Last time I focused my discussion of the Knight News Challenge winners on how libraries connected with businesses, I would like to group all the winners into the following categories.If the organizations have a link to their own website promoting their ideas I include that along with the winning entry information on the Knight News Challenge website. Otherwise the link I include just links to the winning entry information on the Knight News Challenge website.
Global Information Access:
- Library for All: The goal, “Library for All transforms access to knowledge by delivering relevant educational resources through a scalable digital library platform designed for low-bandwidth communities.” Winning Entry Information
- Building Libraries Together: This is affiliated with the Internet Archives. The goal, “Give global communities the tools they need to save, manage and share their cultural treasures forever for free.”
Digital Preservation:
- Journalism Digital News Archives: The Journalism Digital News Archive “saves our history + heritage by preserving the nation’s born-digital news content.” Winning Entry Information
Wifi Access:
- The Libraries WhiteSpace Pilot “invites innovative, experimentally minded libraries/librarians to lead a 50-state national exploration in the use of these newly available, open shared public airwaves to geographically expand the library’s reach and furthering its mission to provide self-guided &/or assisted access to the world’s information.” Winning Entry Information
Privacy Issues:
- The Library Freedom Project “teaches librarians about privacy rights, law, and tech tools to protect patrons from dragnet surveillance.” Winning Entry Information
- @sanjoselibrary “promotes intellectual freedom and participation in the digital world through privacy literacy education.” San Jose Public Library is leading this.
E books:
- GITenberg: “Help libraries use and maintain Project Gutenberg public domain ebooks to serve their communities… with GitHub!”
Independent Video Games:
- “Establish a model digital aggregator that streams indie games (open or subscribed) to libraries & enable communities to engage in game creation.” Winning Entry Information
Patron Assistance:
BklynShare: Check out an Expert & Borrow a Skill! A new approach to knowledge sharing. ] The Brooklyn Public Library is leading this.
Your Next Skill: The Seattle Public Library is “strengthening the community through a personalized service delivered by public librarians to help people acquire new knowledge and skills tailored to their individual goals and learning styles.”
The Community Resource Lab: Libraries Linking People to Vital Social Services. The DC Public Library is taking the lead on this project.
Maker Tools:
Make It @ Your Library: “We will share DIY, tech, and maker tools – like the kid-friendly circuit building littleBits, 3D printers, open-source electronic programming Arduino kits, easily programmable Finch Robots, and Dremel hand-held tools – with libraries through existing book sharing and delivery systems.” Winning Entry Information
Make the Things that Measure the Future: Libraries & Open Hardware “Develop, deploy, and train librarians to create and use open hardware devices that let libraries more effectively and efficiently serve their communities.”
Innovative Use of Library Space or Promotion of Library Space:
Book a Nook: Activating library workspaces through an open API
Activating the public library as a physical infrastructure for online learning:”We organize face-to-face study groups in local libraries to help first-time online learners successfully take online courses.”
Making the Invisible Visible: “a digital overlay on the in-library visit that combines mobile technology with location based sensors to reveal the full riches of the public library to our communities … in the palms of their hands.”
Promoting Electronic Access to Government and Civic Historic Information:
Culture In Transit: Digitizing and Democratizing Metropolitan New York’s Cultural Heritage. A project of Metropolitan New York Library Council ( METRO), Empire State Digital Network ( ESDN), Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Library/ Queens Memory.
NYC Space/Time Directory: Libraries and Communities Working Together to Build Open Historical Data and Tools for Urban Time Travel. The New York Public library heads this up.
This Place Matters: Using Mobile Technology to Leverage the Resources of Libraries and Share the Stories of African Americans in Central Appalachia
Boston’s Open Data Project: The city of Boston seeks to “turn the City’s Open Data collection into a true knowledge resource by working with libraries in our community to catalog the information and provide essential context to citizens and researchers.”
Engaging the Business Community:
101: Coworking at the Public Library:The Miami Dade Public Library is using space as a valuable resource to provide “freelancers, entrepreneurs and innovators a physical place to do collaborative and creative work. These coworking spaces include conference rooms, high-speed Wi-Fi, electronic white boards, virtual conference rooms, and computers and laptops.”
Kent State University Library operates NE Ohio Regional Business Information Bureau:In this proposal Kent State, “would like to establish a Regional Business Information Bureau that could provide quality information to entrepreneurs and small business owners who could not otherwise afford access to these resources. Clients could contact the Bureau directly or be referred by public libraries, Chambers of Commerce and economic development agencies. Research consultations would be conducted by appointment in the bureau, e-mail, Skype or any relevant technology. This Bureau would also deliver various group seminars on Finance, Marketing or Information literacy concepts that would be taught by College of Business and Library faculty. Eventually, these seminars could be adapted for online tutorials.”