Month: October 2010

Scholarly Communication Institute 8: Emerging Genres in Scholarly Communication

The Scholarly Communication Institute at the University of Virginia has released Scholarly Communication Institute 8: Emerging Genres in Scholarly Communication.

Here's an excerpt:

The following essay attempts to represent and synthesize the rich discussions of SCI 8, the eighth gathering of the Scholarly Communication Institute at the University of Virginia Library, especially the many original insights that emerged into the ways technology transforms the process of creation, dissemination, stewardship, use, and above all, reception of humanities scholarship.. . .

As in other areas of publishing—music, movies, television, fiction, journalism— the Web has effectively unbundled the production and consumption of scholarship. It has also simultaneously undermined publishing business models and library budgets, radically altered reading habits, and called into question the core assumptions upon which scholarship is assessed and validated. How will the fundamental processes of scholarly production—research and analysis, publication and dissemination, stewardship, and use—realign themselves in a digital environment? How will scholars go from digital evidence to digital publication? What would be an appropriate division of labor among the actors in scholarly communication: scholars and learned societies; libraries, museums, archives; publishers; technologists; higher education administration and funders; and the multiple audiences and users who desire online access to humanities content? Where are these new communities constituted, how, and by whom?

We explored these issues in several stages, which included:

  • scanning trends both within higher education and beyond that are shaping scholarly discourses;
  • examining the processes of scholarly communication as currently constituted, as well as actors involved and the roles they play;
  • presenting working examples of new-model scholarship by participants; and
  • reflecting on these topics from the perspective of the critical engines sustaining scholarly communication—libraries, publishers, technologists, academic administrators, and funders.

Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) Released

The Office of the United States Trade Representative has released the text of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

After three years, and ten rounds of negotiations, the ACTA parties decided the time was right to conclude their discussions. The United States helped lay the foundation for the progress in Tokyo. It chaired an extra round of negotiations in Washington during August, supported the work of the Government of Japan to organize the final round at the Vice-Ministerial level, and worked hard to establish consensus on the outstanding issues.

Consistent with the Administration's strategy for intellectual property enforcement, the ACTA negotiations aim to establish a state-of-the-art international framework that provides a model for effectively combating global proliferation of commercial-scale counterfeiting and piracy in the 21st century. The agreement will include innovative provisions to deepen international cooperation and to promote strong enforcement practices. These will ultimately help sustain American jobs in innovative and creative industries.

The participants agreed in Tokyo to work expeditiously to resolve the small number of outstanding issues that require further examination in their own countries with a view to finalizing the text of the agreement as promptly as possible. The draft Agreement will undergo final legal review and relevant domestic processes before signature.

The ACTA participants include: Australia, Canada, the European Union (EU) represented by the European Commission and the EU Presidency (Belgium) and the EU Member States, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland and the United States of America.

Daily Tweets 2010-10-07

Programmer/Analyst (IT Expert) at Florida Center for Library Automation

The Florida Center for Library Automation is recruiting a Programmer/Analyst (IT Expert).

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Programmer/Analyst (IT Expert) will be part of the Digital Library Services Group, which helps the libraries of the public university system of Florida create, manage and preserve digital information resources. The incumbent will provide applications programming and technical support for making library materials of all sorts (text, image, audio, and video) available on the Web. . . .

  1. Work individually and with other programmers and librarians to establish internal and end-user requirements for processing and delivery systems, and to evaluate applications against these requirements.
  2. Implement new applications and changes to existing applications through coding and testing.
  3. Install, configure, maintain, and enhance open source and vendor-supplied software applications.
  4. Provide trouble-shooting, problem-solving, and routine technical support for production applications.

"First Results of the SOAP Project. Open Access Publishing in 2010"

Suenje Dallmeier-Tiessen et al. have self-archived "First Results of the SOAP Project. Open Access Publishing in 2010" in arXiv.

