Month: July 2009

Personal Engagement with Repositories through Social Networking Applications: Final Report

JISC has released the Personal Engagement with Repositories through Social Networking Applications: Final Report.

Here's an excerpt from the project Web site that describes the project:

The Institutional Repository has become the established technology deployed at universities and other institutions to enable scholars to self-archive their research outputs; the PERSoNA team will be embedding social networking tools which allow chat, tagging and bookmarking (amongst other things) within the repository, and encouraging users to comment on their use of our repository and make recommendations amongst each other leading to the onward discovery of further resources.

"A Networked Registration Scheme to Support Open Science"

Adrian Pickering, Christopher Gutteridge, and David De Roure have self-archived "A Networked Registration Scheme to Support Open Science" in the ECS EPrints Repository.

Here's an excerpt:

The Open Source and Open Science movements have demonstrated the success of distributed collaborative experimentation and intellectual property (IP) development. While those contributing to the effort may do so without seeking to secure IP rights, it is clear that credit and attribution are crucial to the scholarly lifecycle because they underpin reputation—when IP is created it is only fair that 'credit is given where credit is due'. We propose that there need to be systems in place, independent of the project, where the evidence of 'prior art' can be registered. The authors' thesis is that simply having such a system available will ensure proper behaviour between collaborators and foster higher productivity.

Repositories such as EPrints and myExperiment, which focus respectively on publications and digital 'research objects', can readily use such a system—the intellectual assets stored digitally in the repository can be registered by their owners. To achieve this with the necessary guarantees we need an appropriate registration scheme and architecture.

Digital Repository Resident at University of Massachusetts Amherst

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries are recruiting a Digital Repository Resident (one-year position).

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The University of Massachusetts Amherst seeks candidates for the position of Digital Repository Resident. Under general supervision of the Scholarly Communication and Special Initiatives Librarian, the Digital Repository Resident Librarian explores, adapts, and implements emerging digital repository technologies in support of library and campus digital collections and publishing initiatives. Develops and manages repository projects, researches and recommends changes and enhancements, and works with other library staff to develop and implement metadata and preservation standards, and facilitates the development of workflows that accommodate new scholarly communication initiatives.

U.S. Copyright Office Proposes Rule Change for Mandatory Deposit of Electronic Works Published in the United States and Available Only Online

The U.S. Copyright Office is proposing a rule change for the mandatory deposit of electronic works that are published in the United States and are only available online. (Thanks to ResourceShelf.)

Here's an excerpt from the notice of proposed rulemaking:

The Copyright Office of the Library of Congress is proposing to amend its regulations governing mandatory deposit of electronic works published in the United States and available only online. The amendments would establish that such works are exempt from mandatory deposit until a demand for deposit of copies or phonorecords of such works is issued by the Copyright Office. They would also set forth the process for issuing and responding to a demand for deposit, amend the definition of a "complete copy" of a work for purposes of mandatory deposit of online-only works, and establish new best edition criteria for electronic serials available only online. The Copyright Office seeks public comment on these proposed revisions.

Program Coordinator for the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center at University of North Carolina

The University of North Carolina Libraries are recruiting a Program Coordinator for the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library seeks an experienced, creative, and collaborative individual for the position of Program Coordinator for the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center. This new position will have responsibility for general management of a center that will provide digitization and hosting services for cultural heritage materials held by libraries, archives, historical societies, and other institutions in the state of North Carolina. Housed in the North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina Library, the Center will provide broad and integrated access to digital representatives of these materials to the citizens of the state of North Carolina and to teachers, students, and researchers across the state and beyond.

Presentations from the ALA Annual 2009 Collecting for Digital Repositories Session

Presentations from the ALA Annual 2009 Collecting for Digital Repositories session are now available. (Thanks to Digital & Scholarly).

Also see the session's annotated bibliography.

