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Featured Link: World Book Trade (e-books, awards, videos)

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Research Library Issues issue 266 October 2009

The Association of Research Libraries has released issue 266 of Research Library Issues

Ovid partners with the Royal Society of Chemistry to deliver premium Ebooks to the scientific and medical research community

"Ovid has announced a new licensing agreement with the Royal Society of Chemistry, a world-renowned, UK-based professional association and publisher of books, journals, and databases in the chemical sciences, to provide seamless online access to 46 of its ebooks on the OvidSP platform"

Dialog launches Twitter site

"Those interested in keeping up with the latest happenings at Dialog have a new tool. The company has launched a Twitter site - DialogLLC - that allows customers, journalists and information mavens to follow its news. 'Twitter enables nearly instantaneous communication with our community,' said Libby Trudell, vice president, market development. 'This is another step in a long tradition of building feedback channels with customers.' Dialog intends to tweet news and opportunities of all types. For example, in its first live week, the Twitter site included links to free trials, Intellectual Property webinars, and information on applying for Dialog’s program for unemployed librarians. Because of Twitter's brevity, Dialog feels the site can enable followers to stay abreast of company initiatives with a minimum impact on their time. Each Tweet will include a link that allows readers to get more information"

GBP50m transformation for Liverpool's Central Library (UK)

This is how Liverpool's historic Central Library is set to look after a massive GBP50m refurbishment:

Welsh Repository Network

The Welsh Repository Network (WRN) is a collaborative venture between the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Wales to establish, develop and populate a network of interoperable institutional repositories. The vision that underpins the network is to facilitate and encourage the sharing of resources across the principality and to maximise the impact of Welsh research across the globe. RSS Feed

Empire of the Word on TVO, Canada

"Eight years in the making, Empire of the Word is a compelling look inside the act of reading and traces its impact on more than five thousand years of human history. Introduced and narrated by one of the world's great readers, Canadian writer Alberto Manguel, the series traces reading's origins; examines how we learn to read; exposes censors' attempts to prevent our reading; and finally, proposes what the future might hold for this most human of creative acts" - Premieres Wednesday, November 25 on TVO, Canada

Foyles to stock e-readers, launches e-book store (UK)

"London independent Foyles is to stock e-readers for the first time as it launches its own e-book store. The Foyles London stores will stock the Sony Touch Edition and Pocket Edition, as well as the BeBook Mini, which has a five-inch screen, in-store and online. The Mini comes with 100 free classic titles. Foyles has also launched an e-book store on its website, stocking 57,000 titles in e-pub and pdf formats. The e-books will be supplied by Gardners which will set the prices, with percentage discounts offered on chosen titles by Foyles" The Bookseller

Code4Lib 2010

Code4Lib 2010 will be held Monday February 22nd - Thursday February 25th in Asheville, North Carolina. The Code4Lib community is a group of computer programmers and library technologists who largely work for and with libraries. It started as a mailing list in the fall of 2003 when a group of library programmers decided to create an overarching community agnostic towards any particular language or technology

CILIP 2009 Presidential Address

The CILIP 2009 Presidential Address was given on 15 October 2009 at SOAS, London, by Peter Griffiths

IFLA Journal - October 2009

IFLA Journal - Volume 35, Number 3, October 2009, is now available

Current Cites - October 2009

Current Cites (edited by Roy Tennant) - October 2009 is now available

London History Festival (UK)

London History FestivalThe London History Festival takes place 2-12 November 2009 at Kensington Central Library, London, UK. Paul Lay, Editor of History Today writes: "The London History Festival is a welcome new addition to the capital's cultural life and one that should help satisfy the already considerable appetite for history in one of the world's truly global cities. As editor of History Today, a publication whose mission is to bring the work of leading historians to the widest possible audience, I am delighted to be involved in a project which shares just those ambitions, and privileged to share the stage with some of today's finest practitioners of the craft. I am particularly looking forward to interviewing John Adamson, whose stylish account of the origins of the Civil War, The Noble Revolt, has forced us to think again about the nature of that decisive period of our history. The distinguished line-up involved in the festival intends to both entertain and enlighten, through their books and oratory. The London History Festival is a social event too, encouraging its audience to mingle and share common interests. The authors will also be available for a book signing session and chat over a drink once the talks are completed. I do hope you enjoy the first London History Festival, the first of many"

Information Technology and the Ethics of Globalization: Transnational Issues and Implications

Information Technology and the Ethics of Globalization: Transnational Issues and Implications"As technologies advance and become social norms worldwide, certain ethical considerations must be examined and reflected upon due to their various cultural implications. Information Technology and the Ethics of Globalization: Transnational Issues and Implications discusses the widespread influence of technologies across the globe with particular attention placed on moral consideration. A unique compilation of examinations on issues in IT, this innovative publication provides researchers, academicians, and practitioners with a comprehensive survey of theories and insight into human considerations of this vast globalization- Release Date: November 2009"

Digital Humanities 2010 (UK)

Digital Humanities is the annual international conference for digital scholarship in the humanities. DH2010 will be hosted at King's College London by the Centre for Computing in the Humanities and the Centre for e-Research, with the support of the School of Arts and Humanities and the Principal, Professor Rick Trainor. The annual conference is sponsored by the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organisations (ADHO) - 8-10 July, 2010. RSS Feed

Friday, October 30, 2009

2009 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award winner

"Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed has won the 2009 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award. The 'beautifully written' history of how central bankers' mistakes led to the Great Depression bowled over the judges and swept away a strong field of finalists to take the GBP30,000 prize. The prize was awarded on October 29 at a special dinner at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum"
The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - this week: Journalism. One of the new sources recently added to the Credo Reference database is "Key Concepts in Journalism Studies". This is not only about journalism but also about TV, radio, computers and other forms of communicating news and information. All the answers to this brainteaser can be found in this title. Answers here.

1. What name was given to the scandal exposed in 1972 by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein concerning improper practices by Republican aides of President Richard Nixon?
2. What is an "advertorial"?
3. In journalism, which month of the year is traditionally viewed as the "silly season"?
4. What is the world's largest and most-used search engine?
5. Which phrase, defined by Chambers 21st Century Dictionary as "someone, especially in politics, who tries to influence public opinion by putting a favourable bias on information presented to the public or to the media", entered British political vocabulary during the late 1980s?
6. Which television network was formed in 1990 by the merger of Rupert Murdoch's Sky Television and its rival British Satellite Broadcasting?
7. In using computers and the internet, what does "HTML" stand for?
8. In 1957, the BBC news programme "Panorama" ran an April fool spoof about which food growing on trees?
9. According to John Reith, the first Director General of the BBC, what are the three fundamental purposes of broadcasting?
10. What was the surname of the agony aunt whose "Dear Ann" column was appearing in 1,200 newspapers around the world by 1993?

OCLC makes OAIster records available through WorldCat.org to ensure long-term public access to digital resources

"The University of Michigan and OCLC have announced that they have successfully transitioned the OAIster database to OCLC to ensure continued public access to open-archive collections, and to expand the visibility of these collections to millions of information seekers through OCLC services. OAIster records are now fully accessible through WorldCat.org, and will be included in WorldCat.org search results along with records from thousands of libraries worldwide that add their holdings to WorldCat. OCLC plans to release a freely accessible, discrete view of the OAIster records in January 2010 through a URL specific to OAIster. OAIster records will also continue to be available on the OCLC FirstSearch service to Base Package subscribers, providing another valuable access point for this rich database and a complement to other FirstSearch databases. OCLC will continue to develop and enhance access to open archive content"

Open Source, Open Data - by Kirrily Robert

Open Source, Open Data - by Kirrily Robert, presented at the Florida Linux Show 2009

Impact - Improving access to text

IMPACT is a project funded by the European Commission. It aims to significantly improve access to historical text and to take away the barriers that stand in the way of the mass digitisation of the European cultural heritage. IMPACT is funded under the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission (FP7). It is part of the Cooperation Work Programme for ICT and responds to the fourth challenge in this programme: Digital Libraries and Content. IMPACT is coordinated by the National Library of the Netherlands (KB)

Call for Proposals: Manitoba Libraries Conference 2010 (Canada)

"The Manitoba Libraries Conference Program Committee is pleased to invite members of the library, archives, museum, records management, and educational communities to submit proposals for the Manitoba Libraries Conference, May 17-19, 2010 at the Delta Winnipeg Hotel. The Conference theme this year is The Power of Many - The Power of Partnerships. The Program Committee seeks proposals for sessions showcasing your ideas, research, and library initiatives. Proposals for pre-conference full or half day sessions are also welcome. Proposals that appeal to the cross-section of attendees are encouraged, however, all proposals will be reviewed and considered by the Program Committee. Recommendations for speakers or topics will also be considered. Proposals must be submitted electronically using the online submission form. The submission deadline is December 4, 2009"

Queen to open the Great North Museum and City Library (UK)

Queen to open the Great North Museum and City Library (UK)"Her Majesty the Queen will be arriving in Newcastle next Friday accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh to perform the official opening ceremony of the Great North Museum and also to open the new city library. The Royal couple will be given a tour of the venue before unveiling a plaque to commemorate their visit. The Great North Museum has attracted more than half a million visitors since it opened its doors to the public in May. Newcastle University led the £26m project, in partnership with Newcastle City Council, the Natural History Society of Northumbria, the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, and Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums."

Internet Resources Newsletter - Issue 177

Internet Resources Newsletter - Issue 177 - November 2009 - edited by Roddy MacLeod, Heriot-Watt University, is now available

Hertfordshire places its paths online (UK)

Hertfordshire County Council has published an online map of the county's 5,200 public footpaths, bridleways and byways. The council said that 1,875 miles of public paths have been digitised by its rights of way team to show the county's entire network of paths on one electronic map

Gates Foundation provides $400,000 to Washington State Library to help job-seekers

"The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced more than $4 million in new funding that will help 10 community foundations, the Washington State Library, and the Legal Aid for Washington Fund (LAW Fund) increase assistance for Washingtonians facing economic hardship. The grants will provide greater resources for residents as they look for work or seek support for basic needs, including food and family programs. Funds will also help to provide legal services for low-income families who face increasing economic hardship or unsafe living conditions"

DeepDyve unveils online rental service for research

"DeepDyve has unveiled the world's largest online rental service for scientific, technical and medical research. From a growing database spanning thousands of journals, DeepDyve now gives consumers and professionals access to more than 30 million articles for as little as $0.99 per article"

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

African Diaspora Journal of Mathematics

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine

Historical Review

Journal of Chemical Sciences

Tekmēria

Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences : Chemical Sciences

Brazilian Journal of Information Science

Opera

Perfil de Coyuntura Económica

Perfiles Educativos

Revista Historia de la Educación Latinoamericana

Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for Digitization for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums - Cornell University Library

"How can cultural heritage institutions legally use the Internet to improve public access to the rich collections they hold? 'Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for Digitization for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums', a new book by published by Cornell University Library, can help professionals at these institutions answer that question. Based on a well-received Australian manual written by Emily Hudson and Andrew T. Kenyon of the University of Melbourne, the book has been developed by Cornell University Library’s senior policy advisor Peter B. Hirtle, along with Hudson and Kenyon, to conform to American law and practice"

ALPSP International Conference 2010

ALPSP International Conference 2010 - 8-10 September, 2009 - Wyboston, UK. ALPSP = The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers

The Penguin Archive Project - University of Bristol (UK)

The Penguin Archive Project - University of Bristol (UK)"The Penguin Archive Project began in May 2008 with a grant from the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC). It is a four-year project with an aim to produce an on-line catalogue of the Penguin Collection, which will be launched on the web in due course and will continue to expand as the project develops. The project will also pioneer research in the archive, particularly in the areas of modern poetry, Penguin 'specials' and their socio-political impact, and Penguin translations of the classics. Finally, the project has a great public and democratic aim, with events and exhibitions open to the general public, and 'Penguin days', which will explore aspects of Penguin for the reading public and the Penguin Collectors Society. Information on these events will be displayed on this site as they are confirmed"

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Burgundy to exclusively represent World Scientific Publishing Group in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe

"Specializing in the promotion of innovative publishers, Burgundy Information Services has signed an exclusive agreement to represent the World Scientific Publishing Group in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia for the sale of their 112 ejournals and digital archive. With immediate effect the contract covers growth markets of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden as well as building on Burgundy's specialist knowledge of developing countries within Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungry, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia Montenegro, Slovakia and Slovenia"

The Right to Information Access - live web stream

The Right to Information Access: The first Jeremiah Kaplan Institute on Libraries, the Information Society, and Social Policy will address the "right" to knowledge and access to information, as well as the changing role that libraries and publishers play in supporting access in a networked environment - October 30, 2009 - Penn State University, PA

Researching Lives: Medicine, science and archives (UK)

British Records Association Annual Conference 2009: Researching Lives: Medicine, science and archives - " Wellcome Library and the British Records Association are organising a one-day conference on the wealth of resources available in medical and scientific archives to build up pictures of individual lives. The lectures will examine manuscripts and personal papers, films and photographs, forensic evidence and physical remains, covering a time frame from the 15th century to the present day. Speakers include Georgina Ferry (science writer), Julianne Simpson and Helen Wakely (Wellcome Library), Dr Simon Chaplin (Royal College of Surgeons), Dr Tim Boon (Science Museum), Dr Paul Carter and Natalie Whistance (the National Archives) and Professor Allan Jamieson (Forensic Institute). The Maurice Bond Memorial Lecture, given by Dr Richard Horton (Editor of the 'Lancet'), will take place at the end of the day, followed by a reception in Wellcome Library that will include the launch of 'Research Uses of Health Archives' produced by the Health Archives and Records Group" - 8 December 2009

Reminder - Points of View: Capturing the 19th Century in Photographs (British Library)

"170 years since its invention, photography remains the main technology through which we understand and record the world. Camera phones are now ubiquitous, but in its infancy, photography was an expensive, elaborate and experimental pursuit. Points of View - the British Library's first ever major photographic exhibition - will examine the development and influence of photography, from its invention in 1839 up to the growth of a popular amateur market in the early 20th century. Rarely displayed items from the British Library's photography collection will show how photography has played a critical role as the primary means of visual expression in the modern age. 30 October 2009 to 7 March 2010". Subscribe to the Points of View RSS Feed

ACRL's 2010 Emerging Leaders

"ALA has announced the participants for the 2010 Emerging Leaders program. This year's three ACRL-sponsored emerging leaders are Hui-Fen Chang, Humanities and Social Sciences Librarian, Oklahoma State University Library, sponsored by ACRL; Wendy Girven, Public Services Librarian, University of Alaska - Juneau, sponsored by the ACRL University Library Section; and Arianne Hartsell-Gundy, Humanities Librarian, Miami University, sponsored by the ACRL Instruction Section"

Enid Blyton's granddaughter puts Noddy back in the picture

Enid Blyton's granddaughter puts Noddy back in the picture"Big-Ears is back, the red-and-white taxi is ready to roll and those troublesome golliwogs have been banished. But can Noddy, with a little help from some new friends, regain his dominant position in Toyland? Bookshops are hoping that the first new Noddy book in more than 40 years, published today, will be a Christmas hit. Certainly Noddy and the Farmyard Muddle could not boast a better lineage. The book has been written by Sophie Smallwood, 39, the granddaughter of Enid Blyton, Noddy's creator. It is illustrated by Robert Tyndall, who has drawn Noddy since 1953" - Telegraph

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

John Llewellyn Rhys Prize 2009 shortlist

The shortlist for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize 2009 has been announced:

* Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga (Atlantic Books)
* The Striped World by Emma Jones (Faber and Faber)
* Six Months in Sudan by James Maskalyk (Canongate)
* The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Fourth Estate)
* Waste by Tristram Stuart (Allen Lane)
* After the Fire, a Still Small Voice by Evie Wyld (Jonathan Cape)

The winner will be announced at a ceremony at Century Club, London, on Monday 30 November. The winning author receives a cheque for £5,000 while the other shortlisted authors receive £500 each

The University of Illinois Press signs agreement with JSTOR

"The University of Illinois Press, the not-for-profit publishing division of the University of Illinois, and JSTOR, the preservation archive and research platform that is part of the not-for-profit ITHAKA, have announced an agreement to make leading journals from the Press available worldwide as part of the Current Scholarship Program. The Current Scholarship Program is a new collaboration initiated by University of California Press and JSTOR and first announced on August 13, 2009. Together, participants in this Program aim to create an improved online work environment for faculty and students by bringing complete journal runs from multiple publishers together in one place, to ease the burden on librarians of negotiating separate license agreements with a multitude of publishers and independent titles, and to promote a more cost-effective publishing environment for the scholarly community"

Internet Archive opens 1.6 million E-Books to kids with OLPC laptops

"All 1.6 million books digitized so far by the Internet Archive, the San Francisco-based non-profit dedicated to the universal sharing of knowledge, will be available free to children around the world who have laptops built by the Cambridge, MA-based One Laptop Per Child Foundation (OLPC), Internet Archive director Brewster Kahle announced at the Boston Book Festival in downtown Boston. Kahle said the announcement capped a year-long collaboration between the Internet Archive and the OLPC, which was founded by MIT computer scientist Nicholas Negroponte. 'We've been working for the last year, since Nicholas invited us, to show that we can do this,' Kahle said. 'We took all of the one million, six hundred thousand books and reformatted them to work with the OLPC laptop'" - Xconomy

Innovations in Online Information - University of Brighton (UK)

Innovations in Online Information - 16-18 November 2009 - University of Brighton (Moulsecoomb site)

Update on Luv Ya Bunches and Scholastic Book Fairs

"Scholastic does not censor books. We review thousands of titles each year for our book clubs and book fairs, and we are committed to a review process that considers all books equally regardless of their inclusion of LGBT characters and same sex parents. In an interview with School Library Journal, Scholastic stated that we are currently carrying Luv Ya Bunches by Lauren Myracle in our school book clubs. We also said we were still reviewing the book for possible inclusion in our book fairs. Having completed our review of Luv Ya Bunches, Scholastic Book Fairs will carry the title in our spring fairs for middle school. Scholastic is proud of our long history of providing books that will appeal to the wide range of interests and reading abilities of children in the many diverse cultures and communities we serve. Luv Ya Bunches is just one example." - On Our Minds @ Scholastic

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

ScotlandsPlaces

ScotlandsPlaces is a website that lets users search across different national databases using geographic location. The user is able to enter a place-name or a coordinate to search across these collections or they can use the maps to refine and define their search. Run by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) and the National Archives of Scotland (NAS)

The Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary

The Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary"Based on the OED, the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary contains almost every word in English from Old English to the present, allowing users to explore words connected in meaning throughout the history of the language. It provides a unique resource for scholars researching linguistic and literary history, the history of the language, social history, and more, and is a perfect complement to the OED itself, allowing the words in the OED to be cross-referenced and viewed in wholly new ways"


North Carolina State University breaks ground on iconic new library

North Carolina State University breaks ground on iconic new library"North Carolina State University officials broke ground on October 23 on a new state-of-the-art library for its Centennial Campus that, through its innovative design and technological sophistication, will set the standard for 21st century academic and research libraries. According to Susan Nutter, vice provost and director of the NCSU Libraries, the new James B. Hunt Jr. Library - named for the former North Carolina governor - 'seeks nothing less than to create the best learning and collaborative space in the country.' The Hunt Library will be a signature building that will serve as the intellectual and social heart of the rapidly growing population on the Centennial Campus, embodying the essence of the research park as a community built around knowledge. Anchoring the Centennial Campus' academic oval, the new library will embody the spirit of NC State's competitive advantage in science and technology and will be a major factor in attracting and retaining the best faculty, students, and corporate partners"

Free workshops on Web2 and the social Web for museums, libraries and archives staff in Preston, Devizes, London, Leeds, Leicester (UK)

Marieke Guy writes: "Web 2.0 and the Social Web are terms which are now being used widely. But what do these terms mean? And what, if anything, can Web 2.0 and the Social Web offer to museums, libraries and archives, especially small organisations with limited budgets and technical expertise? A one-day workshop sponsored by the MLA and entitled An Introduction to Web 2.0 and the Social Web will be touring the country in the next few months. The workshop will attempt to answer the above questions. It is free to attend but places are limited"

CCAHA debuts its online AV Media Preservation Video Series

The Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) premiered its new audiovisual media preservation video series on October 27, 2009 to coincide with UNESCO's World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. Based on CCAHA's national professional development program A Race Against Time: Preserving Our Audiovisual Media, this video series will provide an ongoing web-based preservation resource to those who are responsible for heritage audiovisual collections but were unable to attend the live conferences. The videos will be available for free on CCAHA's website

Essex Libraries introduce key fob membership card (UK)

"New library users in Essex are to be issued with 'fob' devices alongside traditional membership cards, under a new scheme to modernise Essex's book service. The fobs, designed to fit onto key rings, work in the same way as library cards and can be scanned whenever a person checks out or returns a book, CD or DVD. Existing library members can request one of the devices at any of the county's libraries"

Four percent of British have read an e-book

"Four percent of British people have read an e-book in the past month but the majority of them spent nothing on the title, according to a new survey. In a KPMG-commissioned YouGov survey of just over 1,000 consumers, it discovered of those who read a digital book, 70% of them spent nothing accessing their digital reads. Nineteen percent spent up to £5 and 7% spent between £5-£25. The survey also found that 68% of respondents said they had read a traditional book in the last month, 39% of us spent up to £10 on books last month and 13% spent between £10-£25" - The Bookseller

Light Touch Peer Review to help museums, libraries and archives improve services (UK)

The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council has developed a Light Touch Peer Review tool in order to help improve museums, libraries and archives services for users and communities

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Fronteras de la historia

Historia Caribe

Investigación Económica

Multequina

Espacios Públicos

Journal of Educational and Psychological Sciences

Glossator : Practice and Theory of the Commentary

Boston University Institutional Repository

"The Boston University Institutional Repository contains documents and publications authored or co-authored by BU faculty, students, and staff. Digital Common is an open access repository, which means that the full text of the work deposited here is freely accessible to the world via the web. Access is restricted only in unavoidable instances, for example where publisher copyright restrictions prevail. However over 90% of scholarly publishers worldwide now allow some version of the documents they publish to be made available in a repository such as this"

Data, Data Everywhere: Migration and System Population Practices

Data, Data Everywhere: Migration and System Population Practices - NISO Webinar - November 11, 2009 1:00-2:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)

Dayton Literary Peace Prize 2009 winners

A Crime So Monstrous: Face to Face with Modern Day Slavery by Benjamin Skinner, and Peace by Richard Bausch were named winners of the 2009 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for nonfiction and fiction, respectively. Winners receive a $10,000 honorarium and runners-up receive $1,000. They will be honored at a ceremony hosted by award-winning journalist Nick Clooney on Sunday, November 8 at the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center in Dayton, Ohio

PubWest 2009

PubWest 2009 - 2009 National Publishing Conference and Book Industry Trade Show - November 12-14, 2009 - Tucson, Arizona

Cut the Cord: Connecting to Our Mobile Users (MLA)

Medical Library Association Distance Learning - Cut the Cord: Connecting to Our Mobile Users - MLA's Educational Webcast - Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Central Time

JISC Podcast: Open Access – Harvard's success story with Robert Darnton

JISC Podcast: Open Access – Harvard's success story with Robert Darnton"In October 2008 Harvard University in the US adopted an open access policy for all its research papers to be made available in their university repository, in an opt out basis. 12 months on, since the policy was adopted, JISC's Rebecca O'Brien speaks with Professor Robert Darnton, Director of Harvard University Library and trustee of New York Public Library and the Oxford University Press (USA), about the cultural change that is taking place at Harvard and the background to why professors at the university decided to share their knowledge in this way"

InSITE - October 26, 2009

InSITE: A Current Awareness Service of Cornell Law Library - Vol. 15, No. 5, October 26, 2009 is now available

Spectrum: Concordia University Research Repository

"Spectrum is Concordia university's open access institutional repository that centralizes access and preserves the research created at Concordia, Montreal, Canada. By depositing their work in Spectrum, Concordia scholars provide free and immediate access to their work and thus increase the visibility of both their own research and their university's intellectual output. Open access leads to the increased research profile and impact of scholars by bringing about greater levels of readership and citation of their publications"

Prism - Fall 2009

The Fall 2009 edition of Prism: the newsletter from the ALA Office for Accreditation is now available

101 Book Blogs You Need to Read

101 Book Blogs You Need to Read from OnlineUniversities.com

Penguin China announces new English Language publishing list

Penguin has announced the establishment of a new publishing programme highlighting writing about and from China. The list, based out of Hong Kong, will feature translations of Chinese language works, as well as books originally written in English. Starting in 2010, Penguin China will publish five to eight books a year covering both fiction and non-fiction subjects

Monday, October 26, 2009

CARL E-Lert # 348

CARL E-Lert # 348, October 23 2009, is now available from Canadian Association of Research Libraries

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #92

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #92. "This week's episode talks about two proceedings before the Federal Communications Commission that librarians have an interest in. Other notable headlines are also discussed.". Previous Podcasts can be found here

Israel's National Library adds a final twist to Franz Kafka's Trial

Israel's National Library adds a final twist to Franz Kafka's Trial"Israel's National Library is calling on a German museum to hand over the original manuscript of Franz Kafka's novel The Trial to correct a "historical error", in the latest unravelling of a complex dispute over the writer's legacy. The manuscript was sold at auction by Sotheby's in 1988 for almost $2m to a book dealer acting on behalf of the German government and is stored in the Museum of Modern Literature in Marbach. Now the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem, which collects all works published in Israel, says that The Trial should be returned to the country in accordance with the final wishes of Max Brod, a friend of Kafka and the executor of his will." - Guardian

enTourage eDGe

"The enTourage eDGe is the world's first dualbook, combining the functions of an e-reader, netbook, notepad, and audio/video recorder and player in one. It's a comprehensive device that lets you read e-books, surf the Internet, take digital notes, send emails and instant messages, watch movies and listen to music anywhere, at any time"

Government at a Glance from OECD

"Government at a Glance is a new, biennial publication of the OECD. It provides over 30 indicators describing key elements underlying government performance. With a focus on public administration, the publication compares the size and reach of government across OECD countries from the perspective of revenues, expenditures and employment. It also includes indicators describing government policies and practices in integrity, e-government and open government, and introduces several composite indexes summarising key aspects of public management practices in human resource management, budgeting and regulatory management"

BookPrep from Hewlett-Packard

"HP has announced it is making more than 500,000 rare and hard-to-find books available for sale through a new collaboration with the University of Michigan. HP BookPrep - a cloud computing service that enables on-demand printing of books - brings new life to the traditional publishing model, making it possible to bring any book ever published back into print through an economical and sustainable service model"

Library of the Society of Friends Newsletter Issue 4 Autumn/Winter 2009

Library of the Society of Friends Newsletter Issue 4 Autumn/Winter 2009 is now available

DiSCmap - Digitisation in Special Collections: mapping, assessment, prioritisation

"DiSCmap aims to map, assess and prioritise the holdings of Special Collections within UKHE for future digitisation by JISC. while the digitisation of cultural/scientific heritage material has perhaps been historically led by supply rather than demand, DiSCmap aims to redress this by closely examining both the collections themselves and the measures by which demand can be gauged. Thus, via an innovative mixture of investigative methods, the project shall seek to cash out ephemeral ideas such as value and impact in digitisation, and practically apply the results to create a framework of criteria by which to quantifiably prioritise collections for digitisation"

Australian Teacher Librarian of the Year 2009

Australian Teacher Librarian of the Year 2009The 2009 Australian Teacher Librarian of the Year, Nareeda Tillman, a member of the Western Australian School Library Association (WASLA) manages a diverse library service at Mindarie Senior College (MSC), Mindarie, Western Australia. Mindarie Senior College opened in 2003 and caters for 840 Year 11 and 12 students, and has the largest proportion of English migrant students in the state. Students have flexible attendance hours and operate outside the normal 9am to 3.30pm timetable

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Microsoft Academic Search

"Microsoft Academic Search is a free academic search engine developed by Microsoft Research Asia, and it is also a test-bed for our object-level vertical search research. Driven by the latest search engine technology, Microsoft Academic Search enables users to not only find papers but to discover more information that goes beyond simple query results." With Microsoft Academic Search, you can:

* Locate top research papers
* Find top scientists, conferences, and journals in a specific field

AIP Library Matters - Fall 2009

AIP Library Matters - Fall 2009 issue is now available from American Institute of Physics

ELPUB 2010

ELPUB 2010: Publishing in the networked world: transforming the nature of communication - 14th International Conference on Electronic Publishing - 16-18 June 2010 - Helsinki, Finland

LIRG Ex Libris Research Award - call for applications (UK)

Applications are sought for the first LIRG Ex Libris award of up to GBP2500 to fund a research project to test and demonstrate applications, improvements and efficiencies in relation to library automated systems. The closing date for applications is Monday 2 November 2009. Topics could include:

* Research discovery
* Asset management
* Resource management
* Text linking
* Innovative uses of Web 2.0 tools
* Usability
* Enhancing the user experience
* Evaluating the user experience
* Operational efficiencies

The Career-Savvy Information Professional

The Career-Savvy Information Professional - a Simmons GSLIS Continuing Education online career workshop - March 1-31, 2010

NTIS Technical Reports Newsletter - October 2009

NTIS Technical Reports Newsletter - Volume 2, Number 4, October 15 2009 is now available from the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA, USA

2010 John Merriman Joint NASIG/UKSG Award

"NASIG (North American Serials Interest Group) and UKSG are seeking applicants for a joint venture to allow a member of each group to attend the conference of their sister organisation. The purpose of this conference-swap is for people working at a practical level in e-resource management to learn and share experiences at the UKSG Annual Conference to be held in Edinburgh, Scotland, 12-14 April 2010 or the NASIG Annual Conference that will be held in Palm Springs, California, June 2-5, 2010. The award is named in honour of John Merriman in recognition of John's work in starting both the UKSG and NASIG. The $6,000 award supports two people, one from each association, and consists of travel to the sister conference, and accommodation for the duration of the conference. In addition to the award the recipients will receive paid conference registration which includes most meals. This award does not include support for the award recipients to attend their home conference, but each applicant is encouraged to attend their home conference"

Managing the library and archive environment (UK)

Managing the library and archive environment - Preservation Advisory Centre Training Day: This one-day course will help librarians and archivists to understand the effect that a poor environment has on collections, and demonstrate how to monitor and control their storage environment. It is led by Jane Henderson, a well-known expert and trainer from Cardiff University's Department of History and Archaeology, with demonstrations of equipment by Chris Michael, Meaco - 2 December 2009 - London, UK

2010 Census (USA)

"The Census Bureau is working hard to reach every person living in America to inform them and their communities about the importance of the 2010 Census. This Web site is the platform on which we can build a national dialogue about how each person's participation helps paint a new 'Portrait of America.'"

Saturday, October 24, 2009

The T S Eliot Prize 2009 shortlist

The shortlist for The T S Eliot Prize 2009 has been announced:

Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin : The Sun Fish
Fred D'Aguiar : Continental Shelf
Jane Draycott : Over
Philip Gross : The Water Table
Sinéad Morrissey : Through the Square Window
Sharon Olds : One Secret Thing
Alice Oswald : Weeds & Wild Flowers
Christopher Reid : A Scattering
George Szirtes : The Burning of the Books and Other Poems
Hugo Williams : West End Final

YouMedia at Chicago Public Library

"YouMedia @ CPL is an innovative, 21st century learning space, housed at the Harold Washington Library, created to connect young adults, books, media and institutions throughout the city in one dynamic space designed to inspire collaboration and creativity. By working both in teams and individually, young adults will have an opportunity to engage in projects that promote critical thinking, creativity and skill-building. The design of Chicago Public Library’s YouMedia is based on the research of Professor Mizuko Ito and colleagues, Living and Learning with Digital Media (2008)"

World Press Photo Contest Archive

"For over fifty years the World Press Photo contest has captured images of our times. Our archive of winning photos is not only a record of more than half a century of human history, but a showcase of successive styles in photography and reportage. The archive gallery comprises some 10,000 images. It includes photos that have become icons, by some of the leading names in the profession. World Press Photo has put them online with the aim of sharing our knowledge, resources and experience with the widest possible network. This site was made possible with the support of the Mondriaan Foundation and VSB Foundation"

Ordnance Survey Air Photo Mosaics of Scotland, 1944-1950

"These aerial photographs provide key information on the landscape of post-War Scotland. They complement paper mapping, and represent the first widespread use of aerial survey methods by Ordnance Survey in Scotland"

Ancestors Magazine - November 2009

Ancestors Magazine - November 2009The November 2009 edition of Ancestors, the family history magazine from The National Archives, is available now

UK Government opens data to public

"An ambitious website that will open up government data to the public will launch in beta, or pilot, form in December. Reams of anonymous data about schools, crime and health could all be included. Data.gov.uk has been developed by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the web, and Professor Nigel Shadbolt at the University of Southampton" - BBC

SCONUL and JISC announce partnership agreement (UK)

The Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL) and JISC have signed a three year partnership agreement to bring together the knowledge of UK library professionals with JISC's expertise in digital technologies. The two organisations will work towards a vision of everyone having equal access to the widest range of resources supporting world class research, learning and teaching. Themes to be explored jointly by SCONUL and JISC will include:

* The changing library systems landscape - 'a road map for strategic development of UK library systems'
* Policy and strategic development for digital content and related infrastructure for libraries
* Access and identity management
* The changing scholarly communications process
* Supporting the user experience

Nova Scotia launches Borrow Anywhere, Return Anywhere library program

"As of September 28, 2009 users can now borrow from over a hundred libraries across the province of Nova Scotia, including public, community college and university libraries. Materials can be returned to any of the participating libraries. Developed by Libraries Nova Scotia, a collaboration of all public, college and university libraries in the province, the program creates seamless, barrier-free library access. To borrow items, simply bring identification or a public library card to get a free membership at any participating library. To return borrowed items, drop them off at the nearest library"

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Drinking Water Engineering and Science Discussions

Geoscientific Model Development

Geoscientific Model Development Discussions

Advances in Power Electronics

Diversity

International Journal of Geophysics

Journal of Allergy

Journal of Ophthalmology

Nutrients

Symmetry

RECIIS - Electronic Journal of Communication, Information & Innovation in Health

International Journal of Polymer Science

Journal of Tropical Medicine

Applied and Environmental Soil Science

Journal of Nanotechnology

Research Letters in Electronics

Chilean Journal of Agricultural Research

PaxCat Project Newsletter - Issue 2

PaxCat Project Newsletter - Issue 2, October 2009 is now available from the University of Bradford, UK

Confederation of Open Access Repositories

COAR is an international not-for-profit association that aims to promote greater visibility and application of research outputs through global networks of Open Access digital repositories. COAR strives to achieve this aim in pursuing two main goals.

* The first goal set concerns the operation, maintenance and further development of the DRIVER Confederation not as a project but as a sustainable and viable operation
* The second goal set concerns the more general and strategic goals with respect to development, advocacy, and representation of Open Access and repositories. Perceived as the strategic level of the DRIVER Confederation goals, the second goal set was designated under COAR.

