JISC Issues Call for Information Environment Rapid Innovation Grants

JISC has issued a call for Information Environment Rapid Innovation Grants proposals.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

Proposals are sought under the following priority areas:

  • Mashups of open data
  • Aggregating tags and feeds
  • Semantic web/ linked data
  • Data search
  • Visualisation
  • Personalisation
  • Mobile Technologies
  • Lightweight Shared Infrastructure Services
  • User Interface Design

Presentations from the 9th International Bielefeld Conference

Presentations from the 9th International Bielefeld Conference are now available.

Here's a few quick selections:

  • Communicating the Results of Research: How Much Does It Cost, and Who Pays?, Michael Jubb (slides) (audio)
  • IR Also Means Institutional Responsibility, Leo Waaijers (slides) (audio)
  • University Investment in the Library: What's the Return?, Carol Tenopir (slides) (audio)

"Know Your Copyright from Wrong: A Guide to UK Copyright Law"

Christine Riefa, Brunel Law School, has made "Know Your Copyright from Wrong: A Guide to UK Copyright Law" available on SSRN.

Here's the abstract:

Copyright law in the UK is heavily influenced by European law and international treaties. The rationale for protection is anchored in utilitarian theories, based on the idea that an author should be rewarded for his time, effort, and creativity and that he should also be able to control the work as property. The economic protection granted to the author or copyright owner remains a strong feature of UK copyright law and shapes its contours. Our exploration of UK copyright law starts with the subsistence of Copyright to then move on to consider its duration and how copyright is transferred to third parties. Infringements and defences to infringements as well as the acts permitted by Statute are reviewed before concluding by taking into consideration moral rights, a fairly recent addition to UK copyright law.

Library IT Jobs: Library Technology Coordinator at University of Puget Sound

The Collins Memorial Library at the University of Puget Sound is recruiting a Library Technology Coordinator.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

This position has responsibility for the day to day operation of the Innovative Interface Integrated library system and for supporting general technology applications including: web page development, survey instruments, and maintaining awareness of new and emerging trends including open access software. The individual in this position will also serve as the primary technical contact with the Orbis/Cascade Alliance and the UPS Technology Services staff. In addition, the individual in this position may assist with the ongoing management of some digital projects assisting with the development of standards and processes.

Digital Library Jobs: IT Specialist at NASA Astrophysics Data System

The NASA Astrophysics Data System is recruiting an IT Specialist.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The employee will develop software modules and web-based applications to support the Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) services. The ADS is a 16-year-old project that has revolutionized access to the astronomical literature. The successful candidate will join a dynamic team to help enhance and solidify the project's role as THE digital library portal for astronomers. The employee will participate in the development, maintenance and upgrading of the ADS infrastructure and help plan, specify, and build the technologies needed to support the project's goal of ubiquitous access to the astronomical literature and related datasets.

Microsoft Releases Ontology Add-in for Microsoft Office Word 2007

Microsoft has released the open source Ontology Add-in for Microsoft Office Word 2007.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

Addressing this critical challenge for researchers, Microsoft Corp. and Creative Commons announced today, before an industry panel at the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference (ETech 2009, http://en.oreilly.com/et2009/), the release of the Ontology Add-in for Microsoft Office Word 2007 that will enable authors to easily add scientific hyperlinks as semantic annotations, drawn from ontologies, to their documents and research papers. Ontologies are shared vocabularies created and maintained by different academic domains to model their fields of study.

This Add-in will make it easier for scientists to link their documents to the Web in a meaningful way. Deployed on a wide scale, ontology-enabled scientific publishing will provide a Web boost to scientific discovery.

Science Commons, a division of Creative Commons, is incubating the adoption of semantic scientific publishing through creation of a robust database of ontologies (http://neurocommons.org) and development of supporting technical standards and code. Microsoft Research has built a technology bridge to enable the link between Microsoft Office Word 2007 and these ontologies.

