A very impressive example of the power of digitisation to support 'book culture' comes from the creation of the digital version of the Codex Siniaticus, the earliest version of the Christian Bible, dating from the fourth century. No complete version of the original parchment manuscript exists anywhere; the 800 pages are scattered in museums and… Continue reading Codex Siniaticus; the good side of digital
Author: dbawden
Impact factors and half-lives
It's that time of year when academic journal editors nervously look at the Web of Science data to see how they've done compared with their competitors, as assessed by the magic bibliometrics that are now the basis of any assessment of how 'good' a journal is. In my case, of course, I was looking to… Continue reading Impact factors and half-lives
Transferred illusions
I've just written a review of Marilyn Deegan and Kathryn Sutherland's Transferred lllusions: digital technology and the forms of print for the journal Alexandria. This is a modified version: The so-called 'digital transition' has been at the forefront of the minds of many library / information specialists over the past few years, as the certainties… Continue reading Transferred illusions
Ray Bradbury, libraries and the Internet
According to a New York Times story, science fiction icon and general guru, is fighting to save his local public library in Ventura County, California. Bradbury is, of course, most famous for his depiction of book burning in his novel Fahrenheit 451, but the NYT reminds us that some of his other books have significant… Continue reading Ray Bradbury, libraries and the Internet
Occasional tweeting
After resisting for a long while, I have finally joined Twitter. I image that my tweeting will be even more occasional than my blogging, but for anyone interested it's @david_bawden. Yes, the underscore does matter.
Inforum proceedings
The proceedings of the Prague Inforum conference, which I mentioned in a previous post, are now available online here. They are of interest to anyone concerned with the use of digital information sources, particularly though not entirely in a Central European context. My own paper, 'Library / information prospects: three views of the future', can… Continue reading Inforum proceedings
Prague’s New Library
I had the opportunity last week to see around the newly built, though not yet opened, State Technical Library in Prague, thanks to the kindness of Martin Svoboda, its director. Very different from its predecessor in the mediaeval town centre, the new library sits in a campus suburb a few stops away on the metro.… Continue reading Prague’s New Library
Everyday information practices
Having just read a highly interesting new book by Reijo Savolainen of the University of Tampere, Finland, on his work on 'everyday information practices', I was inspired to use this as the basis for an editorial in the Journal of Documentation. This is some of what I wrote: Everyday practices of documentation, and the influence… Continue reading Everyday information practices
Inforum conference in Prague
As part of my visit to Prague last week, I gave a presentation to the opening session of the InForum conference. This is an international meeting, albeit with a mainly Central European audience, covering all aspects of modern librarianship and information science. It was the first time I had attended; it is a very efficiently-run… Continue reading Inforum conference in Prague
Prague Generations
Last week, I had the pleasure of running a workshop on the idea of 'information generations', and their significance for library / information providers. The pleasure was magnified by being, not only in the lovely city of Prague, but in the (literally) palatial surroundings of the Bredovsky Palace, the home of Charles University's Centre for… Continue reading Prague Generations
The Occasional Informationist 