Library Connect News

ALA Midwinter 2012: Why Running Shoes May be Required

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:20:25 PST

I don’t know about you, but my ALA Midwinter 2012 schedule is filling up quickly. Here at Elsevier, we have a lot planned for Midwinter, including our 14th Digital Libraries Symposium (read more about below). We’ll be at booth #2229, where you can get personalized demos and play the SciVerse Apps Game. You can get a preview of the game by watching this YouTube video now.

As if the DLS isn’t enough, we’re thrilled to be unveiling the Power to the Librarian project at Midwinter. The project brings together the experiences of exceptional library professionals who are empowering their users to achieve great success. These experiences are presented as case studies on the Power to the Librarian website. The project also will feature webcasts with some of your librarian peers. The first webcast, scheduled for Thursday, January 19, at 2:00 PM EST, is themed “Where Library Science and IT Meet,” and will feature Jenn Stringer, MLS, and current Director of Academic Technology Services, New York University. Register for the webinar now.

As far as ALA Midwinter goes, below are some sessions, activities and social events of interest. Which are you planning on attending? Let me know by commenting on our blog.

Fun Run 5K & Walk, Saturday, January 21, 7:00 am to 9:00 am, Reverchon Park

Open to all, the Fun Run 5K & Walk once again will take place in Dallas, where it debuted in 1984. Participation includes an event t-shirt, goody bag, and an awards ceremony. The cost is $30 per person. You can register through your personal registration page under the ‘ticketed events’ section, or visit the ‘Special Assistance’ desk during registration hours.

I’m running? Are you? Get more information on the Fun Run now.

New Standards for Libraries in Higher Education, Saturday, January 21, 8:00 am to 10:00 am, Sheraton Dallas Hotel, Houston Ballroom C

Presented by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), this forum will offer an opportunity for academic librarians to learn more about the new Standards for Libraries in Higher Education approved by the ACRL Board and released in October 2011. Attendees will learn how these standards differ from previous standards and learn about the services ACRL will offer to support librarians in applying the standards for the purposes of strategic planning, program review, and institutional effectiveness.

Learn more and register for the session now.

How to Save Your Library Using Grassroots Strategies: Success Stories, Saturday, January 21, 10:30 am to 12:00 pm, Dallas Convention Center, C141

Presented by the ALA Washington Office, this session will feature advocacy guru Stephanie Vance, who will share valuable tips on how to influence policymakers during tough economic times. Attendees also will hear success stories from library advocates around the country and what they have done to influence policymakers in their community. Attendees will walk away with 10 principles for grassroots success.

Learn more and register for the session now. Also, be sure to read the June issue of the Library Connect Newsletter. Themed “Marketing the Library,” it’s all about marketing and demonstrating the value of the library to patrons and stakeholders.

Is a PhD in LIS the next move for your career?, Saturday, January 21, 10:30 am to 12:00 pm, Dallas Convention Center, C149

This session will feature a panel discussion with current PhD candidates followed by an open forum to discuss options and opportunities. This session is being presented as part of the recruitment for the next round of Spectrum Doctoral Fellowships, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Learn more and register for the session now.

Are you pursuing, or thinking about pursuing, a PhD in LIS? You can share your thoughts and experiences by guest blogging on the Library Connect Blog. Please email me if you are interested.

14th Digital Libraries Symposium
Beyond the database: Digital services enabling patrons' success
Saturday, January 21, 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Dallas Convention Center, Room: C155

While offering online content is currently the norm for academic libraries, pioneering librarians now are working on ways to support advanced electronic resources, and develop and implement online applications to support teaching and research at their institutions. With this in mind, Elsevier’s 14th Digital Libraries Symposium (DLS), themed “Beyond the Database: Digital Services Enabling Patrons’ Success,” will explore this topic and feature two technology librarians and a libraries dean. The panelists will speak about how digital services supported by the library impact their patrons’ success.

The DLS panel is scheduled to include:

Jason Casden
Digital Technologies Development Librarian
North Carolina State University Libraries

Rudy Leon
Technology Training and Outreach Librarian
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Steven Smith
Libraries Dean
University of Tennessee

You can register to attend the DLS now.

I’ll be live-tweeting the DLS. For those who want to follow along, submit questions and comments, or can’t make it but want to stay updated on the discussion, follow the hashtag #ElsevierDLS2012. And, of course, you can follow all my conference tweets by following Library Connect @library_connect.

5th Newbie & Veteran Librarian Tweet-up, Saturday, January 21, 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm, Anvil Pub

Music, drinks, librarians…what else do I need to say? The Anvil Pub is located at 2638 Elm Street in the Deep Ellum neighborhood of Dallas. You can RSVP today or get more information on the Facebook event page.

ALA MW '12 After-Hours Social, Saturday, January 21, 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm, LaGrange

There's no cover charge…librarians go straight through the silver doors to a separate room and NOT into the line where they will be asking for a cover. Even better? It's only a few doors down from the Tweet-up at the Anvil Pub. View the Facebook event page now.

Academic Library Services to International Students, Sunday, January 22, 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm, Sheraton Dallas Hotel, Lone Star Ballroom C3

Scheduled to be moderated by Victor Baeza, Director of Library Graduate and Research Services, Oklahoma State University, this session will provide academic librarians with a forum to present on and discuss issues related to providing various types of library service to international patrons. Current ongoing project examples for providing quality services to their international constituencies will be discussed.

Learn more and register for the session now.

That’s just a small selection of the open sessions and events going on at ALA Midwinter 2012. Those participating in the Fun Run 5K & Walk might want to leave their running shoes on. As you can see, there are lots of sessions to get to and lots of activities to do this year. I hope to see you (or at least run by you) there!

Joe Walsh
Social Media Manager, Library Connect
j.walsh@elsevier.com

2012 LIBER Award for Library Innovation Abstract Submissions now being Accepted

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:47:31 PST

The 2012 LIBER Award for Library Innovation will honor the three abstracts that best describe innovative work in the overall theme of the 2012 LIBER Conference, "Mobilizing the knowledge economy for Europe." The deadline for abstract submissions is January 31, 2012.

Award-winners will be selected from the abstracts for papers/posters submitted for the 2012 Conference, to be held June 27-30, 2012, in Tartu, Estonia.

Specific criteria for the award selection will be:

Level of innovation

Impact on the wider library community

Scalability of the idea

Expected return-on-investment

The LIBER Award for Library Innovation prize includes the opportunity to present the winning paper/poster at the 2012 Conference, free registration, plus travel expenses and accommodations. The trio of winners will be informed by the LIBER Award Committee no later than March 30, 2012.

According to the conference website, topics of interest include, but are not limited to (visit the LIBER Award for Library Innovation information page for full listing):

Shared services/national and international collaboration, cloud services, cloud computing

End-user needs, end-user feedback, end-user surveys

Primary research data

New skills for library staff

New (mobile) devices

Economic crisis: how libraries have managed, success stories; ideas for cost reductions

Submissions can consist of the following:

Research papers presenting theoretical solutions, but with a clear illustration on how these solutions can be applied

Position papers presenting opinions on some aspect of practice, or describing work that is still in progress, but sufficiently mature to warrant attention

Experiences and case studies specifying requirements, challenges or opportunities

Best practices

For more information, visit the Call for Papers/Posters page and the LIBER Award for Library Innovation information page on the 41st Annual LIBER Conference website. Good luck to those who submit abstracts!

Joe Walsh
Social Media Manager, Library Connect
j.walsh@elsevier.com

Defining a Librarian in the Information Age: Can it be done?

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:54:05 PST

Quick, fill in the blanks:

A Librarian in the information age is most like a ____________________________ because ____________________________.

So what did you come up with? Not easy, is it? To narrow down the multitude of choices for these two blanks is a challenge when you consider how much librarians are expected to know and do in our always evolving information age. What I see out on social media only adds credence to this thought. On Twitter, for example, I’ve seen tweets from librarians that say their job description has changed or new responsibilities suddenly have fallen into their lap. To paraphrase one tweet from a librarian I recently came across: “I mentioned I use Twitter so now I’m suddenly the library’s social media marketing guru!” Can you relate? You might not be your library’s new social media marketing guru, but I’m sure you’ve had some unexpected job responsibilities thrown your way.

With that in mind, can you fill in the blanks yet?

