The Source: news about digital libraries and library innovations from around the web

Introducing The Source

An interview with Lynne Brindley (Note: Podcast)

From the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) website

Dame Lynne Brindley is the CEO of the British Library and she has led the way in its engagement with the digital environment and in a way that, as she makes clear in the following interview, has particular significance for the education and research sectors. How has the BL gone about this engagement? What were some of the underlying principles behind this engagement?


Social Annotations in Digital Library Collections

From the D-Lib Magazine website

In order to incorporate Web 2.0 functionality effectively, digital libraries must fundamentally recast users not just as content consumers, but as content creators. This article analyses the integration of social annotations – uncontrolled user-generated content – into digital collection items.


Exploring eBooks (Note: Podcast)

From the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) website

Electronic books (e-books) could revolutionise the way in which learners access information. A recent event provided an opportunity to speculate, disseminate and evaluate the current issues and potential future of the e-book within UK further and higher education (HE).


Information matters: building government’s capability in managing knowledge and information (Note: PDF)

From the UK National Archives website

Effectively managing and sharing public sector information has the power to improve individuals’ lives and society as a whole, and even to drive economic growth. This opportunity comes with significant responsibilities, not least to protect individuals’ data and privacy. The pace of change, and the challenges of the digital era, mean we’re not only seeing new opportunities but are also facing new risks. Strong leadership, governance and professionalism in knowledge and information management will be key both to seizing opportunities, and to meeting the challenges ahead. This strategy is designed to help government departments develop the frameworks, tools and culture needed to raise our capability. By improving professionalism in this essential field, in the same way that we have done in other government functions such as finance, IT and communications, we will be ready to seize emerging opportunities, and meet the evolving challenges, of managing information in an information age.


Web 2.0 as Catalyst: Virtually Reaching Out to Users and Connecting Them to Library Resources and Services / Norah Xiao

From the Issues in Science & Technology Librarianship website

This article is based on services to library users in the area of chemistry at the Science and Engineering (S&E) Library of the University of Southern California (USC), to which I applied various new technologies as outreach approaches. Various Web 2.0 technologies such as a blog, tags, YouTube, RSS feeds, Instant Messaging, online presentation and e-surveys have been selected to overcome challenges in the current library framework and to enhance the effectiveness of the approaches. These Web 2.0 technologies function as catalysts which help lower human barriers between my users and me, enable me to reach my users virtually, and attract users to resources from the library as well as various services I provided.


Living and learning with new media: summary of findings from the Digital Youth Project (Note: PDF)

From the Digital Youth Research website

Social network sites, online games, video-sharing sites, and gadgets such as iPods and mobile phones are now fixtures of youth culture. They have so permeated young lives that it is hard to believe that less than a decade ago these technologies barely existed. Today’s youth may be coming of age and struggling for autonomy and identity as did their predecessors, but they are doing so amid new worlds for communication, friendship, play, and self-expression.


Ensuring a bright future for research libraries (Note: PDF)

From the Research Information Network website

This guide aims to help senior managers in the higher education sector to ensure their library and information services keep pace with the evolving needs of researchers. Good library and information services are an essential underpinning for research, just as they are for successful teaching and learning. Success in research, at both national and institutional levels, depends critically on the quality of the information services to which researchers have access.


Social Media Leads the Future of Technology (Note: PDF)

From the Harvard Business School website

From Facebook to smartphones, advances in technology are changing the way we work and communicate. Professor David Yoffie, Max and Doris Starr Professor of International Business Administration at Harvard Business School, led three experts in a recent panel discussion on "The Technology Revolution and its Implications for the Future" at the HBS Centennial Business Summit. Key concepts include:
• A lot of growth potential remains worldwide
• The sticking point for business is spanning the gap between the physical and digital worlds. For example, it remains difficult to figure out consumers' specific intent on the Web
• What people want most of all is technology that is simple to use