Registration Open: Free ALA Webinar on Digital Literacy and Libraries

As the technology landscape continues to evolve rapidly, every information professional must be prepared to teach meaningful digital skills to their communities. But how do librarians and educators keep up with the continual stream of new advancements?

To facilitate a national dialogue on digital literacy education, the American Library Association (ALA) will host the free webinar “Assessing Digital Literacy: Outcomes and Impact” on December 11, 2012 from 7:00-8:00p.m. EST. (RSVP now)

The December webinar, which will be hosted by the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) and the ALA Digital Literacy Task Force, is a follow-up to the highly attended web-based forum that the ALA hosted in November.

Attendees will hear from participants who are exploring ways to measure the effectiveness of digital literacy programs. Speakers include:

• Karen Hanson, federal program officer, National Telecommunications and Information Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce
• Julie Coiro, assistant professor, University of Rhode Island School of Education
• Moderated by: Renee Hobbs, ALA Office for Information Technology Policy Fellow

To RSVP for the webinar (which will be streamed live athttp://www.districtdispatch.org/digilit12/), email OITP Assistant Director Marijke Visser at alawash@alawash.org, using “Digital Literacy” in the subject line.

Digital Services Librarian at Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia

Salary: Not Specified

Status:Full-time

Posted:11/21/12

Deadline:01/14/13

Digital Services Librarian

Georgetown University Library seeks a Digital Services Librarian. View more information, including position description and application instructions, at https://www.library.georgetown.edu/sites/default/files/Digital%20Services%20Librarian%20Ad.pdf.

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The Social Library: How Public Libraries Are Using Social Media by RICHARD MACMANUS

Like many of you, I'm connected to the Internet virtually every waking hour of my day - via computer, tablet and mobile phone. Yet I still regularly visit my local public library, in order to borrow books, CDs and DVDs. Which made me wonder: are these two worlds disconnected, or is the Social Web being integrated into our public libraries? In this fourth installment in ReadWriteWeb's Social Books series, I aim to find out!

The American Library Association (ALA) released a report earlier this year entitled The 2012 State of America’s Libraries. The report states that "Facebook and Twitter in particular have proven themselves useful tools not only in publicizing the availability of online collections, but also in building trusted relationships with users."

According to a survey conducted by the South Carolina State Library, 88% of respondents (all library workers) claimed to use Facebook in their work. Twitter was second most popular, at 46.8%.

So what are libraries using Facebook for and what does "building trusted relationships with users" mean? The ALA report elaborated:

"Social networking is used to publicize library events such as gaming nights; to alert users to additions to collections; to provide links to articles, videos, or Web content that might prove relevant or helpful to patrons; and to provide a conduit for community information. Social media also play an important role in fostering relationships with the community by allowing patrons to ask questions or provide feedback about library services."

This is precisely how my own local library, Wellington Library, uses Facebook. It's on a raft ofother social media platforms too - including Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. Wellington Library even updates its Facebook page using IFTTT, a syndication service beloved by Web geeks.

Enhanced Catalogs & Mobile Apps

But there's more that libraries can do to create a social experience for their patrons, other than being active on Facebook. LibraryThing for Libraries is a set of services offered by the companyLibraryThing. It features catalog enhancements (such as user-generated book reviews and recommendations) and a customizable mobile app called Library Anywhere.

In June, LibraryThing for Libraries had 800,000 "professionally vetted reviews." While library users could just go and get reviews and recommendations from Amazon or Goodreads, it does seem useful to have them integrated into a library's catalog.

In a discussion in Branch, Portland librarian Justin Hoenke called LibraryThing "the ultimate social reading tool for libraries." Although Sarah Houghton, Director of the San Rafael Public Library in California, cast some doubt on whether library patrons use the reviews regularly.

Reimagining The Library Book

Some libraries are experimenting not just with socializing the library catalog, but the reading process itself. New York Public Library has released an interactive website called Candide 2.0, a community annotated version of Voltaire's 1759 book called Candide. The NYPL version is described as an "experiment in public reading and communal annotation."

It'll be fascinating to track how libraries continue to bring the Social Web to their organizations. I haven't even touched on the increasing prevalence of e-books inside libraries - another trend that potentially creates a more social experience for library patrons (for example, with social book highlights).

How about you, do you still go to your local library? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how Web technologies are being deployed by your public library.

Courtesy: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the-social-library-how-public-libraries-are-using-social-media.php

American Library Association releases 'Ebook Business Models for Public Libraries'

Washington, D.C.— Based on conversations with publishers and deliberations on the e-book market, the American Library Association (ALA) today released “Ebook Business Models for Public Libraries (PDF),” a report that describes general features and attributes of the current e-book environment and outlines constraints and restrictions of current business models. The report, which was created by the ALA Digital Content & Libraries Working Group (DCWG), suggests opportunities for publishers to showcase content through public libraries.

