Semantic Library

I took the long road back from ALA Annual held a few weeks back (ie, vacation), and in that time there’s been a few interesting developments.

LITA Top Technology Trends

This year’s Top Tech Trends featured a dizzying array of trends and technologies, as well as technologies in the room that didn’t always work quite as they should. Despite the glitches, it was an interesting experience to participate in the Meebo room and ask questions of the panel and other attendees there, and update to Twitter all while trying to listen to the panel and digest their trends. Some of the trends that I was glad to see noted included:

• The importance of open data (Marshall Breeding)
• The need for librarians to be experts at data analysis (Roy Tennant)
• Importance of paying attention to developments in the Semantic Web (John Blyberg)
• Ubiquity of mobile devices (Karen Coyle)

The biggest trend - mobiles

Mobiles, in particular, are going to reach a critical mass very quickly as data plans become more generous and more people upgrade to smartphones (let alone the hysteria over the new iPhone). They are also becoming the primary way of accessing the Internet in countries where access to computers and broadband is difficult, such as Latin America and Africa.

It is not particularly difficult to get at least your website to function in a mobile-based browser, and this should be the first step for libraries. The next stage is to improve access to catalogue data, by providing mobile-friendly OPACs or GPS type location ability to find books on the shelf.

Libraries also need to be thinking about applications for mobiles. Peter Brantley posts about the absence of library applications from the iPhone when it was launched last week, and says that surely we could do better -

“Was there some mysterious barrier that prevented libraries, and publishers, from grokking that their content might be desirable to have on a hip phone? That reading can be portable? That the sooner they figure out how to facilitate the integration of their content into the media flow of the user, the better off they will be?”

The iPhone SDK is readily available from Apple’s Developer Connection (the SDK is free but the Developer program starts at $99). So, what kinds of applications might we see on the iPhone? eBook readers? Federated search engines to access databases in a more phone-suitable interface? GPS-enabled catalogue searching? Although the iPhone is dominating the news at the moment, development should equally be taking place for Symbian, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile powered devices, as well as services for non-smartphone capable phones, like notifications by humble SMS.

Read more about getting started with mobile services for libraries on my earlier post, the importance of the mobile web. You may also be interested in picking up Ellyssa Kroski’s new Library Technology Report on the mobile web -

“In the report, author and library-technology blogger Ellyssa Kroski outlines the components of the mobile Web — the users, devices, the operating systems, the services, the content — and illuminates the research tracking how users currently engage with information on the World Wide Web via their mobile devices. Kroski also delineates several library mobile initiatives and provides a “how to” chapter for libraries interested in developing a mobile experience for their users.”

She has also put together an update on the iPhone 3G, released after the report was published.

Conferences on Semantic Web and libraries

There is a small, but growing, number of conferences which include the semantic web as a theme. If you are thinking of doing some travelling, a pre-conference to the IFLA Congress to be held in Milan 2009 will feature the semantic web and search technology. “Emerging trends in technology: libraries between Web 2.0, semantic web and search technology” [PDF, page 6] will be held in Florence in August 2009 -

“In this two-day conference we would like to address the synergies and potential use of all these three different aspects, the new web technologies, the semantic web and the existence new search technologies, which are having a deep impact in the services of the library-scene.”

Learning Program

The learning program over on the Semantic Library wiki is also taking shape with some excellent contributions. Feel free to make contributions of your own, and I’m hoping we can look at starting the program in the next few months. Many thanks to everyone who has already worked on it so far! 

I’ve written previously about the importance of the mobile web and the role of mobiles in social change. Now the United Nations Foundation (with Vodafone) has released a report on the use of mobiles by relief, advocacy, and development organisations (via Read/Write Web, Report: ‘Mobile Activism’ on the Rise).

One of the most interesting case studies look at the use of mobile devices is collecting and using health data [PDF]. Forms were created that health workers can use on a PDA to collect and update health statistics. The system is much more time-efficient and reliable than paper-based methods used previously.