Copyright Program Librarian at University of Minnesota Libraries

The University of Minnesota Libraries are recruiting a Copyright Program Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Consultation Services:

  • Develop advisory services to support decisions related to the use and ownership of copyrighted materials.
  • Working with the Office of General Counsel, assist in development of guidelines for informed decisions related to copyright and rights management.
  • Develop resources to assist the University community in taking full advantage of fair use.
  • Support compliance with open access deposit requirements of federal funding agencies.
  • In collaboration with the University Digital Conservancy, contribute to policy and program development related to digital archiving.
  • Provide counsel to the University Libraries on copyright issues as they relate to library services.

Copyright Management:

  • Cultivate a knowledgeable community related to compliance with copyright law, University policy, and options for authors in managing their copyrights.
  • Contribute to the development of policies and procedures related to management of University copyrights

Scholarly and Research Communication Established

A new open access journal, Scholarly and Research Communication, has been established.

Here's an excerpt from the journal's home page:

Scholarly and Research Communication is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary, Open Access, online journal that publishes original contributions to the understanding of production, dissemination, and usage of knowledge. It emphasizes the dynamics of representation and changing organizational elements, including technologically mediated workflows, ownership, and legal structures. Contributions are welcomed in all media and span formal research and analysis; technical reports and demonstration; commentary, and review.

Also see Rowland Lorimer's presentation "Scholarly and Research Communication: A Journal and Some Founding Ideas."

Director for Digital Library Services at Indiana University

The Indiana University Libraries are recruiting a Director for Digital Library Services.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Indiana University Bloomington Libraries are seeking an experienced, visionary, and creative leader for the position of Director for Digital Library Services. This position reports to the Associate Dean for Library Technologies and manages the project and collection building services of the Indiana University Digital Library Program (DLP) (http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/), one of the nation’s premier organizations for the creation and support of digital library resources and infrastructure, with production level support for locally produced digital library collections and responsibility for advancing the state of the art in digital library research.

Presentations from JISC Digital Content Conference 2009

Presentations from the JISC Digital Content Conference 2009 are now available.

Here's an excerpt from the conference page:

In the context of the completion of Phase 2 of the JISC Digitisation Programme the JISC Digital Content Conference aims to discuss and decide the next steps that need to be taken to ensure the sustained integration of digitised content into research and education and is one of the most important events of 2009. It will consider the issues facing the UK's universities as they deal with creating, delivering, sustaining and using a whole range of digital content as well as looking into future opportunities and challenges. The following thematic strands will run throughout the conference: Managing Content; Content Development Strategies; Content In Education; User Engagement; Looking Into The Future.

Harvard University Press and University of Chicago Press Ramp Up E-Book Publishing Efforts

The Harvard University Press will release almost 1,000 e-books on Scribd. The University of Chicago Press has released 700 e-books on its own site using Adobe's Digital Editions software.

Read more about it at "Harvard University Press to Sell Nearly 1,000 Digital Books on Scribd," "New Digital Editions from the University of Chicago Press," and "University Presses Stepping Up e-Book Efforts."

Proceedings of DigCCurr2009: Digital Curation: Practice, Promise, and Prospects

Helen R. Tibbo has published Proceedings of DigCCurr2009: Digital Curation: Practice, Promise, and Prospects on Lulu.

Here's the ad:

DigCCurr2009 was held on April 1-3, 2009 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina as part of the Preserving Access to Our Digital Future: Building an International Digital Curation Curriculum (DigCCurr) project. DigCCurr is a three-year (2006-2009), Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)-funded project to develop a graduate-level curricular framework, course modules, and experiential components to prepare students for digital curation in various environments. Contributions to DigCCurr2009 take the form of long and short papers, posters and panels. Potential contributions were submitted for peer review by a rich and diverse panel of international experts. Reviewers evaluated the submissions based on clarity and organization of presentation and writing; originality, creativity and potential for new contributions to the field; and engagement (topics addressed would be appropriate for and engaging to the diverse audience of DigCCurr2009 participants).

