Number 79 • January/February 2011
ISSN 1944-7639 (online version)
Contents
Extent of Orphan Works Examined in New Publication Series
Digital Library Federation Update
Frye Institute 2011 Participants Named
CLIR Offers New Workshops on Participatory Design in Academic Libraries
Calling all CLIR Sponsors to Join our April 6 Dialogue on Deep Collaboration
CLIR Offers Dissertation Fellowship in Partnership with the Library of Congress
Register Now for Symposium, Assessing Options for Large Collections
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Extent of Orphan Works Examined in New Publication Series
CLIR has launched a new publication series, “Ruminations.” The series will feature short research papers and essays that bring new perspective to issues related to planning for and managing organizational and institutional change in the evolving digital environment for scholarship and teaching.
We inaugurate the new series with a report by John P. Wilkin that posits the scope of works in the public domain and probable extent of orphan works in our research library collections, based on an analysis of the HathiTrust book corpus. The question of rights status is critical since it governs how works can be used or reused, especially in the digital environment.
Recent research shows that HathiTrust’s collection—which currently holds more than 5 million digitized books—is highly representative of research library collections. On this premise, Wilkin has analyzed HathiTrust’s holdings and drawn preliminary conclusions about the proportion of works that are in-copyright, in the public domain, or are orphans—that is, works whose holders cannot be located.
Wilkin conducted his analysis by examining the HathiTrust book corpus by publication date—pre 1923, 1923–1963, 1964–1977, and 1978 to present—periods that align with changes in US copyright law. The works included both US and non-US published titles.
Analysis of works published before 1963 was made with a reasonably high level of certainty, for reasons that Wilkin explains. Identifying the rights status of works published since 1964 is more difficult, but Wilkin makes some assumptions and extrapolates from other work to advance his analysis. He makes clear that more data are needed to affirm his assumptions, but offers the startling preliminary conclusion that as many as half of the works currently in the HathiTrust book corpus may be orphan works. If this is so—or even remotely so—a significant portion of the book corpus will be effectively inaccessible for scholarly use. Wilkins ends his report with a plea for adopting a legal or policy framework that allows access to orphan works.
The report is available at https://www.clir.org/pubs/ruminations/wilkin/.
Digital Library Federation Update
CLIR’s Digital Library Federation (DLF) Program is working on three main efforts this quarter: a new Web site, Forum logistics, and the ARL/DLF E-Science Institute.
Web site: The new DLF Web site will be launched in early March. We are now conducting user testing and making final adjustments to format and content. The new site will provide a functional meeting place to connect and inform the greater digital library community.
Forum: The 2011 DLF Forum will be held in Baltimore, Maryland, October 31-November 2. A call for program committee volunteers will be posted on the DLF-announce listserv soon.
In lieu of having a Spring Forum, DLF is investing in other conferences and activities that community members find valuable and important. Earlier this month, DLF sponsored the CURATEcamp Hackfest at the 2011 Code{4}Lib conference, and is sponsoring keynote speaker Amanda French at the upcoming Electronic Resources and Libraries conference. Be on the lookout for DLF at other conferences in the months ahead!
ARL/DLF E-Science Institute: DLF is collaborating with ARL to develop and conduct a learning series, the E-Science Institute. The ARL/DLF E-Science Institute will be a set of designed learning experiences that take small teams of individuals chosen by research libraries through a process that strengthens and advances their e-science support role. The experiences begin mid-year in 2011 with assignments, coordinated through the program, that each team will undertake at their institution. The institute will culminate in a capstone, face-to-face, two-and-a-half-day event where the teams produce strategic agendas for e-science/e-research support for their institutions. MacKenzie Smith, research director at the MIT Libraries and Science Commons Research Fellow at the Creative Commons, is leading the educational design effort. More information about the institute will be available at the end of March, at http://www.arl.org/rtl/eresearch/escien/escieninstitute/index.shtml.
