Library Stuff » News

ARL Releases RLI 280 on OERs, E-Book Licensing, Research Library Trends

Steven M. Cohen — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:47:13 +0000

“ARL has published Research Library Issues (RLI) no. 280, which features articles on open educational resources (OERs) as an alternative to traditional textbooks, ARL’s e-book licensing effort, and research library trends as shown by the ARL Statistics. A pre-publication version of the article about OERs was released earlier this year.” (via ARL)

Knight Foundation Strengthens Support for Television News Research Service

Steven M. Cohen — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:43:27 +0000

“Thanks to a recent $1 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, we will be expanding our TV News Search & Borrow service that enables everyone to search, quote and borrow U.S. television news programs. Launched last September, the service repurposes closed captioning to facilitate deep search and present relevant short-streamed with clips from more than 400,000 news broadcasts dating back to June 2009. We are striving to help inform and engage communities by strengthening the work of journalists, scholars, teachers, librarians, civic organizations and others dedicated to serving public interests.” (via Internet Archive Blogs)

New Research Tools Kick Up Dust in Archives

Steven M. Cohen — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:31:04 +0000

“Seated recently in the special collections room at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology library, Anders Fernstedt raced through an imposing set of yellowing articles and correspondence. Several years ago Mr. Fernstedt, an independent Swedish scholar who is studying the work of the 20th-century philosopher Karl Popper and several of his colleagues, would have scratched out notes and set aside documents for photocopying.” (via NYTimes.com)

Goodreads Announces Young Adult Newsletter!

Steven M. Cohen — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:59:06 +0000

“For a long time we’ve wanted to expand our editorial products at Goodreads. Our general newsletter is great, but one of the coolest things we learned as we created the site was how readers around the world bond over a shared love of a particular genre, be it literature from 1900 to WWII, steampunk, or books about sailing. Knowing that, we wanted to provide a newsletter tailored to your passions. Today, I’m pleased to announce that we are launching our first genre-themed newsletter, with the plan to create many more in the future. We started with a voracious group on Goodreads: our YA readers. And we hope you’ll be satisfied!” (via Goodreads)

Web-connected libraries for Africa: the dream of digital knowledge for all

Steven M. Cohen — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:34:16 +0000

“A decade ago, Brewster Kahle, philanthropist and founder of the Internet Archive, created the first digital bookmobile: a complete printing press in the back of a car. With a power source, satellite internet connection, printer and binder, the vehicle and its descendants subsequently printed thousands of public-domain books where they were needed most, such as in rural areas without internet connection, including schools and refugee camps across Africa.” (via )

Library Company chief plans to retire

Steven M. Cohen — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:31:11 +0000

“John Van Horne, 63, who has presided over the Library Company of Philadelphia during nearly three decades of unprecedented digital change, has announced he will retire in May 2014. When Van Horne arrived in 1985, the Library Company, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731, had a Wang word processor. Soon, it acquired a fax machine that used thermal paper. Now the library has created a rich and growing online environment.” (via Philly.com)

Skip Prichard named OCLC President and CEO

Steven M. Cohen — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:55:45 +0000

“Skip Prichard, an experienced senior executive in the information services market, has been named the next OCLC President and CEO. Mr. Prichard has led multi-national organizations that serve libraries across the full spectrum of library services and content needs. Most recently, he was President and CEO of Ingram Content Group Inc., which provides a broad range of physical and digital services to the book industry. Prior to his service at Ingram, he was President and CEO of ProQuest Information and Learning, a respected global publisher and information provider serving library, education, government and corporate markets with offices around the world.” (via OCLC)

James L. Hilton will return to U-M as dean of libraries

Steven M. Cohen — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:54:45 +0000

“James L. Hilton, a professor and higher education administrator nationally recognized as an advocate for collaboration between academics and technology, will return to the campus where he began his academic career, as U-Ms dean of libraries and university librarian. Hilton also was appointed as a professor, with tenure, in the School of Information. His appointments were approved Thursday by the Board of Regents and conclude an international search conducted by a search advisory committee.” (via University of Michigan)

Credo Releases 12 New and Updated Perpetual Access and Subscription Collections

Steven M. Cohen — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:02:19 +0000

“Credo, the industry leader for information skills solutions, today announced that it has launched 12 new and updated Subject and Publisher Collections, adding to the more than 75 collections currently available for perpetual purchase or subscription.” (via Credo Reference)

Publisher Threatens Librarian With $1 Billion Lawsuit

Steven M. Cohen — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:09:52 +0000

