Year: 2011

Twitter Updates for 1/28/11

| Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview |

Coordinator of Digital Operations at the University of Houston

The University of Houston Libraries are recruiting a Coordinator of Digital Operations. Salary: $52,000-$56,000.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Reporting to the Head of Digital Services, the Coordinator of Digital Operations explores, adapts and supports library information technologies for digital projects, including the application of standards, metadata, discovery interfaces, workflow design, production coordination, and quality controls appropriate to specific projects. Collaborates and coordinates with other staff, committees and other departments to shepherd digital projects from inception to completion, and develops policies and workflow for digital collections. Supervises the work of 1 Metadata Specialist, 1 Digital Photograph Technician, student workers and library student interns. Provides training and assistance to others in the department supporting metadata services; and participates in local, state and national metadata initiatives, including the metadata working group of the Texas Digital Library.

| Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview |

Three Chapters from Access-Right: The Future of Digital Copyright Law

Zohar Efroni has self-archived three chapters from Access-Right: The Future of Digital Copyright Law in SSRN.

  • "Access." Here's an excerpt:

    This chapter scrutinizes the notion of "access to information" and attempts to translate it into a vocabulary property law can process and analyze. It turns out that very little about "access to information" as a property concept is self-explanatory.

  • "The Digital Reproduction Right." Here's an excerpt:

    It shall be posited that and explained why the reproduction right belongs to past chapters in copyright law's evolution; it has grown evidently unsuitable to lead the copyright system into the digital future.

  • "Anticircumvention Laws." Here's an excerpt:

    This chapter provides a broad overview and analysis on anticircumvention laws in the U.S. and Europe. . . . The statutory anticircumvention texts reviewed in this chapter do not provide straightforward answers to the nexus problem, that is, the relationship between anticircumvention bans and conventional copyright infringement.

| Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview |

Associate Librarian, Technology Initiatives at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is recruiting an Associate Librarian, Technology Initiatives.

Here's an excerpt from the ad (job ID: 22467 )

The Associate Librarian, Technology Initiatives (ALTI) reports to the Director of Library Services and is responsible for providing leadership and expertise in designing, developing, and supporting the library's virtual presence, in particular, Synapse, a database and web interface to publications by MSK authors. This role also evaluates and assesses new and emerging technologies/applications to ensure the ongoing development of a state-of-the-art library and client services. Additionally, you will direct planning efforts for all software, systems and resources required for Library technology products, manage the collection & analysis of database and website usage metrics and reports, and create & implement a usability program to support Synapse, Library Website and related Library Services.

| Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview |

Over 1,000 DSpace Repositories in about 100 Countries Registered

There are now over 1,000 known DSpace repositories.

Here's an excerpt from the DuraSpace announcement

The DSpace user community has reached a major milestone. There are now over 1000 known instances of DSpace installed in almost 100 different countries worldwide. DSpace continues to be the most popular repository solution, with well over a third of the known institutional repositories using the DSpace software. Each month over the last year, the DSpace registry has added between 20-30 new repositories. Check out "Who's Using DSpace" to see the complete list. . . .

Over the last year, DSpace repositories were launched in 25 new countries, including: Bulgaria, Cameroon, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malawi, Malta, Mozambique, Nepal, Poland, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Senegal, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Tansania, Uruguay, Zambia.

The countries that had the largest increase in the number of DSpace repositories were: Japan +33, Taiwan +28, USA +16, Spain +13, Brazil +12, Ecuador +11, China +10, Portugal +10, Ukraine +10, South Africa +8, Thailand +7, Vietnam +7.

Also of interest is the number of highly ranked DSpace repositories listed in the January 2011 edition of the Ranking Web of World Repositories.

Here's an excerpt from the DuraSpace announcement

In overall, DSpace’s presence among the top 100 listed repositories has grown tremendously, with 51 repositories listed now, compared to 41 in July 2010, 45 in January 2010 and 43 in January 2009.

| Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview |

Twitter Updates for 1/27/11

| Digital Scholarship |

Head of Library Technology Services at Central Washington University

The Central Washington University’s Brooks Library is recruiting a Head of Library Technology Services.

