Month: May 2010

Digital Repository Software: DSpace 1.6.1 Released

DuraSpace has released DSpace 1.6.1.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

DSpace 1.6.1 is primarily a bug-fix release, which means it does not introduce any new features but improves existing features and fixes bugs discovered in earlier versions of DSpace. This is also the first [minor] version of DSpace to use a “time-driven” approach to release, rather than a “feature-driven” approach: we set a deadline and worked towards releasing on that date, instead of releasing when a certain number of issues were resolved. DSpace 1.7 will be the first major time-driven release.

Open Data Study

The Open Society Institute's Transparency and Accountability Initiative has released the Open Data Study.

Here's an excerpt:

There are substantial social and economic gains to be made from opening government data to the public. The combination of geographic, budget, demographic, services, education and other data, publicly available in an open format on the web, promises to improve services as well as create future economic growth.

This approach has been recently pioneered by governments in the United State and the United Kingdom (with the launch of two web portals – www.data.gov and www.data.gov.uk respectively) inspired in part by applications developed by grassroots civil society organisations ranging from bicycle accidents maps to sites breaking down how and where tax money is spent. In the UK, the data.gov.uk initiative was spearheaded by Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web.

This research, commissioned by a consortium of funders and NGOs under the umbrella of the Transparency and Accountability Initiative, seeks to explore the feasibility of applying this approach to open data in relevant middle income and developing countries. Its aim is to identify the strategies used in the US and UK contexts with a view to building a set of criteria to guide the selection of pilot countries, which in turn suggests a template strategy to open government data.

Web Content Manager at Chicago Public Library

The Chicago Public Library is recruiting a Web Content Manager.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

  • Maintain the content of a website utilizing a Content Management System (CMS).
  • Static web page design and development
  • Participate in the software design process
  • Responsible for maintenance and approval of content in a timely manner
  • Create/edit content based on user requests using proper HTML and test for various popular web browsers and screen readers (accessibility requirements)
  • Collaborate with staff, content contributors, and upper management to bring existing and newly developed material to the site
  • Monitor and evaluate web traffic; make recommendations to fulfill user expectations
  • Provide training to content submitters on use of CMS and writing for the web (establish and document standards for content submission)

"The Google Book Settlement and the TRIPS Agreement"

Daniel J. Gervais has self-archived "The Google Book Settlement and the TRIPS Agreement" in SSRN.

Here's an excerpt:

The proposed amended settlement in the Google Book case has been the focus of numerous comments and critiques. This "perspective" reviews the compatibility of the proposed settlement with the TRIPS Agreement and relevant provisions of the Berne Convention that were incorporated into TRIPS, in particular the no-formality rule, the most-favored nation (MFN) clause, national treatment obligations, and the so-called three-step test, which constrains the ability of WTO Members to provide new exceptions and limitations to copyright rights.

Digital Library Coordinator at Pepperdine University

The Pepperdine University Libraries are recruiting a Digital Library Coordinator.

Here's an excerpt from the ad (position number: 10001471):

Manage digital production workflow for Pepperdine's Digital Library; develop workflow to support and manage ingestion of digital content into both long term archiving and access systems (CONTENTdm) and short-term delivery systems (iTunes University, other web-based media); contribute to digital projects and initiatives; work with librarians and faculty to define and prioritize digitization projects; set standards for and participate in digitization and metadata creation; develop initiatives to assess and improve digital library services; promote use of digital collections through classroom demonstrations, training for faculty and staff, in meetings, and at professional conferences; participate in the library's extensive digital literacy and knowledge navigation program; provide excellent public service to all students, faculty, and staff; supervise student workers; perform other duties as assigned.

WIPO: Scoping Study on Copyright and Related Rights and the Public Domain

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has released Scoping Study on Copyright and Related Rights and the Public Domain.

Here's an excerpt:

Protection of the public domain comprises two steps, as laid down by the [WIPO] Development Agenda: first, identifying the contours of the public domain, thereby helping to assess its value and realm, and, second, considering and promoting the conservation and accessibility of the public domain.

The present study will follow the same direction as it will first assess the scope of the public domain, as defined by copyright laws, history and philosophy, before turning to the issue of its effectiveness and greater availability to the public and society at large. This will lead to the formulation of some recommendations that, by viewing the public domain as material that should receive some positive status and protection, might help to support a robust public domain, as advocated by the Development Agenda.

