Critique of LCC and other "Ontologies"

Shirky arhived his speech on his own blog: Ontologies are Overrated.

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William Denton on Web4Lib recommends a provokative talk by Clay Shirky. Shirky contends that LC Classification and other "ontologies" (which he defines as "assertions about essnece and relations among a group of items") may have outlived their usefulness. In the case of LCC, he maintains that driving force has been arrangement of things (i.e., books on shelves) rather than authentic relations among ideas. Complains about inconsistencies in LCC, where "Balkan Penninsula" stands as a top geographic category alongside "Asia." (What does he mean by this? In the G1994 Atlases part of the schedule, the region is subsumed under Southeastern Europe; in GB457 "Physical geography" section, it's subsumed under Medeterranean Sea region; I checked other areas as well, and nowhere does it appear as a top term).

He also complains that LCC is flat, and that it doesn't accommodate polysemy (though he refers to it as polypheny): "it enforces cookie-cutter categorization that doesn't reflect the polyphony of its contents--there is a literature of creativity, for example, made up of books about art, science, engineering, and so on, and yet those books are not categorized (which is to say shelved) together". LCC does allow multiple classification, though, and in any case, it is complemented by the LC Subject Headings which can accomodate as many different conceptual relationships as people can think of.

Shirky delivered his remarks at the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference. The audio recording is archived at ITConversations

"Google is replacing the professional librarian"

Article in indystar.com on PR expenses, but also source of quotation

Stew and Terri Wedding

How close is Timberline Lodge to Crater Lake? Here's a pdf map of the Crater lake area. Not very close I'm afraid.

There's an exhibition on the Lewis & Clark expidition at the Oregon Historical Society, but that doesn't start until November 11th. Currently there's an exhibition on Hessian Art, including the Madonna and other paintings by Hans Holbein.

Stew and Terri's wedding blog. Event to take place Saturday, Oct. 29, 5pm. Left comment, that we're staying at Timberline Lodge Oct. 29 through Nov. 1.

From invitation: Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood, Oregon.

Rooms available at Lodge: 503-622-7979; rm. reservations 800-547-1406.

Mazama Lodge, already rented for guests. On southern slope of Mt. Hood. Staying there is free; only pay for breakefast 7 dollars, lunch 10 dollars and dinner same. Dormitory style with a few private rooms. private rooms don't costs extra but are first come first serve. Bring sleeping bag if taking this option. For reservations etc call Clif and Dae Todd at 503-272-9214 or email lodge@mazamas.org.

Gift: http://www.heifer.org. Prefer that we by a gift animal for family living in poverty. Rather than Crate and Barrel (though they are registered there too at number 8802513), or Home Depot gift certificate, etc.

NELINET courses

Here is a browse display of upcoming courses from NELINET. Of particular interest (to me) is the "bibliographic services conference" entitled "Google vs. the OPAC: The Challenge is On!", taking place in Worcester Friday, November 18th.

Here are the topics and speakers:

10:45am "Metadata That Supports Real User Needs"
David Lindahl, Director of Digital Library Initiatives, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

11:30am "The Social Life of Metadata"
Casey Bisson, Software Developer and Information Technologist, Lamson Library, Plymouth State University

1:15pm "OCLC in a Web-based World"
OCLC Research Speaker (TBA)

2:30pm "Catalogers Wanted: Metadata Practice in the Web Era"
Mary Kurth, Head of Metadata Services, Cornell University Library

Japan Association of Yale

See section on "Language partners"

Science, Technology and Politics (Sheffield Lecture by Allan Bromley

2001 Sheffield lecture recommended by Chuck

St. Francis House

Public hearing to take place on Dec. 6

October 13, 2005 piece by Ryan Kearney in New Haven Advocate. Another, from Oct. 20th.

This is from way back, when I first discovered what St. Francis House (aka Highland Heights) is. An article in the New Haven Register, dateline November 28, 2003: Alumnus of City Orphanage Now Its Benefactor".

