Assignment #9 involved creating another two-page bibliography on a topic using Google Scholar. Again, the topic I chose was Copyright and Access. In assignment #8, I created a similar bibliography using the Library Literature and Information Science Full Text Database (LLIS) and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), which I accessed through Kent State.
I found that both sites had their own advantages and disadvantages, with neither being the obvious choice for this type of work. At the same time, combining the LLIS and SSCI with Google Scholar would be a useful combination.
Like all things Google, Scholar is fast. I began with a simple search for copyright access and had 2.6 million hits. Google Scholar conveniently shows how many articles have cited the article on the results page. Finding this was a two step process involving both the LLIS and the SSCI. Also, many of the articles on Google Scholar had well over 5 citations (the required minimum) with some in the hundreds.
While it is fast, there are several areas that Google Scholar is lacking compared with the LLIS/SSCI combination. The first result from my Google Scholar search ended up being a Powerpoint presentation, not the correct format or a source that I would want to site. Additionally, there is no way to search for full-text, so some of the results were abstracts or citations only. Even when a search returned a full-text result, it didn't mean I could read it, because many of the results come from subscription databases like the Social Science Research Network and InformaWorld. Without access to these databases, there is no way to access the journal article. This was frustrating, because many of the most interesting articles were in one database, HeinOnline. This is not a problem with the LLIS because you are searching within the database and therefore have access to its contents. A discussion with a current college student confirmed that he had been stymied by the lack of access to these databases trying to use Google Scholar.
I am also unsure of how Google Scholar comes up with the number of citations it lists. Many of the subscription databases also offer this service, however their number would be significantly lower than those quoted by Google Scholar. Perhaps they are only referring to other journals within their databases. You can view a list of the citations by clicking on the link, so there is a way to follow the trail and verify them if necessary.
To summarize, neither method was the clear winner with both excelling and failing in important areas. The access to subscription databases is the main difference, and it is unlikely that content providers will remove this, since it would mean a loss of revenue.
The citations:
Arms, CR. (1999). Getting the picture: observations from the library of congress on providing online access to pictoral images. Library Trends, 48(2), 379-409.
Citations: 20
Bennett, S. (1994). The Copyright challenge: strengthening the public interest in the digital age. Library Journal, 119(19), Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp? _nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ493395& ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ493395
Citations: 9
Covey, D.T. (2005). Acquiring copyright permissions to digitize and provide open access to books. Washington, DC: Digital Library Federation. http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub134/pub134grey.pdf
Citations: 313
Gadd, E. (1997). Copyright clearance for the digital library: a practical guide to gaining electronic permissions for journal articles. Serials, 10(1), Retrieved from http://uksg.metapress.com/app/home/contribution.asp? referrer=parent&backto=issue,5,17;journal,42,69;linkingpublicationresults, 1:107730,1 doi: 10.1629/1027
Citations: 7
Gasaway, LN. (2002-2003). The New access right and its impact on libraries and library users. Journal of Intellectual Property Law, 10. Retrieved from http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage? collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/intpl10&div=18&id=&page=
Citations: 23
Ginsburg, JC. (1993). Copyright without walls?: Speculations on the literary property in the library of the future. Representations, 42. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/pss/2928618
Citations: 18
Ginsburg, JC. (2003). From having copies to experiencing works: The development of an access right in U.S. copyright law. Journal of the Copyright Society of the USA, Vol. 50, p. 113, 2003. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=222493 or doi:10.2139/ssrn.222493
Citations: 71
Heide, TP., Copyright in the EU and U.S.: What 'Access-Right'?. Journal of the Copyright Society of the USA, Vol. 48, No. 3, Spring 2001. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=270861 or doi:10.2139/ssrn.270861
Citations: 31
Jensen, MB. (1993). Is the Library without walls on a collision course with the 1976 copyright act?. Law Library Journal, 85. Retrieved from http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage? collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/llj85&div=50&id=&page=
Citations: 17
Koch, E, & Zhao, J. (1995). Towards robust and hidden image copyright labeling. Proceedings of the 1995 IEEE Workshop on Nonlinear Signal and Image Processing, http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download? doi=10.1.1.49.2067&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Citations: 375
Proskine, EA. (2006). Google's technicolor dreamcoat: A copyright analysis of the Google book search library project. Berkeley Technology Law Journal, 21. Retrieved from http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage? collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/berktech21&div=25&id=&page= Citations: 26
Rhind, D. (1992). Data access, charging and copyright and their implications for geographical information systems. International Journal of Geographical Information Systems, 6(1), 13-30. doi:10.1080/02693799208901892
Citations: 35
Suber, P. (2002). Open access to the scientific journal literature. Journal of Biology, 1(3), Retrieved from http://jbiol.com/content/1/1/3 doi: 10.1186/1475-4924-1-3
Citations: 45
Suber, P. (2003, February). Removing the barriers to research: An introduction to open access for librarians. College & Research Libraries News, (64), Retrieved from http://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/3715477/suber_crln.html?sequence=5 Citations: 98
Tushnet, R. (2005-2006). My Library: Copyright and the role of institutions in a peer-to-peer world. UCLA Law Review, 53. Retrieved from http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage? collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/uclalr53&div=31&id=&page=
Citations: 23
Showing posts with label copyright. Show all posts
Showing posts with label copyright. Show all posts
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog
The next assignment in my "Access to Information" class was to use the Library of Congress's online catalog for Prints and Photographs. It followed the Flickr assignment, so a comparison was inevitable.
