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Petition Tony Blair, online that is
by Stephen Coleman 21 Nov '06

21 Nov '06

I don't share Wainer Lusoli's apparent delight at the arrival of the Ten Downing Street e-petitions tool. From a political perspective, one might ask why citizens are being urged to petition the Prime Minister, when the UK's system of government is not presidential, but parliamentary. More significantly, this technology has been built so that people are only allowed to sign petitions, but not discuss them. Unlike the Scottish Parliament's e-petitions, public deliberation is prohibited. This leads to a narrow notion of democracy without discussion in which petitions can claim neither representative nor deliberative legitimacy. >From the perspective of internet research, this is an interesting illustration of how political design can undermine technical potential. Contrast this with the great tradition of political petitioning that has existed in Britain since the late thirteenth century. The Chartists of the mid-nineteenth-century did not make a political impact by collecting signatures, but by holding mass meetings to discuss the cause of their petition. Imagine iif the Chartists - or the disarmament movement of the 1960s - had been allowed only to plead with the Prime Minister rather than assemble, deliberate and develop their own convictions. Citizens sending petitions via this new e-tool should be encouraged to subvert its intended restrictive use by setting up an alternative web space in which propositions can be openly discussed and revised. Stephen Coleman, Professor of Political Communication, Institute of Communications Studies, University of Leeds

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Webcasting Worldwide book now available
by Louisa Shu Ying Ha 21 Nov '06

21 Nov '06

"Webcasting Worldwide: Business Models of an Emerging Global Medium," edited by Louisa Ha, Associate Professor in the Department of Telecommunications, School of Communication Studies, is now available. The book is published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. As the product of a 17-country/region collaborative research project of 26 scholars based on Ha and Ganahl's (2004) Accessibility-Content-Revenue Framework for emerging media analysis, it tackles one of the most timely topics in mass communication todaythe delivery of audio and video content via the Web, or webcasting - employing a global perspective to explore the subject of media business models. The book consists of 20 chapters with an accompanying CD-ROM filled with research resources. It provides a theoretical framework by which to analyze business models of emerging media, and it also examines the business practices of leading webcasters in the worlds most developed broadband markets. With webcasting in its early development and the rapid development of broadband penetration around the world, the approaches discussed in this volume set the standards for the webcasting industry and other emerging media. Representing the major broadband markets in the world, this text is an authoritative and valuable reference for both researchers and practitioners. The chapters relate the business practices of webcasting to the media market environment and established media industries, such as television and radio, as well as government and non-profit organizations. It discuss implications of webcastiing use in commercial and non-profit organizational settings and potential effects of the medium on future development of media industry land the society at large The International Webcasting Association President, David Gardy, endorsed and adopted the book for its members, saying that "(The book) will become the de facto bible on worldwide webcasting (it is so comprehensive!)...Through their tireless efforts in producing this manuscript, (the editors) have made a significant contribution in facilitating mainstream understanding of burgeoning webcasting sector and the promise it holds. It couldn't have come at a better time." John V. Pavlik, professor and chair of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey and faculty associate at the Columbia University's Institute for Tele-Information (CITI), wrote, "Through their ground-breaking new book, Webcasting Worldwide, Louisa Ha and Richard J. Ganahl III have provided a thoughtful and thorough examination of the business models taking shape in the online delivery of media. Webcasting Worldwide offers the reader a rich diversity of viewpoints and experiences from North America to Europe, Asia to the Middle East. Detailed analysis of the broadband marketplace and how it is being financed around the globe is at the heart of this important book. Adding to the value of this useful text is the authors' blog, webcastingworldwide.blogspot.com. Anyone interested in either the major trends or latest developments in the world of broadband media will find Ha and Ganahl's Webcasting Worldwide required reading." More information about the book can be found at www.erlbaum.com/ha. Ha is the chair of the emerging media research cluster in the School of Communication Studies at BGSU. The cluster promotes interdisciplinary dialogue and research on the political, economic, cultural, social and technological aspects of emerging media. It serves to develop collaborative research projects with the community and present research on emerging media to the university at large. Its web page is http://scs.bgsu.edu/Research/ResearchClusters/emerging.php Louisa Ha, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Telecommunications School of Communication Studies 320 West Hall Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, OH 43403 Tel: (419) 372-9103 Fax: (419) 372-0202

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Re: [Air-l] Petition Tony Blair, online that is
by Ildiko Kaposi 21 Nov '06

