New & Noteworthy

Article Type: New and Noteworthy From: Library Hi Tech News, Volume 31, Issue 8

Create a quiz to gather data on library habits & attitudes: new tool from Pew

What kind of library users are in your community? The Pew Internet and American Life Project has announced the creation of a new tool that can help gather data about the library habits and attitudes of a community. Librarians, educators and other groups can now create their own unique “community version” of Pew’s library user quiz, with which they can invite members of their community to participate with a unique URL. More information about the quiz and the community tool is available on Project’s blog, Libraries in the Digital Age.

To get started, a group can visit the main quiz page, which now includes all the information needed to create a personalized version of the quiz. This includes links to a Help Center page that has step-by-step instructions for creating a quiz, frequently asked questions, sample language for inviting patrons to take the quiz and more. There is also a way to generate a customized widget that can be embedded on a Web site. The widget will include your group name and link directly to your quiz.

Read the blog entry: http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2014/06/30/how-does-your-communitys-library-engagement-compare-with-the-rest-of-the-country/

Take the quiz: http://www.pewinternet.org/quiz/library-typology/

Open social joins W3C push for social web application interoperability

In July 2014, W3C launched a new activity to develop standards to make it easier to build and integrate social applications with the Open Web Platform. Future standards – including vocabularies for social applications, activity streams, embedded experiences and in-context actions and protocols to federate social information such as status updates – will address use cases that range from social business applications, to cross-organization federation and to greater user control over personal data.

“OpenSocial is very excited to support and participate in this new W3C Activity,” said John Mertic, President of The OpenSocial Foundation, who, with IBM and Telecom Italia, recently submitted material as input to the standardization effort:

The OpenSocial Foundation exists to break down barriers between the often siloed systems people rely on at work. We do this because, today more than ever, people need to be able to effortlessly connect on the job to get things done and barriers between the systems they rely on prevent seamless collaboration. This W3C Activity provides additional focus and resources to ensure that all enterprise applications can Be Social Together.

Interoperability needs extend naturally beyond the firewall. If two organizations wish to cooperate on a venture, they face the problem of securely collaborating via potentially very different access control and messaging systems. A system based on open standards that enables the federation of decentralized status updates and private groups can help two organizations communicate.

The group’s work is not limited to social business use cases. Some users would like greater control over their own social data, and share their data selectively across various systems. For example, the standards that will be developed will enable a user to host his/her own blog and use federated status updates to both push and pull social information to a variety of other social networking sites. W3C has discussed social business requirements at the 2013 W3C Workshop on Social Standards: The Future of Business and the 2011 Social Business Jam before that, as well as in the Social Business Community Group. Ideas for managing such a federation have been developed by the Federated Social Web Community Group and the Incubator Group that preceded it.

W3C chartered two groups to carry out these activities:

• The Social Web Working Group will define the technical standards and application programming interface (APIs) to facilitate access to social functionality as part of the Open Web Platform. These include a common JSON-based syntax for social data, a client-side API and a web protocol for federating social information such as status updates.

• The Social Interest Group will coordinate messaging around social at the W3C and formulate a broad strategy to enable social business and federation. It will harvest use-cases and review specifications produced by technical working groups in the light of those use-cases.

The Social Web Working Group’s first face-to-face meeting will take place the last week of October, as part of TPAC 2014, W3C’s annual gathering of Working Groups.

This work is funded, in part, by the European Commission through the DCENT Project, which creates privacy-aware tools and applications for direct democracy and economic empowerment.

W3C social web working group: http://www.w3.org/Social/WG

W3C social interest group: http://www.w3.org/Social/IG

4C project releases CCEx beta version; supporting smarter investments in digital curation

The 4C project announced in early August that the beta version of the “Curation Costs Exchange” (CCEx) Web site has been released.

Supporting smarter investments in digital curation by enabling knowledge transfer and cost comparisons between organizations of all types, the CCEx is an online community platform for the exchange of curation cost information:

The value we can derive from the CCEx depends entirely on the willingness of organisations to share their cost data, but more so on their understanding of the benefits that sharing will bring about, observes Alex Thirifays of the Danish National Archive (DNA). The more costs are shared, the more we can all learn about making smarter investments in digital curation.

