E-Lert # 290 / Cyberavis no. 290
Friday August 15, 2008 / le vendredi 15 août 2008
NEWS / NOUVELLES
Funding for higher education sector declines for the first time
since 1998
RE$EARCH MONEY, Volume 22, Number 13, August 14, 2008
The era of dramatic funding increases in higher education R&D appear to be over. Federal support declined 2.2% in 2006-07 to $2.487 billion — a drop that is even more pronounced (-4.4%) when measured in 2002 constant dollars. This isn't the first time federal support has declined. The most recent decrease calls into question the S&T Strategy's commitment to "maintain Canada's G-7 leadership in public R&D performance". Funding increases to the granting councils and the Indirect Cost of Research program have been less than requested and the $510-million commitment to the Canada Foundation for Innovation in Budget 2007 allows that organization to hold one major competition with no indication that future funding is forthcoming.
Copyright law may be stillborn
Sarah Schmidt
National Post, August 13, 2008
New technologies aimed at making it easier for consumers to store digital
files will run afoul of the federal government's new copyright legislation,
causing experts to question whether the bill will be obsolete before it
is passed into law. Bell, for example, is promoting a new product for archiving
recorded television shows that would be illegal under the proposed law.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=720773
Canada must protect creativity
Times Colonist
August 11, 2008
Every Canadian should have the right to offer input on the federal government's
contribution to a sweeping international agreement on intellectual property
rights. Yet according to University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist,
who obtained documents under the Access to Information Act, the federal
government is so far restricting input to a group of insiders representing
select industries and lobby groups.
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/comment/story.html?id=fe6f0b13-791e-4332-9885-4939142ece22
Government of Canada Welcomes New Mapping Data on Canada's North
Natural Resources Canada, August 8, 2008
The Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, today announced
that Canada has completed an important step in mapping Canada's Arctic's
undersea continental shelf. Canada's Government made mapping of the Arctic
a national priority in both the Speech from the Throne and Budget 2008.
Canadian researchers have been conducting surveys and collecting geological
data about the extent of the continental shelf to extend Canada's territory
beyond the currently recognized limit of 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres),
potentially adding up to 1.75 million square kilometres – an area
about the size of the Prairie Provinces.
http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/media/newcom/2008/200856-eng.php
Open Library Environment (OLE) Project
August 4, 2008
With support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Open Library Environment
(OLE) Project will convene the academic library community in the design
of an Open Library Management System built on Service Oriented Architecture.
The project leaders are a multi-national group of libraries dedicated to
thinking beyond the current model of an Integrated Library System and to
designing a new system that is flexible, customizable and able to meet the
changing and complex needs of modern, dynamic academic libraries.
http://oleproject.org/
HEFCE announces new chair of JISC
August 4, 2008
Professor Sir Timothy O'Shea, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University
of Edinburgh, has been appointed to succeed Professor Sir Ron Cooke as the
new chair of JISC from 1 January 2009. The appointment was announced today
by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), on behalf of
the UK funding bodies. Professor O’Shea is a graduate of the Universities
of Sussex and Leeds. He has worked in the United States and for the Open
University (OU). At the OU he founded the Computer Assisted Learning Research
Group and worked on a range of educational technology research and development
projects.
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/Home/news/stories/2008/08/chair.aspx
Gutless and Green Computing
Jack Stripling
Inside Higher Ed, August 1, 2008
With energy costs climbing, a Jesuit university is pulling the plug on
some of its computers. Rockhurst University, in Kansas City, Mo. is getting
rid of many of its traditional desktops, opting instead for bare bones units
that rely upon servers to do most of the processing work. In so doing, Rockhurst
officials expect to reduce computer-related energy costs by up to 90 percent.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/08/01/rockhurst
NASA opens up space image library
Clement James
vnunet.com, July 25, 2008
NASA is to make its huge collection of historic photographs, film and video
available to the public for the first time. A partnership with the non-profit
Internet Archive will see 21 major NASA imagery collections merged into
a single searchable online resource. The launch is the first step in a five-year
partnership that will add millions of images and thousands of hours of video
and audio content, with enhanced search and viewing capabilities and new
user features.
