Suggested Topics for Library Science Research and Publication

Please see this below link:-

http://www.bsu.edu/libraries/ahafner/awh-th-researchtopics.htm

"Question Point" - 24/7 Virtual Reference Service

OCLC offering interesting service "Question Point" - www.questionpoint.org. It is virtual reference service with a human assisted web platform for providing reference service.

Importanct features of Question Point are,
1. Reference service around the clock with trustworthy, real-time one-on-one reference assistance from professional librarians, right from your library Web page or other Web portal
2. Web-based chat, browse and cooperative reference tools that use best-in-class technology and require no special software or browser plug-ins
3. No need to use Windows Operating System to do simple chat and page push; streamlined conference process that allows librarians to transfer to another librarian smoothly
4. Support for multilingual reference transactions; Q&A knowledge base that is carefully reviewed and maintained by Cooperative contributors

Number 56 Winter 2009 issue of Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship

ISTL publishes substantive material of interest to science and technology librarians. It serves as a vehicle for sci-tech librarians to share details of successful programs, materials for the delivery of information services, background information and opinions on topics of current interest, to publish research and bibliographies on issues in science and technology libraries

Now Available The Winter 2009 issue of Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship

http://www.istl. org/09-winter/ index.html

Articles :-

Using Google Scholar to Search for Online Availability of a Cited Article in Engineering Disciplines

Comparing Safari Tech Books Online and Books24×7 E-book Collections: A Case Study from the University of British Columbia Library

A Physics Professor and a Science Librarian Challenge Non-Majors to Evaluate Science

The Emerging Engineering Scholar: A Citation Analysis of Theses and Dissertations at Western Michigan University

Synthesis Digital Library of Engineering and Computer Science
Viewpoint: Publishers and Librarians: New Dialogues in Challenging Times

http://www.istl. org/09-winter/ index.html

Installing DSpace on Windows

Those who want to refer documents for installing DSpace on windows can refer the following documnt

http://dspace. cusat.ac. in/dspace/ handle/123456789 /184

also visit http://dspace. .cusat.ac. in/dspace/

Useful Link

http://www.infoplease.com

how a School Librarian strives for empowering the learners and teachers with Information Literacy

“The Future of Reading In Web Age, Library Job Gets Update”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/books/16libr.html

Google Makes iPhone the New eBook Reader

Google Makes iPhone the New eBook Reader

If you already have an Apple iPhone or a T-Mobile G1 in your pocket, more than 1.5 million books are now at your fingertips. Google used Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to transform the scanned book pages into screen-friendly text for iPhone and g1s. To access Google Mobile Book Search, just point your mobile phone browser to http://books.google.com/m.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/159067/google_makes_iphone_the_new_ebook_reader_watch_out_kindle.html

PPT slides on RSS and Libraries are available for download.

Some of you had written to me for my PPT presentation on "RSS and its
Use in Libraries". As usual, I have uploaded it on
http://www.slideshare.net/sukhi/ .

It can be downloaded / viewed from the following links:

http://blog.sukhdevsingh.com/2009/02/rss-and-libraries.html
or
http://www.slideshare.net/sukhi/rss-and-its-use-in-libraries

From OPEN ACCESS NEWS blog - CSIR asks its labs to adopt Open Access

According to OPEN ACCESS NEWS blog -
http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/2009/02/india-csir-asks-its-labs-to-adopt-oa.html
,
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) has recommended its
laboratories adopt Open Access.

..."From the memorandum of Naresh Kumar, Head of CSIR's R&D Planning
Division, to the directors of all CSIR labs (and others), February 6,
2009:

CSIR is pleased to approve the implementation of the following
recommendations of the "Group for Open Access to Science Publications
(GOASP) of CSIR":

1. All research papers published from all CSIR laboratories be
made open access either by depositing the full-text and the metadata
of each paper in an institutional repository or by publishing the
papers in an open access journal in the first place.
2. All the CSIR published journals to be made open access.
3. Each laboratory sets up its own interoperable institutional
open access repository.
4. CSIR / lab sets up one or more centre(s) which would harvest
the full-text and metadata of these papers.
5. Each laboratory sets up Electronic Thesis and Dissertations
Repository.
6. To hold a conference for creating awareness on Open Access.
7. To hold in house Training programmes on Open Access.
8. Sensitize CSIR researchers.