A Librarian in the information age is most like a ____________________________ because ____________________________.

My asking you to fill in the blanks is not without reason. We just released the latest issue of the Library Connect Newsletter, themed “Librarian 2.0 and Beyond.” Just like there are seemingly endless choices to fill in the blanks above, there are limitless ways to define how to become, or what being, a “Librarian 2.0 and Beyond” entails.

According to Helen Partridge at Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane, Australia), being a librarian 2.0 is not just about learning new skills, but rather, how librarians view themselves and their profession. In other words, to borrow the headline of Helen’s article, “It's all in the attitude.” Hiroya Takeuchi from Chiba University in Japan echoes Helen’s sentiment when it concerns librarians needing to define their roles. In “The new role of librarians at Chiba University's Academic Link,” Hiroya says librarians need to move toward an active role in education and learning. From his point of view, this approach is one way — and perhaps the only way — to establish a solid professional foundation for librarianship in Japan.

With more than 30 years experience as a university librarian, M. Luisa Álvarez-de-Toledo at the Universidad de Oviedo (Spain) has witnessed many changes to the librarian profession. More importantly, however, she has embraced them. In “Librarians are engaging in new roles, such as helping to improve the discoverability and raise the impact of their researchers' academic publications,” Luisa says librarians’ day-to-day tasks have become more technical and specialized, and it's essential that new knowledge be embraced to best serve the university community. With that in mind, Luisa says three tasks have become prominent in her daily activities:

The promotion, evaluation and marketing of academic publications on the Internet, i.e., academic search engine optimization (SEO);

the development and creation of semantic content for Web 3.0; and

the application of social media tools in Web 2.0

Aaron Tay from the National University of Singapore also has embraced the opportunity to become more technical. In “To connect with today's library users, librarians need to implement and stay abreast of the latest communications technologies and tools,” Aaron admits he’s not a coder, but because librarians deal with information, he says “there is no getting away from the use of information technology.” Aaron also has embraced social media and now manages many of his library's social media and chat channels. You can follow Aaron on Twitter @aarontay.

By showcasing a selection of articles from our latest newsletter, you see there are so many ways to define librarian 2.0…and fill in the blanks. Rudy Leon from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign may have summed this conundrum up best with her article’s headline, “Retooling library staff to take on the future, where a state of flux is the new normal.”

So have you thought of your answers yet? I want to know how you would fill in these blanks:

A Librarian in the information age is most like a ____________________________ because ____________________________.

You can send me your responses through Twitter @library_connect, post them on the Library Connect Facebook page, leave a comment here on the blog, or if you want to keep your answers confidential, email me at j.walsh@elsevier.com. Please send me your feedback by January 31. I plan on doing a follow up post in early February so I can share all the answers provided by you and your librarian colleagues.

Joe Walsh
Social Media Manager, Library Connect
j.walsh@elsevier.com

An Interview with the Apps for Library Idea Challenge Community Choice Grand Prize Winner

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:01:56 PST

This week, we have a Q&A with Andrea Szwajcer, Clinical Librarian at University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), the winner of the Apps for Library Idea Challenge Community Choice Grand Prize for her app idea, JTOCs 2 Go (you also can read the interview conducted with Ke Khoon Low, Librarian at National University of Singapore, who was named the winner of the Judge’s Choice Grand Prize). According to Andrea’s submission, the JTOCs 2 Go app would easily customize a journal table of contents service. As part of this, links would be configured to an institutional license to enable full-text access. Read more about the JTOCs 2 Go app idea now.

Andrea answered some questions for us and shared her thoughts about the Challenge, her app idea, and of course, how it feels to be the Community Choice Grand Prize Winner.

Why did you decide to contribute an app idea?

It was somewhat serendipitous the way I came to know about and participate in the Challenge. I was searching in Scopus and saw the banner advertising the Challenge. There was this issue that my colleagues and I have been trying to address in an efficient way. I saw the Challenge and thought why not submit it? So, I did.

I must confess I forgot about it as I had low expectations of even making it to the finals. The email telling me I was one of the finalists had to be re-read a few times to make sure it was “real” mail and not spam! I then was inspired to harness my own social network tools to get the votes since several people told me that my app definitely was needed. I’d like to thank the medical librarian community, my colleagues, and especially the members of the Canadian Health Libraries Association for their voting support. I would not have received the Community Choice Award without them.

How did you come up with your app idea?

At our institution, and at others I have since discovered, we are trying to find a tool that meets this seemingly simple need: to set up any number of journal table of contents with a clean display and be able to access the full-text via institution affiliation or personal subscription; and share the citation(s) easily via different social media tools (e.g. Mendeley, Twitter). This was the app idea I submitted to the Challenge. When I determined that the Challenge was hosted by Elsevier, I thought well, if anyone can make this happen, surely Elsevier can. Since I won the contest, I’ve been asked about when the app will be available. The hunger for something that comes close to addressing this issue is huge.

What do you think of the Apps for Library Idea Challenge?

I think it is a great opportunity for those in the library community to think of the gaps they encounter day to day and be offered a chance to try and address it, if there’s a technological solution for it. I don’t have any programming expertise, so having the chance to work with someone who does to solve a problem like this is exciting. More importantly, for my idea to work, you need the ability to harness large amounts of meta-data and have it directed in the way that solves the problem. Only by partnering with a large publishing organization such as Elsevier or an aggregator is it possible to attempt to solve problems like this.

What do you hope for the future for applications on SciVerse, or more generally, applications of technology to facilitate research and/or education?

I really was hoping when I submitted my idea that it could be mobile immediately. I was a little disappointed to find out that SciVerse at this time does not include mobile apps but I have hope that, because of the open platform that SciVerse apps are based on, some enterprising programmer will take that next step when my app is available to make it mobile. To make this the ideal current awareness tool that people want, it needs to be mobile.

As for applications more generally speaking, well that’s where it’s going. I mean the number of apps have grown to meet the demand, but there needs to be a better evaluation process. Part of the challenge when I look at an app description is trying to figure out what exactly will it do. I ask myself: will it deliver on what it promises? How does this fit with the other things I use/do?
That is a lot of time expenditure, not only in selecting but seeing how it fits in with how I work. Not everyone wants to take that time. Moreover, there’s a lot of overlap in certain functionalities and/or only slight nuances that differentiate certain app classes. There needs to be a visual mapping and/or standard classification system developed to manage the app explosion to assist people in figuring out the “lay of the app land” to make better choices for their needs.

Incidentally, when I was investigating the Challenge prior to my submission, I confess I was ignorant of the SciVerse Applications gallery. Needless to say, I have got several now working for me as part of my searches and will be promoting them to my colleagues.

Developing app ideas is just one of the many new tasks being taken on by librarians. In the latest Library Connect Newsletter, librarians from around the globe discuss how their roles continue to change and evolve. Read the issue, themed “Librarian 2.0 and beyond” now.

Joe Walsh
Social Media Manager, Library Connect
j.walsh@elsevier.com

An Interview with an Apps for Library Idea Challenge Winner

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:10:56 PST

As I wrote the morning it happened, the winners of the Apps for Library Idea Challenge were announced at the recent Charleston Conference. Ke Khoon Low (pictured), Librarian at National University of Singapore, was announced as the winner of the Judge’s Choice Grand Prize for her app idea, Journal Conferences@Your Fingertips. According to Ke Khoon, this app could be used to identify the top 20 journal/conference titles related to the user’s search results. The app also would provide RSS feeds on the latest table of contents for those top 20 journals.

Ke Khoon recently answered some questions for us and shared her thoughts about the Challenge, her app idea, and of course, how it feels to be one of the Grand Prize winners.

Why did you decide to contribute an app idea?

As an avid user of databases for many years, I have seen the development of databases in many areas, especially in terms of reference lists and results refinement /analysis. ScienceDirect has been my favorite platform since I started my career as an academic librarian, so when the opportunity for me to make a difference arrived, I put my heart and mind into my app idea. It was a lovely surprise to learn my app idea was selected by the judges!

How did you come up with your app idea?

I submitted a total of three app ideas, all of which were derived from my over 10 years of work and research experience as a librarian. Also, through personal experiences of conducting research and writing a thesis for my Masters of Science (Information Studies), and having submitted an article that was published in a journal, I’ve realized the importance of having as much aid as possible from the customizable features of relevant databases.

What do you think of the Apps for Library Idea Challenge?

I think the Challenge was very meaningful. The focus frequently is on the database users only, but the Challenge encouraged app ideas that will help librarians in their daily work and solve the problems they face each day.

We may think some of the app ideas on our wish lists may be impossible to realize, but this event provided us with the much-needed support for the development of the app idea that was on our wish list.

What do you hope for the future for applications on SciVerse, or more generally, applications of technology to facilitate research and/or education?

I hope that future applications of technology will be able to transcend across different database platforms and provide researchers with ways and means to conduct their research easily, whether it is an extensive literature review, a quick background understanding of a topic, or just keeping watch on a current topic trend.

The Challenge may be over but you still can visit the Apps for Library Idea Challenge website to review all the app submissions and comments from your librarian peers. Also, be sure to visit the SciVerse Applications Gallery to review the dozens of free apps available for download today.

Joe Walsh
Social Media Manager, Library Connect
j.walsh@elsevier.com

Winners of Apps for Library Idea Challenge Announced at Charleston Conference 2011

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 08:58:23 PDT

The Charleston Conference 2011 started in an apps-olutely great way this morning, and I’m not just talking about the great cup of coffee I had. Rather, the winners of the Apps for Library Idea Challenge were announced during the conference’s opening plenary session.

Congratulations to the winners, who are:

Grand Prize – Judges' Choice

Ke Khoon Low, Librarian at National University of Singapore, is the winner of the Judge’s Choice Grand Prize for the app idea submission, Journal Conferences @ Your Fingertips. According to Ke Khoon’s submission, this app could be used to identify the top 20 journal/conference titles related to the user’s search results. It would do so by counting the number of articles retrieved from each journal and providing a ranking for the top 20 journal/conference titles that these articles appear in. The app also would provide RSS feeds on the latest table of contents for those top 20 journals. You can read more about the Journal Conferences @ Your Fingertips app idea now.

Grand Prize – Community Choice

The judges have their top choice, and so too do you, the voting community. The Community Choice Grand Prize goes to the JTOCs 2 GO submission from Andrea Szwajcer, Librarian at University of Manitoba, Canada. According to Andrea, the JTOCs 2 Go app would easily customize a journal table of contents service. As part of this, links would be configured to an institutional license to enable full-text access. Read more about the JTOCs 2 Go app idea now.

Congratulations to Ke Khoon and Andrea, who each were awarded €750 (approximately USD$1000) for their respective prizes.

Contributor Prize Drawing

David Bello, Research Administrator at Universidad de los Andes, Colombia, is the winner of a Samsung Galaxy Tab 16GB WiFi tablet after his app idea submission, SciVerse Live Chat, was picked in the random contributor prize drawing.

The SciVerse Live Chat app would use live chat technologies to connect library assistants with researchers. Whenever a researcher needs help, they would click the “Live Chat” app and be connected with a local library assistant. According to David, the app also would create an excellent channel to teach users who use SciVerse.

Congratulations to David, as well as the 10 winners of the commenter prizes, who each were awarded a €35 (approximately USD$50) American Express gift card.

The Apps for Library Idea Challenge may be over but the fun is just getting started. Next up is attempting to build the two grand prize winning ideas into actual apps. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on this progress…now time for me to get back to all the happenings at the Charleston Conference 2011.

Joe Walsh
Social Media Manager, Library Connect
j.walsh@elsevier.com

LIANZA Conference 2011: Passion, People and Power…and Sessions

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:30:07 PDT

Te Ihi, Te Wehi, Te Wana – Passion, People and Power is the theme for the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) Conference 2011, which is being held from October 30 to November 2 in Wellington, New Zealand. As I’ve done for other recent library conferences (ALA, SLA, IFLA, ALIA, Charleston), I’ve reviewed the LIANZA Conference 2011 program and have identified some sessions of interest for those who are attending (see below).

Attendees can get a head start on the conference by liking the LIANZA Conference 2011 Facebook page. They also can use the ShowGizmo App, which will allow them to go paperless and collect virtual brochures and information from exhibitors. You can scan the Elsevier code (pictured left or click here) after you download the ShowGizmo App to your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry or Android). Elsevier, by the way, will be at booth 19 during the conference.

Monday, October 31

The Fearless Librarian: Lessons that can be Learned from the Virtual Librarian

This workshop will explore how, in the absence of the library as a place, the virtual librarian is dealing with patrons. The workshop also will explore if librarians respond differently in the virtual environment than they do in face-to-face situations.

Speaking of the virtual librarian, the next issue of the Library Connect Newsletter will explore how librarians’ roles have changed and evolved. The issue, themed “Librarian 2.0 and Beyond” will be out in November. You can sign up for your free subscription to the newsletter today.

Social Media for Special Librarians

This workshop is designed to engage special librarians in conversations about social media and how they can use it as a marketing tool and/or a listening tool. Issues that will be examined during the workshop include using social media as a research tool, the risks around communicating with the public from within an organization, privacy, communicating with colleagues and use of social media sites at work.

Social media, of course, is just one way to market your library. The June issue of the Library Connect Newsletter explores how librarians at Texas Tech University, Boise State University and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, among others, are marketing the value of their libraries. To learn more, read the June issue of the Library Connect Newsletter today.

Tuesday, November 1

E-Readers: Devices for Passionate Leisure Readers or an Empowering Scholarly Resource?

This presentation will discuss a study undertaken at Loughborough University, which sought to determine the ways e-readers might be used in, or supported by, the university library. Devices examined in the study included the Kindle, Sony Touch, iRiver Story and iPad.

Speaking of iPads, don’t forget, if you download the SciVerse Mobile Apps before November 4, you will be registered for a chance to win an iPad2. Learn more now.

Librarians are not Hospice Workers: Best Practice Strategies for Demonstrating Value and Influence in Academic Libraries

As you all know, amidst uncertain funding, increasing expectations, and pressure to demonstrate value, many librarians are required to create new and creative ways to cut back on or outsource library services, collection building and planning. With this in mind, this session will explore how libraries are demonstrating value with return on investment (ROI) research projects.

For more on the ROI of academic libraries, you should read this Library Connect publication:

University Investment in the Library, Phase II: An International Study of the Library's Value to the Grants Process (pdf)

How is your library demonstrating its value? You can share your strategies, tips and tactics by guest blogging on the Library Connect Blog. Feel free to email me at j.walsh@elsevier.com if you are interested.

I won’t be at the LIANZA Conference 2011, but I’m hoping you’ll keep me updated on Twitter by using the hashtag #LIANZA11. I look forward to seeing your tweets. Have a great conference!

Joe Walsh
Social Media Manager, Library Connect
j.walsh@elsevier.com

Apps, ROI & eBooks: Sessions at the Charleston Conference 2011

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:41:33 PDT

When it comes to library conferences, readers of the Library Connect Blog know the drill. I review the conference program and then recommend some sessions, workshops and events for attendees. I just finished reviewing the program for the upcoming Charleston Conference 2011, which takes place from November 2-5 in Charleston, South Carolina. My conference highlights are below. In addition, you can follow my conference-related tweets by following Library Connect on Twitter @library_connect. The official conference hashtag is #chsconf11.

Wednesday, November 2

Juried Product Development Forums, 5:30–6:45 PM, Location will be sent in confirmation email (advanced registration required)

The Product Development Forums are focus groups designed for publishers and vendors to gather market input from librarians on the development of a particular product or service, and for librarians to discuss market issues with those publishers and vendors. One of my Elsevier colleagues will be giving a presentation about the Article of the Future-based developments on SciVerse ScienceDirect. If you haven’t done so already, you can read more about the Article of the Future prior to the forum.

Thursday, November 3

Morning Plenary Session, 8:00-9:00 AM, Francis Marion Hotel, Carolina Ballroom

I’m excited to report the winners of the Apps for Library Idea Challenge will be announced at the conference’s opening plenary session. If you haven’t done so yet, it’s not too late to cast your votes for your favorite finalists. Voting ends on October 28. Vote now.

Let’s Get the Dialog Started: Keeping eBooks Current, 12:45-2:00 PM, Embassy Suites, Colonial Ballroom

This panel discussion will focus on the importance of keeping ebooks current and will examine who ultimately is responsible for replacing ones that are deemed obsolete.

