International Association of Technological University Libraries

Extending the Scope of Trove: Addition of E-resources Subscribed to By Australian Libraries

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:04 GMT

Trove is the national discovery service for Australia managed by the National Library of Australia. It was released in December 2009. It contains metadata for millions of freely accessible items, from more than 1,000 contributing institutions. The focus is on Australia and Australians. In 2011 it was developed further to include selected sets of e-resources subscribed to by Australian libraries. Trove v4.0 was released in May 2011 after 120 million subscription e-resources were successfully included. This took the Trove content total to almost 240 million items. This article describes why and how the work was undertaken, what was achieved, the issues and future plans for development.

Go to source:
http://www.dlib.org/dlib/november11/holley/11holley.html

Developing students’ digital literacy to give them the best chance of success

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:04 GMT

Many learners enter further and higher education lacking the skills needed to apply digital technologies to education. As 90% of new jobs will require excellent digital skills, improving digital literacy is an essential component of developing employable graduates.

Courses that embed core digital skills, as well as subject specific use of technology, enable students to gain the skills and confidence they need to use digital technology not only to support their learning but also in the workplace.

Go to source:

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/supportingyourinstitution/studentjourney/digilit.aspx

Mapping Research Excellence: exploring the links between research excellence and research funding policy

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:04 GMT

This report explores patterns of national research excellence in a selection of the world’s top performing countries, the UK, the USA, China, Japan, Australia and Germany, using a new measure of excellence developed by Elsevier.

National research funding systems and policies are areas of huge complexity and so the aim of this report has been to elucidate some of these processes and consider how these might affect research excellence.

This report is not a comprehensive guide to all research policies. Rather, it has been our intention to identify links, provoke thought and prompt the direction of future policy interventions. Whilst observations are made about national funding, higher education policy and its interaction with research excellence is considered in more detail.

Go to source:
http://www.1994group.ac.uk/documents/110915_MappingResearchExcellence_1.pdf

Capturing Business Intelligence Required for Targeted Marketing, Demonstrating Value, and Driving Process Improvement

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:04 GMT

The University of Wollongong (UOW) has undertaken an innovative and collaborative research project to demonstrate the value that can be provided by academic libraries. The tool developed, the “Library Cube”, is a data warehouse linking student borrowing and use of electronic resources to students’ academic grades and demographic information. The project is different to other institutions’ efforts to link usage to student outcomes, in that the Library Cube is not a one-off research project, but is now an ongoing part of UOW’s systems and performance reporting and represents a fundamental shift in evaluating the student experience through the integration of discrete systems and datasets.

The Library Cube demonstrates a new direction for evidence-based research. Analysis enabled through the Cube has revealed a very strong relationship between library usage and students’ academic performance. This information will improve UOW Library’s ability to demonstrate value to clients and stakeholders. The Library Cube has also delivered some anticipated and unexpected findings on the relationship between social variables (such as gender, age, and citizenship) and library usage behaviors; and in doing so has also identified potential target audiences for Library promotions and engagement strategies.

Go to source:

http://ro.uow.edu.au/asdpapers/242/

Multi-Publisher, Multi-Purpose Platforms: Current Trends and Suggestions for the Future

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:04 GMT

The landscape surrounding publishers and libraries continues to change, with increasing amounts of content being converted from print to electronic format. All those involved are still looking for the most practical, useful and efficient ways to adapt to this changed, digitized environment. There are no easy fixes and there is certainly no consensus.

Go to source:

http://www.accucoms.com/about/ACCUCOMS%20White%20Paper%20Multi-Purpose%20Platforms

SWORD: Facilitating Deposit Scenarios

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:04 GMT

The SWORD (Simple Web-service Offering Repository Deposit) protocol was designed to facilitate the interoperable deposit of resources into systems such as repositories. The use of an interoperable standard eases the burden of developing clients to deposit such resources. This paper examines nine different deposit use cases, and provides case studies and examples of each use case to demonstrate the wide range of repository deposit scenarios. The use cases range from the deposit of scholarly communication outputs from a publisher to a repository and the automatic deposit of data from laboratory equipment, to inter-repository transfer and collaborative authoring workflows.

Go to source:

http://www.dlib.org/dlib/january12/lewis/01lewis.html

Academic Libraries on Facebook: An Analysis of Users' Comments

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:41 GMT

This paper examines users' comments on the Facebook pages of 20 American academic libraries and subdivides them into 22 categories. A total of 3,513 posts were examined and analyzed in various ways, including how many of the posts included user comments and how many had none; how many comments were included in each post; and what the percentage of user participation was on the library walls, in terms of "likes" and comments. The most significant findings are that approximately 91% of the posts do not include any comments, over 82% of user participation is expressed via the "like" functionality and most comments on academic libraries' Facebook pages are not uploaded by prospective users (i.e., college and university faculty and students) but rather by library personnel, employees affiliated with the same institution as the library, and alumni.