"SPARC-ACRL Forum: Doomsday Clock Countdown for Scholarly Communications?"

In "SPARC-ACRL Forum: Doomsday Clock Countdown for Scholarly Communications?," Josh Hadro reports on the 2009 SPARC-ACRL Forum, including libraries' new "zero tolerance for price increases."

Here's an excerpt:

"It’s time to give up the kumbaya of librarianship," [James] Neal said as he approached his last few proposals, and "radicalize our approach to collaboration."

We are just a few minutes from midnight, he said as he invoked the Doomsday Clock metaphor to dramatically portray the relationship between libraries and publishers. We are, he warned, quickly headed "toward potentially explosive conditions."

Digital Library Jobs: Digital Repository Librarian at the Idaho Commission for Libraries

The Idaho Commission for Libraries is recruiting a Digital Repository Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Librarian will work with others on the Idaho Digital Repository, created by the recently revised Idaho Code 33-2505. This allows the Commission for Libraries to focus on cooperative efforts with all state agencies to capture and preserve Idaho electronic public publications and make them available to all citizens through a secure centralized repository.

"Campus Outreach to Scholarly Society Leaders, Editors, and Members: Promoting Positive Change and a Continuing Role for Scholarly Societies"

The Association of Research Libraries has released "Campus Outreach to Scholarly Society Leaders, Editors, and Members: Promoting Positive Change and a Continuing Role for Scholarly Societies."

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

The guide seeks to increase library staff’s conscious connections with leaders of scholarly societies residing on their campus in order to:

  • Build positive relationships between librarians and faculty members
  • Create opportunities for education and dialog with key opinion leaders and decision-makers within disciplinary communities
  • Identify opportunities for libraries to partner/collaborate with scholarly societies
  • Enhance library leadership’s decision-making capability by building a better understanding of their faculty members’ and researchers’ ongoing needs for services from scholarly societies

Successful campus outreach should encourage and support society leaders to engage in positive change that advances the scholarly communication system, promotes new research modes, and offers a path forward in a time of paradigm shift.

Overlay Journal Infrastructure for Meteorological Sciences (OJIMS): Final Report

JISC has released the Overlay Journal Infrastructure for Meteorological Sciences (OJIMS): Final Report.

Here's an excerpt:

The Overlay Journal Infrastructure for Meteorological Sciences (OJIMS) project developed the mechanisms that could support both a new on-line Journal of Meteorological Data and an Open-Access Repository for documents related to the meteorological sciences. The project had three fundamental aims:

  • Creation of overlay journal mechanics.
  • Creation of an open access subject based repository for Meteorology and atmospheric sciences.
  • Construction and evaluation of business models for potential overlay journals. . . .

  • The proposal for the Journal of Meteorological Data is that it would be an on-line, peer-reviewed data journal. It would extend the scientific discipline of peer review to data, providing recognition for the work of creating data. The rigorous, but manageable, standards for metadata and documentation prescribed will facilitate re-use of the data, encourage appropriate application of the data to scientific problems and enable experiments to be repeated. A review process was proposed which encompasses three elements: a data description document, metadata and the data themselves. All three elements would be reviewed, but citation would be of the text article

    .

John Wiley & Sons Fiscal Year 2009 and Fourth Quarter Results

John Wiley & Sons has released its fiscal year 2009 results.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL, MEDICAL, AND SCHOLARLY (STMS)

  • Full year revenue +9% and fourth quarter revenue +17% on currency neutral basis (a nonrecurring acquisition accounting adjustment reported in fiscal year 2008 contributed 2% to the full year growth rate)
  • Full year contribution to profit +14% and fourth quarter contribution to profit +22% on a currency neutral basis
  • New contracts in fiscal year 2009 to publish 32 society journals; renewed or extended contracts for 87 journals; did not renew agreements to publish 9 journals

Global STMS revenue for fiscal year 2009 declined 1% to $969 million due to unfavorable foreign exchange of $97 million. Revenue advanced 9% on a currency neutral basis and including a $17 million acquisition accounting adjustment, which reduced revenue in fiscal year 2008. Increased revenue from journal subscription renewals, new business, global rights, and STMS books was partially offset by lower sales of backfiles, reprints, and custom publishing.