A crowd-sourced-driven database and library of curation cost information, the CCEx uses the costs data it gathers to provide automatic generation of results for the purposes of self-assessment, cost comparisons with peers and insights into the financial accounting and activity costs of other organizations; supporting the 4C Project’s vision of creating a better understanding of digital curation costs through collaboration.

Beta testing will take place between the August 12 and September 15 and will involve invited testers, but the 4C Project welcomes feedback from all users:

Anyone with an interest in or a need for a deeper understanding of the costs of preserving your digital material can try out the CCEx and let us know what they think, encourages Luis Faria of KEEP Solutions in Portugal who has led the team charged with developing the CCEx.

All comments and any cost data shared with the 4C project will be treated confidentially and will be used solely for the purposes of refining the performance of the CCEx.

To take part in the CCEx beta-testing, get started at: http://www.curationexchange.org

Open policy network coalition continues to grow

May 2014 saw the launch of the Open Policy Network. The Open Policy Network (OPN) is a coalition of organizations and individuals working to support the creation, adoption and implementation of policies that require that publicly funded resources are openly licensed resources.

There is a pressing need for education, advocacy and action to see a positive shift in supporting open licensing for publicly funded materials. The OPN will share information among its members, recruit new advocates and engage with policymakers worldwide. The OPN members are diverse in content area expertise and geographic location.

In August 2014, OPN announced the first round of fellows for the Institute for Open Leadership. The Institute is a training program to develop new leaders in education, science, public policy and other fields on the values and implementation of openness in licensing, policies and practices. Over 90 applications were received from around the world and representing a broad diversity of fields. Here are the fellows for this year:

• Dairo Alexander Escobar Ardila, Instituto Humboldt – SiB Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.

• David Ernst, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.

• Eric Phetteplace, California College of the Arts, Oakland, California, USA.

• Fátima Silva São Simão, UPTEC – Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.

• Georgia Angelaki, National Documentation Center/Hellenic Research Institute, Athens, Greece.

• Jagadish Chandra Aryal, Social Science Baha, Kathmandu, Nepal.

• Jane Gilvin, National Public Radio, Washington, DC, USA.

• Julian Carver, Land Information New Zealand, Christchurch, New Zealand.

• Klaudia Grabowska, Polish History Museum, Warsaw, Poland.

• Mohamud Ahmed Rage, Ministry of Higher Education & Culture, Somalia, Mogadishu, Somalia.

• Nasir Khan, Management Information Services, Directorate General of Health Services, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

• Paul UE Blackman, Barbados Community College, St. Michael, Barbados.

• Vincent Kizza, Open Learning Exchange Uganda, Kampala, Uganda.

• Werner Westermann Juarez, Instituto Profesional Providencia, Santiago, Chile.

The in-person portion of the Institute will take place in San Francisco, California, in January 2015. The fellows will develop, refine and work to implement a capstone open-policy project. The point of this project is for the fellow to transform the concepts learned at the Institute into a practical, actionable and sustainable initiative within her/his institution.

The OPN is free to join and anyone is welcome. More information on the OPN is available at the Web site, Google Group, Twitter and Facebook.

Open policy network website: http://openpolicynetwork.org

Springer launches CrossMark service for journal content

Springer Science + Business Media has launched CrossMark, an identification service from CrossRef, for forthcoming journal articles, ensuring that the user always gets the latest updates and most current content. All Springer journal content published from now on will have the CrossMark logo.

For all Springer journal articles, there will be a CrossMark window on SpringerLink on the article HTML page that provides bibliographic metadata of that article and a statement about updates of the content. Springer content updates shown through the CrossRef service will be errata and retractions.

CrossMark is a multi-publisher initiative providing a standard way for readers to locate the authoritative version of an article or other published content. By applying the CrossMark logo, Springer commits itself to maintaining the content it publishes and to alerting readers to changes if and when they occur.

The CrossMark identification service gives scholars the information they need to verify that they are using the most recent and reliable versions of a document. Readers simply click on the CrossMark logo of an article, and a status box informs them if the document is current or if updates are available. Any reader can access CrossMark information from a participating publisher’s content – at no charge.

