EDUCAUSE | Libraries and Technology

At Libraries, Taking the (Really) Long View

ckeller — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:46:16 -0500

Storing digital data is becoming more essential to the work of librarians, who are trying to think in terms of the next 100 years — a virtual eternity in computer time.

Podcasts From the CNI 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting

gbayne — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:45:42 -0500

We've concluded this round of podcasts from CNI's Spring 2008 Task Force Meeting.

This series of recordings included interviews with (click on the name to hear podcast):

Clifford Lynch, Executive Director of the Coalition for Networked Information. He spoke to us from the CNI 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Clifford Lynch has been the Executive Director of the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) since July 1997.

Mark Kornbluh, Director of MATRIX and Professor of History at Michigan State University. Our conversation was recorded at the CNI 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota where Mark co-presented the session, "Digital Humanities Centers: Models, Missions, and Challenges".

Tara McPherson, Associate Professor of Gender Studies and Critical Studies at the University of Southern California, and Editor of Vectors: Journal of Culture and Technology in a Dynamic Vernacular. McPherson was a keynote speaker at this meeting with a speech entitled, "Expanding the Scholarly Imagination: Vectors and Multimodal Publishing".

Suzanne Lodato, Director of the Division of Preservation and Access for the National Endowment for the Humanities. Our conversation was recorded at the CNI 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Duane E. Webster, Executive Director of the Association of Research Libraries, an organization representing 123 major research libraries in North America. The mission of ARL is to identify and influence forces affecting the future of research libraries in the process of scholarly communication.

Karla Hahn, Director of Scholarly Communication for the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). It was recorded at the CNI 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she presented a session entitled, "Library Publishing Services: An Emerging Role for Research Libraries".

Wendy Pradt Lougee, University Librarian at the University of Minnesota. It was recorded at the CNI 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota where Lougee was a co-presenter for a session entitled, "Implementing NIH Deposit Policies: Institutional Strategies".

Ann Hill Duin, Associate Vice President & Deputy CIO at the University of Minnesota. Our conversation was recorded at the CNI 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dr. Hill Duin serves as a catalyst for innovatively leveraging technology to advance and support extraordinary education, breakthrough research, and dynamic public engagement.

Lisa Hinchliffe, Head of the Undergraduate Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It was recorded at the CNI 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hinchliffe was co-presenter for a session entitled, "Moving to Mobile: Exploratory Services and Applications in Libraries".

George B. Adams III, Associate Director for Programs, Network for Computational Nanotechnology at Purdue University. Our interview was recorded at the CNI 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he presented a session entitled, "nanoHUB.org:
Future Cyberinfrastructure Serving Over 58,000 Users Today".

Chad Kainz, Senior Director of NSIT Academic Technologies at the University of Chicago and David A. Greenbaum, Director of Data Services at the University of California, Berkely. It was recorded at the CNI 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota where they presented a session entitled, "Bamboo - Community-Defined Shared Services and Cyberinfrastructure for the Arts & Humanities".

We are grateful for the participation of all interviewees and look forward to having more opportunities to share insights and information from people representing an equally diverse range of viewpoints in the future.

We hope you've enjoyed this content and we'd like your feedback. If you have ideas for future coverage, please leave us a comment or email podcast@educause.edu.

This interview is provided courtesy of CNI and was recorded at their 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting. The Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) is an organization dedicated to supporting the transformative promise of networked information technology for the advancement of scholarly communication and the enrichment of intellectual productivity. You can learn more about CNI at their web site, http://www.cni.org

New EDUCAUSE Quarterly Reports on Top Higher Ed IT Issues

cluckett — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:00:10 -0500

The summer 2008 EDUCAUSE Quarterly spotlights the complete findings of the 2008 EDUCAUSE Current IT Issues Survey as well as feature articles on open source software in education, a first assessment of a learning studio, and student use of clickers in library presentations.