Here's an excerpt from the ad (posting number: 0400699):

To provide leadership/management of Library Systems and oversight of Cataloging, Collection Development, and Serials/E resources departments; to recommend changes/advances to the Dean; and to contribute to the internal governance of the Library.

| Digital Scholarship |

"Issue Brief: FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules and Implications for Research Libraries"

The Association of Research Libraries has released "Issue Brief: FCC's Net Neutrality Rules and Implications for Research Libraries."

Here's an excerpt:

FCC Votes to Enact "Net Neutrality" Rules: After years of debate and consideration, on December 21, 2010, the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") voted 3-2 in favor of enacting a narrow set of net neutrality rules to regulate the practices of broadband providers. "Net neutrality" is the principle that Internet users should have the right to access and provide content and use services via the Internet as they wish, and that network operators should not be allowed to "discriminate"—slow, block, or charge fees—for Internet traffic based on the source or content of its message. . . .

The wording of the net neutrality rules, advanced by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, appears to reflect an attempt at a compromise between network operators and advocates for strong net neutrality protections—including ARL, ALA, and EDUCAUSE. Ultimately, however, the limited scope of protection in the rules has not fully satisfied the concerns voiced by parties on both sides of the issue and thus has set the stage for further debate over regulation in the courts and in Congress.

| Digital Scholarship |

Systems & Emerging Technologies Librarian at Gettysburg College

The Gettysburg College's Musselman Library is recruiting a Systems & Emerging Technologies Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The successful candidate will provide leadership and share responsibility for planning, implementing, and maintaining Library digital systems and services, as well as being a key technology liaison with the College’s Information Technology division. We expect the Systems Librarian to establish a vision and protocol for technology services, which includes training and continual incorporation of emerging technologies as appropriate. The Systems Librarian’s primary focus will include (but not be limited to) our integrated library system (Innovative Interfaces) and interlibrary loan system (ILLiad/Ariel). We also require support for online course reserves and streaming video (Video Furnace), authentication (EZ Proxy), electronic resource discovery (EBSCOhost Discovery Service), journal holdings list and link resolver (Serials Solutions), special collections (PastPerfect), digital repository systems (CONTENTdm), and web architecture (our campus uses a content management system for its website).

| Digital Scholarship |

Presentations from the Marketplace: Open Access and the Changing State of Scholarly Publishing Meeting

Presentations from the Marketplace: Open Access and the Changing State of Scholarly Publishing meeting on 1/8/11 are now available.

Here's an excerpt from the meeting announcement:

This forum will paint a picture of the rapidly changing – and maturing – open-access publishing sphere, illustrate the growing range of options and approaches that are emerging, and help the library community to make sense of what it all means for you and your campus. Guest presenters will include:

  • Caroline Sutton, President of the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and Publisher and Co-Founder, Co-Action Publishing
  • Wim van der Stelt, Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy for Springer
  • Catriona McCallum, Senior Editor for PLoS Biology and Consulting Editor for PLoS ONE

| Digital Scholarship |

Electronic Resources Librarian at Rice University

Rice University's Fondren Library is recruiting an Electronic Resources Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad (requisition number: 1100A):

The Electronic Resources Librarian is responsible for acquisition, license review, access management, receipt, subscription renewal, records maintenance, and product trials of electronic resources for the Library as well as managing the EZProxy configuration files. This position is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective relationships and communications with vendors, publishers, collection development librarians, and other library staff. This position is responsible for complex problem resolving resulting from orders, upgrades, format changes and access changes.

| Digital Scholarship |

Twitter Updates for 1/26/11

| Digital Scholarship |

Digital Collections Librarian at the University of Houston

The University of Houston Libraries are recruiting a Digital Collections Librarian. Expected salary range: $48,000-$52,000.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Digital Collections Librarian is a newly created position in the Special Collections department and reports to the Coordinator of Digital Services and Instruction. Responsibilities include identifying new digital projects and managing department workflow for all Special Collections digital projects; serving as liaison to Digital Services, Web Services, and Computing and Networking departments; and reviewing metadata for Special Collections digital collections. The position also manages preservation and access to audiovisual and born-digital materials and develops content for the Web site.