Here's an excerpt:

The SOAP (Study of Open Access Publishing) project has compiled data on the present offer for open access publishing in online peer-­-reviewed journals. Starting from the Directory of Open Access Journals, several sources of data are considered, including inspection of journal web site and direct inquiries within the publishing industry. Several results are derived and discussed, together with their correlations: the number of open access journals and articles; their subject area; the starting date of open access journals; the size and business models of open access publishers; the licensing models; the presence of an impact factor; the uptake of hybrid open access.

Systems/Web Services Librarian, California State University, San Bernardino

The California State University, San Bernardino Pfau Library is recruiting a Systems/Web Services Librarian.

Here's the ad:

Systems/Web Services Librarian, MLIS or MLS from an ALA-accredited institution; 3-5 years of progressively responsible information technology experience; knowledge of current and developing technologies, standards, and trends in academic libraries; ability to implement innovative services and communicate effectively with patrons, library staff, and faculty; substantial knowledge of network administration, Web programming, and digitization processes; expertise in designing, developing, and maintaining dynamic, database-driven Web sites; familiarity with Web 2.0 technologies; in depth subject knowledge or interest in several academic disciplines. Experience in academic libraries; supervisory experience, knowledge of the Millennium integrated library system or experience administrating an integrated library system; experience or coursework in reference, library instruction, and collection development; familiarity with at least one Web programming language; experience with CSS, Flash, ColdFusion, UNIX, Windows Server, EZProxy, Active Directory, and SFX; knowledge of institutional repositories.

NSF Data Sharing Policy Released

The National Science Foundation has released its revised NSF Data Sharing Policy. As of January 18, 2011, NSF proposals must include a two-page (or less) "Data Management Plan" in accordance with the Grant Proposal Guide, chapter II.C.2.j (see below excerpt).

Here's an excerpt from the Award and Administration Guide, chapter VI.D.4:

b. Investigators are expected to share with other researchers, at no more than incremental cost and within a reasonable time, the primary data, samples, physical collections and other supporting materials created or gathered in the course of work under NSF grants. Grantees are expected to encourage and facilitate such sharing. Privileged or confidential information should be released only in a form that protects the privacy of individuals and subjects involved. General adjustments and, where essential, exceptions to this sharing expectation may be specified by the funding NSF Program or Division/Office for a particular field or discipline to safeguard the rights of individuals and subjects, the validity of results, or the integrity of collections or to accommodate the legitimate interest of investigators. A grantee or investigator also may request a particular adjustment or exception from the cognizant NSF Program Officer.

c. Investigators and grantees are encouraged to share software and inventions created under the grant or otherwise make them or their products widely available and usable.

d. NSF normally allows grantees to retain principal legal rights to intellectual property developed under NSF grants to provide incentives for development and dissemination of inventions, software and publications that can enhance their usefulness, accessibility and upkeep. Such incentives do not, however, reduce the responsibility that investigators and organizations have as members of the scientific and engineering community, to make results, data and collections available to other researchers.

Here's an excerpt from the Grant Proposal Guide, chapter II.C.2.j:

Plans for data management and sharing of the products of research. Proposals must include a supplementary document of no more than two pages labeled “Data Management Plan”. This supplement should describe how the proposal will conform to NSF policy on the dissemination and sharing of research results (see AAG Chapter VI.D.4), and may include:

  1. the types of data, samples, physical collections, software, curriculum materials, and other materials to be produced in the course of the project;
  2. the standards to be used for data and metadata format and content (where existing standards are absent or deemed inadequate, this should be documented along with any proposed solutions or remedies);
  3. policies for access and sharing including provisions for appropriate protection of privacy, confidentiality, security, intellectual property, or other rights or requirements;
  4. policies and provisions for re-use, re-distribution, and the production of derivatives; and
  5. plans for archiving data, samples, and other research products, and for preservation of access to them.

A May 2010 NSF press release ("Scientists Seeking NSF Funding Will Soon Be Required to Submit Data Management Plans") discussed the background for the policy:

"Science is becoming data-intensive and collaborative," noted Ed Seidel, acting assistant director for NSF's Mathematical and Physical Sciences directorate. "Researchers from numerous disciplines need to work together to attack complex problems; openly sharing data will pave the way for researchers to communicate and collaborate more effectively."

"This is the first step in what will be a more comprehensive approach to data policy," added Cora Marrett, NSF acting deputy director. "It will address the need for data from publicly-funded research to be made public."

Daily Tweets 2010-10-06

Metadata Cataloger at University of North Carolina at Greensboro

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro Libraries are recruiting a Metadata Cataloger.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The incumbent will oversee the planning and implementation of descriptive and subject metadata as well as authority control for the Library’s digital projects, such as the Literary Map of North Carolina and the Digital Archive on American Slavery.

The incumbent will have leadership responsibility for the UNCG NC DOCKS Contents Processing Team. NC DOCKS is a shared Institutional Repository (IR) with four other University of North Carolina institutions. The incumbent will manage the workflow for the addition of faculty articles and associated metadata to the IR, working with a variety of staff from technical services. The incumbent will have responsibility for managing the metadata activities from electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) including migrating metadata from IR to UNCG Library catalog.

E-Journal Archiving for UK HE Libraries: A Draft White Paper

JISC has released E-Journal Archiving for UK HE Libraries: A Draft White Paper for comment.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

Libraries are facing increasing space pressures and funding constraints. There is a growing interest in wherever possible moving more rapidly to e-only provision to help alleviate these pressures as well as to provide new electronic services to users. One of the most cited barriers and concerns both from library and faculty staff to moving to e-only has been sustaining and assuring long-term access to electronic content.

The aim of this white paper is to help universities and libraries implement policies and procedures in relation to e-journal archiving which can help support the move towards e-only provision of scholarly journals across the HE sector. The white paper is also contributing to complementary work JISC and other funders are commissioning on moving towards e-only provision of Journals.

Prog/Analyst III at Cornell University

Cornell University Library Information Technologies is recruiting a Prog/Analyst III. Two-year appointment with possible extension dependent upon funding.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Cornell University Library Information Technologies (CUL-IT) is responsible for several repositories including arXiv.org (http://arxiv.org), Project Euclid (http://projecteuclid.org), our eCommons institutional repository (http://ecommons.cornell.edu), and the CUL Archival Repository, which is in early development stages. The repository developer will work with the rest of the repositories group on all of these systems and related projects. At least initially, the primary responsibility will be to develop and maintain the arXiv.org repository.

The arXiv.org e-print repository has transformed scholarly communication in multiple fields. It contains over 600k articles, sees >30M downloads/year, and has >100k registered submitters. The repository developer will work to maintain and extend arXiv. They will be involved with planning and implementation of significant changes to the access platform (Python), an upgrade to the alerting system (we send about 20k emails to subscribers each day), development of reporting facilities to support arXiv's new business model (http://arxiv.org/help/support), and maintaining the newly developed submission system (Perl/Catalyst).

Impact Factor: "Nefarious Numbers"

Douglas N. Arnold and Kristine K. Fowler have self-archived "Nefarious Numbers" in arXiv.org.

Here's an excerpt:

Despite numerous flaws, the impact factor has been widely used as a measure of quality for journals, and even for papers and authors. This has created a strong incentive to manipulate it. As we have demonstrated, it is possible to vastly increase impact factor without increasing journal quality at all. The actions of a few interested individuals can make a huge difference, yet require considerable digging to reveal. The cumulative result is that impact factor gives a very inaccurate view of journal quality. We primarily discussed one extreme example, but there is little reason to doubt that such techniques are being used to a lesser degree by many journals.

Daily Tweets 2010-10-05

Metadata Librarians (2) at Cornell University

The Cornell University Library is recruiting two Metadata Librarians.

Here's an excerpt from the ad (requisition ID 13419):

The successful candidates will work at the intersection of many user-focused services and projects, which may include technical services, archives, data curation, and digital libraries. One librarian will primarily work on projects related to the humanities and special collections, and the other position will include responsibilities related to e-science and research data. The successful candidates will be comfortable in exploring emerging technologies and standards for description and access, and they will welcome working in a collegial and collaborative environment. The positions will be an integral part of the newly merged Cataloging and Metadata Services division, a team evolving and expanding to meet users' needs for the discovery and delivery of resources. . . .

  • Participate in Cornell University Library initiatives related to the discovery of digital resources.
  • Consult with Cornell's faculty, staff, and community partners on a variety of metadata and information organization and access needs.
  • Recommend, design, and implement appropriate metadata schemes for digital library projects.
  • Draft metadata components of grant proposals.
  • Assist Cornell researchers in the preparation of data management plans.
  • Establish workflows for metadata creation or capture.
  • Suggest methods for streamlining or automating metadata creation and management, using various tools for metadata manipulation and scripting.
  • Collaborate with database management staff on batch processing projects.
  • Assess and work to improve access to resources such as e-books, CUL web sites, and locally-created digital collections.
  • Advise on digital preservation strategies, including metadata used for CUL digital repositories.
  • Serve as a resource to departments and staff on issues related to metadata and digital initiatives.
  • Create and maintain local documentation on metadata standards and metadata application guidelines.
  • Train cataloging and metadata staff to use tools and standards required for projects.
  • Actively participate in Central Library Operations, library-wide, 2CUL (partnership with Columbia University), and national working groups, task forces, and committees.
  • Monitor and contribute to the development of local, national, and international metadata standards and trends.
  • Actively seek to participate in library's role in digital humanities and/or research data projects when possible.

Preserving Virtual Worlds II Gets $785,898 IMLS Grant

The Preserving Virtual Worlds II project has been awarded a $785,898 National Leadership Grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

Preserving Virtual Worlds II: Methods for Evaluating and Preserving Significant Properties of Educational Games and Complex Interactive Environments (PVW2) is led by GSLIS Assistant Professor Jerome McDonough in partnership with the Rochester Institute of Technology, the University of Maryland, and Stanford University. PVW2 plans to help improve the capacity of libraries, museums, and archives to preserve computer games, video games, and interactive fiction.

The original Preserving Virtual Worlds project, funded by the Library of Congress’s National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIP), investigated what preservation issues arose with computer games and interactive fiction, and how existing metadata and packaging standards might be employed for the long-term preservation of these materials. PVW2 will focus on determining properties for a variety of educational games and game franchises in order to provide a set of best practices for preserving the materials through virtualization technologies and migration, as well as provide an analysis of how the preservation process is documented. PVW2 is a two-year project, to be conducted between October 2010 and September 2012.

Read more about it at "Preserving Virtual Worlds 2 Funded."

Head of Digital Scholarship at the British Library

The British Library is recruiting a Head of Digital Scholarship. Salary: £67,998 (more may be available for an exceptional candidate).

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

This is a unique role in one of the world's leading national research libraries. At a time of rapid change in scholarly communication, you'll be shaping the British Library's digital scholarship strategy to ensure that we offer the same high-quality support for researchers using digital resources as we do for those using traditional media. You will also be developing innovative ways to maximise access to our priceless collections for future generations of researchers. This includes resource discovery and delivery and integrating digital and digitised formats.

You'll lead the digital curator team and the Library's collections digitisation strategy, developing sustainable models for providing digital content and services to scholars and enhancing our provision across visual arts, music, sound and moving image, e-manuscripts and cartographic and topographic materials. We'll also expect you to raise our profile on the international stage by contributing to the global debate on digital scholarship in the arts and humanities and social sciences.

Duke University Signs Compact for Open-Access Publishing Equity

Duke University has signed the Compact for Open-Access Publishing Equity (COPE). There are now 11 institutions that have signed COPE, including Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, MIT, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Ottawa, Columbia University, the University of Michigan, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the Universitat de Barcelona.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

As part of its commitment to COPE, Duke has created a special fund to help pay for article processing fees. Beginning this month, any Duke faculty member, post-doctoral researcher, graduate or professional student whose article is accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed, open-access journal can apply to have associated article processing fees reimbursed. The fund, which will be administered by the Libraries' Office of Scholarly Communications, is supported by the Duke University Libraries and the Office of the Provost. . . .

According to Provost Peter Lange, the aims of COPE are in keeping with Duke's continued emphasis on knowledge in the service of society. "By establishing this fund, we hope to support the university's commitment to promoting openness as an important value in scholarship," Lange said. "Increased open access means more opportunities for the research of our faculty and researchers to reach a wide audience and have a meaningful impact on the world."

Daily Tweets 2010-10-04

Programmer/Analyst (Software Developer) at Penn State

Digital Library Technologies at The Pennsylvania State University is recruiting a Programmer/Analyst (Software Developer).

Here's an excerpt from the ad (job number: 33102):

The Software Developer will develop and integrate software and web applications for an institutional content stewardship program. This requires the ability to work collaboratively with content curators as well as fellow technologists. The Software Developer will be expected to: share advancements in standards, software development practices, and IT trends; constantly refine his or her skill set; and apply new knowledge and techniques. This is an opportunity to work with an innovative unit on building a sustainable, enterprise-level content stewardship program at a large, multi-campus institution recognized for its commitment to excellence.

The Copyright Principles Project: Directions for Reform

Pamela Samuelson and members of the Copyright Principles Project have released The Copyright Principles Project: Directions for Reform.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

A group of leading experts on copyright law and policy released a report today that explores ideas for meaningful reforms to the U.S. copyright system. Crafted over three years by a group of legal academics, private practitioners, and corporate attorneys, the report examines several ways to improve and update the law in an era of rapid technological change.

The Copyright Principles Project: Directions for Reform (CPP) report attempts to ignite an informed debate about how to best balance the interests of copyright owners and users. The group reached consensus on a number of significant ideas, as well as guiding principles for copyright reform. The project was led by Berkeley Law distinguished professor Pamela Samuelson.

"The report intelligently informs the copyright debate, and the identification and discussion of issues is well done and important," said Marybeth Peters, the head of the U.S. Copyright Office. "The recommendations are thoughtful, and in many cases, I support them. This entire project significantly reinvigorates efforts to bring the copyright law up-to-date, either incrementally or as a major revision." . . .

One of the project's ideas would provide non-commercial uses of copyrighted works better shelter from liability, particularly as users lift parts of existing works to create new ones. The report also suggests a more efficient and technologically-driven approach to copyright registration, so that works can be freely reused if their authors agree.

Copyright law reform has been a challenging issue for stakeholders, many of whom have starkly different ideas about how to balance public and private interests. To its credit, the project team explored controversial subjects openly and with vigorous debate. In cases where the participants could not settle on a specific reform proposal, they were able to draft guiding principles for future reform efforts. . . .

One common problem the report addresses is peer-to-peer file-sharing of commercial movies and music. Although some file-sharing services have been shut down, the illegal practice has not abated. The report suggests the creation of a "safe harbor" to protect online service providers from excessive damage claims if they take reasonable, voluntary, measures to limit file-sharing—or other unlawful distributions of commercial works. Companies that comply would be shielded from liability for user infringements.

The report also suggests development of reasonable and consistent statutory guidelines for damage awards. Current law allows courts to award between $750 and $30,000 in damages per infringed work—and up to $150,000 per work if the infringement is willful. This has led to awards that seem arbitrary and capricious, inconsistent with awards in similar cases, and grossly excessive or disproportionate.

Other ideas include:

Modernize the Copyright Office: Instead of one registry for all copyrighted works, the office could certify third-party registries for different types of works, such as photos, films, and computer programs. The model is akin to the domain name registration system. Other suggestions include adopting a small claims procedure for small-scale disputes.

Reinvigorate copyright registration: Encourage copyright owners to register so that it's simple to find out who owns what. The idea is to make registration easy and worthwhile for copyright owners so that the public can have better information about protected works and their owners.

Refine exclusive rights for authors: Weigh commercial value and risk of harm to copyright markets when determining whether someone's exclusive right has been infringed; this shields non-harmful activity from the threat of highly punitive copyright claims.

Revise the common practice of automatic injunctions: Courts could consider whether a preliminary or permanent injunction is needed to prevent irreparable harm, as well as whether having access to the work is in the public’s best interest.

Limit Orphan Works liability: Enable libraries and others to preserve a part of our cultural heritage by using copyrighted materials whose owners cannot readily be found.

Head, Specialized Content & Services at MIT

The MIT Libraries are recruiting a Head, Specialized Content & Services. Salary: $90,000 minimum.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

This is an exciting opportunity to provide leadership in the planning, coordination, implementation, delivery, administration, and assessment of an important array of 21st century library services and content which are used across multiple disciplines and communities. This position will oversee the coordination and delivery of a suite of robust and growing services focused around specialized, technology-intensive data types. Among the library services included in the current SCS portfolio are images, GIS, bioinformatics, science/engineering and social science data, community video sharing, classroom video capture, and music.

The Head of this new department will spearhead the development and execution of a shared vision and strategic plan for Specialized Content and Services. S/he will lead an entrepreneurial and service-focused staff in establishing and achieving customer-oriented goals and service standards for the work of SCS and will oversee the development of appropriate assessment activities that measure and ensure the effectiveness of the group’s operations. Within this staff of over two dozen library, IT, other professional and support staff, the Head will foster a working environment that promotes and supports productivity, creativity, innovation and collaboration. S/he will manage human, fiscal and technology resources to optimize support of current and future initiatives.

The SCS Department works synergistically with other units of the MIT Libraries including instruction and reference, digital preservation, research, technical development, and marketing to deliver an integrated portfolio of services to the MIT community. The Head of SCS will lead and support these internal partnerships and will work to cultivate and strengthen collaborative relationships with other MIT departments and appropriate external partners. The Head of SCS will also participate and contribute to professional networks of others engaged in similar work.

New Ruling in Georgia State University E-Reserves Copyright Case

U.S. District Judge Orinda Evans has issued a ruling about the defendants' and plaintiffs' motions for summary judgment in the Cambridge University Press et al. v. Patton et al. case.

Here's an excerpt:

Overall, the evidence presented does not indicate that Defendants "profited directly from" or "had a direct financial interest in" the infringement alleged by Plaintiffs. There is absolutely no evidence in the record showing that Georgia State benefitted financially from the alleged infringements. At most, if the Court takes the inferential steps suggested by Plaintiffs, any benefit the infringement provides to students constitutes "just an added benefit" rather than a clear "draw" to Georgia State. Therefore, the Court GRANTS Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment as to the third claim, vicarious copyright infringement and DENIES Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment as to the third claim. . . .

The record before the Court on the motions for summary judgment does not speak to the question of whether in practice the Current Policy is encouraging improper application of the fair use defense. The Court therefore DENIES both Defendants' and Plaintiffs' motions for summary judgment as to the contributory infringement claim. . . .

Going forward, in order to show that Defendants are responsible for the copyright infringements alleged in this case, Plaintiffs must show that the 2009 Copyright Policy resulted in ongoing and continuous misuse of the fair use defense. To do so, Plaintiffs must put forth evidence of a sufficient number of instances of infringement of Plaintiffs' copyrights to show such ongoing and continuous misuse. Defendants will have the burden of showing that each specified instance of 2009 Copyright Policy infringement was a fair use. Both sides will be limited to the list of claimed infringements produced in response to the Court's August 11, 2010 and August 12, 2010 orders. The parties are DIRECTED to confer and determine whether further discovery is needed before resolving the remaining contributory infringement claim. Within twenty (20) days, the parties shall present a proposed scheduling order.

Read more about it at "Going Forward with Georgia State Lawsuit."

Daily Tweets 2010-10-03

Daily Tweets 2010-10-01