Year: 2011

The Problem of the Yellow Milkmaid: A Business Model Perspective on Open Metadata

Europeana has released The Problem of the Yellow Milkmaid: A Business Model Perspective on Open Metadata

Here's an excerpt:

Europeana's extensive consultation with the heritage sector, including dozens of workshops, has explored in detail the risks and rewards of open data from different perspectives. The most helpful way of framing this discussion has proven to be around the business model of cultural heritage organisations. The findings in this white paper are drawn from a July 2011 workshop in which key actors from museums, libraries and archives evaluated their metadata within the context of their own business model. Placing metadata within their business models gave workshop participants the opportunity to assess the monetary and reputational utility of metadata to their respective cultural organisations.

| Digital Scholarship's Digital/Print Books | Digital Scholarship |

Current News: Twitter Updates for 11/30/11

| Digital Scholarship |

Software Developer at Pennsylvania State University’s Digital Library Technologies

Digital Library Technologies at Pennsylvania State University is recruiting a Software Developer. Required degree: "Bachelor's degree or higher in computer science, information science, or related field."

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The software developer will participate in the development and integration of software and web applications for an institutional content stewardship program, working collaboratively with content curators and fellow technologists.

| New: E-science and Academic Libraries Bibliography | Digital Scholarship |

IMLS Issues Call for Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries and Museums Proposals

The Institute of Museum and Library Services has issued call for Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries and Museums proposals.

Here's an excerpt from Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries and Museums:

The Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries and Museums are a special funding opportunity within the IMLS National Leadership Grants program. These small grants encourage libraries, museums, and archives to test and evaluate specific innovations in the ways they operate and the services they provide. Sparks Grants support the deployment, testing, and evaluation of promising and groundbreaking new tools, products, services, or organizational practices. You may propose activities or approaches that involve risk, as long as the risk is balanced by significant potential for improvement in the ways libraries and museums serve their communities.

Successful proposals will address problems, challenges, or needs of broad relevance to libraries, museums, and/or archives. A proposed project should test a specific, innovative response to the identified problem and present a plan to make the findings widely and openly accessible.

To maximize the public benefit from federal investments in these grants, the Sparks Grants will fund only projects with the following characteristics:

Broad Potential Impact—You should identify a specific problem or need that is relevant to many libraries, archives, and/or museums, and propose a testable and measurable solution. Proposals must demonstrate a thorough understanding of current issues and practices in the project's focus area and discuss its potential impact within libraries, archives, and/or museums. Proposed innovations should be widely adoptable or adaptable.

Significant Innovation—The proposed solution to the identified problem must offer strong potential for non-incremental, significant advancement in the operation of libraries, archives, and/or museums. You must explain how the proposed activity differs from current practices or takes advantage of an unexplored opportunity, and the potential benefit to be gained by this innovation.

| Digital Curation and Preservation Bibliography 2010 | Digital Scholarship |

Digital Production Unit Supervisor at Oregon State University Libraries

The Oregon State University Libraries are recruiting a Digital Production Unit Supervisor. Required degree; "Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience."

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

This is a key management position at OSU Libraries in an innovative and team oriented environment. The DPU Supervisor uses his/her knowledge of current and emerging trends to oversee the digitization of analog materials including books and serials, photographs, manuscripts and audio-visual resources. The position will manage the daily operations related to scanning, OCR and digital preservation, and supervise 4 FTE classified staff, interns and 4-6 student workers engaged in these activities. The position seeks, organizes and maintains copyright permissions for items that are to be digitized.

| Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography 2010 | Digital Scholarship |

IMLS Issues Call for National Leadership Grants Proposals

The Institute of Museum and Library Services has issued a call for National Leadership Grants proposals.

Here's an excerpt from National Leadership Grants:

The National Leadership Grant program accepts applications under four main categories:

  • Advancing Digital Resources—Support the creation, use, presentation, and preservation of significant digital resources as well as the development of tools to enhance access, use, and management of digital assets.
  • Research—Support research that investigates key questions that are important to museum, library, and archival practice.
  • Demonstration—Support projects that produce a replicable model or practice that is usable, adaptable, or scalable by other institutions for improving services and performance.
  • Library Museum Collaboration Grants— Support collaborative projects (between museums and/or libraries and other community organizations) that address the educational, economic, cultural, or social needs of a community. In 2012, a funding priority will be projects that promote early learning.

