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March 2004 LibraryNet Monthly TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. MORE DETAILS ABOUT BBC ONLINE ARCHIVEOn March 3, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported progress on the first stage of making its archives available online. Last summer, as mentioned in the August-September 2003 issue of LibraryNet Monthly, the director general of the BBC announced plans to give the public full online access to all of the corporation's programming archives. The proposed BBC Creative Archive would be free and available for anyone to re-use and re-edit, as long as it was for non-commercial purposes. According to the article, "thousands" of clips from factual programs, up to three minutes long, will be available on the BBC website beginning this fall. After 18 months, if the service proves popular, it will be extended to more programming genres. The public will be able to download clips for non-commercial use, keep them indefinitely, and share clips with others. They will be allowed to manipulate or add to them and, in future, post user-generated material on the BBC's website. For more information: 2. LIBRARY OF PARLIAMENT TO JOIN CARLOn March 12, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) announced that the Library of Parliament will become the newest member of the Association. The Library of Parliament will join CARL as its thirtieth member for an initial period of two years. According to Joyce Garnett, President of CARL, "The Library of Parliament brings a wealth of research expertise, talent and resources that will benefit the work of CARL and all its members as we pursue an ambitious series of initiatives on behalf of Canada's research communities." Parliamentary Librarian Richard Paré says that he looks forward to the opportunity to join Canada's other major research libraries and work on common issues. The Library's mission is to provide Parliament with timely, comprehensive, and reliable information, documentation, research and analysis, and with collections to support the functions of legislation and representation. The Library also provides information to the public about Canada's Parliament. For more information: 3. MNET RECEIVES INTERNATIONAL INTERNET AWARDOn March 8, the Media Awareness Network (MNet) was honoured with the WiredKids "Excellence in Internet Awareness and Education Award," part of a new international awards program established by U.S. based WiredSafety, the world's largest online safety, education and help group. According to Dr. Parry Aftab, Executive Director of WiredSafety, "We singled out this Canadian centre of media education excellence because of the depth and relevance of its Internet literacy program. Its website is packed with terrific, practical resources." MNet's Executive Director Jan D'Arcy emphasized that she sees the award not as recognition for a task completed, but as validation for the organization's ongoing efforts to raise awareness. MNet was formed in 1996 to research, support, and encourage media literacy and its widest possible integration into Canadian homes, schools and communities. For more information: 4. NEW GATES REPORT ON LIBRARIES AND THE DIGITAL DIVIDEThe Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently released a new report on how American public libraries have helped to close the digital divide by providing free, public access to computers and the Internet. According to the report, "Toward Equality of Access: The Role of Public Libraries in Addressing the Digital Divide," more than 95% of American public libraries now offer Internet access to the public, and 14 million people regularly use them to get online. This benefit has been especially important for socioeconomic groups that are less likely to have access at home or work. Although Internet use in the United States has increased substantially, nearly half of all American households have neither computers nor Internet access at home. Traditionally disadvantaged groups, including African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and those with lower income and educational levels, remain among the least connected. Gates Foundation research shows that patrons use library computers to conduct research, write resumes, keep in touch with family and friends, and complete assignments for school or work. And access to technology has increased the use of libraries; across the U.S., total visits to the library went up by more than 17 percent between 1996 and 2001. However, libraries face serious challenges as they continue to provide access to digital information. They often lack sufficient resources and/or technical support to upgrade computer hardware, software and Internet connections in order to keep pace with evolving technology. Librarians and staff members also need ongoing training to be able to assist patrons and troubleshoot equipment. More consistent funding is needed to sustain access - at a time when severe budget cuts across the U.S. have caused some libraries to cut operating hours, lay off staff members or close altogether. The report was developed by the Foundation in collaboration with a number of American civic groups, including the American Library Association, the Benton Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has worked in partnership with public libraries since 1997, investing more than $250 million to provide libraries with public access computers and software. In the next phase of the Foundation's support for public libraries, it plans to build broader partnerships that will help keep libraries open, improve technology and support ongoing training. To read the full text of the report [in PDF format]: 5. 44% OF INTERNET USERS HAVE CREATED DIGITAL CONTENT"Content Creation Online," a recent report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, claims that nearly half of U.S. Internet users have contributed to online content by publishing their writing, posting pictures, sharing files, or other means. According to Pew survey results, 44% of U.S. Internet users - more than 53 million American adults - have contributed material online. "One of the earliest observations about the Internet turns out to be true: anyone can be a publisher on the Web," said Amanda Lenhart, Research Specialist at the Project and the lead author of the report. Online content creators were evenly divided between men and women. They were likely to be students, to have broadband connections at home, and to enjoy high levels of education and household income. While trendy blogs have captured the attention of the media, most of those who posted content online did so in less cutting-edge ways. 21% of Internet users have posted photographs to websites, and 17% have posted written material. 