Last Week’s DigitalKoans Tweets 2010-05-23

Digital Video of Intellectual Property Breakfast Club Session on Google Book Settlement

BroadbandBreakfast.com has released a digital video of the Intellectual Property Breakfast Club's the Google Book Search Settlement and E-Book Licensing session on May 11, 2010.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

The panelists included:

  • Jonathan Band, Counsel, Library Copyright Alliance
  • Michael Capobianco, Vice President, Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America
  • Sherwin Siy, Deputy Legal Director, Public Knowledge

Technology/Technical Services Librarian at St. Gregory's University

The St. Gregory's University Library is recruiting a Technology/Technical Services Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

This is a great opportunity to expand and build technology skills and be a key player in a small academic library. Major responsibilities include co-administrator for the Voyager ILS, a UNIX based system; managing connections to electronic resources; overseeing the acquisition of library materials and supplies; and working regular shifts at the Reference Desk.

Nature Publishing Group Adds Open Access Options for 7 Journals

The Nature Publishing Group has added open access options for 7 more journals.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

Nature Publishing Group (NPG) is pleased to announce open access options for seven further journals. Twenty-five journals published by NPG now offer authors an open access option, including all 15 academic journals owned by NPG.

American Journal of Gastroenterology, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Gene Therapy, International Journal of Obesity, Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, Oncogene, and Leukemia have all recently introduced open access options. Authors publishing in these journals can now choose to make their article open access on payment of an article processing charge (APC). . . .

Including the American Journal of Gastroenterology and Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, seven journals published by NPG on behalf of societies offer open access options. Other journals in this portfolio with an open access are: British Journal of Cancer, The EMBO Journal, EMBO reports, European Journal of Human Genetics and Molecular Therapy. . . .

Launched in April 2010, Nature Communications is the first Nature-branded online-only journal with an open access option. In 2009, NPG introduced open access options on twelve of its academic journals.

NPG also publishes two fully open access journals: Cell Death and Disease and Molecular Systems Biology. Cell Death & Disease, launched in January 2010, is the open access sister title to Cell Death & Differentiation. Launched in 2005, Molecular Systems Biology is published in association with the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and has a 2008 Impact Factor of 12.243.

NPG's self-archiving policy ensures that authors of original research papers can comply with funder mandates for public access, regardless of which NPG journal they publish in. In addition, NPG offers a free Manuscript Deposition Service into PubMed Central and UK PubMed Central on 43 of its titles.

Director, Digital Scholarship and Publishing at NCSU

The North Carolina State University Libraries are recruiting a Director, Digital Scholarship and Publishing.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Director of the Digital Scholarship and Publishing leads a dynamic program that engages faculty, staff, and students in initiatives to maximize the dissemination and impact of the university's scholarship and knowledge resources. In this highly visible position, the incumbent provides guidance to the NC State community on scholarly communication matters. The Director serves as a resource on local and national policy to help the university community stay informed and involved with the changing landscape for scholarly work and publication. The incumbent works in close consultation with the university’s Office of General Counsel, Copyright Committee, Provost’s office, and Distance Education and Learning Technology Applications unit (DELTA). He or she collaborates with colleagues throughout the Libraries, providing leadership for digital scholarship and publishing initiatives, and guidance on fair use and other copyright issues related to library collections and services. He or she participates in library planning and serves on library-wide and university committees, task forces, and teams. NCSU Librarians are expected to be active professionally and to contribute to developments in the field. Reports to the Associate Director for Collections and Scholarly Communication.

Digital Information Management Podcasts/Videos from DigIn

The University of Arizona Digital Information Management (DigIn) certificate program has released a series of podcasts and videos about information management topics.

Here's the press release:

The University of Arizona Digital Information Management (DigIn) certificate program recently hosted a series of talks by members of the program's national advisory panel. The resulting podcasts offer an in-depth discussion of critical themes we explore regularly in the DigIn courses as we help information professionals meet the challenges we face in the digital environment today.

All podcasts are available at:

http://digin.arizona.edu/presentations.html

Friday, April 23, 2010
University of Arizona Main Library

"Career Paths for Information Professionals: Looking Ahead to 2020"

A panel discussion with members of the national advisory panel for the Digital Information Management (DigIn) graduate certificate program. This discussion examines the evolving role of the information professions today, and focuses on the skills and knowledge professionals need to build effective careers in a fast-changing environment.

