Cites & Insights: Crawford at Large is a Web-based journal of libraries, policy, technology, and media.
The subtitle Crawford at Large identifies the author, editor, and publisher--Walt Crawford--and reflects the genesis of Cites & Insights, which began when I came "out of the corners": When I stopped writing "Crawford's Corner" for Library Hi Tech News and EContent magazine stopped publishing "CD-ROM Corner" because it no longer fit the changed focus of the magazine. It's also a weak attempt at humor, since I knew Cites & Insights would be larger (use more pages) than the ten-page/ten times per year "Crawford's Corner" or the four-page/six times per year "CD-ROM Corner."
What became Cites & Insights originated in my desire to provide a more up-to-date (priced) supplement to "Crawford's Corner" to those willing to pay for it. Things happened, and the end result was a replacement of "Crawford's Corner" with no direct price--which has since turned into a publication that's free as a matter of policy.
Not Just Technology
Most of "Crawford's Corner" concerned personal computing technology, and some directory entries for Cites & Insights still suggest that I focus on PC technology as it relates to libraries. That was never entirely true and has become less true over time. I've added new topics and lessened coverage of old topics as my own interests and the expressed interest of readers have changed.
The interactions of libraries, policy, technology, and media...and the people they all serve.
That's as good a description as I can provide of what's currently in Cites & Insights and likely to be there in the future.
Who I Am (and Why You Should Care)
I'm Walt Crawford. You can find out more at my home page. I was a full-time library professional (but not a professional librarian) during five decades, first at UC Berkeley, then at RLG, finally at OCLC (until September 30. 2007). I was Editorial Director for the Library Leadership Network from October 2007 through March 2010. I'm now basically retired and considering possibilities. I was active in LITA, the Library and Information Technology Association (a division of ALA) from 1978 through 2010, writing articles since 1976 (actively since 1984), writing books since 1984, and speaking since 1979 (actively from 1990 to 2004, still available).
Why should you care? I can't answer that question. I have no special authority. I disclaim "guruship" or "futurist" status. While most essays in Cites & Insights are based on what I've read and include citations as appropriate, I neither claim that you should believe me more than anyone else nor have any desire for you to take me more seriously than anyone else.
My primary aims in Cites & Insights are to point people in interesting directions and encourage them to think about certain issues. If, after thinking about them, they come to different conclusions than mine, that's as it should be. (If I've obviously overlooked issues and facts, I trust readers to let me know--and I publish reader feedback when given permission and when it's at all feasible.)
Recurring Sections
Here's a current list up to, but not after, January-February 2012 [I'll replace this with the new list in the near future]:
- Bibs & Blather: Editorial comments and recursive writing (that is, writing about the publication itself). Also the alternate "secret name" for this journal.
- Copyright Currents: Probably self-explanatory, but copy protection and "digital rights" issues are also discussed here. If you're looking for discussion of TEACH and current library fair use issues, you've come to the wrong place. Sometimes divided into four parts, ©1 through ©4
- disContent: Occasional reprints of "disContent" columns from EContent Magazine. Followed by updates.
- Feedback: Your Perspectives: "Letters to the editor," sometimes at fairly great length, frequently beginning extended discussions.
- Followup: Direct add-ons to material in the previous issues. Most followup material appears elsewhere. Sometimes Feedback & Followup are combined.
- Interesting & Peculiar Products: Formerly "Product Watch." Gadgets and gizmos, but also truly interesting new products and the best of what used to be in PC Progress..
- Making it Work: Citations and commentary on various aspects of libraries and librarians. "The Library Stuff" in a more topical mode.
- My Back Pages: Reasonably light-hearted mini-essays, exclusive to the PDF version of C&I.
- Net Media: Aspects of the new media emerging on the net, including blogs, wikis, and many others.
- Old Media/New Media: Relationships between traditional and newer media.
- Perspective: A catch-all flag for commentary-heavy articles that don't fall into one of the other categories. Never used alone.
- Trends & Quick Takes: Comments on trends that I find interesting--but mostly mini-perspectives, essays too brief for separate Perspectives.
- The Zeitgeist: [New in 2010] Essays that primarily bring together a range of perspectives on a given topic, with my own commentary and synthesis throughout. Like Perspectives, but with more of other people's voices and less of my own.
- The CD-ROM Project: [New in 2010] Investigating some of the better title CD-ROMs from 1994-2000, to see how (or whether) they work on a contemporary PC and whether good alternatives are available.
Other Sections (Rarely Used These Days)
- Censorware Chronicles: Commentary on filtering software and legal issues surrounding its use.
- The Good Stuff: Formerly "Press Watch I." Annotated and argumentative citations of articles and other things I think are worth reading or paying attention to. The "Cites" in "Cites & Insights" (together with citations in Censorware Currents, Copyright Currents, Ebooks and Etext, The Library Stuff, etc.).
- Library Access to Scholarship: Events and articles related to access, including Open Access, alternative publishing models, and institutional archives. Ended in late 2009.
- The Library Stuff: Formerly part of "The Good Stuff." Annotated and argumentative citations of articles and other stuff directly related to libraries and librarians. Now part of Making it Work.
Current Plans
Unclear--but, for now, irregular, possibly six to eight times per year. While I'm aiming for 16 to 30 pages each issue, my aim is notoriously faulty.
ReturnUpdated March 6, 2012.