Applicants may choose to submit a Project Grant, Planning Grant, or National Forum Grant proposal in any of the above categories.

  • Project Grants support fully developed projects for which needs assessments, partnership development, feasibility analyses, prototyping, and other planning activities have been completed.
  • Planning Grants allow project teams to perform preliminary planning activities that could lead to a subsequent full project, such as needs and feasibility analyses, solidifying partnerships, developing project work plans, or developing prototypes or proofs of concept. Applications for Planning Grants must include at least one formal partner in addition to the lead applicant.
  • National Forum Grants provide the opportunity to convene qualified groups of experts and key stakeholders to consider issues or challenges that are important to libraries, museums, and/or archives across the nation. Grant-supported meetings are expected to produce widely disseminated reports with expert recommendations for action or research that address a key challenge identified in the proposal. The expert recommendations resulting from these meetings are intended to guide future proposals to the National Leadership Grant program.

| New: Institutional Repository and ETD Bibliography 2011 | Digital Scholarship |

LYRASIS to License E-resources for ARL Libraries

Under a new agreement, LYRASIS will license e-resources for participating ARL libraries.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

On November 18, 2011, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and LYRASIS signed an agreement designating LYRASIS as an agent to negotiate licenses for online content on behalf of interested ARL member libraries. This is the culmination of an effort that began in 2010 to identify a strategy for ARL to influence the marketplace regarding licensing rights, technical specifications, and business terms to meet the needs of research libraries.

This activity has involved task forces, the Reshaping Scholarly Communication Steering Committee, and the ARL Board. The initial task force drafted a white paper outlining the potential areas of action that ARL could take and content that could be considered, and a second task force developed an RFP that went to prospective agents. The Board approved the recommendations, RFP, and agent decision. The license offerings identified for this initiative will not be exclusive to ARL members, but may include libraries with which they have established licensing relationships.

| Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography 2010 | Digital Scholarship |

Library Information Systems Administrator at Idaho State University Library

The Idaho State University Library is recruiting a Library Information Systems Administrator. Required degree; "Bachelor's degree."

Here's an excerpt from the ad (Posting Number: 2011185):

To administer the Library's Integrated System and other library information systems. Work in a collegial environment to implement emerging information technologies specific to library systems and resources.

| Institutional Repository Bibliography | Digital Scholarship |

Systems Librarian at Fairfield University Library

The Fairfield University Library is recruiting a Systems Librarian. Required degree: "A Master's degree in library science or related field is required and relevant work experience may be substituted for some of the required education."

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Systems Librarian serves as the primary person to provide expertise and support a variety of library systems including but not limited to the integrated library system, proxy server, interlibrary loan system, self-check station, and mobile site; analyzes maintains and enhances systems for optimal productivity through functional support, staff training, and customization; performs database maintenance and ensures data integrity, ad-hoc scripting and report writing; assists Head of Digital Services and Technology Planning with strategic planning for library technology needs.

| New: E-science and Academic Libraries Bibliography | Digital Scholarship |

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog (November 29, 2011)

The latest update of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog is now available. It provides information about new works related to scholarly electronic publishing, such as books, e-prints, journal articles, magazine articles, technical reports, and white papers.

| Digital Scholarship's Digital/Print Books | Digital Scholarship |

Current News: Twitter Updates for 11/28/11

| Digital Scholarship |

Digital Repository Coordinator at Iowa State University Library

The Iowa State University Library is recruiting a Digital Repository Coordinator. Required degree; "American Library Association accredited master's degree or advanced degree in a relevant academic field."

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

This individual will oversee the creation and management of a campus-wide Digital Repository for ISU, to be administered by the University Library. The Digital Repository will eventually include scholarly and creative works, research, publications, and reports contributed by faculty, students, staff, and administrative units, as well as special, thematic, and multi-media collections from the Library and the University Archives. Platforms supporting the Digital Repository will include bepress and CONTENTdm. This position reports to the Library's Associate Dean for Research & Access.

| New: Institutional Repository and ETD Bibliography 2011 | Digital Scholarship |

World Intellectual Property Organization: Draft Compilation on Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries and Archives

The World Intellectual Property Organization's Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights has released the Draft Compilation on Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries and Archives.

