techMETRO

Digitech Newsletter :: December 2009

METRO "Planning Our Digital Future" Conference Identifies Top Priorities for Digital Library Initiatives On November 2-3, 2009, the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) held the Planning Our Digital Future conference at the organization’s offices in New York. Fifty attendees representing all types and sizes of METRO member institutions participated in the day and half event. Representatives from all types of METRO’s member organizations participated, including hospital, public, academic, archives, museum library and archives. Deans and directors of large and small libraries and archives participated as well as digital librarians, technologists, and faculty in graduate programs in information studies. The conference focused on one question: "What is the future direction of digital programs in the METRO region?" METRO will be reviewing the recommendations to develop a plan within the context of METRO’s strategic priorities and funding. Read the Executive Summary of the meeting here:(pdf) http://bit.ly/7YiWlu Digital Preservation Workshop Series Continues Through December and January Over 35 people attended the first workshop in the Digital Preservation Workshop series here at METRO on November 4. Couldn't make it to the first workshop? Not a problem. Participants who sign up for the second or third workshop will receive access to an online portal of digital preservation resources to get up-to-speed. Remaining workshops include: December 16, 2009 Risk Assessment for Digital Collections Instructors: Tom Clareson (Lyrasis) and Liz Bishoff (BCR) Complete workshop details and registration: http://bit.ly/vyB07. January 28, 2010 Digital Preservation Tools, Systems, and Services Instructor: Tyler Walters (Georgia Institute of Technology) Complete workshop details and registration: http://bit.ly/3TyDqm. Digital Collection Spotlight: The Juilliard School's Digital Resources Each month we take a moment to share digital collections created by METRO members. Recommend a collection for the spotlight by emailing jkucsma@metro.org. This month we take a look at a few digital collections from The Juilliard School. First, we have the full text access to a periodical from early in The Juilliard School's history. The Baton (1922-1932) documented activities of the Institute of Musical Art, Juilliard's predecessor institution, which was founded by Frank Damrosch in 1905. Second, we have The Juilliard Review, which was published from 1954-1962 and edited by Sheila Keats. The Juilliard Review included many articles of scholarly interest as well as selected information on School activities. Finally, we have the Ruth Dana Collection of First and Early Editions of Liszt's Piano Works. Donated to Juilliard in 1914, the Ruth Dana Collection includes almost 200 first and early editions of Franz Liszt’s original piano works, transcriptions, and arrangements. Images of the scores (in PDF format) are linked to bibliographic records in Juilliard's library catalog, under Ruth Dana Collection of Liszt Editions Nnju. The Juilliard School Library's digital resources page also includes a slick Interactive Timeline of Juilliard History. View more digital collections at digitalMETRO, an online directory of digital collections created and maintained by METRO libraries. "Uncovering Stories" at Columbia University Libraries' Assessment Forum Michael Lascarides, User Analyst in the Digital Experience Group at New York Public Library, spoke last week at the Columbia University Libraries Assessment Forum -- "an opportunity for staff at the Libraries and our colleagues in the community to learn about successful assessment projects at nearby college and university libraries." The forums are organized by the Columbia University Libraries Assessment Working Group. Download slides from Lascarides's presentation or listen to the recording here:http://bit.ly/6HpwzA. "D is for Digitize" Conference Tackles Google Books Settlement The Institute for Information Law & Policy at New York Law School hosted a two-day conference on October 8 and 9, 2009 to help make