Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Monday, 22 April 2013
DIGITAL LIBRARY
Free to All
April 18, 2013, 12:01 am
By Robert Darnton
Some have detected a revolutionary message behind the choice of today as the date to launch the Digital Public Library of America—a project to make the holdings of libraries, archives, and museums freely available in digital form to all Americans. They’re right.
“On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five,” as Longfellow put it in “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” Paul Revere did not merely warn the farmers of Lexington and Concord that the redcoats were coming. His “midnight message” was a call for liberty. To free Americans’ access to knowledge may not be so dramatic, but it is equally important; for Revere and all the founding fathers knew that a republic could not flourish unless its citizens were educated and informed.
Nor is it a coincidence that the launching pad of the Digital Public Library of America is the Boston Public Library, the first great public library in America, which proclaims in letters chiseled over its main entrance, “Free to All.” That is the revolutionary message of the DPLA. It will make our country’s heritage available to everyone and at no charge: “Free to All.”
The tragic disaster at the Boston Marathon took place just across from the library and made it necessary to cancel today’s launch event. But a virtual launch will occur as planned, so the DPLA will begin to operate online at noon today. By persevering with its mission, the DPLA will pay tribute to the spirit of freedom embodied by the library and to the courage of everyone who coped so bravely with the disaster.
Speaking as one who has spent most of his life studying the revolutions of the 18th century, I believe that the term “revolution” is overused. I have read about a “revolution” in men’s wear and “revolutionary” changes in football coaching. But the Internet has brought a genuine revolution into everyone’s life, one that is every bit as momentous as the transformation wrought by Gutenberg.
Don’t think that this revolution is merely technological. We are participating in something greater than the greatest algorithm. It is the democratization of access to knowledge, but it owes a great deal to technology.
Paul Revere depended on a signal transmitted by two lanterns in the belfry of the Old North Church, in Boston. He carried his message on a horse, and he delivered it by mouth to Sam Adams and John Hancock in Lexington. According to Longfellow, the ride took more than an hour—and “the fate of a nation was riding that night.” Think of it: fateful communication by lantern, horseback, and speech.
Today we have bits and bytes moving at nearly the speed of light. We can send our messages round the world faster than Paul Revere’s horse could blink.
What is that message? “Free to All.” We believe that everyone has a right to search and discover everything accumulated in our libraries, archives, and museums. The entirety of our cultural heritage should be freely available to everyone, not by applying for admission or purchasing a ticket at the door. It is everyone’s right by birth, a birthright that Revere, Hancock, and Adams claimed as free-born Englishmen, who on April 18, 1775, were transforming themselves into revolutionary Americans.
The American revolutionaries believed in the power of the word. But they had only word of mouth and the printing press. We have the Internet. Thanks to modern technology, we now can deliver every text in every research library to every citizen in our country, and to everyone in the world. If we fail to do so, we are not living up to our civic duty.
All of us are citizens in a republic much larger than the Republic of America. It is the Republic of Letters, a realm of the mind that extends everywhere, without police, national boundaries, or disciplinary frontiers. From the age of the Enlightenment it was open to all; but only a few could exercise their citizenship, for only a minority could read or afford to buy books.
I don’t mean to minimize the obstacles to the spread of knowledge today. Aside from the distressing inadequacy of our schools, we face commercial interests that would like to fence off the knowledge that belongs in the public domain and to charge admission for access to it. The DPLA stands for open access—democratization rather than commercialization.
That may sound suspiciously abstract and high-minded. But revolutions challenge us to articulate goals and formulate principles. The DPLA today is only a beginning, a small start down a long road with plenty of bumps, twists, and turns. It will require savvy and street smarts to travel down that road. But as we set out today, we can pause for a moment to contemplate our far–off goal: Armed by the best possible software and hardware, perched on a state-of-the-art platform, linked together in a distributed electronic system, we will open access to knowledge by making it free to all.
Robert Darnton is a professor and university librarian at Harvard University.
Comments at:
http://chronicle.com/blogs/
April 18, 2013, 12:01 am
By Robert Darnton
Some have detected a revolutionary message behind the choice of today as the date to launch the Digital Public Library of America—a project to make the holdings of libraries, archives, and museums freely available in digital form to all Americans. They’re right.