21 Nov '06

>>> "Matthias Trenel" <matthias.trenel(a)gmail.com> 11/21/06 3:33 PM >>> On a further note, which explains my interest in this issue, I want point you to the e-petitioning system at the German Parliament, which Zebralog is currently evaluating: Public Petitions at the German Parliament: Zebralog evaluates pilot project http://www.zebralog.de/en/000195.html Matthias, Is this the pilot the Bundestag modelled on the e-petitioning system of the Scottish Parliament? Ildiko ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ildiko Kaposi <pphkai01(a)phd.ceu.hu> Date: Nov 18, 2006 11:31 AM Subject: Re: [Air-l] Petition Tony Blair, online that is To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org Stephen, I believe Wainer's 'delight' was ironic at best, even sarcastic - precisely because he senses political spin behind the initiative. The more I learn about it, the more it seems like the site is an exercise in electronic populism. I thought the idea of push-button/point-n-click panacea for democracy was passe, but your government appears to think otherwise. It is hard to make predictions, but if this is an empty exercise, devoid of deliberation or obligations for the PM to take the petitions into consideration, it will probably not be a lasting success with British citizens. Ildiko Kaposi ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Stephen Coleman <S.Coleman(a)leeds.ac.uk> Date: Nov 18, 2006 10:33 AM Subject: [Air-l] Petition Tony Blair, online that is To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org I don't share Wainer Lusoli's apparent delight at the arrival of the Ten Downing Street e-petitions tool. From a political perspective, one might ask why citizens are being urged to petition the Prime Minister, when the UK's system of government is not presidential, but parliamentary. More significantly, this technology has been built so that people are only allowed to sign petitions, but not discuss them. Unlike the Scottish Parliament's e-petitions, public deliberation is prohibited. This leads to a narrow notion of democracy without discussion in which petitions can claim neither representative nor deliberative legitimacy. >From the perspective of internet research, this is an interesting illustration of how political design can undermine technical potential. Contrast this with the great tradition of political petitioning that has existed in Britain since the late thirteenth century. The Chartists of the mid-nineteenth-century did not make a political impact by collecting signatures, but by holding mass meetings to discuss the cause of their petition. Imagine iif the Chartists - or the disarmament movement of the 1960s - had been allowed only to plead with the Prime Minister rather than assemble, deliberate and develop their own convictions. Citizens sending petitions via this new e-tool should be encouraged to subvert its intended restrictive use by setting up an alternative web space in which propositions can be openly discussed and revised. Stephen Coleman, Professor of Political Communication, Institute of Communications Studies, University of Leeds ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: W.Lusoli(a)lse.ac.uk <W.Lusoli(a)lse.ac.uk> Date: Nov 17, 2006 4:49 PM Subject: Re: [Air-l] Petition Tony Blair, online that is To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org Hi Ildico - thanks for this. well, a number of reasons really. First that the PM is a self-confessed technophobe; then because the Tories and Labour are waging an escalating war on who is reaching out more to the public using ICTs [Webcameron, Osborne, conservative blogs, Labour' new campaign space]; then because the website had 500 [500 !!] submissions in two days; then because it all looks soooo transparent, but is it; etcetera, etctera and etcetera once more. My eyes are now sore for the rubbing Cheers Wainer ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ildiko Kaposi <pphkai01(a)phd.ceu.hu> Date: Nov 17, 2006 3:31 PM Subject: Re: [Air-l] Petition Tony Blair, online that is To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org Wainer, What's the reason for your disbelief? I took only a cursory glance at the sight, so I'm not well-informed. First of all, I don't know what the online petitioning implies exactly, i.e. whether there are any obligatory consequences for the Right Hon. Blair or government policy. But online petitioning as such is practised elsewhere, and e-democracy has been something of a priority for the UK government, so this seems to fit the pattern. Am I misreading the initiative? Ildiko >>> "Wainer Lusoli" <w.lusoli(a)lse.ac.uk> 11/17/06 1:56 PM >>> http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ Still rubbing my eyes in disbelief Any thoughts, anyone? Wainer -------------------------------------------- Wainer Lusoli http://www.lusoli.info http://del.icio.us/lusoli http://www.i-pol.org -------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ The air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/ _______________________________________________ The air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/ _______________________________________________ The air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

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Re: [Air-l] Myspace: social, oops, political networking
by Davidgbeer＠aol.com 21 Nov '06

