E-Lert # 297 / Cyberavis no. 297
Friday October 3, 2008 / le vendredi 3 octobre 2008
CARL COMMUNIQUE / COMMUNIQUÉ DE L’ABRC
The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) sent a list of pre-election
questions to the offices of the federal parties. The questionnaire went
out to the leaders of the five major federal parties. PDF
/
L’Association des bibliothèques de recherche du Canada (ABRC)
a envoyée une liste de questions pré-électorales aux
secrétariats des parties fédéraux. Les chefs des cinq
parties fédéraux majeurs ont reçut le questionnaire.
PDF
NEWS / NOUVELLES
Open Access Day
PLoS, SPARC, and Students for Free Culture
October 14, 2008
Open Access Day organizers will begin live, worldwide broadcasts of events
at 7:00 PM (Eastern and Pacific time). Campus libraries and student organizers
are invited to host meetings around the broadcast. A number of Canadian
Institutions will be participating. Open Access Day will help to broaden
awareness and understanding of Open Access, including recent mandates and
emerging policies, within the international higher education community and
the general public. Campuses and organizations who wish to participate in
the online events scheduled for October 14, 2008 are reminded to register
no later than Friday, October 3.
http://openaccessday.org/
A participant at the Canadian Association of Research Libraries
IR meeting in Hamilton reports on the proceedings in blog post
October 2, 2008
The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) hosed an Institutional
Repository meeting in Hamilton Ontario on Wednesday October 1st, 2008 to
coincide with Access 2008. Three major themes emerged from the meeting:
DSpace is commonly used; Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs); Scholarly
Communications Programs.
http://relog.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/carl-ir-meeting-at-access-2008/
CLA Launches Federal Election Kit
October 3, 2008
CLA has released a new kit to help librarians and others present the library
community's views to candidates in the federal election. It summarizes nine
key library issues and provides suggestions on how librarians, trustees
and others can reach out to candidates.
Federal Election Kit: http://www.cla.ca/news/CLA_Election_Kit_2008.pdf
Federal Election Tool: http://www.cla.ca/election_widget.html
A bill to overturn the NIH policy
Peter Suber
SPARC Open Access Newsletter, October 2, 2008
Six months after the new, strengthened version of the NIH OA policy took
effect, it faces a bill in Congress to overturn it. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI)
introduced the Fair Copyright in Research Works Act (H.R. 6845) on September
9. Conyers is the chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, which
is the House committee most responsible for copyright legislation, especially
through its Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.
The subcommittee held a hearing on the Conyers bill on September 11. The
gist of the bill is to prohibit federal funding agencies from requiring
grantees to transfer any rights or licenses to the government as a condition
of funding, for any works (1) even partially funded by a source other than
a US federal agency and (2) even partially reflecting the "meaningful
added value" of any other party.
http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/newsletter/10-02-08.htm#nih
Analysis of Comments and Implementation of the NIH Public Access
Policy
National Institutes of Health, October 2, 2008
NIH received 613 unduplicated comments from a broad cross-section of the
public, including NIH-funded investigators, members of the general public,
patient advocates, professional organizations, and publishers. This report
summarizes these comments. Most comments offered broad support for the policy
as written. Many comments requested a reduction in the delay period before
papers can be made publicly available on PubMed Central. In some cases,
commenters expressed concern about the Policy, others asked for clarification,
and still others
suggested alternatives to NIH’s implementation.
http://publicaccess.nih.gov/analysis_of_comments_nih_public_access_policy.pdf
The National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) adopts an OA mandate
October 1, 2008
Effective July 2009, all researchers supported in whole or in part through
the NCIC are required to make their published results of NCIC supported
work publicly available. Researchers are encouraged to make their work publicly
available as soon as possible, but must do so no later than six months after
the final publication date.
http://www.ncic.cancer.ca/ncic/internet/standard/0,3621,84658243_85827972_303466622_langId-en,00.html
DRIVER and eIFL.net signed Memorandum of Understanding
September 29, 2008
DRIVER and eIFL.net – Electronic Information for Libraries –
have identified demand for cooperation in order to progress and enhance
the provision, visibility and application of European research outputs through
digital repositories. Rima Kupryte, Director of eIFL.net, said ‘eIFL.net
and DRIVER share the vision that research institutions should contribute
actively and cooperatively to a global, interoperable, trusted and long-term
data and service infrastructure based on Open Access digital repositories.
http://www.eifl.net/cps/sections/news/press-area/2008-09-29
The CCR questions leaders on research
September 26, 2008
The Canadian Consortium for Research (CCR) wants to know what federal party
leaders have in store for research if they form Canada’s next government.