“On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five,” as Longfellow put it in “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” Paul Revere did not merely warn the farmers of Lexington and Concord that the redcoats were coming. His “midnight message” was a call for liberty. To free Americans’ access to knowledge may not be so dramatic, but it is equally important; for Revere and all the founding fathers knew that a republic could not flourish unless its citizens were educated and informed.
Nor is it a coincidence that the launching pad of the Digital Public Library of America is the Boston Public Library, the first great public library in America, which proclaims in letters chiseled over its main entrance, “Free to All.” That is the revolutionary message of the DPLA. It will make our country’s heritage available to everyone and at no charge: “Free to All.”
The tragic disaster at the Boston Marathon took place just across from the library and made it necessary to cancel today’s launch event. But a virtual launch will occur as planned, so the DPLA will begin to operate online at noon today. By persevering with its mission, the DPLA will pay tribute to the spirit of freedom embodied by the library and to the courage of everyone who coped so bravely with the disaster.
Speaking as one who has spent most of his life studying the revolutions of the 18th century, I believe that the term “revolution” is overused. I have read about a “revolution” in men’s wear and “revolutionary” changes in football coaching. But the Internet has brought a genuine revolution into everyone’s life, one that is every bit as momentous as the transformation wrought by Gutenberg.
Don’t think that this revolution is merely technological. We are participating in something greater than the greatest algorithm. It is the democratization of access to knowledge, but it owes a great deal to technology.
Paul Revere depended on a signal transmitted by two lanterns in the belfry of the Old North Church, in Boston. He carried his message on a horse, and he delivered it by mouth to Sam Adams and John Hancock in Lexington. According to Longfellow, the ride took more than an hour—and “the fate of a nation was riding that night.” Think of it: fateful communication by lantern, horseback, and speech.
Today we have bits and bytes moving at nearly the speed of light. We can send our messages round the world faster than Paul Revere’s horse could blink.
What is that message? “Free to All.” We believe that everyone has a right to search and discover everything accumulated in our libraries, archives, and museums. The entirety of our cultural heritage should be freely available to everyone, not by applying for admission or purchasing a ticket at the door. It is everyone’s right by birth, a birthright that Revere, Hancock, and Adams claimed as free-born Englishmen, who on April 18, 1775, were transforming themselves into revolutionary Americans.
The American revolutionaries believed in the power of the word. But they had only word of mouth and the printing press. We have the Internet. Thanks to modern technology, we now can deliver every text in every research library to every citizen in our country, and to everyone in the world. If we fail to do so, we are not living up to our civic duty.
All of us are citizens in a republic much larger than the Republic of America. It is the Republic of Letters, a realm of the mind that extends everywhere, without police, national boundaries, or disciplinary frontiers. From the age of the Enlightenment it was open to all; but only a few could exercise their citizenship, for only a minority could read or afford to buy books.
I don’t mean to minimize the obstacles to the spread of knowledge today. Aside from the distressing inadequacy of our schools, we face commercial interests that would like to fence off the knowledge that belongs in the public domain and to charge admission for access to it. The DPLA stands for open access—democratization rather than commercialization.
That may sound suspiciously abstract and high-minded. But revolutions challenge us to articulate goals and formulate principles. The DPLA today is only a beginning, a small start down a long road with plenty of bumps, twists, and turns. It will require savvy and street smarts to travel down that road. But as we set out today, we can pause for a moment to contemplate our far–off goal: Armed by the best possible software and hardware, perched on a state-of-the-art platform, linked together in a distributed electronic system, we will open access to knowledge by making it free to all.
Robert Darnton is a professor and university librarian at Harvard University.
Comments at:
http://chronicle.com/blogs/
Sunday, 21 April 2013
THE LORD'S PRAYER
Our Father....
This is a prayer that Jesus Christ
taught us. In doing so, He was opening up our eyes and pointing us towards what
deeds we needed to do in order to feel fulfilled. It would enable divest from us
any semblance of selfishness, hypocrisy and ill-will.
Our Father; we are called
to say out His name, call on Him and be the children, daughter and son. We seek
our Father by clearly addressing Him to get His attention.
