code4lib

Pearls Of Wisdom In Mail List Threads

David Cloutman on Code4Lib:

Don’t forget to look at trends outside of “Libraryland”. A lot of professional library discussion takes place in an echo chamber, and bad ideas often get repeated and gain credibility as a result. Librarians usually overstate the uniqueness of their organizations and professions. When the question, “What are other libraries doing?” arises in addressing a technical problem, don’t be afraid to generalize the question to other types of organizations. Too often, the answer to the question, “What are other libraries doing?” is “Failing.” Emulate for the sake of success, not conformity.

It’s a point I’m always trying to make: look outside your specialization.

The code4lib Journal(s) I Should’ve Kept

<a href="http://www.code4lib.org/2006/">code4lib</a> was less than a month ago, but already I've forgotten some details. That's why I'm glad to have notes from Ed Summers (<a href="http://www.inkdroid.org/journal/2006/02/16/code4lib-day-1/">day one</a>, <a href="http://www.inkdroid.org/journal/2006/02/20/code4lib-days-2-3/">two, and three</a>), <a href="http://librarycog.uwindsor.ca:8087/artblog/librarycog/1140232323">Art Rhyno</a>, <a href="http://outgoing.typepad.com/outgoing/2006/02/code4lib_the_co.html">Tom Hickey</a>, <a href="http://www.librarywebchic.net/wordpress/2006/02/">Karen Coombs</a>, and <a href="http://blog.ryaneby.com/archives/post-code4lib-and-oregon-trip/">Ryan Eby</a>. » about 100 words

Standards Cage Match

I prefaced my point about how the standards we choose in libraries isolate us from the larger stream of progress driving development outside libraries with the note that I was sure to get hanged for it. It’s true. I commented that there were over 140,00 registered Amazon API developers and 365 public OpenSearch targets (hey […] » about 1000 words

About My code4lib Presentation

As with all my other presentations, the my slides tell less than half the story, but I’ve posted them anyway. I’m told the audio was recorded, and there’s a chance that will help explain all this, but until then you’ll have to piece this all together from my previous writings, what little I’m about to […] » about 300 words

You Mean Other Businesses Handle Acquisitions Too?

Art Rhyno confused my by calling it ERP, but he just rocked his code4lib presentation and I realized he’s talking about the same thing that’s been itching me: libraries are not unique, but our software and standards are unnecessarily so.

In my introduction of WPopac I made the point that I didn’t want to replace the ILS — certainly not the acquisitions management functions or other business processes. Art today explained that he wouldn’t want to have to develop or support those features either, but that we don’t need to. He reminded us that other people have to buy stuff too, and that buying books really isn’t so different from buying plumbing supplies or toys.

The market segment is called ERP, enterprise resource planning, and Art pointed out a few open source solutions. I’m waiting for his slides to go online, and I’m hoping we hear more about this.

code4lib Program Proposal

I’d be excited just to be a fly on the wall at code4lib, but I’m on a bit of a mission to change the architecture of our library software — to make it more hackable, and make those hacks more sharable — so I had to propose a talk. Title: What Blog Applications Can Teach […] » about 300 words