Month: March 2014

PLOS Clarifies Open Data Policy

PLOS has clarified its open data policy.

Here's an excerpt:

In the previous post, and also on our site for PLOS ONE Academic Editors, an attempt to simplify our policy did not represent the policy correctly and we sincerely apologize for that and for the confusion it has caused. We are today correcting that post and hoping it provides the clarity many have been seeking. . . .

Two key things to summarize about the policy are:

  1. The policy does not aim to say anything new about what data types, forms and amounts should be shared.
  2. The policy does aim to make transparent where the data can be found, and says that it shouldn't be just on the authors' own hard drive.

Correction

We have struck out the paragraph in the original PLOS ONE blog post headed "What do we mean by data", as we think it led to much of the confusion. Instead we offer this guidance to authors planning to submit to a PLOS journal.

What data do I need to make available?

We ask you to make available the data underlying the findings in the paper, which would be needed by someone wishing to understand, validate or replicate the work. Our policy has not changed in this regard. What has changed is that we now ask you to say where the data can be found.

As the PLOS data policy applies to all fields in which we publish, we recognize that we'll need to work closely with authors in some subject areas to ensure adherence to the new policy. Some fields have very well established standards and practices around data, while others are still evolving, and we would like to work with any field that is developing data standards. We are aiming to ensure transparency about data availability.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview | Sitemap

Unix Systems Administrator at Virginia Tech Libraries

The Virginia Tech Libraries are recruiting a Unix Systems Administrator.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

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

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Guidelines for Digital Newspaper Preservation Readiness

The Educopia Institute has released Guidelines for Digital Newspaper Preservation Readiness.

Here's an excerpt:

These Guidelines are an effort to distill preservation-readiness steps into incremental processes that an institution of almost any size or type can deploy to begin maturing its digital newspaper content management practices.

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Web Services Coordinator at University of Houston Libraries

The University of Houston Libraries are recruiting a Web Services Coordinator.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Reporting to the Head of Web Services, this position will play a key role in coordinating the development and management of the library website and other web-based applications, sites, and services. The successful candidate for the position will:

  • Participate on a team that oversees the direction of the websites and services across the Libraries' web presence
  • Serve as a liaison to committees and departments within the Libraries to understand their needs and focus their ideas into potential web projects and services
  • Recommend improvements to websites and applications based on assessment, user data, analytics, and cutting-edge web design and content strategy trends
  • Manage the Libraries' web user experience program and work closely with stakeholders

Digital Scholarship | Digital Library Jobs | Library IT Jobs | Sitemap

Getty Images Announces Free Noncommercial Use

Getty Images has announced that its images can be used freely on the web for noncommercial purposes.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

Global digital media company Getty Images today announces, for the first time, the ability for people to easily embed and share its imagery—at no cost—or non-commercial use on websites, blogs and social media channels through a new embed tool. . . .

This is the latest in a series of moves by Getty Images to harness technology and social media to drive broader exposure and usage of its content. Recent initiatives include a unique partnership with Pinterest, the fastest growing content sharing channel*, announced in October 2013, whereby Pinterest pays Getty Images a fee in exchange for metadata. Getty Images then shares these fees with its contributors, who also receive attribution when their content is used.

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Digital Curation News (3/6/2014) #digitalpreservation

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Digital Initiatives Librarian at Illinois Institute of Technology Library

The Illinois Institute of Technology Library is recruiting a Digital Initiatives Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Digital Initiatives Librarian is a member of the Paul V. Galvin Library professional staff who, under the direction of the Head of Assessment, Planning and Scholarly Communications, provides leadership for digital collections and special collections services. The Digital Initiatives Librarian will also manage select digital resources at Galvin Library including the IIT digital repository.

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AV Digitisation and Digital Preservation TechWatch Report #01

The PrestoCentre has released the AV Digitisation and Digital Preservation TechWatch Report #01.

Here's an excerpt:

This first TechWatch Report has been written by members of PrestoCentre involved in the Presto4U project and was compiled through meetings they had with specialist technology vendors and researchers late 2013.

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Director, Digital Library Applications at New York Public Library

The New York Public Library is recruiting a Director, Digital Library Applications.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Reporting to the Chief Technology Officer, and working with Director of Digital Initiatives in the Chief Library Organization (CLO), this position will establish and oversee development of our technology architecture for digital asset management, ILS (library catalogue), information discovery, digital content management (preservation, user generated, library-generated), and new areas we push the library in such as learning management systems, partnerships with other content repositories (e.g. Hathi Trust, DPLA), and of course our taxonomy and metadata work. The Director of Digital Library Applications will guide an internal team of developers, database, and system administrators in addition to external vendors, to deliver robust, supportable platforms. The Director of Digital Library Applications will also work closely with system architects and operational leads to develop the services architecture and search engine frameworks needed to power an exceptional, seamless information discovery experience across all of these systems. Additionally, there will be a strong emphasis on devising the technical framework for a library that is increasingly experienced on mobile devices.

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Geospatial Data Stewardship: Key Online Resources

The National Digital Stewardship Alliance has released Geospatial Data Stewardship: Key Online Resources.