A consortium of 18 organizations representing the full spectrum of science,
the CCR distributed five questions to each of the federal party leaders
to seek clarification on their plans for research in the government, university,
college and private sectors.
http://en.ccr-ccr.ca/?section_id=4&content_id=33
AUCC asks parties to demonstrate support for higher education and
research
September 10, 2008
Universities matter to Canada and to Canadians. In uncertain economic times,
strategic investment by governments can make a major impact on the well-being
of their citizens. In this questionnaire to the federal party leaders, AUCC
asks all parties in the 2008 election if they will commit to maintaining
and improving the federal government’s support for higher education
and university research.
http://www.aucc.ca/publications/media/2008/election_site_09_10_e.html
ARTICLES
Microsoft Unveils Plan for 3 Labs in Europe
Eric Pfanner
The New York Times, October 2, 2008
Microsoft said that it would set up research centers in Britain, France
and Germany to improve its Internet search technology, describing the move
as a vote of confidence in the European economy and in the company’s
ability to close the gap with Google.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/technology/internet/03soft.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&emc=th&adxnnlx=1223043442-XzH8WPsBBdEpJejLtdsVbw
One month later, has Chrome’s polish lasted?
Jeremy Kutner
The Christian Science Monitor, October 2, 2008
To judge from the thousands of articles that followed Google’s release
of its Web browser, Chrome, one thing was clear: A browser war is on. But
now that a month has passed, average users could be excused for wondering
what all this buzz was about, and whether switching to a new browser is
actually worth the effort. So what does Chrome actually mean for the everyday
Web surfer? Right now, not much – but a few years out, Google’s
browser could mean a whole lot more.
http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/10/02/one-month-later-has-chrome’s-polish-lasted/
Logging On for a Second (or Third) Opinion
John Schwartz
The New York Times, September 29, 2008
At least three-quarters of all Internet users look for health information
online, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project; of those
with a high-speed connection, 1 in 9 do health research on a typical day.
And 75 percent of online patients with a chronic problem told the researchers
that “their last health search affected a decision about how to treat
an illness or condition,” according to a Pew
Report released last month, “The Engaged E-Patient Population.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/health/30online.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
More 'Open Teaching' Courses, and What They Could Mean for Colleges
Jeffrey R. Young
The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 26, 2008
Last month The Chronicle of Higher Education wrote about a professor’s
experiment
in “open teaching,” in which he allowed anyone to take his online
course and fully participate in discussions. Since then readers have alerted
the CHE to at least three other experiments in open teaching, in what appears
to be a growing movement.
http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/3349/more-open-teaching-courses-and-what-they-could-mean-for-colleges?utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Free our libraries! Why We Need A New Approach to Putting Library
Collections Online
Richard K. Johnson, September 26, 2008
A momentous, ill-considered shift is now afoot that threatens to limit
the public rights
in the collections assembled and maintained, often at public expense, in
libraries around
the globe. Today Google and other businesses are scanning millions of books
from the world’s great libraries and offering access to them on the
Web. What is emerging is less than the vision of a vast, free, Internet
public library of accumulated knowledge. Barriers to use of digital texts
are popping up almost as fast as books are being scanned. The rights that
readers enjoyed in the print world are being eroded as books are electronically
transformed. In the process, we’re at risk of losing some of the rights
we enjoyed under copyright.
http://www.blc.org/news/BLC_summit_white_paper_9-29-08.pdf
Voici venu le temps de «l'esprit critique»
Brigitte Saint-Pierre
Le Devoir, 24 septembre 2008
Qu'est-ce qu'une maîtrise aujourd'hui? Y a-t-il des dénominateurs
communs entre les différents programmes? Un même mot est-il
au contraire utilisé pour faire référence à
des diplômes très différents les uns des autres? Regard
sur cette question. Les exigences du marché du travail sont plus
importantes que par le passé et le niveau de scolarité de
la population est en augmentation.