Who art in Heaven; we are
encouraged to acknowledge that He resides in an abode that is magnificent and
that there is our home too.
Hallowed be thy name;
this is a humble step that puts us in a position in which we are bowed and
kneeling.
Your Kingdom come; this
is a belief statement and part plea bargain.
Your will be done on earth as it
is in heaven; our Father’s will is for us to be subjects who partake of
His Kingdom. We are co-creators and co-workers in ensuring that all understand
and contribute in this Kingdom and kind-dome!
Forgive us our trespasses; Forgiven first by our Father gets us in His presence.
As we forgive those who trespass against
us; we should also not hold grudges.
Lead us not into temptation; be
our guide to you
And deliver us from all evil;
not only are you our guide but our sole protector too.
I am always humbled by the love
of Christ. Christ gave us every morsel and grand gift He could from heaven. He
knew the entire goings on and was faultless. He devised all the plans for our
salvation after our fall. He left us a letter that we should read, lead others
to read and empower many still in deed to put its words into action.
Saturday, 20 April 2013
Meaningful steps and lawful conduct; the dividends of my waiting!
In my adopted country, unless am
stopped and someone wants to know more about me I may be another new person in
the community. ‘Perhaps staying for a short time and return to Africa, Jamaica
or the Dominican Republic,’ many may add in contemplative reflection or for
others sardonically. I left my country as a manager and coordinator of a unit
in the Ministry of Health that researched, documented and profiled infections
and diseases. I left my family and community that I was used to. I also left
for fear of my life. I came to USA, to make sure I pursue my dreams and lead a
happier life. This, in USA, is a grail I hope will sit in one place and I shall
be able to take sips from it. I want to study science, be well grounded and one
day practice medicine in USA. In my mind I am able to track fast forward and
backtrack to present day. I am seeking asylum and at the mercy of public assistance.
I live with a host family and survive on a subsistence of USD 300 a month. Am very
grateful.
I have over time realized I need
to rely on my soft skills. I do help around and engage in community work. This
has helped me make friends. But, when I talk of soft skills, my finger is
pointing at: attitude, open-mindedness, resolve, consistence, competence,
humility, focus, service and industriousness. By attitude, this is what I mean:
I look at life from a humble but productive point of view. I have stripped
myself of all pretense and have reconciled myself with what is around me. At
home am making myself useful and dependable. I do ask for clarification and
direction on how to use, say, the coffee-maker or grating machine. I do like to
learn the American way of home-life. Even when I go down-town, this is the
attitude I move about with. By resolve, this is what I mean: I have designed a
work-plan, a schedule, to follow as I learn and read about being an American. I
have enrolled in remedial classes. I do read widely on American civics and government.
I do want to be informed. By consistence, focus and industriousness, this is
what I mean: I follow my schedule like clock-work. That way I have been able to
track what I do and that way I feel am empowering myself and improving on my
self-esteem. The above skills have enabled me get a certain level of competence
and it has enabled me navigate almost seamlessly in USA. I do hope one day, I
shall be able to be of help to others who want to make it productively in USA.
Self actualization for me is tied
to my stay in USA presently. I want to believe
that saying: the sky is the limit. I do want to earn my legalization and
eventually become a US citizen. I do read and study English, civics and other
subjects. I have been subjected to occasions of criminal background checks
because I do volunteer work with social-services organizations on short term
contracts. I also had the occasion to undergo Federal finger printing and
biometrics. I am hopeful these are steps towards a legal status. It is
painfully taking long, but am patient. I cannot legally earn money at this
point. I also may be forced to give up my chance of education until am legally
documented. I went to the Registry of motor vehicles to get an identity card; I
was told am not legally allowed to own a state ID. I still use my passport. I
have plans to be of more service, but I cannot because I do not have legal
status and a social security number. I am a car raring to go! All hope has not
been lost. I used my extra time to study. I have given over 6 months studying
mathematics and have tried many sums done up to undergraduate level. The other
day an organization I applied to has, provided me a window to do mentoring in
Mathematics and English for children 15-18 years. With legal status I shall be
able to integrate fully, serve more usefully in my community and invest with a
hope to get dividends. I shall be looked upon as a useful community member,
earn higher incomes, serve on jury duty, engage in local politics and engage in
elections.
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