News and Events
Digital Cultural Content Forum 2005
11-13 February 2005, Oxford, UK
The Digital Cultural Content Forum (DCCF) is an annual international gathering of key stakeholders in the digitisation and delivery of our global cultural assets. The focus of the meeting is to explore how public institutions that steward cultural content, the agencies responsible for public policy, and organisations in the public broadcast sectors can collaborate to deliver services to public audiences.
The meeting is organised by UKOLN on behalf of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council of the UK (MLA), the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN) and the US Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Framework for the Future Digital Citizenship Workshops
February - March 2005
Venue and location details for the forthcoming Framework for the Future Digital Citizenship Workshop Series are now available on the MLA Web site at http://www.mla.gov.uk/action/pn/events.asp
To register your bookings as soon as possible with Hilary Ahrens by telephone on 020 7273 1419 or by email: hilary.ahrens@mla.gov.uk
The 3rd International Conference on Implementing the Berlin Declaration on Open Acess
The 3rd international conference on implementing the Berlin Declaration on Open Acess will take place in Southampton February 28 - March 1 2005. http://www.eprints.org/berlin3/
Highlights from the programme:
- Key-note address by Professor Tony Hey “E-Science and Open Access”
- Johannes Fournier “The DFG study of author experience of open access”
- Recent JISC studies - e.g. the business models study
- Francoise Vandooren - “The EU scientific publishing study”
- Brief reports from delegates on implementation of the Berlin Declaration in their organisations
- The OA Policy to Southampton University (NN)
- The roadmap : presentation on the latest version of the roadmap
Contact details for the programme:
Dr. Hans F Hoffmann (CERN) hans.falk.hoffmann@cern.ch
Tel. +41 22 7675458⁄2849
Fax +41 22 7823011
Temporary contact for the local host at Southampton:
Dr. Steve Hitchcock sh94r@ecs.soton.ac.uk
Two Netskills Workshops on Plagiarism and an Internet Highway Code - March 2005
The following Netskills workshops will be running at the University of Wales Institute Cardiff in March:
1. Detecting and Deterring Plagiarism: The Web: Hindrance or Help? Tuesday 22nd March 2005
This is a practical workshop aimed at staff in Further and Higher Education institutions which wish to find out more about the impact of the Web on plagiarism, and how to deal with it. As well as gaining a thorough understanding of issues concerned with plagiarism, participants will also explore essay banks, online plagiarism detection services, and, through discussions and scenarios, consider different approaches to deterring plagiarism.
2. An Internet Highway Code: Staying Safe, Secure and Legal Online Wednesday 23rd March 2005
Despite the protection offered by institutional systems and procedures, both providers and users of Web services can still face real risks when online. New evidence suggests that it is people, as much as technology, who compromise security and that many are not aware of the legal, moral and ethical implications of being online and how their actions can have serious repercussions for themselves and their employers.
Full details of these workshops, together with booking forms are available from the Netskills Web site: http://www.netskills.ac.uk/workshops/forthcoming.html
Initial Call for Papers Shock of the Old 2005: Implementing Innovation
7 April 2005 University of Oxford, http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ltg/events/shock2005/
The Learning Technologies Group at Oxford University Computing Services is pleased to announce our fifth annual one-day conference on educational technologies. This conference will explore the issues arising from using educational technology to bring about innovation in academic practice. Rather than concentrating solely on the technology itself, papers are invited that will additionally discuss the cultural and organisational factors which hinder true innovation from occurring. What are the key factors that impact on the implementation and adoption of innovation in e-learning?
We would like to receive abstracts for talks describing how individuals or groups have tackled the implementation of innovative new practices at their own Institution, discussing which challenges were faced, and which problems still remain to be overcome.
Proposals in the following areas are particularly encouraged:
- Empowering students to create their own learning resources, from simple web sites to creating their own computer games
- Using novel forms of assessment, particularly initiatives to replace summative assessment by computer based examinations
- Sharing and self-publishing academic content, in particular managing the legality of publishing through unconventional means
- Personal publishing for students. What issues arise if students are introduced to discussion boards, weblogs and Personal Development Planners?
- Utilising new channels of communication. Are PDAs, mobile phones and handheld devices useful tools in our armoury?