Mobile Learning

Other mobile web initiatives include mobile learning. Dr Steve Yuen describes a project he is developing at Cell Phone Learning Support System (CPLSS) (Tech Learning blog) -

“My current (CPLSS) project is attempted to deliver instructional content and learning materials in way that fits into students’ cell phones - their digital lives. The CPLSS is designed to work with many cell phones, smartphones, or PDA phones and will have four major modules: Java book, Web book, audio book, and video book.”

While the concepts themselves aren’t new, as we’ve had previous learning systems developed for online learning, and mp3 players, what I like about this idea is simply the idea of shifting technology to new platforms.

Designing for all

Something we have to keep in mind as we create and modify information for new devices is the breadth of people who will use them. A post that linked to my earlier post about the mobile web asks if we are taking into account the needs of older mobile users. In Mobility issues or digital natives as seniors? from C3 Library -

“…this IS the main communication link up for so many but what will it morph into for the aging digital native? Not something we have to solve but an interesting issue given that the current devices aren’t really usable by the majority of the senior population. As we size everything down to be lighter and portable we also exclude and narrow the user group.”

I agree that it is essential to design for all. Not just those who are of a certain socioeconomic group or age, but also those with disabilities. If your site is built to mobile and web-accessibility standards, that takes care of the content, but what about the devices that you use the content on? There are some mobile screen reader programs available, such as Mobile Speak and Magnifier and TALKS&ZOOMS which magnify, highlight and read text much like PC software does now. Some phones can also use voice commands instead of the buttons. But on the whole, it is true that everything is getting smaller, with only a few exceptions of phones designed for older users that seem to appeal based on their being basic and excluding most features - like web browsing and email.

Learn More - on your phone!

If you want to learn more about the Mobile Web, the W3C is running a free online training course (keep your eye on the next one, registration for May 2008 just closed), An Introduction to W3C’s Mobile Web Best Practices.

More information about the work covered in the UN Foundation report can be found at Mobile Active, billed as “A resource for activists using mobile technology worldwide”.

Most of us have one, but other than texting, calls and primitive PDA functions for smartphone users, what can you do with your phone? Is the mobile web going to take off or be used only by those with a large enough screen and 3G connection? Recently, there has been debate about the future of the mobile web, most feel that development of mobile-only sites will fall by the wayside while standards-compliant, flexible sites that can be used on any device will become more popular. I’m betting on the latter.

For a time, I had a subscription to a localised version of i-Mode, which provided mobile-only versions of sites and charged subscription rates to each site. It was a success in Japan, where many users use a mobile much more than a PC, but failed quickly in Australia where users wanted to access sites in a similar way on their mobiles as their PC.  Development now is about optimising existing sites for mobile access.

Why the mobile web matters

The mobile web has the potential to bridge part of the digital divide, especially in developing nations. People may be distant from broadband or a computer, but they are increasingly likely to have a mobile phone. As I’ve written previously, mobiles are being used for social organising, health information and other essential communication.

The development of the mobile web is helped by;

• Use of text, to communicate with others users and internet sites
• 3G network development
• The availability of software designed for mobile web browsing, eg - Opera Mini, .mobi, Symbian
• Increasing ownership of mobile-ready devices

The mobile web has the potential to be part of the semantic web, because of the potential for resource discovery. NTT DoCoMo, one of Japan’s largest telecommunication companies gives the example of discovering music [PDF] through Internet radio as a way of building ontologies and preferences.

What libraries are doing with the mobile web

Libraries are developing SMS reference services, mobile-friendly OPACs, and optimising content for mobile phone screens [PPT] . QR-Codes have potential for libraries - barcodes embedded in handouts or posters can send mobile users to further links, audio and information.

Further reading:

• Slaven, Cathy, 2006. Designing webpages for mobile handheld devices: Improving the client experience [PPT] . QULOC Information and Communication Technology Working Party, 28 August 2006
• Davis, Kate. 2007. More on mobile phones. Virtually a Librarian.
• Greenhill, Kathryn. 2007. Why libraries should care about mobile phones Librarians Matter
• Schmidt, Aaron. 2007. The current state of SMS in libraries. Walking Paper

Is your site ready?