CNI Podcast: An Interview with Wendy Pradt Lougee, University Librarian at the University of Minnesota

gbayne — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:46:19 -0500

This 18 minute podcast features an interview with Wendy Pradt Lougee, University Librarian at the University of Minnesota. It was recorded at the CNI 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota where Lougee was a co-presenter for a session entitled, "Implementing NIH Deposit Policies: Institutional Strategies".

In January, 2008 the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a revision of its Public Access Policy, requiring researchers to deposit articles resulting from NIH funding in the NIH digital archive. Supporters of Open Access consider this policy revision, which was taken in response to an act of Congress, a major step forward in providing broad access to the results of research funded by public monies. Researchers in our academic institutions may need guidance in complying with this new policy, including working with publishers. Key campus players may include offices of research, legal counsel, and the library. This session will provide a brief overview of the policy and then descriptions of the strategies that two institutions are developing to work with their constituencies to ensure compliance. Participants will be invited to share developments in their institutions in an informal discussion.

CNI Podcast: An Interview with Duane Webster, Executive Director of the Association of Research Libraries

gbayne — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:32:53 -0500

This 26 minute podcast features an interview with Duane Webster, Executive Director of the Association of Research Libraries. Our conversation was recorded at the CNI 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Duane E. Webster is Executive Director of the Association of Research Libraries, an organization representing 123 major research libraries in North America. The mission of ARL is to identify and influence forces affecting the future of research libraries in the process of scholarly communication.

Duane received his M.A.L.S. from the University of Michigan in 1964, and worked in research, public, and special libraries before joining ARL in 1970 to establish the ARL Office of Leadership and Management Services (OLMS).

Duane was appointed Executive Director of ARL in 1988. In this capacity, he has helped establish the ARL Office of Scholarly Communication in 1990; the Coalition for Networked Information co-sponsored by ARL and EDUCAUSE in 1990; and, most recently in 1998, SPARC - the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition. All of these organizations are actively working to transform the current the current system of scholarly communication with the goal of moving toward a more sustainable, productive, and accessible system.

CNI Podcast: Moving To Mobile - Exploratory Services and Applications in Libraries - An Interview with Lisa Hinchliffe

gbayne — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:17:18 -0500

This 14 minute podcast features an interview with Lisa Hinchliffe, Head of the Undergraduate Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It was recorded at the CNI 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hinchliffe was co-presenter for a session entitled, "Moving to Mobile: Exploratory Services and Applications in Libraries".

Cell phones and other mobile devices are ubiquitous and offer increasingly robust operating systems, user interfaces, and hardware sophistication. The potential of these devices for accessing the richness of library and information content, services, and applications provided is largely unrealized. This is particularly unfortunate in considering library outreach to undergraduate students. Several projects are in development at the Undergraduate Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to explore possibilities for communication, content delivery, and instruction through mobile devices.

CNI Podcast: Library Publishing Services: An Emerging Role for Research Libraries - An Interview with Karla Hahn

gbayne — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:05:14 -0500

This 16 minute podcast features an interview with Karla Hahn, Director of Scholarly Communication for the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). It was recorded at the CNI 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Surveys and interviews of members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) have revealed that a majority are now developing publishing services. Publishing centered in research institutions has a long history. Departments, institutes and other campus publishing have complemented university press publishing, collectively producing a wide range of high-quality works. Research libraries are positioned to transform university publishing as they create organized publishing services.

Libraries launch publishing services in response to needs for new kinds of support for scholarly publications. Services focus on the local constituency, although much of the content they are publishing comes from outside the institution. Journal publishing is the most common genre supported, although a majority of programs also support monographic publishing.

A Steady Vision for Libraries

elilly — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:01:04 -0500

The following excerpt is based on an interview conducted by Gerry Bayne, EDUCAUSE multimedia producer, with James G. Neal,Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian at Columbia University.