It is requested that the above Open Access activities are
implemented at the earliest."..

About NET/SET Exemptions and doing Ph.D./M.Phil from Distance Education

So far, As per my information...

1. As UGC has not yet provided any clear latest terms regarding exemption to
M.Phil (completed before June 2009) as mentioned in some newspapers and as
UGC has declared before the Nagpur bench of High Court. If someone have
latest UGC circular related to this order please send it to us so that we
can make it available to all professionals...

2. The candidate who are working and are selected through duly constituted
body and have completed M.Phil. and Ph.D. are been exempted from NET/SET.
Those working from 5 years or more can get full exemption and those working
for less than 5 years can get 4 years exemption and has to qualify NET/SET
within stipulated time and for this a proposal for exemption is to be sent
to the university to which your college is affiliated. 108 such candidates
are exempted by UGC in University of Mumbai region, so far.(List of
Candidates Exempted is available at MLOSC Group and www.mlsc.co.nr)

3. The candidate who have completed Ph.D. are exempted but upto which time
is not yet cleared. For exemption till date, the same proposal mentioned
above is to be send.(UGC Circular available at www.mlsc.co.nr)

4. The another thing is never do M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Distance Education
as UGC by its circular(Available at MLOSC Group <http://www.mlsc.co.nr/>)
had dispensed M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Distance Education from all the
Universities.

5. University of Mumbai by its latest Circular(Available at http://www.mlsc.co.nr) quoted that for the post of librarians in Engineering and Management Courses, Candidates having First Class in MLISc may be exempted from NET/SET as per AICTE rules and clarifications.

Unreturned library book leads to woman's arrest

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) - An Iowa woman has been arrested because she failed to return a library book.

Thirty-nine-year-old Shelly Koontz was arrested Thursday night on a fifth-degree theft charge. She is accused of keeping "The Freedom Writers Diary," which she checked out from the public library in nearby Jesup in April.

Police say the book—which is about a high school teacher's effort to inspire students to write—is valued at $13.95.

Court records show library employees tried repeatedly to contact Koontz by phone and mail. A police officer even visited her home last September.

Officials at the Buchanan County jail say Koontz was released after posting $250 bond. No telephone listing for Koontz could be found in the Independence area.

Indian Open Source Software for E-learning

IIT Kanpur has developed an Open-source, Freeware E-learning Platform that is available to all for enhancing existing learning environments in their institutions through their campus networks.


http://home.iitk.ac.in/~ynsingh/tool/brihaspati.shtml



The tool for virtual classroom is called "Brihaspati" and it is open source software that could be used by any university. One can also modify it and use it in domains like Human Resource Development and e-Governance. This tool is listed on sourceforge.net. See url




http://sourceforge.net/projects/brihaspati

UNESCO-supported international conference on knowledge networking concluded in India

UNESCO-supported international conference on knowledge networking concluded in India
09-02-2009 (New Delhi)

The Society for the Advancement of Library and Information Science (SALIS), in collaboration with UNESCO and B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Engineering College, organized the International Conference on Knowledge Networking in ICT Era. It took place from 22 to 24 January 2009 in Chennai, India.

The primary objective of the Conference was to provide a platform for sharing knowledge, expertise and professional solutions on the emerging domains of networking, intellectual collaboration and information practices.

In his inaugural address, Padmashi Prof. M Anandakrishnan, Chairman of the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, highlighted the importance of knowledge networking in knowledge-based establishments in a country which is now considered worldwide as an emerging economy. In his speech, he appraised the National Knowledge Network initiative of Government of India. This initiative aims to interconnect all knowledge institutions in India through an electronic digital broadband network with adequate capabilities (high speed broadband connectivity), in order to encourage sharing of resources and collaborative research.

Within the framework of the Conference, a tutorial on e-Learning: Creating Online Virtual Courses using Moodle took place, where participants received hands-on practical training on Moodle open source software.

