E-Lert # 336 / Cyberavis no. 336
Friday July 31, 2009 / le vendredi
31 juillet 2009
Subscribe
to the CARL E-Lert RSS feed
NEWS / NOUVELLES
Copyright changes too late for new school year
Meagan Fitzpatrick
Dose.ca, July 30, 2009
The federal government intends to introduce updated copyright legislation
in the fall, but it will come too late for the start of yet another school
year. When university professors and students head back to class they will
still be limited in their use digital materials in teaching and learning
because of outdated copyright legislation.*
http://www.dose.ca/news/story.html?id=1845909
Une nouvelle fuite des cerveaux s'amorce
Pauline Gravel
Le Devoir, 30 juillet 2009
« Alors que les changements climatiques sont devenus un enjeu
de plus en plus pressant, les chercheurs canadiens s'intéressant
à cette question planétaire ne comprennent pas l'attitude
du gouvernement fédéral, qui leur coupe les vivres. Ils s'inquiètent
de voir leurs jeunes collègues s'apprêter à partir ailleurs
dans le monde. Impuissants, ils voient le désastre se profiler. »
http://www.ledevoir.com/2009/07/30/260928.html
La recherche sur le climat est en péril au Canada
Pauline Gravel
Le Devoir, 29 juillet 2009
« La recherche canadienne en sciences de l'atmosphère
et du climat est en péril. À la fin de 2009, les chercheurs
perdront l'une de leurs principales sources de financement. Les coffres
de la Fondation canadienne pour les sciences du climat et de l'atmosphère
(FCSCA), qui soutenait jusqu'à 200 scientifiques canadiens, sont
vides, et le gouvernement fédéral ne les garnira plus. Alors
que s'achève, au Palais des congrès, MOCA-09 Le réchauffement
de notre planète, un important rassemblement d'experts dans le domaine
venant du monde entier, cette nouvelle retentit comme une fausse note. »
http://www.ledevoir.com/2009/07/29/260787.html
Ireland’s Digital economy action plan
Silocon.republic.com, July 29, 2009
“Technology Actions to Support the Smart Economy’ recognizes
the national imperative to secure Ireland’s digital future and identifies
the actions needed to make it a reality. The strategy brings key components
of the digital economy – infrastructure, innovation and green technology
– into one programme.*
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/13521/government/digital-economy-action-plan
[Press release http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Press+Releases/Making+the+smart+economy+real.htm
, note: link to report at bottom of page]
Microsoft and Yahoo! announce Web search deal
Agence France Presse, July 28, 2009
Yahoo! and Microsoft settled on a long-awaited Web search partnership that
would unite the two companies against market leader Google. Under the no-cash
deal, Yahoo! will use Microsoft's new Bing search engine on its own sites,
and Yahoo! will act as the exclusive global sales force for the companies'
premium search advertisers.*
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/090729/business/us_it_company_internet_yahoo_microsoft_google
A New U.S. Archivist: David Ferriero
Al Kamen
The Washington Post, July 28, 2009
President Obama is said to have selected David S. Ferriero, now chief executive
of the research libraries at The New York Public Library, as the new Archivist
of the United States - a post that includes ensuring highly sensitive presidential
papers and electronic records are saved and made accessible to the public.
Prior to working for the NYPL, Ferriero had been Duke University's librarian
and had worked for 31 years before that at MIT libraries. The archivist
job has become a source of controversy, particularly as various agencies
and administrations press for keeping their records secret for decades despite
strong pressures from historians and the public to declassify as much information
as soon as possible.*
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/07/28/a_new_us_archivist_david_ferri.html?wprss=44
Canada’s Copyright Consultation Has Many Talking
Drew Wilson
ZeroPaid, July 27, 2009
Copyright may seem like an obscure and boring subject to some, but for
those familiar with technology, it’s more than likely a huge political
battle ground. Many Canadians might even be re-discovering that while positions
might vary on the sensitive subject, most seem to be finding how practically
unanimous they are in their opposition to the previously proposed copyright
reform legislation in Bill C-61.*
http://www.zeropaid.com/news/86728/canadas-copyright-consultation-has-many-talking/
Will the Conservatives get the message on copyright reform?