The CrossMark update system is an optional service of CrossRef, a not-for-profit association of scholarly publishers that facilitates reference linking and other sustainable cross-publisher services for the scholarly community.

More about CrossMark: http://www.crossref.org/crossmark/

More on springer’s CrossMark policy: http://www.springer.com/gp/crossmarkpolicy

Swets adds support for Eduserv’s OpenAthens access management system

Swets announced in July 2014 that it has signed a reseller agreement with Eduserv, the non-profit dedicated to developing and delivering technology services for the public sector. This agreement sees Swets adding the highly popular OpenAthens advanced access management system to its portfolio of Access Management services for libraries.

OpenAthens’ single-sign-on authentication system enables libraries to provide users with remote one-click access to all of their online resources. From students to clinicians, over four million people worldwide use OpenAthens to access essential online content and solve their identity and authentication issues:

There is an exponential growth in remote users who require problem-free access to all licensed content anytime anywhere, with just one username and password. On the other side those who provide the access want to have the capability to set up groups and profiles to determine who should have access to which content in order to comply with publisher license agreements, said Michael Leuschner, Commercial Director EMEA at Swets. OpenAthens is the ideal solution for easy-to-use and secure identity and access management; therefore we are happy to have agreed on a global partnership.

The timing coincides with the release of a major update for OpenAthens. The UK and several European customers were upgraded to a new OpenAthens MD administration area. This phased roll-out started in February with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NHS) in England and will continue into September for their international customers.

The new administration area boasts an enhanced user interface and features tailored for their users including:

• organization dashboard;

• account creation wizard;

• advanced search;

• resource management center;

• flexible bulk upload; and

• API.

The new OpenAthens MD admin area has been designed to make granting access to online resources even easier for our customers, says Stuart Pearce, IAM Executive Director. Using valuable customer feedback and having a team working on it that really understands the library and research information market means we’re really excited about this major release and the benefits it will bring to our customers.

Swets OpenAthens: http://www.swets.com/openathens

Eduserv OpenAthens: http://www.eduserv.org.uk/services/OpenAthens

More information on the new OpenAthens features: http://www.eduserv.org.uk/blog/2014/07/23/new-openathens-admin-area-whats-included/

Electronic information for libraries receives 2014 SPARC innovator award

SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) has recognized Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL) with its July 2014 Innovator Award. The award was given to EIFL for its work in putting libraries from Africa to Asia and Europe at the center of the movement to democratize access to information and increasing the visibility of scholarly research.

EIFL is an international not-for-profit organization based in Europe with a global network of partners. Established in 1999, EIFL began by advocating for affordable access to commercial e-journals for academic and research libraries in Central and Eastern Europe. Today, EIFL partners with libraries and library consortia in more than 50 developing and transition countries in Africa, Asia and Europe.

As stated in the press release from SPARC:

By helping countries form library consortia, EILF has enabled groups to leverage their influence and create a sustainable model to improve the access to information. It has provided training and helped craft Open Access policies, lobbied for changes to copyright laws, and made vital research materials available to all corners of the world, including Azerbaijan, Laos, and Sudan.

SPARC, with SPARC Europe and SPARC Japan, is an international alliance of more than 800 academic and research libraries working to create a more open system of scholarly communication. The SPARC Innovator programme recognizes advances in scholarly communication propelled by an individual, institution or group. Typically, these advances exemplify SPARC principles by challenging the status quo in scholarly communication for the benefit of researchers, libraries, universities and the public.

SPARC Innovators are featured on the SPARC Web site semi-annually and have included John Willinsky, the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA); Michael Nielsen, Health Research Alliance, The World Bank; R. Preston McAfee, Harvard University FAS; and Ted and Carl Bergstrom and Melissa Hagemann, among others:

This Innovator Award is a testament to the commitment and dedication of EIFL’s talented team of staff and network of coordinators, said Rima Kupryte, EIFL’s Director. We are very grateful to SPARC for this recognition and we will continue on in our efforts to ensure access to knowledge for all.

