Month: August 2011

Content Clustering and Sustaining Digital Resources

JISC has released Content Clustering and Sustaining Digital Resources.

Here's an excerpt:

This eBook presents case studies from 11 digital projects managing digital resources for Higher Education. One strand of case studies look at the skills required to build and sustain digital collections, with a focus on how universities embed digitisation as a strategic activity within their core work. The second strand draws on case studies examining how digital silos can be broken down, as users demand increasingly sophisticated resources that cluster or aggregate related content from different areas of the Internet. The projects were funded under the JISC eContent Programme for 2009-11.

| Digital Scholarship |

Digital Preservation Librarian at University of Iowa Libraries

The University of Iowa Libraries are recruiting a Digital Preservation Librarian. Degree: "Master's Degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA-accredited program." Salary range: $43,000-$46,000.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Reporting to the Head, Preservation Department, the Digital Preservation Librarian establishes policies and best practices for the long-term protection and access to digital materials and advises on all phases of the life cycle of digital content with the aim of long-term retention and access. Working closely with staff in Library Information Technology, Digital Library Services, Preservation, and other library departments, as well as with partners at other institutions, the Digital Preservation Librarian will:

  • Research, plan, and develop the digital preservation program for the University Libraries' collections of enduring value in digital format: review existing library practices and analyze needs and establish policies and best practices for the long-term protection and access to digital materials of all types, both created and acquired by the library. Digital collections to be preserved include text, images, datasets, audio-visual resources, Web pages, and ephemera.
  • Assist in the ongoing development of requirements and specifications, including formats and metadata, for digital material the library solicits, accepts, or purchases into its collections. Advise both library staff and external content creators on strategies and the practical implementation of those specifications.
  • Advise library staff about digital initiatives on all phases of the life cycle of digital content, including research datasets, with the aim of long-term retention and access; provide training or orientations. Identify digital storage needs and recommend storage medium.

| Digital Scholarship |

"ArXiv at 20"

ArXiv founder Paul Ginsparg discusses the pioneering twenty-year-old disciplinary archive in "ArXiv at 20."

Here's an excerpt:

On arXiv, we have seen some of the unintended effects of an entire global research community ingesting the same information from the same interface on a daily basis. The order in which new preprint submissions are displayed in the daily alert, if only for a single day, strongly affects the readership on that day and leaves a measurable trace in the citation record fully six years later.

| Digital Scholarship |

Digital Projects Professional at University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Rasmuson Library

The University of Alaska Fairbanks' Rasmuson Library is recruiting a Digital Projects Professional. Degree: “Masters of Library Science (ALA accredited or foreign equivalent) with an emphasis in Digital Librarianship” (see ad for equivalent non-degree qualifications).

Here's an excerpt from the ad (posting number: 0062471):

The ideal candidate will have experience in the practices of Digital Asset Management, Project Management, software development/integration, digital preservation planning, and a deep knowledge of library data standards. The ideal person will already have experience working with many types of software used in library environments such as Content Management Systems, Institutional Repositories, and Integrated Library Systems.

| Digital Scholarship |

University of North Texas Receives over $800,000 in Two Grants Related to Digital Data Curation

The University of North Texas has received over $800,000 in two Institute of Museum and Library Services grants related to digital data curation.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

The University of North Texas Libraries and UNT's College of Information have received more than $800,000 in grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to address the challenges of curating and preserving digital information and new requirements from the National Science Foundation and other agencies that fund university research on long-term management of research data for possible review and use by future researchers and scholars.

Dr. William Moen, associate dean for research in UNT's College of Information, and Dr. Martin Halbert, dean of the UNT Libraries, successfully applied for two grants from IMLS' Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, which supports efforts to recruit and educate the next generation of librarians and faculty members who prepare them for future careers, as well as supporting research related to library education and staffing needs, curriculum development and continuing education and training. . . .

The first grant of $624,663 from IMLS is for a three-year project to create four graduate-level courses in digital curation and data management. The first two courses will be taught during the summer of 2012. All four courses will be taught beginning in the summer of 2013, said Moen, the principal investigator for the grant. . . .

