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Showing posts from June, 2013

Library of Congress Transitions to Free, Online-Only Cataloging Publications

The Library of Congress has announced a transition to online-only publication of its cataloging documentation. As titles that are in production are released, the Library’s Cataloging Distribution Service (CDS) will no longer print new editions of its subject headings, classification schedules and other cataloging publications. The Library will instead provide free downloadable PDF versions of these titles. http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2013/13-121.html

Entire library journal editorial board resigns, citing 'crisis of conscience' after death of Aaron Swartz

In a dramatic show of support for the open access movement, the editor-in-chief and entire editorial board of the Journal of Library Administration announced their resignation. In a letter to contributors, the board singled out a conflict with owners over the journal's licensing terms, which stripped authors of almost all claim to ownership of their work. In a blog post after the resignation , board member Chris Bourg cited her experience of "a crisis of conscience about publishing in a journal that was not open access" in the days after the death of Aaron Swartz. http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/26/4149752/library-journal-resigns-for-open-access-citing-aaron-swartz

New ‘Subway Libraries’ Encourages Commuters To Read On-The-Go

Students from the Miami Ad School—Max Pilwat, Keri Tan and Ferdi Rodriguez— came up with an innovative concept that allows people to read the first ten pages of popular books while riding the subway.   Using near field communications (NFC) technology, commuters select the desired book from a list of popular titles and read its first ten pages—upon finishing, the reader will be informed of the closest library location from which they can pick up and read the rest of the book.    It is a simple but ingenious idea that can be adopted and adapted to encourage reading in the 21st century, when new technology is changing the way we consume books.   Loke Shi Ying  http://designtaxi.com/news/356312/New-Subway-Libraries-Encourages-Commuters-To-Read-On-The-Go/

U.S. Takes Huge Step Forward in Opening Access to Publicly Funded Research

The world has watched as two major developments were launched from the U.S. federal government that will open access to articles produced as a result of grant funding from key U.S. agencies. On Feb. 14, 2013, exactly 11 years after the   Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI)   was first signed, representatives from Congress introduced the “Fair Access to Science and Technology Research” (FASTR) Act, proposed legislation which, if passed, would require public access to publicly funded research from major funding agencies including: Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation. by   Abby Clobridge   http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/NewsBreaks/US-Takes-Huge-Step-Forward-in-Opening-Access-to-Pub

10 Great Technology Initiatives for Your Library

Libraries have become technology leaders by integrating cutting-edge tools to enhance users’ experience. It’s not enough to redesign the library website. Best practices mean developing user personas and following usability strategies to produce user-informed designs. New digital collections are stored in the cloud and mobile applications are developed around them. Here are 10 ideas for you to leverage today’s most innovative tools and techniques. All of these come straight from   The Tech Set #11–20   series   (ALA TechSource, June 2012). Host a cloud-based collection As libraries increasingly deliver digital content, storage requirements may strain their local resources .   In the absence of a full-fledged trusted digital repository that conforms to digital preservation standards and best practices, libraries will need to provide as much redundancy and security for digital object files as possible. Two options are Amazon’s S3 with   Amazon CloudFront   and DuraSpace’s   Dura