http://www.ledevoir.com/2008/09/24/207107.html
O3b Networks: A far-out plan to deliver the Web
Gregory M. Lamb
The Christian Science Monitor, September 24, 2008
Greg Wyler worked in Rwanda from 2004 to 2006, trying to stitch together
a modern Internet infrastructure for the African country, finally putting
itself back together after a devastating civil war. Today, Wyler is back
in the US with a fresh perspective on the problem. Instead of slugging it
out on the African landscape, the high-tech entrepreneur will attack from
space. His new company, O3b Networks, plans to launch 16 satellites into
low-earth orbit around the equator, opening up inexpensive Internet access
to billions of people in remote parts of Africa, Asia, the Middle East,
and Latin America.
http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/09/24/o3b-networks-a-far-out-plan-to-deliver-the-web/
Using Personas to Understand the Needs and Goals of Institutional
Repository Users
Jack M. Maness et al
D-Lib Magazine, Volume 14, Number 9/10, September/October, 2008
This study shares the results of an effort to understand the needs and
goals of future institutional repository (IR) users at the University of
Colorado at Boulder (UCB). Due to underutilization of IRs at other institutions,
the University Libraries at UCB decided it was imperative that insight into
users' goals and needs of an IR be gained before design of the repository
began. The results of this study yielded "personas" describing
different classes of potential IR users on university campuses, which can
be used to guide IR architects in designing repositories that facilitate
increased participation.
http://www.dlib.org/dlib/september08/maness/09maness.html
Putting the Library in Wikipedia
Lauren Pressley and Carolyn J. McCallum
Online, Volume 32, Number 5, September/October 2008
Few online resources provoke as much controversy in the library community
as Wikipedia. Some librarians hate it, arguing that since anyone can edit
it, it can’t be trusted. Others love it, because it is fast, easy
to use, and a good starting point for research. With such a conflicted relationship,
there’s no clear answer as to where (or whether) Wikipedia belongs
in libraries.
http://www.infotoday.com/online/sep08/Pressley_McCallum.shtml
RESOURCES / RESSOURCES
Open Source Business Resource
The Open Source Business Resource (OSBR) is a free monthly publication
of the Talent First Network. The OSBR is for Canadian business owners, company
executives and employees, directors of open source foundations, leaders
of open source projects, open source groups, individuals and organizations
that contribute to open source projects, academics and students interested
in open source, technology transfer professionals, and government employees
who promote wealth creation through innovation. Each issue contains thoughtful
insights on open source issues written for and by people who work with open
source.
http://www.osbr.ca/ojs/index.php/osbr/index
[See for example in September 2008 issue, “Social Innovation: Access
and Leadership”, Dr. Rosanne Runte, President and Vice-Chancellor,
Carleton University http://www.osbr.ca/ojs/index.php/osbr/article/view/701/669]
Mind the skills gap: Information-handling training for researchers
Research Information Network, July 2008
In embracing the new opportunities presented by online resources, many
researchers have acquired a range of new skills. But librarians and information
professionals say that many researchers display alarming deficits in their
skills and in their understanding of the new online information environment.
http://www.rin.ac.uk/training-research-info
Traduction française de "Briefing Papers" sur la
préservation des documents numériques
Digital Preservation Europe, 18 juin 2008
Digital Preservation Europe a mit en ligne (pdf) la traduction française
plusieurs "Briefing Papers" faisant brièvement le point
sur des sujets relatifs à la préservation des documents numériques.
http://www.digitalpreservationeurope.eu/publications/briefs/french.php
Activities, costs and funding flows in scholarly communications
Research Information Network, May 2008
The roles and the activities undertaken by the key groups of players in
the scholarly communications process have changed fundamentally, and will
change further in the next few years. There is increasing interest from
researchers, funders, publishers, librarians and others in finding ways
more fully to exploit the opportunities created by new technologies. But
debates about how to achieve this have often generated more heat than light;
and we lack reliable evidence about key features of the scholarly communications
system as a whole.
http://www.rin.ac.uk/files/Income-&-cost-flows-report-(full-version)-final.pdf
EVENTS / ÉVÉNEMENTS
Northern Exposure to Leadership Institute 2009
Emerald Lake, British Columbia, February 26 - March 3, 2009
The Institute's mission is to assist professional librarians to develop,
strengthen, and exercise their leadership skills so that they may be better
equipped to formulate, articulate, and achieve the future changes required
by libraries into the 21st century. Based on the premise of experiential
learning, the Institute includes group and individual exercises, as well
as the opportunity to learn in conversation with mentors, who have been
chosen for their own leadership skills, and who will be participating as
volunteers.
http://www.ls.ualberta.ca/neli/
