Year: 2011

An Open Access Future? Report from the Eurocancercoms Project

The European Association for Cancer Research has released An Open Access Future? Report from the Eurocancercoms Project.

Here's an excerpt:

A second survey picking up on the issue of Open Access publishing has now been completed. This paper shares the results of that survey, which was again conducted across the European membership of EACR, and cross references responses with selected data from the Study of Open Access Publishing (SOAP) 2011 [2] which was undertaken across all academic disciplines. The SOAP data is freely accessible and can be mined for information by anyone who wishes to use it. A number of questions were included in the survey that mirrored those used by SOAP, allowing the direct comparison of results. In this article a comparison has been made between the responses provided by cancer researchers and the 7,433 respondents to the SOAP survey from the Biological Sciences. (Over 43,000 responses were received across all disciplines to the SOAP survey.)

| New: Google Books Bibliography, Version 7 | Digital Scholarship |

Unix Systems Administrator at Virginia Tech Libraries

The Virginia Tech Libraries are recruiting a Unix Systems Administrator. Degree: "Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field or equivalent level training and/or working experience in systems analysis, design and support of a library Online Public Access Catalog and/or Web Gateway." Salary range: $43,000-$49,000.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Responsible for systems administration of the UNIX servers, web server and associated services, management of UNIX servers and workstations in Library Systems, and training of library personnel using them. Provides support to information providers, assisting them in publishing their information on the various available platforms. Develop database solutions to specifications for various library needs.

| New: Google Books Bibliography, Version 7 | Digital Scholarship |

The Digital Revolution and Higher Education

The Pew Research Center has released The Digital Revolution and Higher Education.

Here's an excerpt:

  • The Future of Online Learning. College presidents predict substantial growth in online learning: 15% say most of their current undergraduate students have taken a class online, and 50% predict that 10 years from now most of their students will take classes online.
  • Digital Textbooks. Nearly two-thirds of college presidents (62%) anticipate that 10 years from now, more than half of the textbooks used by their undergraduate students will be entirely digital. . . .
  • College Presidents and Technology. The leaders of the nation's colleges and universities are a tech-savvy group. Nearly nine-in-ten (87%) use a smartphone daily, 83% use a desktop computer and 65% use a laptop. And they are ahead of the curve on some of the newer digital technologies: Fully half (49%) use a tablet computer such as an iPad at least occasionally, and 42% use an e-reader such as a Kindle or Nook.

| New: Google Books Bibliography, Version 7 | Digital Scholarship |

Digital Projects Librarian II at Boston Public Library

Boston Public Library is recruiting a Digital Projects Librarian II. Degree: "Master's Degree in Library and Information Science or equivalent degree from an accredited library school."

Here's an excerpt from the ad (job ID: 341214):

Under supervision and within the framework of goals, policies and procedures of the Library, supports all aspects of digital production workflow and participates in outreach and instructional activities pertaining to digital library services and related technologies. This position is part of the Division of Resource Services/Information Technology.

| New: Google Books Bibliography, Version 7 | Digital Scholarship |

WorldCat’s 40th Anniversary

WorldCat is now 40 years old.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

On August 26, 1971, the OCLC Online Union Catalog and Shared Cataloging system (now known as WorldCat) began operation. That first day, from a single terminal, catalogers at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, cataloged 133 books online. Today, WorldCat comprises more than 240 million records representing more than 1.7 billion items in OCLC member libraries worldwide.

"We congratulate the thousands of librarians and catalogers around the world who have helped to build WorldCat over the past 40 years keystroke by keystroke, record by record," said Jay Jordan, OCLC President and CEO. "We who work at OCLC are proud to have been a part of this remarkable story, and I want to thank our member institutions and employees for the years of dedicated effort that helped build this unique resource. Fred Kilgour's vision—improving access to information through library cooperation—is every bit as vital today as it was in 1971. This anniversary is an important milestone in a shared journey that, I believe, will continue for many decades to come." . . .

The first OCLC cathode ray tube terminal was the Irascope Model LTE, which was manufactured by Spiras Systems. OCLC deployed 68 LTES, one of which is now on permanent display in the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., and another in a new OCLC Museum dedicated today in Dublin, Ohio. The LTE was connected to OCLC via a dedicated, leased telephone line from AT&T; message traffic moved at the rate of 2400 baud (2,400 symbols per second).

| New: Google Books Bibliography, Version 7 | Digital Scholarship |

Current News: Twitter Updates for 8/28/11

| Digital Scholarship |

Systems Librarian at University of Maryland Libraries

The University of Maryland Libraries are recruiting a Systems Librarian. Degree: "ALA-accredited Master's degree in Library and Information Sciences or related field."

