CARL - ABRC

Phone: 613.562.5385
Facsimile: 613.562.5297
Email: carladm@uottawa.ca
www.carl-abrc.ca

Canadian Association of Research Libraries
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Ottawa Ontario Canada
K1N 9A5

E-Lert # 354 / Cyberavis no. 354


Friday December 4, 2009 / le vendredi 4 décembre 2009

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CARL COMMUNIQUÉ / COMMUNIQUÉ DE L’ABRC

CARL Pre-budget submission to the Finance Committee

The French translation of the pre-budget submission to the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Finance, regarding the 2010 Federal Budget, submitted by The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) is now available. PDF

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Présentation pré budgétaire de l’ABRC au Comité permanant des finances

La traduction au français de la présentation pré budgétaire au Comité permanent des finances
de la Chambre des communes, au sujet du Budget fédéral de 2010, présenté par l’Association des bibliothèques de recherche du Canada (ABRC) est maintenant disponible. PDF

 

The 2008-2009 CARL Statistics are now available on the CARL website
http://www.carl-abrc.ca/members/statistics/index-e.html

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Les statistiques de 2008-2009 de l’ABRC sont maintenant disponibles sur le site web de l’ABRC
http://www.carl-abrc.ca/members/statistics/index-f.html



NEWS / NOUVELLES

Secret ACTA deal to change IT forever
Rafael Ruffolo
Computerworld, December 4, 2009

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement may give one ideas of knock-off Burberry bags and fake designer sunglasses, but many concerned observers  suggest it is an effort by the entertainment industry to push through new stern copyright laws. The agreement is still in the draft stages, but by this time next year, it could be affecting laws with devastating consequences for IT professionals and the tech industry. ACTA would change the way we all use the internet and modern technology. The role of internet service providers will also change, giving these companies new powers to stop alleged copyright violations.* http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/0CE276FC1DFDD2A8CC2576810070E7C4  

 

Les relations entre Google et la presse se tendent
Cécile Ducourtieux et Laurence Girard
Le Monde, 4 décembre 2009

« La polémique n'est pas nouvelle. Depuis qu'en 2002 Google a lancé son "agrégateur d'informations" Google Actualités, qui réunit sur une seule page des extraits d'articles collectés auprès des sources de presse, les éditeurs de journaux reprochent au géant américain, premier moteur de recherche sur le Web, d'exploiter indûment leur contenu. Le débat, jusqu'alors feutré, a pris une dimension nouvelle en raison de la crise qui touche durement la presse. »
http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2009/12/04/les-relations-entre-google-et-la-presse-se-tendent_1276187_651865.html#ens_id=1254701

 

Numérisation du patrimoine culturel : c'est l'affaire de l'Etat, estime Frédéric Mitterrand
Le Monde, 3 décembre 2009

« Frédéric Mitterrand, ministre de la culture, estime que la numérisation du patrimoine culturel doit être gérée par l'Etat. "Il faut que nous régulions le marché, il faut que ce soit l'Etat qui le fasse et pas tel ou tel groupe privé, si efficace soit-il. Quand on dit ça, évidemment, on pense à Google", a déclaré M. Mitterrand sur France 2, jeudi 3 décembre. »
http://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2009/12/03/numerisation-du-patrimoine-culturel-c-est-l-affaire-de-l-etat-estime-frederic-mitterrand_1275415_3246.html#ens_id=561616

 

L'avenir de Cart@gène reste incertain
Pauline Gravel
Le Devoir, 2 décembre 2009

« Après neuf ans de gestation, le projet Cart@gène, qui vise à constituer une banque d'ADN et de données sur le mode de vie des participants, vient d'atteindre sa vitesse de croisière grâce à une coopération record du public. Mais alors que quatre autres provinces canadiennes amorcent un projet similaire, l'avenir de Cart@gène est incertain. À partir d'octobre 2010, les coffres seront vides. Le financement de la seconde phase du projet et de l'entreposage des échantillons dans la biobanque n'est pas à ce jour assuré. »

 

Trust folds, puts Canuck film, music in peril
Martin Knelman
Toronto Star, December 2, 2009