A special session on Information, Media and Digital Literacy, supported by UNESCO, was held on 23 January. It aimed at raising awareness on the information, media and digital literacy, which is essential for building inclusive knowledge societies. Speakers at this session highlighted major indicators, different international standards, including UNESCO standards, best practices and communities of practice existing in this field. Panelists suggested integrating information, media and digital literacy in the curricula of schools, undergraduate and postgraduate studies. They also felt that information literacy is essential for lifelong learning and should be, therefore, integrated in the vocational and professional training, as well as in teachers training courses. The presentations made at this session are compiled in the PDF document below.

Over 100 papers were presented during the eight technical sessions of the Conference. They covered the following subjects: digital library systems, e-learning, electronic security systems, information and communication technologies (ICT) for information services, intellectual property rights, knowledge management, modern management techniques, social networks and web technologies. Over 250 delegates participated in the Conference, including researchers and knowledge workers from academic and research organizations, civil society, service industries and public libraries.

Download presentations: http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/files/28265/12341778449special_session_presentations.pdf/special_session_presentations.pdf

Source: http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=28265&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

New York Times: Digital Archivists, Now in Demand

February 8, 2009
FRESH STARTS
Digital Archivists, Now in Demand

By CONRAD DE AENLLE
WHEN the world entered the digital age, a great majority of human
historical records did not immediately make the trip.

Literature, film, scientific journals, newspapers, court records,
corporate documents and other material, accumulated over centuries,
needed to be adapted for computer databases. Once there, it had to be
arranged — along with newer, born-digital material — in a way that
would let people find what they needed and keep finding it well into
the future.

The people entrusted to find a place for this wealth of information
are known as digital asset managers, or sometimes as digital
archivists and digital preservation officers. Whatever they are
called, demand for them is expanding.

One of them is Jacob Nadal, the preservation officer at the University
of California, Los Angeles. He does not use the "digital" modifier
because his duties include safeguarding analog materials in U.C.L.A.'s
collection, not just preparing them to cross the digital divide.

"I don't think there's any day where I would say I'm the digital guy,"
he said. But he concedes that he's not really an analog, ink-on-paper
guy, either, and that is increasingly the case in his field. These
days, he noted, "if you want to work in a library, you have to deal in
electronic resources."

Mr. Nadal and 10 or so colleagues at U.C.L.A. devote much of their
effort to organizing and protecting material in digital form. Their
duties include licensing and buying digital content from vendors,
assigning identification markers called meta-tags so that material can
be found easily, researching copyright matters and ensuring that files
remain intact whenever new iterations of relevant software or hardware
come along.

Befitting a nascent discipline like digital asset management, Mr.
Nadal, 32, said he went into it almost by accident. Unsure of his
career ambitions, he began work on various book-scanning and
preservation projects as a student at Indiana University, then took
them over when the head of preservation left. After that, he said, it
"took a year or two for me to realize my career in preservation had
started a year or two past."

He reckons that many of his peers have had similar experiences. "Among
librarians, I think that happenstance may be a typical career path,"
he said.

Some backgrounds are considered better than others for budding digital
asset managers. Familiarity with information technology is necessary,
but it is possible to have too much tech know-how, said Victoria
McCargar, a preservation consultant in Los Angeles and a lecturer at
U.C.L.A. and San Jos State University.

"People with I.T. backgrounds tend to be wrong for the job," she said.
"They tend to focus on storage solutions: 'We'll just throw another 10
terabytes on that server.'" A result, she said, can be "waxy buildup"
— a lot of useless files that make it hard to find the good stuff.

Ms. McCargar estimates that 20,000 people work in the field today —
plus others in related areas — and she expects that to triple over the
next decade, assuming that economic conditions stabilize before long.

Many work for public institutions, and businesses use them, too, said
Deborah Schwarz, chief executive of Library Associates Companies, a
consulting and headhunting firm. Especially big employers in this area
are law firms, which need experts on digital copyright and other
issues tied to the migration of legal documents from filing cabinets
to databases.

