Presentations from EThOS Web Services Workshop

Presentations from the EThOS Web Services Workshop are now available.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

Aim of the day: To identify how Web Services are and can be used to enable interoperability between repositories, repository services and other systems. The workshop aims to provide information on and a chance to discuss the role Web Services can play in supporting the ongoing implementation of repositories.

Scholarly Communication 101: Starting with the Basics Workshop Materials Added to Scholarly Communication Toolkit

ACRL has added materials from its Scholarly Communication 101: Starting with the Basics Workshop to its Scholarly Communication Toolkit.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is extending the reach of the "Scholarly Communication 101: Starting with the Basics" workshop by adding related materials to its popular Scholarly Communication Toolkit. The materials—including short videos, presentations templates and handouts—were developed for the half-day workshop offered at the ACRL 14th National Conference in Seattle and traveling to five locations around the country this summer (http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/april2009/acrlscroadshowhosts.cfm). Now librarians can make use of these tools to enhance their own knowledge or adapt them to offer related workshops on their own campuses. The Scholarly Communication Toolkit is available online at http://www.acrl.ala.org/scholcomm/.

Developing a basic understanding of scholarly communication issues should be a high priority for every librarian. Enhancing understanding of how scholars work along with the systems, tools and technology to support the evolving work of the creation, personal organization, aggregation, discovery, preservation, access and exchange of information in all formats is one of six strategic priorities for 2009-13 developed by the ACRL Board of Directors (http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/about/whatisacrl/index.cfm). The newly developed tools support this strategic priority, with a focus on new methods of scholarly publishing and communication, copyright and intellectual property and economics along with open access and openness as a principle.

XC User Research Preliminary Report

Nancy Fried Foster has self-archived XC User Research Preliminary Report in UR Research.

Here's the abstract:

This report summarizes the objectives, methods, and major software design findings from the data collected in the user research portion of the eXtensible Catalog (XC) project. A full analysis and interpretation of the data is not included here and will be provided at the conclusion of the project. This report includes edited results from the brainstorming sessions and a list of the features that emerged from the analysis of those results.

Harvard Graduate School of Education Faculty Adopt Open Access Policy

The Harvard Graduate School of Education faculty have adopted an open access policy. (Thanks to Open Access News.)

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

The faculty of the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) voted overwhelmingly at its last faculty meeting to allow the university to make all faculty members' scholarly articles publicly available online. The resolution makes HGSE the fourth of Harvard's 10 schools to endorse open access to faculty research publications. The Faculties of Arts and Sciences, the Harvard Law School, and the Harvard Kennedy School all passed similar policies in recent months. . . .

As a result of the resolution, HGSE faculty will now provide their scholarly articles to the Harvard Office for Scholarly Communication for deposit in an open access digital repository that is currently under development. When the repository launches later this year, the contents will be freely available to the public, unless an author chooses to embargo or block access. The policy makes rights sharing with publishers and self-archiving the default, while allowing faculty to waive Harvard's license on a case-by-case basis, at the author's discretion.

Nevada Statewide Digital Planning 2008-2009: Final Report

The Nevada Statewide Digital Advisory Committee and the Nevada State Library and Archives have released the Nevada Statewide Digital Planning 2008-2009: Final Report (Thanks to Virtual Library Notes).

Here's an excerpt:

The Statewide Digital Plan (April, 2009) was developed under the leadership of the Nevada State Library and Archives (NSLA) and the Statewide Digital Advisory Committee (SDAC) (Appendix A). Through a series of activities that involved a wide range of Nevadans, including the cultural heritage community, K-12 community, and community arts organization, four goals and objectives were developed and activities prioritized.

Over the next five years the library and cultural heritage community will focus on these goals:

Goal I: Provide online access to digital collections held by Nevada cultural heritage organizations and allied information providers that are distributed throughout Nevada.

Goal II: Develop & implement standards/best practices that will support access to Nevada’s digital collections.

Goal III: Develop a leadership/governance structure that will support the growth and sustainability of a standards-compliant digital initiative created by Nevada’s cultural heritage organizations and allied information providers.

Goal IV: Establish a collaborative digitization model where the full range of types and sizes of Nevada cultural heritage organizations and allied information providers can participate.

Simon & Schuster to Sell E-Books on Scribd

Simon & Schuster will sell e-books on Scribd.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

At launch, nearly 5,000 Simon & Schuster eBook titles will be available on Scribd for purchase and download, making them readable on Scribd.com, computer desktops and various mobile devices. The Simon & Schuster storefront on Scribd (www.scribd.com/Simon&Schuster) will include bestselling books from authors such as Stephen King, Dan Brown, Mary Higgins Clark, Chelsea Handler and Steve Martin. In addition, Simon & Schuster will also make thousands of printed titles available for preview with links to purchase from the Simon & Schuster website and other retailers. . . .