sense of the Google Books Settlement. The conference was intended to demystify the settlement and did so with a diverse group of academics and practitioners that "examined the settlement through the lenses of copyright, civil procedure, antitrust, information policy, literary culture, and the publishing industry." Streaming videos from the presentations are available here, and Peter Hirtle has assembled a useful digest of highlights from the conference here. Internet Librarian Conference Resources Getting time off and funding for professional development travel has become increasingly difficult for librarians. While many of us would have loved to travel to Monterey for the Internet Librarian 2009 (IL2009) Conference, it just wasn't in the cards (or the budget) for a lot of us. In an attempt to bring a small slice of the good work that the Information Today people do back to NYC, METRO hosted a panel featuring short presentations from presenters and attendees from IL2009. Our guest presenters included Joe Murphy (Yale University), Karen Schneiderman (Brooklyn Law School), Margaret Smith (NYU), and Lisa Carlucci Thomas (Southern Connecticut State University). In addition to the panel, we've also compiled links to Internet Librarian Conference resources, including links to presentations and videos here: http://bit.ly/12t4YC. Digitization and Emerging Tech Workshops and Events December: 07 - Information and Communication Technology Literacy in the Library. Details: http://bit.ly/VHXUy 08 - Digitization Site Visit: Jewish Theological Seminary. Details:http://bit.ly/2WBEY 10 - Smart Phone and Mobile Computing Special Interest Group. 3:00-4:30 at METRO. RSVP to nancy.glassman@einstein.yu.edu. 15 - Grant Writing for Digitization and Preservation Projects. Details:http://bit.ly/4wNl3c 16 - Risk Assessment for Digital Collections. Details:http://bit.ly/vyB07 January: 28 - Digital Preservation Tools, Systems, and Services. Details:http://bit.ly/3TyDqm Add these and other related events around NY and the world to your Google Calendar by subscribing to the METRO Calendar: http://bit.ly/metrocalendar. The complete Fall METRO schedule is now available online here: http://bit.ly/METRO_Fall2009 Newsfeed  The best of November's Tweets from the tweetMETRO feed (http://twitter.com/tweetMETRO): Follow-up to our Twitter for Libraries workshop: list of libraries using Twitter (updated 10.13.09) http://bit.ly/y75OB RT @dupuisj: Librarians and social media engagement: http://bit.ly/3GiA3Q Video posted from “D Is For Digitize” Google Book Settlement Conference at NYLS http://bit.ly/9TWxS #metrolibs "Twitter for Libraries" workshop and now a Shelf2Life (http://bit.ly/2At7QD) info session. Busy day for library tech at METRO #metrolibs RT @duraspace: Shining a light on cloud computing for higher ed #EDUCAUSE09 http://bit.ly/4dy4Ad We're putting the finishing touches on "Essential Twitter for Libraries" Workshop (10-1 on Wednesday). Still time... http://bit.ly/4gkTKd NYC lib/arch hivemind: anyone know if there's an archive for the Loughlin Lyceum (c. 1900-1920ish)? NYPL's Library Lions Video highlights the human side of library and information services. Does your library have similar videos? http://bit.ly/1VoqJo A METRO hat-tip to our presenters and attendees from last night's #IL2009 recap. Let's all go to Monterey next year! Just posted an accompanying resource page for tonight's NYC Internet Librarian Recap Reception http://bit.ly/IL_NYC #IL2009 Evolution of the new lion logo at NYPL (via @tadawes and @LibraryJournal) http://ow.ly/ArSX New "Smart Phone & Mobile Computing" Special Interest Group to Meet in December http://bit.ly/mC43m RT @amandafrench: Pleased to announce launch of new website for NYU Archives and Public History program: http://aphdigital.org Cornell U. Lib. Publishes Digitization Manual for Libraries, Archives and Museums (via @clancco) http://bit.ly/2LU4zU Don't forget to tag your tweets with #metrolibs to aggregate news of interest to other METRO libraries. Have other news you think we should be sharing with subscribers to this list? Tweet us at http://twitter.com/tweetmetro.

