Category: Digital Libraries

Digital Library Federation Spring Forum 2009 Presentations

Presentations from the Digital Library Federation Spring Forum 2009 are now available.

Here's a quick selection:

Interview with Kristin Antelman, Associate Director for the Digital Library at NCSU Libraries

In "A Conversation with Kristin Antelman," Brett Bonfield has interviews Kristin Antelman, Associate Director for the Digital Library at the North Carolina State University Libraries about the Taiga Forum (a group for Assistant/Associate University Librarians and Assistant/Associate Directors), its controversial 2009 Provocative Statements, and other topics.

Here's an excerpt:

[Bonfield] Is there anything we could do to that would keep us from being at the mercy of Google and the major publishers? . . . .

[Antelman] Scholarly publishers, operating in an increasingly consolidated market, will continue to raise prices beyond inflation and restrict libraries through complex big deal licenses. They do have us at their mercy. Open access may be the eventual solution (and I think it is) but, in the interim, the detrimental impacts of their dominance (smaller market for monographs, for instance) will continue to be significant. One thing libraries can do—and many have done—is never again enter into big deals, where flexibility is traded for cost savings. Another thing libraries can do is to be less fixated on collecting for posterity. Scholarly work is increasingly preserved beyond our walls: a significant percentage of the best articles are already openly available on the web (and this segment is growing), while another significant percentage is made openly available by publishers after an embargo period. Libraries, collectively, will have to be less dogmatic about licensing (and replicating) complete and official versions of the STM (scientific/technical/medical) literature. At risk are two dimensions of our mission that have historically (and justifiably) defined us as research libraries: developing collections of significant breadth to meet the needs of all our constituents and maintaining the capacity to invest in new services.

Talis Interview with Peter Brantley, Director of the Internet Archive

Richard Wallis has posted a digital audio interview with Peter Brantley, the Internet Archive's new Director, on Panlibus.

Here's an excerpt from the post:

In this conversation we look back over the last couple of years at the DLF [Digital Library Federation] and then forward in to his new challenge and opportunity at the Internet Archive.

We go on to discuss his thoughts and plans to make it easy to identify books and information and their locations in a way that is currently not possible with the processes and protocols we use today.

Digital Library Federation to Merge with Council on Library and Information Resources

On July 1, 2009, the Digital Library Federation will be merged into the Council on Library and Information Resources as one of its programs.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

With the merger, DLF's current members will become "charter sponsors" of the DLF program at CLIR. CLIR will hire a program officer to lead DLF initiatives. CLIR will continue to convene forums and will also convene special thematic sessions, with a goal of more in-depth exploration of collaborative activities.

A transition committee drawn from the CLIR and DLF boards will guide the initial stages of the merger; the DLF Board will also nominate two members to serve on the CLIR Board. The new members' terms will start in July; they will run for three years and are subject to renewal. . . .

In recommending the merger, the Review Committee cited a maturing of the digital landscape, as well as the economic efficiencies of consolidating the two organizations and the potential added value of leveraging the programmatic strengths of each.

Penn State’s Digital Library Infrastructure Unit and HP Collaborate on eXtensible Access Method Tests

Penn State's Digital Library Infrastructure unit and HP are collaborating to test the use of the eXtensible Access Method interface standard for mass data storage. (Thanks to ResourceShelf.)

Here's an excerpt from "Penn State Launches Digital Library Archive Initiative with HP":

[Mark] Saussure and his team have recently been collaborating with HP to test digital tools that can be used across all of Penn State's many repository platforms. Primary among these tools is eXtensible Access Method (XAM), a new interface standard created by the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) that is expected to help the University cohesively manage and provide access to its diverse digital library collections, electronic record archives, e-science and e-research data repositories.

"We're talking about hundreds of terabytes to petabytes of information from many sources,” said Saussure. XAM is the digital glue that brings all these data repositories together.

As part of its collaboration with HP, Penn State aims to develop a "tiered" electronic storage architecture to meet data discovery, corporate governance and regulatory compliance requirements for many years to come. The approach is part of the SNIA initiative to seek innovative applications for XAM through the efforts of global companies such as HP, EMC and Sun Microsystems. The initiative encourages universities, businesses and institutions to collaborate with one another to use the power of XAM to better manage the exploding demand for online storage.