“A scholarly publisher has issued a warning to Jeffrey Beall, a librarian who writes about what he calls “predatory” practices in the scholarly publishing industry, threatening him with a $1 billion lawsuit for his blog posts criticizing the company. Beall is an academic librarian at the University of Colorado; he writes about the journal industry on his personal blog, Scholarly Open Access. More specifically, Beall identifies and lists journals that he says prey on academics’ need to publish their research. Such companies often charge a “handling fee” that requires authors to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars if a paper is published.” (via NPR)

GPO in the Top 10 List of Original Catalogers in the World

Steven M. Cohen — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:56:47 +0000

“The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) was recently named one of the top 10 original catalogers in the world in OCLC’s Annual Report for FY12. During that period, GPO added 17,310 new records for U.S. Government information products to WorldCat, a database of bibliographic information built continuously by libraries around the world and OCLC. As one of the founding members of the OCLC network in 1976, GPO has reached several important milestones as an active contributor to WorldCat over the years. In 1992, a GPO Cataloger contributed the 100,000th record to the OCLC Bibliographic Database, and in 1999, another GPO cataloger contributed the 43,000,000th record.” (via FDLP)

Copyright Clearance Center Joins Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association

Steven M. Cohen — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:53:05 +0000

“Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), a not-for-profit organization and leading provider of licensing and Open Access (OA) solutions, has joined the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), which offers a forum for bringing together the entire Open Access community. “As traditional and new publishers gather and create standards around Open Access publishing, it’s increasingly important to have organizations like OASPA leading dialogue among publishers, academics, researchers and others,” said Roy Kaufman, Managing Director, New Ventures, CCC. “We’re honored to be a part of OASPA’s ambitious mission of exchanging information, setting standards, improving the author experience, educating the research community and the public and promoting innovation.” (via Copyright Clearance Center)

Announcing the Scholarly Kitchen Podcast

Steven M. Cohen — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:50:40 +0000

“Today, the menu of the Scholarly Kitchen is expanding with the launch of our podcast, which is being edited and managed by Stewart Wills, whose Side Dishes you have likely become familiar with via his excellent Twitter feed.” (via The Scholarly Kitchen)

4 New Preprints from CRL

Steven M. Cohen — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:48:08 +0000

1) Faculty Usage of Library Tools in a Learning Management System

2) Invoking the User from Data to Design

3) YouTube Has Changed Everything”? Music Faculty, Librarians, and Their Use and Perceptions of YouTube

4) Student Involvement for Student Success: Student Staff in the Learning Commons

A Librarian’s Response to ‘What’s a Library?’

Steven M. Cohen — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:42:18 +0000

“The paint on my worn out ol’ library soapbox is getting rather chipped these days, but I’m about to get back up on it, my friends. Brace yourselves. (The soapbox should probably brace itself too, poor thing.) There are two recent library-related articles on HuffPo to which I’d like to draw your attention. The first article, written by my friend and fellow ULU advocate Christian Zabriske, is an example of how one should write about libraries in the modern age. It’s passionate, it’s coherent, and it’s chock full of relevant and accurate information. (via Rita Meade)

Library adopts policy on behavior, bills counties

Steven M. Cohen — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:34:10 +0000

“The Kilbourn Public Library Board of Trustees approved a public behavior policy and billing by the South Central Library System of four counties for $22,269 for use of the library at its monthly meeting May 9. The public behavior policy is to “preserve a reasonably quiet atmosphere where library patrons may use library services and materials without disturbance.” The policy provides that if someone is disturbing others and not responding to the needs of others, that person will be asked to leave and can be restricted from using the library.” (via Wisconsin Dells Events)

Conn. bill would study library access to e-books

Steven M. Cohen — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:32:18 +0000

“Lawmakers are calling for a study of the availability of e-books to Connecticut public libraries. The state House of Representatives voted Tuesday 143-0 to pass a bill requiring the commissioner of consumer protection to report to the General Assembly on the issue by Feb 1. The bill, which originally called on publishers to offer e-books to libraries at a reasonable price, was amended to reflect lawmakers’ concerns about the likelihood of lawsuits.” (via AP)

Stolen US historical documents returned to owners

Steven M. Cohen — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:24:56 +0000

“At a table in the library of the Maryland Historical Society, an investigator with the National Archives pulls file folder after file folder from a cardboard box and hands them to library director Patricia Dockman Anderson. An FBI agent sits nearby. Item No. 451: an invitation to meet Vice President Hubert Humphrey in Hawaii in 1966. Item No. 1695: a ticket stub to the 1912 Democratic National Convention. Item No. 1332: a program linked to President Abraham Lincoln’s 1865 funeral. Until recently, the documents were evidence, some of the more than 10,000 items seized in a massive theft investigation that ensnared a well-known collector of presidential memorabilia and his assistant. This week, however, they were returned to the society to become again pieces of history available to researchers.” (via AP)