The second IMLS grant of $226,786 will fund a two-year investigation of the new roles, knowledge and skills that will be required of library and information science professionals to successfully manage research data cited in articles in scholarly journals — not just the publications.

UNT researchers, led by Halbert, will conduct two national surveys of officials at NSF and other funding agencies; college and university vice presidents for research and campus research officers; faculty of library and information science programs; academic librarians; campus IT managers; provosts and chief academic officers; and key researchers at universities and publishers of faculty research. The surveys will focus on college and universities' current data management plans, policies and practices; expectations and beliefs about data management; and preparation needed to archive data.

During the two years of the project, UNT researchers will also conduct focus groups in conjunction with several professional meetings. Personal interviews will be scheduled with selected individuals from the focus groups.

Read more about it at "Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program Grant Announcement June 2011."

| Digital Scholarship |

Systems Librarian at Georgetown University Library

The Georgetown University Library is recruiting a Systems Librarian. Degree: "Master's degree in Library Science."

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Georgetown University Library seeks a Systems Librarian to hold a leadership role in the management, support, and administration of the Library's suite of information management systems. This position will play a key role in developing strategies and implementing the next generation library management systems, services, and resources. Within a team environment, this person shares the responsibilities in the planning, development, and management of the Library's technological infrastructure, electronic resources, and web presence, and strategically assesses, selects and implements established or emerging technologies that enhance the Library's ability to support teaching and research at the University.

| Digital Scholarship |

Carl Malamud Issues Complaint about Smithsonian Institution’s Terms of Use and Licensing Policy

Carl Malamud has put up a website, What Would Luther Burbank Do?, that contains a complaint about the Smithsonian Institution's Terms of Use and Licensing Policy. The complaint concerns a take down notice that Mindy Sommers received from the Smithsonian Institution regarding her Vintage Seed Catalog Digital Collage Sheet Five.

Here's an excerpt:

1.1 The Smithsonian Institution's Terms of Use and Licensing Policy are in violation of 17 U.S.C. § 105 (the "works of government" clause of the Copyright Act) and 20 U.S.C. § 41 (the "increase and diffusion of knowledge among men" clause of the Smithsonian Charter). . . . .

6.1 Injunction. That the Smithsonian Institution be instructed to cease and desist all further "take down" notices until this matter has been thoroughly investigated.

6.2 Investigation. That the Board of Regents investigate and analyze the intellectual property policies of the Smithsonian Institution to determine if such policies are in violation of the Copyright Act or the Smithsonian Charter.

6.3 Restitution. That the Smithsonian Institution work with the community to create high-resolution scans of the Seed Displays source material that is not under copyright by external, non-governmental entities and that such high-resolution scans be released on the Internet with no restrictions on use.

| Digital Scholarship |

Digital Collections Librarian at the Country Music Hall of Fame

The Country Music Hall of Fame is recruiting a Digital Collections Librarian. Degree: "Master's degree in library/information science from an ALA-accredited program."

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Country Music Hall of Fame seeks a Digital Collections Librarian to assist in the development of a library plan for digital preservation and data curation. . . .

  • Develop a strategic plan to increase access, creation, and use of digital collections that will provide the Foundation and its constituents with a 21st century library environment.
  • Acquisition, cataloging, storage, maintenance, preservation, access and record keeping for periodicals (electronic and print), electronic serials, e-books, electronic press releases, databases, and other electronic resources as needed
  • Oversee clippings scanning project and store electronic clippings, maintain clippings database
  • Mine the web for information and resources appropriate for inclusion in the CMF Library collection

| Digital Scholarship |

Google Books Bibliography, Version 7

Digital Scholarship has released version 7 of the Google Books Bibliography, which presents over 325 selected English-language articles and other works that are useful in understanding Google Books. It primarily focuses on the evolution of Google Books and the legal, library, and social issues associated with it, especially the Google Book Settlement. To better show the development Google Books, it is now organized by year of publication. It primarily includes journal articles, e-prints, magazine articles, and newspaper articles. This version expands coverage of law review articles and legal e-prints. Where possible, links are provided to works that are freely available on the Internet.

The following recent Digital Scholarship publications may also be of interest:

| Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview |