Duke, with Mellon funding, to lead open ILS effort; New Jersey’s Knowledge Initiative gets re-booted

Mellon Funds Duke U. Libraries Effort To Design Next-Generation Library System The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a $475,700 grant to the Duke University Libraries (DUL) to lead an international team in the design of “a next-generation, open-source library system.” The project, dubbed the Open Library Environment (OLE) Project, seeks to develop a “design document” for an alternative to commercial Integrated Library System (ILS) products. The project’s goal: to lay the foundation for a system that “breaks away from an emphasis on print-based workflows, reflects the changing nature of library materials and new approaches to scholarly work, meshes well with other enterprise systems, and can be modified easily to suit the needs of different institutions.” In a tantalizing note, meanwhile, the Duke release said that the OLE Project is “intended to create a community of interest” that could eventually be tapped to build the planned system in a follow-on project. According to a project description, this latest effort comes after members of the project team posted an inquiry to several electronic discussion lists about their ILS needs in January 2008, receiving over 100 responses within a week’s time, from libraries “large and small, public and private, located in the U.S. and in other countries and using a variety of ILS products.” A common theme among respondents: dissatisfaction with current ILS products. “The information environment is changing rapidly, but the technology of library management systems has not kept pace,” said Lynne O’Brien, principal investigator on the project and director of academic technology and instructional services for DUL. The main complaints, the project report noted, are that first generations of ILS providers worked from a software development model “that does not meet the needs of modern libraries”; are mostly “closed software systems”; are expensive to “purchase and maintain”; and impose “rigid workflows,” not easily amenable to customization by libraries. For example, “it is nearly impossible for a library to integrate its commercial ILS with tools outside the ILS, such as a course management system or emerging social-networking tools,” the project description noted. “Such a lack of integration with widely used tools is a very serious deficiency, because it makes it inconvenient for faculty and students to utilize easily the scholarly resources acquired or licensed by the library.” While many academic libraries have implemented Endeca, Primo, AquaBrowser, or other tools, and while “these new search interfaces improve the user experience,” the project description observes, purchasing and implementing a second OPAC “is an extra expense and an extra support burden on top of libraries’ costs and support for the ILS.” The project, meanwhile, “is not only driven by inadequacies in current ILS systems,” but also by “an awareness of the rapidly changing research information environment.” Formats are changing in the digital age, information expanding exponentially, and the ways students and researchers work are also changing—all of which further emphasize the need for a flexible ILS. While virtually everyone would agree more robust systems would be welcome, it will be interesting to see specifically what this project yields—at least one comment on the OLE site suggested the design document may overlap with work being done on existing community-based open source projects, noting that OLE “appears to be reinventing the wheel,” and points to similarities between the project and NewGenLib, an open source ILS product developed in India. Librarians and technologists from Duke will be joined by staff from the University of Kansas, Lehigh University, the University of Pennsylvania, the National Library of Australia, Library and Archives Canada, Vanderbilt University, the Orbis Cascade Alliance, Rutgers University, the University of Florida, the University of Chicago, Columbia University, the University of Maryland, and Whittier College. Because the OLE Project is “a collaborative, community-based venture,” however, the announcement proclaimed, “there will be many opportunities for individuals from other libraries to participate in the project through regional and virtual meetings, discussion of plans and documents, comments via the project website and discussions at professional meetings.” The project website will give detailed information about the project and including FAQs, recommended reading, and a comment section. back to top ^

Funding Restored, New Jersey Knowledge Initiative Is Back Small business owners, students, and researchers in New Jersey this week lauded the return of the New Jersey Knowledge Initiative (NJKI) a New Jersey State library program that has been revitalized with the inclusion of $2 million in the state’s FY09 state budget. The consortial NJKI deal serves a range of libraries, including colleges—especially community colleges—and small businesses, giving entrepreneurs, researchers, and students access to expensive, cutting-edge, published research in business, technology, science, and medicine. Despite returning massive value, $1 million, a third of the program’s funding dried up for FY08, causing access to end for many resources on February 28. Library officials said that left some academic libraries scrambling to plug holes, and noted that New Jersey would have to pay $34 million more annually for the same resources. The program was stewarded by Library Journal’s 2008 Librarian of the Year, NJ State Librarian Norma Blake in March 2005. back to top ^

Deadline Approaches for SPARC IR Meeting “Innovation Fair” Got two or three minutes to talk about institutional repositories? Sign up today—or by this weekend, at the latest, as the deadline is fast-approaching for programs to be submitted for SPARC Digital Repositories Meeting’s “Innovation Fair,” part of the upcoming SPARC IR meeting, to be held November 17-18, at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, MD. The deadline is August 10 for participation in the Innovation Fair, an event inspired by Open Repositories’ Minute Madness that invites participants to present, “in no more than two or three minutes,” innovative, creative approaches to: The use of repository content, such as new publishing models, data-mining, mash-ups, educational resources, etc. Discovery of research outputs, such as area-of-interest profiling, peer-discovery channels, discipline aggregations or information portals, etc. Value-added services, such as author bibliographies, usage reporting, research promotion, content of interest alerts, deposit rights clearance, etc. Repository promotion, such as creative marketing techniques, slogans, graphics, elevator speeches, etc. Innovation Fair projects will be featured on the Crowdvine network for the conference where presenters will be asked to post their slide or graphic on the network in a blog post, and meeting participants will be encouraged to “constructively comment, build, and expand” upon them with new ideas through their own posts and graphics. You can submit a proposal to the Innovation Fair here. With IRs a hot topic, the SPARC Digital Repositories 2008 meeting brings together librarians, researchers, funders, administrators, government officials, publishers, and technologists from around the world to explore four key areas: the Policy Environment, New Horizons, Building Bridges: Campus Publishing Strategies, and Value-Added Services, supplemented by the Innovation Fair and a Practicum on marketing and advocacy. This is the first North American SPARC digital repositories conference since the organization’s popular 2004 meeting, which drew hundreds of participants from around the globe You can register, or get more information on conference web site. back to top ^

OUP Facilitates NIH compliance; Emerald Settles in America; Faust Joins Northwestern University Press As the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) new public access policy kicks in—and is already showing positive results —a debate has emerged about publishers’ roles in facilitating compliance. This week, Oxford University Press (OUP) announced that it would join the hundreds of journals facilitating compliance with the NIH mandate on behalf of authorsIt will deposit “the final published version” into PubMed Central (PMC) of any NIH-funded manuscripts submitted to Oxford journals from July 31, 2008. NIH-funded articles published under Oxford’s open access program will be available immediately in PMC, and those that are not open access, will available after 12 months. There is no fee for the service. OUP’s policy, meanwhile, observers note, is among the better ones to emerge following the NIH policy. Nevertheless, concerns that the public access policy would basically result in a de facto one year embargo period appear to be proving true so far, as NIH officials confirmed to the LJ Academic Newswire last week that most publishers are opting for the maximum, 12-month embargo period for access in PMC… Sage announced that Michele Sordi has been named VP and editorial director, books, Higher Education Group—and tasked with the job of “expanding its textbook division.” Sordi comes to SAGE after several years at Cengage (formerly Thomson Learning), where she worked as senior acquisitions editor, executive editor, and publisher, in the social sciences division… Emerald, Inc. has established Emerald Group Publishing Limited a subsidiary company incorporated in the United States and based in new headquarters in Cambridge, MA. Emerald officials said with a growing number of authors and editors from the United States, the new office was necessary to provide “better editorial and sales support.” Staff manning the Cambridge office include David Butler, VP North America; Jim De Wolf, VP of academic markets for the United States; Bea Ramirez, who has joined Emerald as a “Key Relationships Manager,” after eight years with Amigos Library Services; and Donna Reynolds, business and development Manager… Attune Systems, Inc., a provider of file management solutions for Windows-based storage, announced this week that the University of Iowa Libraries, has chosen it to address the libraries’ storage management needs, including “a fully digitized online library of books, images, correspondence, and other archival material.” Attune Systems flagship product, the Maestro File Manager, helps IT administrators discover, analyze, manage, and optimize their resources… Northwestern University Press announced this week that Rudy Faust has joined on in a dual role as marketing and publicity manager, effective immediately. Faust was most recently publicity manager for the University of Chicago Journals Division… back to top ^

Submissions Sought for Library Journal’s Annual Architectural Issue If you have an academic building project completed between July 1, 2007, and June 30, 2008, make sure it is included in Library Journal’s annual December Architectural Issue. Projects can be submitted online or on paper. Academic project forms can be submitted or downloaded at www.libraryjournal.com/AcademicArch2008. The deadline is October 14, 2008. If you need more information, email Bette-Lee Fox at bl.fox@reedbusiness.com or call 646-746-6802. back to top ^

