Lazy? Want to keep up with professional literature?

Well, I just discovered the journal of Academic Librarianship has a guide to the professional literature in each issue. Snippet sized abstracts and reviews, handy.

Link to the catalogue entry for the journal

You can set up RSS feeds for the table of contents too.

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YouTube EDU

I was flicking through recent editions of TIME Magazine this morning, and found a couple of interesting articles on YouTube EDU (something I had not heard of before now), and how American university academics are using it to publish their lectures online. I thought it was an interesting exploration of information-sharing and information accessibility.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1891740,00.html

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1890337,00.html

Library-wear

A frivolous post from me...

As part of the FOLIOz marketing course I am currently undertaking, we have been asked to look at different examples if marketing material for libraries.

I thought this one was an interesting one...

http://shop.cafepress.com/librarian

Two interesting events (Future of Libraries)

A couple of interesting events in the last few days:

The JISC Libraries of the future conference has inspired a lot of blogging, and rightly so I think, some serious minds at work on the future of (Academic) Libraries

Libraries of the Future website:
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/librariesofthefuture

Hangin Together comment:
http://hangingtogether.org/?p=652

Also 'The Darien Statement'; a statement that emerged from an event at Darien Public Library.

John Blyberg on The Darien Statement:
http://www.blyberg.net/2009/04/03/the-darien-statements-on-the-library-and-librarians/

Kathryn Greenhill:
http://librariansmatter.com/blog/2009/04/04/on-writing-the-darien-statements/

Please post links to your favourite blogger's opinion on either of these.

Disciplinary Research Behaviour

I found this graphic in a blog post discussing a new study that contradicts a previous study whose findings indicated that increased electronic availability of journal articles was actually narrowing the range of articles cited.
The graphic itself is a different point entirely, but it nicely sums up the research behaviour differences between the sciences and the humanities and also maps interdisciplinary research behaviour, which is interesting.

Image source and original post: http://hangingtogether.org/?p=648

"Bitter Fruits" of Research Quality Evaluation

The UK has been running a research quality evaluation (RAE) for years longer than Australia has had the ERA/RQF, and they have just released the first round of funding that is directly tied to research quality output.

There is apost about the "bitter fruits" at Hanging Together

There is also a good article in the Guardian that discusses the winners and the losers.

Marginalia and other crimes

From Cambridge University Library, an online exhibition looking at damage to library resources "Marginalia and other crimes".

A wonderful (and quite humorous) display of pedantry, motivated clearly by a deep love of books. It makes me happy to know there are people willing and able to devote so much time to projects like this.

"Books damaged deliberately are replaced with the same edition. The reader is charged the replacement price plus an administration charge. The Library Syndicate levies a fine of up to ₤175, depending on the circumstances. On the first offence, once all fines are paid, the reader usually retains their privilege of using UL. We have not had a case of a second offence. These matters are usually settled in-house. But replacement costs quickly accumulate into large sums. One case cost the reader ₤2,500 in total."

http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/marginalia/

Online Exhibition

This is a link to an online exhibition with the theme of books - I thought it may be of interest.

http://www.noise.net/curation_popup.asp?id=113

Academic Library websites

I came across this provocative article called "The Library Web Site of the Future" by Steven J. Bell. I found it worth reading for some ideas about the role of the website and how that should/could change to reflect scholarly preferences.

"Rather than attempting to mimic search engines academic librarians should aim to differentiate their Web sites. They should devote the most eye-catching space to information that promotes the people who work at the library, the services they provide and the community activities that anchor the library’s place as the social, cultural and intellectual center of campus. That shifts the focus from content to service and from information to people. Academic libraries must promote their human side. The library portal experience should emphasize the value of and invite stronger relationships with faculty and students. That means going beyond offering a commodity that, by and large, the user community can well access without the Web site. The next generation academic library Web site must leverage what academic librarians can do to help faculty and students improve their productivity and achieve success"

Opinions?