LITA Blog

The first issue of Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL) as an open-access, e-only publication is now available, click here.

All LITA members are encouraged to “subscribe” to ITAL via the “Subscribe” link on the right side of the page; just register your e-mail address and you will then automatically get an e-mail notification when a new issue comes out.

As announced to LITA members in early January, ITAL is adopting an open-access, e-only publishing model. This will help ensure the long-term viability of ITAL by making it more accessible, more current, more relevant, and more environmentally friendly. ITAL will continue to feature high-quality articles that have undergone a rigorous peer-review process, but it will also begin expanding content to include more case studies, commentary, and information about topics and trends of interest to the LITA community and beyond. Look for a new scope statement for ITAL shortly on the ITAL website.

With the first open-access, e-only issue launched, the ITAL Editorial Board’s attention will be turned to updating and improving the ITAL website and expanding the back content available. Our goal is to have all of the back issues of both ITAL and its predecessor, Journal of Library Automation (JOLA), openly available from the ITAL site. We’ll also be exploring ways to better integrate the ITALica blog and the ITAL preprints site with the main site.

Suggestions and feedback are welcome: please send to Bob Gerrity, ITAL Editor, at gerrityr (at) bc.edu.

The LITA Executive Committee spring meeting is on Monday, March 19, 2012 from 1:00 to 5:00 and on Tuesday, March 20 from 1:00 to 4:00 Central.

Anyone may sit in on the meeting. Simply click on the following link 10 minutes prior to the start of the meeting: https://ala.ilinc.com/join/jmjkpfx.

This session will use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), you will need either computer speakers or headphones to hear and a microphone if you want to speak during the session or you can submit questions via chat. A USB multi-media headset is recommended. An Audio Settings window will appear once you join the session, select your speaker hardware and microphone hardware from the indicated Device drop-down lists and follow the instructions. If this window does not appear or you have any issues during the session, you can access the Audio Settings by going to Controls > Audio Settings.

The meeting agenda and documents are posted in the LITA Executive Committee Connect community in the 2012 LITA-Executive-Committee-Spring-Meeting folder.

Colleen Cuddy, LITA president, leads the meeting. The protocol for online meetings is the same as for f2f. If you want to speak, please raise your hand. The president will recognize Executive Committee members first and then other participants. Only Executive Committee members may make motions, second them, and vote in accordance with The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure by Sturgis.

If you have any questions, recommendations, or wish to discuss any of this, please leave a comment.

I wanted to let you know about a last-minute change to our upcoming LITA Divisional election. It is with regret that I tell you that one of our Vice President/President-elect candidates, Nina McHale, has withdrawn from the race unexpectedly for personal reasons. The 2012 LITA Nominating Committee—myself as chair, Clara Ruttenberg, and Ron Peterson—went into action very quickly to find a second candidate for the election. This was not an easy task, especially given the very short timeframe in which it had to be done in order to ensure that the proper names appear on the ballot in time for the election.

I’m pleased to announce that Cindi Trainor has agreed to enter her name into the race. Cindi does happen to be a sitting board member with a term that expires in 2013. Aaron Dobbs, the other candidate, is also a sitting Board member with a term that expires this year. It is not unprecedented to have a sitting Board member with time remaining on his/her term, run for President. Nor is it unprecedented to have two sitting Board members face each other for election. It was a daunting task for the Committee to find a candidate on such short notice, but it was vital to us that we first ensure that no Presidential candidate run unopposed in the election, and second that LITA have a good race for the position. I think we have fulfilled these goals, just as we did when the first slate was approved last year.

Please see the 2012 LITA Election Candidates page here: http://www.ala.org/lita/about/election

If you have any questions about any of this, please don’t hesitate to contact either me or Mary Taylor at ALA for any clarifications, concerns, or (I hope) congratulations for the Nominating Committee.

Thanks,
Andrew Pace
pacea (at) oclc.org
Chair, 2012 LITA Nominating Committee

The LITA Top Technology Trends panel discussion at ALA Midwinter in Dallas took place on Sunday, January 22, 2012. This year’s panel of technology experts was a combination of veteran and new faces: Stephen Abram, Gale Cengage Learning , Marshall Breeding, Vanderbilt University Library , Lorcan Dempsey, OCLC , Nina McHale, Arapahoe Library District, Colorado and Sue Polanka, Wright State University Libraries

Each trendster came prepared to discuss two technology trends of their choice. During Round One, the issues presented were:

• frictionless access – smartphone technology that provides unfettered access to services without user interaction (Stephen Abram)
• advent of “enterprise IT staff” for libraries – bringing in professional programmers rather than librarians who like programming (Nina McHale)
• impending demise of the ILS (Marshall Breeding)
• trend toward self-service (Sue Polanka)
• rise of personal institutional curation services (Lorcan Demsey)

Round Two topics were:

• on-demand tipping point– libraries offering a hybrid model to provide the physical experience for users (Stephen Abrams)
• web analytics (Nina McHale)
• reintegration of discovery with the backend systems (Marshall Breeding)
• technologies that take instruction in a different direction, e.g. touch screens (Sue Polanka)
• platform wars in consumer space and the implication for libraries (Lorcan Demsey)

The session was well attended with time allotted in each round for audience comments and questions. The session was also streamed live so that those unable to be there could participate virtually; the recording can be viewed on LITA’s USTREAM channel.