21 Nov '06

On this issue i wonder if the article below might be of use (see particularly the fourth section on the challenges of social networking): _http://www.socresonline.org.uk/11/3/beer.html_ (http://www.socresonline.org.uk/11/3/beer.html) dave

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Re: [Air-l] Petition Tony Blair, online that is
by Matthias Trenel 21 Nov '06

21 Nov '06

I have two remarks to this interesting debate - leaving aside the question of who is delighted (or not) for what reason ;-) @petitioning without deliberation Well, even when discussion spaces are missing, having something like public petitions online does make the current petitioning system more transparent and accessible - let's not forget to note that - which feeds well into new forms of more deliberative democracy as well because other deliberative arenas (e.g. media, or those alternative discussion spaces Stephen suggested) may pick up the petition issues and carry them into the public sphere, that in turn can exert "argumentative control" over the political administrative system (in a siege-like manner, to speak in Habermas' terms). However, the lack of discussion spaces on http://petitions.pm.gov.uk is a disappointment * given that it would be more convenient for citizens to discuss the petition issues on the same site (and they would probably want to be listened to in most direct ways), * given that state bodies need to transform themselves into more deliberative institutions as well to meet the challenges of democratic development * given that the e-petition-forerunner-system, http://www.e-petitioner.org.uk, has a discussion space, and * given that Matthew Taylor himself, the (or an?) outgoing No 10 Strategy adviser, has recently called for more deliberative spaces rather than more channels for citizens to express their demands: http://partnerships.typepad.com/civic/2006/11/the_challenge_f.html @consideration of ePetitions The flood of petitions (500+ in the first few days) may be viewed as a success. However, knowing how much ressources it takes to process petitions, it also undermines the credibility of the e-petitioning-system at No 10. It is beyond imagination that the No 10 administration can pay attention to an extra 500 petitions that stream into No10 every couple of days on top of the paper petitions even at the most rudimentary level. That is, they must have filters in place, such as number of signatures received or the like, which they need to make transparent to maintain credibility - and credibility is probably the most important ingredient for success in this realm. On a further note, which explains my interest in this issue, I want point you to the e-petitioning system at the German Parliament, which Zebralog is currently evaluating: Public Petitions at the German Parliament: Zebralog evaluates pilot project http://www.zebralog.de/en/000195.html Greetings, Matthias PS: I'm going to post this thread to do_consult (http://groups.dowire.org/groups/consult/index.xml) as well as people there should be interested in reading this -- Matthias Trenel Zebralog e.V. trenel(a)zebralog.de http://www.zebralog.de/en/ ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ildiko Kaposi <pphkai01(a)phd.ceu.hu> Date: Nov 18, 2006 11:31 AM Subject: Re: [Air-l] Petition Tony Blair, online that is To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org Stephen, I believe Wainer's 'delight' was ironic at best, even sarcastic - precisely because he senses political spin behind the initiative. The more I learn about it, the more it seems like the site is an exercise in electronic populism. I thought the idea of push-button/point-n-click panacea for democracy was passe, but your government appears to think otherwise. It is hard to make predictions, but if this is an empty exercise, devoid of deliberation or obligations for the PM to take the petitions into consideration, it will probably not be a lasting success with British citizens. Ildiko Kaposi ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Stephen Coleman <S.Coleman(a)leeds.ac.uk> Date: Nov 18, 2006 10:33 AM Subject: [Air-l] Petition Tony Blair, online that is To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org I don't share Wainer Lusoli's apparent delight at the arrival of the Ten Downing Street e-petitions tool. From a political perspective, one might ask why citizens are being urged to petition the Prime Minister, when the UK's system of government is not presidential, but parliamentary. More significantly, this technology has been built so that people are only allowed to sign petitions, but not discuss them. Unlike the Scottish Parliament's e-petitions, public deliberation is prohibited. This leads to a narrow notion of democracy without discussion in which petitions can claim neither representative nor deliberative legitimacy. >From the perspective of internet research, this is an interesting illustration of how political design can undermine technical potential. Contrast this with the great tradition of political petitioning that has existed in Britain since the late thirteenth century. The Chartists of the mid-nineteenth-century did not make a political impact by collecting signatures, but by holding mass meetings to discuss the cause of their petition. Imagine iif the Chartists - or the disarmament movement of the 1960s - had been allowed only to plead with the Prime Minister rather than assemble, deliberate and develop their own convictions. Citizens sending petitions via this new e-tool should be encouraged to subvert its intended restrictive use by setting up an alternative web space in which propositions can be openly discussed and revised. Stephen Coleman, Professor of Political Communication, Institute of Communications Studies, University of Leeds ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: W.Lusoli(a)lse.ac.uk <W.Lusoli(a)lse.ac.uk> Date: Nov 17, 2006 4:49 PM Subject: Re: [Air-l] Petition Tony Blair, online that is To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org Hi Ildico - thanks for this. well, a number of reasons really. First that the PM is a self-confessed technophobe; then because the Tories and Labour are waging an escalating war on who is reaching out more to the public using ICTs [Webcameron, Osborne, conservative blogs, Labour' new campaign space]; then because the website had 500 [500 !!] submissions in two days; then because it all looks soooo transparent, but is it; etcetera, etctera and etcetera once more. My eyes are now sore for the rubbing Cheers Wainer ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ildiko Kaposi <pphkai01(a)phd.ceu.hu> Date: Nov 17, 2006 3:31 PM Subject: Re: [Air-l] Petition Tony Blair, online that is To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org Wainer, What's the reason for your disbelief? I took only a cursory glance at the sight, so I'm not well-informed. First of all, I don't know what the online petitioning implies exactly, i.e. whether there are any obligatory consequences for the Right Hon. Blair or government policy. But online petitioning as such is practised elsewhere, and e-democracy has been something of a priority for the UK government, so this seems to fit the pattern. Am I misreading the initiative? Ildiko >>> "Wainer Lusoli" <w.lusoli(a)lse.ac.uk> 11/17/06 1:56 PM >>> http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ Still rubbing my eyes in disbelief Any thoughts, anyone? Wainer -------------------------------------------- Wainer Lusoli http://www.lusoli.info http://del.icio.us/lusoli http://www.i-pol.org -------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ The air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/ _______________________________________________ The air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

