stories to tell: the making of our digital nation. april 2010

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Stories to Tell: The making Stories to Tell: The making of Our Digital Nationof Our Digital Nation

Rose Holley – National Library of AustraliaRose Holley – National Library of [email protected]@nla.gov.au

The 2010 National Trust Heritage Festival at Mosman LibraryThe 2010 National Trust Heritage Festival at Mosman Library

22 April 201022 April 2010

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Changing Information Changing Information LandscapeLandscape

Millions of cultural Millions of cultural heritage items are heritage items are now digitised and now digitised and accessible online.accessible online.

In Australia 66% of In Australia 66% of population has population has internet broadband internet broadband access.access. (Dec 2009 ABS)(Dec 2009 ABS)

Photo courtesy Genevieve Bell. Location: near Morgan, South Australia

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Pre web, information was Produced by a relatively few large

and powerful publishers Discovered by metadata hand-

crafted by librarians Expensive and centralised

Post web, information is Produced by anyone Discovered by full text and

bottom-up linking effects Cheap and distributed

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Year: 2010Year: 2010

Technology has turned discover on its Technology has turned discover on its head:head:

Content can be created by anyoneContent can be created by anyone Content can be described by anyoneContent can be described by anyone

Libraries, museums and archives are Libraries, museums and archives are now even more relevant in our society now even more relevant in our society and needed – why?and needed – why?

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How are libraries differentHow are libraries differentto Google/Amazon/Flickr?to Google/Amazon/Flickr?

Long term preservation and accessLong term preservation and access

Not constrained by commercial pressuresNot constrained by commercial pressures

Universal accessUniversal access

““Free for all”Free for all”

ALWAYS and FOREVER….ALWAYS and FOREVER….

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‘‘Web 2.0’Web 2.0’

Web 2.0 = Social engagement on the internetWeb 2.0 = Social engagement on the internet

Interactions with data and other users have been Interactions with data and other users have been enabled online e.g.enabled online e.g.Marking, reviewing, rating, tagging, Marking, reviewing, rating, tagging,

commenting on itemscommenting on itemsUser Forums, Blogs, FacebookUser Forums, Blogs, FacebookThe world of hyper-linkingThe world of hyper-linking

……Helps individuals to help themselves……

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Next step = CrowdsourcingNext step = Crowdsourcing Call on the whole ‘crowd’ to help youCall on the whole ‘crowd’ to help you The ‘crowd’ – public volunteers The ‘crowd’ – public volunteers Working toward a clear goalWorking toward a clear goal Goal is big and for the ‘common good’Goal is big and for the ‘common good’ Each person does small tasksEach person does small tasks Usually using web 2.0 social Usually using web 2.0 social

engagement strategiesengagement strategies The crowd motivates each other and The crowd motivates each other and

communicates onlinecommunicates online A virtual community is formedA virtual community is formed An amazing thing is achievedAn amazing thing is achieved

A book to read: Clay Shirky ‘Here comes everybody’.A book to read: Clay Shirky ‘Here comes everybody’.

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For ExampleFor Example Using our knowledge to write articles to make a Using our knowledge to write articles to make a

free online encyclopaedia.free online encyclopaedia. Transcribing birth, death and marriage hand written Transcribing birth, death and marriage hand written

records so that they become searchable online. records so that they become searchable online. Recording local history.Recording local history. Making out of copyright books electronically Making out of copyright books electronically

available.available. Improving the quality of full-text historic Improving the quality of full-text historic

newspapers.newspapers.

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What does this mean?What does this mean?

For libraries, museums, archives: For libraries, museums, archives:

We have rich content and need to give make it We have rich content and need to give make it

all accessible to the public.all accessible to the public.

We have the technology to give the public We have the technology to give the public

online tools to do stuff with it.online tools to do stuff with it.

““Freedom is actually a bigger game than power. Freedom is actually a bigger game than power.

Power is about what you can control. Freedom Power is about what you can control. Freedom

is about what you can unleash.”is about what you can unleash.”

Harriet RubinHarriet Rubin

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For People: For People: anyone/everyone can helpanyone/everyone can help

Flickr: LucLeqay

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Community has:

1. Enthusiasm

3. Time

Transcribe

Share

2. Knowledge

Create

Describe

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You can help libraries to…..You can help libraries to…..

1.1. Achieve goals that they would never Achieve goals that they would never have the resource to do themselves have the resource to do themselves by giving your time.by giving your time.

2.2. Improve and add value to items and Improve and add value to items and services by sharing your knowledge. services by sharing your knowledge.

