HUMANITIES JOURNALS CONFRONT IDENTITY CRISIS: Humanities
journal editors say they face a host of challenges from
technology and the changing habits of readers and
contributors.
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v55/i29/29a00102.htm?utm_source=at&utm_
medium=en
user name = rulibrary
passwrod = ru2007
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Project Information Literacy
Project Information Literacy
Website for "a national study about early adults and their
information-seeking behaviors, competencies, and the challenges they face
when conducting research in the digital age. ... [It] investigates how
early adults on different college campuses conduct research for course
work and how they conduct 'everyday research' for use in their daily
lives." Features a February 2009 progress report, articles, video clips,
and related material. From the University of Washington's (UW) Information
School (iSchool).
URL: http://www.projectinfolit.org/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27963
Website for "a national study about early adults and their
information-seeking behaviors, competencies, and the challenges they face
when conducting research in the digital age. ... [It] investigates how
early adults on different college campuses conduct research for course
work and how they conduct 'everyday research' for use in their daily
lives." Features a February 2009 progress report, articles, video clips,
and related material. From the University of Washington's (UW) Information
School (iSchool).
URL: http://www.projectinfolit.org/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27963
Friday, March 6, 2009
MyCopy print-on-demand books from Springer
MyCopy allows a library’s registered patrons to order soft cover copies, for their personal use, of those Springer eBooks that the library has previously purchased. Initially, 16 selected libraries and research institutions in the USA and Canada take part in the pilot project with more test partners set to join in early 2009.
The MyCopy Pilot is progressing splendidly in the US and Canada. Currently, there are 16 Development Partners enrolled in the program, and 13 additional Development Partners will join the Pilot in January 2009, spanning academic, government, and corporate institutions. MyCopy now boasts close to 11,500 eBooks that can be ordered Print-On-Demand. The market response has been very positive, as can be seen from the testimonial below. Provided that the great success of the Pilot continues, MyCopy will most likely be launched in the US in the 2nd quarter of 2009.
“This project represents a very innovative way in which to look at both publisher and library services for electronic content in the future, and MyCopy is a great value-add to our site license for these eBooks.” ~Wendy Allen Shelburne, Assistant professor, Acquisitions (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
See Frequently Asked Questions about MyCopy, for more information.
The MyCopy Pilot is progressing splendidly in the US and Canada. Currently, there are 16 Development Partners enrolled in the program, and 13 additional Development Partners will join the Pilot in January 2009, spanning academic, government, and corporate institutions. MyCopy now boasts close to 11,500 eBooks that can be ordered Print-On-Demand. The market response has been very positive, as can be seen from the testimonial below. Provided that the great success of the Pilot continues, MyCopy will most likely be launched in the US in the 2nd quarter of 2009.
“This project represents a very innovative way in which to look at both publisher and library services for electronic content in the future, and MyCopy is a great value-add to our site license for these eBooks.” ~Wendy Allen Shelburne, Assistant professor, Acquisitions (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
See Frequently Asked Questions about MyCopy, for more information.
Renting Keys to Walled Gardens
http://acrlog.org/2008/12/14/renting-keys-to-walled-gardens/
The Pew Internet and American Life Project has just issued its third annual forecast of “The Future of the Internet.” It’s well worth a read. Among predictions:
–The mobile phone (or its descendant) will be the primary access point to the Internet by 2020.–Social networking won’t increase tolerance. It might even polarize people into less tolerant camps.–The original architecture of the Internet will not be replaced, but will be enhanced by research.–Attempts to control access to content will continue to be challenged in an ongoing battle between intellectual property owners and users.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project has just issued its third annual forecast of “The Future of the Internet.” It’s well worth a read. Among predictions:
–The mobile phone (or its descendant) will be the primary access point to the Internet by 2020.–Social networking won’t increase tolerance. It might even polarize people into less tolerant camps.–The original architecture of the Internet will not be replaced, but will be enhanced by research.–Attempts to control access to content will continue to be challenged in an ongoing battle between intellectual property owners and users.
Faculty Involvement Makes All The Difference
http://acrlog.org/2009/02/24/faculty-involvement-makes-all-the-difference/
From the ACRLog(blog for research and academic librarians)
"In a previous post I expressed my vision for the future of information literacy - and in that vision it’s not the librarians teaching students the skills needed to be wise consumers of information - it’s the faculty. That’s why this Wired Campus post caught my attention. It’s about two faculty members who wrote a research guide for students, and who integrate some elements of information literacy (evaluating content) into their courses."......