The two goals sets are considered sufficiently different to require different approaches, activities, instruments and skills best achieved in a collaborative initiative, yet the interdependence of the two goal sets supported the adoption of a single legal entity, constituted as a light-weight organisational structure with sufficient flexibility to develop and respond to change in a dynamic environment

NIH awards US$12.2m grant for VIVOweb

The US National Institutes of Health have awarded the University of Florida – with Cornell University Library and Indiana University as major partners – a two-year, $12.2 million grant to bolster a national, Facebook-like, professional social network that enables scientists to find new biomedical research and partnerships. The new network will be called VIVOweb. By fostering alliances, it is hoped that biomedical research and discovery will move faster. The project will rest on VIVO, a technology developed at Cornell since 2003. It built a comprehensive network of scientists that identified existing projects and initiated new cooperation"

New journals from Inderscience Publishers

International Journal of Business Continuity and Risk Management

International Journal of Education Economics and Development

International Journal of Experimental Design and Process Optimisation

International Journal of Financial Markets and Derivatives

International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education

International Journal of Process Systems Engineering

International Journal of Rapid Manufacturing

Inderscience RSS Feed

WorldCat Mashathon Seattle 2009

"Join fellow coders for a two-day WorldCat Mashathon at the University of Washington. Sponsored by the OCLC Developer Network and UW Libraries, the WorldCat Mashathon gives participants the opportunity for two full days of brainstorming and coding mash-ups with local systems and other Web services to take advantage of all that WorldCat, the world's largest bibliographic database, has to offer" - November 5-6, 2009 - Odegaard Undergraduate Library, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Duke Law Scholarship Repository (USA)

"The Duke Law Scholarship Repository, launching online this week in partnership with BePress' Digital Commons, provides free, full-text access to more than 3,000 scholarly articles written by Duke Law faculty or published in Duke Law journals. The repository offers a fresh presentation of Duke Law scholarship, but the idea of freely accessible legal scholarship and a commitment to open access to information has deep roots in both practice and theory at Duke Law School." RSS Feed

TechSoup for Libraries

"TechSoup for Libraries is a project of TechSoup Global, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to making technology and technology education available and affordable to nonprofits and libraries all over the world. As of June 2009, it has distributed over 4.9 million donated and discounted products to nonprofits and public libraries across the globe, freeing up more than US$1.4 billion dollars for other uses"

Library Advocacy Day - June 29 2010 (USA)

"For one year only, Library Advocacy Day will replace National Library Legislative Day (NLLD). On June 29, 2010, library advocates from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. will meet at Upper Senate Park on the U.S. Capitol grounds. The event, which will begin at 11 a.m., will feature guest speakers, photo ops, and a chance to cheer on libraries! After the rally, participants will meet with their elected officials and their staffs."

Library Advocacy Day from ALA Washington on Vimeo.

Scholastic censors Myracle's "Luv Ya Bunches" from book fairs

"Don't expect to see Lauren Myracle's new book 'Luv Ya Bunches' (Abrams/Amulet, 2009) at Scholastic school book fairs this year. It's been censored - at least for now - due to its language and homosexual content. 'Luv Ya Bunches', about four elementary school girls who have little in common, but bond over the fact that they're all named after flowers, is the first installment of a four-book series. But Scholastic says the book, released on October 1, failed to meet its vetting process because it contains offensive language and same-sex parents of one of the main characters, Milla" - School Library Journal

Inventing the Future of Librarianship - Dave Lankes

Inventing the Future of Librarianship by Dave Lankes - Keynote Knutpunkt 2009, Linkoping, Sweden

Friday, October 23, 2009

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - this week: Intelligence & Counterintelligence. One of the resources recently added to Credo Reference is the Encyclopedia of Intelligence and Counterintelligence by M. E. Sharpe. If you fancy yourself as a spy or secret agent, try to answer these questions which can all be answered from this title. Answers here.

1. Central to justification of war against Iraq in March 2003 were assertions that Saddam Hussein was embarking on building WMD. What does "WMD" stand for?
2. In which city is the Lubyanka?
3. Which terrorist network has a name which is Arabic for the "Solid Base"?
4. Who led the Cuban Revolution that overthrew the dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959?
5. What was the name of the German encoding device whose code was broken by Alan Turing in World War II, which led to Allied victory in the Battle for the Atlantic?
6. Ian Fleming wrote the first James Bond novel in 1953. Was it called "Thunderball", "Dr. No", or "Casino Royale"?
7. The SOE was a UK intelligence organization. What did the letters "SOE" stand for?
8. Name three of the four zones into which Berlin was divided at the end of World War II.
9. In the 1930s, a group of four Englishmen from Cambridge University were famously recruited as Soviet spies. Name three of them.
10. "PURPLE" was a codename for a cipher machine introduced in 1939 by which people?

Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present

Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the PresentWho Shot Rock & Roll is the first major museum exhibition on rock and roll to put photographers in the foreground, acknowledging their creative and collaborative role in the history of rock music. From its earliest days, rock and roll was captured in photographs that personalized, and frequently eroticized, the musicians, creating a visual identity for the genre. The photographers were handmaidens to the rock-and-roll revolution, and their images communicate the social and cultural transformations that rock has fostered since the1950s. The exhibition is in six sections: rare and revealing images taken behind the scenes; tender snapshots of young musicians at the beginnings of their careers; exhilarating photographs of live performances that display the energy, passion, style, and sex appeal of the band on stage; powerful images of the crowds and fans that are often evocative of historic paintings; portraits revealing the soul and creativity, rather than the surface and celebrity, of the musicians; and conceptual images and album covers highlighting the collaborative efforts between the image makers and the musicians. Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present is organized by the Brooklyn Museum with guest curator Gail Buckland. October 30, 2009-January 31, 2010

The CWA Dagger Awards 2009 (UK)

The Crime Writers' Association has announce the winners of these CWA Daggers:

William Brodrick wins the CWA Gold Dagger for A Whispered Name
John Hart wins the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for The Last Child
Johan Theorin wins the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger for Echoes from The Dead

Law Library of Congress on Twitter

The Law Library of Congress now has an account on #Twitter

Naming of Mississippi library stirring racial issues

"For the better part of an hour Thursday, a series of older white women came up to the microphone to lobby City Council members to name the Northside Drive library after Ellen Douglas, a white Jackson resident whose novels have been widely praised for their portrayal of the racially conflicted South. They were followed by black residents speaking in favor of giving the honor to the late Charles Tisdale, the fiery publisher of The Jackson Advocate whose columns and radio show forcefully stirred the pot of race relations in a city with an ugly record on the topic"

Meiji University plans huge 'manga' library (Japan)

"In a move to promote serious study of Japanese manga, a university in Tokyo plans to open a library with two million comic books, animation drawings, video games and other cartoon industry artifacts. Tentatively named the Tokyo International Manga Library, it would open by early 2015 on the campus of the private Meiji University, and be available to researchers and fans from Japan and abroad. "Manga has been taken lightly in the past and there has been no solid archive for serious study," said Susumi Shibao, a library official at the university told AFP by telephone. "We want to help academic studies on manga as part of Japanese culture." To give an early taste of its collection, the university will open the Yoshihiro Yonezawa Memorial Library of Manga and Subculture this October 31, featuring the late manga critic's collection of 140,000 comic books" - AFP

Library Athenaeum: D. H. Lawrence: The Prophet of Love

Library Athenaeum: D. H. Lawrence: The Prophet of LoveThe Austin Peay State University Felix G. Woodward Library, Tennessee, USA, is presenting the next in their Athenaeum Lecture Series: D. H. Lawrence: The Prophet of Love, a presentation By Dr. Jill Franks, Professor of English. The program will be held on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 2 p.m. The Library Athenaeum consists of speeches or presentations, panel discussions, debates, readings and performances. Dr. Jill Franks is currently the president of the D. H. Lawrence Society of North America, will comment on Lawrence's strengths and weaknesses as an author and political thinker and philosopher. She will also discuss Lawrence's relevance today, and dispel some of the myths about him. In conjunction with Dr. Franks' presentation, Woodward Library will also host a reception celebrating the donation of Dr. James Cowan's extensive collection of Lawrence materials to the Library