Moderator:
Peter Botticelli
Director, DigIn program
http://digin.arizona.edu/

Panelists:
Charles Bailey, Jr.
Publisher, Digital Scholarship
http://www.digital-scholarship.org/

Richard Pearce-Moses
Past President, Society of American Archivists
Deputy Director for Technology and Information Resources,
Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records

Christine Szuter
Professor of Practice and Director
Scholarly Publishing certificate program,
Arizona State University

Pete Watters
Technology Officer
Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records

Friday, April 23, 2010 James E. Rogers College of Law

Roberta I. Shaffer Law Librarian of Congress

"Digitization and the Future of Law Libraries"

Legal Information is increasingly born digital and presents challenges of authenticity and preservation that are critical because of the role of legal authorities in establishing the "rule of law." This presentation by Roberta I. Shaffer, the Law Librarian of Congress, will discuss unique challenges that face law makers, law practitioners, and information professionals who are the stewards of our legal legacy. Ms. Shaffer will also discuss developments at the Library of Congress that are designed to address some of the concerns.

Friday, April 23, 2010 University of Arizona Main Library

Richard Pearce-Moses
Past President, Society of American Archivists
Director of Digital Government Information,
Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records
http://rpm.lib.az.us/

"Curating the Digital Past: Lessons from the PeDALS Project"

As the volume and complexity of digital information continues to grow, archivists and librarians have begun to develop the tools needed to preserve society’s legacy of digital records. This presentation by Richard Pearce-Moses will discuss the PeDALS project, a nationally-recognized digital preservation initiative funded by the Library of Congress, National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) as part of its Preserving State Government Information initiative. This initiative focuses on capturing, preserving, and providing access to a rich variety of state and local government digital information.

DigIn is part of the University of Arizona School of Information Resources and Library Science. Major funding for the program comes from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which has also provided scholarship funding.

Additional details on the program, including course descriptions, admissions requirements and application forms may be found on the program website:

digin.arizona.edu

Applicants may also contact the DigIn staff at:

digin@email.arizona.edu

Digital Data: "Metadata and Provenance Management"

Ewa Deelman et al. have self-archived "Metadata and Provenance Management" in arXiv.org.

Here's an excerpt:

Scientists today collect, analyze, and generate TeraBytes and PetaBytes of data. These data are often shared and further processed and analyzed among collaborators. In order to facilitate sharing and data interpretations, data need to carry with it metadata about how the data was collected or generated, and provenance information about how the data was processed. This chapter describes metadata and provenance in the context of the data lifecycle. It also gives an overview of the approaches to metadata and provenance management, followed by examples of how applications use metadata and provenance in their scientific processes.

Emerging Technologies Librarian at the College of New Jersey

The College of New Jersey Library is recruiting an Emerging Technologies Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Emerging Technologies: Identify, evaluate, and implement the application of current and emerging technologies for use in the Library's reference and instruction services, such as instant messaging, social networking, content management systems, mobile computing, open source, open content, and other digital capabilities. Working with the Systems Librarian, support the Library's web initiatives using the most up-to-date web design and web applications technology. Collaborate with other librarians to develop and test new instruction and information support tools. Share with Library colleagues strategies, techniques, and best practices for using emerging technologies to support teaching and learning. Promote and support usability testing and assessment of new and existing services.

Open Source Data Registry Software: CKAN (Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network) Version 1.0 Released

The Open Knowledge Foundation has released CKAN (Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network) version 1.0.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

As well as being used to power http://ckan.net and http://data.gov.uk CKAN is now helping run 7 data catalogues around the world including ones in Canada (http://datadotgc.ca / http://ca.ckan.net), Germany (http://de.ckan.net/) and Norway (http://no.ckan.net).

CKAN.net has also continued to grow steadily and now has over 940 registered packages:

Here's a description of CKAN from the project page:

CKAN is a registry or catalogue system for datasets or other "knowledge" resources. CKAN aims to make it easy to find, share and reuse open content and data, especially in ways that are machine automatable.

Drupal Developer/Designer at University of Michigan

The University of Michigan Library is recruiting a Drupal Developer/Designer. Salary: $40,000-$45,000; final salary dependent on education and previous relevant experience.