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new vs old activism
by Maura Conway 21 Nov '06

21 Nov '06

Kevin, For an interesting and theoretically informed exploration of the whether there is a global civil society presently in existence, see John Keane's 'Global Civil Society? (Cambridge, 2003). On a more 'practical' note, I like Peter Hajnal's (Ed.), 'Civil Society in the Information Age' (Ashgate, 2002), which is basically composed of 'case studies' of the IT-use of NGOs such as Amnesty, Oxfam, and similar. I'd also suggest checking out the Blacwell's journal 'Global Networks: A Journal of Transnational Affairs,' which also publishes the kind of stuff you seem to be after. Best, Maura ---------------------------- Dr. Maura Conway Lecturer School of Law & Government Dublin City University Glasnevin Dublin 9 Ireland Tel. +353 1 700 6472 E-Mail. maura.conway(a)dcu.ie

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R: Re: new vs old activism
by vincenzobitti＠tin.it 21 Nov '06

21 Nov '06

si mi piace molto! Magistrale la frase: "l’ultima” pubblicazione di Simenon, la cui produzione sconfinata e l’edizione italiana centellinata danno l’impressione che lo scrittore riesca a fare letteratura anche da morto". Brava. Una bella recensione . Forse io avrei sottolineato solo l'immaginario colonialista che esce. Il rapporto sempre sullo sfondo di un mondo diverso e non compreso fino in fondo. Una certa concezione dell'esotico e della diversità un po' contraddittoria come possibilità di libertà ma anche come condanna. A un certo punto Mittel, mi ricordo, fa una specie di sfogo della sua volontà di essere "normale" e di essere condannato a una vita diversa che lui in fondo odia. Una specie di anti-Marlow. Marlow cerca il viaggio , lo intraprende fino in fondo alla ricerca di Kurtz. Poi entrambi i libri finiscono in maniera simile Kurtz che gridal "l'Orre, l'orrore", Mittel " Barranquilla, barranquilla" una specie di richiamo ironico a Conrad!?!? Va beh a prersto Baci!! Forse io avrei sottolineato solo l'immaginario colonialista che esce. Il rapporto sempre sullo sfondo di un mondo diverso e non compreso fino in fondo. Una certa concezione dell'esotico e della diversità un po' contraddittoria come possibilità di libertà ma anche come condanna. A un certo punto Mittel, mi ricordo, fa una specie di sfogo della sua volontà di essere "normale" e di essere condannato a una vita diversa che lui in fondo odia. Una specie di ant-Kurtz! >----Messaggio originale---- >Da: b.saunders(a)qut.edu.au >Data: 21-nov-2006 4.50 AM >A: <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> >Ogg: Re: [Air-l] new vs old activism > >also: FreeNRG: Notes from the Edge of the Dance Floor - Graham St John (ed.) >http://thehumanities.cgpublisher.com/product/pub.61/prod.2 > >and the classic primer: No Logo - Naomi Klein. > > > > > >On 11/21/06, Lisa Gye <lgye(a)groupwise.swin.edu.au> wrote: >> >> Meikle, Graham (2002) Future Active: Media Activism and the Internet, >> New York: Routledge. >> >> >> This is an excellent book >> >> >Barry Saunders >QUT sessional academic >http://creativeindustries.qut.com >http://d- notice.net >_______________________________________________ >The air- l(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list >is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org >Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org > >Join the Association of Internet Researchers: >http://www.aoir.org/ >

