New OCLC logos
Some genius over at the Technology Planning Committee of the SHARE Library Consortium in Washington put together a parody of the OCLC logo, incorporating Darth Vader. I'd like to think there were in part inspired by my transformation of the old OCLC logo into that of the Deathstar.Which got me thinking. The muted response to OCLC's new Policy is enormously frustrating. The Policy is the a major shift, taken with minimal member input, which effectively transforms an expensive transfer service into a permanent data monopoly. It runs against age-old library values, and in the face of everything else going on in the information world.
There's only so many posts I can write digging into the legal language. So, maybe the time has come for humor. How about some new OCLC logos I put together?
Wouldn't they look good on t-shirts at ALA Midwinter?
Well, that was a fun couple of hours! I just wish I could get the OCLC font just right.
posted by Tim at 12:23 AM
12 Comments:
I like the One Ring Logo. But then again that IS a book. :)
Avenir. :)
If not Avenir, WhatTheFont suggests "Toronto Subway Bold", but neither is an exact match. Close enough for t-shirts, though.
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Sorry to be such a geek purist (I AM a librarian, though), but it should be "One ring to rule them all" and "All your base are belong to us."
However, one alteration of the original might be very appropriate. I would truly covet a shirt with the logo and caption "All your database are belong to us."
Ooh ooh! How about "MARC of the beast"?
On OCLC's muted response. Maybe they are taking their cue from the sports world. If you are leading by the end of the game, then it's all about clock management until the end of regulation time. Maybe they are running out the clock to mid-February.
Muted on whose part? I agree that it's bad, but, for example, my local library is probably far more concerned about where it can make giant budget cuts than about OCLC being more jerk-ass-y. (And in that respect, part of me wonders if OCLC isn't intentionally taking advantage of the economic and budgetary concerns that are the focus of everyone's attention to slip this through.)
It won't be until this starts playing out in the courts that it gets resolved. OCLC could start winning lawsuits, causing their thralls to revolt; or the courts could dope-slap OCLC into conceding. Probably what'll happen is something analogous to that with on-line music "piracy": evil will win in the courts but that won't stop the back-channel sharing, so a compromise will end up being sought.
The larger argument (free flow of data) doesn't seem to be resonating with a lot of librarians. Diane Hillmann raised the question of how this policy might impact RDA/FRBR development. (see Getting There by Diane Hillmann Published in Technicalities, Jan./Feb. 2009 http://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/11620)
It was after reading that article that I realized that there are some immediate consequences for libraries by accepting this policy. More catalogers need to be talking about this issue and coming up with a response. It's also important that we have a dialogue with the folks at OCLC. Their lack of engagement is frustrating.
@james - Ooh, yeah! Make each of the three circles into a 6!
Shouldn't that be "All your bibs are belong to us"?
The problem is that this issue is not getting enough press. Shouldn't this have been a cover story for Library Journal or American Libraries, followed with regular updates?
As a library director I am very concerned about the implications of OCLC's policy and where this constriction of the flow of information will lead. What disturbs me is that most of the other directors I know seem completely unaware of what is going on. They seem to think if it were important, it would be covered in our journals. While blogs are a great source of information, the only way to get the attention of the majority of librarians is to get someone like LJ to cover it.
Oh my goodness. I think I love that last one more than I really should. That would be bound to get some discussion going at work if I wore that! (I am the Web Services Manager at the Boston Public Library.)
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