In keeping with the theme of innovation, and in order make the day as useful as possible, we request that papers take the format of a formal presentation, and have an interactive element with the audience.
Talks that describe or demonstrate specific projects, tools and technologies are welcome, but we will give priority to those that do so within the context of the conference questions.
As last year, this conference will be in conjunction with the “Beyond debate” on the following day, which will be advertised shortly.
Please send 300 word abstracts (in-message or RTF) to ltg@oucs.ox.ac.uk Email submissions strongly encouraged! (but address and fax below) DUE DATE: Monday 14th February, 5:00pm.
If you have questions, please contact the coordinators:
Peter Robinson: peter.robinson@oucs.ox.ac.uk
Sophie Clarke: sophie.clarke@oucs.ox.ac.uk
Learning Technologies Group
Oxford University Computing Services
13 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6NN
Tel: 01865 273221 | Fax: 01865 273275
Joint Workshop on Electronic Publishing by DELOS, SVEP and ScieCom
14-15 April, 2005 - Lund, Sweden: http://www.lub.lu.se/epubl_2005_Lund/
Lund University Libraries are arranging a two-day event on aspects of electronic publishing. The workshop is being organised by DELOS NoE http://www.delos.info, SVEP project http://www.svep-projekt.se and ScieCom http://www.sciecom.org
Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Authoring tools with features supporting Digital Library management and services
- Integrating advanced features into institutional repository platforms (DSpace, EPrints etc.)
- High quality OAI-services based on metadata improvement and metadata creation/extraction support
- Supporting semantic interoperability in e-publishing environments
- E-journal publication software (review features, integration with pre-print archives and digital library services etc.)
- Long-term preservation and curation of institutional e-publishing output
- Other related topics (e.g.: e-publishing of multimedia formats; e-publishing-related curriculum for a Digital Library PhD programme)
Call for Submissions:
Extended abstracts are invited for papers and workshop presentations. The selection will be carried out by the programme committee on the basis of the abstracts.
Extended abstract submission deadline is February 11, 2005. Advisory length of extended abstracts is one page.
Further information and guidelines on submissions of extended abstracts is to be found at the Workshop Web page http://www.lub.lu.se/epubl_2005_Lund/.
DELOS Workshop
11-13 May 2005, Heraklion, Crete, Greece: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/events/delos-rep-workshop/
This is a joint workshop of the Semantic Interoperability and Preservation clusters of the DELOS Project. DELOS is an interdisciplinary Network of Excellence funded by the European Union to support the development of the next generation of digital library technologies.
Digital repositories as ‘managed collections of digital objects’ are an essential part of the architectural framework within many domains. In this workshop we will focus in particular on the role of repositories within e-learning and e-research and related digital library services, and will consider such repositories as providers of both preservation and access services. Digital repositories support the requirements of a number of communities, and the workshop welcomes participation from content providers and practitioners, as well as those with a research interest in the development of repositories.
Details of the Call for Papers is available at the above Web site.
2nd Annual European Semantic Web Conference
29 May - 1 June 2005, Heraklion, Crete, Greece: http://www.eswc2005.org/
The 2nd Annual European Semantic Web Conference will be held in Heraklion, Crete over 29 May - 1 June 2005. It will present the latest results in research and application in semantic web technologies (including knowledge markup languages, semantic web services, ontology management and more).
ESWC 2005 will also feature a special industry-oriented event providing European industry with an opportunity to become even more familiar with these technologies. It will offer a tutorial programme, focusing on the latest in semantic web technologies.
ESWC 2005 is co-located with a meeting of the Knowledge Web network of excellence. Workshops and meetings of other European Commission 6th Framework Programme projects involved in the semantic web and semantic web technologies will be able to showcase their developments.
DARTS Summer Conference 2005
University, College & Research Group (South West) present: DARTS - Discover Academic Research Training & Support - Summer 2005 Conference. http://www.dartington.ac.uk/conferences/conferencedetails.asp?uid=23
This is a two-day residential conference on libraries supporting research in Higher Education. It is aimed at university librarians and library managers who are actively engaged in supporting research communities. The conference will address issues relating to how libraries can best support academics and researchers across an ever-changing educational environment.