Read more about it at "XAM and Penn State's Use of HP's Integrated Archive Platform."

World Digital Library to Launch on April 21, 2009

The World Digital Library will launch on April 21, 2009.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

UNESCO and 32 partner institutions will launch the World Digital Library, a web site that features unique cultural materials from libraries and archives from around the world, at UNESCO Headquarters on 21 April. The site will include manuscripts, maps, rare books, films, sound recordings, and prints and photographs. It will provide unrestricted public access, free of charge, to this material.

The launch will take place at a reception co-hosted by UNESCO Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, and U.S. Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington. Directors of the partner institutions will also be on hand to present the project to ambassadors, ministers, delegates, and special guests attending the semi-annual meeting of UNESCO’s Executive Board.

National Science Digital Library Releases EduPak Version 1.0

The National Science Digital Library has released EduPak version 1.0.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

EduPak version 1.0 is a lightweight version of the NCore open-source digital library platform specifically designed to meet the needs of national educational organizations and institutions focused on establishing specialized digital collections, conducting educational research, or providing students, teachers and instructors with discipline-oriented pedagogical products and tools that require basic technology for educational digital repositories. Built with NCore components, EduPak is an all-in-one, educational digital repository solution that provides a general platform for building digital libraries united by a common data model and interoperable applications.

Maverick Digital Project Manager Jobs

Recently, Dorothea Salo posted a self-proclaimed rant, "Just Say No to Maverick-Manager Jobs."

Her topic was maverick institutional repository manager jobs, but I was struck by some similarities to what might be called for want of a better term "maverick digital project manager" jobs. These jobs can be at different levels in the organization and they can have different titles. Their key characteristic is that they have no direct reports, and consequently they rely on other units to provide critical support. Beyond this, they may have some or all of the below characteristics:

  • They may have a very broad scope of responsibility (e.g., digitization, digital preservation, digital repositories, ETDs, and scholarly communication) yet have no real authority.
  • They may have no direct control over key technical resources, such as servers.
  • They may have no dedicated, regularly budgeted funding.
  • They may report to a superior who does not have an adequate background to understand or manage a digital project operation.
  • Regardless of stated qualifications, they really require not only an alphabet soup of specific technical skills, but also a broad technical background and a variety of non-technical skills, such as a significant understanding of copyright issues.
  • They may represent a wish by the library to make progress in this area, not a real commitment by the library to do so.

Of course, by their very nature, digital projects must cross departmental and divisional lines, and cooperation is essential. The problem with the above support scenario is that, no matter how well intentioned, library staff in other units have their own complex and time-consuming responsibilities, and those responsibilities must be their day-to-day priority. (This can be especially tricky when needed support crosses divisional lines.) Moreover, on an individual basis, their interest in involvement in digital projects may vary considerably and their ability to participate, if interested, may wax and wane with their workload, not with project timelines.

Lack of a dedicated budget may result in digital projects being funded (or not) dependent on the ever changing fiscal circumstances of the library and the constantly shifting priorities of administrators. To some degree this is always true, but it is typically easier not to fund a non-budgeted operation than to eliminate or reduce a budgeted one. Digital projects can be seen as icing on the cake, not the cake itself.

Digital projects are expensive, and, the deeper the library gets into supporting them, the more expensive they become. For example, simple Web strategies that were adequate for a few digital exhibits are no longer adequate as the number of digital objects multiply, requiring digital asset management systems or other more complicated strategies. Digital preservation issues that could be initially ignored come to the fore. The library doesn’t need to put high-level human and technical infrastructure in place on day one to make progress, but it does need to recognize the fiscal implications that a long-term commitment entails and be willing to support planned growth.

Adequate supervision is a tricky issue because digital projects are based on complex technologies, yet they entail many key non-technical factors. Consider the institutional repository. As has been noted elsewhere with some regularity, the technical part, no matter how difficult, is the easy part. Faculty attitude change and motivation, copyright policies and compliance, providing decent metadata, and so on are the hard part. Supervisors may not need to be high-level technical experts, but they need a baseline understanding of relevant technical and non-technical issues and, most importantly, a genuine interest in and commitment to digital projects as well as a willingness to learn. Unless the maverick digital project manager reports to the head of the library, his or her supervisor must be an effective advocate for digital projects to his or her superiors to facilitate adequate support.

