Copyright Criminals: film screening at UO Portland
In the middle of a busy day, I noticed iPhoto was open and thought I’d better seize the opportunity to post some pictures from our screening on April 15.
We had filmmaker and media studies scholar Kembrew McLeod here for a sneak preview of his documentary “Copyright Criminals,” about sampling in the music industry. Thanks to our fantastic program planner Matthew Stadler, we also got Portland designer and ex-Gang of Four bassist Dave Allen to do a Q&A with Kembrew after the film.
We had a great crowd of students, musicians, artists, and even some entertainment lawyers. Very lively discussion, and at the end of the night we had to boot people out. Thanks to Reedie Rachel Bridgewater for bringing information about CopyNight here in Portland, and to KBOO’s Digital Divide for airing the Q&A on the radio.
Audience for Copyright Criminals at UO Portland
Dave Allen & Kembrew McLeod talk it out after the screening
Next up: another IP-themed event with lecture and performance, sometime this summer. Watch this space!
Higher ed: going out, coming in.
An interesting op/ed piece in the NY Times calling for the dismantling of higher education as we know it. I don’t disagree with all of the points made here, but it seems to me that the really big sticking point is the tenure piece. Until tenure is reformed, universities seem powerless to effect this kind of serious, sweeping change. It’s one thing to say we need more interdisciplinary work, more relevance, and less retreat into hyperspecialization. I think we can all agree on that (or maybe not…) The hard thing is making the change actually happen. Right now, T&P keeps us locked into bad publishing strategies, bad hiring and retention policies, and inefficient use of our resources. Higher ed does need an overhaul. But someone’s going to need a really big block and tackle to get the engine out of the body…
And that said, I had a very nice Saturday evening with the Oregon Special Library Association, at their student reception. I sat on a panel with Reece Dano of Ziba Design, Michael Braun Hamilton of Mercy Corps, Jeff Allen of Laika, Cindy Romaine of Romaniacs, and Meryl Cole, formerly of WSU Vancouver, and co-author of Instant Messaging Reference, a Practical Guide. I had a great time talking with all these folks, as well as students and graduates from Emporia, Illinois, UW, FSU, and other places.
Movies, panels, exhibits: get out!
We’ve been doing some events planning here in the UO Portland Library & Learning Commons, and I’m loving how public programming fits into our mission, both as instruction and publicity. Last week we screened an independent documentary film about sampling in hip-hop and rap, and two weeks before that we co-sponsored a panel session on how creative workers can get through tight economic times. Our students are mostly creative design and communication professionals, so this was a great fit for them.
We had a terrific turnout, a great panel discussion, and an open Q&A and meet-and-greet session that drew folks from the City of Portland, job placement agencies, creative firms, and professional associations–as well as lots of students and freelancers.
Audience at the White Stag Block
Audience at White Stag Block Talk
Holding events like these, in which the Library is a full and active participant, reminds me how important it is for us to get out of our offices, out of our libraries even. It’s part of activating the collection, part of promoting who we are and what we stand for, and where we fit into the values and mission of the departments and the institution. It’s important work, and the goodwill it generates is tremendous. (And it’s fun…)
Photos of the screening coming soon…
Librarians vs. stereotypes + Rock Band
Eric Frierson at UT Arlington (along with some colleagues) has put together this terrific short promotional video for librarians’ services there. I love it! (Annie, something for our list to show our students!)
In other news, Annie and I taught our first LIB 101 class last week. I had the flu and had to use a microphone to be heard, but Annie persevered in getting Rock Band (The Most Complicated Video Game In the World To Set Up) running for the end of the class, and that was a pretty good success. They sang along! This week, we’re delving into search and wayfinding in new environments: games, Google, and the library catalog. Should be interesting.