Here's an excerpt from the "SCCR Releases Draft Compilation on Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries and Archives":

The Draft Compilation is an extensive document, which the library delegation warmly welcomed. Its 45 pages contain comments and proposals by Member States on each of the 10 clusters of limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives. It is extremely encouraging that Ecuador has now tabled additional language for each cluster that mirrors the proposals contained in IFLA's TLIB 4.1 document. Consequently, IFLA believes the Draft Compilation is an extremely valuable document going forward.

| New: Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography, Version 80 | Digital Scholarship |

Lead Developer at Florida State University Libraries

The Florida State University Libraries are recruiting a Lead Developer. Required degree: "BS in computer science, information systems or a related field." Minimum starting salary: $65,000.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The successful applicant will have programming responsibilities for the library's website, the digital library, the Institutional Repository, as well as general programming needs that arise. It is anticipated that this new area in the Florida State University Libraries will evolve into a larger programming and web development team over time. As the Lead Developer, this position will be responsible for leading the programming and web development team and will report to the Associate Dean for Digital Scholarship and Technology Services.

| Institutional Repository Bibliography | Digital Scholarship |

Costs and Benefits of Data Provision: Report to the Australian National Data Service

The Australian National Data Service has released Costs and Benefits of Data Provision: Report to the Australian National Data Service by John Houghton.

Here's an excerpt:

This report presents case studies exploring the costs and benefits that PSI [Public Sector Information] producing agencies and their users experience in making information freely available, and preliminary estimates of the wider economic impacts of open access to PSI. In doing so, it outlines a possibly method for cost-benefit analysis at the agency level and explores the data requirements for such an analysis —recognising that few agencies will have all of the data required. . . .

What this study demonstrates is that the direct and measurable benefits of making PSI available freely and without restrictions on use typically outweigh the costs. When one adds the longerterm benefits that we cannot fully measure, and may not even foresee, the case for open access appears to be strong.

| Transforming Scholarly Publishing through Open Access: A Bibliography | Digital Scholarship |

Current News: Twitter Updates for 11/27/11

| Digital Scholarship |

Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Digital Humanities at Alabama Digital Humanities Center at the University of Alabama

The Alabama Digital Humanities Center at the University of Alabama is recruiting applicants for a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Digital Humanities.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Alabama Digital Humanities Center at the University of Alabama (http://www.lib.ua.edu/digitalhumanities) is pleased to invite applications for a post-doctoral fellowship in Digital Humanities. The fellowship offers the successful candidate a unique platform for professional advancement: financial and material support for independent research combined with the opportunity to play an instrumental role in nurturing the growing digital humanities community at the University of Alabama.

A program of the University Libraries, the Alabama Digital Humanities Center (ADHC) is a space and a community of over 40 faculty members from Art and Art History, Communication and Information Sciences, Continuing Studies, Education, English, Gender and Race Studies, History, the Libraries, Modern Languages and Classics, and Music.

| New: Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography, Version 80 | Digital Scholarship |

"Public Access and Use of Health Research: An Exploratory Study of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy Using Interviews and Surveys of Health Personnel"

Jamie O'Keeffe, John Willinsky, and Lauren Maggio have published "Public Access and Use of Health Research: An Exploratory Study of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy Using Interviews and Surveys of Health Personnel" in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Here's an excerpt from:

Conclusions: The results provide grounds for expecting the NIH Public Access Policy to have a positive impact on EBP [Evidence-Based Practice] and health care more generally given that between a quarter and a third of participants in this study (1) frequently accessed research literature, (2) expressed an interest in having greater access, and (3) were aware of the policy and expect it to have an impact on their accessing research literature in the future. Results also indicate the value of promoting a greater awareness of the NIH policy, providing training and education in the location and use of the literature, and continuing improvements in the organization of biomedical research for health personnel use.

| Open Access Bibliography: Liberating Scholarly Literature with E-Prints and Open Access Journals | Digital Scholarship |

Digital Preservation Librarian at Columbia University Libraries

Columbia University Libraries are recruiting a Digital Preservation Librarian. Duration: "date of hire until June 30, 2014 (with possibility of extension)."