Interactivity in Library Presentations Using a Personal Response System

elilly — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:09:40 -0500

In order to evaluate student opinion as well as the impact on students of an active learning methodology of two face-to-face presentation styles, during a 50-minute session of library research skills, participants attended either a traditional presentation or a modified one, incorporating the use of the PRS. The Personal Response System is a wireless technology in which students, equipped with clickers, respond to a variety of questions posed by the librarian in the course of the presentation. Both types of sessions, offered by the same librarian, included the same research skills content. Created for the purpose of evaluating various aspects of the library presentation, a questionnaire completed by all students was analyzed. In the evaluation, the PRS group not only indicated a greater enjoyment of the session but found the presenter to be well organized. The authors also discuss aspects of using clickers versus employing a traditional classroom setting.

Libraries and IT: are we there yet?

elilly — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:23:45 -0500

This study aims to look at the impact for users on university library and information technology services, present and future, following merger. The study examined user survey data from the early 1990s through the 2006 LibQUAL survey, collected information through interviews with faculty and Information Services, and examined the National Science Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies reports on cyberinfrastructure. The paper finds that while the merged information services organization is not yet a resounding success from the perspectives of staff in information services or faculty, it is a brave attempt to respond to the future.

A Team-Based Approach to Multimedia Services in the Library

drupal — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:04:16 -0500

This presentation will evaluate a project to implement a team-based library multimedia services program and look at ways to partner with central university services.

When The Whole Is Greater Than the Sum of Its Part(ner)s: Partnering for Success

drupal — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:00:13 -0500

This session will use the InfoCommons at Northwestern Library as a case study to examine a very successful partnership in technology application and space planning between two high-profile campus entities.

InCommon and the Committee on Institutional Cooperation

drupal — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:35:40 -0500

All dozen institutions comprising the CIC recently decided to join the InCommon Federation. This session will describe the motivation for and experience of joining InCommon. We'll also describe some of the use cases, including interactions with the federal government, interinstitutional access, and community source development projects.

EDUCAUSE Live! Podcast: Update on Key U.S. Copyright Developments

gbayne — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:57:02 -0500

In this EDUCAUSE Live! podcast, join host, Steve Worona, for the topic "Update on Key U.S. Copyright Developments". Steve's guest is James G. Neal, Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian at Columbia University .

Copyright continues to be a core interest of the higher education and academic library communities. This briefing focuses on eight critical legislative and legal arenas where the United States will be working on copyright: orphan works, digital fair use, broadcast flag, Section 1201 anti-circumvention rulemaking, electronic reserves, peer-to-peer file sharing, open access to government-funded research, and the report of the Section 108 Study Group on exceptions and limitations for libraries and archives. The work of the study group is highlighted, including its primary findings and recommendations. In addition, two important recent studies are described and their importance for libraries are cited. The advocacy and educational roles and responsibilities of librarians on copyright also is outlined.

Podcast: From Their Viewpoint - Three University Presidents on the Role of Technology at the Institution

gbayne — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:56:37 -0500

Ever wonder what your president really thinks about: the role of technology in higher education; the job of the CIO; career paths; the future? In this hour-long podcast, recorded at the 2008 NERCOMP Annual Meeting, we feature a moderated panel discussion to learn how our panelists took their path to the top and what they learned along the way.

Participants in this conversation, entitled "From Their Viewpoint", include:

Cheryl Norton, President, Southern Connecticut State University
S. Georgia Nugent, President, Kenyon College
Susan Scrimshaw, President, Simmons College
Session moderator: Joanne M. Kossuth, CIO and Associate Vice President for Development, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Mapping Our Course: Toward a Collaborative Environment for Digital Scholarship

drupal — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:29:58 -0500

Libraries are supporting the teaching and research missions of universities in new ways, such as providing expertise in digital curation, electronic publishing, and content development. At the University of Kansas, the Scholar Services program strengthens an evolving research environment by promoting best practices and innovation in cyberinfrastructure and digital scholarship.

MLibrary 2.0: Generating Enthusiasm for 2.0 Technologies in the Academy

drupal — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:29:58 -0500

The University of Michigan's MLibrary 2.0 staff development initiative combined theoretical frameworks and practical skills, enabling library staff to make connections between services, users, and technologies. This series far exceeded expectation and has prompted us as a community to try new things and see new possibilities.