Here's an excerpt from the ad (job id: 40465):

The University Library web site provides access to resources, services, collections, news and staff of the University Library. The University Library web environment serves to facilitate and support branch and divisional library web sites and resources as well as to create an integrated and coherent Library-wide web environment responsive to the information and access needs of our users. The web site is built with Drupal 6, makes extensive use of Solr, and is integrated with the library's catalog (VuFind) and article discovery (Metalib) tools. It serves as a virtual extension and representation of the Library, is designed to be easily navigable; and to provide timely and accurate news and information, customization options and a sense of identity and coherence to the user. . . .

Reporting to the Web Systems Manager, the Drupal Developer/Designer is an integral part of a team developing innovative library services tailored to the University Library's diverse user base. The Drupal Developer/Designer works independently and with other developers in Library Web Systems to:

  • Maintain and extend the existing public Drupal web site
  • Design, develop, and maintain a new Drupal-powered staff intranet
  • Develop new functionality for the library's web sites
  • Maintain and extend the sites' graphic identity to other library web tools and services (in consultation with the Director of Communications and the User Experience Department)
  • Serve as backup developer for the library's non-Drupal applications
  • Design and extend the graphic identity of library web sites

Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement: Impact on Individuals and Intermediaries

The Australian Digital Alliance has released Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement: Impact on Individuals and Intermediaries.

Here's an excerpt:

ACTA might have a negative impact on individuals as Internet citizens and as consumers of digital technologies because some of its requirements go beyond Australian law. ACTA will facilitate excessive damages payouts by mandating the controversial 'lost sale analysis' for the assessment of damages and encouraging punitive style statutory damages that set arbitrary amounts for infringement. ACTA will also broaden the scope of commercial scale infringement to criminalise purely private acts that occur in the homes of some Australians, and will create a new criminal offence for 'camcording'. ACTA may strengthen existing procedures to lock up copyright material and prevent Australians from accessing or using it in certain legitimate ways.

Special Issue of D-Lib Magazine on Digital Libraries in China

D-Lib Magazine has published a special issue on digital libraries in China.

Here are the articles:

Library Web Services Manager at Multnomah County Library

The Multnomah County Library is recruiting a Library Web Services Manager. Salary: $49,696.23-$76,692.02.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Multnomah County Library seeks a full-time Library Web Services Manager with the technical skills, communication ability and big-picture vision required to optimize the online experience for patrons and staff. Working closely with a small and growing team, the position is responsible for leadership, research, development, design, accuracy, consistency, timeliness and technical maintenance of Multnomah County Library's web presence. In conjunction with stakeholders, the position will help develop e-strategies to best serve our patrons.

James K. Bracken Named Dean of Kent State University Libraries

James K. Bracken has been named Dean of the Kent State University Libraries effective 8/1/10.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

Bracken currently serves as the assistant director for Collections, Instruction, and Public Services at The Ohio State University Libraries, a position he has held since 2005. At Ohio State, he also has served in the positions of assistant director for Collections, Instruction, and Main Library Research and Reference Services; head of Second Floor Main Library Information Services; professor in the University Libraries; and adjunct professor in the English department.

Bracken is active with many professional organizations. He serves as reviewer-consultant for Choice and reviewer and assistant editor for CBQ: Communication Booknotes Quarterly. He also is a member of the American Library Association.

Bracken holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toledo, master’s degrees from both the University of Toledo and the University of South Carolina, and a doctorate in English literature from the University of South Carolina.

Copyright Specialist at University of Michigan

The University of Michigan Library is recruiting a Copyright Specialist (two-year term appointment).

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The University and the University Library are seeking a dynamic, innovative, and service-oriented individual for the position of Copyright Specialist. Reporting to the Lead Copyright Officer, the successful candidate will assist in the development of guidance, policy, and advocacy on copyright issues to the University and Library communities. This may include contributing to guidance on the copyright aspects of the Library's scholarly communications and digital collections initiatives, on copyright use in classroom teaching and technology, online courses, distance education, and electronic course reserves, and providing and helping to develop regular educational workshops for the campus community. The Copyright Specialist will help to support efforts to re-conceive the academic research library as a key partner in new modes of scholarly communication. This position does not provide legal advice.

Reporting to the Lead Copyright Officer, the Copyright Specialist is a full-time position (1.0 FTE) for a period of two years. The ideal candidate will work closely with the Lead Copyright Officer to develop services and programs for the UM community. This is an entry-level librarian position and rank is anticipated at the Assistant Librarian level.