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"Online - Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet" + Call for Paper
by kerstin.radde＠zegk.uni-heidelberg.de 20 Nov '06

20 Nov '06

Dear list-members, the second issue of the relatively young and yet unknown "Online - Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet" covering the topic "Rituals on the Internet" is online. Please see: http://online.uni-hd.de. The journal consists of the following papers: Kalinock, Sabine: Going on Pilgrimage Online - the Represenation of Shia Rituals on the Internet. Jakobsh, Doris R.: Authority in the Virtual Sangat: Sikkhism, Ritual and Identity in the Twenty-First Century. Rudolph, Michael: Ethnic Revival, and the Reappearance of Indigenous Religions in the ROC - the Use of the Internet in the Construction of Taiwanese Identities. Radde-Antweiler, Kerstin: Rituals Online: Transferring and Designing Rituals. Casey, Cheryl Anne: Virtual Faith - the Revirtualization of Religious Ritual in Cyberspace. MacWilliams, Marc: Techno-Ritualization - the Gohozon Controversy on the Internet. We're planning another special issue covering the topic "Virtual Worlds". I send you the Call for Paper as a text below. Additionally we're excepting other articles for publication dealing with religion and internet all the time. Just send them to: online-journal(a)zegk.uni-heidelberg.de I would be gratefull, if you recommended our journal and the possibility to publication. With best greetings from Heidelberg (Germany) Yours sincerly Kerstin Dipl. Theol. Kerstin Radde-Antweiler SFB 619 Teilprojekt C 2 Institut für Religionswissenschaft der Universität Heidelberg Akademiestr. 4-8 69117 Heidelberg Tel.: +49-(0)6221-547482 Fax : +49-(0)6221-547424 Email: kerstin.radde(a)zegk.uni-heidelberg.de URL: http://www.rituals-online.uni-hd.de/en/ Call for Paper "Virtual Worlds" In the academic field of "Cultural Studies", like in other cultural and social disciplines, the relevance of the Internet as new media is constantly increasing. New areas of scholarly research are to be found on homepages, weblogs, in chat rooms, in newsgroups and in virtual 3D environments, where religious and spiritual topics are presented and incessantly negotiated. The Internet could be seen as a ?cultural context of its own right", as Christine Hine stated in her programmatic book "Virtual ethnography". In this respect it has become an important part of our cultural and scientific assets, heritage and memory. As such it also forms, modifies and creates new cultural structures. Therefore, the challenges of this media provide the scholar with materials in a still mainly unexplored field of research, demanding new scientific methods and methodologies in order to analyse the likewise new realm of religious beliefs and utterances in this virtual space. In the context of Internet Research, Virtual Worlds offer a new environment to meet, communicate and perform social and cultural activity in a virtual reality, irrespective of geographical and real-life body conditions. Examples for such Virtual Worlds - understood as digital spaces, occupied in large part by human controlled agents, known as avatars, participating in a collective virtual space? (Krausnick 2004) - are Active Worlds and The Palace - both in use since 1995 - and There since 1998. The most prominent and famous example is the privately-owned, subscription-based 3D application Second Life that went online for the public in 2003. An increasing number of residents use such environments not only as a kind of virtual playground but as an enlargement of their real-life possibilities. And this ?virtual life? has to be taken seriously: The users are both socially and religiously very active and consequently transfer real-life activities into virtual space. For the next issue of the new Journal Online - Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet (http://online.uni-hd.de) we are planning to edit a special edition with the working title "Virtual Worlds". The essays we are inviting should deal with the notions of cultural and / or religious activities in Virtual Worlds like Second Life and MMOGs such as Everquest, World of Warcraft, etc. Possible topics or foci of the special issue: 1) Religion and Rituals 2) Methodology 3) Offline-Online Relations Other topics that correspond to the subject of the issue are equally welcome. We encourage abstracts from all areas of research. Please send title and abstract (no more than 350 words) of your proposed paper as well as some short biodata of the author/s as email-text to Kerstin Radde-Antweiler (kerstin.radde(a)zegk.uni-heidelberg.de) by January 4th, 2007. Later submissions will not be accepted. A decision on the contents of the volume will be made on the basis of anonymous reviews of the abstracts, and all authors of abstracts will be informed by January 30th, 2007. Authors will have to be prepared to submit their finished papers (no more than 8000 words) by March 15th, 2007. Then, these will be reviewed and possibly returned to the authors with suggestions from the editors. It is planned to publish the volume by Mid 2007. Dipl. Theol. Kerstin Radde-Antweiler Centre for European Historical and Cultural Studies Institute for Religious Studies Akademiestr. 4-8 D-69117 Heidelberg Germany

