Library Conference Presentations and Speeches

New Engagements with Documentary Editions: Audiences, Formats, Contexts

Andrew Jewell — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:22:10 PDT

This paper is an effort to think about something different than the creation of documentary editions. It is an effort to think about the reading of them. Specifically, I want to think about the ways the reading of documentary editions is changing, or how it might change. First, however, a caveat: much of what I say is speculative and anecdotal. Though others' research has been consulted, I'm heavily influenced by what I observe is happening with readers of my own editing project, The Willa Cather Archive, a digital thematic research collection dedicated to the life, work, and environs of the American author. That said, I want to consider existing trends more broadly, guess about future practices, and contemplate how we, as documentary editors, might respond to the altering modes of readership.

Research Methods & Applications

Nancy J. Busch — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:49:44 PDT

Expectations and outcomes Purpose: This workshop is an introductory / intermediate look at research methods, practices and strategies. Participants will learn tools and techniques for turning interesting questions into researchable topics. Learning Objectives: 1)To build knowledge and skills in identifying a good research project. 2)To conceptualize a realistic research project that is likely to be completed and published. The "Document" (at right) is a pdf version of the PowerPoint presentation. The PowerPoint slides are attached below as an "Additional file."

Institutional Repositories

Paul Royster — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:49:12 PDT

Summary of collection strategies at UNL: Be inclusive, not exclusive Be proactive, even aggressively so Think of the global audience Everything open access Everything full-text Ample metadata--especially abstracts Utilize work-study students Link back to your site Give depositors feedback -- publishers don't Measure, measure, measure, . . . The "document" is a PDF version of the PowerPoint slides plus the spoken text; the PowerPoint file itself is attached (below) as an additional file. Mozilla Firefox users: There is a known bug in the Firefox PDF plug-in (which opens PDFs within the browser window) that will crash if a file exceeds its buffer size. It will tell you "The file is damaged and cannot be repaired" (which is not true). There are 3 remedies: 1. Right-click and download the PDF outside the browser (i.e., "Save link as ...") 2. Change your Firefox settings to open PDFs with regular Adobe Reader (or Acrobat) instead of the plug-in version. This is reached under Tools > Options > Applications. PDF files will then open in a separate Adobe Reader (or Acrobat) window, not inside the browser window. 3. Download the file with Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, etc.

Organization Climate and Diversity Assessment (OCDA) ClimateQUAL

Elaine L. Westbrooks — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:41:26 PDT

The purpose of the ClimateQUAL survey is: 1. Assess how well our policies, practices, and procedures support our mission 2. Assess whether or policies, practices, and procedures are facilitating the current and future needs of our customers 3. To develop a database of norms to help the library interpret its results

Hot Digital Projects: The Encore Experience

Joan Giesecke — Mon, 04 May 2009 11:47:05 PDT

The Library ILS brings information from the World to the Campus and from the Campus to the World Today's Challenge Different local databases function as separate Intelligence Agencies that do not talk to one another Need to integrate the searching of the individual, unique databases Need interfiled records for local databases with traditional catalog entries Move beyond just linking to databases Think "Harvesting" Need to move from silos to organic markets that bring everything together without creating duplicate work Goal: a single search engine that brings together the catalog with the unique digital collections we are creating Reaching the Goal with ENCORE Identify databases for harvesting Prepare databases for harvesting Harvest the data Integrate the display Conclusions Technical issues were addressed while the system was available to patrons. Students coped well with the changing environment. Concerns of librarians and staff need to be addressed so staff do not discourage faculty and students from using the next generation search engine.

Using the READ Scale @ UNL Libraries: A Pilot Project

Elaine L. Westbrooks — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:44:46 PDT

Overview: About UNL Pilot Implementation Data Outcomes: Utilizing READ Observations & Conclusion Captures 'hidden' data about the nature of reference transactions Powerful tool especially when coupled with other assessments Participatory assessment that invokes meta-analysis of the work we do

Digitally (Re)Publishing Franklin's 1734 Edition of James Anderson's Constitutions of the Free-Masons: Typographical Challenges and Unexpected Rewards

Paul Royster — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:10:51 PDT

A presentation about the origin, typography, and design of the 2006 digital edition of James Anderson's The Constitutions of the Free-Masons and about the online reception of a work that has turned out to be the single most popular document in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's institutional repository. The first part is a discussion of how an 18th-century printed work is presented in a 21st-century electronic format, including design and editorial principles. The second part discusses 1) the intentional outreach or marketing efforts by the developer, and 2) the viral or non-intentional links and adoptions created by internet users. The third part is a recruitment invitation for editors of other 18th-century texts that might be included in the electronic texts series. Mozilla Firefox users: There is a known bug in the Firefox PDF plug-in (which opens PDFs within the browser window) that will crash if a file exceeds its buffer size. It will tell you "The file is damaged and cannot be repaired" (which is not true). There are 3 remedies: 1. Right-click and download the PDF outside the browser (i.e., "Save link as ...") 2. Change your Firefox settings to open PDFs with regular Adobe Reader (or Acrobat) instead of the plug-in version. This is reached under Tools > Options > Applications. PDF files will then open in a separate Adobe Reader (or Acrobat) window, not inside the browser window. 3. Download the file with Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, etc.

Disseminating (and Taking Control of) Your Scholarly Research

Paul Royster — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:31:20 PST

How authors can take advantage of open-access developments to increase the dissemination of their scholarly research and to restore a more balanced relationship between publishers and authors. Includes discussion of copyright, authors' rights, open-access journals, self-archiving, and the UNL institutional repository.

Cloud Computing

Elaine L. Westbrooks — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 07:02:40 PST

What is it? How does it work? Who cares? What are the Advantages & Disadvantages? Future ofthe technology? Discussion The "cloud" is the term for networked computers that distribute processing power, applications, and large systems among many machines. Cloud computing is specialized data centers that host thousands of servers

Tribal College Libraries

Charles D. Bernholz — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:56:57 PST

Compares American Indian college libraries with depositories in U.S. territories in the Pacific, and argues for their inclusion in the Federal Depository Library Program.