#which is working with library circulation data :)

[opisasodomite]

Watching my data mining lecture from last night (that I skipped lol) and I’m happy to say that this is an Actual Class unlike almost all of the ones I’ve taken in grad school lmao

[probablyasocialecologist]

Libraries have traditionally operated on a basic premise: Once they purchase a book, they can lend it out to patrons as much (or as little) as they like. Library copies often come from publishers, but they can also come from donations, used book sales, or other libraries. However the library obtains the book, once the library legally owns it, it is theirs to lend as they see fit.  Not so for digital books. To make licensed e-books available to patrons, libraries have to pay publishers multiple times over. First, they must subscribe (for a fee) to aggregator platforms such as Overdrive. Aggregators, like streaming services such as HBO’s Max, have total control over adding or removing content from their catalogue. Content can be removed at any time, for any reason, without input from your local library. The decision happens not at the community level but at the corporate one, thousands of miles from the patrons affected.  Then libraries must purchase each individual copy of each individual title that they want to offer as an e-book. These e-book copies are not only priced at a steep markup—up to 300% over consumer retail—but are also time- and loan-limited, meaning the files self-destruct after a certain number of loans. The library then needs to repurchase the same book, at a new price, in order to keep it in stock.  This upending of the traditional order puts massive financial strain on libraries and the taxpayers that fund them. It also opens up a world of privacy concerns; while libraries are restricted in the reader data they can collect and share, private companies are under no such obligation. Some libraries have turned to another solution: controlled digital lending, or CDL, a process by which a library scans the physical books it already has in its collection, makes secure digital copies, and lends those out on a one-to-one “owned to loaned” ratio.  The Internet Archive was an early pioneer of this technique. When the digital copy is loaned, the physical copy is sequestered from borrowing; when the physical copy is checked out, the digital copy becomes unavailable. The benefits to libraries are obvious; delicate books can be circulated without fear of damage, volumes can be moved off-site for facilities work without interrupting patron access, and older and endangered works become searchable and can get a second chance at life. Library patrons, who fund their local library’s purchases with their tax dollars, also benefit from the ability to freely access the books. Publishers are, unfortunately, not a fan of this model, and in 2020 four of them sued the Internet Archive over its CDL program. The suit ultimately focused on the Internet Archive’s lending of 127 books that were already commercially available through licensed aggregators. The publisher plaintiffs accused the Internet Archive of mass copyright infringement, while the Internet Archive argued that its digitization and lending program was a fair use. The trial court sided with the publishers, and on September 4, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reaffirmed that decision with some alterations to the underlying reasoning.  This decision harms libraries. It locks them into an e-book ecosystem designed to extract as much money as possible while harvesting (and reselling) reader data en masse. It leaves local communities’ reading habits at the mercy of curatorial decisions made by four dominant publishing companies thousands of miles away. It steers Americans away from one of the few remaining bastions of privacy protection and funnels them into a surveillance ecosystem that, like Big Tech, becomes more dangerous with each passing data breach. And by increasing the price for access to knowledge, it puts up even more barriers between underserved communities and the American dream.

11 September 2024

[quotesfrommyreading]

The graduate degree for librarians is not, typically, a master of arts, but a master of science—in library and information sciences. Librarians may adore books, but they are trained in the technical and data-driven work of running libraries. Unlike a privately owned bookstore, where the stock might reflect the tastes and preferences of the proprietor, at the library, books are acquired based on information about what its particular community wants and needs.

“Librarians love data,” Dudenhoffer, who now coordinates the information-science program at the University of Missouri, told me. “Knowing how to analyze your community, knowing how to look at data, knowing how to look at circulation numbers, knowing how to look at population movement, those things are becoming increasingly important in what we do, and that drives all of this.”

Public librarians, she said, are looking at such things as regional household income, age, education level, and racial and ethnic backgrounds while making their selections. They also consider patron requests. In a school library, this analysis might include information shared by students or teachers about the needs and interests of the current student body.

Librarians who showcase books about underrepresented groups, including LGBTQ people, surely believe that these stories are valuable. But the librarians I spoke with insisted that they’re making these choices because an assessment determined that there was a patron need for these books, not to push some personal social agenda. Those controversial book displays? Many, Dudenhoffer said, are a means of letting patrons know that material they might be too shy or embarrassed to ask for is in stock.

“It’s really unfair to characterize displays or programs as ‘woke,’” Dudenhoffer lamented. “That’s just such a terrible word to use right now. But it’s not about that. It’s about serving our community, and everyone in the community, to the best of our abilities.”

What seemed most painful to the librarians I spoke with—even more than the personal attacks and fear of litigation—was the way in which book bans hinder their ability to connect their patrons to information that might help them.

  —  The Librarians Are Not Okay

[nyupreservation]

Surveying Spain: Working with Spanish Civil War Posters at NYU Libraries

Hi, my name is Mia Lindenburg. I am a graduate student undergoing NYU’s Dual Degree program, where I will get an MA in literature and an MLIS. This semester, I have been working with NYU’s Barbara Goldsmith Preservation & Conservation Department, mentored by Lindsey Tyne (Conservation Librarian), Laura McCann (Director of Preservation), Weatherly Stephan (Head of Archival Collections Management), and Felix Esquivel (Collections Manager, Special Collections), to survey the Spanish Civil War Poster Collection (ALBA.GRAPHICS.001). This internship has helped me to prepare for a future career in special collections libraries, where I will be required to work with delicate material similar to what I see in this collection. I am very thankful for this opportunity and how it has allowed me to delve deeper into archival work with a hands-on approach.

In addition to working with the Preservation department, I have been lucky enough to work with the Archival Collections Management (ACM) and Special Collections departments, allowing me to see the different perspectives of handling a large and often complicated collection. This blog post will demonstrate the different ways in which these departments added to my learning experience and show some of the special facets of working with this collection in particular.

BUILDING THE DATABASE

Before I began surveying this collection, I had to create an infrastructure that would allow me to compile the data I would be collecting. I used the software AirTable to build this database. First, I had to move the data that had already been collected into my table. This came from Archives Space (AS), an archives information management software used by NYU Libraries. This had much of the preliminary data I would need to fact-check against in the survey, such as poster locations. After I had brought the AS data into the table, I created fields that would duplicate the AS fields but with the descriptor (survey) to show any differences. Additionally, I made new fields for things we might want to consider, such as condition and size. 

UNIQUE POSTER FORMATS

“I tu? Que fas per la victoria?”

ALBA-ES 46, copy 4 “i tu?” (Photo by: M. Lindenburg)

The first set of posters that I want to discuss is ALBA-ES 45 and 46, also known as the two sides of “I tu? Que fas per la victoria?” a Catalan poster depicting a bloody soldier advocating for his audience to participate in the war, to support the cause. This collection has many copies, encapsulated (meaning this poster is inside a protective mylar sleeve) and unencapsulated, of this poster. The copies pictured below interest me because they were particularly delicate. You can tell from the photos that they were split into pieces, making flipping the posters to inspect the back difficult. These will need a lot of conservation work, although they may not be an immediate priority since so many copies are in fine condition.

ALBA-ES 45, copy 4 “i tu?” (Photos by: M. Lindenburg)

“Allisteu-vos a les milicies antifeixistes”

The poster “Allisteu-vos a les milicies antifeixistes,” belongs to a series of posters collected at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia as part of a circulating exhibit.

ALBA-ES 116, recto, “Allisteu-vos a les milicies antifeixistes” (Photo by: M. Lindenburg)

These interest me because of how they were mounted for the exhibition. Rather than encapsulating the posters or leaving them untouched, this exhibitor chose to attach muslin across the back and use cardboard and grommets to hang them.

ALBA-ES 116, verso, “Allisteu-vos a les milicies antifeixistes” (Photo by: M. Lindenburg)

Annual Xmas Eve Ball

Poster ALBA-US-15, uses a mounting technique commonly used with posters associated with the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (VALB).

ALBA-US-15 (Photo by: M. Lindenburg)

It is mounted on a paperboard, which makes it somewhat heavy and unwieldy when grouped in folders. Take note of the headline of Zero Mostel, which shows the support the VALB received, even from celebrities.

THE INSCRIBED NAMES & WHO THEY WERE

Archie Brown is a signature I’ve encountered a lot in this collection.

ALBA-ES-8 (Photo by: M. Lindenburg)

Brown was born in 1911 in Sioux City, Iowa. He was brought into the world of labor activism at an early age. 1934, he was arrested at a Young Communist League (YCL) event in San Pedro. But he continued with his activism despite this. In 1937, Brown got tuned into the struggles in Spain, particularly after his brother was recruited to the International Brigade. In San Francisco, Brown was denied a passport because of his radical reputation. So, he went to New York City and stowed away on a ship to France, where he would travel to Spain. He joined the forces of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and, even after the war, continued to fight as a soldier and an activist.

Archie Brown, 1982 (Photo by: R. Bermack). Image Source.

Harry Hakam is an interesting character, partially because of his frequent correspondence with other members of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.

ALBA-ES-77 (Photo by: M. Lindenburg)

Hakam was born in Brooklyn in 1913. In February 1937, he sailed to France, arriving in Spain in March of the same year. He served primarily as a battalion runner, returning to the US in 1938. However, it’s his correspondence that makes him shine. His collection marker (Hakam) is found on many posters that share others’ names, meaning he likely sent these posters back and forth between fellow members.

Harry Hakam. Image Source.

We don’t have as much information on Al Erdberg, but we do know from the Harry Hakam Papers (ALBA.046) and the fact that Erdberg shows up in the Hakam posters that they had correspondence. Erdberg was likely part of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade or a state-side supporter. This would be an interesting figure to research further.

ALBA-ES-30 (Photo by: M. Lindenburg)

REHOUSING

A big problem I encountered when surveying these posters was with the housing rather than the posters themselves. Often, I encountered groups of ten or more posters in a folder, making the folder heavy and difficult to move. Further, if these posters are in mylar encapsulation, they become even heavier. To remedy this, the posters need to be rehoused into sturdier folders. I began some of this work with Laura McCann this semester, and the rehousing of the posters will continue through the summer. 

VELCRO STICKERS

Some of the posters I found had velcro stickers left on the mylar encapsulation. These are likely from previous exhibition techniques, where the posters were attached to a wall using velcro. However, this technique is now deemed problematic, so Lindsey Tyne and I used a process to remove these stickers. We used a hot iron to heat small metal spatulas, which we then used to melt the adhesive of the sticker and lift the velcro off. This is a delicate process, but we got into a rhythm and moved fairly quickly.

Mia removing velcro (Photo by: L. Tyne)

This collection has taught me many things. I have learned to be patient, think carefully, and always be on the lookout for new observations, among many other smaller skills. If I were asked to advise someone starting a similar project, I encourage them to take note of their natural rhythm so that they can figure out which order of surveying works best for them to maximize efficiency. I would also tell them not to be afraid of asking questions, even if it’s clarifying something they think you already know. This has been an incredible experience, and I feel so lucky to have been a part of this collection. Thank you for taking the time to read my post!

[mariacallous]

Amid Israeli airstrikes this week and the imminent threat of further escalations by the United States, Iran started severely limiting internet connectivity for its citizens, limiting Iranians' access to crucial information and intentionally pushing them toward domestic apps that may not be secure. Meanwhile, the Israel-tied hacking group known as Predatory Sparrow is waging cyberwar on Iran’s financial system, attacking Iran’s Sepah Bank and destroying more than $90 million in cryptocurrency held by the Iranian crypto exchange Nobitex.

With the US still reeling from last weekend's violent shooting spree in Minnesota targeting Democratic state lawmakers and their families, an FBI affidavit indicates that the suspected shooter allegedly used data broker sites to find targets’ addresses and potentially other personal information about them. The finding highlights the potential dangers of widely available personal data.

This week, WIRED published its How to Win a Fight package, which includes our roundup of tools for tracking the Trump administration’s attacks on civil liberties, plus the most up-to-date versions of our guides to protecting yourself from government surveillance, protesting safely in the age of surveillance, and protecting yourself from phone searches at the US Border. While you're at it, don't forget to print your own copy of the How to Win a Fight zine! Better yet, print two and leave one at your local coffee shop or library.

And there's more. Each week, we round up the security and privacy news we didn’t cover in depth ourselves. Click the headlines to read the full stories. And stay safe out there.

Israel Reports That Iran Is Hacking Security Cameras for Spying

Israeli officials said this week that Iran is compromising private security cameras around Israel to conduct espionage as the two countries exchange missile strikes after an initial Israeli barrage. A former Israeli cybersecurity official warned on public radio this week that Israelis should confirm that their home security cameras are protected by strong passwords or shut them down. “We know that in the past two or three days, the Iranians have been trying to connect to cameras to understand what happened and where their missiles hit to improve their precision,” Refael Franco, the former deputy director general of the Israel National Cyber Directorate, said. Like many internet-of-things devices, surveillance cameras are notoriously vulnerable to takeover if they are not secured with strong account protections. They have previously been targeted in other conflicts for intelligence gathering.