3.3. Help take responsibility for the Help take responsibility for the curation of public cultural heritage curation of public cultural heritage items.items.

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Why help? What’s in it for Why help? What’s in it for you?you?

I love itI love it It’s interesting and funIt’s interesting and fun It is a worthy causeIt is a worthy cause It’s addictiveIt’s addictive I am helping with something important e.g. I am helping with something important e.g.

recording history, finding new thingsrecording history, finding new things I want to do some voluntary workI want to do some voluntary work I want to help I want to help non-profit making organisations like non-profit making organisations like

librarieslibraries I want to learn somethingI want to learn something It’s a challengeIt’s a challenge I want to give something back to the communityI want to give something back to the community You trust me to do it so I’ll do itYou trust me to do it so I’ll do it

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The machine is Us/ing usThe machine is Us/ing us

"Don't under estimate the power of people "Don't under estimate the power of people who join together…. they can accomplish who join together…. they can accomplish amazing things,"amazing things,"

Barack Obama 19 Jan 2009 Speaking on community engagement and Barack Obama 19 Jan 2009 Speaking on community engagement and involvement and voluntary workinvolvement and voluntary work

You Tube Video The machine is Us/ing us.You Tube Video The machine is Us/ing us.http://www.youtube.com/watch?http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=NLlGopyXT_g&feature=channelv=NLlGopyXT_g&feature=channel

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Australian NewspapersAustralian Newspapers

17 million articles now, 40 million by 2011

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Sydney Morning Herald Sydney Morning Herald 1831 – 1954 now available 1831 – 1954 now available

onlineonline

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Tag, comment, fix up Tag, comment, fix up articlesarticles

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Easy…..Easy…..

2020

AchievementsAchievements

March 2010 (1.5 yrs since release)March 2010 (1.5 yrs since release) 9,000+ volunteers9,000+ volunteers 12 million lines of text corrected in 12 million lines of text corrected in

600,000 newspaper articles600,000 newspaper articles 400,000 tags added400,000 tags added 7,600 comments added7,600 comments added

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Hall of FameHall of Fame

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391,378 lines improved

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Picture AustraliaPicture Australia

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Contribute your photos via Contribute your photos via flickrflickr

65,000 photos added by 2,500 people

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/8773698@N03/3222233854/

L Plater’s photostream

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Activity is valued by Activity is valued by librarieslibraries

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Flickr CommonsFlickr Commons

•State Library of Queensland

•Australian War Memorial

•State Library of New South Wales

•Powerhouse Museum

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Images in public domain, add notes, tags, comments, help identify and describe

303085 million items from Australian organisations

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WikipediaWikipedia

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150,000 active volunteers

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WikiNorthiaWikiNorthia

Online encyclopaedia for Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

Funded by public libraries, created by the public.

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WikisheppWikishepp

Goulburn Library and University of Melbourne, co-ordinating writing groups for local encyclopedia.

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Distributed ProofreadersDistributed Proofreaders

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9 years, 90,000 volunteers, 16,000 e-books

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FamilySearchIndexingFamilySearchIndexing

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160,000 volunteers – BDM records internationally

334 million names so far.

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Ryerson indexRyerson index

2 million names transcribed from recent newspapers

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AustraliaGenWebAustraliaGenWeb

Volunteer to Transcribe from hard copy archives or maintain a State GenWeb hub

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Shipping in Australian Shipping in Australian waterswaters

Transcribing from microfilm in NSW

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Founders and survivorsFounders and survivors

New site – April 2010. What can you tell us about convicts?

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SummarySummary Enhancing Australian NewspapersEnhancing Australian Newspapers Adding pictures of people, places, Adding pictures of people, places,

events to Picture Australia/Troveevents to Picture Australia/Trove Adding comments to resources in Adding comments to resources in

TroveTrove Wikipedia articles on local communityWikipedia articles on local community Transcribing family indexes/archives Transcribing family indexes/archives

on localityon locality

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How can you help?How can you help?

Volunteer to help online Volunteer to help online Publicize projects – spread the wordPublicize projects – spread the wordLet libraries know what you want to do Let libraries know what you want to do

with their data and how you could helpwith their data and how you could helpWe need an open wiki to list all these We need an open wiki to list all these

sites that you can volunteer for…put it sites that you can volunteer for…put it on Wikipedia crowdsourcing page..on Wikipedia crowdsourcing page..

Create new projectsCreate new projects

5353Thomas Hawk - flickrThomas Hawk - flickr

Thank you, and what did I miss?

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Times are changing….Times are changing….

Medieval helpdeskMedieval helpdesk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQHX-SjgQvQv=pQHX-SjgQvQ