For more information or to make a booking please contact:
Caroline Gale, UCR Treasurer
Main Library, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX1 2SR
Tel: 01392 263884
E-mail: caroline.a.gale@exeter.ac.uk
Conference Announcement and Call for Papers Libraries Without Walls 6
Evaluating the distributed delivery of library services
An international conference organised by CERLIM - The Centre for Research in Library and Information Management
To be held on the Aegean Island of Lesvos, Greece, at the Delphinia hotel, Molyvos http://www.molyvoshotel.com/eng/hotel.htm
16 - 20 September 2005 Cost GBP 450 (including accommodation for four nights)
All papers will be considered by a panel of independent referees.
Papers will be published by Facet Publishing in the LWW Conference Proceedings series.
Presentations at the conference can either be papers of 30 minutes duration or Workshops of 60 minutes. To be considered please submit an abstract (between 400 and 800 words) together with a 50 word biographical statement and a 50 word synopsis of the paper. Please send submissions, preferably by email (as text rather than an attachment), to the address below by 3rd March 2005. Applicants will be informed whether their submissions have been selected during April 2005.
Please note that, as the conference does not aim to make a profit, we are unable to offer discounted conference rates to presenters.
For further information please visit the website at http://www.cerlim.ac.uk/conf/lww6/
ECDL 2005 - Submission Dates
18-23 September, 2005 : Vienna, Austria http://www.ecdl2005.org
ECDL 2005 is the 9th conference in the series of European Digital Library conferences. ECDL has become the major European conference on digital libraries, and associated technical, practical, and social issues, bringing together researchers, developers, content providers and users in the field. ECDL 2005 is jointly organised by the Vienna University of Technology (VUT), the Austrian National Library ( D6NB), and the Austrian Computer Society (OC G).
ECDL 2005 invites original contributions focusing on research and development supporting information access and exploration both from a technology perspective as well as in different application-domains such as science, e-government, cultural heritage, etc.
Topics of contributions include (but are not limited to):
- Concepts of Digital Libraries and Digital Documents
- System Architectures, Integration and Interoperability
- Information Organisation, Search and Usage
- User Studies and System Evaluation
- Digital Preservation
- Digital Library Applications
Important Dates:
* Workshop Proposal Deadline: 18 February 2005 Proposals should be sent to workshops@ecdl2005.org.
* Paper Submission Deadline: 1 March 2005 Submissions should be submitted to the ECDL2005 submission system.
* Tutorial Proposal Submission Deadline: 1 March 2005 Proposals should be sent to tutorials@ecdl2005.org.
* Panel Proposal Deadline: 1 March 2005 Proposals should be sent to panels@ecdl2005.org.
* Doctoral Consortium Submission deadline: 4 April 2005 Proposals should be sent to doctoral_consortium@ecdl2005.org
* Poster and Demo Submission Deadline: 1 May 2005 Posters and Demos should be submitted to the ECDL2005 submission system.
* Paper Acceptance Notifications: 15 May 2005
* Final Version of Papers: 3 June 2005
* Conference: 18-23 September 2005
Free Access to the Cochrane Library via Athens
All UK HE and FE will be able to access The Cochrane Library free of charge via Athens following an agreement between JISC and Wiley InterScience Inc.
The Cochrane Library is a unique source of reliable and up-to-date information on the effects of interventions in health care. Published on a quarterly basis, The Cochrane Library is designed to provide information and evidence to support decisions taken in health care and to inform those receiving care. The Cochrane Library consists of a regularly updated collection of evidence-based medicine databases.
In order to register your institution please contact Jackie Cahoon, Senior Account Manager at JCahoon@wiley.co.uk.
For further information and to access The Cochrane Library please go to http://www.thecochranelibrary.com.
For further information on the JISC agreement please contact Liam Earney, JISC Collections Manager, L.Earney@jisc.ac.uk
[Received: November 2004]
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£10m programme to save the world’s historical and cultural records
Representatives from the international historical, conservation and diplomatic worlds gathered today at the British Library to mark the launch of the Endangered Archives Programme - a £10 million joint initiative between the British Library and the Lisbet Rausing Charitable Fund to help save the world’s endangered archives.
Speakers at the event included Professor Peter Baldwin trustee of the Lisbet Rausing Charitable Fund and Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library. The historian William Dalrymple, writer and presenter Michael Wood, Professor David Cannadine, Director of the Institute of Historical Research, historians Simon Schama and Niall Ferguson also pledged their support for the Programme.