Digitech Newsletter :: October 2009

METRO Digital Preservation Workshop Series Helps Libraries Tackle the Digital Preservation Crisis Preservation of digital resources is a concern for any institution charged with stewarding born-digital and converted digital resources. To help our member libraries address this impending preservation crisis, METRO is collaborating with Lyrasis, BCR, and Nylink to offer a three-workshop series on digital preservation. The series, sponsored in part by ExLibris, brings nationally recognized digital preservation experts to METRO to address digital preservation issues and the tools and strategies necessary for policy and plan implementation. Take advantage of discount rates if you register for all three sessions ($150 off), or sign up 2 out of three. Note: the first workshop is recommended as a pre-requisite for the second and/or third workshops. Register for the entire series here: http://bit.ly/a5f63. Workshops include: November 4, 2009 Assuring Long Term Access to Digital Collections: An Introduction to Digital Preservation Instructors: Tom Clareson (Lyrasis) and Liz Bishoff (BCR) Complete workshop details and registration: http://bit.ly/16buza. December 16, 2009 Risk Assessment for Digital Collections Instructors: Tom Clareson (Lyrasis) and Liz Bishoff (BCR) Complete workshop details and registration: http://bit.ly/vyB07. January 28, 2010 Digital Preservation Tools, Systems, and Services Instructor: Tyler Walters (Georgia Institute of Technology) Complete workshop details and registration: http://bit.ly/3TyDqm. Resources: Making Sense of the Google Books Settlement On September 25, Judge Denny Chin (United States District Court for the Southern District of New York) indefinitely postponed the scheduled October 7 hearing on the class action settlement between Google, The Authors Guild, and the Association of American Publishers. The postponement came shortly after a deadline to file briefs in opposition or support of the settlement -- over 400 briefs were filed in opposition by diverse constituents ranging from authors to non-profit organizations to libraries. And while the postponement means Google and the Plaintiffs need to take the settlement back to the drawing board, there's still plenty for librarians to discuss about the implications of the settlement and what libraries' roles might be in shaping a settlement that is fair, ensures access to the digitized books, and addresses the concerns raised by the settlement. It's a complex issue that many of us are just now starting to wrap our heads around. Fortunately, there are several ways to get up to speed on this issue. Here are a few: New York State Librarian Bernie Margolis's Open Letter on the Google Books Settlement. Read: http://bit.ly/1YSbNE D is for Digitize (Not Just Another Google Book Settlement Conference); October 8-10. Details: http://bit.ly/1ZRdf Radical Reference-NYC Google Books Settlement Salon; October 16. Details: http://bit.ly/3wzQT1 ALA Google Books Settlement website: http://wo.ala.org/gbs/ (includes a primer on "Who is Filing and What They Are Saying") Professor James Grimmelman's (New York Law School) article, "How to Fix the Google Book Search Settlement." Read: http://bit.ly/xUYx NPR's Talk of the Nation installment, "Who Should Control the Virtual Library." Listen: http://bit.ly/fXlTf Collaboration Brings Shelf2Life Digitization to METRO Members METRO is pleased to announce a new collaboration with BCR to provide a new service to help members digitize books in their collections. Shelf2Life is an exciting new opportunity for METRO member libraries to make their book collections widely available in digital format without the expense of equipment and significant staff time. Shelf2Life is a digitization initiative of BCR, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring libraries together for greater success by expanding their knowledge, reach and power. The program is designed to minimize cost while providing electronic access to legacy collections. There is no cost to participate in Shelf2Life, which can: Help you digitize your pre-1923 U.S. book collections creating print-on-demand for consumers and eBooks for library users; Make your books readily available in a print-on-demand format whereby your institution receives royalties for every copy purchased; and Greatly increase the visibility of and access to your collection. To learn more, visit the Shelf2Life web page and view the video demo or contact Jason Kucsma, METRO’s Emerging Technologies Manager. Digital Collection Spotlight: NYU Medical Center: Images from the Archives Each month we take a moment to share digital collections created by METRO members. Recommend a collection for the spotlight by emailing jkucsma@metro.org. With all the discussion on healthcare in the US, it seems like a good time to take a look back at the NYU Medical Center archives. This images database contains photographs and illustrations from the collections of the NYU Medical Center Archives. The images relate to the School of Medicine, NYU