“E-book publishing is expanding and evolving rapidly, and the terms under which e-books are made available to libraries show wide variation and frequent change,” said DCWG Co-Chair Robert Wolven. “In this volatile period, no single business model will offer the best terms for all libraries or be adopted by all publishers or distributors. This report describes model terms libraries should look for in their dealings with e-book publishers and distributors, as well as conditions libraries should avoid.”

The DCWG recommends three basic attributes that should be found in any business model for e-books:

• inclusion of all titles: All e-book titles available for sale to the public should also be available to libraries;
• enduring rights: Libraries should have the option to effectively own the e-books they purchase, including the right to transfer them to another delivery platform and to continue to lend them indefinitely;
• integration: Libraries need access to metadata and management tools provided by publishers to enhance the discovery of e-books.

“ALA appreciates that realizing all of these attributes immediately may not be feasible, and a library may elect to do without one or more in return for more favorable terms in other areas, at least temporarily, but these features are ultimately essential to the library’s public role,” said ALA President Maureen Sullivan.

Nationwide, many libraries are facing constraints from publishers on how e-books can be used, including: perpetuating the print model of one user per e-book license purchased; limiting the number of loans; variable pricing; delayed sale; and restrictions on consortial or interlibrary loans. Alternately, opportunities for publishers might include enhanced discovery, readers’ advisory, or even a major new sales channel for library patrons.

“The choices that libraries make today can profoundly impact future directions, so it is critical libraries are informed of their options and negotiate aggressively for the most favorable and flexible terms possible,” said Erika Linke, co-chair of the DCWG’s business models subgroup. “Thus, while the DCWG’s primary focus in the past months was to try to influence publishers, we wanted to share some of what we learned with the library community at large.”

The DCWG has developed a number of other resources about e-books, such as its first “Tip Sheet (PDF),” which is on digital rights management, and an E-Content Supplement to American Libraries magazine. Check the American Libraries E-Content blog for new developments from the DCWG.

“The DCWG will continue its advocacy on e-book business models for public libraries as it increases its focus on other aspects of e-books such as the school library market and accessibility issues,” said Carrie Russell, lead ALA staffer for the business models subgroup.

Contact: Jazzy Wright
Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP), Washington Office (wo)

More News at :http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/american-library-association-releases-ebook-business-models-public-libraries

Value of Academic Libraries Summit White Paper

ACRL has released a new white paper, “Connect, Collaborate, and Communicate: A Report from the Value of Academic Libraries Summits,” which reports on two invitational summits supported by a National Leadership Collaborative Planning Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The report is freely available on the ACRL website (PDF).

As part of ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries Initiative, a multiyear project designed to assist academic librarians in demonstrating library value, ACRL joined with three partners – the Association for Institutional Research, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the Council of Independent Colleges – to sponsor two national summits held November 29 – December 1, 2011. The summits convened senior librarians, chief academic administrators and institutional researchers from 22 postsecondary institutions for discussions about library impact. Fifteen representatives from higher education organizations, associations and accreditation bodies also participated in the summit discussions and presentations and facilitated small group work.

The report – co-authored by Karen Brown, associate professor at Dominican University, and ACRL Senior Strategist for Special Initiatives Kara Malenfant – summarizes broad themes about the dynamic nature of higher education assessment that emerged from the summits. From these themes, the report presents five recommendations for the library profession:

1. Increase librarians’ understanding of library value and impact in relation to various dimensions of student learning and success.
2. Articulate and promote the importance of assessment competencies necessary for documenting and communicating library impact on student learning and success.
3. Create professional development opportunities for librarians to learn how to initiate and design assessment that demonstrates the library’s contributions to advancing institutional mission and strategic goals.
4. Expand partnerships for assessment activities with higher education constituent groups and related stakeholders.
5. Integrate the use of existing ACRL resources with library value initiatives.

“Beyond these recommendations, the report also articulates a framework for future action,” said Megan Oakleaf, co-chair of ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries committee and associate professor at the Syracuse University School of Information Services. “This will be a guiding document for furthering the discussion at national and local levels.”

Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, co-chair of ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries committee and associate professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, concurs observing that “We expect the report will serve as a resource for academic librarians and others on campus who are committed to helping their colleges and universities assess and advance their missions.”

“ACRL’s ‘Plan for Excellence’ identifies the value of academic libraries as a top priority for the association, and results just in from the 2012 membership survey show that demonstrating library relevance is the top issue of concern for our members,” added Joyce L. Ogburn, ACRL president and university librarian and director of the University of Utah Marriott Library. “ACRL has already taken steps to continue this crucial work by submitting a grant proposal to design, implement and evaluate a team-based professional development program to strengthen the competencies of librarians in campus leadership and data-informed advocacy.”

For more information on the report, listen to a podcast conversation with Hinchliffe and Oakleaf.

Source:  http://www.acrl.ala.org/acrlinsider/