Securing the High Ground: Strategies and Technologies for a Comprehensive Assessment Program

drupal — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:29:57 -0500

This presentation will demonstrate how one organization (the university library) has employed technology to develop a comprehensive, integrated, and participatory approach to accountability. Beginning with an overview of the imperative for accountability, the presentation will use the program's open source technology to demonstrate how accountability reinforces planning, decision making, service quality, and resource development and allocation.

Leading Ahead of the Curves

drupal — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:29:56 -0500

Three curves—technical possibility, social desirability, and economic feasibility over time—describe the forces that shape college and university IT challenges. The consumerization of technology, insourcing and outsourcing, edge or leveraged services on campus, and multi-institutional community source are timely opportunities for IT leaders who can wisely discern these curves.

The Future of the Library

drupal — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:14:57 -0500

Information and technology support organizations in higher education face a future of dramatic and constant change. Digital information creation and delivery is challenging what we know about learning and teaching, and what we assumed would be our roles in higher education. To continue to support scholarly communication, delivery and preservation of digital information, and online teaching and learning environments—to continue to be relevant and helpful to the academic mission—we must radically redefine the services we offer to the academy.

This session will offer an interactive review of the fluid landscape of the changing world of libraries, IT, and higher education, and will draw on the presenter’s experience of leading a forward-thinking merged information service organization. Topics will include defining a new learning/teaching professional, reallocating staff, defining priorities, staffing institutional repositories, finding skilled cross-functional leaders, supporting data-rich scholarship, defining critical literacies for the new millennium, inserting library and technology staff into the curriculum in radical new ways, supporting community learning and learning outside of courses, matrix management organizations, cross-breeding research and social software, and thinking beyond the course management system.

Handbook for Information Literacy Teaching

ckeller — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:51:03 -0600

This Handbook was written by a group of subject librarians at Cardiff University to support their colleagues in Information Services as they developed their information literacy teaching.

Talk About Talking About New Models of Scholarly Communication

elilly — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:17:28 -0600

Although many new forms of scholarly exchange have reached an advanced state of adoption, scholars and researchers generally remain remarkably naïve and uninformed about many issues involved with change in scholarly publishing and scholarly communication broadly. It is increasingly important that dialogue at research institutions involve a much wider group of researchers and scholars. Only active engagement by those undertaking research and scholarship can ensure that the advancement of research and scholarship takes priority in the development and adoption of new models. Research libraries have led in educating stakeholders about new models and are expanding their outreach to campus communities. In considering the effects of recent change, and looking to emerging trends and concerns, six dangers of the current moment are considered along with six topics ripe for campus dialogue.

CNI Podcast: An Interview with Birte Christensen-Dalsgaard, Director of Development at the State and University Library, Denmark

gbayne — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 04:26:54 -0600

In this 15 minute podcast we feature an interview with Birte Christensen-Dalsgaard, Director of Development at the State and University Library in Aarhus, Denmark. She spoke at the CNI Fall 2007 Task Force Meeting, where she was co-presenting two sessions- "Explorative Search and the Library Catalog" and "International Digitial Preservation".

Summa, the search system of the State and University Library in Aarhus, Denmark, addresses many of the issues raised in a number of recently published studies, including the observation that the traditional library catalog cannot compete with other services when it comes to explorative search, as well as the realization that the catalog is only suitable as a localization tool for known items. The challenge is to develop an application which will satisfy the users’ expectations for a modern search system.

Summa is an open source system implementing modular, service-based architecture. It is based on the fundamental idea "free the content from the proprietary library systems," where the discovery layer is separated from the business layer. In doing so, any Internet technology can be used without the limitations traditionally set by proprietary library systems, and there is the flexibility to integrate or to be integrated into other systems. A first version of a Fedora - Summa integration has been developed.