Medical Center, Bellevue Hospital and Bellevue Hospital Medical College, among others. These images, many from the 19th century, are of individuals, groups, buildings, events and activities such as surgeries. Digitization is ongoing, and new images are added regularly. View the collection here:http://bit.ly/2Gffv View more digital collections at digitalMETRO, an online directory of digital collections created and maintained by METRO libraries. TextALibrarian Offers Discount to METRO Members for SMS/Text Reference Services Through a recent agreement with Mosio, the folks behind the Text a Librarian Service, METRO members are now eligible for a discount on new services. Text a Librarian will waive the one-time set-up fee ($199) for all METRO members. Text A Librarian is an easy, organized and efficient text message reference service that enables libraries to engage with patrons on their mobile devices. There is no hardware to install, no software to download and no phone required. To take advantage of this offer, contact Text A Librarian and ask for the METRO member discount.  New Report from Ithaka on Managing Print Collections in the Wake of Digitization On September 28th, Ithaka released a report on where and when libraries might decide to jettison or retain print journals in the wake of mass digitization initiatives. From the release: The large-scale digitization of print journal collections has led to most access needs being met via digital surrogates. Numerous libraries would therefore like to reassign the space occupied by print collections towards higher-value uses. “What to Withdraw: Print Collections Management in the Wake of Digitization” analyzes which types of journals can be withdrawn responsibly today and how that set of materials can be expanded to allow libraries the maximum possible flexibility and savings in the future. Read the full report here: http://www.ithaka.org/ithaka-s-r/research/what-to-withdraw Register Now for Free: METRO Annual Meeting Join us on October 29, 2009 (2-5pm) at SUNY College of Optometry to commemorate METRO's 45th Anniversary at METRO's Annual Meeting. Our keynote speaker for the afternoon will be John Blyberg, Assistant Director for Innovation and User Experience at Darien Public Library in Connecticut, speaking on "Getting Out of the Weeds: Understanding and Managing an Ecology of Information." The event is open to all staff of METRO member libraries. Tours of the Harold Kohn Vision Science Library will take place before the meeting. Register for free here: http://bit.ly/2aBRcw. Digitization and Emerging Tech Workshops and Events October: 06 - Webinar: Open Source Software: "Free" is Just the Tip of the Iceberg. Details http://bit.ly/17EeA1 08 - Webinar: Introduction to Digital Collection Management Systems. Details: http://bit.ly/d1rwJ 13 - Webinar: Open Sour Library System Software: Libraries are Doing it For Themselves. Details: http://bit.ly/dhE4X 15 - Library Mash-Ups Exploring New Ways to Deliver Library Data. Details: http://bit.ly/25QwWx 21 - Copyright and Digital Project Planning. Details: http://bit.ly/gkKWx 22 - Essential Zotero: Mastering the Next Generation Research Tool. Details: http://bit.ly/1wOTmM Add these and other related events around NY and the world to your Google Calendar by subscribing to the METRO Calendar: http://bit.ly/metrocalendar. The complete Fall METRO schedule is now available online here: http://bit.ly/METRO_Fall2009 Newsfeed  The best of September's Tweets from the tweetMETRO feed (http://twitter.com/tweetMETRO): Chronicle tackles "next gen" catalog software in libraries - references the online Sears catalog? Weird. http://bit.ly/1BhWz3 Digital Preservation strategies and tools in an affordable 3-part workshop series http://bit.ly/10fHHi Did you know? 4.0 http://bit.ly/27JgJH Nominate your favorite librarian for ALA/NYTimes "I Love My Librarian" award http://bit.ly/10THpk DoJ Tells Google to take its settlement back to the drawing board. http://bit.ly/3Wixt Jewish Theological Seminary Library Open House October 6th, 4:30-6 pm Join JTS Library staff on Tuesday, on the... http://bit.ly/9MDzr Sneak Peek: The METRO Digital Preservation Workshop Series http://bit.ly/17Ogsx Free webinar from CCC on Google Books Settlement next week (via Radical Reference) http://bit.ly/xIxjx We're back this week with another featured digital collection: Jewish People's University of the Air http://bit.ly/16N4mD Who should control the virtual library? Talk of the Nation tackles Google Books (via @carolinefuchs) http://bit.ly/XoJ3X Breeding's Open Letter to the Koha Community. Interesting read. http://bit.ly/FKsHg METRO's Fall 2009 Catalog is now online at http://bit.ly/METRO_Fall2009 or via our Google Calendar: http://bit.ly/u5e93 28 people will leave METRO this afternoon with the skills to build digital collections with @omeka. TGIF! Spend some time today with the 911 Digital Archive http://911digitalarchive.org/ Have other news you think we should be sharing with subscribers to this list? Tweet us at http://twitter.com/tweetmetro.