Update:D is for Digitize video presentations available

D is for Digitize video presentations are now available

D is for Digitize"Everything about the Google Book Search project is larger than life, from Google's audacious plan to digitize every book ever published to the gigantic class action settlement now awaiting court approval. The groundbreaking proposed settlement in the Google Book Search case is so complex that controversy has outpaced conversation and questions have outnumbered answers. D Is For Digitize will give this complex lawsuit the sustained attention it deserves. An interdisciplinary lineup of academics and practitioners will examine the settlement through the lenses of copyright, civil procedure, antitrust, information policy, literary culture, and the publishing industry. The conference is timed to coincide with the rescheduled fairness hearing in the Google Book Search case, which will be held on Wednesday, October 7 in New York City, just five blocks from the Law School"

Thursday, October 22, 2009

190,000 Welsh wills online at the National Library of Wales

"Over 190,000 Welsh wills (some 800,000 pages) have been digitised and are now available on the National Library of Wales' website or direct on the online catalogue and are free to view. Wills which were proved in the Welsh ecclesiastical courts before the introduction of Civil Probate on 11 January 1858 have long been deposited at The National Library of Wales. An online index and an opportunity to view digital images of these wills within the Library building has been available for sometime, however, from today remote users will also be able to view the digital images"

Library + Information Gazette 23 October - 5 November 2009

Library + Information Gazette, the fortnightly magazine for the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, is now available online to everyone. Latest issue: 23 October - 5 November 2009

FreePint Newsletter 288

FreePint Newsletter 288 - 22 October, 2009 now available

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography: 2008 Annual Edition (Kindle Edition)

The Kindle edition of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography: 2008 Annual Edition is now available from Amazon.com. The bibliography presents over 3,350 English-language articles, books, and other printed and electronic sources that are useful in understanding scholarly electronic publishing efforts on the Internet (see the table of contents for details). Most sources have been published between 1990 and 2008; however, a limited number of key sources published prior to 1990 are also included. Where possible, links are provided to works that are freely available on the Internet, including e-prints in disciplinary archives and institutional repositories

Webinar - Sweet Talk: Romance Fiction in the Library

Webinar - Sweet Talk: Romance Fiction in the Library - "Join Donna Seaman, Booklist's romance fiction editor, and a panel of librarians, authors, and publishers to discuss the state of the genre in public libraries and in the marketplace. Panelists include John Charles, Reference Librarian, Scottsdale (AZ) Public Library; Shelley Mosley, Adjunct Librarian at Glendale (AZ) Community College; Madeline Hunter, best-selling author of 17 historical romances; Kayleigh George, Library Marketing Coordinator at HarperCollins Publishers; and Cheryl Herman, Library Marketing Director for Books on Tape and Listening Library (Random House)" - November 12, 3–4 p.m. (CST)

PLA 2010 National Conference preliminary program

PLA 2010 National ConferenceThe PLA 2010 National Conference will be held March 23-27, 2010 in Portland, Oregon, USA. Preliminary program now available


National Library Week 2010 (USA)

National Library Week 2010 (USA)National Library Week 2010 will be celebrated with the theme, "Communities thrive @ your library." April 11-17, 2010. Author Neil Gaiman, winner of this year's Newberry Medal for "The Graveyard Book," has been named the 2010 Honorary Chair of National Library Week. As Honorary Chair, Gaiman will appear in both print and radio public service announcements and a podcast and will participate in a National Library Week event developed by the American Library Association's Campaign for America’s Libraries

Average academic book price report re-launched (UK)

LISU has now re-launched its Average Prices of Academic Books series, with a single publication covering both UK and USA titles for the academic year July 2008 to June 2009. At GBP48.57, the overall price for UK sourced titles in 2008-09 is up by 3.6% over the previous year. Over the five years since 2003-04, UK academic book prices have risen by an average of 16%, in line with the general rate of inflation as measured by the Retail Price Index. USA academic book prices have tended to rise more rapidly than in the UK, with the latest average at $81.34, up by 4.3% from last year, and 21% higher than five years ago. LISU is a national research and consultancy centre which promotes good management practice in information, cultural and academic services, through publishing appropriate material, providing independent advice and support for advocacy, and for performance evaluation and enhancement. It is based in the Research School of Informatics and the Department of Information Science at Loughborough University, UK

ACRL 2008 Academic Library Trends & Statistics

ACRL 2008 Academic Library Trends & Statistics - the complete data set from ACRL's comprehensive statistics-gathering project encompassing all academic libraries. Data from 1,533 academic libraries in all Carnegie classifications is included

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Teen Librarian Monthly - October 2009

Teen Librarian Monthly - October 2009 is now available for download

eScholarship - California Digital Library

"eScholarship provides a suite of open access, scholarly publishing services and research tools that enable departments, research units, publishing programs, and individual scholars associated with the University of California to have direct control over the creation and dissemination of the full range of their scholarship"

Transliteracy Conference (UK)

Transliteracy Conference - 9 February 2010 - Leicester, UK - In association with the Institute of Creative Technologies & the NLab Small Business Network, De Montfort University. "Transliteracy is the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks. Since 2005, when Professor Sue Thomas introduced this concept in the UK, transliteracy has been taken up and explored by a broad range of academics and practitioners, from information scientists to literary theorists, artists and writers"

Omeka 1.1 now available

"Omeka is a web platform for publishing collections and exhibitions online. Designed for cultural institutions, enthusiasts, and educators, Omeka is easy to install and modify and facilitates community-building around collections and exhibits. Omeka is free and open source"

Breakthrough Learning in a Digital Age - hosted by Google (USA)

"Forty years after the "War on Poverty" and twenty-five years after "A Nation at Risk," a new forum has been designed to advance a new paradigm for learning by harnessing the largely untapped potential of digital media. Breakthrough Learning in a Digital Age will bring together 200 of the nation's top thought leaders in science and technology, informal and formal education, entertainment media, research, philanthropy, and policy to create and act upon a breakthrough strategy for scaling-up effective models of teaching and learning for children. The forum will showcase cutting edge research, proven and promising models to challenge decision-makers in key sectors to help "refresh and reboot" American global leadership in education. The forum is hosted by Google, Inc., in cooperation with forum founders: the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, Common Sense Media, the MacArthur Foundation" - October 27 & 28, 2009 - Mountain View, CA, USA

Submitting an ACRL program proposal for the 2011 ALA Annual Conference

"ACRL invites its committees, sections, and individual members to consider submitting a program proposal for the 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. There will be a virtual meeting on December 8, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. CST for ACRL units and members interested in submitting a proposal for a 2011 ALA Annual Conference Program. The purpose of this meeting is to provide potential conference program planners with an understanding of the Annual Conference program planning process, including budgets, timelines, and planning tips. Please note that the Annual Conference program planning process spans twenty months, until Annual 2011. 2011 ALA Annual Conference Program Proposal forms will be due May 3, 2010. The ACRL Professional Development Coordinating Committee will review and select 2011 Annual Conference programs, and notifications will be issued before the 2010 ALA Annual Conference"

Subject Repositories: European collaboration in the international context (UK)

