ACRL is offering two professional development workshops focusing on mobile technology and libraries in conjunction with the 2010 ALA Midwinter Meeting held Jan.15-20, 2010 in Boston. Complete workshop details including registration materials are available online.  December 4 is the advance registration deadline.

Anytime, Anywhere, Any Device: Developing a Mobile Website for Your Library
(Friday, Jan. 15, 1:00 – 4:30 p.m)
Get an overview of the current state of mobile technologies both within and outside of libraries, and learn how to launch a mobile library Web site. Participants will develop a project plan to take back to their own library, as well as tips on getting buy-in from administration and staff and marketing the site to patrons.
Presenters: Courtney Greene, instruction and online learning librarian, DePaul University; Missy Roser, reference and instruction librarian, DePaul University; Beth Ruane, outreach and reference services librarian, DePaul University

Text Messaging, Twitter, and Libraries
(Friday, Jan. 15, 1:00 – 4:30 p.m.)
Text messaging (also known as SMS) is one of the most popular mobile methods for communication, and our 21st-century patrons expect information on the go by SMS. Learn how libraries are leveraging SMS, its various roles in scholarly communication and its value for libraries.  The workshop will also examine various uses of Twitter, the increasingly popular microblog. Learn about basic and advanced applications of microblogs for extending and enhancing academic library services and collections.
Presenter: Joe Murphy, science librarian, coordinator of instruction and technology, Yale University

Direct questions to Margot Conahan at mconahan@ala.org or (312) 280-2522.

Join us for the next free ACRL OnPoint chat:

December 2, 2009:  Job Seeking in a Tough Economy
(11 a.m Pacific | 12:00 p.m. Mountain | 1:00 p.m. Central | 2:00 p.m. Eastern)
Aspiring academic librarians may find job seeking difficult in today’s economy, given budget cuts and hiring freezes at many colleges and universities. Join this month’s chat whether you’re a new librarian looking for tips or an experienced one with advice to share. Discuss how to stay current while “waiting” for your first academic librarian job. Is teaching as adjunct faculty in a subject area an appropriate “path” to academic librarianship? Would it be better to work as any kind of librarian, such as in a public library? What will make your resume shine in the hands of a search committee? This month’s chat is convened by: Mara M.J. Egherman, graduate student in Iowa’s SLIS school; Karin Durán, Eric P. Garcia, and Mara L. Houdyshell, reference and instruction librarians at California State University-Northridge and authors of “From the inside out and the outside in: The academic library interview process in a tight economy“, C&RL News, April 2009, Vol. 70, No. 4.

ACRL OnPoint is a live series of informal monthly chat sessions that provide the opportunity to connect with colleagues and experts to discuss an issue of the day in academic and research librarianship.  All ACRL OnPoint chats are free and open to the public. Sessions are unmoderated, 30-45 minutes in length and take place in a Meebo chat room.

Meebo chat rooms have a limit of 80 total participants.  Due to this restriction, ACRL OnPoint discussions will be delivered on a first-come-first-served basis.  While no registration is necessary to participate, ACRL recommends creating a quick and easy Meebo account for the best experience while participating in ACRL OnPoint discussions/events. Find the link to chat and full details online.

College and Research Libraries

November 2009, Vol. 70, No. 6

Table of Contents

Abstracts

Editorial (PDF)

Full-text Articles

The full-text of these articles are available to current ACRL members only. You will need your password to access them.

The 3 Directions: Situated Information Literacy
James T. Nichols
PDF version

Leadership and Emotional Intelligence: A Study of University Library Directors and Their Senior Management Teams
Patricia A. Kreitz
PDF version

Assessing the Potential for a National Print Repository: Results of an Australian Overlap Study
Paul Genoni and Eva Varga
PDF version

Leveraging Measurement System Analysis (MSA) to Improve Library Assessment: The Attribute Gage R&R
Sarah Anne Murphy, Sherry Engle Moeller, Jessica R. Page, Judith Cerqua, and Mark Boarman
PDF version

A Case Study in Collaboration: Assessing Academic Librarian/Faculty Partnerships
Deborah B. Gaspar and Karen A. Wetzel
PDF version

Book Reviews

• Academic Library Research: Perspectives and Current Trends. Eds. Marie L. Radford and Pamela Snelson.
• Mark Bauerlein. The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30)
• Jack Simpson. Basics of Genealogy Reference: A Librarian’s Guide
• J. Greg Matthews. Literary Research and Irish Literature: Strategies and Sources
• Information Technology in Librarianship: New Critical Approaches. Eds. Gloria J. Leckie and John E. Bushman
• The 2009 Annual Register: World Events. Ed. D.S. Lewis