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2222549/nasa-opens-space-library
Graduate Professional Certificate in Library Sector Leadership at
the University of Victoria
July 18, 2008
The Graduate Professional Certificate in Library Sector Leadership is designed
to strengthen the capacity of librarians to serve in management and leadership
roles in Canada’s public, private, and government libraries. The program
has been developed in partnership with leaders in the University of Victoria
Library. It is designed to meet ongoing demands from professional librarians
for comprehensive training in management, leadership and business skills.
http://publicadmin.uvic.ca/gradcerts/library.htm
ARTICLES
International S&T collaboration gaining traction: ISTPCanada
punches above its weight with successful first year
RE$EARCH MONEY, Volume 22, Number 13, August 14, 2008
A modestly funded program designed to stimulate bilateral R&D collaboration between Canada and several other nations is opening up a huge range of possibilities that could prompt the federal government to move aggressively on its Global Innovation Strategy (GIS). After little more than one year of operation, International Science and Technology Partnerships Canada (ISTPCanada) has processed several high-quality projects with India and China and forged a wide range of partnerships within Canada, exacting a degree of influence far beyond its original funding capacity.
What is the real return on our research investments in universities?
Adam Holbrook
RE$EARCH MONEY, Volume 22, Number 13, August 14, 2008
Federal labs and universities are being asked to estimate the financial value of their results. No less an authority than the Clerk of the Privy Council has asked universities, in particular, to show increased commercialization of their funded research and the consequent return on these investments. Clear functional separation of research activities is now being eroded by the push for commercialization. While it is useful for all three parties to have strong interactions with each other, and to exchange researchers and projects among themselves, the basic strength of the current system is that it assigns clear R&D mandates and responsibilities to each sector.
New copyright bill affects universities and students
Nick Taylor-Vaisey
University Affairs, August-September, 2008
Many mainstream commentators voiced opposition to the reforms to Canada’s
Copyright Act, focusing on how it affects the public’s ability to
download movies and music. Reaction from the business community and entertainment
industry was mixed, while reaction from the education community was largely
left off the front pages. Nonetheless, there are important implications
for universities and colleges in C-61.
http://www.universityaffairs.ca/issues/2008/aug-sept/new_copyright_bill_01.html
Moins d’argent par étudiant
Léo Charbonneau
Affaires universitaires, août-septembre, 2008
Selon un rapport de l’AUCC, la qualité de l’enseignement
et de la recherche pourrait tôt ou tard en souffrir. Sans vouloir
nécessairement réclamer plus d’argent, l’Association
des universités et collèges du Canada (AUCC) plaide pour une
augmentation des revenus des universités canadiennes dans le troisième
et dernier volume de son rapport intitulé Tendances dans le milieu
universitaire.
http://www.affairesuniversitaires.ca/Francais/issues/2008/aout-sept/moins_dargent_etudiant_01.html
Free Your Search with Open Source
Karen Coombs
Library Journal, July 15, 2008
While open source federated search tools are free of cost, this is the
least of their several advantages. Built-in application programming interfaces
(APIs), highly customizable interfaces, speedy return of search results,
and the ability to participate in the development process are all potential
benefits, though they also require staff time and effort to customize and
configure successfully. In order to make the best decision, librarians should
take the time to compare the features, functionality, and costs of open
source products with their commercial cousins to choose the tool that best
meets their needs.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6571319.html?nid=2671&source=link&rid=490036441
RESOURCES / RESSOURCES
Podcast: Beyond the Google Generation report – next steps
Joint Information Systems Committee, August 11, 2008
The Google Generation made a major impact when it was published in January
of this year. In this podcast interview one of its authors Ian Rowlands
of University College London talks to Philip Pothen from JISC about some
of the implications of the report, while Rachel Bruce, JISC programme director,
gives her views on the report and possible next steps.
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/Home/news/stories/2008/08/podcast53ianrowlandsrachelbruce.aspx
ERIC Redesigns Web Site; Adds Expanded Help, New Information
August 3, 2008
Education Resources Information Centre (ERIC) announces the release of
a new Web site structure and design at www.eric.ed.gov. The new ERIC Web
site features several enhancements that will make the experience of using
the site easier and faster for individual researchers, along with improvements
to aid librarians in supporting ERIC users. These enhancements include improved
navigation, expanded help and training, an information area for librarians,
and a lighter visual design.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/resources/html/news/eric_news_57.html
Investigating Data Management Practices in Australian Universities
Margaret Henty et al
Australian Partnership for Sustainable Repositories (APSR), July 2008
Universities around the world are experiencing an increasing emphasis on
the need for effective data management and stewardship to underpin the changing
research environment, as research becomes more dependent on data in digital
form and computers and networks proliferate. Data is valuable from the moment
of creation, not to mention expensive to collect, so there is no point in
duplicating its collection. It might also be unique, representing a snapshot
in time or space and therefore impossible to replicate. Data can be re-used,
sometimes for purposes not originally dreamt of, and it can be re-analysed,
either to check original results or to take advantage of new analytical
techniques. There is increasing pressure to ensure that data should not
go to waste, and for universities to develop the infrastructure needed to
care for this invaluable resource.