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The UM Libraries' Information Technology Division supports the library automation needs of the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI). The Integrated Library Systems (ILS) team is responsible for acquisition of library systems and databases, developing and configuring software, and monitoring and improving performance of library systems. Working in a team environment, the successful candidate will help support library systems and electronic resources, install software, train staff, and create written documentation. A primary responsibility for this position is managing acquisition of library resources using library systems and applications. The incumbent will act as the coordinator of acquisitions for USMAI campuses and will troubleshoot systems, configure and customize applications, and coordinate with support providers to fix problems.

| New: Google Books Bibliography, Version 7 | Digital Scholarship |

65% of Online Adults Use Social Networking Sites

The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project has released 65% of Online Adults Use Social Networking Sites.

Here's an excerpt:

Two-thirds of adult internet users (65%) now say they use a social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn, up from 61% one year ago. That's more than double the percentage that reported social networking site usage in 2008 (29%). And for the first time in Pew Internet surveys it means that half of all adults (50%) use social networking sites. The pace with which new users have flocked to social networking sites has been staggering; when we first asked about social networking sites in February of 2005, just 8% of internet users — or 5% of all adults — said they used them.

| New: Google Books Bibliography, Version 7 | Digital Scholarship |

Librarian, Technology and Digital Services at Monroe Community College Library Services

The Monroe Community College Library Services is recruiting a Librarian, Technology and Digital Services. Degree: "Master's degree in Library Science or equivalent from an ALA accredited institution."

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

This position coordinates activities and services that relate to existing and emerging technologies. The individual will work to support library efforts in web/portal services, digital services and technologies, social networking and online learning. Responsibilities include providing support and back-up for library systems and initiatives; advancing the Library's integration of new technologies through cooperative efforts with other college departments; supporting the training and development of the Library staff's technical capabilities; and participating in curriculum-related instruction and other teaching activities.

| Digital Scholarship |

"Rome Wasn’t Digitized in a Day": Building a Cyberinfrastructure for Digital Classicists

The Council on Library and Information Resources has released "Rome Wasn't Digitized in a Day": Building a Cyberinfrastructure for Digital Classicists.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

The author provides a summative and recent overview of the use of digital technologies in classical studies, focusing on classical Greece, Rome, and the ancient Middle and Near East, and generally on the period up to about 600 AD. The report explores what projects exist and how they are used, examines the infrastructure that currently exists to support digital classics as a discipline, and investigates larger humanities cyberinfrastructure projects and existing tools or services that might be repurposed for the digital classics.

| Digital Scholarship |

Associate Digital Content Specialist at Colonial Williamsburg’s John D. Rockefeller Library

Colonial Williamsburg's John D. Rockefeller Library is recruiting an Associate Digital Content Specialist. Degree: "Advanced degree in architectural history, archaeology, American studies, or related field."

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

  • Works as a member of a team of technical and subject specialists to advance digital initiatives in the Digital History Center of the John D. Rockefeller Library.
  • Examines research questions about eighteenth-century Williamsburg in innovative ways by bringing current research data into new technological environments.
  • Creates and designs digital applications such as websites, mobile web features and smart phone apps.
  • Manages Digital History Center (DHC) and Research and Historical Interpretation (RHI) division websites and all related files, including databases and geodatabases. . . .
  • Identifies and digitizes relevant research materials for online applications; may include scanning, digital photography, transcription/OCR conversion of text/data, text encoding, and cataloging in The Museum System (TMS) or other project databases.

| Digital Scholarship |

Four Universities and UC Libraries Join Orphan Works Project

Cornell University, Duke University, Emory University, and Johns Hopkins University have joined the Orphan Works Project.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

Leaders at Cornell, Duke, Emory and Johns Hopkins universities jointly announced today that they would begin making the full text of thousands of "orphan works" in their library collections digitally accessible to students, faculty and researchers at their own institutions. . . .

With the announcement, the four institutions formally join the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Florida in a collaborative Orphan Works Project, which aims to identify orphan works that have been scanned and archived in the HathiTrust Digital Library. HathiTrust is a partnership of more than 50 major research institutions working to share, archive and preserve their combined collections of digitized books and journals.

Currently, more than 9 million digitized volumes are held by the HathiTrust. No one knows exactly how many of those are orphans, but HathiTrust executive director John Wilkin has estimated that it could be as many as half. Of those, most are unlikely to have any surviving person or entity who can claim them. . . .

Only books that are identified as orphans through a careful process and also held in print format by the individual institutions will be accessible through the HathiTrust website, and they will only be accessible to members of their respective communities. Just as most academic libraries only allow authorized patrons to check out books from their print collections, so will online access be restricted to users who can authenticate with their university ID and password. However, if a university library is open to the public, visitors will have access through library computers.

The University of California Libraries have also joined the project.

| Digital Scholarship |

Digital Archivist at the Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas

The Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas is recruiting a Digital Archivist. Degree: "Master's degree in Library Science or History with archival coursework."

Here's an excerpt from the ad (position number: 00065636):

The Robert J. Dole Archive and Special Collections department is responsible for overseeing research and museum functions at the Dole Institute of Politics. Our collections include one of the largest congressional manuscript collections in the country which attracts researchers from around the world. In addition the collections include over 25,000 photographs, hundreds of videos and several thousand objects accumulated by Senator Dole over the course of his 35 year political career.

Under the supervision of the Senior Archivist, the Digital Archivist will hold primary responsibility for preservation, management and access to digital collections.

| Digital Scholarship |

"Access to the Agreement between Google Books and the British Library"

In "Access to the Agreement between Google Books and the British Library," Javier Ruiz of the Open Rights Group analyzes the Google Books contract between Google and the British Library (includes a link to contract).

Here's an excerpt:

The British Library recently announced to much fanfare a deal with Google to make available online a quarter of a million books no longer restricted by copyright, thus in the public domain.

The deal is presented as a win-win situation, where Google pays for the costs of scanning the books, which will be available on both Google and BL's websites. This sounds very philanthropic from Google, however the catch is in the detail:

"Once digitised, these unique items will be available for full text search, download and reading through Google Books, as well as being searchable through the Library's website and stored in perpetuity within the Library's digital archive."

In order to find out what this really means we asked the British Library for a copy of the agreement with Google, which was not uploaded to their transparency website with other similar contracts, as it didn't involve monetary exchange.

| Digital Scholarship |

Current News: Twitter Updates for 8/24/11

| Digital Scholarship |

Data Visualization Coordinator at Duke University Libraries

The Duke University Libraries are recruiting a Data Visualization Coordinator. Degree: "Master's degree in a field related to information visualization or equivalent combination of education and experience."

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Data Visualization Coordinator supports information visualization across multiple disciplines at Duke University. The position is responsible for providing instruction and outreach to faculty, students, and interdisciplinary campus groups, supporting both individual and team or lab visualization projects. S/He also represents Duke in the information visualization community and provides leadership in developing and evolving visualization services in concert with faculty needs and research computing strategies. The position reports to both the Head of Data and GIS Services within Duke University Libraries and to the Director of Research Computing within the University's Office of Information Technology.

| Digital Scholarship |

"Open Access Institutional Archives: A Quantitative Study (2006-2010)"

Bhaskar Mukherjee and Mohammad Nazim have published "Open Access Institutional Archives: A Quantitative Study (2006-2010)" in the DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology.

Here's an excerpt:

Open access publishing is growing in importance, and, in parallel, the role of institutional archives has come to the forefront of discussion within the library community. The present study is an attempt to analyse the present trend of institutional archives worldwide. The factual data of each individual repository was collected from various Directories of Institutional Repositories by using survey method. Data was analysed in terms of quantity of institutional archives increased during last six years, countrywise contents of institutional archives, types of materials archived, subject coverage, software used, language of interface of institutional archives, host domains, and policy of institutional archives. The results of the study suggest healthy growth in terms of quantity of institutional archives' increase worldwide, however, the development is more prevalent in developed countries than developing countries. The subject analysis of the institutional archives indicates that the contributors in the field of health and medicine are more interested to submit their materials in repositories. Currently the institutional archives mostly house traditional (print-oriented) scholarly publications and grey literature, using DSpace software and most of these materials were of English language. However, the policy of content inclusion, submission and preservation is yet to be well defined in institutional archives.

| Digital Scholarship |

Digital Projects and Outreach Librarian at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Library

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Library is recruiting a Digital Projects and Outreach Librarian. Degree: "ALA-accredited MLS or Master's degree in history, museum studies, public history, American studies or related discipline."

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Library seeks an experienced, creative, and collaborative individual for the position of Digital Projects and Outreach Librarian for the North Carolina Collection (NCC) Gallery. Located in the Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library, the NCC Gallery offers exhibitions and related programs that interpret North Carolina history, literature, and culture.

| Digital Scholarship |

"Extracting, Transforming and Archiving Scientific Data"

Daniel Lemire and Andre Vellin have self-archived "Extracting, Transforming and Archiving Scientific Data" in arXiv.org.

Here's an excerpt:

It is becoming common to archive research datasets that are not only large but also numerous. In addition, their corresponding metadata and the software required to analyse or display them need to be archived. Yet the manual curation of research data can be difficult and expensive, particularly in very large digital repositories, hence the importance of models and tools for automating digital curation tasks. The automation of these tasks faces three major challenges: (1) research data and data sources are highly heterogeneous, (2) future research needs are difficult to anticipate, (3) data is hard to index. To address these problems, we propose the Extract, Transform and Archive (ETA) model for managing and mechanizing the curation of research data. Specifically, we propose a scalable strategy for addressing the research-data problem, ranging from the extraction of legacy data to its long-term storage. We review some existing solutions and propose novel avenues of research.

| Digital Scholarship |

Current News: Twitter Updates for 8/23/11

| Digital Scholarship |

Digital Scholarship Librarian at Haverford College Library

The Haverford College Library is recruiting a Digital Scholarship Librarian. Degree: "One of the following: M.S., M.L.S., or M.A."

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Participates in the development of digital projects and collections by providing a full range of reference, instruction, and collection development/management, and metadata services for all areas of digital scholarship. Provides for the development, long term stewardship and access to the Library's local digital collections by working collaboratively with faculty, subject specialists, students, and college staff to identify, evaluate and accession materials of significant cultural, academic or historical value. Supports and serves as a resource to colleagues in developing digital projects. Contributes to and supports the digital and online presence of the Library through the investigation, implementation and enhancement of tools that assist with research, instruction and scholarship. Participates in Web-development team. Actively participates in and contributes to the Tri-College Technology Advisory Group. Reports to Coordinator for Digital Scholarship and Services.

| Digital Scholarship |

Single Search: The Quest for the Holy Grail

OCLC Research has released Single Search: The Quest for the Holy Grail .

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

This report highlights successful strategies in providing a single point of access to library, archive and museum collections. . . .

To address this desire, OCLC Research facilitated a working group of nine single search implementers through discussions about the opportunities for, and obstacles to, integrating single search access across an institution. Members of this group told their stories, identified issues, and acknowledged similarities and differences in their approaches. This brief report summarizes those discussions and highlights the emerging practices in providing single search access to an institution's collections. The goal of the report is to foster successful single search implementations by sharing the experience of the working group with those who are just beginning to plan single search implementations

| Digital Scholarship |

Senior Systems Administrator at Wake Forest University’s Z. Smith Reynolds Library

Wake Forest University's Z. Smith Reynolds Library is recruiting a Senior Systems Administrator. Degree: "Bachelor's degree with specialized training in the field of information technology."

Here's an excerpt from the ad (tracking code: 638-141):

The Senior Systems Administrator manages key information systems for the Library that support the academic needs of students, faculty and staff. Performs system administration including: system design, development, testing, implementation and regular system maintenance in a cloud-based environment. Consults and collaborates with staff and faculty on library Information Technology initiatives. Reports to the Assistant Director, Technology Services.

| New: Google Books Bibliography, Version 7 | Digital Scholarship |

ARL Executive Director Charles B. Lowry Announces His Retirement

Association of Research Libraries Executive Director Charles B. Lowry has announced his retirement.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

Charles B. Lowry has announced that he will retire from his position as Executive Director of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) at the end of December 2012. By announcing his retirement plans now, Lowry provides the ARL Board of Directors with time for a search and a seamless transition of leadership.

Lowry was appointed Executive Director in 2008 for a three-year term, which was extended for an additional two years at the request of the ARL Board. He has led ARL through significant expansion in membership and renewal of its strategic plan. During his tenure, ARL's capacities and offerings have been strengthened and expanded. Guided by Lowry's leadership, the Association:

  • gained three new members—University of Calgary, University of Ottawa, and the US National Archives and Records Administration;
  • renewed its strategic plan twice;
  • led the reshaping of the Library Copyright Alliance;
  • navigated the difficult economic downturn that began in 2008;
  • expanded ARL's Public Policies capacity, a vital strategic direction; and
  • conducted successful searches to replace three highly accomplished senior staff essential to the Association's mission.

| New: Google Books Bibliography, Version 7 | Digital Scholarship |

Current News: Twitter Updates for 8/22/11

| Digital Scholarship |