One comparative advantage of private-sector jobs is the pay. Digital
asset managers at public facilities would do well to make $70,000 a
year. Salaries for their corporate counterparts are generally higher.

"Compensation varies wildly because it's an emerging area," said Keith
Gurtzweiler, vice president for recruiting at Library Associates.
"Consultants who can make recommendations on systems can make $150 an
hour." Those who "manage them once they're up and running and maintain
the machinery," he said, make from the $70,000's up to $100,000.

Michael Doane is an information management consultant at Ascentium, a
consultancy in suburban Seattle that employs 100 to 150 digital asset
managers in a staff of 500. He said that fresh graduates with master's
degrees in information systems management or a similar discipline
could "easily expect $80,000 to $90,000 in consulting and a little
less in the commercial world."

As much as it might help his bank balance, Mr. Nadal cannot envision
leaving U.C.L.A. for a corporate job. He finds the challenge of taming
a vast collection of information for a major academic institution too
appealing.

"We belong to the people of California and hold our collections in
trust for them and for future generations of students, scholars and
members of the public," he said. "Public-sector institutions just
strike me as far, far cooler. They have better collections, obviously,
and they are innovative, connected and challenging in ways that seem
more substantial to me."

Fresh Starts is a monthly column about emerging jobs and job trends.

Google launches a mobile internet bus

Google India Tuesday unveiled an Internet bus, a mobile vehicle designed to provide information on Internet and computer to people in cities across Tamil Nadu.

Dubbed as 'Google Bus', the vehicle which was flagged off from Chennai will cover 15 towns including Erode, Dindigul, Pudukkottai, Trippur and Nagercoil in 45 days.

PPT slides on RSS and Libraries are available for download

Some of you had written to me for my PPT presentation on "RSS and its
Use in Libraries". As usual, I have uploaded it on
http://www.slidesha re.net/sukhi/ .

It can be downloaded / viewed from the following links:

http://blog. sukhdevsingh. com/2009/ 02/rss-and- libraries. html
or
http://www.slidesha re.net/sukhi/ rss-and-its- use-in-libraries

Academic Earth: Video Lectures By Top Scholars

housands Of Video Lectures From The World's Top Scholars

Academic Earth is an organization founded with the goal of giving everyone on earth access to a world-class education.

[http://www.academicearth.org/]

As more and more high quality educational content becomes available online for free, we ask ourselves, what are the real barriers to achieving a world class education? At Academic Earth, we are working to identify these barriers and find innovative ways to use technology to increase the ease of learning.

We are building a user-friendly educational ecosystem that will give internet users around the world the ability to easily find, interact with, and learn from full video courses and lectures from the world's leading scholars. Our goal is to bring the best content together in one place and create an environment that in which that content is remarkably easy to use and in which user contributions make existing content increasingly valuable.

We invite those who share our passion to explore our website, participate in our online community, and help us continue to find new ways to make learning easier for everyone.

Courtesy: Gerry McKiernan

http://ref-notes.blogspot.com/2009/02/academic-earth-video-lectures-by-top.html

National Portal of India : Directories

	[http://india.gov.in/directories.php] National Portal of India : Directories Searching for an Indian Government website ?..or lost in the maze trying to find STD/PIN Codes of any region in the Country ?.. Welcome to this section which helps you search through the various useful Directories.. MORE

Ranking of World Web Repositiories

Indian Repositories based on Ranking Web
of World Repositories (January 2009).

World Ranking among all types of Repositories

* 38 Indian Institute of Science Bangalore ePrints
* 105 Indian Statistical Institute Digital Library
* 119 OpenMED@NIC
* 208 Indian Institute of Astrophysics Dspace
* 212 Raman Research Institute Digital Repository
* 234 National Institute of Oceanography India Digital Repository

World Ranking among Institutional Repositories

* 28 Indian Institute of Science Bangalore ePrints
* 89 Indian Statistical Institute Digital Library
* 190 Indian Institute of Astrophysics Dspace
* 194 Raman Research Institute Digital Repository
* 208 National Institute of Oceanography India Digital Repository
* 279 National Aerospace Laboratories Institutional Repository