The largest of its kind ever undertaken in the world, the programme will be administered by the British Library in conjunction with a panel of international experts deciding on the allocation of the grants. Institutions and academic researchers will be able to apply for grants to help identify endangered records and re-locate them to institutional archives in their local region. A copy will be maintained in a master archive at the British Library. This will ensure no original material is removed from its cultural home and copies will be accessible on an international basis. The Programme will also provide bursaries for overseas librarians and archivists for work attachments at the British Library to foster better archival management and preservation in the longer-term.
Application forms for both grants and bursaries are already available on the British Library’s web-site at http://www.bl.uk/endangeredarchives
The first round of awards will take place in May 2005.
[Received: November 2004]
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DigiCULT Thematic Issue 7 - Now Available
The Future Digital Heritage Space. An Expedition Report, December 2004
This report summarises the results of an expedition into the possible future of digital heritage in the next 10-15 years.
It is based on contributions from researchers, heritage experts and professionals to a DigiCULT online forum as well as the project’s ongoing research.
The report is intended as a navigation tool for boards and directors of heritage organisations and research centres, IT project managers, and curators of digital collections, virtual exhibitions and environments. It cautions that the next waves of innovative ICT systems and applications may significantly shape and re-shape the digital landscape in which heritage organisations reside. For many organisations this could result in becoming ‘blind spots’ in an emerging ambient intelligence environment. As the places and roles of digital heritage in this environment need to be discussed and prepared, the report also gives recommendations which may be useful for ensuring the creation of a thriving and inclusive future digital heritage space.
Download Thematic Issue 7: (10 MB) http://www.digicult.info/downloads/dc_thematic_issue7.pdf
[Received: December 2004]
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Caring for the Past Made Easier: Conservation Register Available Online
All those concerned with the care of art and heritage can now find detailed information on conservation-restoration practices in the UK and Ireland at http://www.conservationregister.com . The Conservation Register website helps individuals and organisations:
- find a conservator by choosing from the wide range of categories such as paintings, textiles, books or ceramics
- view detailed information on each practice including contact details, training and qualifications, professional accreditations, charging policies and descriptions of recent work
- follow online links to conservators’ email addresses and websites (where available)
The website provides guidance on choosing and working with conservators and information on caring for a range of collections and materials. This, combined with the details provided on individual practices, helps owners and custodians to choose the professional best suited to their needs.
Heritage organisations can login to the website for a wider range of search facilities including project management, technical analysis or exhibition advice. Organisations may also wish to refer their own enquiries to the Register as an impartial source of advice, either directly to the website or to our supporting telephone service.
The Conservation Register website was created as part of a three year development project which has received financial support from MLA, English Heritage, Historic Scotland, The Pilgrim Trust, the UK Institute for Conservation, the Institute of Paper Conservation, the Clothworkers’ Foundation and the Glaziers Trust.
For further information please contact: Caroline Saye, Register Development Officer 020 7721 8246, register@ukic.org.uk
[Received: December 2004]
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Moving Image and Sound Resources for A-Level English and Drama
The BUFVC is introducing a new series of subject specific catalogues with Moving Image Resources for A-Level English and Drama. This catalogue aims specifically to provide comprehensive details of materials that support the 2004-2005 A-Level English and Drama curricula in the UK, but also includes much that is of wider application and interest to the post-sixteen sector. Some 250 authors and over 400 of their works have been culled from a variety sources (including the national examination boards), with the express intention of providing reliable and up-to-date information on moving image and sound resources which complement the hundreds of authors and texts selected.
The catalogue identifies videotapes, commercial and specialist DVD releases, CD-ROMs, audio cassettes, compact discs, online materials, and the few remaining titles that can still be obtained on 16mm film. Details are provided as to suitability, content, format, price and availability, with contact details for all relevant distributors provided. It also contains a complete list of the texts for the 2004-05 UK exam boards.
Copies can be purchased from the BUFVC. For more details please call 020 7393 1500 or got to the Web site at: http://www.bufvc.ac.uk/publications/catalogues.html
[Received: November 2004]
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Outstanding library and archive collections to be Designated under national scheme
30 November 2004 - The Designation Scheme, which since 1997 has identified the outstanding collections held in England’s non-national museums, opens to applications from England’s libraries and archives today.