From the ACRLog(blog for research and academic librarians)
"In a previous post I expressed my vision for the future of information literacy - and in that vision it’s not the librarians teaching students the skills needed to be wise consumers of information - it’s the faculty. That’s why this Wired Campus post caught my attention. It’s about two faculty members who wrote a research guide for students, and who integrate some elements of information literacy (evaluating content) into their courses."......
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Google & the Future of Books
Interesting article in the New York Review of Books
"How can we navigate through the information landscape that is only beginning to come into view? The question is more urgent than ever following the recent settlement between Google and the authors and publishers who were suing it for alleged breach of copyright. For the last four years, Google has been digitizing millions of books, including many covered by copyright, from the collections of major research libraries, and making the texts searchable online. The authors and publishers objected that digitizing constituted a violation of their copyrights. After lengthy negotiations, the plaintiffs and Google agreed on a settlement, which will have a profound effect on the way books reach readers for the foreseeable future. What will that future be?".........
Monday, March 2, 2009
Open-access publishing brings cost savings
"Research institutions could make surprisingly big savings if their researchers paid to publish their articles with an open-access model rather than using the traditional subscription model. And the savings could be even bigger if they simply self-archived their work in an institutional repository.These conclusions come from a new study into scholarly publishing in the UK led by John Houghton from the Centre of Strategic Economic Studies at Melbourne’s Victoria University, Australia and Charles Oppenheim at Loughborough University, UK. In addition to looking at the costs and savings of different models, the study also examined the additional cost-benefits that might arise from enhanced access to research findings...."
Last UK research council mandates open access
The Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has decided to mandate open-access publication of the research that it funds. However, it says that academics should be able to choose whether they use the so-called green option (ie, self-archiving in an on-line repository) or to use the gold option (ie, pay-to-publish in an open access journal).
This decision, which was made at the EPSRC council's December meeting, follows a consultation by Research Councils UK, in collaboration with the Research Information Network and the Department of Trade and Industry.
ESPRC was the only one of the seven Research Councils UK, which hadn't already adopted an open-access mandate; the others having announced theirs back in 2006. ESPRC will publish further details of its policy later in the spring.
(from Research Information)
This decision, which was made at the EPSRC council's December meeting, follows a consultation by Research Councils UK, in collaboration with the Research Information Network and the Department of Trade and Industry.
ESPRC was the only one of the seven Research Councils UK, which hadn't already adopted an open-access mandate; the others having announced theirs back in 2006. ESPRC will publish further details of its policy later in the spring.
(from Research Information)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Confucius Institute display
For those who missed this recent display - this is what it looked like. The guy in the pic is the new Professor of Mandarin in the Institute at the School of Languages, Prof Ma Yue.Chinese Leader Gives 200,000 E-Books to U. of Cambridge
Chinese Leader Gives 200,000 E-Books to U. of Cambridge
http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/?id=3629&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/?id=3629&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Fee-Based Journals Get Better Results
Fee-Based Journals Get Better Results, Study in Fee-Based
Journal Reports
http://chronicle.com/news/article/?id=6026&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Journal Reports
http://chronicle.com/news/article/?id=6026&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
The Hollywood Librarian
The Media Education Foundation has acquired the rights to The Hollywood
Librarian: A Look at Librarians through Film, and is bringing out the film
on DVD.
They are now taking orders from both US and international customers
through their web site at
http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=actionkey=138
The Hollywood LibrarianA Look at Librarians Through FilmAn Overdue Productions FilmThey have more cardholders than VISA, more customers than Amazon, and more outlets than McDonald's. Meet America's librarians. The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film is the first comprehensive treatment of the subject of librarians. A vivid blend of factual documentary, feature film and storytelling, it reveals the history and realities of librarianship in an entertaining and appealing context of American movies. Interviews with actual librarians, intercut with film clips of cinematic librarians, examine such issues as literature, books and reading, censorship, library funding, citizenship and democracy. For the first time, we see and understand the real lives and real work of American librarians who for decades have been a cultural force hiding in plain sight.This film's subject is librarians: who they are, what they do, why they do it, and the impact of their work in people's lives. The underlying meaning is how we express our own humanity, how we listen to ourselves and one another in the realm of the written and read word -- a uniquely human privilege.Audiences will be surprised and delighted by the fascinating librarians in this entertaining and enlightening film, and will emerge with a greater appreciation for the range of literature and materials available to them thanks to our nation's librarians.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Web 2.0 use by librarians
(Interesting article which include questionnaires which we could perhaps use at RUL???)