Go to source:
http://www.dlib.org/dlib/november11/gerolimos/11gerolimos.html

Launch of ‘living’ books breaks barriers between humanities and science

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:41 GMT

A series of 21 ‘living books’ has been launched online as part of a pioneering initiative designed to provide a bridge between the humanities and the sciences.

The Living Books About Life series is written and produced by humanities scholars from universities across the world – from the UK and America to Poland and Australia – and has re-packaged and re-presented science-related research material to make it more accessible to a humanities audience.

Funded by JISC and published by the Open Humanities Press (OHP), the books address a number of scientific topics whose unifying theme is life, including air, agriculture, bioethics, cosmetic surgery, energy, neurology and human cloning.

Alastair Dunning, programme manager at JISC, said: "By drawing only on Open Access material to create these ‘Living Books about Life’, the team is helping define a new era of scholarly communication – and thereby exploiting JISC’s vision to make the results of publicly funded research available to all."

Go to source:
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/stories/2011/11/livingbooks.aspx

New generation library learners seminar, Melbourne 27 October 2011

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:15 GMT

The presentations from the successful seminar held in Melbourne recently are now available athttp://www.iatul.org/conferences/workshops.asp

Does Library Use Affect Student Attainment? A Preliminary Report on the Library Impact Data Project

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:15 GMT

The current economic climate is placing pressure on UK Universities to maximise use of their resources and ensure value for money. In parallel, there is a continuing focus on the student experience and a desire that all students should achieve their full potential whilst studying at University.

Internal investigation at the University of Huddersfield suggests a strong correlation between library usage and degree results, and also significant under-usage of expensive library resources at both school and course level. Data from over 700 courses using three indicators of library usage; access to e-resources; book loans and access to the library were matched against the student record system and anonymised.

Go to source:
http://liber.library.uu.nl/publish/issues/2011-1/index.html?000522

Re-conceptualising and re-positioning Australian library and information science education for the 21st century

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:15 GMT

How can Australian library and information science (LIS) education produce, in a sustainable manner, the diverse supply of graduates with the appropriate attributes to develop and maintain high quality professional practice in the rapidly changing 21st century? This report presents the key findings of a project that has examined this question through research into future directions for LIS education in Australia. Titled Re-conceptualising and re-positioning Australian library and information science education for the twenty-first century, the purpose of the project was to establish a consolidated and holistic picture of the Australian LIS profession, and identify how its future education and training can be mediated in a cohesive and sustainable manner.

The project was undertaken with a team of 12 university and vocational LIS educators from eleven institutions around Australia between November 2009 and December 2010. Collectively, these eleven institutions represented the broad spectrum and diversity of LIS education in Australia, and enabled the project to examine education for the information profession in a holistic and synergistic manner. Participating institutions in the project included Queensland University of Technology (Project Leader), Charles Sturt University, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Monash University, RMIT University, University of Canberra, University of South Australia, University of Tasmania, University of Technology, Sydney and Victoria University.

Go to source: http://www.liseducation.org.au/resources/PP9-1326%20QUT%20Partridge%20Final_Report.pdf

Benefits to the Private Sector of Open Access to Higher Education and Scholarly Research

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:15 GMT

HOST Policy Research (HOST) has recently concluded an intensive and pioneering study for JISC on the benefits to UK industry and commerce of Open Access (OA) to higher education research outputs. The UK study was commissioned by JISC on behalf of the UK and home nation stakeholders to the UK’s Open Access Implementation Group (OAIG). The report and its findings are the responsibility of HOST, but include some extended discussion and analysis following JISC and partners’ comments on an earlier draft.

Go to source: http://open-access.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/OAIG_Benefits_OA_PrivateSector.pdf

Leading North American institutions endorse the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:15 GMT

Thirty-three research institutions, associations, and foundations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico have made a commitment to Open Access to research by signing the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities. These top private, public, and non-profit organizations join nearly 300 more from around the world in another clear sign of the growing demand for change in the way scientific and scholarly research results are communicated and maximized. The announcement is made in conjunction with the ninth Berlin conference, at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which opened today.

The Berlin Declaration promotes the Internet as a medium for disseminating global knowledge. Its goal is to make scientific and scholarly research more accessible to the broader public by taking full advantage of the possibilities offered by digital electronic communication. Signatories support actions that ensure the future Web is sustainable, interactive, and transparent – and that content is openly accessible – in order to realize the vision of a global and accessible representation of knowledge. The leaders of research institutions, libraries, archives, museums, funding agencies, and governments from around the world have signed the Declaration – including CERN, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academia Europaea, and the German Max Planck Society (co-initiator and custodian).

More information on the Berlin Declaration is available at http://oa.mpg.de/lang/en-uk/berlin-prozess/berliner-erklarung/

Go to source: http://www.berlin9.org/news/11-1109.shtml

Almost Halfway There: An Analysis of the Open Access Behaviors of Academic Librarians

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:32 GMT

Academic librarians are increasingly expected to advocate for scholarly communications reforms such as open access to scholarly publications, yet librarians do not always practice what they preach. Previous research examined librarian attitudes toward open access, whereas this article presents results of a study of open access publishing and self-archiving behaviors of academic librarians. Following an analysis of open access to library and information science literature in 2008, several strategies to encourage academic librarians to continue to embrace open access behaviors are discussed.