Best Sellers in Education, December 2007–present, as compiled by YBP Library Services
(13-digit ISBNs in brackets)

1. Academic Freedom in the Wired World: Political Extremism, Corporate Power, and the University
   O'Neil, Robert M.
   Harvard University Press
   2008. ISBN 0674026608 [9780674026605]. $35.00
   
   
2. University Of Google: Education in the (Post) Information Age
   Brabazon, Tara
   Ashgate
   2007. ISBN 075467097X [9780754670971]. $59.95
   
   
3. Learning a New Land: Immigrant Students in American Society
   Suarez-Orozco, Carola
   Belknap Harvard
   2008. ISBN 0674026756 [9780674026759]. $29.95
   
   
4. Why Our Schools Need the Arts
   Davis, Jessica Hoffmann
   Teachers College Press
   2008. ISBN 080774834X [9780807748343]. $21.95
   
   
5. Measuring Up: What Educational Testing Really Tells Us
   Koretz, Daniel M.
   Harvard University Press
   2008. ISBN 0674028058 [9780674028050]. $29.95
   
   
6. Higher Education and the Civil Rights Movement: White Supremacy, Black Southerners, and College Campuses
   Wallenstein, Peter
   University Press of Florida
   2008. ISBN 0813031621 [9780813031620]. $59.95
   
   
7. Storytime: Young Children's Literary Understanding In the Classroom
   Sipe, Lawrence R.
   Teachers College Press
   2008. ISBN 0807748293 [9780807748299]. $76.00
   
   
8. How the University Works: Higher Education and the Low-Wage Nation
   Bousquet, Marc
   New York University
   2008. ISBN 0814799744 [9780814799741]. $70.00
   
   
9. Moving Every Child Ahead: From NCLB Hype to Meaningful Educational Opportunity
   Rebell, Michael A.
   Teachers College Press
   2008. ISBN 080774851x [9780807748510]. $56.00
   
   
10. Teaching for Intelligence
    Presseisen, Barbara
    Corwin Sage
    2008. ISBN 1412955548 [9781412955546]. $80.95
    
    
11. Effective Teacher Leadership: Using Research to Inform and Reform
    Mangin, Melinda
    Teachers College Press
    2008. ISBN 0807748404 [9780807748404]. $43.00
    
    
12. History of Special Education: A Struggle for Equality in American Public Schools
    Osgood, Robert L.
    Praeger
    2008. ISBN 0275989135 [9780275989132]. $39.95
    
    
13. School Lunch Politics: The Surprising History of America's Favorite Welfare Program
    Levine, Susan
    Princeton University Press
    2008. ISBN 0691050880 [9780691050881]. $29.95
    
    
14. Early Care and Education Teaching Workforce at the Fulcrum: An Agenda for Reform
    Kagan, Sharon Lynn
    Teachers College Press
    2008. ISBN 0807748277 [9780807748275}. $31.95
    
    
15. Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them
    Anderegg, David
    Jeremy P Tarcher
    2007. ISBN 1585425907 [9781585425907]. $24.95
    
    
16. How Leaders Learn: Cultivating Capacities for School Improvement
    Donaldson, Gordon
    Teachers College Press
    2008. ISBN 0807748552 [9780807748558]. $60.00
    
    
17. Seduction of Common Sense: How the Right Has Framed the Debate on America's Schools
    Kumashiro, Kevin K.
    Teachers College Press
    2008. ISBN 0807748692 [9780807748695]. $40.00
    
    
18. Diversities in Early Childhood Education: Rethinking and Doing
    Genishi, Celia
    Routledge
    2008. ISBN 0415957133 [9780415957137]. $125.00
    
    
19. Time to Learn: How a New School Schedule Is Making Smarter Kids, Happier Parents, and Safer Neighborhoods
    Gabrieli, Christopher
    Jossey-Bass
    2008. ISBN 047025808x [9780470258088]. $24.95
    
    
20. Tooning In: Essays on Popular Culture and Education
    White, Cameron
    Rowman & Littlefield
    2008. ISBN 0742559696 [9780742559691]. $65.00
    
    

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