Voicethread

Tweet Classes started Wed, August 24th. What a short summer!  One of the first activities we engaged in utilized a tool called voicethread.   This tool allows the creator to upload images, documents, or video and begin a conversation around that content.  Participants can post a comment in one of 5 ways:  voice (mike), voice (telephone), text, audio file, or video (via webcam).  Images of the participants form a border around the content, as shown at the left.  Learn all about this free tool at http://voicethread.com/

Society of American Archivists 360 Conference, Chicago, August 22-27, 2011

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If you're not here, you are missing some very good sessions.  One session titled, What Happens After 'Here Comes Everybody,' was presented by a panel that included the author of Web 2.0 Tools and Strategies for Archives and Local History Collections, Kate Theimer. The focus was on "participatory archives" and included examples of the ways in which non-archivists are contributing content and metadata to archival projects. The abstract reads:

Many archivists believe the key to the success of our profession in the future lies in effectively harnessing the participatory culture of the Web. But what does it really mean to be a “participatory archives”? The speakers provide a definition and examples of participatory archives, discuss the latest research on the impact of user participation on authenticity, reliability and credibility, and share research about user collaboration efforts at the National Archives (UK).

A sell out session (seriously several hundred people and I felt lucky to find a spot on the floor) was Practical Approaches to Born-Digital Records: What Works Today (part 1 of 2). Part 2 is tomorrow and I'm afraid I'll miss it...unless the storm causes a delay in my travel plans.  The abstract for part 1 can speak for itself:

The panelists present and discuss effective ways to manage born-digital records today. The chair and five practicing archivists lead a discussion of specific projects that marry traditional archival processes to digital curation tools, covering such areas as beginning a program, surveying records, accessioning, processing, and providing access. The speakers provide examples of how professional practice has come “360”: new tools inform traditional theory and vice versa in practical approaches to born-digital records.

 Plan now for next year's conference. The program theme, thinking "Beyond Borders," is designed to help us envision new opportunities beyond our institutions and specializations, to expand our perceptions of history, culture, memory, and recordkeeping to arrive at a more inclusive and holistic view of the great work of archives. If you are interested in submitting a proposal for that conference, see the call for papers.

IFLA Conference - August 13-18, 2011, San Juan, Puerto Rico

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The World Library and Information Congress 2011, 77th IFLA General Conference Assembly took place in Puerto Rico this past week.  It provided the opportunity for library and information professionals from around the globe to exchange ideas and learn from one another. This was my first IFLA conference but it won't be the last.  The theme this year was: Libraries beyond libraries: Integration, Innovation and Information for all.  The challenge of creating, managing and preserving digital information was a topic of several workshops I attended (and even one at which I presented).  One session reminded me of the virtual time capsule project required of LIBR 284 Archivists: Meet Web 2.0. It was on e-legal deposit: from legislation to implementation; from ingest to access.  Representatives from several countries--including France, Finland, UK, and Chile--explained the processes they use to capture, manage and attempt to preserve digital objects from the web.  No, the picture isn't from the conference site. Who could resist a trip to the El Yunque rain forest when in Puerto Rico?