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz – deemed by critics as one of Canada's all-time 10 best movies – is in danger of becoming a lost treasure, as is much of this country's rich heritage of recorded music, radio and TV. That's the upshot of a decision of the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust to close its operations (based in Ottawa) after working since 1996 to preserve, restore and enhance awareness of Canadian iconic treasures. "We just ran out of funding," said David Novek, president of the AV Trust, "so we're going out of business. We'll surrender our charter."*
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/733276--trust-folds-puts-canuck-film-music-in-peril

 

JISC launches 2010-2012 strategy
December 2, 2009

The UK risks losing its world-leading reputation for education, unless it continues to invest in digital technologies to meet modern learners’, researchers’ and the academic community’s ever-changing needs. JISC’s strategy outlines a vision of the future requiring a robust technological infrastructure  to serve the shifting needs of the 21st century education community. JISC believes it is crucial that the UK’s education system continues to compete on the international stage by investing in innovation, research and increasing the availability of online resources.*
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/stories/2009/12/strategy.aspx

 

A Push in Law Schools to Reform Copyright
Nazanin Lankarani
The New York Times, December 1, 2009

A U.S. court in Boston recently rendered a six-figure judgment against 25-year-old Boston University doctoral student Joel Tenenbaum for illegally downloading and distributing 30 songs over the Internet. The $675,000 judgment, or $22,500 per track downloaded, is neither the first nor the heaviest assessed against an individual for downloading and file-sharing copyrighted music without a license. It has, however, ignited activism and fierce debate on university campuses on the future of digital copyright.*
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/business/global/02iht-riedmedia.html?_r=1

 

Canadian copyright law to trump ACTA, Clement says
CBC News, December 1, 2009

Industry Minister Tony Clement responded to accusations that an international anti-counterfeiting agreement will criminalize everyday activity by Canadians. Clement says any such pact will be "subservient" to domestically crafted copyright reform. He also said suggestions that Canada will lose its copyright sovereignty to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), a deal the European Union and a number of countries including the United States, Canada and Australia are negotiating mostly in private, is "fear-mongering."*
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/12/01/clement-copyright-acta-ndp.html

 

SPARC-ACRL forum to examine open-access monographs
December 1, 2009

The market-based business model for scholarly monographs, long under pressure due to decreased library purchasing, must transition to e-books. Non-profit publishers, including university presses, are actively exploring new publishing models to support scholarly monographs, including open-access distribution and collaborative initiatives with university libraries. A SPARC-ACRL forum will explore three pioneering initiatives to deliver free online access to scholarly monographs, and highlight opportunities for libraries to support innovations in this emerging area of scholarly communication.*
http://www.arl.org/sparc/media/09-1201.shtml

 

RLUK Announces Appointment of new Executive Director
December 2009

Research Libraries UK (RLUK) is very pleased to announce that David Prosser has been appointed Executive Director. David joins RLUK from SPARC Europe, where his leadership and advocacy skills have played a pivotal role in the success of the Open Access movement in Europe. The Chair of RLUK, Dr Mark Brown of the University of Southampton said: “We are delighted that David will be joining us as our new Executive Director. David brings ten years' experience of shaping strategic thinking for an active membership organization, and encouraging partnerships and collaborations which can bring together librarians, publishers, and funders. We look forward to David playing a key role in delivering our exciting new strategy”*
http://www.rluk.ac.uk/node/581

 

UC Irvine takes video games to the next level
Tony Barboza
Los Angeles Times, November 30, 2009

UC Irvine has long sought recognition for preeminence in such fields as engineering, medicine and business. Now the university is embracing a new discipline: video games. Once ridiculed within university halls as merely a nerdy pastime, computer games are being promoted to a full-fledged academic program at the Irvine campus, a medium as ripe for study as the formats before it: film, radio and television.*
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-uci-video-games30-2009nov30,0,7687377.story

 

Search Engines Are Source of Learning
Science Daily, November 27, 2009

Search engine use is not merely part of our daily routine; Penn State researchers say it is also becoming part of our learning process. The researchers sought to discover the cognitive processes underlying searching by examining the search habits of 72 participants who conducted a total of 426 searching tasks. The results of this study provide useful information about how search engine use has evolved over the past decade and clues about how to design better search engines to address users' learning needs in the future.*
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111417.htm

 

French minister wants Europe to take on Google
Sophie Hardach
Reuters, November 27, 2009

