I've been hastily catching up with this wide ranging discussion on Intute and have been particularly struck by some of Steve and Andy's points.
But first the "poor man's Intute". Intute is around for another year (2010-11 AY) (although not being developed) thanks to JISC funding so that we can maintain the catalogue and investigate membership models for the Virtual Training Suite and Informs at Mimas and the ILRT. I'm in discussions with SCONUL and the IPL2 http://www.ipl.org/, we've spoken to Delicious and others with a view to maintain access to the database albeit through other channels beyond August 2011. If any of you would like to get involved in steering this work I would be really pleased to hear from you.
On Steve's points about ways to trust and exploit community followed by Andy's illustration of the elements of a digital information axis - over the last 18 months I've found myself trying to find a practical service delivery response to what I think of a catch-22 between the individual attraction to the niche/special interest which amasses to deliver a community of contribution and the pursuit of gravitational pull of the network level.
In terms of motivation to contribute & the role of the information professional - I keep returning to the communication dilemma of individual versus group benefits to participation, answered by sufficiently strong group identity to motivate individuals to care more about collective than personal interests. I'd like to think that the role of the expert turns into one of mediator and a visible person in the network who motivates contribution by issuing calls for action/motivates the contribution. An Intute colleague at the ILRT calls these people - "community wranglers". One of Clay Shirky's examples of crowd sourcing is iStockphoto and he talks about the bringing together of the amateur and the professional photographers to illustrate how new communication capabilities are changing social definitions that are not tied to professions.
Which now takes me to trust - I wonder if trust issues can be managed by clear declaration of source of the content, its provenance, coupled with investment in the development of information and media literacy skills (the latter having being already mentioned by Mike).
I've also fairly recently put some thoughts into a blog post about the financial side of things; it's on the Intute website http://www.intute.ac.uk/blog/ if you're interested.
Caroline
Caroline Williams
Deputy Director of Mimas and Executive Director of Intute
+44 (0) 161 275 0587
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-----Original Message-----
From: Repositories discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of C Oppenheim
Sent: 02 September 2010 21:17
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Lessons of Intute
there is a third group - investment in services. JISC is rightly wary of an indefinite commitment to services, which it hopes and expects will become self-supporting sooner or later. I stick to my view that JISC was NOT being wilfully unpleasant, but that it took a rational and sensible decision.
Incidentally, if the rumours are true (I stress these are just rumours I have picked up over the years), Intute had ample warning from JISC about it''s unhappiness at the lack of development of a realistic business model for Intute.
Charles
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From: Repositories discussion list [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Stephen Downes [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 02 September 2010 14:37
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Lessons of Intute
Oh, I've touched on a sore point! Heh.
But I think there's still a distinction here worth making, that between:
- investment in infrastructure, which is expected to be maintained, and
- investment in projects, which is not expected to be maintained
The lessons to be learned from Intute are completely different, depending on which one it was (or was perceived to be).
-- Stephen
-- Sent from my Palm Pre
________________________________
On 2 Sep 2010 10:16 a.m., Derek Law <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
LOL. You clearly haven't seen the roads round here!
________________________________________________________________________________________
Professor Derek Law
Turnbull Building
University of Strathclyde
155 George Street
Glasgow G1 1RD
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 141 548 4997
The University of Strathclyde is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, number SC015263.
________________________________________
From: Repositories discussion list [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Stephen Downes [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 02 September 2010 13:55
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Lessons of Intute
On the other hand, government does not typically set up roads and then abandon them if they don't become 'viable'.
-- Sent from my Palm Pre
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On 2 Sep 2010 9:11 a.m., Derek Law <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
As one of the ageing suits who chaired committees which set up most of these services, I agree
with Andy and Charles. JISC has a brilliant record of starting things off, setting them up,
then giving them the space and time to become viable. If they don't the result is
inevitable. I know this from bitter experience. The BUBL service here at Strathclyde was
cut off after many years of funding.
Nothing is forever. We need to learn the lessons and move on not moan that it's unfair
Derek Law
________________________________________________________________________________________
Professor Derek Law
Turnbull Building
University of Strathclyde
155 George Street
Glasgow G1 1RD
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 141 548 4997
The University of Strathclyde is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, number SC015263.
________________________________________
From: Repositories discussion list [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of C Oppenheim [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 02 September 2010 11:45
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Lessons of Intute
The service was not USED enough and therefore could not justify its cost to JISC. JISC should not be in the business of subsidising services which aren't being used or appreciated. One might speculate as to why Intute (I agree a really silly name) was used so little, and that's where lessons can indeed be learned.
Charles
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