Ukrainian Hack Reportedly Caused Comms Blackouts, Data Deletion in Russia

The Kyiv Post reported this week that hackers from Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) launched a cyberattack against Russian internet service provider Orion Telecom that disabled 370 servers, took down roughly 500 network switches, and wiped backup systems to hinder recovery. The attacks reportedly caused internet and television outages. Orion Telecom reportedly said that it was recovering from a large DDoS attack and would quickly restore service. The attack came on June 12, the national holiday known as Russia Day. “Happy holiday, disrespectful Russians," the attackers wrote in a message circulated on Telegram groups. "Soon you’ll be living in the Stone Age—and we’ll help you get there. Glory to Ukraine.” The attackers claim to be part of Ukraine's BO Team hacking group. Sources told the Kyiv Post that Russian security agencies working on the country's war against Ukraine use Orion Telecom and were affected by the connectivity outages.

Viasat ID’ed as Another Victim in China’s Salt Typhoon Telecom Hacking Spree

Bloomberg reported this week that the satellite communication firm Viasat discovered a breach earlier this year perpetrated by China's Salt Typhoon espionage-focused hacking group. In early December, US authorities revealed that Salt Typhoon hackers had embedded themselves in major US telecoms, including AT&T and Verizon. After revelations last year of the group's extensive telecom hacking spree in the US and elsewhere, WIRED reported in February that Salt Typhoon was still actively breaching new victims. Viasat says it has been cooperating with federal authorities to investigate its breach.

23andMe Hit With UK Fine Over 2023 Data Breach

The United Kingdom's Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said this week that it issued a £2.31 million ($3.1 million) fine to the beleaguered genetic testing company 23andMe as a result of the company's damaging 2023 data breach. Attackers were able to access user accounts and their data using stolen login credentials, because at the time 23andMe did not require that users set up two-factor authentication, which the ICO says violated the UK's data protection law. The company has since mandated this protection for all users. More than 155,000 UK residents had their data stolen in the breach, according to the ICO, which said that 23andMe “did not have additional verification steps for users to access and download their raw genetic data” when the breach occurred.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

#15yrsago EULAs + Arbitration = endless opportunity for abuse https://archive.org/details/TheUnconcionabilityOfArbitrationAgreementsInEulas

#15yrsago Wikipedia’s facts-about-facts make the impossible real https://web.archive.org/web/20091116023225/http://www.make-digital.com/make/vol20/?pg=16

#10yrsago Youtube nukes 7 hours’ worth of science symposium audio due to background music during lunch break https://memex.craphound.com/2014/11/25/youtube-nukes-7-hours-worth-of-science-symposium-audio-due-to-background-music-during-lunch-break/

#10yrsago El Deafo: moving, fresh YA comic-book memoir about growing up deaf https://memex.craphound.com/2014/11/25/el-deafo-moving-fresh-ya-comic-book-memoir-about-growing-up-deaf/

#5yrsago Networked authoritarianism may contain the seeds of its own undoing https://crookedtimber.org/2019/11/25/seeing-like-a-finite-state-machine/

#5yrsago After Katrina, neoliberals replaced New Orleans’ schools with charters, which are now failing https://www.nola.com/news/education/article_0c5918cc-058d-11ea-aa21-d78ab966b579.html

#5yrsago Talking about Disney’s 1964 Carousel of Progress with Bleeding Cool: our lost animatronic future https://bleedingcool.com/pop-culture/castle-talk-cory-doctorow-on-disneys-carousel-of-progress-and-lost-optimism/

#5yrsago Tiny alterations in training data can introduce “backdoors” into machine learning models https://arxiv.org/abs/1903.06638

#5yrsago Leaked documents document China’s plan for mass arrests and concentration-camp internment of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang https://www.icij.org/investigations/china-cables/exposed-chinas-operating-manuals-for-mass-internment-and-arrest-by-algorithm/

#5yrsago Hong Kong elections: overconfident Beijing loyalist parties suffer a near-total rout https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3039132/results-blog

#5yrsago Library Socialism: a utopian vision of a sustaniable, luxuriant future of circulating abundance https://memex.craphound.com/2019/11/25/library-socialism-a-utopian-vision-of-a-sustaniable-luxuriant-future-of-circulating-abundance/

#1yrago The moral injury of having your work enshittified https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/25/moral-injury/#enshittification

[ashknife]

Blossom

This is for the @inklings-challenge. I didn't have the benefit of running this through my writing group for critique and editing, so it is exceptionally rough. It's done, but it needs work. Something to do when I graduate in May. :) If you have suggestions or criticism to make, I would greatly appreciate it.

>/-u:bl0$$0m >/-p:*************** User authenticated. Welcome, bl0$$0m. TaurOS 7.2.9 rev.2 update available. See UPDATE -README for details. bl0$$0m>/-jack a2.82.71.89.82.fe -in/quiet Initializing peripherals. VineTech Helm Visor XG51 detected. VineTech Glide Gloves XG51 detected. VineTech Chest Mount Expansion XG51 detected. Please wait...... 9.8 PB allocated. Entering TaurNet...... Welcome, user bl0$$0m.

Visuals initializing.

A small room appears in her sight. It is covered in vines and foliage. A square fountain in the middle, covered in lily pads, provides water to this lush little garden.

Audio initializing.

The sound of trickling water gently pelts her ears. A breeze whooshes above, rustling the plants and calling attention to the windchimes above.

Sensories initializing.

She feels the cool breath of the wind caress her skin. The sun filtering in from above counters with its warmth. The dichotomy is pleasing. The scent of the plants fills her nostrils. She almost sneezes; she is thankful she doesn’t. The mess would have been a pain to clean up.

Controls initialized. Happy exploring.

She moves her body around the garden. Walking around is almost like walking around the dark room she is really seated in. It’s close enough to be disconcerting. No matter how many times she’s done this, she has to take a few minutes to reorient herself to the virtual environment. She performs a few stretches and exercises while she’s at it. There will be a lot of activity today.

“Hey, get your bearings yet?” Spencer’s disembodied voice crackled slightly.

“Almost. You’re breaking up a little,” Blossom replied.

“Can’t help it. There’s a massive storm outside. Let me know when you’re ready. Red is on standby,” Spencer said.

“Yo,” Redjack said. “I see you’re in one of the VineTech gardens.”

“It came with the gear,” she said.

“Did you get the XG51 set? Nice!” Spencer said.

“That’s right, boys. Only quality goods for this girl,” she said.

“That pocket garden is nice. If we weren’t already linked, I’d never know it was there. Is it true? Can you link that room anywhere?” Redjack said. Blossom smiled a little. Even she enjoyed the new car smell.

“I tried putting it just outside the library subbasement. I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” Blossom said.

“Which door?”

“A-51.”

“Ok, I’m watching. On your mark, Blossom.”

“Security is light down there, but be on your guard,” Spencer said.

“Got it,” she replied. “3…2…1…”

She opened the door out into a large, dusty lobby. Dust kicked up from the floor in a visible wave emanating from the opening portal.

“Oh, wow. I think you’re the first to disturb the air here in a long time,” Redjack commented.

“You said light security, Spence. Do you think it’s still around?” Blossom asked.

“Sensors don’t need to physically patrol an area to scan it. Some gremlins can remain inert for decades before being activated,” Spencer replied.

“Don’t let my guard down,” she said.

“Exactly. People have died from less,” Spencer said.

Blossom carefully stepped into the lobby. To her left was a large set of stairs leading up to the ground floor. A couple of dim rays from the cyberworld above pierced through, illuminating parts of a utilitarian directory in front of a big desk. Circulation, Preservation, and Housekeeping were to the right.

“This desk looks like a reception area for the basement offices,” Blossom said. “I can see some of the directory. Preservation is to my right. Is that where the archives are?”

“Not necessarily, but it’s a good place to start,” Spencer said.

“Not to alarm, but going off of Spence’s point earlier, there are a couple of inert gremlins under the desk. I’m prepping some weapon data just in case. What would you like?” Redjack said.

“The usual,” she said.

“On it,” he replied.

“Any sentries close by?” Spencer said.

“Three blocks down,” Redjack said.

“I’ll look. You’re clear to walk to that point,” Spencer said.

“Got it,” Blossom said. She advanced down the dark hallway with short, purposeful steps. She looked side-to-side with as much caution. Though the hallways were mostly bare, that did not mean they were empty. More than once, she was ambushed by cleverly camouflaged data gremlins, dangerous anomalies residing in the depths of cyberspace. They are pockets of corrupted data left down here for months, decades, or even centuries. Having been overlooked for so long and thus no programs to handle garbage collection, the corruptions evolved into some sort of animalistic state with a monstrous appearance. The depths of cyberspace are home to dangers such as this. It takes professional hackers like Blossom and her crew to brave and survive those depths to retrieve lost data. Hacker is one of the most respected professions on Taurus Rho.

Blossom crept to the end of the hall, where a pair of steel doors painted the same cream as the walls blocked her path. If Spencer was right, the sentries would be on the other side of the doors, so she relaxed a bit and took in her surroundings. She had seen the upper floors of this library before with rows of heavy wooden shelves with numerous imaginative posters begging patrons to read, read, read. There was colorful carpet to complement the colorful walls and numerous streamers hanging from the ceiling. It felt open, lively, and inviting. It was hard to believe that these lower levels were part of the same building. The offices, technical processing, and archives lived down here, so the design was far more utilitarian. Perhaps if she had a chance, she would peek into an office. Surely the librarians who worked here had lively desks.

“Hard to believe that this was a lively place twenty years ago, huh?” Redjack said.

“The first digital library,” she said.

“It had a good run, but now there are five bigger ones above and plans for even more. It didn’t take long for people to forget it,” he said.

“Red, how deep do you think cyberspace is?”

“Well, Nighthawk claimed to have been ten kilometers below, and that was when this library was in its final days. That makes that now, what, twelve?”

“How deep was that depot? The deepest we made?”

“Five.”

“I remember the cliffside there. I could see down a long ways.”

“I imagine it could be twenty, thirty, or more deep. Humanity has been on Taurus Rho for several centuries, and technology keeps expanding.”

“We can make it deeper, I bet. Deeper than even the great Nighthawk.”

“Yeah. One step at a time, anyway. What’s the word, Spencer? You’ve been quiet for a while.”

“Yeah, sorry, I’m confused. These scanners are VineTech,” Spencer said.

“VineTech? But, they’re a startup. They haven’t been around for even five years,” Blossom said.

“Weapon inbound,” Redjack interrupted.

A somewhat ornate spear materialized in front of Blossom, who took it, twirled around, and struck at a pair of gremlins in one fluid motion. The spearhead connected to the skull of the vaguely humanoid anomaly. It hissed and quivered violently before collapsing to the ground. Its buddy lunged at Blossom. She sidestepped the attack and jabbed the spear into its side, where it collapsed in a strange pile.

“Executing garbage collection,” Spencer said.

A dim light briefly engulfed the gremlin corpses. The corrupted data dispersed, leaving behind a couple of scraps of paper. Blossom picked them up and looked at them.

“This scrap is part of an old newspaper,” she said, crumpling it and tossing it behind her. “But this one, it appears to be an encrypted note. I’m uploading it to you, Spence.”

The other scrap disappeared from her hand in a small shower of white sparkles.

“Got it. So, those sentries are recent products from VineTech. Stealth Series 1 Beta. They’re supposed to be hard to detect.”

“Someone doesn’t want us down here,” Blossom said.

“It’s a good bet that someone knows we’re here. Should we abort?” Spencer said.

“Can you move that room?” Redjack asked.

“Yes, I can,” Blossom said. “Tried it the other day around my space.”

“The client gave us a detailed description of the record they want from the archives. If she hurried, she can get to it and then hop through a side door back into her safe space,” Redjack said.

“That’s risky,” Spencer said.

“I get the feeling there won’t be another chance,” Blossom said.

“If someone laid that trap for us, then there’s little use for stealth. I’ll scan the area for the target. You should see it on your HUD soon, Blossom,” Spencer said.

“Activating systems. Let’s make some noise,” Redjacked yelled.

The dark hallways lit up almost brighter than day. Blossom grunted as she brought her arm over her eyes. As her eyes adjusted, she saw a red targeting reticle appear down behind the doors.

“Archives are next to preservation, as you guessed. Run!” Spencer said.

Menus darted across Blossom’s vision as she selected a slew of commands to augment her abilities. Her destination was only a couple hundred meters down; she would be fine expending a large amount of data to get there quickly, especially if she had to run for her life. As if to confirm that, the sounds of machinery and crashing echoed from above the lobby stairs. 

Blossom cursed as her spear glowed an eerie green color. With a practiced slash, she cut down the doors in front of her. She jumped past them and sprinted down the hall. Within seconds, she reached a set of doors leading into Preservation. She kicked the doors in to see a large room with shelves of boxes, chemicals, and plastic sleeving. Down the hall where she came from, she could see an Enforcer, a humanoid-shaped program designed by the military to help police the public areas of cyberspace.

“Blossom…” Spencer started.

“I know!” Weaving her spear around, she burst through Preservation, cutting through the tables and shelves before slicing down another set of doors. This led to a small warehouse with mostly empty shelves. There were several gremlins, all of whom were agitated by the sudden change in environment. In the middle of that was the target record. Hearing the crashing behind her, Blossom leaped forward, over the gremlins and shelves, and landed two aisles away from the record. The Enforcer exploded through what was left of those doors and charged forward, but the gremlins found it more interesting than Blossom.