Web 2.0 use by librarians / Noa Aharony
Library & Information Science Research Volume 31, Issue 1, January 2009, Pages 29-37
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2008.06.004
Abstract
The current research explores whether librarians, whose main work focuses on information, are familiar with new technological changes and innovations, and whether they make use of different Web 2.0 applications. The research examines whether personality characteristics (resistance to change, cognitive appraisal, empowerment and extroversion or introversion), as well as computer expertise, motivation, importance and capacity towards studying and integrating different applications of Web 2.0 in future, influence librarians' use of Web 2.0. Different questionnaires were distributed to 168 randomly Israeli librarians throughout the country. The research revealed that personality characteristics as well as computer expertise, motivation, importance and capacity towards studying and integrating different applications of Web 2.0 in the future, influence librarians' use of Web 2.0. These findings have theoretical as well as practical implications.
Web 2.0 use by librarians / Noa Aharony
Library & Information Science Research Volume 31, Issue 1, January 2009, Pages 29-37
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2008.06.004
Abstract
The current research explores whether librarians, whose main work focuses on information, are familiar with new technological changes and innovations, and whether they make use of different Web 2.0 applications. The research examines whether personality characteristics (resistance to change, cognitive appraisal, empowerment and extroversion or introversion), as well as computer expertise, motivation, importance and capacity towards studying and integrating different applications of Web 2.0 in future, influence librarians' use of Web 2.0. Different questionnaires were distributed to 168 randomly Israeli librarians throughout the country. The research revealed that personality characteristics as well as computer expertise, motivation, importance and capacity towards studying and integrating different applications of Web 2.0 in the future, influence librarians' use of Web 2.0. These findings have theoretical as well as practical implications.
Friday, February 20, 2009
In Search of a Better Search Engine By Steve Kolowich
As college sites grow to millions of documents and balloon in complexity, officials turn to Google and other vendors for help
Read the article from the Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/free/v55/i24/24a01501.htm?utm_source=at&utm_me
Read the article from the Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/free/v55/i24/24a01501.htm?utm_source=at&utm_me
Monday, February 9, 2009
E-books: the digital future
AT PUBLISHERS' CONFERENCE, THE DIGITAL FUTURE IS (ALMOST)
NOW:
Scholarly publishers who met in Washington last week learned
that interest in electronic monographs has surged and that
they should prepare to have their books read on smartphones.
http://chronicle.com/daily/2009/02/11057n.htm?utm_source=at&utm_med
ium=en (user name: rulibrary password: ru2007)
"The people who gathered here last week for the Association of American Publishers’ Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division's annual conference did not waste a lot of time worrying whether print is going the way of the dodo. As Matthew Nauman, director of publisher relations at Blackwell’s, put it, “A book sale is a book sale, and we don’t care what the format is.”"...
NOW:
Scholarly publishers who met in Washington last week learned
that interest in electronic monographs has surged and that
they should prepare to have their books read on smartphones.
http://chronicle.com/daily/2009/02/11057n.htm?utm_source=at&utm_med
ium=en (user name: rulibrary password: ru2007)
"The people who gathered here last week for the Association of American Publishers’ Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division's annual conference did not waste a lot of time worrying whether print is going the way of the dodo. As Matthew Nauman, director of publisher relations at Blackwell’s, put it, “A book sale is a book sale, and we don’t care what the format is.”"...
Thursday, February 5, 2009
More RUL Subject Guides
2 more guides have been completed and added to the growing list: Pharm and Journ (developed by Thandiwe and Caroline respectively)
Do have a look and give us some feedback/comments/suggestions/criticisms???
http://oldwww.ru.ac.za/library/electronic_resources/dept/
Do have a look and give us some feedback/comments/suggestions/criticisms???
http://oldwww.ru.ac.za/library/electronic_resources/dept/
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
New FirstSearch Database documentation available (booklet code: PRM2857)
The latest edition of OCLC FirstSearch Service Databases is now available, in online and printed formats. This 20-page booklet contains all the essential information you need to make full use of the 78 available FirstSearch databases.
The online version of the booklet can be accessed at the FirstSearch Documentation page at: http://www.oclc.org/us/en/support/documentation/firstsearch/default.htm
Scroll down to the Databases section, and click on the area of information that best meets your needs.
The online documentation is updated continuously whereas the printed booklet is updated in January and June every year.