Charlie Angus
Georgia Straight, July 27, 2009
Angus discusses the Conservative government’s current interest in
consulting
the public over copyright. During past three years, the government kept
the process firmly hidden behind closed doors, and the result was a massive
backlash from educators, artists, research innovators, and average citizens.
The push back may have shocked the government, but it shouldn’t have.
In a digital age, everyone is implicated in the issue of copyright.*
http://www.straight.com/article-242958/charlie-angus-will-conservatives-get-message-copyright-reform
Copyright rules must protect innovation, groups say: debate heats
up over digital locks
CBC News, July 26, 2009
Technology that brings music, movies and other content to a range of new
devices enhances Canadians' lives, and copyright laws must protect innovation
and growth, say those speaking out on changes to Canada's copyright laws.
Within days of the government’s copyright consultations commencing
- the first of such consultations since 2001 - Canadians posted hundreds
of comments on a public online forum, ranging from discussions about the
concept of "fair use" to the role of digital locks that limit
the use of consumer purchases ranging from cellphones to DVDs. Digital locks
have been one of the most heated topics of discussion on the online consultation
forum.*
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/07/24/tech-copyright-digital-locks.html
Propositions pour le développement de l'économie
numérique
24 juillet 2009
Contribution commune du regroupement des acteurs de l'économie numérique
http://www.gfii.asso.fr/IMG/pdf/Contribution_numerique_plan_relance.pdf
ARTICLES
Rethinking copyright in the media ageMathew Johnson
Media Awareness Network, July 29, 2009
Any new copyright law must recognize that the media environment has changed
radically since the Copyright Act was written; even since its last major
revision in 1985. Canadians live in a media environment that would have
been literally unimaginable to the Act's original drafters. Effective media
education and literacy is dependent upon copyright law. Current educational
exceptions must be preserved and, in general, the principle of fair dealing
should be extended to include educational purposes. Students need to be
able to study media products that are under copyright. Working only with
public domain or copyright-cleared material runs the risk of creating a
media education program that is at odds with students' actual experience
of media; it is crucial that students be permitted to study and work with
the media they themselves consume.*
http://www.education-medias.ca/blog/index.cfm?CommentID=139
Company creation not limited to natural sciences and engineering
Dr. Ted Hewitt
RE$EARCH MONEY, Volume 23, Number 12, July 29, 2009
Researchers in areas that have not been considered prime territory for commercialization are increasingly churning out business success stories. In the process, they're opening eyes — and new revenue streams. Start-up growth is being increasingly driven by work in humanities- and social sciences-based disciplines. These successes are providing tangible societal benefits, creating jobs and having a positive (if as yet modest) impact on Canada's bottom line. Researchers in the University of Western Ontario's faculty of education, for example, have developed online teaching tools that are currently being commercialized.*
Future of media: it's down the Long Tail
Simon Doyle
The Hill Times, July 27, 2009
The sharp decline of newspapers and TV stations, brought on by an historic
economic crisis and competition from the Web, is hitting local news especially
hard. Today's historic recession is part of a global restructuring of the
economy, and comes in the midst of a communication revolution of extraordinary
scale. People increasingly no longer want a bundle of day-old newsprint
delivered to their door rather, more and more, they seek or generate and
share breaking news stories themselves. Citizen journalism is online, user-generated,
and largely unregulated, and it can potentially provide an unprecedented
range of mobile, easily searchable, free content.*
Open Media, Open Government: How digital democracy activists are
pointing to a new way of governing
Steve Anderson
The Tyee, July 27, 2009
The CRTC's traffic management hearing attracted an exceptional 11,000 submissions
from people across Canada, however, the public comments represent only a
small facet of a larger constellation of citizen engagement that collectively
appears to be opening up the CRTC's processes. At this particular hearing,
citizens actively participated in the discussions via social media tools.