"The Web is broken for scientific researchers—full of hyperlinks of scholarly articles, but it is nearly impossible for us to find what we need," said John Wilbanks, vice president for Science at Creative Commons. "The semantic Web tool will help bridge the gap between basic research and meaningful discovery, unlocking the value of research so more people can benefit from the work scientists are doing."

DigitalPreservationEurope Briefing Paper on Database Preservation

DigitalPreservationEurope has released a briefing paper on Database Preservation.

Here's an excerpt:

Information systems for most organizations are currently supported by databases. Preservation of these databases has to address problems including defining what is to be preserved, the creation and long-term evolution of the preserved objects, organizational support for preservation actions, and technologies that will keep the preserved objects accessible and trustworthy. Some of the issues in database preservation have already been addressed in electronic record preservation, but others result from the specific nature of databases.

Library IT Jobs: Web Services Librarian at University of Alaska

The University of Alaska's Consortium Library is recruiting a Web Services Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Web Services Librarian will work as part of the Library Systems Department to deliver access to more than 190 licensed databases, 20,000 electronic journals and books, and other web-based services. The department with five positions manages over 150 PCs for staff, public, and instructional use as well as several Linux and Windows servers for authentication, storage, web applications, and other services.

Digital Library Jobs: Scholarly Communications and Intellectual Property Librarian at Appalachian State

The University Library at Appalachian State University is recruiting a Scholarly Communications and Intellectual Property Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The position is responsible for uniting and strengthening the Library’s efforts in scholarly communications and intellectual property. The successful candidate will lead scholarly communication outreach efforts to the campus community; will develop and provide intellectual property and copyright services for the campus; and will develop and administer policies and procedures related to the ASU Institutional Repository and Faculty Publications Database. This position demands leadership abilities and the ability to work with library and university constituencies.

Digital Collections/Exhibitions Software: Omeka 1.0 Alpha Released

Omeka 1.0 alpha has been released.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

This version of Omeka includes:

  • New helper functions and updates current helper function;
  • Enhancements and fixes bugs throughout the admin panel;
  • An autocompleter to the tags field for items;
  • Filtering for the users list in the admin;
  • An upgrade notification to admin dashboard if you're version of Omeka is older than the latest stable release.
  • A "Remember Me" checkbox to the login.
  • A global view page and helpers for file metadata, which will allow you to edit file metadata and display it in public themes.

Library IT Jobs: Library Systems Manager at Rider University

The Rider University Libraries are recruiting a Library Systems Manager.

Here's an excerpt from the ad :

Rider University seeks a Library Systems Manager to assume overall responsibility for the management and ongoing development of a growing range of information technology based systems and services for the University Libraries on both campuses. Under the direction of the Dean of University Libraries individual will: manage the development and delivery of new and innovative user-centered library services; evaluate the use of technology to enhance and expand overall systems operations and services; maintain a comprehensive, responsive computing environment; plan and administer library technology systems; maintain system-wide fault tolerance and security at all levels; devise long term strategic plans for the development of information technology systems and services; coordinate the library’s annual equipment replacement schedules; and work closely with other campus units in the provision of information technology supported services.

Senate Spending Bill Includes NIH Open Access Provision

The Senate spending bill, which has been reported by the Washington Post and others as having passed, includes an NIH open access provision.

Here's an excerpt from "In 2009 Appropriations Bill, NIH Public Access Mandate Would Become Permanent":

In the section funding the NIH, section 217, pertaining to public access, reads:

"The Director of the National Institutes of Health shall require in the current fiscal year and thereafter [emphasis added] that all investigators funded by the NIH submit or have submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine's PubMed Central an electronic version their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication, to be made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official date of publication: provided, That the NIH shall implement the public access policy in a manner consistent with copyright law."

In his "Congress Makes NIH Policy Permanent (but for Conyers Bill) post," Peter Suber points out that because of the Fair Copyright in Research Works Act the NIH Public Access policy is still in danger.