Dom Giordano: A little sense is overdue at the Library

Steven M. Cohen — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:17:15 +0000

“BEN FRANKLIN was one of our greatest visionaries and the founder of the first public library in America. I wonder what Franklin would think of the “visionaries” now running the Free Library of Philadelphia. The Library is asking the city of Philadelphia to restore a 20 percent funding cut, while, through a new policy, it is losing $70,000 in fines that it collects from customers who lose or are late in returning borrowed materials.” (via Philadelphia Daily News)

Library Copyright Alliance Applauds Introduction of Unlocking Technology Act

Steven M. Cohen — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:58:39 +0000

“The Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) applauds the introduction on May 9, 2013, of H.R 1892, the Unlocking Technology Act of 2013, by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Jared Polis (D-CO). The bill guarantees that legitimate uses of digital works and technologies will not run afoul of copyright law, even if they require breaking digital locks. Prompted by the recent uproar over cell phone unlocking, the bill recognizes that issue as a symptom of a much larger problem and would fix that problem permanently.” (via Library Copyright Alliance)

Open Access Movement Continues to Gain Steam

Steven M. Cohen — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:45:39 +0000

“From the tragic death of (Internet activist and digital wunderkind) Aaron Swartz to a recent CU-Boulder faculty resolution, new federal funding agency policy directives from the White House, and extensive international media coverage, the movement to provide open access to research and scholarship continues to build momentum and evolve at a rapid pace.

via Colorado University Libraries)

The Library’s Future Is Not an Open Book

Steven M. Cohen — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:36:33 +0000

“Talk about imposing: the ceremonial stone stair leading to bronze gates and carved doors; the frieze of inspiring names and the vaulted hall that seems the very definition of hallowed. And the books, bound portals opening to anywhere imaginable, available to all comers. In cities across the nation, the central public library came into being when the country was young and striving to impress. Charles F. McKim’s Italianate palazzo-style library opened on Boston’s Copley Plaza in 1895; in 1921, Renaissance austerity suited Detroit’s Main Library designed by Cass Gilbert, while architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue chose Egyptian Deco for Los Angeles’s downtown Central Library of 1926. Architecturally grand, the central library was both beacon and monumental tribute to learning and civic pride; a people’s palace with knowledge freely available to all. But, really, when was the last time you spent any time there?” (via WSJ.com)

Brooklyn Public Library rolling in the overdue fines — but $250M in repairs await

Steven M. Cohen — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:35:35 +0000

“Here’s some overdue news: The Brooklyn Public Library hauled in a whopping $1.9 million in fines last year — but it’s just a petty cash for a system needing $250 million in restoration work.The fines represent a 20% jump from the $1.5 million hauled in 2008 — and include a big boost from an online payment option unveiled in 2009, but not widely used until this year, the records show.” (via NY Daily News)

New Release of Lexis for Microsoft Office Now Integrates with Lexis Advance Content and Expands Functionality

Steven M. Cohen — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:34:18 +0000

“NEW YORK, LexisNexis® Legal & Professional, a leading provider of content and technology solutions, today announced that its industry-leading legal drafting solution, Lexis® for Microsoft® Office now integrates with Lexis Advance®. With the advanced features, functionality and content of Lexis Advance, Lexis for Microsoft Office now offers users even more options to quickly surface relevant results directly within their legal drafting process, streamline their workflow and improve the quality of their work product – directly embedded within Microsoft® Word and Outlook®.” (via LexisNexis)

Our New Home Page, Search-dominance, and NYPL’s Goals

Steven M. Cohen — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:44:10 +0000

“I’m truly pleased to announce the launch of NYPL’s new home page! It has more and better feature items for us to share great NYPL activities and materials with you, and a new book recommender tool that we’re really excited about. This new design–which we will continue to improve–builds off of a history of Web research, as well as a lot of recent work at NYPL suggesting we should do a better job of exposing our patrons to the full breadth of great NYPL services, programs, and other offerings. If you’re here just to share thoughts about the new home page, feel free to skip down to the comments section and tell us what you think! Otherwise, read on for more detail on how we came to this design, our goals for it, and how we’ll try to figure out whether or not we’ve succeeded.” (via The New York Public Library)