This interview is provided courtesy of CNI and was recorded at their 2007 Fall Task Force Meeting. The Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) is an organization dedicated to supporting the transformative promise of networked information technology for the advancement of scholarly communication and the enrichment of intellectual productivity. You can learn more about CNI at their web site, http://www.cni.org

Learning 2.0 at the McMaster University Library

drupal — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:00:52 -0600

Over the past year, the McMaster University Library has undertaken a radical transformation to accommodate the changing needs of our users. The transformation included a 12-week “learning 2.0” training program. The results have been significant. Come see how we did it and how we are using Web 2.0 daily.

Exponential Change in Traditional Organizations: McMaster University Libraries

drupal — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:00:49 -0600

McMaster University Libraries, one of Canada’s most innovative university libraries, is bringing together librarians, faculty, information technologists, and students in new and exciting ways. By focusing on emerging technologies, student success, and collaboration, the library is transforming from a "book warehouse" to the center for teaching and learning.

NISO to Host Digital Preservation Spring Forum

rmcdonal — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:53:18 -0600

NISO is sponsoring a forum on digital preservation titled Digital Preservation Forum: Planning Today for Tomorrow’s Resources. It is a very interesting agenda see http://www.niso.org/news/events_workshops/digpres08/agenda.html

ELI Annual Video: Exponential Change in Traditional Organizations: McMaster University Libraries

gbayne — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:39:42 -0600

Video and slides of this presentation can be found here. The speech is by Jeffrey G. Trzeciak, University Librarian at McMaster University, entitled, " Exponential Change in Traditional Organizations: McMaster University Libraries". This speech was recorded at the ELI 2008 Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

ELI Podcast: Exponential Change in Traditional Organizations: McMaster University Libraries

gbayne — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 01:07:46 -0600

In this 49 minute podcast, we feature a session by Jeffrey G. Trzeciak, University Librarian at McMaster University, entitled, "Exponential Change in Traditional Organizations: McMaster University Libraries". This speech was recorded at the ELI 2008 Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

Enhancing Graduate Education: A Fresh Look at Library Engagement

ckeller — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:02:14 -0600

Over 100 librarians, administrators, faculty, and other members of the academic community concerned about issues relating to graduate education convened in Washington DC on October 12, 2007, to participate in the forum "Enhancing Graduate Education: A Fresh Look at Library Engagement."2 Sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), the event promoted engagement in conceptualizing the library's evolving role in graduate education, and it encouraged academic libraries to begin considering new ways to partner with the broader graduate studies community. The forum was inspired by the Council of Graduate Schools 2007 report, Graduate Education: The Backbone of American Competitiveness and Innovation,3 which examines the current state of graduate education and how it influences the positioning of the United States in the global economy. Asserting the need for cooperation across education, business, and policy sectors, the report emphasizes the need to strengthen and promote an educational model that will "enhance US innovation and national security in the 21st century."4 The report's authors emphasized essential cooperation across sectors, enhanced flexibility within institutions of higher education, and focus on interdisciplinarity and globalization, themes that were equally dominant throughout the daylong
forum.

CNI Podcast: An Interview with Jim Neal, VP for Information Services and University Librarian, Columbia University

gbayne — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:58:49 -0600

In this 20 minute podcast, we feature an interview with Jim Neal, Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian at Columbia University. He provides leadership for university academic computing and network services as well as a system of twenty-five libraries. He also works with the Electronic Publishing Initiative at Columbia (EPIC) and the Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning (CCNMTL). He serves on key academic, technology, budget and policy groups at the University.

Neal has also represented the American library community in testimony on copyright matters before Congressional committees and was an advisor to the U.S. delegation at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) diplomatic conference on copyright. He has worked on copyright policy and advisory groups for universities and professional and higher education associations. He was selected the 1997 Academic/Research Librarian of the Year by ALA's Association of College and Research Libraries.

Neal has served on the Council and Executive Board of the American Library Association (ALA), on the Board and as President of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and as Chair of OCLC's Research Library Advisory Council. He currently is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Research Libraries Group (RLG) and on the Board of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO). He has also served on numerous international, national and state professional committees, and is an active member of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA).