The online version of the booklet can be accessed at the FirstSearch Documentation page at: http://www.oclc.org/us/en/support/documentation/firstsearch/default.htm
Scroll down to the Databases section, and click on the area of information that best meets your needs.
The online documentation is updated continuously whereas the printed booklet is updated in January and June every year.
Monday, February 2, 2009
New from the Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is a non-profit that was founded to build an Internet library, with the purpose of offering permanent access for researchers, historians, and scholars to historical collections that exist in digital format. No longer in copyright, and submitted by the University of California Library:
British South Africa; a history of the colony of the Cape of Good Hope, from its conquest 1795 to the settlement of Albany by the British emigration of 1819-- ; with notices of some of the British settlers of 1820 (1897) / Colin Turing Campbell. London; Cape Town: John Haddon & Co.: Juta, 1897
Read the book in searchable flip format You can read the book online in other formats or download. Or read the original in Cory Library!
Cory Library is adding links to these resources, as we discover them.
Read more texts at the Open Text Archive.
British South Africa; a history of the colony of the Cape of Good Hope, from its conquest 1795 to the settlement of Albany by the British emigration of 1819-- ; with notices of some of the British settlers of 1820 (1897) / Colin Turing Campbell. London; Cape Town: John Haddon & Co.: Juta, 1897
Read the book in searchable flip format You can read the book online in other formats or download. Or read the original in Cory Library!
Cory Library is adding links to these resources, as we discover them.
Read more texts at the Open Text Archive.
Interesting website: The Art of African Exploration
The Art of African Exploration
Especially for the armchair explorer, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries has selected materials for this web exhibition from its Russell E. Train Africana Collection. Documenting European explorations of Africa from the late 18th through the 19th century, some of the artifacts pre-date photography. At that time, it was important for expeditions to include an artist, who could record what was seen. For example, Samuel Daniell was the artist for a British expedition into the Cape interior in 1801. The web site includes printed plates from a book based on his field drawings of the African rhinoceros, in contrast with examples that look quite different, drawn by Dutch naturalists who had never been to Africa. In the 19th century, David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley became celebrities for their African adventures, and a section of the web site includes items produced for armchair explorers of that era - a souvenir teacup, lantern slides, book jackets, and photographic cartes de visite (photographs mounted card stock that were popular in the 1860s) - with images of Dr. Livingstone and Mr. Stanley.
Especially for the armchair explorer, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries has selected materials for this web exhibition from its Russell E. Train Africana Collection. Documenting European explorations of Africa from the late 18th through the 19th century, some of the artifacts pre-date photography. At that time, it was important for expeditions to include an artist, who could record what was seen. For example, Samuel Daniell was the artist for a British expedition into the Cape interior in 1801. The web site includes printed plates from a book based on his field drawings of the African rhinoceros, in contrast with examples that look quite different, drawn by Dutch naturalists who had never been to Africa. In the 19th century, David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley became celebrities for their African adventures, and a section of the web site includes items produced for armchair explorers of that era - a souvenir teacup, lantern slides, book jackets, and photographic cartes de visite (photographs mounted card stock that were popular in the 1860s) - with images of Dr. Livingstone and Mr. Stanley.
Digital Research Tools wiki (DiRT)
Digital Research Tools
Great site!
As more and more scholars grow interested in the world of digital research, this tremendously useful wiki will be one that they will tell their colleagues about. Created by Lisa Spiro, the director of the Digital Media Center at Rice University, this collaborative wiki collects information about tools and resources that can help scholars conduct research more efficiently or creatively. Visitors can browse through topical headings that include "Authoring", "Blogging", and "Data Mining", among others. Within each heading, visitors can read short descriptions about each resource. Under the "Types of Tools" section visitors can search for specific tools that can help them collect data, edit images, make a dynamic map, and so on. Additionally, visitors can sign up to join the wiki here and also learn more
about Spiro and her other projects.
Great site!
As more and more scholars grow interested in the world of digital research, this tremendously useful wiki will be one that they will tell their colleagues about. Created by Lisa Spiro, the director of the Digital Media Center at Rice University, this collaborative wiki collects information about tools and resources that can help scholars conduct research more efficiently or creatively. Visitors can browse through topical headings that include "Authoring", "Blogging", and "Data Mining", among others. Within each heading, visitors can read short descriptions about each resource. Under the "Types of Tools" section visitors can search for specific tools that can help them collect data, edit images, make a dynamic map, and so on. Additionally, visitors can sign up to join the wiki here and also learn more
about Spiro and her other projects.
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