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OCS Third Online Congress 11/20-12/3
by Mark Marino 19 Nov '06

19 Nov '06

Hi, al, I just wanted to remind everyone that the third "Online" Congress of the Observatory for the Cybersociety begins tomorrow, November 20 and runs through Dec. 3. This time, the congress has this title: "Open knowledge, Free Society" The many working groups of the Congress share many of the research interests of AOIR. Although many of the papers are not in English (the organization is based in Spain), a machine translator, such as BabelFish, is typically enough to follow the major claims. Participants are also allowed to comment in their own language (in order to encourage more participation from a wider variety of backgrounds). I would also recommend my own group: WORKING GROUP C-7: DIGITAL NARRATIVE. Topics include: new interfaces, new works of electronic literature, electronic criticism of literature, and copyright/copyleft concerns. I have read a number of the papers and know you will find them and discussions about them insightful. So far almost 4000 people have registered for the Congress, which is held every two years. To register go here: http://www.cibersociedad.net/congres2006/gts/gt.php?llengua=en&id=104 See more here: http://writerresponsetheory.org/wordpress/2006/10/17/espanol-en-english-cfp/ best, Mark C. Marino Writing Program University of Southern California http://WriterResponseTheory.org

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library job: Digital Collections Librarian (Assistant Librarian Rank)
by David M Silver 19 Nov '06

19 Nov '06

folks, i know many list subscribers are in library and information schools. for those interested in digital collections and for those on the job market, this (below) may be the job for you! for more information regarding this job, visit the USF web site [ http://www.usfca.edu/ ]and select the quick link marked "employment." david silver http://silverinsf.blogspot.com/ *** Position Title: Digital Collections Librarian (Assistant Librarian Rank) Job Description: This position will have an important role in a team-oriented environment to develop and manage the Library's digital collections under the direction of the Head of Library Systems. Position duties include: Working with faculty and librarians in the identification of print materials to be transferred to digital media; coordination of workflow for digitizing and cataloging digital collections; cataloging and assignment of metadata to digital materials; identification of external funding sources and grant writing; coordination of marketing for digital collections; consultation with campus legal office on copyright, licensing and rights management issues related to digital collections; consultation with faculty and other producers of digital media in the creation of an anticipated institutional repository. The position will also include some bibliographic liaison and cataloging responsibilities and serve as back-up in some areas of library system administration. The position will support the teaching, learning and research needs of the University of San Francisco faculty and students. Requirements: MLS from ALA-accredited program. One to two years of professional experience preferred with demonstrated aptitude for and interest in project planning and management, digitization standards, technical services, electronic resource management, or related areas. Preference will be given to candidates with experience using bibliographic utilities, such as OCLC; integrated Library systems, particularly Innovative Interfaces; content management systems such as CONTENTdm or DSpace; and metadata protocols. Knowledge of current trends in digital library development, digitization standards, long-term management and preservation, and rights management issues relating to digital materials. Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team environment, working both independently and collaboratively, strong commitment to customer service, effective written and oral communication skills, demonstrated organizational ability and problem-solving skills. Interest in and potential for establishing a record of professional achievement and service is required.

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