Those hiring maverick digital project managers may have a poor grasp of the necessary skills required or have a desire to hire on the cheap, resulting in understated or vague job requirements in recruitment ads. Consequently, new hires may quickly find themselves in deep water. Advanced technical and other sorts of training, if available and funded, can help with some aspects of this problem, but, since maverick digital project managers are without mentors, not all of it. Realistic expectations by supervisors are critical in this case, but can't be counted on.

Few things are as deadly to maverick digital project managers as the vague, but poorly informed, wish of a few administrators to make progress (often rapid progress) in the digital area that it is motivated by a desire to get on the digital bandwagon, rather than by a genuine interest in and considered concern for development in this area.

So, maverick digital project managers of the future, good luck. I'm not going to tell you not to do it, but I advise keeping your eyes open, asking incisive interview questions so that you know what you are in for, and having an good exit strategy.

eXtensible Catalog Webcast Released

The eXtensible Catalog (XC) Project has released a six-part webcast that describes the software, which is expected to be released by the end of the month.

Here's an excerpt from the project home page that describes it:

The eXtensible Catalog (XC) Project is working to design and develop a set of open-source applications that will provide libraries with an alternative way to reveal their collections to library users. XC will provide easy access to all resources (both digital and physical collections) across a variety of databases, metadata schemas and standards, and will enable library content to be revealed through other services that libraries may already be using, such as content management systems and learning management systems. XC will also make library collections more web-accessible by revealing them through web search engines.

European Commission Allocates 25 Million Euros for Digital Libraries

The European Commission CIP-ICT Policy Support Programme has allocated 25 million euros for digital libraries in 2009.

Here's an excerpt from "European Commission CIP-ICT Policy Support Programme: Digital Libraries Information Day, Luxembourg, 17th February 2009."

A budget of 25 million euros is allocated to digital libraries in the 2009 call. The main goals of this call are contributing to Europeana (the European digital library) and maximizing the impact of European research results. The specific objectives are:

  • Developing services to improve the usability of Europeana
  • Aggregating content for Europeana
  • Digitising content for Europeana
  • Open access to scientific information
  • Use of heritage content for education

Indiana University Releases Variations Digital Music Library System as Open Source Software

Indiana University has released Variations, a Java-based client-server software used to create digital music library systems, as open source software.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

Variations enables institutions such as college and university libraries and music schools to digitize audio and score materials from their own collections, provide those materials to their students and faculty in an interactive online environment, and respect intellectual property rights.

A key feature of the system for faculty and students is the ability to create bookmarks and playlists for use in studying or in preparing classroom presentations, allowing easy access later on to specific audio time points or segments. A key feature for libraries is a flexible access control and authentication system, which allows libraries to set up access rules based on their own local institutional policies.

This software is the culmination of nearly fifteen years of development and use of digital music library systems at Indiana University. Creation of the current Variations software platform was originally funded by the National Science Foundation. In 2005, the Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded Indiana University a National Leadership Grant to extend this highly successful system to the nationwide library community. Beyond IU, the software is currently being used at the Ohio State University, University of Maryland, New England Conservatory of Music, and the Philadelphia area Tri-College Consortium (Haverford, Swarthmore, and Bryn Mawr).

This open source release of Variations complements IU's earlier release of the open source Variations Audio Timeliner, which lets users identify relationships in passages of music, annotate their findings, and play back the results with simple point-and-click navigation. This tool is also included as a feature of the complete Variations system. . . .

The Indiana University Digital Library Program and Cook Music Library created Variations in collaboration with faculty and students in IU's Jacobs School of Music. The IU Digital Library Program is a collaborative effort of the Indiana University Libraries and the Indiana University Office of the Vice President for Information Technology.

Arizona's Digital Information Management Certificate Program Accepting 2009-10 Applications

The University of Arizona School of Information Resources and Library Science is accepting 2009-10 applications for its Digital Information Management (DigIn) Certificate Program. Scholarships are available.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

The DigIn program features hands-on experience and focused instruction supporting careers in libraries, archives, records management, museums, as well as in the private sector. The certificate includes six courses covering a wide range of topics relevant to today's digital information environment, including digital collections, applied technology, technology planning and leadership, policy and ethics, digital preservation and research data curation.

For information professionals just starting in the field or considering career changes, the DigIn certificate program offers an alternative path to graduate studies that helps prepare students for success in traditional graduate programs or the workplace.