“Precious seconds bought. There’s a door down the aisle where the record is found. Grab it and go!” Spencer said.

More menu options floated in front of Blossom as she ran to the correct aisle and rushed to the record. It appeared to be an old journal of some kind. She pocketed it and ran for the door. Light flickered behind it, and it opened to her private garden. The sound of struggle between the Enforcer and the gremlins quieted down. She was out of time. With a final burst of speed, she leaped for the door and slammed it behind her. The door bulged with a fist-like shape. Furiously, she entered commands. Soon, the bulge returned to normal as her garden transported her to somewhere safe. She pulled the journal out.

“The memoirs of Jackson A. Miller is ours,” she said.

Both men exhaled.

“Good job, Blossom,” Redjack said.

“Another narrow escape, thanks to your upgrades,” Spencer said. “Guess I should do the same, yeah? I’ll meet you at the normal place.”

“Sure thing.”

A pair of wired, sleek gloves pulled a similarly styled helmet off. The young woman gasped for fresh air and then sat there while her pulse and breathing slowly returned to normal. Every close call unnerved her. If the Enforcer had gotten a hold of her like it did those gremlins…well, this room would have been quite the mess for someone to clean up.

She stood up, slid the chest mount off, and hung the pieces of the XG51 into their sanitation station. She ambled to the bathroom and looked at the mirror. Her undershirt was drenched with sweat, and her black hair was also drenched and matted. She ran her fingers down her dried face and stared at her brown eyes for a few moments. She sniffed and wrinkled her nose.

“This is going to be the death of you, Laura,” she told her reflection.

A shower and some fresh clothes later, Laura stepped out of her apartment into the city streets. As much as she didn’t care for the inner parts of Prime City, she was glad for the opportunity to get out and distance herself from the virtual reality suit. The storm Spencer complained about had just passed over this part of the city, so there was a little freshness in the air. Her dark grey beanie, scarf, coat, slacks, and boots blended with the overcast sky, the city buildings, and many of her fellow pedestrians. She trotted to keep pace with the crowd, warily watching while keeping her face down. A pair of earbuds quietly played music from children’s show Duck the Rabbit; they were also a type of hearing aid. They saved her more than a few times from nosy reporters and angry strangers.

A quarter-hour stroll through the city streets brought her to a little cafe, La Fleur Petit. An eccentric old lady crazy about fungus ran the place, which was enough to scare off most people who weren’t regulars. It was a cozy spot that served a delicious cup of coffee and a large, warm waffle. Laura could smell the waffles the entire walk down. She opened the door and stepped in.

A wrinkled raisin of a woman sat at the register hunched over in a somewhat comatose pose. It wasn’t clear if she was contemplating the mysteries of the universe or was asleep. An eye peeked to see who it was, and then she burst into life.

“Oh, you can’t hide from me, sweetie! I know which blossom those eyes belong to,” she said.

“Good evening, Madame Sophie,” Laura said. Sophie grabbed Laura’s cool hand and stared seriously into her eyes.

“Still so formal after all these years. One day, young lady. One day, you will call me Grandma or Toots or something.” She cackled. Laura couldn’t help but smile as the old lady dragged her to her normal table. There was a guest waiting for her, as expected.

“Waffle and coffee?” Sophie asked.

“Yes, please.”

“I’ll return shortly.”

Laura sat at the table and faced her guest, who was dressed similarly. They sat in silence until Sophie returned with fresh coffee in mushroom-shaped mugs. She sat a mug in front of Laura and another in front of the guest.

“Your orders will be ready in a few. Relax and enjoy!” She bowed and walked back to the counter, singing an old tune using mushroom names as lyrics. Laura’s guest lifted his mug.

“The fields are white unto harvest,” he said.

“But the laborers are few,” she said, lifting her mug. They loosened their scarves and savored a sip.

“Sophie makes good coffee. I wonder where she sources it,” the man said.

“See? Like that, dearie!” Sophie called from the counter. Laura laughed.

“I don’t know, but she’s earned a few secrets,” she said.

“Do you have the journal?” he said.

“Here.” Laura produced a small drive and handed it over. He looked it over and placed it in a pouch.

“That was a close call. Did that punch get in your garden?”

“About two feet, I think. It…I…do you know something, Spence? I think we were targeted.” Spencer nodded.

“Here’s a copy of that note.” He pulled out a folded scrap of paper. “Decrypted,” he added.

Laura took and unfolded it.

Flowers wither. -M

She looked up.

“I don’t know who we angered, but somehow we did,” Spencer said.

“Any ideas? Past clients? Jobs?” she asked.

“I think it might actually have been this job. Jackson A. Miller was an old general, someone the deposed General Blackheart looked up to. Our client was really good at hiding his information, but I still managed to dig up some info. A librarian who was personal friends with the same Mason Blackheart, Apollo DeGreen. Seems he might be doing a favor for his old buddy.”

“General Blackheart was deposed seven years ago and disappeared soon after. Wouldn’t this be someone acting on an old grudge?”

“Maybe, but then they seemed to know who you are. That they sent an Enforcer after you meant they were someone high up. Very few people get to command those. I just don’t know who M is.”

He stared intently at her. She stared back. Sophie arrived with plates of waffles and sausage.

“Oh, Sophie, I could eat this every day,” Spencer said.

“How nice of you to say, but you already get my best discount,” Sophie replied as she placed the food down for her guests. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

Laura stared for a bit longer, and then she looked at the scrap again. Something caught her eye. There was a tiny bit of writing underneath the note.

“Hey, there’s an address here,” she said, handing the note back.

“You’re right,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “You know something.”

“Yeah, but I can’t crack. Not yet. Trust me a little longer,” she said, taking in a bite of waffle. If only she could hold that warm, fluffy moment forever.

“You were almost killed,” he said, holding his first bite in.

“I…yeah. That unnerved me, but I have to face the danger. We need to go to that address.”

“This is clearly a trap.”

“I know.”

“But you want to go?”

“I have to. It’s…important.”

“The ever-nebulous quest of yours?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t think I could take it if you were silenced.”

“You say that every time.”

“And I mean it every time. You’re a person, too. Red and I care about you. We’re a great team. We could keep this going for years to come.”

“Spence…”

“I know better than to try to talk you out of this, but if this goes south, we’re gonna have to lay low for a while.” Laura sighed.

“Thank you, Spence. Just trust me a little longer, and then you’ll learn all you want.”

“You’re a hard nut to crack, Blossom.”

“I have to be. Look, she made these look like shiitake.”

They ate and chatted for a while longer before leaving.

The door to Laura’s apartment opened quietly. She stepped in and closed the door just as carefully. She stepped into the kitchen and stripped the gear off of her head, placing them on the table. She inhaled sharply and brought her fist down on the table, jolting everything on it. She screamed in frustration.

She knew who M was. M was the Matriarch, the name her aunt used in cyberspace. Her real name was Anastasia Plumer. She was the governing regent of Sector Prime, one of the most populous sectors on the planet. She obtained the position by exposing the corruption of the previous regent and that of his advisors. Evidence of that corruption extended to her father, General Mason Blackheart. The general embezzled funds for his family and used his position to cover for a number of Laura’s missteps, including a failed attempt to sexually assault her own cousin, Lance Plumer. In an act of goodwill, Anastasia pardoned their crimes when General Blackheart stepped down in the face of his charges.

Charges that Laura knew were completely fabricated. Anastasia and Lance had powerful and skilled friends. All it took was a little sample of Laura’s DNA that she unwittingly provided. From that, they could recreate nearly every detail about her, including her voice and mannerisms. It was groundbreaking technology, the kind that Taurus Rho was known for. The people behind this brought that technology to market under the name VineTech.

Anastasia was calling Laura out, and Laura had no choice but to follow along. It was the only way she could get close enough to find something, anything, to exonerate herself and her father. She was right: this might really be the death of her.

“Let me get this straight: we’re infiltrating an address left behind by someone who tried to kill you?” Redjack asked.

“Yes,” Spencer and Blossom answered.

“You know, I need to find my way to Prime City so I can smack you both upside the head,” Redjack said.

“It’s been a while since the last time,” Blossom said.

“It has, and if this mission goes to pot, it won’t be happening ever again,” Redjack said.

“Don’t be all glum, Red. If this mission goes well, Blossom said she would spill the beans,” Spencer said.

“Wait, really? Like, we can finally know your name and all that?” Redjack said.

“Yeah. I have a feeling we’ll find something big here,” Blossom said.

“If you make it. I mean, given what we know, they could be going after me and Spence when this is over.”

“If this is our end, then let it be something noteworthy. I mean, we are trying to be greater than Nighthawk, right?” Spencer said.

“Now or never,” Blossom said.

“Right,” Redjack said. “I see you attached your garden to that address. I can have a weapon placed right outside for you. You’ll need it: the place is crawling with gremlins.”

“The place looks like an abandoned vacation home that sunk into the depths. Records of who it once belonged to seem to have been corrupted. Maybe one of those gremlins has them,” Spencer said.

“I can block some doors and funnel the gremlins down a corridor. That should help you dispatch them,” Redjack said.

“Alright. Reserve some data for a hasty retreat,” Blossom said. “I’d rather this not be the end if I can help it.”

“Already on it,” Redjack said.

“Okay, on my mark,” Blossom said. “3…2…1…”

Blossom burst through the door, grabbing the spear dropped next to it. One thrust, two, and then three inflicted fatal wounds on as many gremlins.

“Starting garbage collection,” Spencer said.

“Funneling enemies. They should be coming out of the door to the left,” Redjack said.

“How many?” Blossom asked.

“About thirty.”

Blossom sighed, inhaled deeply, and slammed the butt of the spear on the ground.

“Bring it!” she said, readying the spear for the first to come out.

Come out they did. As the door burst open, two gremlins popped out. Meanwhile, the doorway appeared to shrink down to a third of its size, forcing further gremlins to have to squeeze through.

“That should hold for a while. Take them out,” Redjack said.

Blossom stabbed the two in front of her, and then she charged at the doorway, running through another. She stood in front of it, stabbing at each one trying to get through to her. With Spencer clearing the corrupted data, there was plenty of room for the remaining gremlins to make their way to Blossom. By the time the last fell, she yawned with boredom.

“I expected more,” she said.

“Don’t let your guard down, lady,” Spencer said. He grunted. “Nothing useful. They were all made of bits and bobs. I think they were all made recently.”

“What are we looking for, anyway?” Redjack asked.

“I don’t know, exactly. Evidence of some kind,” Blossom said.

“You’re risking your life for something vague?”

“This time, yes. I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I’ll know what it is when I find it.”

“Okaaay…” Redjack said. “Well, you are in the den of a mansion. Your garden is attached to a door that goes outside. The door to the left of that, where you just killed gremlins, leads further into the mansion. On the opposite side, you should see some double doors that lead out into a courtyard. There is a bridge that goes over a pond to an island that houses a small tower. I don’t know about you, but I think I would have fun at this place. You, aside from the monster infestation.”

Blossom gasped. She knew this place.

“The tower. It’s got to be in the tower.”

“How do you know?” Spencer said.

“I just…I just do. Are there any enemies out there?”

“None that I see,” Redjack said. There just seem to be a couple of spotlights. How odd.”

“Huh…yeah, they’re just spotlights. Nothing out of the ordinary there,” Spencer said.

The ground shook. A guttural scream echoed through the mansion.

“That…oh, that one is huge. And he’s above you,” Redjack said.

“I don’t like this, Blossom. You’re being pushed there. You know there is trap of some kind somewhere,” Spencer said.

“I’ll deal,” she said, approaching the courtyard doors. They were large enough to allow a small vehicle in. A plank of wood resting on metal braces barred the door from opening. Blossom lifted the plank and set it aside. She then twisted the second brace from the right, revealing a small hole inside the door. She retrieved a key, which she inserted into the keyhole. There was a loud click, and then the doors swung open.

“Huh…” Spencer said.

“I couldn’t see that. Where exactly are we?” Redjack said.

“It’s–” Blossom started. Another heavy scream cut her off.

“Tell us later. Go!” Redjack said.

Blossom ran out into the courtyard. It was a simple grassy yard with a large pond in the middle. In the middle of the pond stood a small tower rising about three stories. A rough path of large stones connected the door to a wooden bridge that crossed the pond. The stone path continued on the island to the tower.

Blossom made it halfway to the bridge when a large, dark mass poured itself out of the courtyard door like a thick oil. Once out, it wriggled violently until it could form a pair of arms, a pair of eyes, and a pair of eyes. The gremlin was easily the size of an elephant, and its core was darker than any night sky Blossom had ever seen.

Blossom bolted to the bridge just as the gremlin chased after her. The ground under the gremlin suddenly gave way as if it was as viscous as the creature.

“Thanks, Red,” Blossom said as she stepped on the bridge. Just a few more steps, and she would be on the island, and then the tower, and then whatever was held in it.

Then the spotlights lit up.

Blossom cried out as she did her best to shield her eyes from their glare.

“Don’t tell me…” Spencer said.

“Oh. Oh, no!” Redjack said. “There’s no way!”

Blossom was not the only one who cried out. The gremlin screeched in pain. It scrambled like a panicked bug back to the mansion.

“We’re too high up to see any of these,” Spencer said. “How is this possible?”

