[Sigiii-l] FW: First Monday December 2004

Mon Dec 6 15:01:52 EST 2004

 [Forwarded.  Dick Hill]

_____
Richard B. Hill
Executive Director
American Society for Information Science and Technology
1320 Fenwick Lane, Suite 510
Silver Spring, MD  20910
Fax: (301) 495-0810
Voice: (301) 495-0900 
-----Original Message-----
From: Readership of First Monday [mailto:FIRSTMONDAY at LISTSERV.UIC.EDU] On
Behalf Of Edward J. Valauskas
Sent: Monday, December 06, 2004 2:38 PM
To: FIRSTMONDAY at LISTSERV.UIC.EDU
Subject: First Monday December 2004

Dear Reader,

The December 2004 issue of First Monday (volume 9, number 12) is now
available at http:// firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_12/

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Table of Contents

Volume 9, Number 12 - December 6th 2004

Gifting technologies
by Kevin McGee and Jorgen Skageby
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_12/mcgee/

Abstract:

File-sharing has become very popular in recent years, but for many this has
become synonymous with file-getting. However, there is strong evidence to
suggest that people have strong giving (or
gifting) needs. This evidence suggests an opportunity for the development of
gifting technologies - and it also suggests an important research question
and challenge: what needs and concerns do gifters have and what technologies
can be developed to help them? In this paper, we discuss the existing
literature on gifting, report on an initial study of gifting in an online
sharing community, and suggest some ways the study results can inform future
research into gifting desires - as well as the design of specific gifting
technologies.

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Open access to law in developing countries by Daniel Poulin
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_12/poulin/

Abstract:

Securing a widespread and, whenever possible, free, access to legal
information has become important everywhere. Open access has higher stakes
in developing countries where access to law is often difficult. In this
particular context, free access to statutes and case law could significantly
contribute to a better establishment of the rule of law and an overall
consolidation of national legal institutions.

Never before have better conditions existed for a wider circulation of law.
The Internet and related
technologies have dramatically revolutionized the possibilities of cheaply
providing high-quality, low-cost access to national legal documentation. In
this article, elements of a strategy aimed at developing open access to law
in developing countries are put forth.

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Pulling sense out of today's informational chaos: LiveJournal as a site of
knowledge creation and sharing by Kate Raynes-Goldie
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_12/raynes/

Abstract:

The informational overload currently facing Western society is changing the
way we understand the world as well as rendering obsolete our current ways
of managing information and creating knowledge. With these changes in mind,
I will examine the blogging service LiveJournal as a new and more applicable
way of managing information and creating knowledge in today's society.

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SDP-city against a vicious circle!
by Erzsebet Angster
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_12/angster/

Abstract:

This paper characterizes the software development craft's vicious circle and
proposes the first steps required to get out of it. As long as future
software developers have no exemplary software (with patterns, design, and
documentation) to study, the present software developers will not produce
exemplary software. To overcome this, the first step is to make exemplary
software widely available, and help developers to produce them. Despite most
open source software being accessible, finding exemplary and qualified work
is hard.

A software city is proposed for teaching and learning purposes, where (1)
all works are open; (2) there is a pattern repository with the most
important building elements and principles; (3) the patterns are underpinned
by concrete, complete, running and documented examples (Software Development
Pack or SDP); and, (4) experts help builders, and qualify the works. Only
quality works are easy to use and easy to reuse. Let's build an SDP-city
where, besides cathedrals and bazaars, you can also find a city hall,
schools, and exhibitions!

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Libraries and university presses can collaborate to improve scholarly
communication or "Why can't we all just get along?"
by Mary Alice Ball
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_12/ball/

Abstract:

Scholarly communication is evolving to meet the challenges and opportunities
of the current technological era. Research universities expect academic
libraries and presses to overcome cultural differences and collaborate to
improve the production and dissemination of scholarship. This paper examines
the separate worlds of libraries and presses and explores the common ground
between the two where collaborations occur, particularly those related to
monographic publications.

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Changing patterns of Internet usage and challenges at colleges and
universities by Tena F. McQueen and Robert A. Fleck, Jr.
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_12/mcqueen/

Abstract:

Increased enrollments, changing student expectations, and shifting patterns
of Internet access and usage continue to generate resource and
administrative challenges for colleges and universities.
Computer center staff and college administrators must balance increased
access demands, changing system loads, and system security within
constrained resources.

To assess the changing academic computing environment, computer center
directors from several geographic regions were asked to respond to an online
questionnaire that assessed patterns of usage, resource allocation, policy
formulation, and threats. Survey results were compared with data from a
study conducted by the authors in 1999. The analysis includes changing
patterns in Internet usage, access, and supervision. The paper also presents
details of usage by institutional type and application as well as
recommendations for more precise resource assessment by college
administrators.

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Libraries and national security: An historical review by Joan Starr
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_12/starr/

Abstract:

The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks launched the United States into a
new era of defensive preparedness. The U.S. federal government's first
legislative action in October 2001 was the passage of the Uniting and
Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept
and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act). The USA PATRIOT Act
introduced a greatly heightened level of government intrusion into many
aspects of ordinary life, including library use.
When, in the past, authorities called upon the library profession to serve
national security interests in these ways, individual librarians and the
profession as a whole have experienced an evolving tension between their
roles as guardians of public well-being and as protectors of intellectual
freedom. This is a fundamental issue, one that reflects upon the
profession's view of itself and of its place in American life. Librarians
once again face this challenge. An inquiry into the similarities and
differences with the past may aid in suggesting a response that is both
professionally sound and individually appropriate.

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FM Interviews: McKenzie Wark
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_12/wark/

McKenzie Wark teaches media and cultural studies at the New School
University in New York City. His most recent book is "A Hacker Manifesto"
(Harvard University Press, 2004). For many years he was an active
participant in the nettime listserve, and also on fibreculture, syndicate,
and a few other experiments in "collaborative filtering." "A Hacker
Manifesto" grows out of that experience, and attempts to provide a theory to
go with the practice of creating and sharing free knowledge in a digital
gift economy. He is the author of a number of other books, including
"Dispositions" (Salt Books, 2002) and "Virtual Geography" (Indiana
University Press, 1994) and was a co-editor of the nettime anthology
"Readme!" (Autonomedia).

This interview was conducted with First Monday's Chief Editor Ed Valauskas,
stimulated in part by "A Hacker Manifesto."

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