I’m sad that this week is our last class. It’s been a great semester, and I’ve enjoyed reading your posts. This blog is a perfect space to extend class discussions and bring more information to the table than what we can include in our 50 minute discussions.
If you’ll recall, I did my bizzaro research paper on “The Morality of Metadata.” Referencing the Edward Snowden situation, I talked about how metadata, or data about data, is actually information in and of itself. Producing metadata is integral to experiencing the Internet; indeed, most of us develop systems of metadata on the social media networks we use, even if we aren’t fully aware of what we’re doing. Now, in the era of open access initiatives, government surveillance, and ubiquitous social media usage, I believe that metadata literacy is vital. A person needs to understand the logic of metadata if he or she is going to thrive in today’s digital world.
For my spread a message, I have two things in mind. First, I have applied to be a Community Representative with the Digital Public Library of America. The DPLA is an all-digital library that aggregates metadata and seeks to facilitate access to open archival content from libraries across the country. Right now, anyone can access over 7 million items via a single point of discovery at the DPLA. The library also provides a litany of APIs, apps, search tools, and other features to facilitate access to knowledge.
The DPLA is just over one year old, and in order to spread their message about metadata and open content, they have instituted a cohort of volunteer community reps who will host events and introduce people to the DPLA’s content. The deadline to apply is April 30. If you’re interested, I encourage you to apply as well!
Second, I plan to develop an outreach activity or event in our local community, perhaps at the Parnell Library, in which I facilitate a learning session with the DPLA’s Metadata Games apps. The apps are simple. They invite people to contribute (even free associate) tags to pictures and videos, which are indexed by the DPLA. The idea is that by having fun, users can also establish knowledge that will improve access to the millions of content pieces in the DPLA’s digital holdings.
I hope I am accepted to be a community representative, but even if I’m not, the DPLA has given me a great idea (and set of resources) to spread the message of public, open access content to an audience beyond Montevallo’s immediate university community. I am excited!