European Union members want to create a joint project on the digitization of books to challenge Google's plan to create a massive digital library. EU ministers agreed in Brussels to create a committee of "wise men" to carve out a plan. French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said the digitization of books should not be left to private companies, and governments have to come up with appropriate policies.*
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE5AQ4IJ20091127

 

Le LHC redémarre... 14 mois plus tard
Pauline Gravel
Le Devoir, 25 novembre 2009

« C'était il y a 14 mois: les scientifiques étaient euphoriques, ils voyaient le résultat d'années d'efforts avec le démarrage du Large Hadron Collider. Malheureusement, un bris a rapidement ramené tout ce beau monde sur Terre. Prise II de cette fascinante expérience. »

 

No longer free for all
Glenda Proctor
Canadian Medical Association Journal, Volume 181, Issue 11, November 24, 2009

On Mar. 29, 1995, the Canadian Medical Association became the first national medical association in the world with a presence on the Internet, and with a commitment to providing readers with free full-text access to content including the CMAJ. Unfortunately, recent and ongoing economic realities dictate that The CMA will no longer be able to do so.  Beginning January 2010, non-members of the CMA will have to pay for access to some of the content on cmaj.ca. The resulting revenue from subscriptions is expected to help to mitigate the current deficit.*
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/181/11/E245

 

School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph adopts OA policy
November 5, 2009

Researchers of the School of Environmental Sciences committed to making the best possible effort to publish in venues providing unrestricted public access to their works. They will endeavor to secure the right to self-archive their post-refereed article manuscripts and other research materials, and will deposit these works in the Atrium institutional repository. The School of Environmental Sciences has granted the University of Guelph Library the non-exclusive right to make its scholarly output accessible through the Atrium subject to copyright restrictions.*
http://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/handle/10214/1995



ARTICLES

Google and the New Digital Future
Robert Darnton
The New York Review of Books, December 17, 2009

Google has by now digitized some ten million books. The terms on which it will make those texts available to readers is the question before Judge Chin. If he construes the case narrowly, according to precedents in class-action suits, he could conclude that none of the parties had been slighted thus removing all obstacles to Google's attempt to transform its digitizing of texts into the largest library and book-selling business the world has ever known. If he takes a broad view of the case, the settlement could be modified in ways that would protect the public against potential abuses of Google's monopolistic power. While GBS 2.0 will certainly be challenged by groups and individuals who believe they were not fairly represented, the case could take years to work its way through the courts. As Darnton suggests, who ultimately wins is not simply a matter of competition among potential entrepreneurs but an issue of enormous importance to everyone who cares about books, even though the public is reduced to the role of spectator.*
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/23518

 

The man from Pfizer: Should Big Pharma help steer health research?
André Picard
Globe and Mail, December 3, 2009

Should a senior executive of a large pharmaceutical company sit on the governing council of an institution whose role is to fund health research on behalf of taxpayers? That is a fiercely debated question in the corridors of health research, and one that belongs in the public realm. Bernard Prigent is vice-president and medical director of Pfizer Canada, a division of the world's largest pharmaceutical company, Pfizer Inc. On Oct. 5, he was appointed to the governing council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/the-man-from-pfizer-should-big-pharma-help-steer-health-research/article1386213/

 

Copyright - Are people with sensory-disabilities getting a fair deal?
Denise Rosemary Nicholson
University of Witwatersrand, December 2009

Copyright is a barrier to accessing information, especially in developing countries. Many developing countries have signed international intellectual property agreements, which set down minimum standards for copyright protection. For various socio-economic and political reasons, most, if not all of them, have yet to incorporate these requirements into their national copyright laws. They have not taken advantage of the legal limitations and exceptions allowed in these international agreements either. As a result,  developing countries lack provisions for persons with visual, aural or perceptual disabilities in their national copyright laws. Copyright laws restrict or block access to information for persons with sensory disabilities and frequently override their fair use rights. Many of these people are distance learners because of their disabilities.*
http://pcf4.dec.uwi.edu/viewpaper.php?id=379&print=1

 

A Monk Saves Threatened Manuscripts Using Ultramodern Means
Jennifer Howard
The Chronicle of Higher Education, November 29, 2009

