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

Introducing The Source

Embracing the future, preserving our past (Note: PDF)

From the National Archives website

'Embracing the future, preserving our past' is a new publication explaining what The National Archives is and what we do.

It describes our strategic priorities for this year, shows why they are important to us, and demonstrates how they are relevant to the work that we do now and our plans for the coming months. It also shows the breadth of the services we provide for members of the public, for government and for the archive sector across the UK.


Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World (Note: PDF)

From the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) website

The genesis of this report was a discussion between colleagues in the Higher Education Academy and the Joint Information Systems Committee. It arose from the observation of exponentially increasing use of Web 2.0 technologies, particularly – but not exclusively – by those of school age. Alongside this was the perception that this use was not only changing behaviour – for example the crossover of the typical time watching TV in favour of time spent online – but was also changing attitudes. By 2007 such changes were, anecdotally, beginning to be noticed in students who had recently entered higher education, and not just in the way they spent their time and accessed the web, but also in their views of their place in the institution and their expectation of participation and influence. Our hope is that this report provides a coherent and accessible account of the potential for Web 2.0 technologies in higher education and that our recommendations will enable higher education institutions (HEIs) and the agencies which support them to navigate their own paths in such interesting times.


University Scholarly Knowledge Inventory System: A Workflow System for Institutional Repositories (Note: PDF)

From the E-prints in Library and Information Science (E-LIS) website

This report provides workspace for institutional repository staff. U-SKIS tracks files, communications, and publishers’ archiving policies to determine what may be added to a repository. A team at the University of Utah developed the system as part of a strategy to gather previously published peer-reviewed articles. As campus outreach programs developed, coordinators quickly amassed thousands of journal articles requiring copyright research and permission. This article describes the creation of U-SKIS, addresses the educational role U-SKIS plays in the scholarly communication arena, and explores the implications of implementing scalable workflow systems for other digital collections.


Moving into multiple business models: Outlook for Newspaper Publishing in the Digital Age (Note: PDF)

From the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) website

The global publishing industry is going through a period of turmoil, as broadband penetration rises and new devices for delivering digital content arrive on the scene. Consumers are increasingly switching from traditional print media to digital media, although the manner in which they are making the transition varies with age, gender and nationality. In this study, we have examined the outlook for newspaper publishers, advertisers and media buyers, as they adapt to the digital revolution and deal with a global economic slowdown.


The Next Age of Discovery

From the Wall Street Journal website

In a 21st-century version of the age of discovery, teams of computer scientists, conservationists and scholars are fanning out across the globe in a race to digitize crumbling literary treasures.

Some manuscripts are in poor condition, like this worm-eaten, 17th-century Christian Arabic Book of Hours from Balamand Monastery, Lebanon.
In the process, they're uncovering unexpected troves of new finds, including never-before-seen versions of the Christian Gospels, fragments of Greek poetry and commentaries on Aristotle. Improved technology is allowing researchers to scan ancient texts that were once unreadable -- blackened in fires or by chemical erosion, painted over or simply too fragile to unroll. Now, scholars are studying these works with X-ray fluorescence, multispectral imaging used by NASA to photograph Mars and CAT scans used by medical technicians.


IdeaPaint

From Stephen's Lighthouse blog (Stephan Abram)

IdeaPaint is a single coat roller applied paint that turns any smooth surface into a dry-erase writing surface. It can be used to transform office walls, desks, and hallways into collaborative spaces. With IdeaPaint, work environments become areas of increased functionality that evoke creativity and impromptu teamwork and cultivate innovation by providing a dry-erase writing surface without seams, borders, or restrictions. IdeaPaint can be used in a myriad of ways including in open work areas, conference rooms, offices, hallways, and even on columns."