Tim Daniels (Evergreen), Diana Weaver (Koha), and Andrew Nagy (VuFind) offered in their respective presentations timelines of various ILS opensource software and the challenges of choosing one and implementing it locally or regionally (consortia). All three pointed out the financial benefits of using open source software as well as the ability of institutions who use these software to have management control instead of relying on vendors for assistance and constant changes from one version of the same software to the other. More details will be posted later
Two new ISO items: Terminology markup and Statistical data and Metadata Exchange
Cindy Hepfer, ALA Voting representative to NISO, has forwarded two additional items for comment. First is a systematic review ballot of ISO 116642 : 2003, Computer applications in terminology –Terminological markup framework. She notes that our vote options on this ballot are Confirm (as is), Revise/Amend, Withdraw (the standard), or Abstain (from the vote). Comments are required for all votes other than Confirm. The scope statement in the standard states: ‘This International Standard specifies a framework designed to provide guidance on the basic principles for representing data recorded in terminological data collections. This framework includes a meta-model and methods for describing specific terminological markup languages (TMLs) expressed in XML. The mechanisms for implementing constraints in a TML are defined in this International Standard, but not the specific constraints for individual TMLs, except for the three TMLs defined in Annexes B to D.†“This International Standard is designed to support the…
ISO/DIS 12620: Terminology and other language and content resources
The ALA Voting Representative to NISO, Cindy Hepfer, has passed on a request for comment with a very short review turnaround. ISO/DIS 12620, Terminology and other language and content resources–Specification of data categories and management of a Data Category Registry for language resources is out for ballot and Cindy needs comments by this Friday (yes, Friday, Oct. 17). She sent it out a week ago, right after she got the notification from NISO, but it hit my inbox while I was down for the count, virally speaking, so most of the delay is my fault–mea culpa! From Cindy’s mail: “The scope note in the draft standard reads as follows: “This International Standard provides guidelines concerning constraints related to the implementation of a Data Category Registry (DCR) applicable to all types of language resources, e.g., terminological, lexicographical, corpus-based, machine translation, etc. It specifies mechanisms for creating, selecting and maintaining data categories,…
Don't miss out on the LITA National Forum
Online registration is still available for the LITA National Forum, October 16 – 19, 2008 at the Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, OH. http://www.lita.org/forum2008 Keynote sessions will feature Tim Spalding, founder and developer of LibraryThing.com, Michael Porter of WebJunction (be sure to check out http://libraryman.com/blog/ for details on his presentation), and R. David Lankes of the Information Institute of Syracuse University. New this Year: Open Gaming Night on Saturday LITA’s Opening Gaming Night is your chance to experience the thrills, chills, and occasional spills that are part of gaming @ the library. If video games intrigue you, try your hand at tennis, learn to sing and dance like a rock star, or drive a high octane race car. Board games are your chance to show off your strategy skills, demonstrate your dexterity, and finally to outwit your colleagues. Visit http://www.lita.org/forum2008 for more information on sessions, preconferences, and hotel accommodations.
Official Call for Volunteer Bloggers at Forum 2008
The LITA National Forum will be held October 16 – 19, 2008 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The LITA Blog will, of course, be there to report on the happenings — sharing as much of the fun and learning as possible with those who cannot attend this year. But, as always, we need your help! Do you like to write? Looking for new ways to get involved? Take this opportunity to become a LITA Blogger! The blog schedule for Forum has been posted and will be updated as we receive volunteers. There are many sessions to be covered on a variety of topics, so your help is needed more than ever. If you are interested, please email Michele Mizejewski and let her know what session(s) you would like to cover and if you are new to LITA Blog. We will be taking volunteers up to and during the conference.
Nominations sought for prestigious Kilgour Research award
Nominations are invited for the 2009 Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology, sponsored by OCLC, Inc. and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The deadline for nominations is December 31, 2008. The Kilgour Research Award recognizes research relevant to the development of information technologies, in particular research which shows promise of having a positive and substantive impact on any aspect of the publication, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information or how information and data are manipulated and managed. The Kilgour award consists of $2,000 cash, an award citation and an expense paid trip to the ALA Annual Conference (airfare and two nights lodging). Nominations will be accepted from any member of the American Library Association. Successful nominating letters will address how the research is relevant to libraries; is creative in its design or methodology; builds on…
Still time to register for the National Forum
Online registration will be available until September 30; if you have already registered, consider adding a preconference to your existing registration by faxing the printable form to the LITA Office. The 2008 LITA National Forum will be held October 16 – 19, 2008 at the Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, OH. In addition to keynote sessions, there are over 30 concurrent sessions, poster sessions, and networking opportunities planned where you’re sure to find practical advice, new ideas, and tested solutions to technological issues you encounter every day. Hope to see you in Cincinnati!
Nominations open for the 2009 LITA/Library Hi-Tech Award
Nominations are being accepted for the 2009 LITA/Library Hi Tech Award, which is given each year to an individual or institution for outstanding achievement in communication for continuing education in library and information technology. Sponsored by the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and Library Hi Tech, the award includes a citation of merit and a $1,000 stipend provided by Emerald Publishing Group, publishers of Library Hi Tech. The deadline for nominations is December 1, 2008. The award, given to either an individual or an institution, may recognize a single seminal work or a body of work, created during or continuing into the five years immediately preceding the award year. The body of work need not be limited to published texts, but can include course plans or actual courses and/or non-print publications such as visual media, for example. More information and a…
Electronic document file format for long-term preservation–Part 1: Use of PDF 1.4
Cindy Hepfer, ALA Voting Representative to NISO, reports to us that there is an ongoing systematic review of the published standard, ISO 19005-1, Document management: Electronic document file format for long-term preservation–Part 1: Use of PDF 1.4 (PDF/A-1). She points out that the intent for ISO 19005 was to have a “family” of standards, allowing the creation of future parts, which can provide compatibility with future versions of the underlying PDF specification without rendering Part 1 of the document, or applications based on PDF Version 1.4, obsolete. Currently there are two other parts in development: ISO 19005-2 which will be based upon ISO 32000-1 (PDF 1.7) as well as ISO 19005-3 which will address electronic documents containing dynamic media (movies, sounds, 3D, etc.). This is not a NISO standard, but one that is being balloted by ISO. ALA is not voting on the standard itself but rather is providing feedback…
ISO/PDTR 15801, Information stored electronically – Recommendations for trustworthiness
Here is another interesting item in the current wave of important standards activities emanating from ISO, of potential interest to LITA members. According to the announcement that voting members received, “This Technical Report describes means by which it may be demonstrated, at any time, that the contents of a specific electronic object created or existing within a computer system has not changed since it was created within the system or imported into it.” Cindy Hepfer, ALA Voting Representative to NISO, adds some illustrative brief excerpts from the (copyrighted) introduction: “Increasingly, information that has been created, captured and stored electronically is used as evidence of business activities. Such evidence might be required in contract discussions, or in courts of law. This Technical Report defines recommended practices for electronic storage of business or other information in image form. As such, complying with its recommendations is of value to organizations even when the…