For more on ebooks, you can read about how they are being used at the Mona Library of The University of the West Indies in the June issue of the Library Connect Newsletter. Read the article now.

Keeping Up with the Things That Matter: Current Awareness Tools and Strategies for Academic Libraries, 12:45-2:00 PM, Francis Marion Hotel, Colonial Ballroom

During this session, panelists will discuss and review their current awareness strategies for keeping up with the latest developments on the academic, library, user, and technology landscapes. The panelists also will suggest tools, technologies and sources to use, and will explain how personal networks, social media and knowledge curation tools can aid in these efforts.

Applications for Better Research Outcomes: Facilitating Collaboration Between Librarians, Researchers and App Developers to Improve Research Workflows, 3:15-4:00 PM, Courtyard Marriott, Cooper Room

You’ll have to excuse me if I’m a little biased towards this session, but it is being given by my Elsevier colleague Rafael Sidi, who will be joined by Robert H. McDonald, Associate Dean for Library Technologies and Digital Libraries, Indiana University. Rafael and Robert, who both are judges in the Apps for Library Idea Challenge, are going to discuss how librarians, developers and researchers can collaborate to develop applications that leverage scientific content. They also will explain how publishers can offer their content through APIs and how publishers can act as facilitators of the collaboration between librarians, developers and researchers.

Don’t forget, you can help promote free SciVerse mobile apps at your university or institution by downloading the librarian tool kit. Also, if you download the SciVerse mobile apps today, you might win an iPad2. Learn more now.

Friday, November 4

The LibValue Project: Three reports on Values, Outcomes, and Return on Investment of Academic Libraries, 2:15-3:00 PM, Francis Marion Hotel, Carolina Ballroom

The LibValue Project is a three-year, multi-part program which seeks to measure some of the many ways in which the library creates value for academia. With that in mind, this presentation will feature three speakers who currently are working in different areas of library value assessment:

Carol Tenopir, University of Tennessee, will report on the overall progress of the LibValue Project and will present results from readership surveys on participants’ use of scholarly materials, including articles, books, and other materials.

Tina Chrzastowski, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will report on an ebook value study of 129 faculty and graduate students at UIUC, who were asked to rank the value they associated with not only access to Elsevier ebooks in general, but specific ebooks they used for their research and/or teaching.

Rachel A. Fleming-May, University of Tennessee, will present preliminary findings from research conducted at the University of Tennessee to investigate the value the library brings to teaching and learning.

Using Your Library’s Annual Report to Market Library Services, 3:15-4:00 PM, Francis Marion Hotel, Laurens Room

This session will explain why the annual report can be an important element in a library’s marketing program, and how these reports provide another mechanism for the library to share its accomplishments and demonstrate its ROI.

For more on the ROI of academic libraries, you can read these Library Connect publications:

University investment in the library: What's the return? A case study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University Investment in the Library, Phase II: An International Study of the Library's Value to the Grants Process (pdf)

Saturday, November 5

Developing Your Mobile Strategy, 11:15-11:45 AM, Courtyard Marriott, Cooper Room

This presentation will discuss the development approach the University of North Carolina Greensboro University Libraries have undertaken to address a growing demand for a mobile presence from its ever-growing, smartphone-enabled student population.

Just like the University of North Carolina Greensboro University Libraries, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Library also recognized a demand for a mobile presence from its patrons. In the June issue of the Library Connect Newsletter, you can read what the library did to meet its patrons’ expectations. Read “Make it mobile: Reaching users with web pages designed for handheld devices.”

I hope my conference recommendations help, but as it is with any conference, please make sure you monitor the conference program so you are aware of any last-minute session changes (times, locations, etc.). Who knows? You might even find some new sessions have been added. I hope to see you there!

Joe Walsh
Social Media Manager, Library Connect

Librarians, Your Comments, Opinions & Insights Are Needed for the Apps for Library Idea Challenge Finalists

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:08:19 PDT

Those who follow Library Connect on Twitter (@library_connect) and/or our Facebook page most likely have noticed a good amount of tweets and posts about the Apps for Library Idea Challenge over the past few months.

The Challenge was launched to engage the global librarian community in a discussion about real user problems and generate ideas that can help solve them. With this in mind, the premise of the challenge is simple: app ideas created by librarians, for librarians, judged by librarians.

The first part of the Challenge now is complete. Librarians from around the globe submitted 40 app ideas! After reviewing the submissions, our international panel of judges (scroll to bottom of the Challenge website for full listing) had the difficult task of identifying 10 finalists, which are (click on each link below to see full description of each app idea):

· Determining the number of authors per article
· Journal Abbreviation Translator
· Journals/Conferences @ Your Fingertips
· JTOCs 2 Go
· SciVerse Live Chat
· SciVerse Search with Support
· Search Aid
· Visualization of Facets
· Vocabulary Mapping
· Yumetrics or SciMetrics

Now it’s your turn. You can comment on the 10 finalists between today and October 14. To do so, you first need to register on the Challenge website today. All who submit eligible comments will be entered in a random drawing for one of 10 commenter prizes of a €35 (approximately $50 USD) gift card. Plus, your comments will help improve and support the app ideas you think would deliver the most value to you and other librarians around the world.

After commenting, remember to vote for your favorite app idea between October 17 and October 28. The winner of the Challenge will be announced in early November. Register today and begin sharing your comments, opinions and insights.

Apps are just one of many disruptive technologies now available to librarians and their end users. How do you feel about disruptive technologies? Share your thoughts by voting in the latest Library Connect Facebook page poll. Vote now.

Joe Walsh
Social Media Manager, Library Connect
j.walsh@elsevier.com

2011 ALIA National Library & Information Technicians Conference: Getting Back to Basics in the Land Down Under

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:01:54 PDT

The 2011 Australian Library & Information Association (ALIA) National Library & Information Technicians Conference takes place next week at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Perth, Australia. With all the talk, debate and predictions about where the librarian/information professional/library technician role might be headed in the future, it’s interesting to see that the theme of this year’s conference is “Back to Basics,” with emphasis placed on revisiting the professions’ fundamentals and core values.

I won’t be attending the conference, but for those who are, some sessions that caught my eyes when I reviewed the conference program include (all times listed as local Perth time):

Wednesday, September 14 (Day’s theme is “Personal Development”)

11:00-11:30 am, Golden Ballroom Centre
Creating the 21st century library: take the next step –become the networked library technician

12:00-12:30 pm, Golden Ballroom North
Transitioning from Practicing Library Technician to Teacher of Library Practice

Thursday, September 15 (Day’s theme is “The Profession”)

13:45-14:45 pm, Golden Ballroom North
Spreading the emerging technology ‘virus’: how all staff can learn, apply and build community around using interactive tools

14:45-15:15 pm, Golden Ballroom Centre
Is Information Literacy a dead topic for Gen Y Library Students?

15:45-16:45 pm, Golden Ballroom North
Resource Description and Access (RDA) for the non-cataloguer – a workshop

15:45-16:15 pm, Golden Ballroom Centre
Building the profession together: towards holistic library and information science education

16:45-17:15 pm, Golden Ballroom Centre
Library programs from the cradle to the grave (and beyond!): event management and growing your membership

Friday, September 16 (Day’s theme is “The Client”)

11:30 am-12 pm, Golden Ballroom North
What Can Libraries Learn About Customer Service From The Retail Industry?

Note: You can learn how Albertsons Library at Boise State University (US) provides excellent customer service by reading “At Albertsons Library, user-centered is more than a trendy phrase,” in the June 2011 edition of the Library Connect Newsletter. In that same issue, you also can read about the great programs Texas Tech University Libraries (US) have instituted for the benefit of their patrons in “SmartLibrary: Innovations, mobility and personalized services.”

11:30 am-12 pm, Golden Ballroom Centre
Do we give our patrons excellent customer service?

12:30-13:00 pm, Golden Ballroom North
Back to Basics and ...Beyond: Improving client services

12:30-13:00 pm, Golden Ballroom South
Earning Our Stripes: Macquarie University Library's Journey To A New Building

Note: Even if you’re not attending the conference, you still can learn all about the new library at Macquarie University by reading “Macquarie University’s new library fulfills its mission from top to bottom and in between,” in the March 2011 issue of the Library Connect Newsletter.