13% maintain their own websites. Other Pew Internet Project polls have shown that somewhere between 2% and 7% of American Internet users (anywhere from 3 million to nearly 9 million Americans) have created blogs, and about 11% of Internet users read them. The Pew Internet & American Life Project is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that examines the social impact of the Internet. To read the full text of the report: 6. SUPREME COURT SAYS LIBRARY PHOTOCOPIES DON'T VIOLATE COPYRIGHTIn a victory for libraries and researchers, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled unanimously on March 1 that anyone making a single copy of material for research purposes in any field need not pay a licensing fee to its creator. Three legal publishing houses had sought licensing fees on more than 100,000 pages copied each year at the Law Society of Upper Canada's library, which provides single copies of extracts from its collection of legal resources to lawyers, students and judges for purposes of research and submission to court. The publishers claimed this not-for-profit photocopy service infringed their copyright, as most of the material copied consisted of Canadian court decisions, some of which were printed by the three publishers. The court said fees on such single copies were not merited, but the notes, case summaries, and indexes prepared by the companies deserve copyright protection, as they are the products of "skill and judgment that is not trivial". The court also gave a strong endorsement to the concept of fair use for research purposes, stating that research "must be given a large and liberal interpretation in order to ensure that users' rights are not unduly constrained" and "is not limited to non-commercial or private contexts." For more information: To read the full text of the decision: 7. FREE "ASK A LIBRARIAN" POSTERSThe Association of Southeastern Research Libraries created three four-colour posters to promote its new virtual reference service. The Association has now made graphics files to reproduce the posters available on its website. The posters read "When your deadline is near and you need help finding something, ask a librarian - go to your library's website." A boiler-plate press release that can be customized by librarians for their own campus newspapers is also available on the website. To download the posters and press release: 8. DALHOUSIE STUDENTS LAUNCH ONLINE SHOWCASEMembers of the 2004 class of Dalhousie University's School of Library and Information Studies have created a website showcasing their education, work experience, and skills for prospective employers. Interested employers can browse individual biographies, resumes, and sample projects. The class list can also be searched for names matching particular employment qualifications. The site will be maintained until August 31, 2004. (Macromedia Flash and Acrobat Reader are required to view some content.) To visit the website: 9. "LIBRARIAN FOR A DAY" CONTESTWomen's Day magazine is inviting readers to enter its Be A Librarian! Contest. To enter, contestants must express "what the library means to you and why you'd like to be a librarian for a day" in 700 or fewer words. Two winners will be chosen to serve as a librarian for a day at their local library and may have their stories featured in an upcoming issue of the magazine. The ALA is a co-sponsor of the contest, which contest closes on May 3, 2004. For more information: 10. TEN MOST CHALLENGED BOOKS OF 2003The list of Ten Most Challenged Books of 2003 was recently released by the ALA. The overall list remains familiar, but there are a few interesting changes. For the first time in four years, the Harry Potter books are not the most frequently challenged. Instead, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Alice series tops the list this year, due to complaints about "sexual content, using offensive language, and being unsuited to age group." As well, a few perennially challenged works - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - are newly absent from the list. To view the full list: 11. DO PARENTS HAVE A RIGHT TO ACCESS CHILDREN'S LIBRARY RECORDS?The question of whether parents should be able to see their minor children's library record has arisen in various U.S. states over the past twelve months. Most recently, Alaska State Senator Lyda Green has introduced a bill requiring public libraries to give parents access to their children's records. Green sponsored the bill after hearing a complaint from a constituent. Parents often argue that, as the party liable for their children's library fines, they should have full access to circulation records. Many librarians counter that children seeking information deserve to have their privacy protected, and may need to research controversial topics. Florida, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and some other states have also proposed or enacted such laws. For more information: 12. CANADA READS THE LAST CROSSINGThe results of CBC's third annual "Canada Reads" book selection were announced on February 20. After heated debate and a close 3-2 vote, the celebrity panel chose Jim Cuddy's nomination of The Last Crossing by Guy Vanderhaeghe. The runner-up was Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King. The Last Crossing is a sweeping tale of interwoven lives set in the second half of the nineteenth century, in the American and Canadian West and in Victorian England. Its publisher McClelland & Stewart will donate a portion of the proceeds from sales of the book to the ABC Canada Literacy Foundation, and will also donate copies to selected libraries across Canada. Meanwhile, the People's Choice poll remains open on the "Canada Reads" website; readers can cast a vote for their favourite book online. Voting ends at midnight on March 31, and the winner will be announced on April 12 on CBC Radio. For more information: 13. INTEGRATED EUROPEAN LIBRARY PROJECT CONTINUESThe