Independent Living Aids

Wrightstuff.biz catalog has Around the House category. Nothing of particular interest though. $84 calendar and Wall Clock, from SightConnection. Consider $84 calendar and Wall Clock, from SightConnection. Latter ordered 10/23/05. In terms of watches, note WatchMinder II Vibrating Reminder Trainer Watch from independent living aids, inc. Here's another one, the VibraLITE III, which seems to be less sophisticated, but (possibly in contrast with the first) water-resistant. Here's a blue iper Vibration Watch, also water resistant, for $55. Also check Casio sports watch for $25, or the Casio women's Illuminator for $25.

"Buy, Hack or Build", November 15, 2005

See Blogroller post

Jan Kominsky Comenius

Announcement from Kevin Glick invokes Moravian pastor and educator Jan Komensky Comenius (a.k.a. Johann Amos Comenius), who maintained that universal education could produce a utopian society, and that, pedagogically, the perception of objects presupposes the comprehension of words.

Note that Comenius appears on window in Education Seminar [SML 409] alongside:

Friedrich Froebel.
Jean Jacques Rousseau.
Heinrich Pestalozzi.
Horace Mann.
Roger Ascham.
Henry Barnard.

Comenius published Orbis Sensualium Pictus in 1658, and an English translation, A World of Things Obvious to the Senses in 1659, and thereby "shaped a model of children's literature in which images played a central role." Glick continues: "Thorugh the nineteenth century, illustrated books were considered a crucial means of social and poiticial education."

Context is SML LH lecture "The Elusive Child: Illustrated Children's Books in Early Twentieth-Century Germany," by Martin Blumental-Bary, Yale doctoral candidate in German Literature. This lecutre coincides with a Sterling exhibition of German children's literature from the 19th through early 20th centuries.

Categories: SML, Comenius

Japanese songs

Saeko sent me a link to the lyrics and audio for the song う　み. Just need life to calm down enough so I can sit back and listen to it.

CCQ News

CCQ News, as described in CCQ 31:1, 2000. Categories of submission include:

(1) Research and Opinion (e.g.: abstracts or reports of on-going or unpublished research; bibliographies of materials available on specific subjects; Analysis or description of new technologies; Call for papers; Comments or opinions on the art of cataloging);

(2) Events (e.g., notes, minutes, or summaries of meetings, etc. of interest to catalogers; Publication announcements; description of grants, Description of projects);

(3) People (e.g. Announcements of changes in personnel; announcements of honors, offices, etc.)

Upcoming deadlines: "Please plan to submit a news column on or before August 31, 2005 and December 31, 2005. I currently expect that these will fall in v. 42 no. 1 and no. 4 respectively and will confirm this with you later. As we discussed, submission via an email attachment is easiest for me" (May 31, 2005). Keeping personal copies on Pantheon page.

Open Letter (Political)

Scathing letter: published October 5, 2005 in Democratic Underground, written by Jim Chandler. Here's an excerpt: " We're sorry, but you cannot have God. He belongs to all of us, throughout the world, who choose to believe. He is not unique to Americans. He has not singled out the U.S.A. for special blessing. He does not regard American citizens to be more worthy than the citizens of any other country, and He does not regard our form of government to be superior."

And another choice selection: "We're sorry, but you can't have September 11, 2001. It was a horrific event that has become part of the fabric that defines us all as Americans. The roots of this unspeakable act of terrorism are deep and complex, and will require an equally complex solution. It doesn't fit on a lapel pin. You pretend to speak for the families of the victims, yet you use their tragedy to further your ideological agenda. You are no better than the looters in New Orleans whom you love to deride, even as you continue to loot your political goods from the true victims of 9-11, years after the disaster. You squandered the good will and sympathy of an entire planet, and you've done precious little, these past four years, to make us safer. You don't deserve to own this."