The certificate also provides a means for working professionals and those who already have advanced graduate degrees in library and information sciences, archives, museum studies or other fields to broaden their knowledge and skills in today's rapidly evolving digital information landscape.

The program is delivered 100% online and has no residency requirements. Students generally complete the certificate in four or six semesters (15 months or 27 months).

Beginning this year, DigIn applicants will be able to enter the program at the start of the Summer, Fall, or Spring semesters. The application deadline for Summer '09 is April 1. The deadline for Fall '09 admission is July 1, and for Spring '10 the deadline will be Nov. 1.

DigIn was developed in cooperation with the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records and the University of Arizona Outreach College. Major funding for the program comes from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which has also provided scholarship funding.

Additional details on the program including course descriptions, admissions requirements and application forms may be found on the program website:

digin.arizona.edu.

Applicants may also contact the DigIn program coordinator, Prof. Peter Botticelli, at

digin@email.arizona.edu.

Presentations from the CNI Fall 2008 Task Force Meeting

Presentations, handouts, and project links are available for project briefings at the CNI Fall 2008 Task Force Meeting.

Here is a selection of presentations:

Grants: Digging into Data Challenge from JISC, NEH, NSF, and SSHRC

The Joint Information Systems Committee, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council have announced The Digging into Data Challenge.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

The Digging into Data Challenge encourages humanities and social science research using large-scale data analysis, challenging scholars to develop international partnerships and explore vast digital resources, including electronic repositories of books, newspapers, and photographs to identify new opportunities for scholarship.

Applicants will form international teams from at least two of the participating countries. Winning teams will receive grants from two or more of the funding agencies and, one year later, will be invited to present their work at a special conference. These teams, which may be composed of scholars and scientists, will be asked to demonstrate how data mining and data analysis tools currently used in the sciences can improve humanities and social science scholarship. The hope of this competition is that these projects will serve as exemplars to the field and encourage new, international partnerships among scholars, computer scientists, information scientists, librarians, and others. . . .

In order to apply, interested applicants must first submit a letter of intent by March 15, 2009. Final applications will be due July 15, 2009.

Laine Farley Named as Executive Director of the California Digital Library

Laine Farley has been named as the Executive Director of the California Digital Library. Farley has served as the Interim Executive Director since July 2006.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

"What we needed was not just a great leader for the CDL, but also a strategy for building the next generation of digital libraries," said Daniel Greenstein, UC vice provost for academic information and strategic services. "It was equally clear that the best way forward in envisioning this new world would be to draw upon the creativity, leadership and talent already within UC and the CDL, and to ramp up our planning efforts. Laine's vision and leadership, which she has demonstrated during challenging times, will take the CDL in new and exciting directions."

As part of ongoing planning with the University of California libraries, Farley will work closely with the university librarians on the 10 campuses and others throughout the UC system to ensure that systemwide library services continue to evolve to better support libraries and scholars.

Previously, Farley's roles at the CDL have included positions as director of digital library services and deputy university librarian. In addition, she was the user services coordinator and the coordinator of bibliographic policy and services at the UC Division of Library Automation. She has also been a reference librarian and coordinator of bibliographic instruction at UC Riverside, and head of the humanities department at the Steen Library at Stephen F. Austin State University. Farley holds a B.A. in liberal arts (Plan II) and an M.L.S. from the University of Texas at Austin.

David Millman Named Director of Digital Library Technology Services at New York University

David Millman, Senior Director, Systems Integration, Information Technology at Columbia University, has been named Director of Digital Library Technology Services at New York University. He will report jointly to Carol A. Mandel, Dean of the Libraries, and David Ackerman, Executive Director of .edu Services, Information Technology Services.

Digital Library Software: Greenstone Version 2.81 Released

Version 2.81 of the Greenstone digital library software has been released.

Here's an excerpt from the home page that describes Greenstone:

Greenstone is a suite of software for building and distributing digital library collections. It provides a new way of organizing information and publishing it on the Internet or on CD-ROM. Greenstone is produced by the New Zealand Digital Library Project at the University of Waikato, and developed and distributed in cooperation with UNESCO and the Human Info NGO. It is open-source, multilingual software, issued under the terms of the GNU General Public License.

See the Greenstone Fact Sheet for a more detailed description of the system.