latest issue of Ariadne online magazine published a report on the results of The European Library Project (TEL), which ended in January 2004. The key aim of TEL was to investigate the feasibility of establishing a new pan-European service that would give access to all of the national libraries of Europe. Based on the studies conducted, the decision was made to develop an operational service. Work on the new service, to be known as "The European Library", started in January 2004 and the first version of it is expected to be launched by late 2004 or early 2005. The European Library service will be a portal offering integrated access to the combined resources of the national libraries of Europe. It will offer free searching for both digital and non-digital resources and will deliver digital objects (some free, some for-fee). Multilingual features will be limited at first - interfaces only, with links to translation services - but a working group will be formed to investigate the possibility of creating an integrated multilingual search function. The Conference of European National Librarians, the national libraries of Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, along with ICCU (the national central cataloguing institute from Italy) are partners in the TEL venture. For more information: 14. LIBRARY LITERACY PROGRAMS HAVE CONTINUING EFFECTSA new study shows that parents of children under 5 who participate in public library early literacy programs are more likely to engage in "literacy behaviours" such as reading to their children. In the programs studied, librarians taught parents strategies to boost their children's literacy such as talking to babies about objects in their surroundings, encouraging toddlers to name objects in book illustrations, and playing word games to build vocabulary. Parents were interviewed before the literacy sessions, and again several weeks later. The follow-up interviews found that parents continued to use the strategies they had learned and were reading more to their children than they had in the past. Parents of children under age 2 saw the largest increase in reading time; the number who read to their children daily rose from 36 to 61 percent. The study was conducted by the Public Library Association and the Association of Library Service to Children. For more information: 15. HALF A MILLION BOOKS FOR NORTHERN ONTARIO RESERVESIsolated First Nations reserves in northern Ontario will receive at least half a million volumes of donated books, thanks to an initiative by Ontario Lieutenant-Governor James Bartleman. The book drive began in January, when the Lieutenant-Governor issued a public statement lamenting the fact that native children in Ontario's North face libraries with few books, or no libraries at all. Bartleman, who is of native descent, called for donations of used books, promising to send them to more than three dozen communities so remote that there are no permanent roads linking them to the south. About 100,000 books were expected initially. But donations quickly reached 200,000 and now have surpassed half a million. The Canadian Rangers, a mainly Aboriginal reserve unit of the Canadian Forces, has already delivered more than 40,000 books to 16 northern communities. The Ontario Provincial Police and the aboriginal Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service have volunteered to deliver the rest of the books after they are sorted and packaged. Bartleman credits reading as a youngster with giving him the ability to move from early poverty to a career that made him one of Canada's key ambassadors. For more information: 16. OTTAWA LIBRARIES FACING BUDGET CUTSAt a meeting of the City of Ottawa's Library Board on March 8, more than a hundred Ottawans protested plans to close three branches. The board was considering the closures to save $1.6 million. In the end trustees decided to look for other ways to save money, such as closing all library branches for three weeks over the summer. They also called for three more town meetings before any final decision is made. According to library board chair Rick Chiarelli, twelve city councillors have already said that they won't support funding cuts to libraries. However, budget cuts will still have to be made as Ottawa continues to battle its budget deficit. The city has announced that it needs to make cuts of $120 million in order to reduce the deficit. All municipal programs are up for review, including library services. For more information: 17. NEW RESEARCH ON YOUNG CANADIANS IN A WIRED WORLDKey findings from recent focus groups on young Canadians' Internet use are now available online from the Media Awareness Network (MNet). In November 2003, MNet led a series of focus groups with young people aged 11-17 and, separately, with parents, in Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal. The objective of the groups was to test the range of attitudes and use patterns of young people's online activities, and to explore parents' perceptions and attitudes regarding their children's activities. The focus groups are a follow-up to the first phase of MNet's "Young Canadians In A Wired World" research, which took place in 2000-01. The media landscape has changed significantly since then, and the Internet is now part of the daily life of young Canadians. Results from these recent focus groups will be used to build MNet's next national surveys of young Canadians and parents, which are scheduled to take place during the winter of 2004-05. The new surveys will measure the changes in the use of and attitudes about privacy, ethical use, classification systems and ratings on content, social and cultural relationships and the innovative, creative uses of online media. Other topics to be explored include wireless technology, copyright issues, cyberbullying, online pornography, online hate, tobacco and alcohol sites that target young people, and the use of online media for learning. To read the findings (in PDF format): 18. CONTINUING EDUCATIONThe Information Professional as Educator Information professionals, with their specialized knowledge of information content, tools and processes, are well placed to play key roles as organizational learning leaders. This seven-week online course will show participants how to assess the learning needs of their organization and how to design an effective training program. It