1 Stories to Tell: The making of Our Digital Nation Rose Holley – National Library of Australia The 2010 National Trust Heritage Festival at Mosman Library 22 April 2010

2 Changing Information Landscape Millions of cultural heritage items are now digitised and accessible online. Millions of cultural heritage items are now digitised and accessible online. In Australia 66% of population has internet broadband access. In Australia 66% of population has internet broadband access. (Dec 2009 ABS) (Dec 2009 ABS) Photo courtesy Genevieve Bell. Location: near Morgan, South Australia

3 Pre web, information was Produced by a relatively few large and powerful publishers Discovered by metadata hand-crafted by librarians Expensive and centralised Post web, information is Produced by anyone Discovered by full text and bottom-up linking effects Cheap and distributed

4 Year: 2010 Technology has turned discover on its head: Content can be created by anyone Content can be created by anyone Content can be described by anyone Content can be described by anyone Libraries, museums and archives are now even more relevant in our society and needed – why?

5 How are libraries different to Google/Amazon/Flickr? Long term preservation and access Long term preservation and access Not constrained by commercial pressures Not constrained by commercial pressures Universal access Universal access Free for all Free for all ALWAYS and FOREVER….

6 Web 2.0 Web 2.0 = Social engagement on the internet Interactions with data and other users have been enabled online e.g. Marking, reviewing, rating, tagging, commenting on items Marking, reviewing, rating, tagging, commenting on items User Forums, Blogs, Facebook User Forums, Blogs, Facebook The world of hyper-linking The world of hyper-linking ……Helps individuals to help themselves……

7 Next step = Crowdsourcing Call on the whole crowd to help you Call on the whole crowd to help you The crowd – public volunteers The crowd – public volunteers Working toward a clear goal Working toward a clear goal Goal is big and for the common good Goal is big and for the common good Each person does small tasks Each person does small tasks Usually using web 2.0 social engagement strategies Usually using web 2.0 social engagement strategies The crowd motivates each other and communicates online The crowd motivates each other and communicates online A virtual community is formed A virtual community is formed An amazing thing is achieved An amazing thing is achieved A book to read: Clay Shirky Here comes everybody.

8 For Example Using our knowledge to write articles to make a free online encyclopaedia. Using our knowledge to write articles to make a free online encyclopaedia. Transcribing birth, death and marriage hand written records so that they become searchable online. Transcribing birth, death and marriage hand written records so that they become searchable online. Recording local history. Recording local history. Making out of copyright books electronically available. Making out of copyright books electronically available. Improving the quality of full-text historic newspapers. Improving the quality of full-text historic newspapers.

9 What does this mean? For libraries, museums, archives: We have rich content and need to give make it all accessible to the public. We have rich content and need to give make it all accessible to the public. We have the technology to give the public online tools to do stuff with it. We have the technology to give the public online tools to do stuff with it. Freedom is actually a bigger game than power. Power is about what you can control. Freedom is about what you can unleash. Harriet Rubin

10 For People: anyone/everyone can help Flickr: LucLeqay

11 Community has: 1. Enthusiasm 3. Time Transcribe Share 2. Knowledge Create Describe

12 You can help libraries to….. 1.Achieve goals that they would never have the resource to do themselves by giving your time. 2.Improve and add value to items and services by sharing your knowledge. 3.Help take responsibility for the curation of public cultural heritage items.

13 Why help? Whats in it for you? I love it I love it Its interesting and fun Its interesting and fun It is a worthy cause It is a worthy cause Its addictive Its addictive I am helping with something important e.g. recording history, finding new things I am helping with something important e.g. recording history, finding new things I want to do some voluntary work I want to do some voluntary work I want to help non-profit making organisations like libraries I want to help non-profit making organisations like libraries I want to learn something I want to learn something Its a challenge Its a challenge I want to give something back to the community I want to give something back to the community You trust me to do it so Ill do it You trust me to do it so Ill do it

14 The machine is Us/ing us "Don't under estimate the power of people who join together…. they can accomplish amazing things," Barack Obama 19 Jan 2009 Speaking on community engagement and involvement and voluntary work You Tube Video The machine is Us/ing us. feature=channel feature=channel

15 Australian Newspapers 17 million articles now, 40 million by 2011

16 Sydney Morning Herald 1831 – 1954 now available online

17 Tag, comment, fix up articles

18Easy…..

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20Achievements March 2010 (1.5 yrs since release) 9,000+ volunteers 9,000+ volunteers 12 million lines of text corrected in 600,000 newspaper articles 12 million lines of text corrected in 600,000 newspaper articles 400,000 tags added 400,000 tags added 7,600 comments added 7,600 comments added

21 Hall of Fame

22 391,378 lines improved

23

24 Picture Australia

25 Contribute your photos via flickr 65,000 photos added by 2,500 people

26 L Platers photostream

27 Activity is valued by libraries

28 Flickr Commons State Library of Queensland Australian War Memorial State Library of New South Wales Powerhouse Museum

29 Images in public domain, add notes, tags, comments, help identify and describe

30 85 million items from Australian organisations

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34Wikipedia

35 150,000 active volunteers

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37WikiNorthia Online encyclopaedia for Melbournes northern suburbs. Funded by public libraries, created by the public.

38Wikishepp Goulburn Library and University of Melbourne, co-ordinating writing groups for local encyclopedia.

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40 Distributed Proofreaders

41 9 years, 90,000 volunteers, 16,000 e-books

42FamilySearchIndexing

43 160,000 volunteers – BDM records internationally 334 million names so far.

44 Ryerson index 2 million names transcribed from recent newspapers

45AustraliaGenWeb Volunteer to Transcribe from hard copy archives or maintain a State GenWeb hub

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47 Shipping in Australian waters Transcribing from microfilm in NSW

48 Founders and survivors New site – April What can you tell us about convicts?

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51Summary Enhancing Australian Newspapers Enhancing Australian Newspapers Adding pictures of people, places, events to Picture Australia/Trove Adding pictures of people, places, events to Picture Australia/Trove Adding comments to resources in Trove Adding comments to resources in Trove Wikipedia articles on local community Wikipedia articles on local community Transcribing family indexes/archives on locality Transcribing family indexes/archives on locality

52 How can you help? Volunteer to help online Volunteer to help online Publicize projects – spread the word Publicize projects – spread the word Let libraries know what you want to do with their data and how you could help Let libraries know what you want to do with their data and how you could help We need an open wiki to list all these sites that you can volunteer for…put it on Wikipedia crowdsourcing page.. We need an open wiki to list all these sites that you can volunteer for…put it on Wikipedia crowdsourcing page.. Create new projects Create new projects

53 Thomas Hawk - flickr Thank you, and what did I miss?

54 Times are changing…. Medieval helpdesk Medieval helpdesk SjgQvQ SjgQvQ