All works in the Scribd Store are added to Scribd's Copyright Management System, an industry-leading technology that helps prevent the upload of unauthorized written works. Publishers like Simon & Schuster have the ability to determine how works are read, including settings for "read only on Scribd.com,” "download” and "download with DRM." In addition, Scribd provides publishers with the flexibility to experiment with pricing, which can be changed easily and at any time.

Read more about it at "Does Simon & Schuster's Scribd Deal Challenge the Kindle?," "Scribd: An E-Book Upstart with Unlikely Fans," and "Simon & Schuster in Deal with Scribd to Sell E-Books."

American Institute of Physics Will Use CLOCKSS Digital Archive

The American Institute of Physics will use the CLOCKSS (Controlled Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) "dark" digital archive.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

CLOCKSS will make AIP content freely available in the event that AIP is no longer able to provide access. . . .

The CLOCKSS initiative was created in response to the growing concern that digital content purchased by libraries may not always be available due to discontinuation of an electronic journal or because of a catastrophic event. CLOCKSS creates a secure, multi-site archive of web-published content that can be tapped into to provide ongoing access to researchers worldwide, free of charge.

"Today, when over one half of all our subscriptions are online only, we owe it to our customers more than ever to provide the best security possible for their electronic products," said Mark Cassar, AIP's Acting Publisher. "Our nearly three-year-old partnership with Portico, and now our participation in the CLOCKSS initiative, solidifies this commitment."

CLOCKSS' decentralized, geographically distributed preservation strategy ensures that the digital assets of the global research community will survive intact. Additionally, it satisfies the demand for locally situated archives with 15 archive nodes planned worldwide by 2010.

“Google Book Search Settlement: Foster Competition, Escrow the Scans”

In "Google Book Search Settlement: Foster Competition, Escrow the Scans," Peter Eckersley proposes that digitized books involved in the Google Book Search Settlement Agreement be put in escrow for some period, then made freely available.

Here's an excerpt:

One good compromise might be to require that anyone who takes a blanket license (whether under the Google Book Search settlement, or under any legislation that might expand the settlement to others) must deposit a copy of the raw scans that they create with the Library of Congress or with the entity that administers the blanket license (e.g., the Books Rights Registry). After a period of years, let's say 14, the term of the Founder's Copyright, those scans should be made available at no cost to any others who take the relevant copyright licenses.

This would not only encourage market entry and competition in the online digital books arena, but would also foster innovation in the field. There's nothing that encourages digital innovation quite like access to an enormous dataset. After all, before Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google, they were graduate students at Stanford. They were able to build a new search engine by downloading their own copy of the web, messing around with it, and figuring our a better algorithm for querying it. New start-ups working with digital books should have the same kind of opportunity.

Stanford University Libraries Have Laid Off 32 Employees, Will Close Physics Library

The Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources have laid off 32 employees, eliminated 26 vacant positions, and plan to close the Physics Library in 2010.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

University Libraries announced Wednesday that it has laid off 32 employees. It also offered nine other staff members the option of being laid off and receiving severance benefits instead of staying in revamped positions at reduced pay or reduced hours.

The unit also announced plans to permanently close the Physics Library in the summer of 2010 and transfer its holdings to other locations. . . .

"This has been a challenging process and layoffs have been undertaken only after careful assessment of all budget options," said University Librarian Michael Keller.

"We greatly regret the need to lay off staff who have been dedicated to the library and its mission. However, the elimination of these positions will enable us to balance our budget. I am confident that we can weather the crisis, and we begin immediately the important task of revamping and rebuilding our organization."

All told, more than 60 library positions have been affected by layoffs, reassignments and other cost-cutting measures to meet the 2010 budget reduction mandated by the university.

University Libraries has also eliminated 26 vacant positions.

In addition to trimming its workforce, University Libraries has cut expenses by reducing the purchase of books, journals and online subscriptions; closing Green Library at 1 a.m.; eliminating patron outreach programs, including the semi-annual magazine Imprint; and eliminating most staff travel.

In Stanford Provost John Etchemendy's "2009-2010 Stanford University Budget Plan" presentation on 05/28/09 to the Faculty Senate, it was stated that the Libraries face a 13.5% general funds budget reduction.

In "University Budget Announced," Etchemendy is reported as saying that the Stanford Auxiliary Libraries project must proceed, noting that:

"If we don’t build that soon, Mike’s going to have to start burning books," Etchemendy said, referring to University Librarian Michael Keller.

