UpFront with NGS: Internet archive

Showing posts with label Internet archive. Show all posts

25 October 2017

Did You Know That You Can Borrow Books From Internet Archive?

Did You Know That You Can Borrow Books From Internet Archive?

I didn’t. That is until I came across the book mentioned in the image to the left and spotted the words “Borrow This Book.”

Internet Archive

With those three words, I learned that you can “borrow” books for 14 days from the Internet Archive via its Books to Borrow page. In order to do this you must be registered with Internet Archive. Here is a FAQs page on how you can borrow from the lending library.

Looking at my own account, it appears that you can currently have 5 books on loan at a time. You can access the books online or download in PDF/ePub format. When you are done, you can “return” the book.

JSTOR

This is one of my go-to websites for certain types of periodical publications. For free you can borrow up to 3 publications for 14 days each or for fees, you can borrow more.

Read move this site via JSTOR … incredible resource – are you taking advantage?

Do note that with JSTOR, any loaned publication has to be on your shelf for 14 days before it can be returned!

Additionally, it’s possible to borrow books via digital offerings from your local or regional library. I do 14-day loans of fiction books using this feature of my local library.

What other online platforms will “loan” books to individuals?

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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20 October 2017

Speaking of the Internet Archive – Claims Libraries Can Sometimes Legally Scan and Make Available Materials Published 1923-1941

Speaking of the Internet Archive – Claims Libraries Can Sometimes Legally Scan and Make Available Materials Published 1923-1941

Yesterday the topic was a collaboration between OCLC and the Internet Archive and today it’s news from the latter about a provision in US copyright law that permits library to extend what they digitize up to 1941 provided that the material is not being actively sold.

Dick Eastman (The Daily Online Genealogy Newsletter) shared this news via his piece The Internet Archive Now Claims that Libraries may Legally Scan, Digitize, and Republish Books from 1923 to 1941.

You can read the original post from Internet Archive via Books from 1923 to 1941 Now Liberated! The comments made are an interesting read also.

Today we announce the “Sonny Bono Memorial Collection” containing the first books to be liberated. Anyone can download, read, and enjoy these works that have been long out of print. We will add another 10,000 books and other works in the near future.

You can also read a discussion of the legal basis on which this is premised via, Elizabeth Townsend Gard, Tulane University Law School, Creating a Last Twenty (L20) Collection: Implementing Section 108(H) in Libraries, Archives and Museum.

This ONLY applies to libraries and it ONLY applies to books that are NOT actively being sold.

This could greatly expand our access to all kinds of materials beneficial to our genealogy research.

What book containing genealogically relevant material published 1923-1941 and that is no longer sold would you like to see digitized?

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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18 October 2017

OCLC and Internet Archive Collaborating

OCLC and Internet Archive Collaborating

There is some great news from OCLC and Internet Archive.

Before the news, just a reminder that these are two wonderful resources as they stand. The news will just strengthen both. Some quick context -- I equate OCLC with WorldCat.org (a massive world-wide library catalog) and Internet Archive with both itself as an enormous archive of digitized materials and with Wayback Machine as a great resource for when websites have the nerve to disappear.

Here is the news …

OCLC and Internet Archive are working together to make the Archive's collection of 2.5 million digitized books easier to find and access online and through local libraries.

OCLC will process metadata from the Internet Archive for its digital collection, matching to existing records in WorldCat, the world's most comprehensive database of information about library collections, or adding a new record if one does not exist. The WorldCat record will include a link leading back to the Archive.org record. From there, searchers can examine or potentially borrow the related digital item.

Internet Archive will also add a link from its records to WorldCat.org, the online resource that makes it possible for searchers to quickly and easily find and access resources in libraries nearby--and worldwide…

Read the full announcement here.

This collaboration will make the materials held by each just that much easier to find across both platforms. A definite plus for researchers.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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06 July 2017

Internet Archive + HathiTrust + Google Books = Digital Book-apalooza!

Internet Archive + HathiTrust + Google Books = Digital Book-apalooza!

Continuing my nostalgic run through some resources that are part of my genealogy “go to” bag, let’s now talk about digital books (and more) and my three favorite resources – Internet Archive and HathiTrust and Google Books.

I didn’t realize until writing this article that I’ve not previously done a dedicated piece on HathiTrust. Sacre bleu as the French might say! At least I can spread the word about it now.

These are all excellent resources for digitized books. There are many many books of interest to genealogists and family historians that are now in the public domain. Directories, histories of churches, legislative journals and related, abstracted/transcribed records collections, and much more. These websites all make full digital books available.

HathiTrust and Google Books also give some insight into select books that are either incompletely digitized and/or are not digitized though searchable in a limited fashion. This latter option gives you some insight into a book that might interest you and which you’ll then need to get your hands on physically, either via purchase or interlibrary loan (check out OCLC & Worldcat + FamilySearch Catalog = Very Happy Genealogists!).

If you have not yet visited all three of these sites, stop whatever you are doing, grab a drink, settle in, and just explore. Odds are you will find some tidbit about either your family or community that you didn’t know before.

To learn more about these websites (except HathiTrust as already stated), check out …

· Google Books Wins When Court of Appeals Rejected Author Guild's Copyright Infringement Claim (2015)

· Internet Archive -- still a wonderful and free gem for genealogy and family history researchers! (2012)

· Internet Archive -- a FREE gem that just keeps getting better! (2015)

What “go to” resources for digitized books do you use regularly as you research your ancestors?