"Subject Repositories: European collaboration in the international context will explore the development of subject repositories worldwide and will see the launch of Economists Online, the key output of an EC-funded subject repository project managed by the Nereus consortium of top European economics libraries. Nereus members will showcase this subject repository in both plenary and parallel sessions, sharing lessons learned and engaging delegates in discussions of the main issues such as content recruitment, search and retrieval services, usage statistics and data sets. The two-day programme will also put Economists Online into the wider context and will allow delegates to hear about repository trends across three continents" - 28-29 January 2010 - London, UK

nook from Barnes & Noble

"Barnes & Noble, Inc. has announced the launch of nook, the Barnes & Noble eBook reader, which marries innovative technology and sleek minimalist design with access to the company's digital store of over one million eBooks, newspapers and magazines. nook features many industry firsts as it is the first Android-based eBook reader and the first to offer a color touch screen for navigation along with a best-in-class E Ink display for an immersive, enjoyable e-reading experience. For fast connectivity, nook is the first eBook reader to provide, at no additional costs to customers, both 3G wireless access on AT&T's mobile broadband network and access to Wi-Fi for Barnes & Noble in-store browsing and enjoyment. And to help friends share their joy of reading, nook is the first eBook reader to offer digital lending for a wide selection of eBooks"

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Bookserver from Internet Archive

"The BookServer is a growing open architecture for vending and lending digital books over the Internet. Built on open catalog and open book formats, the BookServer model allows a wide network of publishers, booksellers, libraries, and even authors to make their catalogs of books available directly to readers through their laptops, phones, netbooks, or dedicated reading devices. BookServer facilitates pay transactions, borrowing books from libraries, and downloading free, publicly accessible books"

2009 National Book Awards finalists (USA)

The 20 Finalists for the 2009 National Book Awards have been announced and will be presentd on November 18, 2009. The finalists are:

Fiction:
* Bonnie Jo Campbell, American Salvage (Wayne State University Press)
* Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin (Random House)
* Daniyal Mueenuddin, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders (W. W. Norton & Co.)
* Jayne Anne Phillips, Lark and Termite (Alfred A. Knopf)
* Marcel Theroux, Far North (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Non Fiction:
* David M. Carroll, Following the Water: A Hydromancer's Notebook
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
* Sean B. Carroll, Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
* Greg Grandin, Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City (Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt)
* Adrienne Mayor, The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's * Deadliest Enemy (Princeton University Press)
* T. J. Stiles, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt
(Alfred A. Knopf)

Poetry:
* Rae Armantrout, Versed (Wesleyan University Press)
* Ann Lauterbach, Or to Begin Again (Viking Penguin)
* Carl Phillips, Speak Low (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
* Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Open Interval (University of Pittsburgh Press)
* Keith Waldrop, Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy
(University of California Press)

Young People's Literature:
* Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith
(Henry Holt)
* Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
* David Small, Stitches (W. W. Norton & Co.)
* Laini Taylor, Lips Touch: Three Times (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic)
* Rita Williams-Garcia, Jumped (HarperTeen/HarperCollins)

University of Calgary has joined the Association of Research Libraries

"The University of Calgary has joined the prestigious ranks of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). The association works to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the communities they serve"

An Introduction to Mimas Bibliographic Services (UK)

Mimas has announced that the free training course An Introduction to Mimas Bibliographic Services will be held in Manchester on November 2009 and in London on 11 November 2009

2009 ACRL/NY Annual Symposium

"The 2009 ACRL/NY Annual Symposium, 'Emerging Leadership in Academic Libraries' focuses on the importance of leadership in academic libraries today and the paths to achieving and sustaining it. This Symposium will address myriad questions of leadership: What does it take to be a leader? How do we mentor leaders within our institutions? How do we take charge of our own career paths? How do we move into leadership roles? We will open up discussions of leadership across the different stages of librarianship. The Symposium will take place on December 4, 2009 in New York City at The William and Anita Newman Vertical Campus Conference Center, Baruch College"

New Portal: Native Canada

"This portal brings together a number of digital collections with strong emphasis on the aboriginal people of Canada. View clips from four films from the ANCS (Alberta Native Communication Society) film collection, find out which traditional medicinal plant may be used for headaches, read about the Blackfoot Ghost dance under folklore or even learn how to write in Dene Suline (Chipewyan) using the Dr. Eung-do Cook fonds. The possibilities are educational and entertaining. Links within the university to appropriate departments, faculties and centres are also noted. Created by Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Initiatives, University of Calgary"

Eurostat regional yearbook 2009

Eurostat regional yearbook 2009"Through graphics and text, the Eurostat regional yearbook 2009 paints a statistical portrait of life in the regions of the European Union's member states, candidate countries and the EFTA countries. Its 13 chapters are written by specialists and presented in a language accessible to all. The book gives an ideal opportunity to assess the progress made so far in regional policy programmes recently launched as part of the EU's new cohesion policy. The latest results from the Urban Audit provide a snapshot of city life across the regions"

FIL at British Library London

FIL at British Library London: An Event for Library Practitioners - 6 November 2009. FIL = Forum for interlending and information delivery

WatchKnow

"WatchKnow is both a resource for users and also a non-profit, online community that encourages everyone to collect, create, and share free, innovative, educational videos"

75 Apps to Turn Your iPhone into the Ultimate Personal Library

75 Apps to Turn Your iPhone into the Ultimate Personal Library from Accredited Online Universities

Monday, October 19, 2009

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #91

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #91. "This week's episode contains an interview with web celeb Cali Lewis about blogging today and recent rumblings from the Federal Trade Commission about disclosures bloggers must make". Previous Podcasts can be found here

30 West titles for Amazon Kindle

West is making nearly 30 of its titles available for electronic download for the Amazon Kindle

INFLUX library user experience

INFLUX library user experience from Aaron Schmidt and Amanda Etches-Johnson - "We make good libraries great and great libraries even better. Whether it's your library's website or an in-house service, we can help"

Intro to UX for Libraries from Aaron Schmidt on Vimeo.

Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers

"The purpose of the Georgia Peach Award is to highlight and promote the best current young adult literature for Georgia high school age students, to encourage young adults to read and to promote the development of cooperative school and public library services for young adults. Teens vote for their favorite books out of the year's top 20 nominees at their high schools and local public libraries"

Archive-It

"Archive-It, a subscription service from the Internet Archive, allows institutions to build and preserve collections of born digital content. Through our user-friendly web application, Archive-It partners can harvest, catalog, manage, and browse their archived collections. Collections are hosted at the Internet Archive data center and are accessible to the public with full-text search". Attend a live online demo on October 27 11:30AM PDT or November 10 11:30AM PST

Institutional Repository Bibliography - Version 1

"The Institutional Repository Bibliography, from Charles W. Bailey, Jr., presents selected English-language articles, books, and other scholarly textual sources that are useful in understanding institutional repositories. Although institutional repositories intersect with a number of open access and scholarly communication topics, this bibliography only includes works that are primarily about institutional repositories. Most sources have been published between 2000 and the present; however, a limited number of key sources published prior to 2000 are also included. Where possible, links are provided to e-prints in disciplinary archives and institutional repositories. Note that e-prints and published articles may not be identical. This bibliography does not include presentation slides or digital media works, such as MP3 files" Version 1 - October 19, 2009

Sunday, October 18, 2009

On The Same Page (Canada)

"On The Same Page is a mass-reading campaign initiated by The Winnipeg Foundation to get Manitobans reading, and talking about, one book. The program has been modeled after Canada Reads, and similar projects in cities across North America, but with a focus on Manitoba authors and issues. In keeping with the spirit of the Foundation's Literacy for Life Fund, On The Same Page encourages intergenerational, life-long literacy. The Foundation is pleased to partner with Winnipeg Public Library to present On The Same Page for 2009-10. Through an on-line public vote in May, Joan Thomas' Reading by Lightning has been selected as the 2009-10 book for On the Same Page