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World Scientific Publishers

Article Title:    A Longitudinal Assessment of Graduate Student Research Behavior and the Impact of Attending a Library Literature Review Workshop
Author:    Hannah Gascho Rempel
Accepted:    November 15, 2009
Anticipated Publication Date:    November 2010

Three new sponsors have thrown their support behind the 2009 Sparky Awards, joining ACRL and others who believe in reinforcing the importance of new media and student voices in the global discussion on access to research. The three groups — the New Media Consortium, the Center for Social Media, and the Open Video Alliance — add new momentum to the contest in its final weeks. Students have until December 6, 2009 to submit their entries.

The third annual Sparky Awards invite students to submit videos of two minutes or less that creatively portray the benefits of the open, legal exchange of information. The contest is well suited for adoption as a class assignment as well as an opportunity to promote library services – including media services or information commons, where students can edit video, browse media, work collaboratively, and learn about copyright and balancing features such as fair use. For details on the contest, visit the Sparky Awards Web site.

Today the Library Copyright Alliance (LCA), composed of the American Library Association, the Association of College and Research Libraries and the Association of Research Libraries, filed comments on behalf of LCA, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) to the Copyright Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) regarding the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) draft proposal to facilitate access to copyrighted works for persons who are blind or have visual impairments and other reading disabilities in response to the Federal Register Notice of October 13, 2009.

The comments address possible solutions to enhance accessibility to information for the blind or other persons with disabilities, and also include an analysis of a new treaty proposal currently under consideration by WIPO and its effect on U.S. copyright law. LCA believes blind or persons with other disabilities should be afforded the same access to copyrighted materials as sighted persons.  Accordingly, LCA believes that the United States should work for the adoption of a treaty at the WIPO that facilitates such access.  We also recommend that legal solutions must be combined with practical solutions to improve and expand access for the blind and persons with other disabilities.

The Library Copyright Alliance (LCA), of which ACRL is a member, announces a new series of issue briefs on current topics relating to international copyright and libraries. Written by Janice Pilch, Association of Research Libraries visiting program officer on international copyright and LCA international copyright advocate, the five issue briefs address key international legal and policy issues affecting libraries and the public. The papers outline strategic areas in which LCA is working to voice the concerns of the library community in the international arena, to promote copyright laws that provide the broadest possible use of information for creativity, research and education, and to advance fair and equitable access to information.

“International Copyright: Why It Matters to Libraries” (PDF) provides an overview of the major areas under discussion presently at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and the positions of the library community.

“Traditional Cultural Expression” (PDF) outlines issues surrounding copyright and other legal protection of traditional cultural expressions (TCEs) in international and national legal systems, and the concerns of indigenous peoples in protecting their creative heritage. This issue is particularly relevant in the context of ALA efforts to adopt a statement of principles to guide libraries in collecting, making available, and preserving works of TCE. A draft statement of principles, entitled Librarianship and Traditional Cultural Expressions: Nurturing Understanding and Respect (PDF), is available for comment on ALA’s website.

“The WIPO Development Agenda” (PDF) highlights efforts to advance the interests and needs of developing and least developed countries in achieving access to information and balanced copyright laws through the WIPO Development Agenda, a set of 45 recommendations adopted on September 28, 2007 by the WIPO General Assembly.

“Treaty for Improved Access for Blind, Visually Impaired and Other Reading Disabled Persons” (PDF) discusses the newly proposed WIPO treaty that aims to provide a minimum standard for copyright laws internationally to ensure full and equal access to information for blind and other reading disabled persons. LCA recently filed comments (PDF) to the U.S. Copyright Office regarding the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) draft proposal to facilitate access to copyrighted works for persons who are blind or have visual impairments and other reading disabilities in response to the Federal Register Notice of October 13, 2009.

“The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement” (PDF) discusses library concerns surrounding the controversial international agreement being negotiated to establish a stronger framework for global enforcement of intellectual property rights, with a scope covering counterfeit trademarked goods and infringing copyrighted works.

The Library Copyright Alliance is composed of the American Library Association (ALA), the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). In its capacity as a non-governmental organization, LCA represents the interests of U.S. libraries and the public on these issues at the WIPO  Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR), WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP), and WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC), and in other international fora.