For some the phrase "monks and manuscripts" conjures up an image of medieval scribes huddled over parchment in unheated cells. One Benedictine monk, the Rev. Columba Stewart of St. John's Abbey and University, in College­ville, Minnesota, keeps that historic involvement with manuscripts alive by making digital images of them. The work began in the 1960s, when a monk at St. John's decided to microfilm manuscripts fading away in Austrian monasteries. A great deal of the museum's current activity now focuses in and around the Middle East. "At this precise moment, we have 14 different studios operating in eight countries"—Iraq, India, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Syria, Turkey, and Ukraine, Father Stewart says.*
http://chronicle.com/article/A-Monk-Saves-Threatened/49283/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

 

«Kc qi veu le prof?»
Fabien Deglise
Le Devoir, 27 novembre 2009

« «Kc qi veu le prof?» «Cé mé txto qi linteress?» Oui, et il rêve même d'en récolter pas moins de 300 000 d'ici avril prochain. Pour les lire, les décortiquer, les passer au crible et du coup, faire avancer la science. L'appel au don résonne depuis quelques jours au Québec: le linguiste Patrick Drouin, de l'Université de Montréal, veut mettre en effet la main sur une bonne quantité de textos, ces messages textes à la structure langagière unique et hermétique qui circulent sur les réseaux de cellulaires. »
http://www.ledevoir.com/societe/science-et-technologie/278072/kc-qi-veu-le-prof

 

The data revolution
Fiona Salvage et al
Times Higher Education and JISC, November 26, 2009

“Data. For such a small word it can create huge problems. Quantity. Quality. Security. Safety.” Technological developments bring ever greater processing power, but the sheer volumes of research data produced and collected create daunting storage and management issues. This does not only concern science and numbers, rather it is a problem that affects every sector involved in research and study.*
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/tsl/jisc/#/0

 

Is Wikipedia maxed out?
Larry Dignan et al
ZD Net, November 23, 2009

Wikipedia may have reached the upper limits of what can be done with crowd sourcing, according to a researcher in Spain. Felipe Ortega, a researcher at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, notes that Wikipedia is at risk because its core editors can’t continue to keep up their current pace. And if Wikipedia doesn’t recruit more volunteers its content could suffer.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=27717

 

Antitrust concerns linger in Google Books deal
Elinor Mills
Cnet News, November 16, 2009

If the revised Google Books settlement agreement quiets international opponents, it still gives Google a monopoly on commercializing out-of-print books where the copyrights are unclaimed and fails to protect consumer privacy say opponents of the deal. "We're at a cross roads," said  Internet Archive Director Brewster Kahle. "Is it going to be a subscription life...where one or two companies own the distribution and presentation (rights) to these books?" In response, Google Books Engineering Director Dan Clancy said: "This is just one of a panoply of choices that people will have in the future." *
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10398995-245.html

 

A Call for Copyright Rebellion
Steve Kolowich
Inside Higher Ed, November 6, 2009

The manner in which copyright law is being applied to academe in the digital age is destructive to the advancement of human knowledge and culture, and higher education is doing nothing about it said Lawrence Lessig, the Harvard University law professor and renowned open-access advocate, at the 2009 Educause Conference. Copyright law was originally meant to protect those who create works for profit. But academics also create original works, he said, and they are — or should be — motivated by a desire to advance human knowledge, not line their pockets. Sealing their work behind copyright barriers, therefore, does no social good.*
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/11/06/lessig

 

Knowledge as a public good
Peter Suber
SPARC Open Access Newsletter, November 2, 2009

Suber examines one of the most durable arguments for OA - that knowledge is and ought to be a public good. The thesis that knowledge is a public good frequently appears in critiques of copyright law for trying to privatize what is intrinsically public, but we should be more precise according to Suber. Copyright law, even in its currently unbalanced form, recognizes that knowledge is a public good privatizing only the expression of ideas, and leaving the ideas themselves un-privatized, unregulated, and public. Nonetheless, privatizing the expression of ideas, such as the texts which capture knowledge, impedes the sharing of knowledge.  But the impediment must be defined more clearly.  It means that *texts* are not public goods, even if the knowledge they contain remains a public good.  Hence, to remove impediments to knowledge-sharing, the job isn't to make knowledge a public good, which is already done.  The job is to make royalty-free texts into public goods as well.*
http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/newsletter/11-02-09.htm#publicgood  