Digital Repository Software: VTLS Releases VITAL 4.0

VTLS has released VITAL 4.0, which utilizes the Fedora repository software.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

VITAL provides functions to allow easy access of digital resources by individuals, while enforcing proper curation and management policies for digital resources. Authentication and access control are an integral part of the capabilities of Release 4.0 of VITAL. These capabilities grant access where needed and restrict access where appropriate.

Some new features in Release 4.0 of VITAL include:

  • Access management for users and groups: The VITAL software provides an interface for creating users and groups, assigning users to one or more groups, defining the permissions for each group, and defining the permissions for each object and datastream.
  • Integration with QuikBib (TM): QuikBib (TM) provides researchers with the ability to select from 1000+ citation styles for formatting citations for bibliographies.
  • Authority lists: VITAL functionality has been expanded to include the ability to define certain metadata elements present in the repository as "authorities." This allows repository staff to ensure data consistency.
  • Support for consortia: VITAL functionality has been enhanced to support multiple institutions using a single VITAL instance. In this implementation, support has been added for a single copy of Fedora and a single VITAL Access Portal and allows for different skin modifications and configurations for each individual site.

Lawrence Lessig Replies to Rep. John Conyers about the Fair Copyright in Research Works Act

Lawrence Lessig has replied to Rep. John Conyers' "A Reply to Larry Lessig," which was written in response to "Is John Conyers Shilling for Special Interests?" by Lawrence Lessig and Michael Eisen.

Here's an excerpt:

Supporting citizens' funding of the nation's elections—as Mr. Conyers has—is an important first step. That one change, I believe, would do more than any other to restore trustworthiness in Congress.

But that's not all you could do, Mr. Conyers. You have it within your power to remove any doubt about the reasons you have for sponsoring the legislation you sponsor: Stop accepting contributions from the interests your committee regulates. This was the principle of at least some committee chairmen in the past. It is practically unheard of today. But you could set an important example for others, and for America, about how an uncorrupted system of government might work. And you could do so without any risk to your own position—because the product of your forty years of extraordinary work for the citizens of Michigan means that they'll return you to office whether or not you spend one dime on a reelection. Indeed, if you did this, I'd promise to come to Michigan and hand out leaflets for your campaign.

Until you do this, Mr. Conyers, don't lecture me about "crossing a line." For I intend to cross this line as often as I can, the outrage and scorn of Members of Congress notwithstanding. This is no time to play nice. And yours is just the first in a series of many such stories to follow—targeting Republicans as well as Democrats, people who we agree with on substance as well as those we don't, always focusing on bad bills that make sense only if you follow the money.

How Long Should Institutional Repository Items Be Preserved?: Chris Rusbridge Discusses Results of Informal Surveys

In "Repository Preservation Revisited," Chris Rusbridge, Director of the Digital Curation Centre, discusses the findings of some informal surveys he conducted about how long institutional repository items should be preserved.

Here's an excerpt:

Note, I would not draw any conclusions from the actual numerical votes on their own, but perhaps we can from the values within each group. However, ever hasty if not foolhardy, here are my own tentative interpretations:

  • First, even "experts" are alarmed at the potential implications of the term "OAIS."
  • Second, repository managers don’t believe that keeping resources accessible and/or usable for 10 years (in the context of the types of material they currently manage in repositories) will give them major problems.
  • Third, repository managers don't identify "accessibility and/or usability of its contents for the long term" as implying the mechanisms of an OAIS (this is perhaps rather a stretch given my second conclusion).

Library IT Jobs: Director, Technology Support Services at University of New Mexico

The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center is recruiting a Director, Technology Support Services.

Here's an excerpt from ad :

The Director of Technology Support Services oversees a program that includes IT services and support, including User Support and Help Desk; IT Systems; IT Applications and Web Development; and Emergent Technologies. This position leads in the development of IT policy and standards, standardized equipment and technology, and establishes and maintains partnerships with other HSC components.