CNI Podcast: An Interview with Roger C. Schonfeld, Manager of Research at Ithaka

gbayne — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:34:55 -0600

In this 18 minute podcast, we feature an interview with Roger C. Schonfeld, Manager of Research at Ithaka, an independent not-for-profit organization with a mission to accelerate the productive uses of information technologies for the benefit of higher education worldwide.

Roger Schonfeld leads the research group at Ithaka, where he studies how new technologies are affecting academia and how the changes they bring can best be managed. Roger is the author of JSTOR: A History (Princeton University Press, 2003), which examines business models for the shift to an online environment for scholarly texts by focusing on how JSTOR developed into a self-sustaining not-for-profit organization. He has also published The Changing Information Services Needs of Faculty (Educause Review, 2007), The Nonsubscription Side of Periodicals (Council on Library and Information Resources, 2004) and the most comprehensive examination of the systemwide print book collection, “Books without Boundaries: A Brief Tour of the System-wide Print Book Collection,” Journal of Electronic Publishing, 2006. Other recent work has focused on the history and future of preservation and book survivability. Previously, Roger was a research associate at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

CNI Podcast: An Interview with Cathrine Harboe-Ree, University Librarian at Monash University

gbayne — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:07:24 -0600

In this 11 minute podcast, we feature an interview with Cathrine Harboe-Ree recorded at the Coalition for Networked Information 2007 Fall Task Force Meeting.

Cathrine Harboe-Ree is the Monash University Librarian. She is a member of the CAUL (Council of Australian University Librarians) Executive and a faculty member of the CAUDIT-EDUCAUSE Institute. She was the CAUL representative on the Australian Government's eResearch Coordinating Committee in 2005 and 2006 and is currently a member of AeRIC (the Australian e-Research Infrastructure Council). She has established an electronic press for Monash University, is the project leader of the national institutional repository project, ARROW and is a member of Monash's Research Committee and e-Research Steering Committee.

Agenda for Developing E-Science in Research Libraries

ckeller — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 10:42:58 -0600

This is the Final Report and Recommendations to the Scholarly Communication Steering Committee, the
Public Policies Affecting Research Libraries Steering Committee, and the Research, Teaching, and Learning Steering Committee.

E-science has the potential to be transformational within research libraries by impacting their operations, functions, and possibly even their mission. Recognizing this potential, the ARL Steering Committees for Scholarly Communication and for Research, Teaching, and Learning jointly appointed a task force in 2006 to address the emergent domain of e-science. The Joint Task Force on Library Support for E-Science focused its attention on the implications of trends in e-science for research libraries, exploring the dimensions that impact collections, services, research infrastructure, and professional development. Priorities of government funding agencies further shaped the task force's work.

The task force recommends that ARL establish dedicated capacity within the Association to develop a program agenda over time and to build a shared understanding among the membership of the component issues and challenges for library engagement. In addition to the recently appointed program officers (one permanent and another temporary part-time), the report proposes a working group with an initial charge to develop principles that will inform program development. Anticipated programmatic efforts would emphasize: education of the research library community about scientific trends, the emergent role of data curation, characteristics of virtual organizations, relevant policy for data and research dissemination, and tools and infrastructure systems. While the task force focused on e-science, it was mindful of the broader eresearch trends that are shaping research and scholarship in all disciplines.

The task force believes that ARL's engagement in the issues of e-science is best focused on educational and policy roles, while partnering with other relevant organizations to contribute in strategic areas of technology development and new genres of publication. These types of strategic collaborations will also provide opportunities to re-envision the research library's role and contribution as 21st-century science takes shape.

Code4lib Gender Diversity Fellowship

rmcdonal — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:42:22 -0600

The Oregon State University / Code4lib Gender Diversity Scholarship will provide up to $1000 to cover travel costs and conference fees for one qualified attendee to the 2008 Code4lib conference (February 25-28 in Portland, OR). This scholarship is eligible to any woman interested in actively contributing to the mission and goals of the Code4lib Conference.