Net neutrality advocates
like legal scholar Michael
Geist, and citizen groups such as the Canadian
Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) "live tweeted"
and blogged about the hearing, as hundreds of people from across the country
tuned in, discussed, and debated while the hearing unfolded over the course
of a week.*
http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2009/07/27/OpenMediaOpenGov/
Is Google good for Canada?
Matt Hartley And Jamie Sturgeon
Financial Post, July 25, 2009
The colourful logo and "do no evil" credo have helped make Google
a darling of the technology industry. The company, however, is increasingly
coming under fire from regulators, privacy watchdogs and copyright holders
concerned the company has become all too big and too powerful, and Canada
is no exception. Since opening its first Canadian office in Toronto in 2002,
Google has steadily expanded its footprint setting up branch offices in
Montreal, Ottawa and in Waterloo just a stone's throw from Research In Motion
Ltd.'s headquarters. Although seeing itself as a global ambassador of a
free and open Internet, Google has had a huge impact on Canadian technology
policy and is a major recruiter of engineering and computer science graduates
from Canadian universities.*
http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=1826864
Google and Book Publishers Settle
Andrés Guadamuz González and Wilson Rafael Ríos Ruiz
WIPO Magazine, July 2009
Content industries face daunting challenges in the digital domain as traditional
methods of distribution become obsolete and are replaced by digital delivery
of copyright content – the route of an apparent conflict between content
owners and the new intermediaries: search engines, streaming services, content
aggregators and value-added providers. The copyright industry must reconsider
the role of these emergent services and explore licensing models that do
not easily fit in existing revenue models. This conflict is particularly
evident in the case of Google. Because of its size, global reach and deep
pockets, Google has become a lightning rod for criticism by content owners,
and the subject of litigation.*
http://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2009/04/article_0004.html
Should Copyright Of Academic Works Be Abolished?
Steven Shavell
Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, July 20,
2009
The conventional rationale for copyright of written works - that
copyright is needed to foster their creation - is seemingly of limited
applicability to the academy. In a world without copyright of academic writing,
academics would still benefit from gaining scholarly esteem which is a primary
motivation for publication in the first place. Shavell explores the social
benefits he suggests would flow from a copyright-free world. Unfettered
access to academic works would result in scholarly works becoming available
on the Internet for any person to download for free, production of print
versions at cost, and the assembly of teaching materials unburdened by the
task of securing permissions from copyright holders. Various legal and other
costs of protecting copyright privileges would be avoided.*
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/5505
News Bulletin of the Planets Programme
Issue 7 – July 2009
Throughout its third project year, Planets has made great strides towards
meeting its goals of helping content holders ensure access to digital material
for the long term and enabling a marketplace for digital preservation tools
and services. Several partner institutions are moving towards implementing
the Planets technology as part of their internal digital preservation activities.
A survey has been completed to gauge the readiness of organizations to engage
in digital preservation activities and benefit from the Planets technology.
The survey confirmed some expectations, produced some surprises, and highlighted
the central importance of an explicit preservation policy.*
http://www.planets-project.eu/docs/newsletters/Planetarium7_July09.pdf
RESOURCES / RESSOURCES
Share: the newsletter of the Australian National Data Service
The Australian National Data Service (ANDS) has released the first issue
of its online newsletter. Share features stories about ANDS engagements,
project updates, latest findings, conference reports and upcoming events.
http://ands.org.au/newsletters/index.html
journalTOCsAPI
JournalTOCsAPI is a JISC funded Rapid Innovation project that will develop
a means of monitoring current journal issues to identify papers published
for Institutional Repository content. The two main use cases for the project
are: identifying new content for IRs by alerting when a paper affiliated
to your institution has been published, and an alerting facility when deposited
papers have been published in a scholarly journal.*
http://www.journaltocs.hw.ac.uk/API/blog/?page_id=2
Ranking Web of World Universities
July 2009
The Ranking Web is published twice a year (January and July), covering
more than 17,000 Higher Education Institutions worldwide. Web presence measures
the activity and visibility of the institutions and is suggested as a good
indicator of impact and prestige of universities. Rank summarizes the global
performance of the University, provides information for prospective students
and scholars, and reflects the commitment to the dissemination of scientific
knowledge. US universities still lead the Ranking - MIT ranks first, followed
by Harvard, Stanford and Berkeley - but the digital gap with their European
counterparts (Cambridge and Oxford are in the region’s top) has narrowed.
