@mjgiarlo@code4lib.social
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mjgiarlo

@mjgiarlo@code4lib.social

I'm a #software engineer, #programming (#ruby, #rails, &c.) for #research #libraries, largely within #academia. I currently work for #StanfordUniversity, designing & building #openAccess #repositories for #culturalHeritage & #researchData.

I tend to post about #food, #cocktails, #Seattle, #dnd, #photos, #GenX, #absurdity, #technology (#foss, #linux, #emacs), #music, #irony, #politics, #uspol, #parenting, #dogs, #fedi22

#Discord: mjgiarlo#7408

"a piece of work / work in progress"

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mjgiarlo, to random
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Dear technology community, we need to talk about @OCLC.

mjgiarlo,
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On October 23rd, 2023, @OCLC initiated an investigation into who perpetrated the WorldCat scraping announced by Anna’s Archive on October 3rd, 2023 (https://annas-blog.org/worldcat-scrape.html). On January 12th, 2024, @OCLC filed with the Southern District of Ohio a complaint for relief and damages detailing the results of their 11-week investigation.

mjgiarlo,
@mjgiarlo@code4lib.social avatar

The only named defendant in this complaint is an experienced library technologist and community member, who has since filed a motion to dismiss (https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68157923/21/oclc-online-computer-library-center-inc-v-annas-archive/) on April 15th, 2024, in which she attested she has no connection to the WorldCat scraping (https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68157923/21/1/oclc-online-computer-library-center-inc-v-annas-archive/) done by Anna’s Archive.

mjgiarlo,
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One might wonder what evidence @OCLC found linking the defendant to the WorldCat scrape. This was detailed in the May 15th, 2024 response to the defendant’s motion to dismiss @OCLC’s complaint.

mjgiarlo,
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@OCLC CTO/CIO Bart Murphy (@Bartmurphy) declared under penalty of perjury (https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68157923/30/1/oclc-online-computer-library-center-inc-v-annas-archive/) (see: all documents filed within the case (https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68157923/oclc-online-computer-library-center-inc-v-annas-archive/)) that the following points establish a link between the WorldCat scrape and the named defendant:

mjgiarlo,
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  • The perpetrators have “jobs in finance and tech” (point 18);
  • The defendant has a job, and skills, in tech (point 24);
  • The defendant is an archivist (point 20);
  • The defendant’s middle name, Anasztasia, bears a phonetic resemblance to “Anna” (point 21);
  • The defendant “has gone by” both “Ana” and “Anna” online (point 21), an assertion which has no source and for which I could find zero evidence;
mjgiarlo,
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  • The defendant’s online moniker, which she has used consistently since 2002, bears a superficial resemblance to the former Twitter username of Anna’s Archive (point 22);
  • The defendant believes that libraries and archives should be “free and widely available” (point 23);
  • The defendant has experience with hosting website domains (point 25);
  • The defendant developed Python module for interacting with WorldCat APIs (point 26);
mjgiarlo,
@mjgiarlo@code4lib.social avatar

Taken together, @OCLC’s 11-week investigation concluded that the defendant was the perpetrator of the WorldCat scrape because she works in library technology, has technology skills, has worked with the WorldCat API, believes in free access to information, and has a name/moniker that looks like “Anna.”

mjgiarlo,
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The weak evidence linking the defendant to the WorldCat scrape should alarm all library technologists and the community, a great many of whom are just as implicated by this “evidence” as the defendant.

mjgiarlo,
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If I worked with @OCLC APIs or were associated with the OCLC Developer Network (@oclcdevnet), I’d be worried about the precedent @OCLC is setting with this lawsuit, and would seriously reconsider my involvement with them.

mjgiarlo,
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I encourage fellow library technologists and professionals to reach out to their @OCLC contacts to express how this lawsuit, based on the flimsy evidence they have supplied, will cause a chilling effect on working with OCLC and their APIs.

mjgiarlo,
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If you’re not sure where to start, here is a list of @OCLC leaders who should reasonably be expected to answer for @OCLC’s frivolous lawsuit and its impact on our community:

mjgiarlo,
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  • Skip Prichard (@SkipPrichard), @OCLC CEO
  • Ginny Steel (@vsteel), Chair of @OCLC Board of Trustees
  • Dr. Matthijs van Otegem (m.vanotegem@uu.nl), Chair of @OCLC Leaders Council
  • Michael Levine-Clark (@MLevCla), Chair of @OCLC Americas Regional Council
  • Joseph Hafner (joseph.hafner@mcgill.ca), Vice-Chair of @OCLC Americas Regional Council & Leaders Council
  • Regional Delegates: https://www.oclc.org/en/membership/councils/directory.html
mjgiarlo,
@mjgiarlo@code4lib.social avatar

@pbinkley Hiya! I'm not sure if it came up there either. Now that I've typed all this up, I'm probably too close to this to have a take worth listening to, but perhaps soliciting opinions from the broader populace could help guide your/our hands?

mjgiarlo,
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@dbs @pbinkley I have an "A" in my first name and my last name, which means my name is basically "A 'n' A" which is the same as "Anna." Which, because I just typed this out, I've used this name online, thus it is my name.

I'm sure I've tweeted lots o' times about wanting information to be free.

I ported a Perl call number-parsing library to Python, which apparently already satisfies the preponderance of evidence burden of proof for civil cases.

Maybe we all need to lawyer up.

mjgiarlo, to DnD
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thinking of a tattoo for my left arm, how about this?

"A spell cast with a Bonus Action is especially swift. You must use a Bonus Action on your turn to cast the spell, provided that you haven't already taken a Bonus Action this turn. You can't cast another spell during the same turn, except for a Cantrip with a casting time of 1 Action."

mjgiarlo, to random
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hey look I'm on the news for a super-duper fun thing

https://www.king5.com/article/news/crime/tire-slasher-did-damage-south-seattle/281-0b88fcb5-ccec-41b3-bfd1-17229ca33c28

https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/he-was-stabbing-tire-after-tire-neighbors-in-seattles-seward-park-dealing-with-serial-tire-slasher

adr, to random
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getting angry at Ruby / Ruby on Rails, which is a familiar feeling from way back but one I haven't had to indulge in for... many years.

mjgiarlo,
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@thatandromeda @djfiander @adr It's like a chick tract consisting primarily of parentheses.

mjgiarlo,
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@djfiander @thatandromeda @adr I'm an emacs user, so I'm also partial to lisp. I find it expressive but also just a bit homely, and I am a highly superficial programmer.

mjgiarlo,
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@djfiander @thatandromeda @adr emacs is no mere "software," sir; it's an ethos.

adr, to random
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man I can hardly wait for those salmon printers to become an actual thing

mjgiarlo,
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@adr "bird"

mjgiarlo,
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@djfiander @metageeky @adr I'm not exactly anti-it but I can't muster enough passion to be pro-it

"tell me you're without telling me you're GenX"

mjgiarlo, to random
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A sibling team at work posted two jobs that may interest some of you kind folk:

Feel free to share widely, if you are inclined.

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