Read EIFL’s 2014 SPARC innovator profile at: http://www.sparc.arl.org/initiatives/innovator

EIFL (Electronic information for libraries): http://www.eifl.net/

CLOCKSS archive certified as trusted digital repository by Center for Research Libraries

In July 2014, the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) announced the completion of an eight-month audit of the CLOCKSS Archive and certified the CLOCKSS Archive as a trustworthy digital repository. CLOCKSS is the only organization to earn a perfect score of 5 in the Technologies, Technical Infrastructure and Security category. CLOCKSS also attained the highest score received by any organization that has undergone this independent audit.

A team of prestigious digital preservation experts conducted the audit with reference to generally accepted best practices in the management of digital systems; the interests of its community of research libraries; the practices and needs of scholarly researchers in the humanities, sciences and social sciences in the USA and Canada; and ISO and National Archives and Records Administration standards. The purpose of the audit was to obtain assurance that CLOCKSS provides, and will likely continue to provide, services adequate to those needs without material flaws or defects and as described in CLOCKSS’s public disclosures.

The certification is based upon a site visit and sampling of triggered archives content and upon the review of information gathered by CRL and its Certification Advisory Panel and documents and documentation provided by CLOCKSS. CRL’s analysis was guided by the criteria included in the Trustworthy Repositories Audit and Certification checklist, and other metrics developed by CRL on the basis of its analyses of digital repositories. “CRL’s review found the CLOCKSS approach, with its simple and flexible technical architecture, to be particularly well suited to the rapidly evolving landscape of e-journal publishing and scholarly practice”, said Bernard Reilly, President of CRL.

This follows an announcement earlier this year that Victoria Reich and David S. H. Rosenthal, the co-founders of the LOCKSS technology, have been named the winners of the 2014 LITA/Library Hi-Tech Award for Outstanding Communication in Library and Information Technology. The CLOCKSS Archive is a private LOCKSS network:

The Stanford University Library’s LOCKSS Program is extremely pleased that CRL’s rigorous examination provides reassurance to the publisher community, to the library community, and to the greater academic community that the LOCKSS technology is of the highest quality for long-term preservation and continuing access, said Vicky Reich, Executive Director of LOCKSS.

CLOCKSS website: http://www.clockss.org/clockss/Home

2014 CRL CLOCKSS Audit Report: http://www.crl.edu/archiving-preservation/digital-archives/certification-and-assessment-digital-repositories/clockss-report

2014 LITA/Library hi tech award press release: http://litablog.org/2014/04/2014-litalibrary-hi-tech-award/

DuraSpace and Artefactual to offer new hosted digital preservation service

Archivematica, a preservation workflow tool designed by Artefactual, and DuraCloud, an archival cloud storage and preservation service from DuraSpace, announced in August 2014 that they have teamed up to provide an end-to-end open-source digital preservation solution based on Archivematica and DuraCloud that will set the standard for one-stop durable, safe and cost-effective long-term preservation and storage:

We are extremely enthusiastic about our new strategic partnership with Artefactual Systems, said DuraSpace CEO Michele Kimpton. Artefactual are experts in archiving digital material and we are experts in managing open source projects and running software in cloud infrastructure. With our teams working together we can achieve a truly robust, open, easy to use digital archiving solution I think the community will be excited about.

Archivematica and DuraCloud are unique among long-term preservation and storage solutions. They are both built on open-source software which is documented and freely available. Users can download their data at any point. This means that users of the new service do not have to worry about data lock-in, and the service can be run locally at any time. AVPreserve has called DuraCloud “unique among the services covered” in their Cloud Storage Vendor Profiles series because users can download the entirety of data at any point and/or host the system locally without additional cost:

The launch of an Archivematica DuraCloud hosted solution is a timely addition to the digital preservation community, offering a configurable preservation planning option at the intersection of OAIS-based workflows (Archivematica) and archival storage services (DuraCloud), said Nancy McGovern, Director of DPM Workshops. When providers choose collaboration over competition, the gains to our community can be significant. A partnership like this that brings together open-source providers each with a solid track record promises to result in just that kind of benefit.