Getting back to the conference’s theme of “Back to Basics,” I couldn’t help but think that this phrase might mean something different to each person in the profession. Whether you’re in an academic, government, medical, or corporate library environment, what would getting “Back to Basics” mean for your library role? Have you already gotten back to basics? How so? If you have an interesting take on what getting “Back to Basics” means for librarians, information professionals and library technicians, I’m happy to invite you to be a guest blogger here on the Library Connect Blog.

I am also accepting guest blog posts for the new Inventions for the Library series. Check out the first post “Pet Stools, Magic Mirrors & Robotic Scarecrows: My Dream Inventions for the Library,” which was written by Wong Thiam Ming, Head of Learning Resource Centre, SEGi University College, Malaysia. I hope to feature a new invention post every other month, so if you’ve got an idea – practical, outlandish or otherwise – please send me your draft post by Wednesday, September 21.

Feel free to email me at j.walsh@elsevier.com if you are interested in penning (well, more like typing) a guest post for either of these topics, and thanks for continuing to read the Library Connect Blog.

Joe Walsh
Social Media Manager, Library Connect
j.walsh@elsevier.com

Pet Stools, Magic Mirrors & Robotic Scarecrows: My Dream Inventions for the Library

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:46:19 PDT

Library Connect is pleased to introduce a new blog series, Inventions for the Library, our first-ever blog series written exclusively by guest bloggers from around the globe. Our first post comes to us from Wong Thiam Ming, Head of Learning Resource Centre, SEGi University College, Malaysia. The 11,000-square foot Resource Centre is located within the campus grounds in the township of Kota Damansara and serves both undergraduate and graduate students.

Much has been said about library automation. In fact, many libraries have jumped on the bandwagon by adopting many now traditional technologies, including a library system, security gates, rfid setup, self check-out devices and book drop-off facilities. These technologies have become basic expectations for library patrons. Some libraries have gone a step further by having a mechanical book retrieval system whereby all books are stored properly in a special warehouse and books are retrieved or stored by mechanical arms (Read about Macquarie University's automated storage and retrieval system in the March 2011 edition of the Library Connect Newsletter). These contraptions work something like the jukebox in the good old days when records were retrieved from the stack and played on the turntable by a simple push of a button.

What will they think of next? I never thought much about how technology could improve the environment in a library until I received a video clip that got me thinking about a whole new world of possibilities. In this particular video, special stools are made available at the loan counter. As soon as a patron obtains a smart card from the loan counter, a stool closely follows the patron, thus making a seat available at any time. These stools also can be programmed to quickly arrange themselves into an open space to accommodate seating for a briefing or presentation. It’s really quite fascinating.

Another device I think could be useful in a library is the advertisement mirror (watch this YouTube video to see more), which displays a message whenever no one is standing in front of it. It works by having a printed film behind a two-way glass and illumination by LED lighting. When the embedded motion sensors detect someone is in front of the mirror, the advertisement message immediately is reduced and shifted to the corner of the mirror. With this technology, a library could display messages about events, news, announcements, etc.

Above all others, what I would like to see invented is a robot “scarecrow.” My library is not very big, and as a result, students tend to crowd around tables. They tend to get loud and constantly need to be reminded to lower their voices. My dream invention would be a robot that detects loudness. Should it exceed, say 80 decibels, the “scarecrow” would scurry with flashing lights and issue a verbal warning. Wouldn’t that be great?

Pet stools, magic mirrors, robotic scarecrows … a lot to consider, isn’t it? So, what’s your dream invention for the library? Please email me if you would like to submit a post about your invention, be it for an academic, government, corporate or medical library environment. The deadline for the next submission is September 21, 2011.

Joe Walsh
Social Media Manager, Library Connect
j.walsh@elsevier.com

A Look Ahead to the IFLA 2011 World Library and Information Congress

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:36:27 PDT

Since I joined the Library Connect team in May, I’ve blogged, tweeted and posted about numerous conferences, including the most recent SLA, ALA and LIBER conferences (for more, read SLA, ALA, LIBER: No Matter the Acronym, Marketing the Library Matters). Up next is the 77th International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) World Library and Information Congress, which takes place August 13-18 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

This year’s Congress has five subthemes, which are:

Open access and digital resources

Policy, strategy and advocacy

Users driving access and services

Tools and techniques

Ideas, innovations, anticipating the new

With all such industry gatherings, the session offerings are many and varied, with credentialed presenters and panelists throughout. With that in mind, below are just a few sessions I’ve singled out either because they relate to issues that Elsevier as a publisher faces or because the topic reflects an article that recently has appeared in our Library Connect Newsletter. Not a subscriber yet? Subscribe today, it’s free!

Monday, August 15

09:30 - 12:45: Data collection in the service of libraries — Library Theory and Research Section with Statistics and Evaluation

09:45 - 12:45: New Professionals beyond New Professionals - skills, needs and strategies of a new generation of LIS professionals — New Professionals Special Interest Group (if you’re interested in this session, be sure you sign up to receive the Library Connect Newsletter, for free, so you can receive our next issue, which will be themed “Librarian 3.0”)

13:45 - 15:45: Current issues of measuring electronic library services — E-Metrics Special Interest Group (if you’re interested in this session, read about how Kasetsart University Library turned itself into an e-learning center)

16:00 - 18:00: The challenges and changing roles of the Science and Technology Libraries — Science and Technology Libraries Section

16:00 - 18:00: Developing collections in hard financial times: proactive collaboration, balancing e-resources vs. print, low-cost options and alternative resources, fee resources… — Acquisition and Collection Development Section (if you’re interested in this session, read “Leaving the collections behind — Are we ready?” from the March 2011 issue of the Library Connect Newsletter)

Tuesday, August 16

09:30-11:30: e-Government: the role of librarians — Government Information and Official Publications Section with Government Libraries (if you’re interested in this session, read about best practices for government libraries in the June 2011 issue of the Library Connect Newsletter and read Marie Kaddell’s Government Info Pro blog)

09:30 - 12:45: Vision 2020: innovative policies, services and tools — Management and Marketing Section with Academic and Research Libraries

13:45 - 15:45: Libraries beyond libraries; integration, innovation and information for all — Social Science Libraries Section

Wednesday, August 17

09:30-11:30: Access and innovation: delivering information to all — Serials and Other Continuing Resources Section

09:30-12:45: "The media is the message!" The convergence of media in rapidly changing societies from a user perspective as well as the demand for preservation — Audiovisual and Multimedia Section with Preservation and Conservation (if you’re interested in this session, read “Be where your users are: Observations on leaving the buildings behind” from the March 2011 issue of the Library Connect Newsletter)

13:45-15:45: Hot topics in academic and research libraries: conquering the economic downturn - managing transformational change in our libraries — Academic and Research Libraries Section

Thursday, August 18

08:30-10:30: Libraries Driving Access to Knowledge (A2K) — IFLA President's Theme Session

08:30 - 10:30: Sustainability issues in the design of libraries: the importance of creating environmentally responsible library facilities and spaces in the 21st Century — Library Buildings and Equipment Section (if you’re interested in this session, check out the March 2011 issue of the Library Connect Newsletter, which is themed “Leaving the Buildings Behind”)

I won’t be at the conference but my Elsevier colleagues will be at booth #506, where you can play the SciVerse Challenge and win a $25 gift card. You also can learn more about the Libraries Outreach Initiatives program during a 20-minute presentation at the booth on Monday, August 15, beginning at 11:50 am. Information about the Elsevier Foundation and its Innovative Libraries in Developing Countries Program also will be available at the booth.

As I already mentioned, I won’t be at the conference but I will be monitoring all the IFLA news and happenings by following the #wlic2011 hash tag on Twitter. You can get your conference updates by following me @library_connect and by liking the Library Connect Facebook page today.

Joe Walsh
Social Media Manager, Library Connect
j.walsh@elsevier.com

Getting a Voice at the Table: How SciVerse Scopus Can Help

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:23:07 PDT

Shameless promotion warning: SciVerse Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature and web sources with smart tools to track, analyze and visualize research. So now that I have my shameless plug out of the way, I’d like to share a real world example of how Scopus makes compiling and writing important research university publication reports that much easier.