| Digital Scholarship |

Randy S. Kiefer Named as Executive Director of CLOCKSS

Randy S. Kiefer has been named as the Executive Director of the CLOCKSS Archive.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

The CLOCKSS Archive (http://www.clockss.org) is pleased to announce the appointment of Randy S. Kiefer as their new Executive Director. Randy is the Principal Consultant in the Kiefer Strategy Group, LLC, which handles business development efforts for publishers like INFORMS, the American Accounting Association, the Military Operations Research Society, and others. From 1999 to May of 2010, Randy served in various roles at INFORMS. For his last three years, he was the Director of Subscription, Membership, and Technical Services at INFORMS, and his primary activity was developing the global library market for INFORMS' twelve journals.

Randy is a board member of COIN-OR (http://www.coin-or.org) , an organization dedicated to open-source software for the operations research community. and is on the board of two charitable organizations in the Baltimore area. Randy has been active in software development since 1985. . . .

Gordon Tibbitts, outgoing CLOCKSS executive director and President Atypon Systems declares, "The CLOCKSS Archive, now one year old is well placed for its next phase of growth. The Board of Directors is very pleased to have Randy on board as the Archive's first full time Executive Director."

CLOCKSS is a global nonprofit, community-governed archive that preserves digital scholarly materials for the very long term through a geo-physical and geo-political distributed network of archive nodes.

| Digital Scholarship |

Web Developer at the Free Library of Philadelphia

The Free Library of Philadelphia is recruiting a Web Developer. Starting salary: $49,054.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Web development work programming, testing, and documenting web applications for the internet and intranet websites at the Library. Create and maintain dynamic, programmed applications and HTML pages, templates, and style sheets in order to develop and maintain a comprehensive web site. Working closely with internal staff to gather and organize requirements, manage and resolve problems, and perform systems analysis is a significant aspect of the work. Work also includes database modeling, analysis, and design for Web-enabled database applications. Work is performed under the direction of an information technology manager.

| Digital Scholarship |

MIT Libraries Awarded $650,000 grant from the Library of Congress for Exhibit 3.0 Project

The MIT Libraries have been awarded a $650,000 grant from the Library of Congress for the Exhibit 3.0 Project.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

The MIT Libraries has been awarded a $650,000 grant from the Library of Congress for work in collaboration with the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) and Zepheira, Inc. on "Exhibit 3.0," a new project to redesign and expand upon Exhibit, the popular open source software tool for searching, browsing and visualizing data on the Web. The goal is to provide libraries, cultural institutions and other organizations grappling with large amounts of digital content, with an enhanced tool that is scalable and useful for data management, visualization and navigation. According to the Library of Congress, "It is the Library's intent that this work also will further contribute to the collaborative knowledge sharing among the broader communities concerned about the critical infrastructure that will ensure sustainability and accessibility of digital content over time."

"This innovative work has already made a considerable impact on digital content communities whose data is diverse and complex. The visualizations bring new understanding to users and curators alike," said Martha Anderson, Director of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program at the Library of Congress. "We're extremely fortunate to have the support of the Library of Congress on this important research," said Ann Wolpert, director of the MIT Libraries. "Our hope is that Exhibit 3.0 will be a useful tool in tackling the daunting challenge all libraries face in ensuring the future sustainability and accessibility of our digital content."

Exhibit was originally developed as part of the MIT Simile Project (simile.mit.edu), an ambitious collaboration of the MIT Libraries, the MIT CSAIL, and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to explore applications of the Semantic Web to problems of information management across both large-scale digital libraries and small-scale personal collections. Exhibit runs inside a Web browser and supports many types of information using common Web standards for data publishing. Since its release, Exhibit has been used by thousands of websites worldwide across a range of diverse industries including cultural heritage, libraries, publishers, medical research, life science and government. Most recently Exhibit has been used by DATA.GOV (http://data.gov/), an Open Government Initiative by President Obama's administration to increase public access to high value data generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. The application has been used to help demonstrate new ways of visualizing government data. . . .

The Exhibit 3.0 project will redesign and re-implement Exhibit to scale from small collections to very large data collections of the magnitude created by the Library of Congress and its National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP). The redesigned Exhibit will be as simple to use as the current tool but more scalable, more modular, and easier to integrate into a variety of information management systems and websites—offering an improved user experience.