Users of the service will have access to a robust suite of digital preservation functions via the online dashboard. Archivematica is known for its ability to produce highly standardized and interoperable Archival Information Packages; these packages will automatically be placed into DuraCloud for long-term secure archival storage. Some of the key features of Archivematica include assigning permanent identifiers and checksums, virus checking, identifying and validating file formats, extracting technical metadata, normalizing files to preservation-friendly formats and generating detailed PREMIS metadata to facilitate inter-repository data exchange. Key features of DuraCloud include automated health checking of the content, reporting and the choice to store multiple copies at multiple storage providers.

Artefactual Systems’ (http://artefactual.com) mission is to provide the heritage community with vital expertise and technology in the domains of digital preservation and online access. They develop open-source software (Archivematica and AtoM) and promote open standards as the best means of enabling archives, libraries and museums to preserve and provide access to society’s cultural assets.

DuraCloud (http://duracloud.org) is a service from DuraSpace (http://duraspace.org), an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization providing leadership and innovation for open technologies that promote durable, persistent access to digital data. An inquiry form for more information on the new service can be found at: http://duracloud.org/archivematica

Cloud storage vendor profiles: http://www.avpreserve.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/AVPreserve_DuraCloud_profile.pdf

Nine institutions partner to digitize nineteenth-century books for UK medical heritage library

The Wellcome Library and JISC announced in July the nine partner institutions whose nineteenth-century book collections will be digitized and added to the UK Medical Heritage Library (UK MHL), an online resource for the study of the history of medicine and related sciences.

The libraries of six universities have joined the partnership – UCL (University College London), the University of Leeds, the University of Glasgow, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, King’s College London and the University of Bristol – along with the libraries of the Royal College of Physicians of London, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Approximately 15 million pages of printed books and pamphlets from all ten partners will be digitized over a period of two years and will be made freely available to researchers and the public under an open license. By pooling their collections the partners will create a comprehensive online library. The content will be available on multiple platforms to broaden access, including the Internet Archive, the Wellcome Library and JISC Historic Books.

The project’s focus is on books and pamphlets from the nineteenth century that are on the subject of medicine or its related disciplines. This will include works relating to the medical sciences, consumer health, sport and fitness, as well as different kinds of medical practice, from phrenology to hydrotherapy. Works on food and nutrition will also feature around 1,400 cookery books from the University of Leeds which are among those lined up for digitization. They, along with works from the other partner institutions, will be transported to the Wellcome Library in London where a team from the Internet Archive will undertake the digitization work. The project will build on the success of the US-based Medical Heritage Library consortium, of which the Wellcome Library is a part, which has already digitized over 50,000 books and pamphlets:

We are pleased that these nine institutions have chosen to add their valuable collections to the Medical Heritage Library, said Simon Chaplin, Head of the Wellcome Library. As well as our partners JISC and Research Libraries UK, we will be working closely with our Academic Advisory Group to produce an online resource that is both a repository for a superb wealth of content and an effective research tool for a broad range of users.

For the Wellcome Library, this forms part of a larger ambition to digitize and make freely available over 50 million pages of historical medical books, archives, manuscripts and journals by 2020.

The wellcome library: http://wellcomelibrary.org/

JISC historic books: http://historicaltexts.jisc.ac.uk/

Medical heritage library: http://www.medicalheritage.org/

Kuali OLE announces partnership with HTC global services, Inc.

The Kuali Foundation has announced that HTC Global Services, Inc. has joined the Kuali OLE partnership as a Tier 1 investment partner.

Kuali OLE (Open Library Environment) is an open source, enterprise-wide system for selecting, acquiring and describing library information resources. It is being developed using the same investment model that created the successful Kuali Financial System and has an international group of libraries who serve as founding partners of the software. In becoming a Tier 1 investment partner, HTC Global Services, Inc. will strengthen its ties to the development of Kuali OLE by having a seat on the OLE Board, as well as on the Functional and Technical Councils. This will enable closer communications between HTC and the Kuali OLE Project Board.

The Kuali OLE next-generation library management system is the result of collaboration of higher education research libraries including Indiana University, Bloomsbury Library Management System Consortia (UK), Duke University, Lehigh University, North Carolina State University, University of Chicago, University of Florida, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, and Villanova University. Kuali OLE has also received generous matching investment support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation:

HTC Global Services is a trusted partner in the Kuali community and Kuali OLE is honored to have them join as a Tier 1 Partner, said Bruce Taggart, Kuali OLE Board Chair and Vice-Provost for Library and Technology Services at Lehigh University. Kuali OLE has a long-standing relationship with HTC as its lead development partner and this new collaboration will further enhance our mutual goals for delivering a superb next-generation library management system.