The Director reports to the Associate Vice President for Knowledge Management and IT (who also serves as HSC CIO and UNM Deputy CIO) and works collaboratively with respective Directors of Library and Education Services and for Health Sciences Informatics Development. In addition to the above, duties include those expected of all SOM and HSLIC faculty, including teaching, committee service, strategic planning team work, and scholarly activities.

Library IT Jobs: Systems/Metadata Librarian at Whitman College

The Penrose Library at Whitman College is recruiting a Systems/Metadata Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad :

The Systems/Metadata Librarian is accountable for the daily operation of the Innovative Interfaces Integrated Library System and for organizing access to networked information resources using traditional and emerging metadata protocol.

This position will also be responsible for associated authority control, quality control, knowledge of changing metadata standards, and other duties associated with the creation and maintenance of data related to both digital and print materials. Additionally, this individual will provide systems and metadata support for digital services and serve as the administrator of the library's website. A knowledge of automated library systems, professional techniques, and metadata standards is required as well as an awareness of the College's instructional and administrative planning. Education and practical experience with library automation, and general knowledge of current trends in computing and technology are necessary. The individual also participates in library-wide planning and policy making in a shared decision-making environment.

Library IT Jobs: Associate University Librarian for Information Technology at Duke

The Duke University Libraries are recruiting an Associate University Librarian for Information Technology.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Associate University Librarian for Information Technology (AUL IT) or Director for Information Technology, depending on background and qualifications, provides leadership, vision and strategic direction for the Duke University Libraries (DUL) in the development, delivery and integration of new and existing systems and technology services across the Libraries. S/he oversees the management and operations of Information Technology Services, including its four departments/sections that provide application development, ILS support, end user services and web services to the Libraries. S/he also serves as the Libraries' chief liaison with the University's Office of Information Technology (OIT) and with other technology units on campus. S/he will actively seek partnerships and manage collaborations with departments of the Libraries and other organizations external to the Libraries to ensure that the resources are in place to support a wide array of user needs.

NEH Funds 197 Humanities Projects

The National Endowment for the Humanities has made $20 million in grant awards/offers to 197 humanities projects.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

The funding announced today will support a variety of projects in diverse fields of the humanities. Projects receiving support will, for example, provide college faculty the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in the humanities to enhance undergraduate instruction; support high-quality media projects for public audiences that explore significant ideas and events in the humanities; enable researchers to record and archive languages facing extinction; and encourage the development of innovations in the digital humanities.

This award cycle, institutions and individuals in 36 states and the District of Columbia will receive NEH support. Projects undertaken by American scholars working outside the United States are also receiving support. A complete state-by-state listing of grants and offers of matching funds is available below:

John Wiley & Sons FY 2009 Third Quarter STMS Revenue Declines 13% to $202 Million

Because of an "unfavorable $35 million foreign exchange impact," John Wiley & Sons' fiscal year 2009 third quarter Scientific, Technical, Medical, and Scholarly (STMS) revenue was down 13% to $202 million; however, on a "currency neutral basis," revenue grew 2%. (Wiley's fiscal year runs from May 1 to April 30.)

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

Journal subscription revenue was on par with prior year, as revenue from new journals was partially offset by the aforementioned processing delays and lower backfile sales. STMS book sales improved in markets outside the US. Publishing areas that exhibited significant growth include the life sciences, professional, and the social sciences and humanities.

The journal subscription renewal delays were related to the consolidation of Wiley and Blackwell fulfillment systems and licensing practices, which is the last significant integration project and one of the most complex undertakings in the overall process. While the problems that caused the delays were substantially resolved by the end of the quarter, some of the processing backlog remained. Approximately $7 million of revenue on yet-to-be processed customer journal licenses will be earned in the fourth quarter. The delays also affected cash collections through January. . . .

For the first nine months of fiscal year 2009, global STMS revenue was flat with prior year at $696 million, but advanced 6%, excluding unfavorable foreign exchange. Contributing to the year-over-year growth was a $17 million acquisition accounting adjustment related to the Blackwell acquisition that reduced revenue in the comparable prior year period, as well as increased journal revenue. All regions exhibited growth. Direct contribution to profit for the first nine months rose 4% to $277 million, or 10% excluding unfavorable foreign exchange. The increase reflects higher journal subscription revenue and prudent expense management, partially offset by editorial costs associated with new journals and the aforementioned delay in journal subscription renewals.