For more information please see:
http://code4lib.org/node/208

Census of Institutional Repositories in the U.S

ckeller — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 16:09:30 -0600

A Comparison Across Institutions at Different Stages of IR Development.

E07 Podcast: A Discussion on Disconnects Between Library Culture and Millennial Generation User Values

kellywalker — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:31:30 -0600

This 50-minute podcast recorded during the EDUCAUSE 2007 Annual Conference features Robert H. McDonald, Chronopolis Project Manager, San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California, San Diego, Richard T. Sweeney, University Librarian, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Tyler Walters, Assoc Director for Technology & Resource Services, Library & Information Center, Georgia Institute of Technology in "A Discussion on Disconnects Between Library Culture and Millennial Generation User Values."

The session abstract:

Join this panel that continues the discussion addressed in a 2006 EDUCAUSE Quarterly article by McDonald and Thomas on the disconnects between library culture and millennial generation values. Panelists will cover three broad areas of demographics, design, and social outreach as related to the needs of the millennial library researcher.

New Mailing List on Distributed/Federated Digital Preservation Strategies

rmcdonal — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:45:27 -0600

The MetaArchive Cooperative has established a new mailing list for discussion of distributed/federated digital preservation issues and strategies. This list will work toward building cross-community relationships for a variety of federated digital preservation organizations.

I put this up earlier today and the list was not quite ready for subscription.

However, you can now subscribe at:
http://listserv.emory.edu/wa.exe?SUBED1=distributed-preservation-l&A=1

Top ten assumptions for the future of academic libraries and librarians: A report from the ACRL research committee

ckeller — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:57:46 -0600

"In 2006 the ACRL Executive Committee asked the ACRL Research Committee to determine ten assumptions about the future that would have a significant impact on academic libraries and librarians. In the ensuing months, members of the Research Committee reviewed previous similar reports; surveyed ACRL committees, councils, and sections; conducted literature reviews; and reviewed the ACRL Environmental Scan of 2003. What emerged was a long list of statements that, after deliberations, was shortened to the ten most pertinent assumptions. These assumptions identify present conditions that the committee feels will have a significant impact on how academic libraries and librarians plan for the next ten years."

E07 Podcast: An Interview with Heather Gordon

kellywalker — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:48:21 -0600

In this 12-minute podcast, we feature a phone interview with Heather Gordon, Director, Information Services and University Librarian, James Cook University . She discusses the University's recent Review of Information Services Report and the role of the library and its staff in providing resources to enhance learning, research, and information literacy. Gordon also discusses her role as Copyright Officer for James Cook University.

OCLC Report on Social Networking

mpasiewicz — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 09:48:38 -0500

OCLC has issued a new report that sounds like a must read for those interested in navigating the waters of the social web and I look forward to delving into it. I, personally, have mixed feelings about what I've skimmed of the report. I'm particularly vexed about a call from OCLC to "relax the rules of privacy" ... I haven't read the report yet, but that's an interesting call to action. Personally, I'd love to see a call for a more research and experimentation into alternative approaches to the social web that might find a way to protect privacy and raise awareness of why it might be important.

I'm also interested in the so called attention economy and the work of groups like AttentionTrust.org, but they haven't gained much traction as far as I can tell. As I learn more about these new social spaces, I've begun to worry more and more about privacy. In an era of mash-ups, widgets and outsourcing services to third parties, it almost seems to easy to skim over issues like privacy. I also worry that for many, the topic of privacy is limited in scope to compliance with FERPA related issues. Am I alone in my perception there?