The new, extended Scheme, run by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), will identify library and archive collections in non-national institutions which are deemed of national or international importance.
Designation brings a range of benefits. Amongst advantages reported by museums currently holding Designated collections are:
- strengthened support form their governing bodies
- enhanced ability to raise funds to support the collection
- added profile-raising at a national level through MLA’s promotional materials and press coverage
- the creation of a local focus for advocacy and awareness-raising
MLA is now inviting applications from libraries and archives and joint applications from existing formal partnerships of organisations with complementary collections, which can demonstrate that their collection is of pre-eminent quality and significance.
Full guidance notes and an application form are available to download from the MLA website at http://www.mla.gov.uk/action/designation/00desig.asp or contact Yvette Burrows, Designation Adviser yvette.burrows@mla.gov.uk, tel: 020 7273 1409, to request an application pack. The deadline for applications is 11 April 2005. Announcement of successful applicants will be made by the end of September 2005.
[Received: December 2004]
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Working class heritage celebrated in shortlist for £100,000 Gulbenkian museum prize
The UK’s industrial and working class heritage is celebrated in the shortlist for Britain’s biggest single arts prize, The Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year, annoounced 14 January 2005.
Six of the ten shortlisted museums, which cover the length and breadth of the British Isles, owe much to the fast-vanishing heavy industry of the UK. They include a restored pit in south Wales; the new National Railway Museum in County Durham; the reworked Transport Museum in Coventry, home of the motor industry; 19th century Back to Back housing in Birmingham; a new museum based on the fishing industry in Great Yarmouth; and a community project in north Devon centred on the local furniture manufacturer.
They compete with the lavish new galleries at Compton Verney, a testament to one man’s lifelong passion for art, a multi-million pound building programme at The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, London’s newly-opened Foundling Museum, and a tiny community project on the recently storm-swept island of North Uist.
Four finalists will be announced on 18 March, and the winner of the prize, which is supported by MLA, will be announced on 26 May.
For further information contact:
Ruth Cairns, Anna Mayall or Liz Sich at Colman Getty PR
Telephone: 020 7631 2666 Fax: 020 7631 2699
Email: ruth@colmangettypr.co.uk
Press release: http://www.mla.gov.uk/news/press_article.asp?articleid=767
[Received: January 2005]
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OCLC Research Sponsors Software Contest to Encourage Innovation
OCLC Research announced a contest intended to give developers an outlet for creative software development of library services. Contestants can enter by going to
http://www.oclc.org/research/researchworks/contest/
The OCLC Research Software Contest is intended to encourage innovation and development of Web-based services for libraries and library users. Contestants will be challenged to think differently about their environments by working with deconstructed functional components of library services.
The prize is $2500 US. Entries will be accepted until 15 May 2005.
Entries will be judged by a panel of expert practitioners and academicians from OCLC and the library/information community:
Contest Judges http://www.oclc.org/research/researchworks/contest/judges.htm
[Received: January 2005]
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Success of Renaissance Scheme Spurs Extension to Museums across England
Museums across the length and breadth of England will be extending and enriching their services as a result of new long-term funding opportunities for the Renaissance in the Regions programme managed by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). Back in 2002, MLA launched a Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)-funded programme worth £30m a year to transform museums in England’s regions. The North East, South West and West Midlands received significant levels of Renaissance in the Regions funding and the result has been a resounding success. A 30% increase in museum visits by school children has been matched by major improvements in collections display and care resulting in significant increases in the loan of collections from the national museums.
DCMS has now allocated additional funding to bring the long-term investment up to £45 million by 2008. In the light of the successes achieved by the pilot regions, MLA’s Board has agreed that this new funding should be used to raise consistently levels of investment in services in the remaining six English regions.
Welcoming the MLA Board’s decision, Arts Minister Estelle Morris said: “Three years ago the Government decided to put investment directly into the best of our regional collections through the Renaissance programme. This was a first for us, and showed our commitment to supporting the whole of the museums community. Further funding was announced last year. I am delighted that the MLA have decided to use this money to get a nationwide programme underway so that everyone, regardless of where they live, will get better access to the best of our cultural heritage.“
[Received: January 2005]
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