In addition to the Library of Congress, the MIT Libraries and other organizations that manage large quantities of data will collaborate on the project for their own collections. A major focus of the project will be to build a lively community around Exhibit, of both users of the software and software developers, to help continuously improve the open source tool. Another aspect of the new project will incorporate research by students at MIT's CSAIL (Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab) on personal information management. The research will focus on improving the user experience working with data in Exhibit, and incorporating new data visualization techniques that allow users to explore data in novel ways. "Impressive data-interactive sites abound on the web, but right now you need a team of developers to create them. Exhibit demonstrated that authoring data-interactive sites can be as easy as authoring a static web page. With Exhibit 3.0 we can move from a prototype to a robust platform that anyone can use to author (not program) rich interactive information visualizations that effectively communicate with their users," said David Karger, computer science professor with CSAIL.

The project will begin in January for a period of one year, and a new website and other communication channels will be publicized soon. For more information see http://similewidgets.org/exhibit3.

| Digital Scholarship |

Metadata Librarian at University of Colorado at Boulder

The University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries are recruiting a Metadata Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Reporting to the Faculty Director of Cataloging and Metadata Services, the Metadata Librarian is responsible for metadata creation and analysis of digital resources within the Libraries and/or for the campus community. The position may play a significant consultative role for metadata provision for the campus community. In furtherance of the Libraries' mission and departmental goals, the individual in this position may teach others in the library about metadata provision and provide metadata support to the campus community. The Metadata Librarian is a member of the tenure-stream Libraries faculty. Significant parts of the responsibilities of this position are scholarly activity and creative work and service in keeping with the tenure standards of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

| Digital Scholarship |

GIS Programmer & Infrastructure Developer at Princeton University

The Princeton University Library is recruiting a GIS Programmer & Infrastructure Developer.

Here's an excerpt from the ad (requisition number: 0110026 ):

The position will work with the GIS and Map Librarian to develop and update the Library's GIS and Map Collections website, and to design the search and discovery infrastructure and interface to the Library's Digital Map and Geographic Data Portal. It will also be responsible for helping the GIS and Map Librarian to coordinate map digitization projects, assist with writing scripts to perform specialized GIS analysis, and develop geospatial web applications to view, analyze, and update geospatial information. It is also responsible for helping to install, maintain, and update the Library's Digital Map and Geographic Data Portal software packages, such as ArcSDE, GeoServer, SQL database, JP2 Image Server, and may also be assigned other digital library projects as the need arises. The incumbent will work in close collaboration with the GIS and Map Librarian, GIS personnel at OIT, Library curators of historic map collections, Library Digital Initiatives Team, Library GIS Centers at peer institutions. The position reports to the Library Systems Office.

| Digital Scholarship |

Privacy Considerations in Cloud-Based Teaching and Learning Environments

The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative has released Privacy Considerations in Cloud-Based Teaching and Learning Environments.

Here's an excerpt:

In this white paper, we outline the privacy issues relevant to using cloud-based instructional tools or cloud-based teaching and learning environments for faculty members and those supporting instruction. Our discussion of how teaching and learning in an increasingly technological environment has transformed the way we interact and interpret FERPA will help inform various choices that institutions can consider to best address the law, including policy and best-practice examples. We highlight practical suggestions for how faculty members can continue to use innovative instructional strategies and engage students while considering privacy issues. Finally, this paper discusses ways to further explore and address privacy locally and includes a comprehensive resource list for further reading.

| Digital Scholarship |

Web Services Librarian at Montana State University

The Montana State University Libraries are recruiting a Web Services Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Montana State University Libraries seeks a Web Services Librarian to explore, test, implement, and support our library’s web-based applications. The Web Services Librarian is responsible for oversight of MSU Libraries’ website as well as the support and development of library web applications. The Web Services Librarian is a member of the Digital Access and Web Services (DAWS) team, works closely with all teams within MSU Libraries, and will report to the Associate Dean. We are looking for a candidate with a strong customer service focus and commitment to innovation. Technical responsibilities include significant web programming and database work. Design and accessibility responsibilities include web design, troubleshooting, and ongoing site development, maintenance, and evaluation. The position also has a variety of leadership and project management responsibilities including coordinating and facilitating communication between library teams and university departments, developing project specifications and documentation, and conducting project evaluations. Some involvement with students, faculty, and staff in a public service capacity is expected.

| Digital Scholarship |

DataCite Metadata Scheme for the Publication and Citation of Research Data, Version 2.0 Released

DataCite has released the DataCite Metadata Scheme for the Publication and Citation of Research Data, Version 2.0.