I often wonder whether or not we're sometimes are too quick to embrace some of these areas without pausing to consider the potential for unintended consequences and other side effects. Furthermore, I often wonder about who'll take up the banner of privacy and trust in an era where the library is being disintermediated and where the values that librarians often hold are brushed aside as organizations look to embrace some of these emerging technologies. The library was once a key locus for managing the relationships between content and consumers, but now access to information is much more diffuse and the breadcrumbs of consumption are scattered about and managed by many different players ... and many of them are private sector participants whose values may be very different from those often embedded in our library colleagues. Is this a good thing? I'm not so certain, but I'd love to hear your thoughts.

http://www.oclc.org/reports/sharing/default.htm

A Discussion on Disconnects Between Library Culture and Millennial Generation User Values

drupal — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:42:38 -0500

Student Perspective - Meg and Joan Lippincott Net Savvy Video

drupal — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 10:56:01 -0500

Joan Lippincott, associate executive director of the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), contributed a video interview with her daughter, Meg Lippincott, to the program for the ELI 2007 Fall Focus Session, Being Net Savvy: Developing Skills for A Rapidly Changing World. A sophomore at Vassar College, Meg provides a student perspective on how students seek information for their academic work. Her views are drawn from her experiences helping peers at her college library reference desk as well as her own efforts. Meg discusses aspects of information literacy and her definition of a "net savvy student." Her friend Jan Zhan, a student at University of Maryland, shot the interview.

Leading in the "Converged" Library/IT Organization

drupal — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 11:30:00 -0500

Many library/IT mergers have been successful and achieved true converge. Others have moved along slowly or faltered. In this session, we will examine the challenges of leadership in such mergers and present strategies for success. The session will include case studies and allow ample time for discussion about the topic.

Higher Education in the Internet Age: Libraries Creating a Strategic Edge

ckeller — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 11:43:35 -0500

The reviewer finds that the authors make a strong case that the library should be made a full partner in the institution's missions of teaching, research, and service, arguing that the benefits the library can bring are undeniable.

More Than Coffee and Wireless

ckeller — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 17:03:27 -0500

"For several years now, the talk about libraries as student-oriented buildings has focused on amenities to enhance the visitor’s experience. Students want their coffee and comfy couches on which to chat with their friends during study breaks. Students want to study in groups. And students want to use their laptops, so wireless is key. "

Library of Congress Webcast on Economics and Organization of Bibliographic Data Meeting

rmcdonal — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:55:39 -0500

There is an interesting live webcast of the Library of Congress sponsored meeting on the Economics and Organization of Bibliographic Data.

The meeting agenda is located here:

http://www.loc.gov/bibliographic-future/meetings/agenda-july9.html.

The link to the webcast is here:

http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/live.html

This is a public fact finding meeting of the LC Sponsored Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control.

CALEA: It doesn't apply to universities and libraries after all

ckeller — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:44:41 -0500

"Back in 2005-2006, when CALEA (the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act) was being expanded to cover broadband providers and VoIP companies, libraries and universities raised a massive ruckus over the plan. Their worry was that CALEA would require any network that connected to the public Internet to comply with FBI wiretapping guidelines; universities across the country would be faced with a multibillion dollar bill for upgrading their networks. Now that the new CALEA rules are in effect (the deadline for compliance was Monday), how are universities and libraries handling the issue? "

Understanding Faculty to Improve Content Recruitment

ckeller — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:26:38 -0500

"An institutional repository (IR) is an electronic system that captures, preserves, and provides access to the digital work products of a community . In a university setting, an IR may provide a place for faculty work, student theses and dissertations, e-journals, datasets and so on. Whatever the particular focus of the university IR, to be successful it must be filled with scholarly work of enduring value that is searched and cited."

The Rise of the UnConference

rmcdonal — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 12:09:41 -0500

It is amazing lately how much the unconference has infiltrated typical types of academic conferences. Of course this is nothing new as colleagues have always found time to get together during large academic conferences to discuss their areas of interest. However, with the coming of twitter.com and other social tools that really drive from local proximity this is becoming a very interesting phenomenon. The latest of these is the BIGWIG UnConference that will be virtually hovering around this year's American Library Association Annual Meeting.

See http://showcase.litablog.org/index.php/Main_Page

CIC Announces Google Partnership

rmcdonal — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 11:35:24 -0500

This week the Committee on Insititutional Cooperation (CIC) announced a new deal with Google that will put millions of books online from the research libraries of the University of Chicago, University of Illinois, Indiana University, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

For more info see http://tinyurl.com/yuez5e