Mobile web emulators can help you to troubleshoot how your site displays on different devices, and Opera provides a simulator for the mobile version of their browser, Opera Mini. Test your site to see if it is mobile ready.

Guidelines and resources

Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0 Basic Guidelines W3C Proposed Recommendation, 2 November 2006
W3C Mobile Web Initiative

Blogs to watch

• Handheld Librarian
• W3C Mobile Web Best Practices Working Group’s Blog
• dotMobi

Got more resources you’d like to share? Add them to the wiki or leave a comment!

(Note: This was previously a page on the blog but I’ve moved and updated it, in case you thought you’d read ths before!)

Underlying the technology, the standards, the markup, the startups, there has to be a strong sense of purpose behind websites and web projects for them to be successful and used. For libraries, in the past that was putting the catalogue online, now it’s making the catalogue and its data open. For bloggers, it’s dissemination of ideas, and for others, building a community of practice [PDF].

Some of the most interesting developments online are projects aimed at social change, technology for non-profits, and information for advocacy. Whether these projects aim to persuade, organise, raise awareness, or raise funds they have something in common - using the web for a purpose.

So what’s this got to do with the Semantic Web?

On the surface of it, the Semantic Web is about creating relationships between data. This gives data flexibility and strength. Open data enables raw research information, records and more to be shared and built upon by others. Because of the power of data, many not-for-profit designers and activists are putting their energy into developing mashups and visualising information. NetSquared is currently running a mashup competition to show how they can be used for social change. The Tactical Technology Collective prepared a booklet on Information Visualization for Advocacy to show the power of presenting information as images, not just static tables and bar charts. Expect to see more projects of this type as the ability to link and build on data with RDF and query data with SPARQL and other Semantic Web tools takes off.

Tools for Change

Ethan Zuckerman has posted notes from his talk at ETech, a talk that was entitled The Cute Cat Theory of Digital Activism. It’s a fascinating look at all aspects of activism online, from using Google Maps to track the whereabouts of government aircraft, to pointing out injustices in land ownership; to Twitter and SMS to connect people and spread news fast. CNN’s Inside Africa program recently covered the impact of mobile phones in Africa for social organising, sharing information, and helping in the fight against HIV/AIDS by reminding people when to take their medication.  This is what we can do today. With the ability to exchange data and create meaning, these tools will be even more dynamic with the Semantic Web.

Another fascinating article looking at the hype and reality of web 2.0 and the promise of the social web for activism and change is Trebor Scholz’s article in this month’s First Monday, Market Ideology and the Myths of Web 2.0. Scholz concludes -

By defining today’s Social Web solely through the lens of business, however, we loose track of all that, which the Web could be. Re–imagine the Social Web as a place for unmarketed, non–mainstream projects that caters to all needs of those who inhabit it.

Purpose + the Semantic Web

One of the great things about the Semantic Web is that it has the ability to provide so many services and benefits to research, data, activism, and advocacy, and to link researchers with readers and librarians, and so on. But it is important to ensure that this focus is emphasised as the Semantic Web continues to develop.

I became interested in the Semantic Web because of its potential for eResearch. As librarians, we assist researchers with databases and datasets made by others (often commercially) all the time. What role might we play in helping researchers to create their own? And how will the outputs of this data, research and social change interact online in the future? How can we help to guide and shape these processes?

One of the biggest stories out of this year’s Mobile World Congress, being held this week in Barcelona, is that companies are making moves to cut exorbitant roaming fees for accessing the Internet on phones (within Europe, at least). This is significant as it has the possibility to impact the amount of browsing people do on their phones, and what they browse for. However it should be noted that they aren’t necessarily cutting rates voluntarily.

Right now, I’m living in the Netherlands and have a very basic pre-paid SIM for my phone. I brought my phone from Australia for which I have a $5/month contract for 50 mb of data. There are some great applications available for the Symbian platform but high prices keep me from browsing much more than email and the occasional news headlines.

But with moves to begin dropping prices, libraries should take a look at the example provided by libraries in Asia which are leading the way with downloads triggered by barcodes, and mobile-friendly catalogues and content. Find out more on the mobile web and the semantic library page.