Editor’s Note: Catch up on my posts about some other favorites – Linkpendium, Archivegrid, Death Online, and Jstor .

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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17 January 2017

NEW Chrome Extension Takes You to Wayback Machine for 404 Page Codes!!!

NEW Chrome Extension Takes You to Wayback Machine for 404 Page Codes!!!

Since many other blogs cover “tech” topics we at Upfront with NGS rarely delve into those topics.

That said, I am a lover of Chrome, a lover of Wayback Machine, and a hater of 404 status coded pages (basically, the page is not found).

Historically (meaning just two days ago), I would have received a 404 error, copied the URL, gone to Wayback Machine, pasted in the URL (and crossed fingers), and waited to see if the no longer available website had been archived. In a large percentage of cases, it has! Phew!

Now, Wayback Machine has created a Chrome browser extension which does all of the above automatically for you!

Read more about the Chrome browser extension, Wayback Machine Chrome extension now available. It does handle more than 404 errors. It detects the following error codes -- 404, 408, 410, 451, 500, 502, 503, 504, 509, 520, 521, 523, 524, 525, and 526.

You can access the extension here.

What non-genealogical specific tech tool do you find really makes your life (real and genealogical) easier?

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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Want to learn more about interacting with the blog, please read Hyperlinks, Subscribing and Comments -- How to Interact with Upfront with NGS Blog posts!

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13 October 2016

NYPL Digitizes New York City Directories + Where We Can Find Directories For Other Locales

NYPL Digitizes New York City Directories + Where We Can Find Directories For Other Locales

We love city directories. They can tell us so much about a family – where they lived, their occupation, and sometimes when a person died. The FamilySearch wiki piece, City Directories, shares even more reasons why you might want to consult city directories, assuming you are not already doing so.

The New York Public Library shares …

New York Public Library is digitizing its collection of New York City Directories, 1786 through 1922/3, serving them free through the NYPL Digital Collections portal. The first batch—1849/50 through 1923—have already been scanned, and the 1786–1848/9 directories are right now being scanned …

If you are seeking city directories for where your ancestors lived, besides local resources (such as DigitalNC, North Carolina City Directories, Historic Pittsburgh City Directories, Seattle City Directories, and Indianapolis City Directory Collection), two places that I check are Internet Archive and HathiTrust, both of which have massive city directory collections. Additionally, the Online Historical Directories Website provides links to directories online for Canada, Ireland, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the United States. You will also find city directory collections at Ancestry.com ($) and Fold3 ($). Google Books also has a large collection of directories where it’s easiest to just search it using city directory + locale of interest.

Where else might we find online collections of historic city directories?

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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Want to learn more about interacting with the blog, please read Hyperlinks, Subscribing and Comments -- How to Interact with Upfront with NGS Blog posts!

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08 September 2016

Wayback Machine ... Time Travel for Genealogists!

Wayback Machine ... Time Travel for Genealogists!

If you are not using to revisit old websites, you are missing out!

I love the Wayback Machine! I actually love it so much that I donate monthly to it. It has saved “my bacon” more times than I care to think about.

I am “usually” pretty good about saving PDF versions of websites I have visited, especially if they contain some good data on a place or family. Of course, that hasn’t always been the case and unfortunately, I still sometimes forget to do it even now.

Of course, it’s the websites that are no longer available that you need the most. That’s where the Wayback Machine comes into play. It is an archive of over 505 billion web pages! Yes – billion. Snapshots are taken through time of websites. This is very helpful not only if a website no longer exists and if it has morphed through time. Armed with a URL, you can see what dates were saved and check out what the website looked like on those dates.

In the past week, I’ve had two needs for the Wayback Machine. In one case a website has been so redesigned that I couldn’t find a neat feature that the old version used to have. In the other case, I was seeking a current link to a document that I referenced in a blog post a few years ago.

Before we delve into that, let’s look at my personal business website, www.mosaicrpm.com. It was created in 2004 and has been redesigned probably 5 times (and not by choice and that’s another story)! The Wayback Machine has saved 73 versions of my website (in every year except 2012) and so it literally has a history of my website. For each year, you are provided a calendar with the specific dates when a “save” was made. Just really cool!

Now, back to my examples … NC Echo used to have an Institutional Directory that was a great resource. One could determine, across NC, what institutions existed in a given county. Recognizing that institutions often hold archival material, this was a window into the more obscure archives of a county. Using an old handout for a talk, I learned what the old URL used to be (it’s the one thing you need to start … the URL!), put it in, checked back a few years (to get to the older and still operating versions of the website) and finally found exactly what I wanted. This time, I did make a PDF of my discovery.

My other example was regarding a document. I had posted something a few years ago with a link to an online document (Scots-Irish research). Searching on the document title just wasn’t finding it anywhere. I dug out the old URL … went back to 2015 (since I knew that sometime in 2016 the page was obviously moved (getting a 404 error)) and voila, here is the document I sought, https://web.archive.org/web/20150402234439/http://www.ncdcr.gov/Portals/7/Collateral/database/nie09.scots.irish.pdf

As you can imagine, I was so thankful to be able to recover these wonderful resources.

What expired or re-organized website did you revisit?

What older web content were you able to “now” access that you thought was lost forever? Share how the Wayback Machine has helped you.

Editor’s Note: Related Upfront with NGS posts on The Internet Archive can be found here and those on the Wayback Machine can be found here.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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Want to learn more about interacting with the blog, please read Hyperlinks, Subscribing and Comments -- How to Interact with Upfront with NGS Blog posts!

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