There were four spotlights, each attached to the fence around the courtyard. Their intense light focused on Blossom. Wherever she blindly stumbled, they followed her. The large beams grew brighter and more focused. A thin beam of the whitest light shot from each spotlight and hit Blossom’s head. She seized up, held up only by her twitching muscles and the lights which bore into her.

“I’m going in,” Spencer said.

“Are you nuts?! We’ve never dealt with the Lights of Truth!” Redjack said.

“If I know my lore, they’ll only be focused on her. If I don’t, well, it was worth a shot. We can’t jack her out until she’s free of them, which means one of us has to pull her out.”

Redjack cursed.

“I knew you’d understand,” Spencer said.

The lights intensified, drilling into Blossom’s mind. Her body contorted in awful angles, and her cries sounded inhuman. Streams of silver poured out of her head. There were hundreds of them, and they threatened to corrupt the space around them and form gremlins. However, in the light, they instead stabilized and turned into windows showing pictures, objects, scenes, and even ideas and feelings.

“There’s a ton of data coming through. You’ll have to jack in on my mark,” Redjack said.

“Got it,” Spencer replied. “What’s going on?”

“It’s…her. Everything about her. Everything.”

“What? That’s it?”

“I don’t think you understand, Spence. You should see this.”

“Okay.”

“Opportunity’s coming. 3…2…1…”

A  shower of light by the courtyard door heralded Spencer’s entrance. The lights around him were nearly too much to take in, but they were not nearly as intense as they were on the bridge. Silver streams continued to wrest themselves out of Blossom’s mind, turning in to data streams. Scenes of school, trips, military parades, family, especially…

“General Mason Blackheart?” Spencer said. The deposed general factored into several memories.

“Blossom is…Laura Blackheart? Have we been working with the general’s daughter this whole time?” Redjack said.

“This was the regent’s vacation home! Red, where is all this data going?”

Redjack gasped and cursed. “It’s going somewhere in downtown Prime. I can’t contain any of this! Get her out!”

Spencer approached the bridge. The heat of the lights was unbearable, but that was nothing compared to Laura’s writhing body. It contorted just the right way for him to reach his arms in and hook them around her shoulders. He pulled her as close as her body and the attached lights would allow.

“Got a boost for me?” Spencer said.

“I’ll try, buddy,” Redjack said. “Here goes…”

Spencer yanked. Redjack’s boost was more than he expected, for he flew back into the mansion with Laura in tow. It was enough to disconnect her from the lights, which immediately powered down. She quivered in exhaustion and gasped for breath.

“Throw her in the garden. I'll jack her out,” Redjack said.

Spencer dragged Laura to the door hosting her private garden. He was unable to enter it, so he gathered her into his arms like he was carrying a large sack.

“I’m sorry, but I hope this will be less painful than what you just went through,” he said.

He swung her twice before letting go a third time. She flew a few feet into the garden, landing hard on the ivy-covered ground. Spencer winced.

“I’m so sorry, Blossom,” he said, closing the door.

Laura screamed as she yanked the XG51 off. She clawed at her head, which felt like it had been drilled into hundreds of times. She stumbled out of her chair, choking out sobs, clutching her chest, and using the wall to hold herself up. Eventually, she made it to the bathroom, where she allowed herself to trip down to the toilet. She vomited into it. When nothing more could come out, she collapsed on the floor. She tried to wrap the rug around her. She pulled the towels off the drying rack to wrap around her, and then she tried to reach for the clean ones shelved above the rack. Eventually, she stopped reaching and cried herself to sleep.

“Welcome! Oh! Oh…” Sophie hurried around the counter and grabbed Laura’s hands. It had been two days since her mind was invaded. She existed on the bathroom floor for most of that, but something within willed her to get up, clean up, and take the stroll to La Fleur Petit. She wore two layers of clothing under her coat and wrapped her scarf extra tight. The wet, red rings around her eyes made her look threatening. She tried to say something to Sophie.

“Shh, hush now. Come, your friends are waiting. I will make something special for you.”

Waiting? She didn’t tell anyone she would be there. Yet, there were two men dressed like her. Of course. Who else could it have been? They were already enjoying their coffee in mushroom-shaped mugs. A fresh mug was waiting for her. Sophie helped her sit, and she was off into the kitchen.

“The fields are ripe to harvest,” Spencer said.

“But…the laborers…” Laura answered, choking up. She breathed in slowly and collected herself.

“Are few,” she finished. She loosened her scarf a little, trying to have just enough room to drink her coffee and nothing more. The two men removed their scarves completely, loosened their coats, took off their caps, and relaxed. Spencer leaned forward.

“So, we, uh, saw everything,” he said. Laura nodded cautiously.

“To be honest, I thought all this effort to be secretive and hidden was a novel schtick, You know, an edgy kind of roleplay that was sort of our trademark thing. I mean, why do we need to hide? We’re hackers. We do the dangerous work of finding things in the deep so that nobody else has to, right? But, now I understand. I know why we needed to be secretive. Why you were always so hidden. You had to be,” Spencer said.

“The regent was after you,” Redjack continued. “She tried to mine, well, you. She learned about Spence and I.”

‘I put you danger. We have to lay low. I shouldn’t have…” Laura said.

“Yeah, we’re in danger. Or would have been,” Redjack said. He pushed a folded piece of paper to her. Laura took and unfolded it. She looked up. On the note was an image of a hawk’s head.

“Apparently Nighthawk is still in business, and he took enough shine to us to divert most of the data heading to the lady regent,” Spencer said.

Tears fell as a great weight lifted from Laura’s shoulders.

“I…I’m so grateful!” she blurted. Spencer stood up.

“For better or for worse, the time for secrets is behind us. My name is James Smith. My grandfather, Spencer O’Toole, was a hacker and someone I admired greatly.” He held out his hand. Redjack stood and offered his hand, as well.

“I, well, there’s nothing meaningful to Redjack. My name is Jack Redman. I just thought it sounded cool. Computers are sort of my dig, you know?”

Laura stood and took her scarf off.

“Laura Blackheart. I’m pleased to meet you both.” She shook each of their hands, and they sat back down.

“Oh, finally! You’re practically family now!” Sophie snuck up to the table with three steaming bowls, placing them before each person.

“Sophie, we didn’t order any soup,” Spencer said.

“Don’t worry! Today’s meal is on the house. The soup is my special recipe: a broth made from several different mushrooms! It’s the perfect remedy for cold, troubling days. I’ll be back later with your meals.” Sophie scooted off.

“That was generous of her,” Redjack said, lifting the bowl to his face. Spencer and Laura did the same.

“Cheers,” they said, and drank. The soup filled Laura with an otherworldly warmth, a feeling of calm in the midst of a raging storm. The earthy, peppery mushrooms felt oddly of home. There was joy, and longing, and peace.

Laura opened her eyes, suddenly aware she had almost drifted asleep. Spencer and Redjack, by the look on their faces, had similar reactions.

“What a masterpiece,” Spencer finally said. Silently, they sipped their soups until their bowls were empty. As if on cue, Sophie returned to collect their bowls and place out their entrees: a massive feast of eggs, bacon, and sausage piled on top of her mushroom-shaped waffles.

“I don’t know what you’ve suffered, but I’ll be dead before I let anyone walk over my children like that. Next time it happens, you point ol’ Sophie at ‘em. I’ll tan their hides so hard, they’ll wish I actually knocked them into next month.” Sophie walked back to the kitchen muttering other unsavory things she wanted to do. The three sat there for a moment, and then they erupted in laughter before digging in.

“We need to go back,” Laura said.

“I know you just got drilled in the head, but seriously?” Spencer said.

“Yes. Seriously. Aunt Anastasia baited a trap, but I never found the bait,” Laura said.

“The Lights of Truth are ancient traps. I can see how a rich and powerful person like the regent managed to get some moved to her old vacation home without destroying half of cyberspace, but there isn’t much known about them. I don’t know any way to disable them,” Redjack said.

“But Nighthawk does,” Laura said.

“Oh, right. He did claim to have a way to get through them. But we have no way to contact him,” Spencer said.

“If we caught his attention before, maybe we can catch it again,” Laura said.

“What if we don’t?” Redjack asked.

“Then we look for a way around. They activated when I got part way across the bridge. What if we went under it, or over the island, or through the ground? The tower, it’s important. She had that built for her kids and us cousins. It’s a big playhouse,” she answered.

“Well, those are possibilities,” Redjack conceded.

“What if the bait turns out to be a ruse?” Spencer asked.

“Well, I guess we lay low and learn from our mistakes,” Laura said.

“I think I heard something about Omega Phi looking for something like us hackers. Ever thought about moving off-world?” Redjack said.

“Let’s consider that after we deal with the task at hand,” Spencer said.

Laura stared at an empty mug.

“Grandma, can I have some more coffee?” she called out.

Sophie burst through the kitchen door with a full carafe of coffee and the widest grin.

“You make this old woman so happy, dear!”

A few days had passed before Blossom stepped back into the mansion’s den. It seemed whatever damage occurred during his last visit was repaired.

“Auntie is pretty diligent at maintaining her abandoned property,” she observed.

“That’s a bad sign,” Spencer said.

“Let’s go through with it, anyway. We may get lucky,” she said.

“Just in case, I have a program ready to jack you out in case the lights target you again. It’s going to hurt, but not like what you endured,” Redjack said.

“Okay. Let’s do this,” she said, stepping towards the courtyard doors. She immediately stopped and drew a sharp breath.

“Whoa! Who is that?” Redjack said. Although difficult to see in the dim lighting, there was a man standing in front of the courtyard doors. His dark raiment melded well with the shadows, but the helmet on his head was shaped like a hawk.

“Is that…?” Spencer started.

“Laura,” the man said sternly. Her knees gave out, and she fell on them. Her lips quivered and tears formed.

“That was reckless, the other day. I taught you better,” the man continued.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…I had to…”

“How can you possibly surpass the great Nighthawk with such rookie mistakes?” he demanded.

“I never thought I would get to meet Nighthawk, and now he’s scolding us. I don’t think anything can surprise me anymore,” Redjack said.

“Anastasia isn’t satisfied. She wants us gone. I didn’t think I would have another opportunity!” Blossom pleaded to Nighthawk.

“Sometimes patience requires decades. You can’t expose anything if you lose control and get yourself killed for it,” Nighthawk countered. “And your teammates! Did you not think of them? Didn’t you ignore their warnings?”

Blossom punched the ground in frustration. Nighthawk walked to her.

“Get up,” he said. “Get up. Eyes up and forward. Face me.”

Blossom obeyed, standing to her feet and facing Nighthawk with eyes filled with defiance. Nighthawk grabbed her chin and chuckled softly.

“You’re as stubborn as ever. I’ve missed you, daughter.”

“Nighthawk is…” Spencer said. The sound of his headset hitting a wall replaced the rest of his statement.

“Tell me this is the last surprise we have to deal with. We can’t handle anymore,” Redjack said. Blossom could almost hear his facepalm.

“Where have you been?” Laura said.

“I’m sorry. I had to disappear, like you,” Nighthawk said. He cupped his hands around her head, and then he pulled her into an embrace.

“I missed you,” she said, hugging him back.

She could feel him pull his mask off. There was a shake, and then she felt something like a warm, fuzzy blanket cover her. She pulled back  to see a cloak covering her. Her father fastened the clasp at her neck and pulled the hood over her head. He waved a hand, revealing a mirror. In the reflection stood an older version of the father she knew. He leaned on a cane, and his hair and beard were grayer, but age could not erase the pride and intention in which he carried himself. Laura then noticed the ears on the hood and the little duck bill. She laughed, facepalmed, and sang.

“Duck, Duck the Bunny is his name

Helping the children is his game!”

General Blackheart walked around his daughter and tidied the wrinkles and debris off of the cloak. He joined in the song with his gruff, baritone voice.

“When evil rears its ugly head,

Duck will fly in and make it dead.

He saves the world as you can see

Duck is right here for you and me!”

“That was an awful show,” General Blackheart said.

“Yeah, but it kind of stuck,” Laura said.

General Blackheart looked Laura over once more, and then he sighed.

“I’m old and harsh. You suffered greatly from those lights. I hope you can forgive an old man for fearing for his little girl,” he said.

“I’m twenty-seven, Dad.”

“I’m almost 70. You will always be little to me. Now, we have some business to take care of, don’t we?”

Ruffled noises come from Spencer’s headset, followed by a long breath.

“General, do you plan on funding a long vacation for all of us when this is done?” he asked.

“I’ll do that and more if you succeed. How would you folks like to work with the great Nighthawk? I’ll teach you things you never thought possible,” General Blackheart replied.

“I’m ears,” Redjack said.

“You’re really helping us?” Laura said.

“Of course. I can’t have Anastasia harming my little blossom again,”

“What’s the plan?” Spencer said.

“Blossom is going to walk across the bridge and take whatever artifact is in the tower,” Nighthawk said as he pulled on a new hood.

“We tried that last time, and it didn’t work,” Redjack said.

“True, but last time you didn’t have all the necessary tools,” Nighthawk said.

“This cloak,” Blossom said.

“Right. I devised cloaks like this specifically to get past the Lights of Truth. They were a government experiment designed to mine the thoughts of the populace. As you’ve seen, they have painful results, and they were the refined, production versions,” Nighthawk said.

