try and put off the evil (to them) day when they have to give us back what was ours in the first place.

Unlike ants, one senses that government departments aren't actually interested in the greater good, only in their parochial needs, their bonuses and their career advancement.

Here are a few links you might find useful, should you wish to get involved:

The government's response to the Power of Information report by Ed Mayo and Tom Steinberg.

Yesterday, the Guardian published a piece on Ordnance Survey coming under fire from inside the government.

And here's the transcript of an interview (you can draw your own conlcusions) with Michael Wills, minister for information, and representatives from the Guardian Technology's "Free Our Data" campaign.

Some new ways of doing things

Last week I blogged about the validity of using Second Life in further and higher education, from the very informative and reasoned feedback I got from some of you I’m well on my way to disciple-hood. I think as a ‘new’ method of sharing information it can excel, we are going to see some interesting developments in both the technology of SL and how it is used.

This week I have been scouting around for some useful, albeit more conventional online resources, but there should be something here for most of readers. The three listed below have proven themselves worth a mention, either because the method of information delivery is ambitious or fresh and effective or the information is just good quality content.

Instant Atlas

First of all, software mapping company Geowise, contacted me about their Instant Atlas product. The statistical and mapping site takes any (preferably large) set of statistical data and uses a variety of graphical illustrations and maps to present that information in new and interesting ways. They aren’t the only company doing this by a long shot, we’ve all seen plenty of Google Earth, flashMapped and MS Live mashups are out there, but I like the way this one gives you a decent amount of control and a good bundle of options to play with.

A great example made available in the demo, is data for Scottish MP expenses, some of the higher figures, according to the Instant Atlas demo, come from those MP’s that live away from the mainland, in geographically large and remote constituencies, one would therefore presume that money is spent on travel? Interestingly the largest single expense total came from a geographically tiny inner-city constituency. I highlight this random example because it was so easy to get this overview of detailed information in a couple of clicks.

I think Geowise have done a good job of showing the tools broad appeal. Whatever your data – if there is the potential to add the geographical context to that information then its surprising how helpful software like this helps with clarity and therefore understanding. I can imagine there is so much scope for products like these from education, to research, business, health - you name it. We’ll see if we can get a more detailed review done in due course and really put it through its paces.

Talking with Talis

Second up, I’ve been happily listening to the Talking with Talis online resource in the IWR office this week. I’m sure many of you will be aware of the monthly podcasts from the technology company, but for those of the uninitiated, it’s basically a compendium of mp3 file conversations between Talis and that week’s guest speaker. The theme revolves around web 2.0 technologies and their relationship with libraries. 

With nearly two years worth of discussion available on the site anyone wanting to brush up on the jargon and trends will do well to start here. The interviews can be a touch chatty and informal but if you skip forward a little the Talis interviewer is good enough to let the experts hold court and share their views. There are some engaging and interesting points that the commentators make, in particular I liked tech author Peter Morville’s discussions about ambient findability and how the authority of sources is a significant factor in search. Whether that is through means that are traditional, using a ranked method like Google or user-contribution like Wikipedia in origin. He points out, “The issue of authority is a controversial and messy one in library circles these days” going on to say “We are in a period of real tension between the traditional notion of expert authority and this celebration of the ‘wisdom of crowds’ and the ‘rise of the amateur’, I tend to come down in the middle, there is a great strength to be tapped from the energy of the millions of people, but at the same time I don’t think that discredits the work of an expert, who has worked and thought about a particular area”.

The Open Library

With this in mind I wonder what Peter would make of The Open Library (TOL) which launched a demo version in mid-July. The incredibly ambitious project (some would argue pipe dream) aims to “build the world’s greatest library, then put it up on the Internet free for all to use and edit”.

This means that founder Aaron Swartz and his TOL team want to use the internet to make available every single book, ever published in every language online. Furthermore, they want everyone to contribute to this; “Not simply "free to the people, "but a product of the people: letting them create and curate its catalogue, contribute to its content, participate in its governance, and have full, free access to its data” the mission statement grandly announces. All very noble stuff, I’m sure you agree.

The project has support from the Internet Archive and the Open Content Alliance, the British Library according to the Beeb seem to be little more guarded about its prospects with Stephen Bury, head of European and American Collections saying “We have always supported digitisation, and the more the merrier. But there’s some scepticism as to whether one day the Open Library might become a commercial site with adverts and so on”

In terms of technical principles and in order to achieve a useable information source, The Open Library team are developing their own cataloguing system or Open Library Number (OLN). A schema called futurelib is being developed which will act in principle like the MARC format. Advice and contributions from all in the library community are welcomed, particularly at this stage.

Like the BBC report, I think it’s also worth mentioning, that even a few years ago, the idea of something like Wikipedia ever really taking off the way it has was fantasy. Yet through the millions of voluntary contributions from its user-base and putting aside some notable problems for a moment, Wikipedia has been a tremendous success.

Are the “public” suitable for a similar role with TOL or could this initiative give a platform for the experts to assert their knowledge, expertise and experience a little?

Perhaps the BL’s sceptical stance is more realistic and The Open Library is just a fanciful notion? Or maybe, we can hope for a Wikipedia-like success, born through the initial efforts of an interested community?  It may just depend on experts like you lending a hand…

As ever, please weigh in and let me know your thoughts…

What Plaxo did next

A couple of weeks ago, I asked the last person using Plaxo to turn out the lights. I was far too hasty, it appears, to write the calendar and contact synching company off. Within a couple of days, Plaxo's nice PR people had called up, and this afternoon I listened to a presentation from vice president and co-founder Tod Masonis and marketing VP John McCrea. The bunch at Plaxo have been busy. Very busy.

I'll explain what all this is  about in a minute, but first off, it's worth saying that quite a lot of what I'm going to talk about isn't going to happen until next week. I have no idea if it will work - the screenshots show it working, but I haven't actually had a chance to try any of this out. So take this as a pinch of salt, but have a try for yourself if you have a Plaxo account.

That said, I think Plaxo has had a great idea. One of the key features of a lot of the new social networking sites is open interfaces. Building on that, and on Plaxo 3.0, the slightly less spammy version of Plaxo, has resulted in something else entirely. Before we go further, it's worth reading Rob Scoble's take on Plaxo 3.0, which gives a good catch-up for those of you who, like me, forgot all about Plaxo.