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Reporting to the Director of the Libraries Digital Program Division, the incumbent will provide support for various aspects of our digital preservation program including: ingest of new digital content into the Libraries' digital object repository; development of digital preservation policies and procedures; building partnerships with library and non-library individuals and organizations; and participating in requirements gathering for preservation-oriented technology tools and workflows. The incumbent will also have primary responsibility for coordinating digital preservation aspects of a grant-supported project to archive and provide access to the records of an international philanthropic organization.

| Digital Curation and Preservation Bibliography 2010 | Digital Scholarship |

SHERPA Estimates That Only 5% of Journals Prohibit Self-Archiving

Based on an analysis of about 19,000 journal self-archiving policies in RoMEO, SHERPA estimates that only 5% of these journals prohibit self-archiving.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

This chart shows that a remarkable 94% of journals allow archiving of peer-reviewed articles after any embargo period has expired and any additional restrictions have been complied with. Indeed, for nearly a quarter of journals, the publisher's version/PDF itself can be archived. Just 1% of journals only permit the pre-peer review submitted version to be archived. This leaves only 5% of journals that do not permit self-archiving of some form or another. . . .

Unfortunately, assigning journals to policies is not an exact process, due to the vagueness of some publishers' policies and the fact that some publishing houses do work for societies and other third parties whose own open access policies may take precedence. It is therefore difficult to gauge the precision of these figures, but we guestimate that they are accurate to within 2%. The charts do not take into account journals that are not covered by Romeo's own database, but we expect that the relative proportions would be similar.

| Transforming Scholarly Publishing through Open Access: A Bibliography | Digital Scholarship |

Scoping Study on Copyright and Related Rights and the Public Domain

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

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

The scoping study includes an illustrative comparison of national legislations that directly, or indirectly, define the public domain; and a survey of initiatives and tools, which may affect access, use, identification and location of public domain material.

| Digital Scholarship |

A Surfboard for Riding the Wave—Towards a Four Country Action Programme on Research Data

The Knowledge Exchange has released A Surfboard for Riding the Wave—Towards a Four Country Action Programme on Research Data.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

The report not only offers an overview of the present activities and challenges in the field of research data in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom but also outlines an action programme for the four countries in realising a collaborative data infrastructure. This report is a response to the Riding the Wave report which was published by the High Level Expert Group on Scientific Data. . . .

In the report four key drivers are addressed: incentives for researchers, training in relation to researchers in their role as data producers and users of information infrastructure, organisational and technical infrastructure and, finally, the funding of the infrastructure. The report offers recommendations for actions in each of these fields for the partners and others, not only in the four partner countries, but also beyond these borders.

Based on the overview of the present situation in the four Knowledge Exchange partner countries, the report formulates three long-term strategic goals:

  1. Data sharing will be part of the academic culture
  2. Data logistics will be an integral component of academic professional life
  3. Data infrastructure will be sound, both operationally and financially.

| Digital Curation and Preservation Bibliography 2010 | Digital Scholarship |

Current News: Twitter Updates for 11/20/11

| New: Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography, Version 80 | Digital Scholarship |

Programmer/Analyst, Libraries at Indiana University Digital Library Program

The Indiana University Digital Library Program is recruiting for two Programmer/Analyst, Libraries positions. Required degree: "Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field." Duration: "funded for 27 months with potential for renewal."

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Indiana University Digital Library Program is seeking two skilled software developers to join a new project, "Variations on Video (VoV): Building the Next Generation Library Media Management System." Performs systems analysis and design for VoV, including working with project director and a distributed, multi-institutional development team to determine and document user and system requirements and develop a high-level architecture and detailed system design to meet requirements. Codes, tests, debugs, and maintains VoV software system to support project objectives and investigates alternative technologies and designs, evaluating the options and recommending solutions to the project team to ensure efficient, effective development. Documents the VoV system for other developers, administrators, and end users, providing other training and support as needed. Performs other duties as required.

| New: E-science and Academic Libraries Bibliography | Digital Scholarship |