“So, you learned about them while you were actually General,” Spencer said.

“Right. That sort of clearance turned around and made me a legend, though you are the only ones outside my team to know this. Having the archived schematics of old, powerful weapons helped us to devise countermeasures,” Nighthawk said.

“Not to alarm anyone, but that giant gremlin is still there. How has he not seen us yet?” Redjack said.

“Let’s just say I know a few ways to obtain control of my space. I will upload some of those to you,” Nighthawk said. “The rest I cannot give you without causing you trouble.”

“What will the cloak do?” Spencer asked.

“It will reflect the light back to the source, causing it to mine itself. It won’t be destroyed, but it will be kept busy in a recursive loop for several minutes. Unfortunately, they will not be available to keep our friend upstairs at bay. That’s where I come in. I need you gentlemen to back me up while I keep him busy. With a little luck, we can take it out and recover a bit of treasure for ourselves,” Nighthawk said.

“What’s in the tower?” Blossom asked.

“I don’t know, but it will be on you to recover whatever is up there. I imagine Anastasia will have something else planned for you,” Nighthawk said. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I saw some of the memories drilled out of you. There was one in particular that caught my attention,” he said. A window appeared, showing a garden in Prime City.

“Wait a minute. Isn’t this where Laura supposedly assaults the regent’s son?” Spencer said.

“Look,” Nighthawk said.

A younger Laura walked down the starlit garden path. She wore a simple dress with golden feathers adorning her shoulders. Walking next to her was her cousin, Lance Plumer, who wore the ceremonial uniform of a colonel of the Prime Sector army. Earlier that day, new officers graduated from officer school, and Lance was one of the top graduates. The party that night was in their honor. Laura naturally attended the party, being the daughter of General Mason. It had been years since she and Lance saw each other, so this party was an excellent opportunity to catch up.

They ambled through the spacious garden for what seemed like hours before they stopped in a secluded corner. The journey was well-remembered. The words and sounds, however, were muffled. Laura barely remembered them. That is, until a certain point. Lance brought his hand up to Laura’s face.

“You really blossomed into a beautiful woman, Laura,” he said.

“Oh, stop it,” she laughed. “I’m still the same kid you ran around with.”

“Maybe we can do something more,” he said. His hand lowered, but before he got anywhere, she grabbed a hold of it. He thrust his other arm at her face, which she dodged and then bit. He yanked that arm back while she held on to the other, spinning under it and using the momentum to flip him onto the ground. She spat in his face and stormed off.

Nighthawk brought up a different window. “This is footage from the security camera,” he said.

The same scene played out, but from a perspective about ten feet away. When Laura stormed off, Lance produced a couple of vials from his coat and collected Laura’s spittle.

“That was much easier than I thought,” he said as he got up. He dusted himself off, looked around, and walked away.

“That…that…” Blossom started.

“It’s hard to know what was and wasn’t fabricated,” Nighthawk said. “So, I just wanted you to know, if this doesn’t work out, and we get separated again, know that I know the truth and have always believed it to be, even when we were being played.”

“If I hadn’t spat on him!” Blossom stormed to the courtyard door.

“Operation start, boys,” Nighthawk said.

Soon, the door swung open, and Blossom stomped her way to the bridge and over it. The spotlights lit up, again blinding her. However, she hid under her cloak while her sight recovered. The cloak lit up, producing a reflective barrier in the shape of Duck the Bunny. With a loud quack, the lights were reflected back to the spotlights. The spotlights shook violently and flickered as they tried to mine the minds that weren’t there.

“You know, she’s going to kill you for that,” Spencer said.

“Won’t be the first time. It’s a father’s job to embarrass his children,” Nighthawk said.

“Bogey is active. Look alive!” Redjack said.

Blossom huddled under her cloak while the sting dissipated from her eyes. When her vision recovered, she resumed her tirade to the island, and then up the path. She planted her foot squarely on the tower door, knocking it over. She climbed the steps as Nighthawk evaded the gremlin outside. The second floor contained four beds. Beside each was a bedstand equipped with a lamp, a few books, and a small shelf of toys. She crossed the room and ascended the next set of stairs. At the top of the stairs was a final door. She stopped for a moment, took a few deep breaths, and composed herself. And then, she knocked.

“Come in,” Anastasia answered.

Blossom stepped in. The room inside was much larger than it should have been. There was a fire roaring in the fireplace across from the door. A tea kettle sat over it. A rug lay in front of the fireplace. To either side of the rug were a pair of comfy chairs. A table with teacups and cookies sat in between them. Anastasia Plumer sat in the one on the right.

“Have a seat,” the regent said.

Blossom sat in the other chair. Anastasia pulled the teapot from the fire, filled the teacups, and placed the pot back on the fire. Blossom took her cup and sipped on it. Chamomile.

“Snickerdoodles?” she asked.

“Yes,” her aunt replied. Blossom took one and nibbled on it silently for a few moments.

“Why haven’t you killed me?”

“I still can.”

“But you haven’t.”

“I can’t.”

The fire crackled loudly.

“Regent DeSpain was a crooked man. I don’t regret exposing him. Removing him from power, and those who profited with him, was necessary for the health of the sector,” Anastasia said.

“What did that have to do with me and father?”

“As his daughter, you should understand how much he values loyalty and duty. If his leader was in danger, no matter how much he actually despised the man, Mason would still take bullets for him.”

“This all was a form of protection?”

“Would you prefer prison and execution?”

“Why did you have Lance…do…argh!”

“Laura, I could never apologize enough for what he did. I instructed him to recover some form of DNA from you. He chose how to do it. The smear campaign was badly handled.”

“You don’t say!” Blossom shot up, ready to throw a punch.

“The Lance on TV is also fabricated. Did you know that?”

“What?”

“The real Lance is doing time in Barghest. That is the penalty for sexual assault, isn’t it?”

“I…didn’t…” She deflated back into her chair. They sat in silence for a while longer.

“You have to expose my crimes,” Anastasia finally said.

“I don’t understand,” Blossom said.

“Mason is fully discredited, but he can live on as Nighthawk. In fact, I think in some ways he prefers it.” At that moment, the large gremlin crawled passed their windows. Shortly after, Nighthawk flew past with some kind of energy weapon in hand, cackling like madman.

“Point.”

“You also have an interest in bringing me down, and it is easy to disprove the false evidence implicating your ‘crimes.’ I brought down Regent DeSpain in the name of justice, and I still believe in that enough to know that I need to step down and leave the regency to someone capable of ruling with clean hands.”

Laura sighed.

“I just wanted my life back,” she said.

“I’m sorry. The old flower has long since withered, but you have already blossomed into a new one. Do this, and you can at least be free to pursue it with your team.”

“What will happen to you?” Laura asked.

“I will probably end up in a cell next to Lance. Either that or I can make my escape to Omega Phi. I hear they need hackers.”

An ear-piercing squeal came from outside.

“Ha ha! We have vanquished the beast!” Nightwing cried out.

“Well, there’s the key to unlock the evidence. Here’s the rest,” Anastasia said. She produced a small lockbox and handed it to Blossom.

“You are not merely the daughter of Mason Blackheart. You are Laura Blackheart, the Blossom of the Depths. My traps have harmed you, but you have lived and learned from them. Now, let us finish staining our family name so that we can reconcile and find peace.”

Anastasia got up, curtsied, and exited in a shower of sparkles. The room phased out and was replaced with a smaller, empty room covered in dust.

“Blossom! Blossom! Are you there?” Spencer called out. Redjack and Nightwing were busy chanting cheers and victory fanfares.

“I’m here. I have it. I have what we came for,” she said.

Over the next few years, the Prime Sector underwent several rounds of political upheaval until the government reformed around a new regent. Careful checks and balances were installed to ensure the validity of the government. Although Laura Blackheart was exonerated of her crimes in the public eye, she remained below the radar. Some believe they can see her entering a hole-in-the-wall cafe, but they are never sure if it’s actually her. Even her clients are not quite sure. The Blossom of the Depths guards her secrets well.

[dearheart42regenerated]

What is "Vega"?

"I told him there's no way you'd be foolish enough to believe in a myth like Vega...looks like I was wrong."

so I was rewatching a few scenes and that line from Kane in the 2-part finale suddenly got my brain going brrrr about WORLDBUILDING!!! because if "Vega" was a thing completely made up by Kane, why would he talk as if the idea was an already-existing myth?? the implications are delicious to me, sooo. here's my own personal overly-elaborate theory/headcanon... *insert drumroll here*

Vega = "Anonymous"

by that I mean Vega is basically this universe's version of the hacker group...albeit much more focused and serious than ours. they're trying to save the world, after all.

there are many rumors, myths and conspiracy theories about what and where Vega is - "a spy organization in Cleveland" is just one of the bigger ones (for whatever reason lmao.) most of these stories have been planted by the members of Vega themselves, to make it all the more impossible to find them or prove their existence. they do their work quietly and thoroughly, without any announcement or warning, and any traces left of who they might be are either scrubbed or quickly swallowed up by all the tinfoil-hat "evidence" circulating around.

Vega is anywhere and anyone. they exist as a sprawling collective of spies, hacktivists, pirates, coders, digital archivists AND, perhaps most crucially...guerilla data cablers. any person with these skills is welcome to be part of the group, so long as they commit to The Priority.

"The Priority" is Vega's single unifying mission: to restore open, unrestricted internet to all corners of the post-apocalyptic world, and reconnect every pocket of civilization scattered around Earth. they believe achieving "complete connection" again is the key to saving humanity from total extinction.

are they gonna save the world with wifi? yes. yes they are.

there is no chain of command, no counsel, no head "in charge" of Vega handing out missions or telling everyone what to do...which means internal dissent happens a lot. but generally as long as the members all agree to dedicate their efforts to The Priority and work in good faith with each other, almost anything goes idea-wise...and yes, sometimes that does include taking direct action against fascist dictators. ;)

there are also four basic rules every member must follow while working in the group:

1 - "VEGA IS A MYTH." Vega will continue to "not exist" in the public eye until a two-thirds majority of the members agree that officially revealing themselves to the world is both necessary and unavoidable. they do this to make it harder for bad actors to weaponize their work or use their name for self-serving political gain.

2 - "SECRECY IS MANDATORY." YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB talking about Vega to outsiders is forbidden, unless inviting someone to join the cause. members revealing their identities to each other is also forbidden. anyone who publicly claims credit for something in Vega's name has either eventually been exposed as a fake, or thoroughly framed as a fake by the other members if one goes rogue.

3 - "CENSORSHIP IS THE ENEMY." having open access to the world's knowledge is absolutely sacred to Vega - it is THE "why" behind the "what" of their mission! so while members are free to act on their own, attacking libraries, journalists or the media is both forbidden and unforgivable. the only exception is when they find a media network/organization with censors or restrictions placed on it - in which case, they will only act to lift those restrictions, so people have the ability to find all the information for themselves.

4 - "CONNECTION IS THE PRIORITY." whatever the members do, their plans must be in service of Vega's mission in some way...whether it's restoring or preserving an ancient website, breaking into a new location to install or repair data cables, or hacking a corrupt politician's computer system.

there's a delicious irony in Kane using the "myth" of Vega to capture Mike. at some point in the future, the true Vega will play a key role in helping the Burners free the people of Deluxe from Kane's clutches once and for all...and finally, reconnecting all of Detroit with the outside world.

(also VEGA INVITES CHUCK AND JULIE TO JOIN THEM AND THEY GET TO DO COOL HEROIC SUPER-SECRET HACKER/SPY STUFF TO SAVE THE DAY AND IT'S FUCKIGN AWESOME)

[jotonomy]

15 QUESTIONS, 15 TAGS

Tagged by @gallabee 😘

Read more cause it's long.

Were you named after anyone? Only in the sense that there's a character in the Bible named Hannah. But no. I don't even know that that's where my parents got it from. My parents were kind of intense about their kids not sharing initials and not being named after people so we could ~have our own identities~.

When was the last time you cried? Genuinely, not sure. I cry pretty easy, so there's like...no use even making note of it. It's been a long time since I cried hard enough to have a migraine, but just tearing up or gently crying over a song/book/tv show is pretty standard. I'm soft as butter tbh.

Do you have kids? I have two stepkids that are college age. They're pretty great! Beyond that, I have no desire for more kids, especially not anyone of my own body. I love taking care of babies though and will absolutely dote on my siblings kids.

Do you use sarcasm a lot? I don't think I do? I think because a few of my siblings are definitely on the autism spectrum, my family was just really accustomed to direct communication and I expect that.

What sports do you play/have you played? Unless we're counting dance and gymnastics, not a single solitary one. I was not an athletic team sports kind of kid. I wanted to be left alone with my books.

What's the first thing you notice about someone? I'm assuming we're speaking in person, in which case height and smell. I'm really short and I'm really sensitive to heavy perfumes. (Also my wife keeps calling me a super smeller in general because I get weird if she changes her deodorant or shampoo or body wash.)

Eye color? Very dark brown.

Scary movies or happy endings? 😂😂😂 Happy endings. I tend to avoid things that don't end happily. I've also seen MAYBE five scary movies in my whole life.

Any special talents? No. I mean, I read super fast. I can do a few different needlework craft things. And I have a nearly sociopathic ability to seem competent and professional in job interviews. But I don't think any of that counts. (Oh and I can remember the absolute fuck out of names.)