ALA is working to establish a set of principles addressing the management and protection of traditional cultural expressions and is seeking broad input on the document Librarianship and Traditional Cultural Expressions: Nurturing Understanding and Respect. Traditional cultural expressions (TCEs) have an impact on library services such as digital preservation, collection access and the development of relationships with local communities seeking library stewardship of their cultural heritages. TCEs, also known as folklore, may include verbal expressions or symbols (stories, epics, legends, tales, poetry, etc.), musical expressions (songs, instrumental music), expressions by action (dances, plays, ceremonies, rituals, and other performances), tangible and intangible expressions of thought (paintings, sculptures, pottery, woodwork, textiles, musical instruments, and architectural forms). TCEs are most likely held by archives, museums, libraries with special collections, or with libraries that collect Native American materials. We would like feedback on the draft document at http://wo.ala.org/tce/ as soon as possible in order to complete the draft process prior to ALA Midwinter Conference in Boston (2010).

The international community has been involved in discussions regarding human rights and legal protection of traditional cultural expressions. In 2000, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)(1) established an intergovernmental committee to address protection of traditional cultural expressions (TCEs). WIPO is now at a turning point in determining if traditional cultural expression and other traditional knowledge should be protected by international copyright treaties.(2)  If these discussions lead to treaty proposals, ALA, as a non-governmental organization,(3) will provide feedback to the WIPO Assembly that reflects the viewpoint of America’s libraries.  However, ALA lacks a policy position on the protection and management of TCEs. It is critical for ALA to comment because international treaties established by WIPO must be implemented in the WIPO member nations, including the United States. Treaty implementation could potentially affect U.S. copyright law. As a result, ALA should be prepared with a position on the management and protection of TCEs in the hope of influencing information policy-making in the best interests of libraries and the public, including traditional cultures.

ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) started exploring a position and drafting a principles document after convening a conference where librarians, indigenous people, archivists, folklorists, and academics came together to discuss these ideas and address potential issues for the library community. After several rounds and revisions, we need your help!  Your feedback and input are essential for this document to accurately reflect the perspectives of the library community. Please review the draft principles at the OITP project web site, http://wo.ala.org/tce/.  Timely feedback and approval will help to ensure ALA Council’s official endorsement at ALA Midwinter Conference 2010 in Boston. Submit feedback or questions on the web site’s comment form or contact Carrie Russell.

—————
Notes:

(1) The World Intellectual Property Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international intellectual property systems.
(2) For more information see: the Library Copyright Alliance “Issue Brief on Traditional Cultural Expression” prepared by Janice T. Pilch.
(3) The American Library Association has non-governmental status as a member of the Library Copyright Alliance, whose other members include the Association of Research Libraries and the Association of College and Research Libraries.

ACRL is pleased to announce a new book by Dr. John Budd.  In Framing Library Instruction, Budd addresses the philosophical and practical implications of cognition and information and the practice of library instruction in the light of those implications.

Undergraduate students are faced with innumerable challenges as they enter a world with new and different academic demands. Their success, to a large extent, depends on their being able to navigate and interpret the informational maze. Budd presents a complete examination of the cognitive aspects of students’ perceptions and uses of information, including examples that can be adapted for courses or class sessions. This volume will stimulate conversations about the directions instruction can take in the future.

Framing Library Instruction is #61 in the Publication in Librarianship series and Dr. Budd’s second PIL volume for ACRL.

Framing Library Instruction can be ordered through the ALA Online Store or by calling the ALA Store toll free number: 866-746-7252.

Lisa N. Johnston is Associate Director of Libraries at Sweet Briar College’s Mary Helen Cochran Library in Sweet Briar, VA. Lisa has been an ACRL member since 1989, and is your ACRL member of the week.

1. Describe yourself in three words: Curious, energetic, eclectic.

2. What are you reading right now (or listening to on your iPod)? Currently I serve on ALA’s GLBT Round Table Stonewall book awards committee so I am reading piles of new books with GLBT themes, and The New Yorker and Vanity Fair. I listen to a variety of music, recent iPod favorites are Nicola Conte Presents Viagem 2, which is a collection of Brazilian music from the 1960’s and my U2 360 Tour playlist.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Collaborative academic network.

4. Why did you join ACRL? As an academic librarian in public services I want to share ideas about working in innovative ways with students and academic departments. Our library has benefited from contacts I have made through ACRL. The advice and ideas we share are invaluable.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? There are teaching and learning opportunities every day. I appreciate being able to collaborate with faculty and students on their research. It is a privilege to be a part of an academic community that has given me friends and great colleagues all over the world.

6. In your own words: Some people think I speak the language of the non sequitur. I explain that is what my career has done to the way my mind works. Statements may not follow to them (“normal people”), but as reference librarians we see the connections.  It is energizing and endlessly interesting working with intellectually engaged people, particularly during this time of great technological change. I cannot imagine doing anything else.