Read more about the Stanford University budget situation at "Cuts to Hiring Will Affect Growth, Composition of Faculty"; "Provost Announces Salary Freeze, Additional Cuts for FY 10"; "Provost Outlines Next Year's Budget"; "Recession Leads to Strategic Shift"; and "University Suspends $1.3 Billion in Capital Projects."

Digital Library Jobs: Institutional Repository and Digital Collections Librarian at Missouri University of Science and Technology

The Curtis Laws Wilson Library of the Missouri University of Science and Technology is recruiting an Institutional Repository and Digital Collections Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Lead the production and organization of the Scholars' Mine, Missouri S&T's Institutional Repository (http://scholarsmine.mst.edu). Innovate and grow the Repository's collection and system to be a trend-setting leader in repository form and function. Hire and train student workers to assist with the processing of faculty and student works into the repository. Lead the Mine Team, consisting of library and IT department staff, to continue the development of the Scholars' Mine. Lead an advisory committee of campus faculty to ensure the needs and interests of the campus are known. Interact with faculty to discover new collections, present the repository concept to various campus groups and perform general outreach activities regarding repository functions. Act as the liaison between various campus entities that have a stake in the repository including the library, faculty, administration, information technology and students. Additionally, both as part of the Scholars' Mine operation and in general, act as advisor on copyright concerns from both the author and publisher standpoint to ensure compliance in all areas as the Scholars' Mine adds materials. Work with other University of Missouri campus libraries and the UM Library Systems Office on cooperative projects in the area of digital collections. Assist in identifying local resources to digitize and serve as the primary organizer and expert in deciding the correct platform to host the content.

RoMEO Application Programmers’ Interface Version 2.4 Released

SHERPA has released version 2.4 of the RoMEO Application Programmers' Interface (API).

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

The new version uses a totally new algorithm and is faster than earlier 1.x versions. It also supplies data for the fields that were missing in earlier versions—paid open access, and compliance with research funders' mandates. . . .

If you are using an older version of the prototype, we strongly recommend that you upgrade your application to use V.2.4 as soon as possible, because we will be discontinuing the old versions at the end of 2009. Version 2.4 is largely compatible with earlier versions. The main things that may require attention are: the new URL, handling the extra fields, and handling changes to the parameter and copyright fields.

“One Year (Almost) with the Open Access Authors Fund”

Andrew Waller has self-archived his "One Year (Almost) with the Open Access Authors Fund" presentation in E-LIS.

Here's the abstract:

This presentation described the origin of and policies and procedures relating to the Open Access Authors Fund at the University of Calgary. The activities of the Fund in its first year were presented and discussed. Other Open Access activities at the University of Calgary were also briefly discussed.

Costs and Benefits of Research Communication: The Dutch Situation

The SURFfoundation has released Costs and Benefits of Research Communication: The Dutch Situation.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

This study examines the costs and potential benefits of alternative models for scientific and scholarly publishing in the Netherlands. It is a follow-up of the Australian study 'Research Communication Costs, Emerging Opportunities and Benefits' (Houghton et al. 2006) and the UK/JISC study 'Economic Implications of Alternative Scholarly Publishing Models'. The Dutch study was commissioned by SURFfoundation and led by Professor John Houghton from the Centre of Strategic Economic Studies at Melbourne's Victoria University and Jos de Jonge and Marcia van Oploo of EIM Business & Policy Research in the Netherlands. . . .

The study Costs and Benefits of Research Communication: The Dutch Situation compares three publication models. The greatest advantage is offered by the Open Access model, which means that the research institution or the party financing the research pays for publication and the article is then freely accessible. Adopting this model could lead to an annual saving of EUR 133 million. Even if the Netherlands were the only country to adopt this publication model and continued to pay for licences to access periodicals, there would still be a saving of EUR 37 million.

University of Arizona Digital Information Management Certificate Program Fall 2009 Applications

The University of Arizona's School of Information Resources and Library Science's Digital Information Management Certificate program is accepting Fall 2009 applications until 7/1/09.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

DigIn combines intensive, hands-on technology learning and a strong grounding in the theoretical principles needed to manage large-scale digital collections in a fast-changing environment. The program supports a wide range of professional careers involving digital collections, including but not limited to libraries, archives, and museums.

Graduate certificates are increasingly being recognized as a means for information professionals with advanced degrees to enhance their knowledge and technology skills. DigIn is also open to professionals who are new to the field and who may be considering a masters-level education in the future.

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).

Digital Library Jobs: Systems and Digitization Librarian at Jewish Theological Seminary

The Jewish Theological Seminary Library is recruiting a Systems and Digitization Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Working with ExLibirs products (ALEPH and DigiTool) to resolve problems, answer questions and communicate solutions. Implementation of new features and applications to support library services; perform system analysis and application development to facilitate the use of technology in the library; manages the Integrated Library System and digital assets management system in line with the priorities set by the Library management. This position plans, develops and implements improvements to, or expansions of the ILS, digital assets management system and its related applications in order to support library users and staff.