Where were you born? central east Texas.

What are your hobbies? I read. A. Lot. I also cross stitch and started getting into embroidery. Sometimes my hobby is me being hyperfocused on a video game for weeks on end (aka Operation Fuck Cullen in DA Inquisition). Once in a blue moon, my hobby will be writing (I wrote almost 300k words of fic in 2019 and haven't written a word since really). I indulge in the act of viewing sporting events. Can being hyperfocused on a TV show count? I do that too. I wish any of my hobbies included exercise. But they don't.

12. Do you have any pets? I have three cats! Littermates Luther and Lagertha are 10ish years old and Pandora is 9.

13. How tall are you? 5'2"

14. Favorite subject in school? In pre-University years it was anything English or History and then in University I liked all my math classes because they were straight forward.

15. Dream job? To make what I make now as a library technician again. I loved working in the library, especially in the back, ordering books and placing them in circulation and all the other extremely tedious collection maintenance. But those guys make like ...a third of what I make now. So it's just unreasonable. Makes me sad. Otherwise, I would pick something menial like data entry. But again, can't afford to do that.

Tagging: @dollsome-does-tumblr @scoundrels-in-love @sdwolfpup @pretty-thief @justshellies @hinakyuu @teex @starrybouquet

[rfid-lms-poxo]

RFID Library Management Solution: Streamline your library operations

Libraries are a valuable Place for learning and sharing knowledge. But running a library, particularly a big one, can be time-consuming and demanding. As libraries grow, so do problems of inventory management, security, and high-level service. That's where RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology steps in. Poxo's RFID Library Management System provides a clever solution to assist.

What is an RFID LMS?

RFID refers to Radio Frequency Identification, an electromagnetic field-based technology to identify and monitor tags placed on objects—libraries' books and library materials in this context. An RFID LMS (Library Management Solution) is the entire configuration of RFID technology incorporated into library operations such as tracking books, managing users, inventorying, and security.

How Poxo RFID System work?

Poxo, RFID Automation is a trusted name in India’s RFID space, known for providing simplified, scalable, and cost-effective automation solutions tailored to institutional needs. Poxo's RFID LMS employs new technology to simplify library operations, speed them up, and make them more precise. It assists libraries in enhancing their services to staff and users.

Here’s how Poxo’s RFID solution helps a library:

Easy Book Check-In and Check-Out With Poxo's RFID system, patrons can check books in and out automatically at a self-service kiosk. The system reads the RFID tag instantly—no scanning barcodes one at a time necessary. This saves time and eliminates lines at the desk. Fast and Precise Inventory Librarians can utilize a portable RFID scanner to browse through shelves and scan books instantly. This keeps all items in check and locates any missing or misplaced books with ease. Anti-Theft Security RFID gates at the entrance of the library identify whether an individual attempts to remove a book without checking it out. If a tag has not been deactivated, the gates will notify the staff. This prevents loss and theft. User-Friendly Software Poxo’s system includes a simple dashboard for staff to manage records, see reports, and check which books are borrowed. It is easy to learn and use, even for beginners. Customizable and Scalable Regardless of the size of the library, the RFID LMS can be scaled to accommodate its increasing needs. It can be simply expanded as the collection of the library expands, and it continues to be efficient and effective in the long term. As the RFID solution accommodates greater volumes of materials and users, the library expands along with it, providing flexibility for future expansion and upgrades

Key Elements of an RFID Library System-  

1. RFID Tags: Small chips are mounted on each book. They keep track of the book's unique ID, title, and status. Each tag contains a unique ID that stores the book’s information, such as title and status.

2. RFID Readers: Machines mounted at circulation counters, self-service kiosks, or shelves to read books without touching them.

3. Antennae and Security Gates: Positioned at the entrance/exit of the library to identify any book removal without permission

4. Library Management Software: The "brain" of the system, this software manage all RFID data with the library database, facilitating management of inventory, user activity, and circulation records.

5. Self-Service Stations: Permit users to check out and return books on their own, avoiding queues and employee workload, enhance service and minimize staff workload.

Conclusion

The RFID Library Management Solution is not just a technology upgrade—its a revolution in the way libraries operate and serve their communities. RFID allows libraries to focus on what they do best: bringing people and knowledge together by speeding up processes, improving accuracy, and offering greater security and convenience. Regardless of whether you are running a school, college, or public library, Poxo has an easy and effective solution for upgrading your library system and making it future-proof.

[marketing-insights]

10 Long-Term Benefits of Digital Asset Management for Marketing and Brand Teams

Introduction

In a time when content is created and consumed at lightning speed, digital assets—logos, videos, presentations, design files—have become critical tools for brand success. But with growth comes complexity. Without a system in place to manage, distribute, and protect those assets, organizations face version confusion, brand inconsistency, and lost productivity.

That’s why understanding the Benefits of Digital Asset Management is more important than ever. Whether you're managing global marketing campaigns or coordinating with local teams, a digital asset management (DAM) system offers structure, security, and scalability.

Let’s explore the long-term benefits DAM brings to both brand and operational performance.

1. One Source of Truth for All Digital Assets

A digital asset management system centralizes your content into a single, searchable hub. Instead of scattered folders, teams gain fast, organized access to high-quality images, brand templates, videos, and documents—eliminating duplication and version control issues.

2. Brand Integrity at Scale

As your company grows and more people access branded content, the risk of inconsistencies grows too. DAM enforces brand guidelines by providing only the most current, approved assets. This helps preserve brand identity across websites, ads, sales decks, and social content.

3. Streamlined Team Collaboration

Marketing, design, sales, and product teams often work in silos. A DAM system breaks those silos down by enabling shared access to a centralized library. Internal users and external agencies can collaborate, leave comments, and download assets without the confusion of back-and-forth emails.

4. Speed and Efficiency in Creative Workflows

With built-in metadata tagging, advanced search filters, and file previews, your team can find assets in seconds. This minimizes time wasted looking for files or recreating lost content—improving speed to market and creative output.

5. Permission-Based Access Control

You can’t afford to let outdated or sensitive files circulate freely. A robust digital asset management system gives you control over who can view, download, or edit specific assets, reducing the risk of misuse while maintaining content integrity.

6. Version History and Audit Trails

DAM solutions automatically log edits, user activity, and previous versions of each asset. This ensures content changes are trackable and reversible—great for legal compliance, approvals, and maintaining a full record of asset history.

7. Simplified Distribution and Sharing

Want to deliver an updated brochure to sales reps or share a video with press partners? A DAM system enables instant asset sharing through secure links, embedded files, or integrations with platforms like CMS or CRM—streamlining your marketing distribution.

8. Greater ROI on Content Creation

Every piece of content you create has a cost. DAM helps you reuse and repurpose assets instead of recreating them—extending the life and value of each asset. This reduces production waste and gets more value from every creative investment.

9. Integration with Marketing Ecosystems

Your DAM doesn’t stand alone. It connects to tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, marketing automation platforms, CMS, and social schedulers. This enables seamless content creation, deployment, and performance analysis across the tools you already use.

10. Data-Driven Insights and Scalability

As your business grows, so does your content library. DAM platforms scale effortlessly—accommodating thousands of assets with advanced analytics that show which files are used most, by whom, and how often. These insights help prioritize updates and inform future content strategy.

Conclusion

The Benefits of Digital Asset Management go far beyond file storage. From protecting your brand to improving collaboration and content ROI, DAM platforms empower teams to do their best work faster—and with fewer roadblocks.

By investing in a secure, scalable digital asset management system, your business gains the tools to control content chaos and drive consistent brand experiences across every touchpoint.

[integrated-library-system]

The Role of Integrated Library Systems in Enhancing Operational Efficiency

Libraries have always been essential to education, research, and community engagement, but in today’s fast-paced digital environment, their role is expanding. With the increasing need to manage both physical and digital resources, libraries require advanced tools to streamline their operations. This is where an integrated library system becomes crucial. Designed to automate and simplify a wide range of library functions, integrated library systems (ILS) are essential for managing circulation, cataloging, acquisitions, and reporting efficiently.

By implementing an integrated library system, libraries can improve not only their internal operations but also the user experience. This article explores the importance of integrated library systems in driving operational efficiency, from automation and data-driven decision-making to enhancing the discoverability of resources for users.

Streamlining Core Library Functions

At its core, an integrated library system (ILS) acts as the backbone of modern library operations. Traditionally, libraries relied on manual processes to manage catalogs, circulation, and acquisitions. These methods were often inefficient, time-consuming, and prone to human error. An ILS automates many of these tasks, saving time and ensuring accuracy.

Cataloging and Resource Management

One of the primary functions of an ILS is cataloging and resource management. In traditional libraries, cataloging was a manual process involving the organization of physical materials, creating records for books, and ensuring these were accurately indexed for search. With an ILS, this process becomes more streamlined, enabling libraries to manage both physical and digital collections more efficiently. Libraries can create and maintain catalog records using metadata standards that ensure consistency and accuracy across different types of resources.

Additionally, modern systems provide better resource tracking, helping libraries keep a detailed inventory of what is available and what is in circulation. This ensures better management of both in-library and off-site materials, such as interlibrary loan resources.

Circulation Automation

Circulation is another area greatly improved by an ILS. Libraries deal with the regular movement of materials—borrowing, returning, and renewing—which can become a burdensome task without efficient systems in place. An ILS automates circulation tasks, such as checking in and checking out materials, processing holds, and managing user accounts. This results in faster service for patrons and reduces the workload on library staff.

For example, automated overdue notices, fine calculations, and renewal reminders are seamlessly handled by the system. This allows library staff to focus on higher-level tasks such as helping patrons with research or managing digital collections.

Acquisitions and Budget Management

Acquisitions, the process of ordering, receiving, and managing new materials, is another area where an ILS significantly improves operational efficiency. Acquisitions can be complex, requiring careful tracking of budgets, supplier relationships, and order statuses. An ILS allows libraries to monitor and manage acquisitions in real time, ensuring they have an accurate view of expenses, item statuses, and resource availability.

Libraries can also better manage their budget allocations. By analyzing acquisition trends over time, an ILS can provide insights into which resources are most popular or underutilized, allowing libraries to make more informed purchasing decisions and avoid unnecessary expenses.

Enhancing User Access with Discovery Tools

One of the major benefits of implementing an integrated library system is its ability to work seamlessly with a library discovery service. These services allow users to search for both physical and digital resources through a single, intuitive interface. Instead of searching separate databases or catalogs, patrons can locate books, articles, and other materials from various sources using one unified search function.

Simplifying Search and Access

Discovery services play a crucial role in simplifying the user experience. They eliminate the need for users to navigate multiple search systems to find resources, thus saving time and enhancing satisfaction. A library discovery service connects users to a library’s catalog, databases, and other external resources all in one place. For example, a student researching a topic might use the library’s discovery service to find physical books, journal articles, and e-books across different databases, all in one search session.

The integration of an ILS with a library discovery service not only simplifies access to resources but also boosts the visibility of underutilized collections. As search results become more comprehensive, users can discover a wider range of materials, increasing overall engagement with the library’s resources.

Personalizing the User Experience

A library discovery service also personalizes the user experience by recommending resources based on past searches or usage patterns. This feature, common in modern discovery services, helps users find relevant materials they may not have known existed. Moreover, personalized search results and suggestions make the experience more engaging for patrons, as they feel the library is meeting their specific needs.

By integrating discovery tools with an ILS, libraries ensure that patrons not only have access to a wide range of resources but can also navigate these collections effortlessly, resulting in higher engagement and satisfaction.

Improving Search Accuracy with a Central Discovery Index

At the heart of modern discovery services is the central discovery index, which aggregates content from multiple sources, including local library catalogs, licensed digital content, and open-access materials. The central discovery index serves as a unified database, allowing users to conduct deep searches across vast collections with a single query.

Comprehensive Access to Resources

The integration of an ILS with a central discovery index is a game-changer for libraries, as it allows users to find accurate, relevant, and up-to-date information from one central search. Instead of manually searching through various catalogs and databases, users can retrieve results that include books, articles, e-books, and multimedia content. This capability is especially important in academic libraries, where students and researchers need access to diverse sources of information across disciplines.

Enhancing Search Relevance

The central discovery index, combined with an ILS, enhances the relevance of search results by organizing the content in ways that reflect the library’s priorities. For example, libraries can customize their discovery interface to prioritize specific collections, such as newly acquired materials or resources related to ongoing research projects. This feature ensures that users are presented with the most relevant results, improving both user satisfaction and resource discoverability.

Moreover, the ability to refine search queries based on factors like publication date, resource type, or subject area makes the discovery process more efficient and targeted.

Optimizing Digital Resource Management with a Library Discovery Platform

The increasing demand for digital resources such as e-books, online journals, and multimedia has prompted libraries to adopt systems that optimize digital resource management. A library discovery platform is designed to enhance the discoverability and accessibility of digital resources, ensuring that users can easily find the most relevant materials.

Relevance Ranking for Improved Search Results

One of the key features of a library discovery platform is relevance ranking, which sorts search results based on how well they match the user’s query. By integrating a discovery platform with an ILS, libraries can ensure that search results are not only comprehensive but also prioritized based on relevance. This feature helps users quickly locate the most pertinent resources, saving time and improving the overall search experience.

