library of congress – Three Percent

This Idea Is Insane

Chad Post — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:59:53 +0000

OK, I’m totally going to sound like a luddite, a recluse, or that crazy guy yelling at kids to get off his lawn, but I think the that they’re going to archive all public Twitter “tweets” is fricking ridiculous. Sure, there are people who are way into Twitter and use it in ingenious and fascinating ways, but how many of the 50 million tweets “published” each day really need to be preserved? Fifteen?

We’ve gone too far . . . .

Library of Congress and Microsoft

E.J. Van Lanen — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:49:15 +0000

The Library of Congress has decided to use Microsoft’s Silverlight to build their new website. LibraryThing about it:

Most disturbingly, users are locked in, too: anybody using an iPhone, an old version of Windows, any version of Linux, or any other operating system or device not supported by Silverlight will be unable to use the Library of Congress’ new website. How is that compatible with the principles of democracy or librarianship? It’s taxation without web presentation. And how exactly is that a quantum leap forward?

And I Thought I Was a Bit Disorganized

Chad Post — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:33:01 +0000

According to the :

Ģ��ý one-sixth of the books, monographs and bound periodicals at the Library of Congress weren’t where they were supposed to be because of flaws in the systems for shelving and retrieving materials, according to a survey to be made public at a congressional hearing today. [. . .]

“A subsequent review found 4 percent were either on nearby shelves, checked out to the public or marked with the wrong call numbers. But it remains deeply troubling that nearly 13 percent are unaccounted for by library officials,” said Howard Gantman, staff director of the joint congressional committee on the library.