DigitalKoans

The Association of Research Libraries has published Social Software in Libraries, SPEC Kit 304. The table of contents and executive summary are freely available.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

This survey was distributed to the 123 ARL member libraries in February 2008. Sixty-four libraries completed the survey by the March 14 deadline for a response rate of 52%. All but three of the responding libraries report that their library staff uses social software (95%) and one of those three plans to begin using social software in the future.

Survey results indicate that the most broadly adopted social software—chat or instant messaging—was also the earliest implemented social software. While one respondent was using instant messaging for reference and another was using chat for internal communication as early as 1998, the earliest use of this type of social software dates back to 1993.

While chat and instant messaging have been in use for several years, use of other types of social software in libraries is very recent. Beyond isolated cases, a steadily increasing number of ARL member libraries began implementing social software in 2005, with the largest rate of adoption being in 2007.

The Council on Library and Information Resources has published No Brief Candle: Reconceiving Research Libraries for the 21st Century.

Here's an excerpt:

What are the critical functions of the research library in this changing landscape? How should we be rethinking the research library in a dynamic, swiftly changing landscape dominated by digital technology? To explore this question, CLIR convened a meeting of librarians, publishers, faculty members, and information technology specialists on February 27, 2008, in Washington, D.C. To prepare for the discussion, CLIR invited eight of the participants to share their perspectives on the future library in brief essays. The essays were circulated before the meeting and are presented in part II of this volume.

Adrian K. Ho has been named the Scholarly Communication Librarian at the Western Libraries of the University of Western Ontario.

Ho is the lead author of the "Open Access Webliography." An e-print of this article, which was published in Reference Services Review, has been retrieved from Digital Scholarship over 63,000 times. Ho's latest project is an investigation of collaborations between research libraries and university presses, which he conducted as part of the Association of Research Libraries' 2007/08 Leadership and Career Development Program. He is a member of the Association of College and Research Libraries' Scholarly Communication Committee. He is also the current Chair of the Association of Library Collections and Technical Services' Collection Development and Electronic Resources Committee.

Ho was formerly the Collections Coordinator at the University of Houston Libraries, where he authored the Transforming Scholarly Communication Weblog. He holds an MA in Communications Studies, an MLIS, and a BA in Humanities.

Long-term Cornell employee Dean Krafft has been named as the Cornell University Library's Chief Technology Strategist.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

"Dean Krafft brings a wealth of experience to this position, as well as a profound respect for the role research libraries play in the academy," said Anne R. Kenney, Cornell’s Carl A. Kroch University Librarian. "This is a brand new position for the library world, and I can't think of a better person to help us understand its full potential. . . ."

As the chief technology strategist, Krafft will serve on the Library’s senior management team, focusing his efforts on the development of a long-term vision for CUL’s technology future and assessing the IT trends and innovations that impact the Library. He will also serve as an ambassador for collaborative technology initiatives across the University and in national and international efforts.

"The very rapid changes in the information landscape and the needs and workflows of Cornell's faculty, staff and students make these challenging times," Krafft said. "I am very much looking forward to working with the Library staff and the Cornell community to help ensure that the Library remains at the intellectual heart of university life and scholarship."

Before his appointment, Krafft served as the senior research associate and director of information technology and in several positions in the Computer Science Department since 1981. He also received his Master’s and PhD degrees in computer science from Cornell.

Tracey Caldwell's recent "Scan and Deliver" article examines the copyright challenges that the British Library faces in its digitization program (e.g., copyright issues have to be considered for works going as far back as the 1860s). It also mentions the impact of the shutdown of Microsoft's book digitization program on the British Library (digitization costs were shared 50-50 with Microsoft).

Below is a table showing the comparative rankings of state-funded Texas ARL Libraries on 18 factors. This data is from the ARL Statistics 2005-06 (see the "Summary of Rank Order Tables for University Libraries, 2005-06" table on pages 66-70).

The state-funded ARL Libraries are:

• Texas A&M University (A&M)
• Texas Tech University (TECH)
• University of Houston (UH)
• University of Texas, Austin (UT)

There are 113 university libraries in ARL. In the table below, "1" is the best possible top rank for a factor; "113" is the worst possible bottom rank. The top-ranked value for a factor within a row is shown in bold italics; the bottom-ranked value is shown in bold.

Below is a summary of the number of top and bottom rankings of state-funded ARL libraries within their peer group on 18 factors.

Below is a table that shows the overall rankings of state-funded ARL libraries using ARL's Expenditures-Focused Index.

The Association of Research Libraries has released an Excel file that contains tables from the ARL Annual Salary Survey 2007-08.

The University of Oregon Libraries have become the 18th U.S. institution to join the SCOAP³consortium and to commit funds previously used to subscribe to high-energy physics journals to the consortium.