I began with a simple search for "Jazz." I wasn't sure how much detail I would need in my search, so I figured the broader, the better. The search returned 159 pages of results. This did not yield the trove of images that it would imply, because many of the results are not actually images, but reference images in the the LOC catalog. Sometimes, it even states, "Not Digitized," a curious statement to find in an online collection of digitized photographs. Also, it was disappointing to find out that most of the images can be displayed only as thumbnails outside of the LOC because of copyright considerations.
I did find the layout to be very well conceived, especially that users can toggle the view from List to Grid. This also simplifies viewing, because clicking on the image takes you straight to it, bypassing the information screen. This is still accessible, by clicking "About This Item."
The "Jazz" search did not yield much, so I changed to the "1950s." This was too vague, so I tried the "Gilded Age." Photography was relatively new during this time so it predictably yielded little. Finally a search for "Cold War," brought 44 pages of results. Unfortunately, I again found myself looking at thumbnails and place holders for collections. Many of the images were detailed political cartoon, which could not be read because of the size of the image. That the LOC places these images online in this form makes them next to useless. I understand that copyright law is involved here, but surely they can look to Flickr for ideas about how to display images large enough for people to view them comfortably and yet with enough protection that they aren't easily pilfered.
It is obvious from searching the site that the LOC has an incredible collection of images with great historical and culture significance. Unfortunately, rather than expanding access to them, their online catalog merely offers a small taste, and then encourages the viewer to come to D.C. for the full meal. Interestingly, in the "About Prints and Photographs" section, the LOC explains that thumbnails are
only available for some images because of "potential rights considerations." It is unfortunate that copyright law lumps the online display of the LOC's historic collections into the same category as a bootleg copy of "Avatar."
I began with a simple search for "Jazz." I wasn't sure how much detail I would need in my search, so I figured the broader, the better. The search returned 159 pages of results. This did not yield the trove of images that it would imply, because many of the results are not actually images, but reference images in the the LOC catalog. Sometimes, it even states, "Not Digitized," a curious statement to find in an online collection of digitized photographs. Also, it was disappointing to find out that most of the images can be displayed only as thumbnails outside of the LOC because of copyright considerations.
I did find the layout to be very well conceived, especially that users can toggle the view from List to Grid. This also simplifies viewing, because clicking on the image takes you straight to it, bypassing the information screen. This is still accessible, by clicking "About This Item."
The "Jazz" search did not yield much, so I changed to the "1950s." This was too vague, so I tried the "Gilded Age." Photography was relatively new during this time so it predictably yielded little. Finally a search for "Cold War," brought 44 pages of results. Unfortunately, I again found myself looking at thumbnails and place holders for collections. Many of the images were detailed political cartoon, which could not be read because of the size of the image. That the LOC places these images online in this form makes them next to useless. I understand that copyright law is involved here, but surely they can look to Flickr for ideas about how to display images large enough for people to view them comfortably and yet with enough protection that they aren't easily pilfered.
It is obvious from searching the site that the LOC has an incredible collection of images with great historical and culture significance. Unfortunately, rather than expanding access to them, their online catalog merely offers a small taste, and then encourages the viewer to come to D.C. for the full meal. Interestingly, in the "About Prints and Photographs" section, the LOC explains that thumbnails are
only available for some images because of "potential rights considerations." It is unfortunate that copyright law lumps the online display of the LOC's historic collections into the same category as a bootleg copy of "Avatar."
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