We extend a warm welcome the University of Notre Dame as the newest member of the CLIR/DLF community. We now have 53 member institutions. If you are interested in joining, please contact program director Rachel Frick, at rfrick@clir.org.
Frye Institute 2011 Participants Named
The following individuals have been selected for participation in the 2011 Frye Leadership Institute. The Institute, sponsored by CLIR, EDUCAUSE, and Emory University, will be held June 5-10, 2011, at the Emory Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
Amy Badertscher, Kenyon College
John Barden, University of Rochester
Fred Brittain, University of Maine at Farmington
George Claffey, Charter Oak State College / CT Distance Learning Consortium
David Consiglio, Bryn Mawr College
Diane Duesterhoeft, St. Mary’s University
Katherine Furlong, Lafayette College
Diane Gal, State University of New York, Empire State College
Anna Getselman, Emory University
Andrew Goodenow, University of Missouri-Kansas City
Emily Gore, Clemson University
Gentry Holbert, Spring Hill College
Stephen Houser, University of Southern Maine
Julie Kane, Sweet Briar College
Rebecca Kennison, Columbia University
Melissa Levine, University of Michigan Library, MPublishing
Veronica Longenecker, Millersville University
Michael Notarius, State University of New York, Information Technology Exchange Center
Carla Rathbone, Clemson University
Rosemary Rocchio, University of California, Los Angeles
Judith Thomas, University of Virginia
Joe Williams, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
EDUCAUSE President and CEO Diana Oblinger and CLIR President Chuck Henry will lead the 2011 Institute. Joining them as faculty will be fellow members of the Frye Leadership Council, which is formed each year according the Institute’s focus:
Beth Cate, Associate General Counsel, Indiana University System
Joel Hartman, Vice Provost and CIO, University of Central Florida
Joanne Kossuth, Vice President for Operations and CIO, Olin College of Engineering
David Lewis, Dean, University Libraries, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Institute participants will also have the opportunity to work closely with the Frye Mentors, a community of leaders committed to ongoing professional development and collaborative learning. These colleagues will participate in the Institute, help direct project groups, and serve as mentors throughout the project development process.
The 2011 Frye Mentors are:
Kathy Christoph, Director of Academic Technology (Retired), University of Wisconsin Madison (Frye 2001)
Susan Metros, Associate Vice Provost and Deputy CIO for Technology-Enhanced Learning and Professor of Visual Design and Clinical Education, University of Southern California (Frye 2001)
Robert Renaud, Vice President Library and Information Systems and CIO, Dickinson College (Frye 2000)
David Starrett, Dean, School of University Studies and Academic Info Services, Southeast Missouri State University (Frye 2002)
CLIR Offers New Workshops on Participatory Design in Academic Libraries
CLIR has launched a new series of workshops on participatory design in academic libraries led by Nancy Fried Foster, director of anthropological research at the University of Rochester’s River Campus Libraries. This series, which replaces the faculty and undergraduate workshops previously offered by CLIR, presents many of the same topics but introduces additional material within a completely reorganized framework.
The first workshop, Introduction to Participatory Design in Academic Libraries, will be held April 6-7, 2011, at Connecticut College in New London, Conn. The new workshops are open to all CLIR sponsors on a first-come, first-served basis.
The workshops are designed to provide participants with an overview of the participatory design process and familiarity with some of the key methods for including faculty members, graduate students, undergraduates, and library staff in the design process. They feature extensive interaction among workshop participants and between participants and research subjects. Participants will gain an overall understanding of the design process in either workshop, from information gathering and analysis through interpretation and concept development. The workshops focus on the front end of the process leading up to the creation of a requirements document and do not cover usability testing or other stages in the actual development and roll-out process. During the workshops, participants will become familiar with interviewing, observation, and design workshop methods through hands-on practice. They will also spend time planning how they could implement a participatory design process at their home institutions.