will introduce strategies for making learning for adults interactive and relevant and present methods for evaluating training activities. An email each Monday introduces the topic for the week. Students complete the lessons and then submit their assignments for discussion with the instructor and other students. Between three to eight hours each week are necessary to cover the material. The fee is CDN $395. For more information or to register: Usability: Making Digital Products Work for Users and the Bottom Line Information architect Terry Costantino will explain how to balance user expectations, business goals, and budget constraints when developing a digital product. Four aspects of usability will be covered: expert evaluation, usability testing, user consultation, and user research. She will also discuss whether to hire a usability expert or develop needed skills in-house, and how to pursue a career in the field. The deadline for registration is April 2, 2004. For more information or to register: FPinfomart.ca Training Sessions CanWest Interactive is holding complimentary training sessions for FPinfomart.ca subscribers across Canada. Those interested should register soon, as training sessions outside Toronto will not be held again until September 2004. Cities and dates are as follows: Calgary, April 7 & 15th ; Vancouver, April 14; Victoria, April 16; Toronto, April 21 & 22; Ottawa, May 4; Montreal, May 5. For more information: To register, contact: Digital Licensing Online This nine-week online course on licensing digital content will cover topics such as licensing arrangements in general; what uses of works can be made under a licensing agreement; sublicenses and secondary rights; moral rights; compensation; "who owns what"; revocation of rights in certain circumstances, warranties, and indemnities. Participants will receive lessons via email three times a week. Each e-lesson includes a self-administered quiz. For the duration of the course, participants will also be part of a discussion list where they can discuss the course contents with the instructor and other participants. Certificates of Achievement will be awarded at the end of the course. The course has been developed by Lesley Ellen Harris, author of several books on copyright. The fee is $99 U.S. For more information: To register: Advanced Licensing Workshop Sponsored by the Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries (COPPUL), this pre-CLA workshop is designed to deepen participants' understanding of license terms and conditions; help them understand, evaluate, and minimize the risks in licensing electronic resources; provide strategies on how to protect their interests when working with consortia; and review strategies for getting past no in difficult negotiations. Copyright and legal information specific to Canada will be included. The workshop is open to librarians who have participated in ARL's basic License Review and Negotiation workshop or a similar session, or who have had a minimum of one year's experience reviewing and negotiating license agreements for their library or consortium. (The next online ARL introductory licensing course is scheduled for May 17 to June 18, 2004. More information can be found at http://www.arl.org/training/licensing.html.) The workshop registration fee is US $400 for ARL and COPPUL members and US $500 for non-member libraries. For more information or to register: 19. CALL FOR PAPERS8th European Conference On Digital Libraries (ECDL) ECDL 2004 welcomes contributions from the international community of scholars, researchers, practitioners and policy makers working across the range of disciplines related to the development of digital libraries. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to: human resources, economics, business models; digital libraries and learning; digital libraries and research grids; infrastructures and middleware; semantic web technologies; agent technologies; users of digital libraries. Submissions are invited for full or short papers, posters, demonstrations, panels, tutorials, and workshops. Proposals for panels, workshops and tutorials should include an outline of the relevance of the topic, an outline of the session, and details of participating speakers. Papers must be submitted electronically via the submission web pages by April 5, 2004. Proposals for panels, workshops and tutorials are also due by April 5. Poster and demonstration submissions are due by May 19, 2004. For more information or to submit a paper: 20. CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTSCHLA 2004 Conference The Canadian Health Libraries Association (CHLA) is the national association representing health libraries, librarians and library staff. Its Annual Conference is the most important educational event available in Canada for health librarians and library staff, and provides a forum for participants from across the country to share ideas and address issues of relevance to the health sciences information field. "On the Edge" is the theme of the 2004 CHLA Conference. For more information: CLA/BCLA 2004 CLA and BCLA are partnering to bring the annual conferences of both associations together this year. Regional, national and international speakers will provide leading-edge professional development in a variety of formats to ensure attendees will get the new knowledge, tips and techniques to succeed. Both practical information to assist day-to-day activities and deeper insights into the issues facing the community are being presented. Registration before April 16, 2004 will be discounted. For more information or to register: ALA 2004 The American Library Association's annual conference. For more information or to register: 21. USEFUL INTERNET RESOURCESJesus: Real to Reel Citation Style Guides Informed Librarian Online Canadian Writers Read Write Think Winged Sandals World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition National Portrait Gallery (Great Britain) Conservation Online Mayoclinic.Com: First Aid Guide Wiredsafety Eternal Egypt Suggested Topics/Resources for Library & Information Science Research Papers Knowledge Management: A Guide to Resources on the Internet "How to Successfully Plan a Gala Fundraising Event for a Library" If you have information you would like featured in the next issue of LibraryNet
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