Here's an excerpt:

The DataCite Metadata Scheme is a list of core metadata properties chosen for the accurate and consistent identification of data for citation and retrieval purposes, along with recommended use instructions. At a minimum, the mandatory metadata scheme properties must be provided at the time of identifier registration. Data centres and other submitters may also choose to use the optional properties to identify their data more clearly. This metadata scheme can fulfill several key functions in support of the larger goals of DataCite. Primarily these are:

  • recommending a standard citation format for datasets, based on a small number of properties required for identifier registration;
  • providing the basis for interoperability with other data management schemas;
  • promoting dataset discovery with optional properties allowing for flexible description of the resource, including its relationship to other resources;
  • and, laying the groundwork for future services (e.g., discovery) through the use of controlled terms from both a DataCite vocabulary and external vocabularies as applicable. The DataCite vocabularies will be administered by the DataCite Metadata Supervisor who will establish and publicize procedures for submitting changes.

| Digital Scholarship |

Twitter Updates for 1/25/11

| Digital Scholarship |

Twitter Updates for 2011-01-24

$500 Million in U.S. Department of Labor Grants Will Include Support for Open Educational Resources under Creative Commons BY License

The White House has announced the solicitation of the initial grants in the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Program. About $500 million in grant funding will be available in the first round of grants.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan ushered in a new era of hope and opportunity for millions of Americans today when they revealed the innovative application criteria for the first $500 million in grants under the four-year, $2 billion Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Program. Grants will support the development and improvement of a new generation of free, post-secondary educational programs of two years or less that prepare students for successful careers in emerging and expanding industries.

This effort, which was developed and designed in consultation with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, sets the stage for what promises to become one of the most significant expansions in access to high-quality education and job training opportunities ever. These new investments will also play a major role in helping the Nation achieve the goal set by President Obama last year that by 2020 the United States will once again have the most highly educated workforce in the world.

But what matters most is what these new freely-available resources will mean to individuals.

By relying on evidence-based approaches and requiring that all materials produced be openly licensed for free use, adaptation, and improvement by others, this groundbreaking federal effort will bring free, high-quality curriculum and employment training opportunities within reach of anyone who has access to the Internet.

Open Educational Resources are learning materials that have been released under an intellectual property license that allows their free use by others. The materials produced as a result of these grants will carry the Creative Commons BY license, which also permits their free derivative use for commercial purposes. That means companies, schools, entrepreneurs, and others will be free to bundle,adapt, or customize the learning materials to create new offerings, products, and services. Schools will be able to affordably offer courses in subject areas and at levels of expertise previously beyond their reach. Students will be able to access free educational materials, including complete courses, and supportive services designed to help them accomplish their educational and job-training goals.

Millions of students around the world have already benefited from Open Educational Resources in the decade since then-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President Charles Vest established MIT's pioneering OpenCourseWare project, the first of its type, based on a proposal from members of his faculty. The goal, Vest explained in 2001, was to make all of the learning materials used by MIT's faculty in the school's 1,800 courses available via the Internet, where they could be used and repurposed as desired by others without charge.

| Digital Scholarship |

Web Applications Librarian at DePaul University

The DePaul University Libraries are recruiting a Web Applications Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Librarian (2) will report to the Web Services Coordinator and under the general direction of the Associate Director for Library Information and Discovery Systems, will serve as an integral member of the DePaul Libraries Web Services team in developing cutting-edge online library services including a complex library website, mobile site, LibGuides, and content management systems including CONTENTdm and our Digital Commons institutional repository. In addition to supporting online development initiatives, the Librarian (2) will serve 4-6 hours per week as a reference librarian.

| Digital Scholarship |