Workshop I—Introduction to Participatory Design in Academic Libraries—gives an overview of the participatory design process and introduces the interviewing and design workshop methods through hands-on activities with faculty members and graduate students. In addition to conducting a design workshop, participants co-view and analyze an interview video, conduct an interview on their own, and work in small teams to recognize and address “Interview Dos and Don’ts.” Planning activities round out both days of this workshop.
Workshop II—Intermediate Workshop on Participatory Design in Academic Libraries—builds on Part I, reviewing the overall participatory design process and introducing three new methods: observation, photo elicitation, and “retrospective” interviews. Working with graduate and undergraduate students, participants engage in hands-on data collection, reflection, and planning activities, including “Asking the Right Questions,” a process of conceptualizing information needs and selecting appropriate methods. This workshop ends with a large-scale planning activity for conducting participatory design at the home institution.
More information on the workshops is available at https://www.clir.org/activities/details/faculty.html. If you have questions, or wish to sign up for the April 6-7 workshop, contact Alice Bishop, at abishop@clir.org.
Calling all CLIR Sponsors to Join our April 6 Dialogue on Deep Collaboration
Register now to learn about collaborative programs that offer new services and tools that reinvigorate libraries and promote new areas of academic research. At CLIR’s 2011 Sponsors’ Symposium, “Collaborative Opportunities Amidst Economic Pressures” to be held Wednesday, April 6, in Arlington, VA, you will gain insight into three new models—the Blacklight/Hydra Project, the Medical Heritage Digital Collaborative, and Germany’s TextGrid: A Virtual Research Environment for the Humanities.
You will also hear about the latest developments with CLIR’s Digital Library Federation and its future plans. Afterwards, you will have the opportunity to share your ideas and engage colleagues in small group discussions about current and potential collaborative initiatives.
The agenda is available at www.clir.org/activities/registration/11sponagenda.pdf.
Registrations will be taken until capacity is filled, but no later than March 23. CLIR sponsors receive two complimentary registrations to the symposium.
For registration information, go to https://www.clir.org//activities/registration/11sponsymp.html.
CLIR Offers Dissertation Fellowship in Partnership with the Library of Congress
CLIR has created a new fellowship award to support original source dissertation research in the humanities or related social sciences in the Preservation Research and Testing Division of the Preservation Directorate at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The fellowship is offered as part of CLIR’s long-established Mellon Fellowship program and is funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
New technologies and methods of analysis used in preserving original sources, such as hyperspectral imaging, environmental scanning electron microscopy, and handheld x-ray fluorescence analyzers, use new forms of non-destructive or direct examination to enable new interpretations of those sources.
CLIR seeks proposals from applicants whose dissertation projects will benefit from the opportunity to examine primary sources using an array of new technologies and equipment available at the Library of Congress. Applicants should explain how they propose to use new technologies, sophisticated analysis, or restoration methods to reveal content and properties of original sources to elicit new interpretations.
The fellow will work onsite with professional staff in the Preservation Research and Testing Division. A mentor from the Division will work closely with the fellow, as well as the fellow’s dissertation advisor(s) and other professors at the fellow’s home institution, to ensure that the fellow receives the training and support needed to successfully complete the full year of research.
All application materials must be submitted following CLIR’s application guidelines no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, March 11, 2011. The fellowship award will be announced by May 1, 2011. Fellowship tenure will begin between June 1 and September 1, 2011, and end within 12 months of commencing.
Details on the fellowship and links to the online application form are available at https://www.clir.org//fellowships/mellon/preservation.html.
Register Now for Symposium, Assessing Options for Large Collections
Register now for “Assessing Options for Large Collections,” to be held at the Library of Congress March 15, 2011. The program is the latest in the Library’s Future Directions Symposia Series. Symposium speakers will review current best-practice preservation options of mass deacidification and environmental control for preserving large-scale legacy collections, and address current best-practice options for managing and preserving large-scale digital collections. The symposium agenda is available at http://www.loc.gov/preserv/symposia/assess/index.html.
The event is free of charge, but seating is limited and registration is required.