In the latest Library Connect Newsletter, Mazni Md Yusof (pictured), Senior Librarian, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), writes about how her university uses Scopus to provide university administration with publications reports and data, which allows the library to position itself as a vital resource. In “Research university publication repo rts: SciVerse Scopus makes it easier,” Mazni writes doing so “can ensure the library has a voice at the table, and a case for the budget to carry out its activities.”

UKM was awarded Research University status by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education in 2006. This recognition not only came with additional funding for research activities, but a requirement that its researchers publish more articles in top tier journals. Realizing it needed to monitor the number of publications and citations by university authors, UKM turned to Scopus to create reports on publication performance, research group performance and individual researcher performance for university management.

Since UKM affiliations are grouped into three main areas (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Faculty of Medicine Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia), the university uses Scopus’ Affiliation Search, which identifies publications published under different affiliations. Affiliation Search also helps produce reports that benchmark UKM publications with other universities within Malaysia, Asia or other parts of the world.

UKM also is using Scopus’ Author Search with Affiliation feature, which reduces hits and increases accuracy when searching for individual researchers. The Advance Search feature, meanwhile, is being used to produce reports on the university's niche areas and research group performance.

Despite Scopus’ capabilities, Mazni warns producing reliable publication reports still is a tedious and time-consuming process. In the end, however, the efforts and time are worth it. As Mazni explains, “the ability to provide comprehensive and information-rich reports helps to demonstrate the value of library services to the university's top management.”

Learn more about ways you can use SciVerse Scopus by attending an upcoming TrainingDesk SciVerse Scopus Demonstration webinar. Two 45-minute sessions are scheduled for next week: Tuesday, July 19, at 12:00 PM EDT; and Thursday, July 21, at 2:00 PM EDT. Register for either session today.

Joe Walsh
Social Media Manager, Library Connect
j.walsh@elsevier.com

SLA, ALA, LIBER: No Matter the Acronym, Marketing the Library Matters

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 11:48:46 PDT

I joined the Library Connect team as its social media manager in late May. As soon as I joined, it was time to get ready for the Special Libraries Association (SLA) 2011 Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA. Then I was off to New Orleans, LA, to attend the American Library Association (ALA) 2011 Annual Conference. Quick travel tip: If you haven’t been to New Orleans yet, make sure you get there. Great city, great restaurants, great food; need I say more? Anyways, I returned from ALA just as some of my Elsevier colleagues were preparing for the LIBER 2011 Conference in Barcelona, Spain. While SLA, ALA and LIBER offered their own unique sessions, speakers and panels (not to mention great social events), one overriding theme present at all three conferences was the importance of marketing the value of, and the services provided, by the library.

Let’s face it, like any business or service, libraries, whether they are academic, government, medical or corporate, need to market themselves, their services and their people to their customers and stakeholders. With this in mind, the latest edition of the Library Connect Newsletter appropriately is themed “Marketing the Library.”

The issue’s introductory article gets right to the gist of why you need to market the library. In “If they don’t know what you’re doing, then tell them!” Zuzana Helinsky, a library consultant with zh Consulting (Lund, Sweden), not only lays out why you need to market the library, but how to deal with Dogs, Stars, Milk Cows and Problem Children when writing and implementing your marketing strategy.

The Texas Tech University Libraries certainly seem to know how to deal with Dogs, Stars, Milk Cows and Problem Children. The libraries have embraced innovations, mobility and personalized services (IMPS), and make sure its marketing department uses awareness campaigns to tell users about library services in innovative and creative ways. Read all about it in “SmartLibrary: Innovations, mobility and personalized services.”

While the Texas Tech Libraries embrace IMPS, Albertsons Library at Boise State University is utilizing a user-centered approach when making decisions. The library’s staff focuses its collective energy on what the users want and need. How do they know? They ask them. The feedback and ensuing changes have led to happy customers and a suite of new library services, including e-books, a campus delivery service, use of QR (quick response) codes and a mobile website. Find out more in “At Albertsons Library, user-centered is more than a trendy phrase.”

E-books also are important at Mona Library at the University of the West Indies. Initially, the university's e-books were underutilized and largely unknown. With that, the library planned and implemented an aggressive public awareness campaign, which included writing articles for the library's newsletter, broadcasting short messages via Campus Pipeline (the UWI intranet service) and targeting key individuals, such as faculty deans and department heads, and sending them informational letters. As a result of the library’s marketing efforts, e-book usage increased significantly, the number of titles in the collection increased, and best of all, faculty members now are involved in the collection development process by recommending textbook or course material purchases and subscriptions. For more, read “E-book use at the Mona Library of The University of the West Indies: Marketing made a difference.”

As each of these examples show, if they don’t know what you’re doing, you need to tell them. And when you’re done, make sure you read the latest edition of the Library Connect Newsletter to learn more tips and tactics for “Marketing the Library.” If your university has undertaken a general marketing program or one that supports a specific service or program, I’d love to hear about it. Email me at the address below and be sure to follow me on Twitter @library_connect. Don’t forget, you also can like the Library Connect Facebook page.

Joe Walsh
Social Media Manager, Library Connect
j.walsh@elsevier.com

It’s Easy to See Why You Should Attend these ALA 2011 Sessions in the Big Easy

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:14:15 PDT

There’s no rest for the weary...or librarians. As fast as SLA 2011 came and went, ALA 2011 is right around the corner. As you may recall, I gave my thoughts about the apps-olutely can’t miss SLA 2011 sessions. Those sessions mainly focused on apps, social media and collaboration. I just finished reviewing the ALA 2011 session guide, and am happy to report similar sessions will be offered in New Orleans. If you can’t make these sessions, or the conference itself, you can read my thoughts throughout the conference by following me on Twitter @library_connect and the hash tag #ala11.

If you are attending the conference and just want to say “hi,” discuss social media and any other issues impacting librarians, you might find me at Elsevier booth #1840, where you also can watch the SciVerse Scopus User Group Panel on Saturday, June 25, from 10:30-11:10 am. The panel will include:

Mary Ann Jones, MLIS, Assistant Professor, Coordinator/Electronic Resources Librarian, Mississippi State University Libraries

John Teskey, Director of Libraries, University of New Brunswick

Liz Lorbeer, Associate Director of Health Sciences, Lister Hill Library of Health Sciences, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

You also can learn more about the Apps for Library Idea Challenge at the booth. Now that I’ve gotten my shameless plugs out of the way, here are the ALA sessions I recommend you attend.

Libraries of the Future: Designing from the User Perspective, 6/25, Convention Center Room 243, 8:00-10:00 am. In “Libraries of the Future” the user needs are the key design element. During this session, important aspects to designing a “library of the future” will be discussed, including an analysis of new trends in designing libraries and the importance of nonverbal principles of behavior and their impact upon libraries.

To learn more about “libraries of the future,” read the March 2011 issue of the Library Connect Newsletter, which is themed “Leaving the Buildings Behind.” Articles of interest include “Leaving the collections behind — Are we ready?,” “The Welch Medical Library of 2012 — Wherever you are” and “Macquarie University’s new library fulfills its mission from top to bottom and in between.”

EBooks - Has Their Time Come?, 6/25, Convention Center Room 339, 8:00-10:00 am. I don’t know about you, but I see lots of tweets and posts debating the relevance of books each and every day. This session will address the differences in Kindles, Nooks, iPads, iPods, and online services. It also will cover methods of check-out, security, loss, access to materials, cost, and financial implications. Not sold on ebooks? You can read how the Mona Library of The University of the West Indies embraced the virtual library concept and ebooks in the latest edition of the Library Connect Newsletter.

Marketing Libraries to Diverse Communities, 6/25, Convention Center Room 342, 8:00- 10:00 am. The June 2011 issue of the Library Connect Newsletter covers ebooks, but the issue’s theme is “Marketing the Library.” In fact, the title of the newsletter’s intro article says it all, “If they don’t know what you’re doing, then tell them!” That’s a perfect transition to this session, which will discuss how language, cultural differences and different perceptions of the role of the library all present a challenge for libraries trying to connect with diverse communities.

Seriously Social: Leveraging Social Media, 6/25, Convention Center Room 383-385, 10:30-12:00 pm. I’m a social media guy, so of course I’m going to recommend you attend this session. For those who have yet to dive into the social media waters, this session will explore the fundamentals of social media. Live demonstrations of Twitter and Facebook will be included.

