Websites, blogs and social media have made it tempting—and easy—to copy or link to images or video/music clips we come across on the Internet. But doing so without permission exposes you—and your employer—to a minefield of potential legal trouble. The original creator or content owner can sue you for copyright infringement, and it can get expensive and be damaging to...
The PACER database was established in 1988 to provide the public with fee-based online access to federal court filings, and in the 30 years since, individuals and organizations have come to rely on it for their legal research needs. While researchers value PACER as a key resource for federal court documents, criticism has been mounting over requiring payment of fees...
Information centers, whether in traditional libraries, law firms, or universities, must deal with a growing number of third-party vendors like LexisNexis, Thomson Reuters (Westlaw), and 3M Library Systems, just to name a few, which provide products and services essential to a modern research enterprise. Library professionals are not expert negotiators and so may feel intimidated by the prospect of negotiating...
SLA chose the theme of “be more” for the group’s 2018 Annual Conference. It’s actually “Bmore” in reference to the show’s Baltimore location, but the concept of being more is valid as librarianship continues to evolve. Those of you planning to attend SLA 2018, June 11-13 at the Baltimore Convention Center, will have plenty to see, hear and learn while there,...
With a large volume of content, it’s tempting to solely use an automated system for tagging and annotation. While today’s machine learning and rules-based platforms can achieve a reasonable level of classification, they haven’t yet approached human ability when it comes to reading more deeply into the material and applying tags that might be relevant, but not obvious. Librarians and...
"Your job was terminated!? What are you going to do?” "Maybe I'll just go into purchasing. Anyone can do that right? I buy stuff all the time.” Yes, people buy stuff all the time, but that's not the same as professional procurement. Even people who pride themselves on their product and vendor research skills and their negotiation savvy do not understand all...
Many federal agencies maintain archives of historical data that is recorded on media that is becoming – or already is – obsolete. Federal librarians are grappling with preserving media like acetate microfilm and nitrate film. Without these preservation efforts, we could lose historical data that has relevance today....
Nitrate film vaults built inside a mountain! The newest nitrate film made! Martin Scorcese’s own personal print on the big screen! The 4th Nitrate Picture Show, held May 3-6 at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, once again did not disappoint lovers and guardians of filmmaking history. Anyone interested in the historic and artistic aspects of nitrate-based cinematography should attend this...
It’s mid-May and Americans are looking forward to Memorial Day weekend for our own selfish reasons—a day off and the unofficial start of summer. More importantly, let’s remember the reason for this holiday: To honor those who died while serving our country. We can also express our appreciation for their valor and leadership....
When it comes to transferring large digital files, the common concerns are speed, security and integrity—ensuring content reaches its destination in a safe, timely fashion, its original form intact. Hollywood’s unique digital file transfer needs Large file management has become a persistent headache for many enterprises, but perhaps none of them feel the pain as acutely as commercial movie studios and other...