Direct contribution to profit for the fiscal year grew 4% from prior year to $399 million. On a currency neutral basis, contribution to profit advanced 14%. The year-over-year increase reflects top-line results and a $17 million accounting adjustment related to the Blackwell acquisition that reduced revenue in the comparable prior year period, partially offset by higher editorial fees due to the addition of more society journals and performance-related compensation.

For the fourth quarter, global STMS revenue was down 2% with a negative foreign exchange effect of $54 million. On a currency neutral basis, revenue advanced 17% due to the resolution of the third quarter journal billing delays, which shifted some revenue into the fourth quarter. Revenue also advanced due to new business. Higher global rights income was offset by lower backfile sales and advertising revenue. Direct contribution to profit for the quarter increased 3%, or 22% excluding the unfavorable impact of foreign exchange, mainly due to top line results.

STMS Journals
All regions exhibited journal sales growth, excluding unfavorable foreign exchange. The performance is mainly attributed to renewals, new business, and the acquisition accounting adjustment in fiscal year 2008. Subscription and pay-per-view revenue was up year-over-year, while backfile revenue fell due to the economic climate, particularly in the US. . . .

Journal Licenses
Journal licenses, which represent approximately 60% of our journal subscription revenue, provide academic, government, and corporate customers with online access to multiple journals. In the fourth quarter, agreements were signed or renewed with universities, library consortia, and government agencies in the US, Norway, Japan, China, Brazil, Canada, Greece, Chile, Denmark, and India.

STMS Books and References
Book sales and other related income, which account for approximately 17% of STMS revenue, were up 5% over fiscal year 2008 on a currency neutral basis. The total number of books published was up slightly. Online book sales rose approximately 20% to $10 million.

Digital Library Jobs: World Digital Library Content Manager at the Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is recruiting a World Digital Library Content Manager.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

This position is located in the World Digital Library, Office of the Librarian, and reports to the Technical Project Director, World Digital Library. The mission of the World Digital Library (WDL) is to make available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from cultures around the world, including manuscripts, maps, rare books, sound recordings, films, photographs, and other significant cultural materials. The objectives of the WDL are to promote international and intercultural understanding, provide resources to educators, expand non-English and non-Western content on the Internet, and to contribute to scholarly research. The WDL is a partnership between several national libraries and other cultural institutions. The Content Manager supports the WDL.

The incumbent coordinates and facilitates the digitization and publication of cultural materials for the World Digital Library's multilingual Web site. Individually and in collaboration with IT and digital media experts, the incumbent coordinates major program components that include internal communication strategies, a centralized archive, new digital content policies, metadata and standards for digital content, and new models for access and delivery of digital content.

Peter Nürnberg Named as Chief Technology Officer of the Texas Digital Library

Peter Nürnberg has been named as the Chief Technology Officer of the Texas Digital Library.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

Peter comes to the TDL with extensive experience in both academic research and industry environments. Since 2001 he has helmed his own software consulting company (Xtructure), managing teams on a wide variety of development efforts, including projects for NASA and TeleAtlas. He also previously served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Software and Media Technology at Aalborg University in Esbjerg, Denmark, pursuing research in areas such as hypermedia, Web technologies, knowledge and information management, and digital libraries.

Metadata and Digital Initiatives Developer at Ball State University

The Ball State University Libraries are recruiting a Metadata and Digital Initiatives Developer.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Responsibilities: participate in the development of digital collections that serve the educational, instructional and research needs of the Ball State and broader research community; prepare digital assets for inclusion in Ball State's Digital Media Repository or other content management systems through metadata creation, OCR processing, special programming, and management of digitization processes, quality standards, and personnel.