For instance, when a user searches for articles on climate change, the discovery platform can display the most authoritative and relevant journal articles first, while also offering related resources such as e-books or multimedia content.

Managing Digital Collections

A library discovery platform also provides tools for managing digital collections. As libraries expand their digital holdings, they need efficient ways to curate, update, and promote these materials. Discovery platforms enable libraries to highlight new acquisitions, track usage trends, and generate insights into how digital resources are being used. These insights can guide decisions on future purchases or identify areas where users may need more support or resources.

By combining digital resource management with discovery capabilities, libraries can ensure that users have seamless access to a growing body of digital content.

Data-Driven Decision Making with Automation and Reporting

Libraries generate large amounts of data related to resource circulation, acquisitions, and user activities. An ILS helps libraries automate many of these processes, and the data collected can be used for reporting and decision-making. By automating routine tasks such as check-ins, check-outs, and overdue notices, library staff can focus more on high-level activities that add value to the user experience.

Enhanced Reporting Capabilities

An ILS provides libraries with detailed reports on circulation, acquisitions, and usage trends. These reports are invaluable for guiding decision-making. For example, circulation data can show which resources are most popular, allowing libraries to focus their acquisitions on high-demand materials. Budget reports can help librarians track spending and ensure they stay within budget while maximizing the value of their purchases.

Additionally, libraries can use ILS-generated data to better understand user behavior. Are patrons using more digital resources than physical ones? Are there particular times of year when certain materials are more in demand? These insights enable libraries to adapt their services to better meet user needs and enhance the overall experience.

Forecasting Future Needs

The automation and data analytics capabilities of an ILS also allow libraries to forecast future needs. For example, libraries can identify trends in digital resource usage that may indicate a need to expand e-book collections or invest in new databases. Similarly, insights into circulation patterns may prompt libraries to adjust staffing levels during peak times or to reallocate resources to underserved areas of the collection.

By making data-driven decisions, libraries can operate more efficiently and better anticipate the needs of their patrons.

Conclusion

An integrated library system is essential for enhancing the operational efficiency of today’s libraries. By automating key functions like cataloging, circulation, and acquisitions, an ILS streamlines workflows, reduces staff workloads, and improves the accuracy of library data. These systems, when integrated with advanced discovery tools like a library discovery service or a central discovery index, further enhance the user experience by making resources more accessible and easier to discover. As libraries continue to evolve to meet the needs of a digital world, adopting integrated library systems that incorporate advanced discovery and automation features will be crucial to staying efficient and relevant.

These technologies not only optimize internal processes but also enhance the overall experience for library users, ensuring that libraries remain indispensable in the information age.

[flimbox-movies-and-serieses]

How Does a Library Management System Function?

In today’s information-driven world, libraries have shifted from merely housing physical books to becoming centers for both physical and digital resources. At the core of this evolution is the library management system (LMS), a tool that enables libraries to efficiently organize, manage, and provide access to their vast collections. But how does a library management system work in practice?

This article will explore the key functions of a library management system, focusing on its role in facilitating library analytics, handling digital resources, and utilizing linked data for libraries to improve resource discoverability.

What Is a Library Management System?

A library management system (LMS) is a software solution that automates and simplifies the day-to-day functions of a library. From cataloging books to tracking circulation and managing acquisitions, an LMS ensures that libraries can operate efficiently. In earlier times, these tasks were manual and time-consuming, but modern LMS platforms have transformed the process into a streamlined, digital workflow.

Cutting-edge LMS solutions, like the Alma Library Services Platform, go beyond simple cataloging and circulation management. They offer comprehensive tools for managing both physical and digital collections, while also incorporating library analytics and linked data to improve discoverability and resource sharing.

Core Functions of a Library Management System

A typical library management system is made up of several essential modules, each playing a crucial role in maintaining the library’s operations and improving user experience:

Cataloging and Metadata Management

Cataloging involves creating detailed records for each item in the collection, whether it’s a physical book or a digital file. The LMS ensures that metadata standards are applied consistently, which aids in quick and accurate searches.

Circulation and User Management

The circulation module helps libraries keep track of which items are checked out, reserved, or overdue. The LMS also manages patron information, including borrowing histories and current loans.

Acquisitions and Budgeting

The LMS acquisition module helps libraries manage new purchases, from placing orders to tracking shipments and managing spending. It ensures that the library’s budget is allocated wisely and all resources are accounted for.

Serials Management

For libraries that handle academic journals and serial publications, the LMS manages subscriptions, renewals, and access to past and current issues.

Digital Resource Management

As more libraries adopt digital content, an LMS integrates digital resource management tools to help organize and provide seamless access to e-books, databases, and multimedia resources.

How a Library Management System Works

A library management system like Alma brings together multiple functions onto a single platform, allowing libraries to efficiently manage resources and improve user engagement. Below is a breakdown of how an LMS works in practice.

1. Acquiring and Managing Library Resources

The first step in an LMS’s operation is acquiring new resources, which could be anything from physical books to digital content. The acquisitions module allows libraries to place orders with vendors, monitor shipments, and handle budgets. After acquisition, resources are cataloged with metadata to ensure they are easily searchable.

For digital resources, platforms like Alma use specialized digital resource management tools to organize and provide access to electronic content, including databases, digital archives, and e-books, ensuring they are just as accessible as physical resources.

2. Cataloging and Metadata Creation

Once new materials arrive, the next step is cataloging them. Cataloging involves creating records with detailed metadata such as the title, author, and subject, which help users find materials efficiently.

The LMS ensures that cataloging follows standardized formats, such as MARC21, RDA, or Dublin Core. This consistency enables libraries to share their resources with other institutions seamlessly.

One of the more advanced features of a modern LMS is its ability to integrate linked data for libraries. Linked data connects catalog records with external datasets, providing users with additional insights such as related works, author biographies, and academic references. This enriches the search experience by offering more dynamic and comprehensive results.

3. Managing Circulation and Access Control

After cataloging, the LMS handles the circulation of materials. Whether a patron wants to check out a physical book or access a digital journal, the system tracks the status of the item and ensures smooth transactions.

For digital resources, the LMS manages user access by controlling authentication and licensing agreements. Digital resource management tools ensure that users can easily access digital materials while libraries maintain compliance with licensing terms.

Additionally, the LMS supports interlibrary loans, which allow patrons to borrow materials from other libraries. Through the integration of linked data, libraries can streamline this process and enhance resource sharing across systems.

4. Library Analytics

One of the major benefits of a modern LMS is its ability to provide library analytics. These analytics tools collect and analyze data on library operations, helping staff make informed decisions.

For example, library analytics can monitor which materials are borrowed most often, track user behavior, and identify trends in digital resource usage. This data enables libraries to tailor their services and collections to better meet the needs of their users.

The Alma platform includes a robust set of analytics features, allowing libraries to generate detailed reports on everything from circulation statistics to acquisition costs. These insights help libraries optimize their operations and improve user engagement.

5. Linked Data for Libraries

Another standout feature of modern library management systems is the use of linked data. Linked data takes cataloging to the next level by connecting internal records with external sources of information. This enhances the discoverability of materials by linking them to additional relevant content, such as related works, research papers, or author profiles.

For instance, if a user searches for a specific author in the catalog, linked data can provide links to that author’s works in other libraries, related academic papers, or external websites like Wikipedia. This offers users a more enriched search experience and increases the depth of available information.

The Alma Library Services Platform leverages linked data to improve the visibility of library collections and make them more accessible both locally and globally. By doing so, libraries become part of a broader information-sharing ecosystem.

Enhancing the User Experience with an LMS

At its core, a library management system is designed to improve the overall user experience. From the perspective of the user, the LMS makes it easier to search, borrow, and access materials, whether physical or digital. The system provides fast, accurate search results, making the library’s collections more accessible.

With library analytics, libraries can continuously refine their services based on real user data, ensuring that their offerings meet the needs of their community. These insights help libraries improve collection management, better allocate resources, and enhance user satisfaction.

Digital resource management plays a key role in providing users with seamless access to electronic content, whether they’re on-site or accessing resources remotely. This is especially important for academic users, who often need access to research databases from various locations.

Lastly, linked data for libraries improves the search experience by connecting catalog records to external resources. This helps users discover related materials that they might not have found otherwise, offering a richer and more dynamic search experience.

Conclusion

A modern library management system like Alma goes beyond managing books—it’s a versatile tool that helps libraries optimize their operations, improve user experience, and adapt to the digital age. By integrating features like library analytics, digital resource management, and linked data, LMS platforms create an efficient, data-driven environment where libraries can thrive.

With an advanced library management system, libraries are better equipped to serve their patrons, ensuring that knowledge remains accessible and discoverable for future generations.

[ashleysingermfablog]

Wk 16, 25th of May, 2024 Research Herbals, how plants have been seen

Lilium Lily, Early printed herbal, Herbier du XVe siècle (1486)

From the text: INCIPIT HERBARIUM APULEI PLATONICI AD MARCUM AGRIPPAM by THE BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION from Library of the Botanical Garden of the University of Padova...

Incunabulum is the text of an author of the fourth century AD known as Pseudo Apuleius, printed in Rome between 1481 and 1484 (or perhaps a few years earlier, Pier Andrea Saccardo, for example, dates it to 1479) by the publisher Giovanni Filippo de Lignamine.

The text is accompanied by very simplified and schematic xylographic images, to the point that, for the most part, the plants represented are unrecognisable if not thanks to the names listed above.

The illustrations are followed by the list of the different names by which the plant is known among the different peoples and data relating to its therapeutic and medicinal uses.

There are animals in many depictions, linked to the medicinal properties of the plant represented: if, for example, the image includes a snake, the plant is useful against snake bites. An exception is the mandrake, depicted with human features and tied to a leash of a dog, which in this case refers to the legend on how to collect it.

In the copy found in the Library of the Botanical Garden, the black and white prints have been lightly coloured with red and yellow pencils.

From the text: BRIEF HISTORY OF ILLUSTRATED HERBALS by THE BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION from Library of the Botanical Garden of the University of Padova...

For the period from classical antiquity to the late Renaissance, illustrated botanical texts fall into the category of "herbals", while for the following period it is more correct to speak of "flora", "florilegia" and scientific texts on botany.

The herbal can be defined as "a book, used in classical antiquity until the last decades of the fifteenth century, which collects descriptions of plants and their pharmacological virtues, often accompanied by the names by which each plant essence was known in various languages ​​and information on their habitats [...] the text also was soon well provided with depictions [... and] especially from the eleventh century, the images of the plants were often associated with human figures, with the explicit aim of more clearly illustrating the medicinal virtues or to exemplify specific harvesting methods" (from the Treccani Encyclopedia of Medieval Art).

With regards to flora we refer technically to the composite of plants and plant species that live in certain geographic areas, but the term also includes the texts, often illustrated, that describe these plants. The scientific texts on botany, however, examine the plants from only a scientific point of view, analysing distinguishing characteristics, component parts, habitat, life, evolution, mutual differences and similarities...

The term anthology (florilegium), although rarely used with this meaning in the Italian language, refers to a collection of images of plants and flowers, a work dedicated to the plants more from an aesthetic, rather than practical, point of view.

It is difficult, especially for the oldest periods, to define a clear boundary between herbal, flora and anthology.

In Latin times, they had in all probability to circulate illustrated herbals that included images made from copies of previous versions, increasingly less realistic and detailed.

Pliny the Elder argued in his Naturalis Historia that often it was not in any way possible to recognise plants from such images, sustaining to a certain degree the futility of botanical representations (Nat. Hist., XXV, 4-8).

During the Middle Ages, botanical illustrations continued to be based on ancient models through copies and copies of copies gradually less and less true to the original, partly also due to a new mentality which focused attention more on the ideal rather than on reality: even the plants are to some extent idealised, schematised, or reduced to the essence or enriched with imaginative details or related to (real or alleged) therapeutic properties of plants rather than to their actual appearance.

The study of botany is essentially the study of the classical authors, of what was said by Dioscorides, Pliny, Theophrastus ... whose knowledge and beliefs are not challenged, but continue to be passed down in a mixture of science and magic, where the power of the voice of the "greats" of the past is stronger than critical thinking and real life.

One example is the depiction of the mandrake, a toxic plant of the Solanaceae family that actually exists, to which magical powers were attributed. The particular shape of the root, which vaguely resembles a human being, had fuelled numerous legends associated with this plant, in particular its power to kill anyone who dared to harvest it with a piercing scream. In order to harvest the plant, it was therefore advised to tie the base to a leash of a dog that, set free, would run and tear out the plant and die from the cries while making it possible for his master to take it. Despite the fact that simply observing the plant would suffice to understand that this was a legend, the evocative power of popular belief and texts from the past was such that in many medieval texts the mandrake is depicted with anthropomorphic features and tied to the leash of a dog (see below).

During the seventeenth century, botany began to establish itself as an autonomous science and not simply as a branch of medical science: all aspects of plants begin to be studied and their distinctive characteristics, also independent of the pharmacological properties, are investigated.

Volumes from this period, therefore, begin to include more pictures which tended to illustrate the anatomy of plants, with details of the flowers, seeds and fruits, and representations of the undersides of leaves and flowers. The great attention to detail is aided by the increasing use of xylography (engraving of images on metal plates), which replaces chalcography (engraving on wooden slabs) and which allows an even greater degree of detail.

