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

Introducing The Source

An Introduction to Digital Audio

From the JISC Digital Media website

A guide to the theory of digital audio, explaining the process of analogue to digital conversion and how sound is represented and stored in digital form.


Digital Britain: The Interim Report (Note: PDF)

From the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport website

The UK Government has published a plan to secure Britain's place at the forefront of the global digital economy. The interim report contains more than 20 recommendations, including specific proposals on:
* next generation networks
* universal access to broadband
* the creation of a second public service provider of scale
* the modernisation of wireless radio spectrum holdings
* a digital future for radio
* a new deal for digital content rights
* enhancing the digital delivery of public services


Smart 2020: Enabling the low carbon economy in the information age (Note: PDF)

From the Climate Group website

This report is the world’s first comprehensive global study of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector’s growing significance for the world’s climate. The report’s supporting analysis shows that while ICT’s own sector footprint - currently two per cent of global emissions - will almost double by 2020, ICT’s unique ability to monitor and maximise energy efficiency both within and outside of its own sector could cut CO2 emissions by up to five times this amount. Although tele-working, video-conferencing, e-paper, and e-commerce are increasingly commonplace, the report notes that replacing physical products and services with their virtual equivalents is only one part of the estimated low carbon benefits the ICT sector can deliver.


Information literacy the 'democratic right' of every learner (Note: PODCAST)

From the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) website

Information literacy has become a key concern of many in the education sector and beyond. In this podcast interview, John Crawford and Christine Irving of the Scottish Information Literacy project, talk to Philip Pothen about their work in the education sector, in the workplace, with libraries, and with government agencies and argue that information literacy is the 'democratic right' of every learner, and a central element of lifelong learning.


The state of the nation: A snapshot of Australian institutional repositories

From the First Monday website

This paper provides the first full description of the status of Australian institutional repositories. Australia presents an interesting case because of the government’s support of institutional repositories and open access. A survey of all 39 Australian universities conducted in September 2008 shows that 32 institutions have active repositories and by end of 2009, 37 should have repositories. The total number of open access items has risen dramatically since January 2006. Five institutions reported they have an institution-wide open access mandate, and eight are planning to implement one. Only 20 universities have funding for their repository staff and 24 universities have funding for their repository platform, either as ongoing recurrent budgeting or absorbed into their institutions’ budgets. The remaining are still project funded. The platform most frequently used for Australian repositories is Fedora with Vital. Most of the remaining sites use EPrints or DSpace.


Shared Print Policy Review Report: RLG Partnership Shared Print Collections Working Group (Note: PDF)

From Lorcan Dempsey's blog

A review of selected policy documents related to collaborative management of library print collections was undertaken by the RLG Shared Print Working Group in early 2008, with the goal of identifying common elements that might form the basis of a policy framework based on pragmatic examples of inter-institutional cooperation.
While other studies have explored the motivations, intent and institutional practices associated with library print collection sharing, our more narrowly-scoped exercise focused instead on a close reading of the joint agreements that memorialise shared intent by formalizing institutional commitments and terms in writing. Following on a previous study that examined current practices in the off-site storage of library collections and identified opportunities for deeper collaboration within and across shared print archives, our policy review project was intended to measure the gap between principled statements of community interest and the binding partnership agreements that put those commitments to the test.


Transformational Times: an Environmental Scan prepared for the ARL Strategic Plan Review Task Force

From Stephen Abram's blog

This is a step in the Association of Research Libraries' (ARL) 2009 project to renew their strategic plan to guide the Association in setting priorities and organising its activities for the next several years, a time that is expected to present unprecedented challenges and concomitant opportunities to research libraries. Rather than comprehensively summarizing trends in the scholarly communication system as a whole, the trends identified here were selected because of their particular relevance to the research library.


Overcoming inequality: why governance matters (Note: PDF)

From the UNESCO website

Education is a basic human right. Yet across the world there are vast disparities in education based on wealth, gender, location, language and other markers for disadvantage. These disparities threaten to undermine efforts to achieve the six Education for All (EFA) goals agreed by over 160 governments in 2000. Failure to place strategies for greater equity at the centre of the EFA agenda will deny millions of children, youth and adults the education and learning opportunities they need to realize their potential, escape poverty and participate fully in society.
This is the seventh edition of the EFA Global Monitoring Report and documents progress towards the EFA goals. The Report includes statistical indicators on all levels of education in some 200 countries and territories, and serves as an authoritative reference guide.


Twitter and status updating (Note: PDF)

From the Pew Internet & American Life Project website

In the past three years, developments in social networking and internet applications have begun providing internet users with more opportunities for sharing short updates about themselves, their lives, and their whereabouts online. Users may post messages about their status, their moods, their location and other tidbits on social networks and blogging sites, or on applications for sending out short messages to networks of friends like Twitter, Yammer and others.
As of December 2008, 11% of online American adults said they used a service like Twitter or another service that allowed them to share updates about themselves or to see the updates of others.