Wiley's FY 2008 results are summarized in its "John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Reports Record Revenue and Earnings in Fiscal Year 2008" press release.

New York Action Alert: Rep. Carolyn Maloney Sponsors Fair Copyright in Research Works Act

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) has become the first sponsor of the Fair Copyright in Research Works Act who is not a member of the House Judiciary Committee.

If you are in her district and oppose the bill, you can contact her to express your opposition in the following ways:

  • DC Office: Phone: (202) 225-7944; Fax: (202) 225-4709
  • New York Office: Phone: (212) 860-0606, Fax: (212) 860-0704
  • Web Form: The Hill form; Maloney's form

The ALA call to action and the Alliance for Taxpayer Access call to action have example text and talking points that you can use. (Note that the ALA call Web form cannot be used to contact Maloney.)

Peter Suber offers this advice:

As usual, you will be more persuasive if you can explain why the NIH policy matters to you, your work, or your organization. Be specific and be personal. Speak for yourself, but if you can, get your institution to send a letter as well. Save your message; you may need to adapt and reuse it later. And please spread the word to your NY colleagues.

For further information about the Fair Copyright in Research Works Act, see Suber's article "Re-introduction of the Bill to Kill the NIH Policy" and his post "Aiming Criticism at the Right Target."

Podcast: Interview with OCLC Vice President Karen Calhoun

JISC has released a podcast interview with OCLC Vice President Karen Calhoun.

Here's the abstract:

The not-for-profit Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) is the principal sponsor of JISC’s 2009 annual conference in Edinburgh. In this podcast interview OCLC's Vice President Karen Calhoun talks to Robert Haymon-Collins, JISC's Director of Communications and Marketing, to discuss what her organisation does in the field of providing digital content for learning and research, and how improved access to this well-catalogued knowledge can help improve the student experience—a key theme of this year's JISC conference. Calhoun also clarifies OCLC's recent proposed policy changes concerning the use of OCLC records, an issue that has generated lively debate within the library and information communities both in the UK and further afield.

Net Neutrality: The Federal Communications Commission's Authority to Enforce its Network Management Principles

The Congressional Research Service has released Net Neutrality: The Federal Communications Commission's Authority to Enforce its Network Management Principles. (Thanks to ResourceShelf.)

Here's an excerpt:

In 2007, through various experiments by the media, most notably the Associated Press, it became clear that Comcast was intermittently blocking the use of an application called BitTorrent and, possibly, other peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing programs on its network. Comcast eventually admitted to the practice and agreed to cease blocking the use of the P2P applications on its network. However, Comcast maintains that its actions were reasonable network management and not in violation of the Federal Communications Commission's ("FCC" or "Commission") policy.

In response to a petition from Free Press for a declaratory ruling that Comcast's blocking of P2P applications was not "reasonable network management," the FCC conducted an investigation into Comcast's network management practices. The FCC determined that Comcast had violated the agency's Internet Policy Statement when it blocked certain applications on its network and that the practice at issue in this case was not "reasonable network management." The FCC declined to fine Comcast, because its Internet Policy Statement had never previously been the basis for enforcement forfeitures.

Comcast has appealed this decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, as have other public interest groups. Comcast argues that the FCC does not have the authority to enforce its Network Management Principles and the Commission's order was invalid for that reason. The Commission argues that it has ancillary authority under Title I of the Communications Act to implement the broad statutory goals for an open, user-controlled Internet laid out by Congress. If the court finds that the FCC does not have the authority to adjudicate based on its Internet Policy Statement, Congress may face the question whether to act to give the FCC such authority in order to prevent anticompetitive conduct by broadband access providers. If the court finds that the FCC acted properly, the agency may continue to enforce these broad principles on a case-by-case basis.