In particular, the publication of texts by Brunfels and Fuchs marks the moment when botany begins to focus on observation of the natural world in an innovative approach, stripping away imaginative interpretations and basing itself on real observation, while the Mattioli text represents an admirable example of revision of the classical authors.

[librarytiem]

An Evaluation Plan for Reference Services

Current State of the Reference Collection

The physical reference section at my school currently consists of: - Three different encyclopedia sets from within the last 25 years - Smaller sets of encyclopedia focused on animals, geography, and science and humanities - Several single volume reference books on music, art, geography, Canadian history, etc. - Several atlases - Some dictionaries and thesauruses.

There is also a district-wide page of digital reference resources available online with a student or staff ID, which includes: - A variety of online encyclopedia aimed at various age levels or with different focuses (science, history, humanities) and in French and English - An Indigenous themed online magazine - Useful subscription-based resources in science, French, and history - Math games - NFB videos - News for kids - Tumble Books (ebook and audiobook site)

Let’s judge the collection as a whole, including the digital side, by the evaluation criteria in Riedling and Houston (page 23). This is not the intended use of these criteria, which are intended for individual resources, but they can provide a set of priorities for next steps.

Content scope: The print collection does well here. I can see no egregious gaps in topic. It could perhaps do with more art themed resources (for an arts-based school), and more Indigenous materials. The digital collection is more spotty. It has encyclopedic resources, but largely sticks to general knowledge in science and history, without anything in depth, and with nothing on language arts or art.

Accuracy, authority, and bias: High marks here. All of these resources, physical and digital, are produced by established publishers with no obvious, unconventional biases.

Arrangement and presentation: I would argue that both types of reference are underused at the moment, in part because of how they are presented to users (teachers and students). More on this later.

Relation to similar works: There does seem to be some significant overlap in the digital collection, with a lot of very similar encyclopedia resources. I assume this is the result of sets of resources having been purchased together, so may be unavoidable.

Timeliness and permanence: The physical reference section is largely out of date. Riedling and Houston (page 18) suggest expiry dates on the order of five years for all but the history resources (which get 15), and Mardis (page 150) suggests similar dates. This section of the library has been gradually shrinking as books get weeded out, but there has been little new investment in it. The digital collection is of course up to date and updated regularly.

Accessibility/diversity: Having the digital collection accessible outside of school certainly helps here. The French language resources might not be a huge benefit to our school, but given that these resources are district-wide, they are vital to French immersion students.

Cost: Many of the limitations on the current state of the collection come down, I’m sure, on cost issues.

What Needs to Change

Budgetary limitations and the limits of what digital resources actually exist are probably always going to keep us from achieving even the “acceptable” standard of 7000 nonfiction or reference resources from Achieving Information Literacy for a school of our size (Page 28). But nevertheless, the physical reference section needs to continue to be weeded, and new resources need to be acquired to replace old ones so it doesn’t shrink forever. I’m told by the teacher librarian that the physical reference section doesn’t get a huge amount of use, so while there wouldn’t be circulation data either way on books that don’t leave the library, this indicates to me that usage patterns aren’t enough of a defence to keep the least up to date books from being removed and replaced. What most needs to go depends on checking the publication dates for each resource (which I can’t do at the moment since it’s spring break), and what needs to be acquired is likewise dependent on what goes. One thing that I think should rise to the top of the list, though, is encyclopedias. We don’t need as many encyclopedias as we’ve got when we also have so many digital encyclopedias. And for resources to acquire, I mentioned art resources (an encyclopedia of famous artists, for example, or something similar) and resources on Indigenous people. I think it might also be worth considering some bilingual dictionaries, French because intermediate students take French, and perhaps some other languages that fit with languages that have strong representation in our school like Korean, Punjabi, or Spanish. This would support diversity and accessibility, and there is no digital equivalent in the online collection.

The digital collection is district-wide, so making changes there is more challenging, but still a good idea. There are gaps that could be filled compared to the curriculum as a whole, in art, language arts, math, ADSL, and Indigenous topics. The main change I would like to see to the digital collection, though, is to make it more accessible to students. Based on casual conversations with other teachers, I suspect many don’t ever use this page or know what’s there. It is not well organized, nor is there an easy way to get to it. You can access it from home, but our students don’t generally know how. The resources in our digital collection don’t come cheap, I’m sure, and most would be an annual subscription. We are not getting our money’s worth if the resources languish on a hidden webpage.

A Plan of Action

Especially with the digital collection, other parties will need to be involved in order to change anything. My first step would be to talk to every teacher at my school to get a more factual understanding of how the current digital resources are being used. My initial impressions might well prove to be wrong, or there might be a need I hadn’t even considered. This might be a good time to bring out the Concerns-Based Adoption Model to chart the results. Armed with that survey data, I would then talk to other teacher librarians in the district. The digital resource collection is district-wide so I wouldn’t get very far without their support. This would also be an opportunity to find out more about how the existing collection was selected in the first place. If there is a procedural document on this topic, I haven’t been able to find it. Any changes I might propose could involve conversations with IT staff or district administrators, and I want to be able to talk to the right people.

At the very least, I think all of these steps are worth going through so that other teachers are aware of what resources we have and are thinking about them. If I can’t get other parties on board with looking for resources that can be added, then promoting what we have is my next best option. I could create a page of my own that has links from our collection as well as links to free online resources that seem useful, and make that page available to teachers and students at my school. But that’s a back-up plan. Broadening and redesigning the interface for our digital resources is the best possible outcome. Each step of the process, once progress is being made, can be shared with staff at staff meetings.

For the physical resources, the path forward is much clearer. That is, continue to weed out books on an annual basis, keep records of when I notice those resources being used throughout the year (since circulation data won’t be generated for them), and allocate some of the budget towards adding about as many new materials as I’m removing. There doesn’t need to be as much participation from other people in this process, but keeping staff and students aware of changes made to the collection is always a good idea. No one will ask for resources they don’t know are there.

It’s difficult to set a timeline for any of this. The goal, if I were teacher librarian tomorrow, would be to start as soon as possible so that changes might be possible by September. The main thing would be to start moving forward and then deal with obstacles as they come. At the end of a year at the most, it would be good to have concrete progress towards improving the reference collection.

Resources used:

Asselin, M., Branch, J.L., Berg, D. (2006) Achieving Information Literacy: Standards for School Library Programs in Canada. Canadian Association for School Libraries.

Loucks-Horsley, Susan. (1996). Professional Development for Science Education: A Critical and Immediate Challenge. National Standards and the Science Curriculum. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.

Mardis, Marcia A. (2021) The Collection Program in Schools: Concepts and Practices (Seventh Edition). Libraries Unlimited.

Riedling, Ann Marlow; and Houston, Cynthia. (2019) Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips (Fourth Edition). Libraries Unlimited.

[disneyplusbegincode01]

Starting with Disney Plus Activation Codes: Where to Begin?

In the consistently developing scene of computerized diversion, Disney Plus has arisen as a force to be reckoned with, charming crowds with its huge library of cherished works of art, Pixar show-stoppers, Wonder hero adventures, and the captivating universe of Star Wars. To leave on this mysterious excursion, clients need the way to open the entryways of streaming rapture - disney plus begin code activation codes. In this article, we'll investigate what these enactment codes are, the means by which to get and utilize them, and why they act as the beginning line to a universe of unrivaled diversion.

Understanding Disney Plus Initiation Codes

What are Initiation Codes?

Enactment codes are alphanumeric successions given by Disney plus that act as a computerized visa to get to the stage's substance. These codes go about as a scaffold between the client and the web-based feature, guaranteeing a protected and customized insight. Consider them virtual keys that open the ways to a gold mine of motion pictures, Programs, and selective substance.

How Do Actuation Codes Work?

At the point when clients pursue a Disney Plus membership, they normally get an initiation code as a component of the on boarding system. This code is novel to every client and is connected to their record. When the code is placed, it approves the client's membership and awards admittance to the full set-up of Disney Plus contributions.

Getting Disney Plus Actuation Codes

Membership Join

The most common method for getting a Disney Plus enactment code is through the membership join process. At the point when clients buy into Disney Plus, whether through the authority site or a joined forces stage, they are given an initiation code. This code is shipped off the email address related with the record or showed on the affirmation page.

Limited time Missions

Disney Plus frequently runs limited time crusades offering free preliminaries or limited memberships. During such advancements, clients might be expected to enter a particular enactment code to profit themselves of the proposition. These codes are circulated through different channels, including online entertainment, email pamphlets, and organizations with different companies.

Retail Organizations

Some retail organizations offer Disney Plus enactment codes as a component of packaged bargains or special bundles. For instance, buying a particular gadget, like a brilliant television or streaming stick, could come with a complimentary Disney Plus membership and a related initiation code.

Gift vouchers and Vouchers

Disney Plus gift vouchers and vouchers, accessible at different retail outlets, additionally contain enactment codes. Clients can reclaim these codes while setting up their Disney Plus account, changing over the gift into a passage for a streaming party.

Enacting Disney Plus: Bit by bit Guide

Make a Disney Plus Record

Prior to enacting the help, clients need to make a Disney Plus account. This includes giving fundamental data, for example, an email address and secret word.

Pick a Membership Plan

Disney Plus offers different membership plans, including individual, pack (with Hulu and ESPN+), and yearly choices. Clients should choose the arrangement that best suits their inclinations and financial plan.

Enter Installment Data

To initiate the membership, clients are expected to enter their installment subtleties. Disney Plus acknowledges different installment strategies, making it helpful for clients all over the planet.

Reclaim the Actuation Code

When the record is set up and the installment data is placed, clients can reclaim their actuation code. This is normally finished during the sign-up process, where a particular field prompts clients to enter the alphanumeric code.

Appreciate Disney Plus

With the enactment code effectively reclaimed, clients can now plunge into the mystical universe of Disney Plus. The whole library of content, from immortal works of art to the most recent deliveries, becomes open readily available.

The Meaning of Initiation Codes

Security and Verification

Enactment codes assume a significant part in guaranteeing the security and realness of Disney Plus memberships. By expecting clients to enter a special code connected to their record, the stage can confirm the authenticity of the client and award suitable access.

Customized Client Experience

Every initiation code is attached to a particular record, empowering Disney Plus to tailor the client experience. Customized recommendations, watchlists, and content inclinations are consistently coordinated, improving the general pleasure in the web-based feature.

Special Adaptability

Disney Plus enactment codes give the stage the adaptability to run designated advancements. Whether it's without contribution preliminaries to new clients, limited memberships, or elite substance access, enactment codes act as the vital device in executing these special procedures.

Following and Examination

According to a business point of view, enactment codes empower Disney Plus to follow client securing and commitment measurements. By dissecting the reclamation examples of enactment codes, the stage can acquire experiences into the viability of showcasing efforts and client conduct.

Investigating and Common Issues

Terminated Codes

Enactment codes regularly come with a termination date. Clients ought to be aware of this date to guarantee that the code is reclaimed inside the predefined time period.

Erroneous Code Passage

Missteps can occur during code passage, prompting enactment disappointments. Clients ought to twofold check the entered code for precision, including letter case and dispersing.

Account Check

At times, extra advances might be expected for account confirmation. This could include affirming the email address, giving charging data, or completing a two-factor verification process.

Client service

Assuming that issues continue to happen, Disney Plus offers client care to help clients in settling enactment issues. Whether through live visit, email, or telephone support, the client care group is devoted to guaranteeing a smooth client experience.

Looking Past Initiation: The Disney Plus Experience

Content Variety

One of the critical attractions of Disney Plus is its assorted substance library. From enlivened works of art like "The Lion Lord" to blockbuster Wonder movies and unique series like "The Mandalorian," the stage takes special care of crowds of any age and interests.

Restrictive Deliveries

Disney Plus is home to restrictive deliveries that can't be tracked down on other web-based features. This incorporates unique substance delivered by Disney, Pixar, Wonder, and Star Wars, adding a layer of elatedness to the stage.

Family-Accommodating Climate

As a family-accommodating stage, Disney Plus gives a protected and engaging climate for watchers, all things considered. Guardians can set up parental controls to oversee what their kids can get to, guaranteeing a straightforward streaming encounter.

Consistent Joining

Disney Plus consistently incorporates with other Disney-possessed real time features, like Hulu and ESPN+. This incorporation permits clients to package administrations for a comprehensive diversion experience.

Opening the Sorcery of Disney Plus

In the immense universe of web-based features, Disney Plus stands apart as a reference point of sorcery, sentimentality, and development. The excursion begins with the modest enactment code - a computerized key that opens the doorway to a universe of captivating stories, famous characters, and true to life ponders.

Understanding the job of initiation codes, how to acquire and reclaim them, and investigating common issues guarantees that clients can set out on their disneyplus.com/begin experience easily. As innovation proceeds to develop and the streaming scene advances, enactment codes stay a principal component in giving secure access and customized encounters for clients all over the planet.

In this way, whether you love vivified works of art, a superhuman fan, or a space show devotee, the beginning line to streaming rapture is only a code away. Enter the universe of Disney Plus, where the enchantment goes on forever, and each story is an excursion to the core of creative mind.