Here's an excerpt:

This document lists online resources that highlight key concepts and practices supporting the preservation and stewardship of digital geospatial data and information. GIS practitioners take the initial preservation actions in the decisions they make regarding data creation and management. Librarians, archivists and museum professionals are often called on to support access and the long-term historical and temporal analysis of these same materials. The resources below offer a starting point to methods, tools and approaches across the information lifecycle to assist in understanding current best practices in the stewardship of geospatial data.

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Digital Curation News (3/5/2014) #digitalpreservation

Digital Scholarship | Digital Curation News | Digital Curation, Digital Preservation, and Research Data Management Works

Digital Scholarship & Visual Resource Librarian at Connecticut College Library

The Connecticut College Library is recruiting a Digital Scholarship & Visual Resource Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The successful candidate will lead the development and coordinate the College's digital scholarship program. S/he will also promote and support the use of visual resources at the College. The successful candidate will also be responsible for collaborating with members of Information Services and other campus support organizations to plan and deliver information services and supporting resources. The position will be a member of the Instructional Technology Team and will assist in developing an instructional support program for the College.

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"PREMIS-Lite, a Preservation Metadata Generator"

Todd P. Swanson has published "PREMIS-Lite, a Preservation Metadata Generator" in Library Philosophy and Practice

Here's an excerpt:

Using the PREMIS standard as a model this project creates a "PREMIS-Lite" xml preservation metadata generator. This PREMIS-Lite XML generator and its supporting PREMIS-Lite semantic unit definition, user guide, and crosswalk combine to allow for the simple capture and creation of preservation metadata at the object level.

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Senior iOS Developer at New York Public Library

The New York Public Library is recruiting a Senior iOS Developer.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

With the support of the federal government and a broad coalition of library partners, The New York Public Library is building a small, empowered product team to develop a mobile platform for ebook lending and reading that could serve as model for public libraries across North America. You'll be reinventing the experience of how the public access books, and then expanding into how to rethink how people access the library from their pocket.

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"An Introduction to the Coverage of the Data Citation Index (Thomson-Reuters): Disciplines, Document Types and Repositories"

Daniel Torres-Salinas, Alberto Martín-Martín, Enrique Fuente-Gutiérrez have self-archived "An Introduction to the Coverage of the Data Citation Index (Thomson-Reuters): Disciplines, Document Types and Repositories" in arXiv.org.

Here's an excerpt:

In the past years, the movement of data sharing has been enjoying great popularity. Within this context, Thomson Reuters launched at the end of 2012 a new product inside the Web of Knowledge family: the Data Citation Index. The aim of this tool is to enable discovery and access, from a single place, to data from a variety of data repositories from different subject areas and from around the world. In this short note we present some preliminary results from the analysis of the Data Citation Index. Specifically, we address the following issues: discipline coverage, data types present in the database, and repositories that were included at the time of the study.

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Production Systems Librarian at Harvard University Information Technology

Harvard University Information Technology is recruiting a Production Systems Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

As a member of the Library System Support team, the Production Systems Librarian works collaboratively with software engineers, analysts, systems librarians, library staff, and system administrators to support and maintain stable applications for the Harvard Library. In addition to a broad user and technical support role, the incumbent performs Tier 3 functional support for HOLLIS Classic and supports and maintains the E-research systems.

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University of California Selects Symplectic as Publication Harvesting System Vendor

The University of California has selected Symplectic as the vendor for a publication harvesting system.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

The California Digital Library (CDL), in conjunction with University of California campus partners, has chosen Symplectic as the vendor to implement a publication harvesting system in support of the UC Open Access Policy, passed by the Academic Senate in July 2013.

Symplectic's flagship product, Elements, will form the basis of a research information management system intended to simplify participation in UC's OA Policy by providing an efficient method for faculty to deposit their research into eScholarship, UC's institutional repository. This system holds great promise for dramatically increasing the rate of deposit of faculty publications in accordance with the policy.

With a robust set of features that address the specific requirements of the UC OA Policy and the needs of UC authors, Elements will closely monitor publication sources, including public and licensed publication indexes, for any new materials published by UC authors. Once a new publication is detected in the indexes, the system will collect as much information about that publication as possible and contact the author(s) by email for confirmation and manuscript upload. Author-approved publications will then be automatically submitted to eScholarship, where they will be openly available to the public.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview | Sitemap

Dean of Libraries and Elizabeth D. Rockwell Chair at University of Houston

The University of Houston is recruiting a Dean of Libraries and Elizabeth D. Rockwell Chair.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The University of Houston invites nominations and applications for the position of Dean of Libraries and Elizabeth D. Rockwell Chair. The Dean of Libraries leads the University Libraries and advances the University's mission of research and teaching by ensuring the provision of outstanding library services. The University Libraries comprises the M.D. Anderson Library and three branch libraries (Music, Optometry, and Architecture and Art). The Dean of Libraries serves as the chief executive of the Libraries, with responsibility for oversight of all administrative activities, including budget and personnel management. The Dean provides programmatic and strategic leadership to the Libraries and plays a critical role in the Libraries' development activities. The Dean represents the Libraries within the University, and at the local, state, and national levels. The Dean reports directly to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and is a member of the Council of Deans. . . .