No stranger to the Kuali community, HTC Global Services, Inc. is a proven Kuali implementation partner. They have successfully partnered in implementing the Kuali Financial System at Michigan State University and have been working closely with the SOAS-University of London Kuali OLE implementation. HTC sees Kuali OLE as a natural progression for their Kuali practice as institutions continue to adopt open source and community-based licenses for applications designed and built for higher education:

This move is an exciting step forward in the relationship between Kuali OLE and HTC, says Vani Prasad, HTC’s Vice-President and lead on Kuali OLE development. The partnership will enable closer ties between our two organizations and will lead to collaborative approaches around new markets for the Kuali OLE software for libraries.

Learn more about HTC global services, inc.: http://www.htcinc.com/

For more information on kuali OLE, visit: http://www.kuali.org/ole

VuFind version 2.3 released

In August 2014, version 2.3 of the VuFind Open Source discovery software was released. This new release adds several new features, as well as further improving the stability and flexibility of the software.

Some key additions:

• Support for retrieving results from additional third-party services: EBSCO Discovery Service, EBSCO Integration Toolkit, Primo Central and LibGuides.

• New themes offering updated support for the Bootstrap framework.

• Support for ReCAPTCHA security on several key forms.

• Expanded account functionality, including user-initiated password changes and recovery by e-mail.

• Expanded book cover display functionality, including the ability to generate dynamic cover images on the fly.

Additionally, several bug fixes, new configuration options and minor improvements have been incorporated.

Questions about the new release or VuFind in general can be directed to Demian Katz, the lead developer of the project at Villanova University. The software and its documentation may be found at: http://vufind.org 

Boulder public library selects Lyngsoe automated materials handling system

In June 2014, Lyngsoe Systems announced that they have been selected to provide Boulder Public Library with a new state-of-the-art Automated Materials Handling system for their main branch.

Lyngsoe Systems will be removing the current AMH system originally provided by Tech Logic and installing two new LibraryMate Patron Return Stations with fast, reliable level-changing conveyance to the basement level where the items will be sorted on a SortMate “10” Bin sorter. Lyngsoe will also be providing an ergonomically designed staff return station located at the sorter where the staff will have the ability to induct items quickly and efficiently into the system:

Boulder Public Library went through a rigorous process to select our new AMH provider, said Aimee Schumm, eServices Manager, Boulder Public Library. We needed a company to remove our old system, and provide a customized design that would provide reliable service for many years to come. We found that Lyngsoe provided the most comprehensive solution for our basement level AMH location and main level book drops and had the track record that gave us the confidence to partner with them. Our staff is extremely excited for the October, 2014 installation of the new system.

Lyngsoe Library Systems include self-service lending, returns and sorting systems for libraries worldwide. Lyngsoe Library Systems improve customer service and simplify work for library staff by automating material handling tasks such as sorting and shelving. By automating heavy and time-consuming return processes, library staff members are available to accomplish more patron service-orientated tasks. From the largest institutional libraries to smaller branches, Lyngsoe provides complete library automation solutions, including radio-frequency identification (RFID) and barcode-to-RFID conversions, library management systems integration and security systems.

Lyngsoe library systems: http://www.lyngsoesystems.com/library/

Boopsie and ProQuest partner on mobile app for eLibrary

In June 2014, Boopsie, Inc., a leading mobile app platform for libraries, announced a partnership with ProQuest and the launch of a new integration available on Boopsie’s library-branded mobile apps. Boopsie has worked closely with the ProQuest to provide a new, seamless integration between Boopsie’s library-branded apps and ProQuest’s eLibrary online database resource.

ProQuest recently updated eLibrary to include a direct export feature, making citation export effortless, as well as a mobile web edition, that allows for mobile access to one of the largest general reference collections. Boopsie builds library-branded mobile apps for over 2,500 libraries worldwide, across all major mobile operating systems. The company recently announced that they saw both record numbers of app downloads and libraries joining the mobile community.