RESOURCES / RESSOURCES

Research 3.0: driving the knowledge economy
JISC and HEFCE, November 26, 2009

Digital technologies are quickly changing the type of research scholars tackle and the manner in which they work.  What will research of the future look like? As the key provider of the digital infrastructure for UK higher education and research, JISC seeks answers to this question with its Research 3.0 campaign. The JISC Research micro site  features, among other things, a Research 3.0 video for more about the issues being addressed, and a blog for sharing views and to see what others are saying.*
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/res3

 

The Virtual Library of Human Sciences
The Edelstein Center for Social Research

The Virtual Library of Human Sciences offers free access to a set of virtual libraries developed by The Edelstein Center for Social Research or in partnership with other institutions. The online collection includes more than 15.000 titles with search systems and is being constantly expanded.
http://www.bvce.org/Default.asp

 

Using Market Segmentation for Better Customer Service and More Effective Strategic Planning: A White Paper for Public and Academic Libraries
CIVICTechnologies, November 2009

Public and academic libraries face numerous information age challenges. In a world of customized service, where Amazon knows what books one might wish to read and Netflix suggests what films to watch, libraries have an opportunity to reinvent their customer relationship and to create meaningful relationships with potential customers. Libraries that become customer-centric – those that start from understanding their customers’ interests and develop products, services, and programs to meet those needs – will ultimately find success in the 21st century knowledge and information landscape.*
http://adcontent.reedbusiness.com/SaraLinks/BusinessDecision%20Whitepaper%20110909%20Final.pdf

 

IFLA at the Frankfurt Bookfair, October 2009
November 24, 2009

IFLA had a presence at the 2009 Frankfurt Bookfair held this past October.   IFLA with a number of other organizations held a one-day conference on the theme Enhancing the culture of reading and books in the digital age. Some of the presentations were: How can libraries and rightsholders cooperate to enhance accessibility to copyright works? ; The great books of Europe: a project for Europeana and The European Library; and The legal framework in the digital environment: the importance of the copyright to the economy. The presentation slides are available on the IFLA website.*
http://www.ifla.org/en/news/ifla-at-the-frankfurt-bookfair-october-2009   


EVENTS / ÉVÉNEMENTS

Marketing Libraries in a Web 2.0 World
Management and Marketing Section, Call for papers
Stockholm satellite pre-conference - August 7-8, 2010

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the Management and Marketing Section, in collaboration with the Stockholm University Library, are organizing a pre-conference and satellite meeting in Stockholm in conjunction with the IFLA annual conference, which takes place in Gothenburg (Sweden), the following week. Marketing the library and information organization to its 21st century customers using Web 2.0 tools is a timely topic. This satellite meeting will focus on the marketing applications and aspects (not technical) of Web 2.0. Interested persons are invited to submit a proposal for a paper and presentation of about 25 minutes, not more that 500 words long (1 page), in electronic format (PDF or Word), and accompanied by a brief curriculum vitae of the author(s) to Rejean.Savard@umontreal.ca by January 15, 2010.

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Le marketing des bibliothèques à l’ère du Web 2.0
Section Management et Marketing, Appel aux propositions
Conférence satellite pré-congrès de l’IFLA,  Stockholm, 7-8 août 2010

La Fédération internationale des associations de bibliothèques et institutions (IFLA) et sa Section Management et Marketing, en collaboration avec la Bibliothèque de l’Université de Stockholm, organisent une conférence satellite pré-congrès à Stockholm les 7 et 8 août 2010. Cet événement a lieu en relation avec le congrès annuel de l’IFLA qui a lieu à Gothenburg (Suède), la semaine suivante. Le marketing de la bibliothèque et des services d’information du 21ième siècle auprès de leurs publics grâce à l’utilisation des outils du Web 2.0 constitue un enjeu très important et tout à fait d’actualité. Cette conférence satellite vise à faire le point sur les aspects et applications marketing du Web 2.0 (et non pas sur ses aspects plus techniques ou informatiques). Les personnes intéressées sont invitées à soumettre une proposition pour une présentation d’environ 25 minutes, en pas plus de 500 mots, en format électronique (PDF ou .doc), et accompagnée d’un bref curriculum vitae du ou des auteurs à Rejean.Savard@umontreal.ca le 15 janvier 2010 au plus tard.


 
*Text adapted from source / Texte adapté de la source

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