The University Libraries employs over 69 professionals and 135 support staff. Overall, the campus libraries provide access to over 3.1 million volumes. The UH Libraries are a member of the Association of Research Libraries, the Greater Western Library Alliance, the Hathi Trust, the Council on Library and Information Resources, the Digital Library Federation, and the Texas Digital Library. The Libraries enjoy an endowment of over $7 million, including three endowed chairs.

The Libraries actively supported the University's Tier One effort and continues to focus on UH System's Strategic Initiatives. The Libraries' 2013-2016 Strategic Directions reflect the University's top priorities and position the Libraries to be a contributor to these priorities.

The University of Houston is a publicly supported university, enrolling nearly 40,000 students. The University of Houston campus comprises 13 colleges and schools offering close to 80 degree programs. The University holds the classification of research university with very high activity, the highest Carnegie Foundation designation. Reflecting the multicultural community of metropolitan Houston, UH is one of the most ethnically diverse research university campuses in the nation.

An overview of the UH Libraries and a video are available. Short biographies of Paula Myrick Short (Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, UH System, and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, UH) and Renu Khator (Chancellor, UH System, and President, UH) are available on UH's leadership page. Information about the UH System and its four component universities is available at its website.

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DuraSpace Launches DSpaceDirect

DuraSpace has launched DSpaceDirect.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

Today the DuraSpace organization is pleased to announce the public launch of DSpaceDirect—the only hosted repository solution for low-cost discovery, access, archiving, and preservation. DSpaceDirect is now available with convenient features that include fast start-up, you-pick customization, no-cost upgrades, content preservation options, anytime data access and all-the-time data control—all at a price that puts solutions for long-term access to digital scholarly assets within reach of institutions of any size. . . .

Built on DSpace, the most widely-used repository application in the world with more than 1,500 installed instances, DSpaceDirect was inspired by the idea that the past creates the future as each generation builds knowledge on the scholarship that came before. DSpaceDirect is a hosted DSpace repository service that allows institutions of any size to afford to keep their digital content safe and accessible over time. Small institutions are able to get a repository up and running right away that can be made available to patrons as well as to new users worldwide. Users say that the DSpaceDirect easy start-up accelerates discussions about digital content stewardship and preservation best practices at their institutions.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview | Sitemap

Web Developer, Library at Eastern Kentucky University Libraries

Eastern Kentucky University Libraries are recruiting a Web Developer, Library.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The successful candidate will:

  • help design, develop, and implement the library's website, custom web applications, and system user interfaces
  • collaborate with the university IT on the support and further development of the Drupal-based website
  • participate in the User Experience group and contribute to evaluating and improving the online user experience for students, faculty and staff
  • work with other departments to gather requirements, design, and implement custom web applications as needed (current projects include the customization of the online library resources, digital collections and exhibits, and a future discovery system)

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"A DSpace Mobile Theme for San Diego State University"

Mini Vamadevan Pillai has self-archived "A DSpace Mobile Theme for San Diego State University."

Here's an excerpt:

This thesis is an attempt to install and customize a DSpace mobile theme for San Diego State University. The work also includes development of additional features like adding navigational bars, adding administrative login capabilities, accessing administrative navigational panel via mobile theme. The mobile theme supports other features like search, advanced search, recent submissions, submissions and workflow. With the widespread use of mobile telephony, providing a mobile theme for SDSU DSpace will reach out to faculty and other interested parties.

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Scholarly Communications Librarian at Salisbury University Library

The Salisbury University Library is recruiting a Scholarly Communications Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Develop, promote, and manage the institutional repository. Serve as a campus resource and advocate for scholarly communications, open access, and alternative/digital publishing models, collaborating with faculty and staff as appropriate. Serve as the SU Libraries intellectual property rights expert. Work closely with the Head of Public Services and the Head of Circulation in the management of all Access Services functions (circulation, ILL, and reserves), recommending new policies, services, and enhancements as well as providing back-up support as needed. Oversee and process print and online reserves. Participate in University System of Maryland committees related to scholarly communications and access services.

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"Ethics and Access 1: The Sad Case of Jeffrey Beall"

Walt Crawford has published "Ethics and Access 1: The Sad Case of Jeffrey Beall" in Cites & Insights: Crawford at Large.

Here's an excerpt:

This is the first of a trio of essays: two related to fairly specific situations, one covering a range of ethical discussions. Depending on how you define "ethics," I could also include sections on Elsevier and OA, embargoes, fallacious and misleading anti- OA arguments and the whole area of peer review. Or maybe not. In any case, we lead off with the sad case of Jeffrey Beall.

Since Beall's chief claim to fame is his ever-growing list of supposedly predatory OA journals, and since I'm showing the case for treating Beall as a questionable source, I have to say this: In case you're thinking "Walt's claiming there are no scam OA journals," I'm not—and toward the end of this essay, I'll quote some useful ways to avoid scam journals regardless of their business model.

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