Boopsie currently has the eLibrary integration live in the Ela Area Public Library app. The integration is also in test mode for the Seattle Public Library and Multnomah County Library apps.

To learn more about the integration with ProQuest, libraries can watch the recorded video of the Boopsie and ProQuest webinar on their website: http://www.boopsie.com/webinar-video/proquest-elibrary-reference-tool-integration-in-your-mobile-app-6112014/

Makerspace resources guide available

As part of the research for his new book, John J. Burke, Library Director at the Miami University, Middletown Branch, compiled a list of resources on Makerspace topics, which he is making freely available on the web. The book, published in July 2014, is entitled Makerspaces: A Practical Guide for Librarians.

The Resources Guide groups links into the follow areas:

• general makerspace resources;

• makerspace directories;

• library-focused maker resources;

• project sites;

• maker products;

• makerspace funding and donation sources;

• discussion lists;

• Twitter hashtags and folks to follow;

• Facebook groups; and

• general technology sites and blogs.

Makerspace resources guide: http://www.users.miamioh.edu/burkejj/makerspaces.html

For more information on the book: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442229679

Bowker report shows traditional print book production dipped in 2013

Production of print books by traditional publishers slowed in the USA in 2013, declining from 3,09,957 titles in 2012 to a projected 3,04,912 titles in 2013, according to Bowker®, the global leader in bibliographic information. The two per cent decrease reverses the sector’s growth in 2012 over 2011, but points to a relatively stable market for print works despite competition from ebooks. The figures were revealed in Bowker’s annual report on US print book publishing, compiled from its Books In Print® database.

The non-traditional publishing sector had a far more significant decline over 2012. Its print output for 2013 was projected at 1,108,183 titles, a decrease of 46 per cent from its production of 2,042,840 titles in 2012 and a dramatic reverse from its 55 per cent growth in 2012 over 2011. The non-traditional sector is comprised primarily of reprint houses specializing in public domain works and by presses catering to self-publishers and “micro-niche” publications. Their titles are marketed almost exclusively on the web and printed on-demand:

Traditional print production is holding up relatively well, supporting industry reports that ebook sales growth has been slowing, said Han Huang, director of product management for Data Licensing at Bowker, a ProQuest affiliate. Though the non-traditional sector dropped significantly, we feel it’s simply a market correction. The huge production that took place from 2010 through 2012 was an unusual period for non-traditional publishing, reflecting higher levels of investment and innovation.

In traditional publishing, Fiction and Juvenile genres continue to dominate the market, accounting for over 27 per cent of new titles and editions in 2013, up slightly over 2012 and driven by growth in Fiction. Sociology/economics, science and religion are the third, fourth and fifth most active genres, respectively.

Among the fastest growing genres is music, which had the largest increase over prior year – up 24 per cent over 2012, with a five-year growth rate of 28 per cent. Science titles have experienced the most dramatic five-year growth rate – up 33 per cent over 2008. The technology area was third, with a five-year growth rate of 27 per cent (Table I).

Methodology

Numbers are gathered as a result of Bowker’s maintenance of the industry’s bibliographic database Books In Print. Books In Print is widely regarded throughout the publishing industry as an authoritative and comprehensive source of bibliographic data available worldwide, and has been a trusted source of information in North America for more than 50 years. Audiobooks and e-books are excluded. If changes in industry estimates occur, they will be reflected in a later published report.

Full bowker annual statistics report: http://www.bowker.com/assets/downloads/products/isbn_output_2002_2013.pdf

Opening up scholarly communications: CNI/JISC joint conference materials available

The Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) jointly held a conference with JISC on “Opening Up Scholarly Communications” in Bristol, England, on July 10, 2014. Among the topics on the program were “International Policy Developments and the Wider Environment of Open Scholarship”, “Opening Up Scholarly Publications”, “Opening Up Data” and “Infrastructure Requirements for Open Scholarship”. The conference brought together leaders in the academic community in the UK and the USA. A report and video interviews from the conference will be available by early fall.

Resources and slides from the presenters are now available at: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/events/jisc-and-cni-conference-2014-10-jul-2014

CNI website: http://www.cni.org/

Jisc website: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/