Some of the developing countries’ institutions reach high ranks, especially
in Latin America where the University of Sao Paulo (38th) and UNAM (44th)
benefit from the increasingly interconnected Brazilian and Mexican academic
web spaces.*
http://www.webometrics.info/index.html
EVENTS / ÉVÉNEMENTS
1st Conference on Open Access Scholarly Publishing
Lund, Sweden, September 14-16, 2009
Participants will hear from many key
people within the open access publishing movement, and participate in
workshops that will highlight a number of important issues related to open
access publishing. The conference will be concluded with a workshop aimed
at identifying new cooperation models, developments and future directions
in scholarly book publishing. One of the objectives is to seek sustainable
Open Access business models for eBooks and hybrid publishing.*
http://www.oaspa.org/coasp/index.php
Sixth International Conference on Preservation of Digital Objects
San Francisco, California, October 5 and 6, 2009
The California Digital Library (CDL)
is hosting this year's International Conference on Preservation of Digital
Objects (iPRES 2009). Researchers and practitioners from around the world
will explore the latest trends, innovations, and practices in preserving
our scientific and cultural digital heritage. The promise of digital preservation
will be realized when it is fully integrated into the mainstream of digital
scholarship, culture, and commerce. iPRES 2009 will continue the discussion
of creating a sustainable digital future.*
http://www.cdlib.org/iPres/
JHOVE2 2009 Fall Workshop
San Francisco, California, October 7, 2009
The JHOVE2
project, a collaborative effort of the California Digital Library (CDL),
Portico, and Stanford University, is a two year initiative funded by the
Library of Congress as part of its National Information Infrastructure Preservation
Program (NDIIPP) to develop a next-generation application and framework
for format-aware characterization. The JHOVE2 workshop will follow
the conclusion of the iPRES
2009 conference. Members of the project team will present on:
the role of characterization in digital curation and preservation activities;
an overview of the JHOVE2 project; the prototype JHOVE2 framework; architectural
review of the JHOVE2 application and Java APIs; integration of JHOVE2 technology
into existing or planned systems and services; and third-party development
of conformant JHOVE2 modules.*
http://jhove2.eventbrite.com/
A Race Against Time: Preserving Our Audiovisual Media
Atlanta, Georgia, October 20 and 21, 2009
Many of the machine-dependent audiovisual collections held by our cultural
institutions are in peril. From wax cylinders, 78s, motion picture film,
magnetic wire, and magnetic audiotapes, to LPs & 45s, audiocassettes,
videotapes and videocassettes, each format has a critical point at which
information is lost. These formats require intervention, including cleaning
and reformatting. An understanding the nature of the media, causes of deterioration,
storage and handling practices, and the various types of playback equipment
are necessary to maximize the lifespan of these materials. Participants
will learn the basic principles for managing audiovisual collections that
contain historic formats.*
http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=1ab44fbf-f482-4894-8765-3ce15b9178ad
Evidence-Based Scholarly Communication Conference
Albuquerque, New Mexico, March 11 and 12, 2009
Participants will delve into evidence-based strategies for developing effective
local scholarly communication support and training. The conference
includes poster and paper presentation sessions. October 1, 2009, is the
submission deadline for posters and papers. Selected papers will be published
in Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (EBLIP), an open-access,
peer-reviewed journal.
http://hsc.unm.edu/library/ebscconference/index.shtml
*Text adapted from source / Texte adapté de la source
