Steering Committee Update (10/27/10)

Discovery Layer:

Our Task Force recommended Summon for our joint discovery layer. Task Force members joined our call to answer questions and consider next steps. Key items seem to be resolution of how to integrate OhioLINK search button, development of a Memorandum of Understanding (with deliverable deadlines), review of the contract/license, and finalizing pricing. We will also talk with Daniel Gottlieb (U. of Cinn.) to see where they are in their process.

Staff Development Update:

The first Gadget Day at Denison went off very well and the committee is looking forward to the next at Oberlin on Oct. 28.

Technical Infrastructure Update:

• Metadata workshop will be on Nov. 1 at OWU.
• The committee recommends software/hardware purchases below $1,000 be reviewed by TIC and anything higher by the Steering Committee. Start all requests with Catalina and she will shepard requests through the appropriate channels.
• Applications for the Interface Specialist position are coming in slowly; the committee will review them on Nov. 8.

Campus updates:

• Wooster – Has received permission to post their ½ time digital services position. Theatre Dept. appears interested in a costume database, which would complement Denison’s project.
• Denison – Has received a new humanities proposal to revive a Classics journal. They will be sending out a second call for proposals soon.
• OWU – Held kick-off event last week with good faculty turn out. Dec. 1 will be the cut off for their next round of grant applications.
• Kenyon – Their campus committee has met again and will soon issue a second call for proposals.
• Oberlin – Currently focused on preparations for second Gadget Day workshop.

Local Project Proposals

We finally have a place where all accepted NGL projects are publicly available. See what the Ohio 5 libraries are up to at: https://sites.google.com/site/oh5nglpublic/accepted-proposals

Don't see your project on the list? Check that all the acceptance paperwork has been turned in to your school's grant coordinator, then send me a note.

Gadget Days follow up

Gadget Days was a great success at both Denison and Oberlin. Be sure to check out the photos and session handouts at http://ngl.crowdvine.com/pages/2010_fall_workshop.

Thanks to the presenters who helped out and especially to the Staff Development Committee for organizing the events. Rather than taking a survey, we're collecting informal feedback from the event. If you have any comments or suggestions let the committee member at your school know.

Steering Committe Update October 12

General Announcements

• Mary Prophet will be joining the committee as Scottie begins her exodus from Denison
• Copyright and permission forms will be shared on the website as a resource
• Each campus will develop their own copyright and permission forms based on input from their legal counsel
• Cat and Alan are talking with John Davidson at OhioLINK about customizing the new DSpace interface for enhanced display of scholarly articles.

Committee Reports

Technical Infrastructure Committee

• Ad for the Digital Initiatives Interface Specialist has been widely posted
  
• Equipment requests and purchases will be tracked on a spreadsheet available on the website.
• $40K available.
• Big purchase requests will be approved by the steering committee
• Small purchase requests will be approved by the TI committee
• Project purchases will stay with the individual library rather than migrate to departmental or individual faculty ownership
• Metadata Meeting is planned for Nov. 1, 2010 at OWU. ~20 expected to attend.
• Outcome expected to be a set of data elements that can be standard across the projects

Staff Development Committee

• Gadget Days on track. 10/18 @ Denison; 10/28 @ Oberlin
• Will begin to plan for a Copyright Workshop

Assessment Group

• Ad Hoc (Ron & Cat) reviewed the Staff Technology Use & Knowledge survey; found that nothing significant stood out
• Date will be shared with Steering Committee for further discussion if needed

Campus Updates

OWU

• Call for proposals out. Two rounds: one due 12/1/10; second due tba spring
• Mini-kickoff workshop for faculty 10/22/10 repeated at two different times
• OWU requests that faculty have access to the list of funded proposals as examples

OBE

• Campus committee is setting the deadline for their 2^nd round of proposals

KEN

• Campus committee has met and is deciding on deadline for 2^nd round of proposals that will probably be completed over the summer

WOO

• Campus committee deciding when to put out the 2^nd call

DEN

• Call going out in November for summer project proposals
• Open Access topic has been launched via discussion with Academic Affairs and faculty meeting announcement.
• Nov 4, 1010 Open Access kick-off event scheduled. Open to the whole campus. Ray and the chair of Oberlin’s Library Committee will speak at the event.

Late Update

I've missed a couple monthly updates, but here's a brief recap of the projects I worked on in August and September.

The projects getting the most of my time are at Denison, the Writing our Story and Looking Back, Looking Forward proposals particularly. I've been working with Denison staff to sort out metadata, set up workflow, and create a space for the collection. A test version of Looking Back, Looking Forward is even online at http://drcdev.ohiolink.edu/handle/123456789/8775. I've also worked a fair amount on improving the processes and appearance of the Oberlin Scholarship project, though it'll be a few more months before those changes move into production. As for the other schools and projects I've tried to be involved in meetings and helped with related tasks as they've come up. As projects get going and deadlines approach, I expect to be spending more time with the other campuses.

Gadget Days has also been a big task for me, organizing the Oberlin event has been especially time consuming. Other committee work, like administering the staff technology survey, planning for the metadata meeting, and updating the internal NGL site have also been a part of my regular work. With what's left of my time I've been researching technology we are or will be using, in particular trying to become more familiar DSpace.

Open Access

Open Access is an important part of the Next Generation Library project, and next week is a time to celebrate it with Open Access Week!

In addition to reminding you about Open Access Week, this blog post is also here to announce that the legal documents for ensuring Open Access for NGL projects are available. For librarians working on Next Generation Library projects we've added a new section to the internal NGL site where legal documents for getting permission to use copyrighted materials are stored. Be sure to get the documents completed so we continue to provide Open Access.

Oberlin College has put up a simple lobby exhibit in the library that highlights the OC faculty's 11/09 Open Access resolution and the debut later this fall of the OberlinScholarshipOA institutional repository which will run on their OhioLINK DSPACE server. A library blog entry also announces OA week to the campus community.

Grant-funded Interface Specialist posting now out

The Technical Infrastructure Committee will function as the search committee for this 1/2 time/2yr. position. We've posted information about this opening widely. Qualified staff at OH5 institutions should discuss with the library director whether a release-time option might be available should they wish to apply. The posting can be found here.