The Copyright Specialist will help develop copyright policy for the Library and work closely with a number of important UM Library collections and scholarly communication initiatives, including the Library's ongoing partnership with Google Book Search, the Hathi Trust Digital Library (http://hathitrust.org), Deep Blue (the UM institutional repository, http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu), the Scholarly Publishing Office (http://www.lib.umich.edu/spo), the Copyright Review Management System (CRMS), to identify works whose copyrights have expired so their digital facsimiles can be made publicly available, and natural language processing initiatives.

The Copyright Specialist will help develop and present workshops, websites, consultations, etc., intended to help members of the campus community to understand and apply both fair use and other principles of copyright, as well as the process to obtain permission to use others' works, when necessary.

Special Issue of Research Library Issues on Strategies for Opening Up Content

ARL has published a special issue of Research Library Issues on strategies for opening up content.

Here's an excerpt from the press release :

The special issue focuses on approaches now being deployed to increase the amount of content that is open and available to the research library community and by extension the larger world.

In an introductory essay, guest editor Julia C. Blixrud, ARL Assistant Executive Director, Scholarly Communication, highlights the array of institutional, library, and author strategies now in use. She encourages the community to learn from the experiences of others as a way of identifying those strategies that have the best prospects for success in their own circumstances.

Other articles in the special issue are:

Survey of Digital Preservation Practices in Canada: Final Report

Library and Archives Canada has released Survey of Digital Preservation Practices in Canada: Final Report.

Here's an excerpt:

In 2008, Library and Archives Canada commissioned a survey on digital preservation practices in Canada in order to gain a clearer understanding of the current state. The intent was to determine existing practices and resources for digital preservation as well as to identify gaps and challenges. This report presents the results of this survey. . . .

The survey was divided into six sections: (1) Introduction, (2) Information about the repository, (3) General policies and practices, (4) Preservation practices, (5) Preservation resources, and (6) Challenges. Respondents who rated their organization's preservation capacity as very low were re-routed to an abridged version of the questionnaire.

The survey received 61 full responses from a variety of types of organizations: libraries, archives government departments/agencies, museums, research institutes, across a number of sectors: academic, governments and not-for profit. Although invitations were sent to several organizations in private industry, no responses were received from this sector.

Respondents' repository collections ranged from discrete collections of digitized monographs, images, or audio files, to data repositories, to broader scope, multiple format collections. The repository collections were also wide ranging in terms of size with the smallest collection having 70 objects and the largest collection containing over 8 million objects. 95% of respondents indicated that the content in the repositories was predominantly Canadian. That is, the content was produced in Canada or was about Canada.

Electronic Resources and Web Services Librarian at City University of New York's Lehman College

The Leonard Lief Library of the City University of New York's Lehman College is recruiting an Electronic Resources and Web Services Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad (job id: 2661):

This position is primarily responsible for organization and maintenance of the Leonard Lief Library's electronic resources and website, which serves as information portal to the Lehman community and is migrating to a content management system. The work involves detailed tracking and maintenance of currently licensed electronic resources, as well as arranging for trials and evaluation of new resources under consideration.

Privacy: How Unique Is Your Web Browser?

The EFF has released How Unique Is Your Web Browser?

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

New research by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has found that an overwhelming majority of web browsers have unique signatures—creating identifiable "fingerprints" that could be used to track you as you surf the Internet.

The findings were the result of an experiment EFF conducted with volunteers who visited http://panopticlick.eff.org/. The website anonymously logged the configuration and version information from each participant's operating system, browser, and browser plug-ins—information that websites routinely access each time you visit—and compared that information to a database of configurations collected from almost a million other visitors. EFF found that 84% of the configuration combinations were unique and identifiable, creating unique and identifiable browser "fingerprints." Browsers with Adobe Flash or Java plug-ins installed were 94% unique and trackable.

"We took measures to keep participants in our experiment anonymous, but most sites don't do that," said EFF Senior Staff Technologist Peter Eckersley. "In fact, several companies are already selling products that claim to use browser fingerprinting to help websites identify users and their online activities. This experiment is an important reality check, showing just how powerful these tracking mechanisms are."

EFF found that some browsers were less likely to contain unique configurations, including those that block JavaScript, and some browser plug-ins may be able to be configured to limit the information your browser shares with the websites you visit. But overall, it is very difficult to reconfigure your browser to make it less identifiable. The best solution for web users may be to insist that new privacy protections be built into the browsers themselves.