The Discovery Payoff: Are discovery services increasing ROI and the library's prominence in academic institutions, 6/25, Convention Center Room 338, 10:30-12:00 pm. A panel will review how web-scale discovery is being applied by academic libraries and examine evidence of its impact. Speakers will offer advice on how web-scale discovery can best be leveraged to help libraries increase their return on content investments and strengthen their library brand.

Lost in Translation: the Emerging Technology Librarian and the New Technology, 6/26, Convention Center Room 274, 8:00-10:00 am. Implementing technology can be an exciting, but difficult endeavor. With that in mind, emerging technology librarians will present common miscommunications between those who implement the technology and those who actually use it. If you’re on Twitter, I suggest you follow the session speakers: Bohyun Kim, Florida International University, @bohyunkim, and Jacquelyn Erdman, Knowledge Exchange Coordinator at the U.S. Green Building Council, @KnowldgXchange.

Return on Investment in a Tough Economy -- Defining the Value of the Academic Library, 6/26, Convention Center Room 393-394, 1:30-3:30 pm. This session will highlight two projects that help academic libraries apply return on investment principles to demonstrate their value and impact on users and justify their expense during challenging economic times. For more on this important topic, read these Library Connect whitepapers: University Investment in the Library, Phase II: An International Study of the Library's Value to the Grants Process and University investment in the library: What’s the return?

The Business of Social Media: How to Plunder the Treasure Trove, 6/27, Convention Center Room 244, 8:00 am-12:00 pm. This social media session will focus on how businesses are using social networking applications and how librarians can better position their services and collections to assist business users with the medium.

That covers the day, but what about the night? After a full day of sessions on Friday, June 24, don’t forget about the ALA Dance Party. It starts at 10 pm at Oz New Orleans, 800 Bourbon St. I might be there, but I promise, I won’t subject you to my less than stellar dancing skills. I’m a tweeter…not a dancer.

Joe Walsh, Social Media Manager, Library Connect

Apps-olutely Must Attend SLA 2011 Sessions

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:54:21 PDT

I just finished reviewing the SLA 2011 Conference Guide. As an SLA newbie, I was thrilled to see how many sessions cover social media, apps, web 2.0/3.0 technologies and collaboration. If you’re attending the conference, which takes place June 12-15 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA, and share my interests, some sessions I recommend attending are below (in full disclosure, some sessions will feature Elsevier employees). If you cannot attend SLA, you can follow the conference by monitoring the Twitter hash tag #sla2011.

60 Sites in 60 Minutes Gets Collaborative!, 6/13, Convention Center Room 109B, 8:00-9:30 am EST. If you’re of fan of collaboration, be sure to check out this SLA Legal Division presentation, which will highlight 60 websites that foster collaborative efforts.

Facilitating Collaboration: Applications Enhancing Scientific Research, 6/13, 11:30 am-12:30 pm, INFO-EXPO Booth #1535. This session will cover how librarians and researchers can innovate, create and discover applications that leverage the content they use. The session will include a panel discussion with librarians, who will discuss how they deal with information overload and how apps can help. The session will be led by Rafael Sidi, Vice President, Application Marketplace & Developer Network, Elsevier, who also may discuss the Apps for Library Idea Challenge.

The Apps for Library Idea Challenge is the chance for librarians and information specialists to submit their original ideas for new applications for use on the Elsevier SciVerse platform. The entries should solve real problems and address needs for librarians and/or the SciVerse users they support. The entries will be critiqued by a panel of judges and voted on by the librarian community. Ten finalists will compete for two grand prizes ($1000 USD) while everyone who submits an eligible app idea or comment will be entered into a drawing for a contributor prize and ten commenter prizes, respectively.

You can learn more by visiting the Apps for Library Idea Challenge website, stopping by Elsevier booth #521 at SLA, or feel free to email me or message me on Twitter @library_connect. You also can learn more about the Challenge in the upcoming June issue of the Library Connect Newsletter.

Collaboration Tools and Practices Enabling Knowledge Sharing, 6/13, Convention Center Room 105B, 2:00-3:30 pm EST. A panel of practitioners will discuss which collaboration tools they use and debate the collaboration technology landscape.

Managing Your Library’s Online Presence, 6/14, Convention Center Room 104A, 10:00-11:30 am EST. This session will discuss what goes into building, maintaining and running a library’s online strategy, which no longer just includes a website. Social media and mobile technologies also will be discussed. Which mobile technologies should libraries and librarians embrace? Tell us today by joining our Facebook discussion.

Using Social Media in the Workplace, 6/14, Convention Center Room 203B, 10:00-11:30 am EST. This SLA “Need to Know Session” will examine how corporate and government libraries are using social media to reach out to their customers, showcase their value and embed themselves inside their organizations. By the way, the June issue of the Library Connect Newsletter will feature the article “Best practices for government libraries.”

Building Targeted Social Communities, 6/14, Convention Center Room 112B, 10:00-11:30 am EST. A panel will discuss how to build targeted professional, online communities, and how to foster an atmosphere of participation and interactivity.

60 Apps in 60 Minutes, 6/14, Convention Center Room 203A, 12:00-1:30 pm EST. Joe Murphy, Science Librarian, Coordinator of Instruction and Technology, Kline Science Library, Yale University, who was featured in the Library Connect Newsletter article, “Mobile Technologies: Issues for Libraries,” will be one of the panelists reviewing and discussing the latest and greatest mobile apps librarians can use on the iPad, iPhone and Android. You can follow Joe on Twitter @libraryfuture.

The Science of Ice Cream, 6/14, Convention Center Room 203B, 2:00-3:30 pm EST. Ok, so this session doesn’t cover apps or social media, but come on, it’s the science of ice cream. Need I say more? Speaking of ice cream, it’s not too late to register for Elsevier’s SLA dessert reception, which will take place on Monday, June 13, at 7:00 pm EST at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. You must register to attend the reception.

So there are my SLA recommendations. What do you think? What are your can’t miss sessions? Join our Facebook discussion and share your thoughts today.

Joe Walsh
Social Media Manager, Library Connect
j.walsh@elsevier.com

Everything’s coming up applications

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 11:31:59 PST

If that’s the case, then what’s a librarian to do? You could start with a webinar like the one being offered this Friday on Applications for Science. Or you could check out Michelle Lee’s article “Increasing the value of content through ‘crowdsourced’ innovation” in the latest issue of the Library Connect Newsletter.

It seems to me like applications = opportunities. That is opportunities for librarians, researchers and developers to connect and collaborate, share and solve problems.

When it comes to developing, promoting and using applications, do you have any success stories or next steps to share? Post your comments here.

The Changing Face of Content

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:52:21 PST

The latest issue of the Library Connect Newsletter is now available in pdf online. The newsletter provides librarians with insightful articles on "The Changing Face of Content" from new paths to search and discovery via applications to the reimagining of journal articles with the Article of the Future project.

Conrad Wolfram discusses the technology behind the Wolfram Demonstrations Project™ and Wolfram|Alpha, and the librarian's role in this new world, informing the systems that are built. Anita de Waard, Elsevier's director of disruptive technology, gives her perspective on the integration of technology and language, and changing the rules of the game.

We'll journey to sub-Saharan Africa to learn about efforts there to establish information networks and to train people in using resources as a means of bridging the digital divide. We'll also meet Wayne Shebilske of Wright State University's Learning with Disability PhD program, which addresses accessibility for people with physical and learning disabilities.

I hope you enjoy this exploration of the changing face of content and the tools available to access the knowledge within this new information ecosystem. I also invite you to subscribe to this free newsletter and enjoy future issues, which will highlight librarians leaving the buildings behind and marketing the library and its services.

Colleen DeLory
Editor, Library Connect Newsletter
c.delory@elsevier.com

Research4Life: Access to information can be a question of life or death

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 12:41:01 PDT

In his blog, Microsoft's Frank McCosker has written about this month's Research4Life partners meeting at the United Nations in New York. If you scroll to the end, you'll find links to videos on some amazing research and development efforts that have touched people's lives, including the improved and expanded medical library at the Bach Mai Hospital in Vietnam. Dr. Do Doan Loi says, "Quick access to medical information is very important because it's a question of the life or death of our patients."

