Article from BBC News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12308374
is it really the end of the print book as we know it?
E-books over take print books in sales figures
January 31, 2011M-libraries conference, Brisbane 2011 – mobile technologies
August 5, 2010Folk who are already experimenting with mobile technologies to deliver services may care to note that the theme for the Third International M-libraries Conference next year is ‘Mobile technologies – information on the move’.
The conference is in Brisbane, Australia (11 to 13 May 2011).
Image reproduced under a Creative Commons licence from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyron/256757561/
It is hosted by the University of Southern Queensland in collaboration with Athabasca University, the Open University, Thompson Rivers University and Emerald Group Publishing.
Nicky Whitsed (OU) has posted the call for papers on LIS-LINK today. The conference will bring together researchers, technical developers, managers and library practitioners to exchange experience and expertise and generate ideas for future developments.
The organisers are seeking papers on the following themes:
1. Emerging mobile technologies (including platforms, devices and software)
2. Delivering new mobile services to users
3. New mobile applications (technical)
4. Mobile users (e.g. studies of requirements and/or behaviour)
5. Development of content for mobiles (including OERs, commercially published, user‑generated etc.)
6. Privacy and mobiles
7. Copyright issues for mobile delivery
Abstracts (up to 300 words) should go to M‑Libraries‑Conference@open.ac.uk by November 1st. So, if you fancy Australia in May, get an abstract in and we might just see the third M-libraries conference fielding a NoWAL speaker!
Working in a digital age: the Tenth Anniversary Ebooks Conference Edinburgh 21st October 2010
August 2, 2010Originally posted on Lis-Link by Catherine Kearney
SLIC/SCURL/MmITS/SALCTG
Working in a digital age: the Tenth Anniversary Ebooks Conference Edinburgh 21st October 2010
With Amazon predicting that e-books will overtake paperbacks by the end of 2011 and libraries around the country launching digital collections there’s never been a more appropriate time to discuss ebooks and libraries.
We are pleased to announce that our programme includes presentations on:
• the strategic landscape for ebooks and libraries
• digital literacy
• the Google generation
• mobile learning
• the implications of the Digital Economy Act 2010
• e-procurement
The event is being held in the magnificent surroundings of Edinburgh’s Playfair Library and includes a supplier exhibition. A full programme will be available shortly.
Booking is now open and delegate rates are being held at last year’s prices:
Earlybird rate (until end of September) £65 + VAT (thereafter £85 + VAT)
Online booking can be completed at: http://www.slainte.org.uk/events/EvntShow.cfm?uEventID=2507
Times Higher covers call for open access to academic knowledge
August 2, 2010Times Higher 29 July contains coverage of comments made by Brian Lamb at the Open Educational Resources International Symposium, which was sponsored by JISC.
Brian Lamb is manager of emerging technologies and digital content at the University of British Columbia.
Reproduced under a creative commons licence from
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He called for open access to academic knowledge – and by this, he did not just mean content. THE quotes him:
“Yes, we want open content, but also open source tools, the adoption of open standards, open data and open and transparent practices”.
He went on to add that the social imperative for institutions to share knowledge on the web was, in his view, self-evident.
Brian Lamb has a blog, which he titles: Abject learning – social learning, open education and petty battles with rivals over power and money…
The THE coverage is at http://bit.ly/a3tO3n
NoWAL folk might want to look at this – the piece has already attracted a healthy crop of comments. Many of these address the question of whether or not intellectual property has ‘tangible value’ like physical artefacts.
Resource Discovery Taskforce Vision
July 29, 2010I note that JISC and Research Libraries UK have published their joint vision for resource discovery. The vision, which is called One to many; many to one has been produced after 18 months of work by a team including members from the two lead bodies and the national libraries, as well as UKOLN, RIN and others.
In the words of the pdf document which has now been added to the ie-repository.jisc.ac.uk site:
“UK researchers and students will have easy, flexible and ongoing access to content and services through a collaborative, aggregated and integrated resource discovery framework which is comprehensive, open and sustainable”.
The document also contains a diagram showing the vision in graphic form, together with:
- How the vision came into being
- The objectives which it is intended to achieve
- Necessary preconditions for success
- Proposed implementation
- Proposed timescale
- Key targets to be met by 2012.
The vision document is available here and a full account of the development of the vision is available at
