The second set of posts in our 10-Minute Digital Librarian series has focused on helping users to stay safe online, through adopting good digital hygiene, as well as good cybersecurity in libraries themselves. At the heart of cybersecurity in particular is the effort to avoid unauthorised access to – or use of – important information, […]
Read moreThe COVID-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on our lives, societies and economies. Millions have fallen ill, and billions have faced restrictions on their movements, with early evidence indicating serious economic consequences. The next months will reveal more about how quickly it will be safe to lift the controls in place, and what the […]
Read moreLibraries and their users around the world are facing complexity and uncertainty, both in maintaining operations today, and in their future planning. Clearly a main area of concern is how to reopen and resume services safely for users and staff, given that our understanding of COVID-19 is still developing. Library associations and authorities are working […]
Read moreFor library and information workers around the world, the main challenge faced is how to continue providing usual services in extraordinary times. In order to minimise disruption to education, research and access to culture, great efforts are being made to address legal, financial, technical and practical challenges. Yet for some in the library field, these […]
Read moreAs highlighted last week, a key characteristic – and indeed mission – of public libraries is to provide a service that responds to the needs of their communities. This job can be made more difficult when the distance between people and libraries is greater, for example in rural communities. For people who lack transport, or […]
Read moreRecent stories about the activities – the misdeeds – of Cambridge Analytica have provided an illustration of the power of information. It is true that digital technologies and techniques allowing the ‘mining’ of data have opened up unprecedented opportunities to gain understanding of our environment, and ourselves. Just as it has turbo-charged scientific research, it […]
Read moreBy Stephen Wyber, Policy and Research Officer at IFLA (stephen.wyber[at]ifla.org) Sci-Hub is a free and open repository of some 50 million academic articles, almost all of which are copyrighted. It obtains its content, it appears, by using log-ins from people signed up to academic institutions. There is debate as to whether these log-ins are […]
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