Like Microsoft, Elsevier is a partner in Research4Life. This public-private partnership provides developing countries with free or low-cost access to academic and professional peer-reviewed content online. Elsevier's contribution (see the LC pamphlet on Information Philanthropy), like that of the other participating STM publishers, is to make scholarly literature in health, agriculture, and the environment available to researchers via institutions located in the some of the most resource-challenged countries in the world.

CLOCKSS seeks Executive Director

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:14:35 PDT

Many LC blog readers may be aware of CLOCKSS, a not-for-profit joint venture between scholarly publishers (like Elsevier) and research libraries, dedicated to the preservation of digital content. We’re big believers in digital preservation here at LC, so we'd like to pass along a job opportunity with CLOCKSS, which is looking for an Executive Director (based in Palo Alto, California).

***
CLOCKSS Executive Director Position
The CLOCKSS archive is searching for an Executive Director. CLOCKSS is a global nonprofit, community-governed archive that preserves digital scholarly materials for the very long term through a geo-physical and geo-political distributed network of archive nodes. The Executive Director runs the organization and reports to a board made up of major scholarly publishers and university libraries from around the world. The Executive Director will grow the organization as a major global scholarly archive and a valuable collaborative community of scholarly publishers and academic libraries. This is a wonderful opportunity for an energetic leader who wants to make a visible impact in the scholarly community.

See http://www.clockss.org/clockss/ExecutiveDirector for a job description and application instructions.
***

Good luck to any of you who apply for the position, and be sure to let the CLOCKSS board know that Library Connect referred you!

Cultivating Women Scientists in the Next Generation: A Webinar

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 12:39:37 PDT

On Sept. 21, the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) and Elsevier Foundation will present a webinar on Cultivating Women Scientists in the Next Generation.

Though the proportion of women in the Science, Technology and Medical (STM) fields has grown steadily, women still hold no more than 15% of the full professorships in both the US and Europe--and the participation of women scholars as authors and on editorial boards reflects a similar imbalance. Presenters will discuss the origins of this across-the-board gender gap and various inititiatives to address it, such as the Elsevier Foundation’s New Scholars program.

Topics will include the greatest obstacle to career development for dual career couples, the role can editors play to close the gender gap, and how journals can support the careers of women in research and academia.

Presenters: David Ruth, Executive Director of the Elsevier Foundation; Janet Bandows Koster, Executive Director of the AWIS; and Donna Dean, past president of AWIS and senior scientific advisor and advocate for underrepresented groups in science and engineering.

Date: Tuesday, Sept. 21
Time:
10:00-10:45 a.m. (EST)
16:00-16:45 (CET)
15:00-15:45 (GMT)

REGISTER

The Future of Search and Discovery: A Webinar

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:48:38 PDT

We'd like to invite our Library Connect blog readers to register for: The Future of Search and Discovery: Empowering Researchers to Accelerate Science.

A one-size-fits-all approach to scientific search and discovery is no longer enough. Data continues to multiply rapidly and science is increasingly multidisciplinary and collaborative. Web-based trends towards open data and open platforms are empowering researchers and transforming the search process.

The webinar will cover:

current search and discovery limitations
open data and open platforms and their potential for enhancing the research process
findings of a recent survey of global researchers addressing search technology trends and application development
implications of the changing landscape and the need to rethink current roles.

Presenters: Judson Dunham, Senior Product Manager, Science and Technology, Elsevier, is an expert on improving the search and discovery process. His work includes “Partnerships Enhance Scientific Discovery” published in Research Information. Cameron Neylon, Senior Scientist, Science and Technologies Facilities Council, is a leading advocate of the open data movement. He writes and speaks regularly on the interface of web technology with science and the application of generic and specially designed tools.

Audience: Library leaders involved in infrastructure and content delivery planning, as well as librarians interested in the changing landscape of search and discovery.

Date: Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010
Time:
10:00-11:00 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
14:00-15:00 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
15:00-16:00 British Summer Time (BST)

REGISTER

All roads lead to Fisciano: NJIT prof Anthony Rosato receives Fulbright Senior Research Award

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:07:00 PDT

Anthony Rosato, PhD, who organizes the annual "Elsevier Distinguished Lectures in Mechanics" hosted by the Granular Science Laboratory (GSL) at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, has received a Fulbright Senior Research Award.

The Fulbright award will allow Dr. Rosato to study at the University of Salerno, in Fisciano, Italy, where he'll focus on the dynamic behavior of systems composed of particles. Dr. Rosato will start the four-month program in Italy next May.

The next lecture in the "Elsevier Distinguished Lectures in Mechanics" series will take place in April 2011. Elsevier provides funding to help support the lecture series.

Are you interested in how librarians are helping support researchers at NJIT? Read NJIT University Librarian Richard Sweeney's article "Tracking Researchers' Output, Identifying Their Collaborators and Competitors, and Identifying Important Publications," published in the 2006 Library Connect practical assistance pamphlet #9, "Using Scopus for Bibliometric Analysis: A Practical Guide." In this article, Richard talks about how he and NJIT colleagues use Scopus to help researchers stay at the top of their game. Given its publication date, the pamphlet may seem dated, but it still offers a great behind-the-scenes, in-depth view of how librarians and researchers worldwide are using Scopus on the ground.

See all Library Connect pamphlets to date: www.elsevier.com/libraryconnect.

Learn more about Dr. Anthony D. Rosato, PhD, a professor in the NJIT department of mechanical and industrial engineering: http://www.njit.edu/news/experts/rosato.php.

Supporting an international community? Get practical assistance here

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:02:36 PDT

When it comes to working with and supporting an international community, we're all always learning and improving our game.

The Library Connect Newsletter, 8:2 (May 2010), addressing the theme "International & Interdisciplinary," features the following articles discussing challenges that may crop up while working with international communities and offering insights regarding solutions:

"A possible challenge for international collaboration? Facial expressions may get lost in translation" by Scottish researcher Rachael E. Jack; and
"At our university in China, the library takes a leading role in enriching students’ international learning experience" by University of Nottingham Ningbo librarian Lin Zongyong.

And, here are additional resources offering tips and info to help librarians serving international communities:

In the Library Connect Newsletter, 5:3 (August 2007), Tom Noonan's "Ask UCD" column answers the question, "How can I make our library website more usable for international users?"
In the Library Connect Newsletter, 4:3 (August 2006), info pros Aysen Kuyuk, Layali Khazaal, Sabina Aneva, Irina Kuznetsova and Telma de Carvalho answer the question, "How does your library help users with limited English proficiency access STM information, much of which is in English?"
In the Library Connect Newsletter, 5:2, (April 2007), Arjan Huisman's "Customer Service Focus" column points librarians and users to support Elsevier offers in different languages.

Planning your fall 2010 MLIS classes? Wowzie! Getta load of all these free resources

libraryconnect@elsevier.com (Elsevier Library Connect) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:40:20 PDT

Whether you're a faculty member or student, if you're gearing up for library and information science classes starting soon, you'll want to take a gander at all the freely available resources offered by Elsevier.

As you can see on the freshly updated Elsevier.com Library Connect LIS Outreach Program page, freely available resources dovetail well with topics covered by many MLIS curricula.

Find on the Library Connect LIS Outreach Program page links to publications addressing these information-industry topics:

Collection Development
Electronic Resources
Information Philanthropy
Library Marketing
Medical Librarianship
Return on Investment (ROI)/Information Valuation
Scholarly Publishing
Supporting International & Interdisciplinary Research
Usability
Writing for Library Audiences

The freely available articles, Library Connect Newsletter issues, practical assistance pamphlets and white papers can be used as handouts or shared electronically with your students or your study groups. (In case you're looking for a friendly URL for the LIS Outreach Program page, here t'is: www.elsevier.com/librarians/LISoutreachprogram)

And, you might also want to take a look at the following additional freely available resources, as you're lining up best practices, tips and guidelines to help new librarians:

Presentations delivered at Elsevier's annual Digital Libraries Symposium
Presentations delivered at Connect events around the world
Connect podcasts featuring industry experts and librarians talking about hot topics

Happy browsing!

(And a big shout out to all the kind librarians and LIS grad students around the world who've contributed so much content to the Library Connect publications and the Connect presentations and podcasts. You're our heroes.)