Open Access Scholarly Information Sourcebook Launched

The Open Access Scholarly Information Sourcebook has been launched.

Here's an excerpt from the home page:

OASIS aims to provide an authoritative ‘sourcebook’ on Open Access, covering the concept, principles, advantages, approaches and means to achieving it. The site highlights developments and initiatives from around the world, with links to diverse additional resources and case studies. As such, it is a community-building as much as a resource building exercise. Users are encouraged to share and download the resources provided, and to modify and customize them for local use. Open Access is evolving, and we invite the growing world-wide community to take part in this exciting global movement.

Melissa Hagemann OASIS Introduction on YouTube

Podcast: “Library 2.0 Gang 06/09: Library System Suppliers View of OCLC Web-Scale”

In the "Library 2.0 Gang 06/09: Library System Suppliers View of OCLC Web-Scale" podcast, vendor representatives from Axiell, Ex Libris, and LibLime discuss OCLC's Web-Scale Management Services.

Here's an excerpt from the post:

The initial reactions to hearing the announcement included "why did they take so long" and guarded "uh-ho." There were several aspects of, and reactions to, the announcement in the conversation—from welcoming the initiative, the inevitable move of library functionality to the cloud, questions about the size of library that would use it, the cost model, and of course issues about data and API availability.

Library IT Jobs: Information Systems Librarian at Queen’s University Library

The Queen's University Library is recruiting an Information Systems Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Information Systems Librarian furthers the development, delivery, assessment and support of information systems and data stores for which the Library is responsible. This position reports to the Head of Library Systems and works under the guidance of an Associate University Librarian in a team-based environment.

Curating Atmospheric Data for Long Term Use: Infrastructure and Preservation Issues for the Atmospheric Sciences Community

The Digital Curation Centre has released Curating Atmospheric Data for Long Term Use: Infrastructure and Preservation Issues for the Atmospheric Sciences Community, SCARP Case Study No. 2.

Here's an excerpt:

DCC SCARP aims to understand disciplinary approaches to data curation by substantial case studies based on an immersive approach. As part of the SCARP project we engaged with a number of archives, including the British Atmospheric Data Centre, the World Data Centre Archive at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT). We developed a preservation analysis methodology which is discipline independent in application but none the less capable of identifying and drawing out discipline specific preservation requirements and issues. In this case study report we present the methodology along with its application to the Mesospheric Stratospheric Tropospheric (MST) radar dataset, which is currently supported by and accessed through the British Atmospheric Data Centre. We suggest strategies for the long term preservation of the MST data and make recommendations for the wider community.

Foundation Grants for Preservation in Libraries, Archives, and Museums, 2009 Edition

The Library of Congress and the Foundation Center have released Foundation Grants for Preservation in Libraries, Archives, and Museums, 2009 Edition.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

This publication lists 1,944 grants of $5,000 or more awarded by 488 foundations, from 2004 through the publication date of this guide. It covers grants to public, academic, research, school, and special libraries, and to archives and museums for activities related to conservation and preservation. This publication includes:

  • an introduction that explains the book's coverage, arrangement, entries, and how to research using the volume. Note: This PDF file contains hotlinks to free online tutorials that cover grant writing and provide an insight into the world of U.S. foundation giving offered by the Foundation Center, as well as to some other widely used non-profit guidance on preservation grants found on the Conservation Online web site.
  • a statistical analysis of grant funding in the area of preservation by foundation, recipient location, subject, recipient type (e.g., Library), grant size, and foundation generosity nationwide.
  • state-by-state descriptions of projects funded in preservation nationwide including the foundation's name, limitations on giving, recipient(s), size of grants, and purpose of the grant described. Note: This section is hot linked in the PDF version directly to more detailed descriptions of the foundations.
  • indexes by recipient, geographic area of the recipient, and subject. Note: If you do not find what you are looking for in the indices, use the find feature to search the text for your term.
  • a list of all foundations that have donated to preservation and conservation with their contact information and limitations on giving.

EPrints + Web 2.0: SNEEP 0.3.2 Released

SNEEP 0.3.2 has been released. (See the project page for more information on the Social Networking Extensions for EPrints.)

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

SNEEP is a set of EPrints plugins that provide "Web 2.0-ish" features such as the ability for users to annotate eprint abstracts with shared Comments or personal Notes, and to categorise them with Tags.

SNEEP 0.3.2 adds out-of-the-box support for version 3.1.2.1 of EPrints, but the main change is that, for the first time, SNEEP is now distributed with an automagic install script. Where previous releases required a rather lengthy manual process, in the majority of cases installation should now be quick and painless.