Go to source: http://crl.acrl.org/content/72/5/443.full.pdf+html

PEER Behavioural Research: Authors and users vis--vis journals and repositories

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:32 GMT

The behavioural research project is one of three independent research projects commissioned and managed by PEER as part of the PEER Observatory. The aim of the behavioural research project was to address the role of the stage two manuscript repositories in the scholarly and scientific communication system be exploring perceptions, motivations and behaviours of authors and readers. The research was carried out between April 2009 and August 2011 be the Department of Information Science and LISU at Loughborough University, UK.

Go to source:
http://www.peerproject.eu/fileadmin/media/reports/PEER_D4_final_report_29SEPT11.pdf

How can universities support economic growth and innovation? Take the open road

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:32 GMT

JISC welcomes the UK Open Access Implementation Group’s (OAIG) reports and new repositories resource pack released today.

The 'Benefits to the private sector of open access to higher education and scholarly research report' and the 'Open access fees report' show the outcomes of research into the benefits of open access to commercial companies and findings from a consultation on the practicalities of paying for open access publication.

Taken together, these present a major step towards releasing UK research to underpin the nation’s prospects for growth both now, via direct innovation, and into the future, via a more efficient and effective research infrastructure.

Professor Martin Hall vice-chancellor at the University of Salford and chair of the OAIG says, “The report 'Benefits to the private sector of open access to higher education and scholarly research' shows how commercial companies would benefit from reduced costs, less time wasting, and shortened development cycles by having greater access to UK research outputs.

Go to source: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/stories/2011/10/open.aspx

Patients Participate! Bridging the gap between information access and understanding

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:32 GMT

Publishing a lay summary alongside every research article could be the answer to assisting in the wider understanding of health-related information, say the findings of new citizen science project 'Patients Participate!'

Commissioned by JISC and carried out by the Association of Medical Research Charities, the British Library and UKOLN, Patients Participate! asked patients, the public, medical research charities and the research community, ‘How can we work together in making sense of scientific literature, to truly open up research findings for everyone who is interested?’ The answer came from patients who explained that they want easy-to-understand, evidence-based information relating to biomedical and health research.

Every day people are bombarded by health news, advice columns, medical websites and health products and making sense of this information can be difficult. Tracey Brown, Director of Sense about Science says, "We have been working with scientists and the public for some years to challenge misinformation, whether about the age of the earth, the causes of cancer, wifi radiation or homeopathy for malaria.

Go to source:
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/stories/2011/10/participate.aspx

The future of eBooks

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:32 GMT

Publishers, Internet bookstores, and companies that manufacture eReaders have high expectations for the digital future of the book industry. A new generation of eReaders may, at last, achieve the long-awaited breakthrough that lures consumers away from paper and ink. In the United States, Amazon has revolutionized the market by producing an eReader that is easy to use and making it easy for customers to purchase a wide variety of books at competitive prices. While some people herald the advent of digital reader technology as an opportunity to open new target markets and create customers, others mourn the end of traditional books and doubt the industry will be able to retain control over pricing and content.

Go to source:
http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/entertainment-media/publications/future-of-ebooks.jhtml

Research supervisors and information literacy

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:32 GMT

The ability of researchers to handle information is of vital importance. Many individuals have become adept at developing approaches and using innovative technologies to make most of the information environment, but others rather less so. Questions about how researchers develop appropriate skills, the support they receive, the training opportunities provided for them, and the take-up of such opportunities are thus highly pertinent.

Research supervisors can play a crucial role in the effective imparting of relevant skills, knowledge and understanding. But in reality, they often are not able, well-equipped or even predisposed to play such a role. RIN’s Mind the Skills Gap report pointed to the “the widespread perception that some research supervisors do not recognise the need for the types of training on offer to ‘their’ postgraduate students. Some supervisors are viewed by library and information specialists as a ‘lost generation’, overtaken by advances in research information, and not fully aware of the implications of some of these changes” . In the context of the necessary development of enabling improved information literacy, the place of research supervisors is one that is thus worthy of investigation.

Go to source:
www.rin.ac.uk/our-work/researcher-development-and-skills/information-handling-training-researchers/research-superv

ACRL 2010 Environmental Scan

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 01:44 GMT

Every two years, the ACRL Research Planning and Review Committee produces an environmental scan of higher education, including developments with the potential for continuing on impact academic libraries. The 2010 environmental scan provides a broad review of the current higher education landscape, with special focus on the state of academic and research libraries. The document builds on earlier ACRL reports, including the Top Ten Trends in Academic Libraries.

Go to source:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/whitepapers/EnvironmentalScan201.pdf