New vacancy listings are posted weekly on Wednesday at approximately 11:00 a.m. Central Time. They appear under New This Week and under the appropriate regional listing. Postings remain on the LITA Job Site for a minimum of four weeks.

New This Week

Director, Information Technology and Information Products, Knowledge and Library Services, Harvard Business School Boston, MI

Director of Library Information Technology,  California State University, Northridge, Northridge, CA

 
Web Services Librarian,  University Library, Sonoma State University,  Rohnert Park, CA

Visit the LITA Job Site for more available jobs and for information on submitting a  job posting.

New vacancy listings are posted weekly on Wednesday at approximately 11:00 a.m. Central Time. They appear under New This Week and under the appropriate regional listing. Postings remain on the LITA Job Site for a minimum of four weeks.

New This Week

Assistant University Librarian for Systems/Assistant Professor,  Eli M  Oboler Library, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID

Associate Director for Library Applications and Knowledge Systems,  UMB-Health Sciences and Human Services Library, Baltimore, MD

Associate Provost for Information Ser – Chief Information Officer (CIO), University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Green Bay, WI

Biomedical Informatics & Emerging Technologies Librarian, The Pennsylvania State University Libraries,  Hershey, PA

Catalog Librarian, Assistant or Associate Professor,  SIU Edwardsville,  Edwardsville, IL

Discovery Services Librarian,  Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

Librarian for Romance Languages and Latin American Studies, Dartmouth College Library,  Hanover,  NH

Systems Librarian,  Belmont University,  Nashville, TN

Visit the LITA Job Site for more available jobs and for information on submitting a  job posting.

New vacancy listings are posted weekly on Wednesday at approximately 11:00 a.m. Central Time. They appear under New This Week and under the appropriate regional listing. Postings remain on the LITA Job Site for a minimum of four weeks.

New This Week

Campus Director, Learning Commons,  Cuyahoga Community College,  Cleveland, OH

Collection Access and Support Services Librarian,  The Pennsylvania State University Libraries,  Hershey, PA

Dean of Library and Academic Support,  Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, MA

Learning Design Librarian, Millersville University, Millersville PA

Science Data Librarian, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT

Special Projects Librarian, Library Information Technology,  University of Michigan,  Ann Arbor, MI

Software Engineer, MIT Libraries, Cambridge, MA

Visit the LITA Job Site for more available jobs and for information on submitting a  job posting.

The LITA Board is meeting online on Friday, February 24, 2012 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

Anyone may join the meeting by clicking the following link 10 minutes prior to the start of the meeting:
https://wfu.webex.com/wfu/j.php?ED=149563712&UID=1233236302&PW=NZDdkYzliZTA4&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D.
The meeting number is 643 511 814. You will be provided a few connectivity options. If a password is required, enter the meeting password: LITA.

Lauren Pressley, LITA Board director-at-large, is hosting this meeting. If you have any technical questions, please contact Lauren at pressllm (at) wfu.edu. The meeting agenda and documents will be posted in the LITA Board Connect Community.

If you have any questions, recommendations, or wish to discuss any of this, please leave a comment.

The 2012 LITA National Forum Committee seeks proposals for high quality pre-conferences, concurrent sessions and poster sessions for the 15th annual LITA National Forum to be held in Columbus, Ohio, October 4-7, 2012.

The 2012 theme is: New World of Data: Discover. Connect. Remix.

Due Date for proposals: February 17, 2012.

The committee is especially interested in presentations highlighting projects that are experimental or involve risk-taking.

Find additional information and submit a proposal at: http://connect.ala.org/node/164487.

New vacancy listings are posted weekly on Wednesday at approximately 11:00 a.m. Central Time. They appear under New This Week and under the appropriate regional listing. Postings remain on the LITA Job Site for a minimum of four weeks.

New This Week

Circulation Supervisor,  Oregon State University Libraries, Corvallis, OR

Library Applications Development Manager,  University of Massachusetts Boston,  Boston, MA

Postdoctoral Research Associate – Digital Humanities,  University of Virginia Law Library, Charlottesville  VI

Visit the LITA Job Site for more available jobs and for information on submitting a  job posting.