http://www.apsr.edu.au/orca/investigating_data_management.pdf
Fostering Learning in the Networked World: The Cyberlearning Opportunity
and Challenge
Report of the NSF Task Force on Cyberlearning, June 24, 2008
To address the global problems of war and peace, economics, poverty, health,
and the environment, we need a world citizenry with ready access to knowledge
about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); social,
behavioral, and economic sciences; and the humanities. While technology
cannot solve all the world’s educational challenges and crises, it
has the potential to broaden educational opportunities, improve public understanding,
and strengthen learning in classrooms and beyond.
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08204/nsf08204.pdf
The Hyperlinked Society: Questioning Connections in the Digital
Age
Joseph Turow and Lokman Tsui, Editors
The University of Michigan Press, 2008
About the book: “Links are among the most basic---and most unexamined---features
of online life. Bringing together a prominent array of thinkers from industry
and the academy, The Hyperlinked Society addresses a provocative series
of questions about the ways in which hyperlinks organize behavior online.”
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=297291
Scholarly Publishing Initiatives: 2007 Annual Report
Donald J. Waters and Joseph S. Meisel
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation – Program Essays, April 2008
In 2007, the Scholarly Communications and Research University and Humanistic
Scholarship programs collaborated in launching two new initiatives in the
area of scholarly publishing, one aimed at increasing the capacity of university
presses to publish first books by junior scholars in fields where publication
opportunities have become constrained, the other at strengthening the substantive
relationship between university presses and their home institutions. This
essay is intended to provide some background by focusing on the factors
that prompted staff to direct Foundation resources in these particular ways.
http://www.mellon.org/news_publications/annual-reports-essays/presidents-essays/scholarly-publishing-initiatives/
Fair dealing after CCH
Giuseppina D'Agostino
Canadian Heritage, Copyright Policy Branch, June 2007
As a result of the March 4, 2004 Supreme Court of Canada decision in CCH
Canadian Ltd v Law Society of Upper Canada for the first time in Canadian
copyright history, the court determined that Canadian law must recognize
a “user right” to carry on exceptions generally and fair dealing
in particular. Whereas the notion of exceptions before this decision was
premised on a narrow interpretation of the scope of the exceptions, the
Supreme Court has raised what was a narrow exception to the level of general
principle. [Note: An updated version will also be published by the McGill
Law Journal in 2008: “Healing Fair Dealing? A comparative copyright
analysis of Canadian fair dealing to UK fair dealing and US fair use”.]
http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/ac-ca/progs/pda-cpb/pubs/cch-2007/CCH-2007_e.pdf
EVENTS / ÉVÉNEMENTS
iPRES 2008: The Fifth International Conference on Preservation
of Digital Objects
London, United Kingdom, September 29 – 30
The British Library will host this year's International Conference on Preservation
of Digital Objects (iPRES 2008) at its Conference Centre in St Pancras,
London. iPRES 2008 is the fifth in the series of annual international conferences
which bring together researchers and practitioners from around the world
to explore the latest trends, innovations, thinking, and practice in digital
preservation.
http://www.bl.uk/ipres2008/index.html
Reinventing Science Librarianship, an ARL/CNI Forum
Arlington, Virginia, October 16-17, 2008
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the Coalition for Networked
Information (CNI) are cosponsoring a forum on "Reinventing Science
Librarianship: Models for the Future," to be held Thursday and Friday,
October 16 and 17, 2008, following the 153rd ARL Membership Meeting, at
the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, in Arlington, Virginia. The forum organizers
hope to broaden the understanding of trends in scientific research as well
as support leadership in applying these trends in the development of new
library roles. The program will highlight a few case studies of different
scales to illustrate new, emerging models of library support.
http://www.arl.org/events/fallforum/forum08/index.shtml