Digitech Newsletter :: September 2009

Call for Participation Extended for "Digitization in the Real World" Book

METRO is pleased to announce a call to participate in a forthcoming book, tentatively titled Digitization in the Real World: Lessons Learned from Small to Medium-Sized Digitization Projects. This book is intended to document experiences with digitization projects that fall outside the spectrum of mass digitization initiatives that have tended to be more thoroughly discussed and documented. Digitization in the Real World will be co-edited by Professor Kwong Bor Ng (Queens College, CUNY) and Jason Kucsma (METRO).

Your experiences will provide useful case studies on what works and what does not for libraries, archives, museums and other cultural heritage organizations managing small- to medium-sized collections. Librarians, archivists, and students stand to benefit from your experiences — learning about the how the key elements of digitization projects play out in diverse institutional contexts. How was your project started? How was it implemented? What organizational and technological obstacles were encountered, and how were they overcome? Were they overcome? What new solutions did your project implement, and were those experiments successful or not? What are some of the lessons learned from your project? Is your project still growing? If not, why?

If you’d like to participate, please submit the following information via email (jkucsma@metro.org) on or before September 7, 2009. (Extended from August 31, 2009)
Name:
Email:
Institution:
Chapter Abstract: 500-1000 words describing the scope of your project and key elements you intend to address in your chapter.

Omeka Workshop Rescheduled for September 11, 2009

If you thought you missed your opportunity to learn how to work with the open source Collection Management System, Omeka, think again! The August workshop was rescheduled for September 11. Omeka is a free and open source collections based, web-based publishing platform for scholars, librarians, archivists, museum professionals, educators, and cultural enthusiasts. Its “five-minute setup” makes launching an online exhibition as easy as launching a blog. Omeka is designed with non-IT specialists in mind, allowing users to focus on content and interpretation rather than programming. It brings Web 2.0 technologies and approaches to academic and cultural websites to foster user interaction and participation.

Jeremy Boggs, Omeka Project Manager, will lead a one-day workshop on September 11. This workshop will introduce Omeka, provide a brief background on developing the software, show examples of different types of websites created with Omeka and teach participants how to use Omeka to build a website for your institution.

Complete details and registration are available at http://bit.ly/28Bzbh.

Digital Collection Spotlight:
Chinese Paper Gods at the C.V. Starr East Asian Library,
Columbia University

Each month we take a moment to share digital collections created by METRO members. Recommend a collection for the spotlight by emailing jkucsma@metro.org.

The images in this collection were assembled by Anne S. Goodrich (1895–2005) in 1931, when as a Christian missionary in Peking she became interested in local folk religious practices. She studied the paper gods in this collection for much of her life. After publishing her research conclusions in 1991, she donated these prints to the C. V. Starr East Asian Library, Columbia University.

The images are divided initially by usage: Those which were purchased to be burned immediately and serve as emissaries to heaven; and those which were purchased to be displayed for a year while offering protection to the family in a variety of ways, before being burned. The images are further divided by display locations and by the deities they represent.

View the collection here: http://bit.ly/CNlGD

View more digital collections at digitalMETRO, an online directory of digital collections created and maintained by METRO libraries.

Save the Date: METRO Annual Meeting

Join us on October 29, 2009 (2-5pm) at SUNY College of Optometry to commemorate METRO's 45th Anniversary at METRO's Annual Meeting. Our keynote speaker for the afternoon will be John Blyberg, Assistant Director for Innovation and User Experience at Darien Public Library in Connecticut. The event is open to all staff of METRO member libraries. Tours of the Harold Kohn Vision Science Library will take place before the meeting. Registration information will be coming soon, but make sure you save the date now.

Digitization and Emerging Tech Workshops and Events

September:

• 11 - Using Omeka to Build Digital Collections in Libraries and Archives. Details:http://bit.ly/28Bzbh

• 16 - Code4Lib NYC Special Interest Group Meeting (10am, METRO Training Ctr)

• 30 - “Social Networking Literacy for Librarians: Emerging Competencies for Emerging Technologies.” (a co-sponsored presentation by the Library 2.0 SIG and the Science, Technology, and Medical Libraries SIG). Details: http://bit.ly/1aAm7c

Add these and other related events around NY and the world to your Google Calendar by subscribing to the METRO Calendar: http://bit.ly/metrocalendar.

Newsfeed 

The best of August's Tweets from the tweetMETRO feed
(http://twitter.com/tweetMETRO):

• good news for digital preservation: URL shorteners form archiving group (via @libraryfuture) http://bit.ly/117oD4
• CFP: "Digitization in the Real World" book - documenting small/medium digitization projects http://bit.ly/Hik2C
• Future of Library User Experience, webinar keynote from Urban Libraries Council http://bit.ly/eLZe6
• RT @blefurgy: What’s the average lifespan of a Web page? Important digital preservation factoid http://bit.ly/ko8U6
• RT @nytimesbits: A new tool that threads Twitter messages into conversations. http://bit.ly/3jlpj5
• RT @lbraun2000: RWW on archiving tweets - really useful - http://bit.ly/vJqIr
• Stipends available for: A Race Against Time: Preserving Our Audiovisual Media in Atlanta, GA http://bit.ly/3hLk26
• NYC Tech Meetup Group is looking for folks from NYC universities for Sep meetup show-and-tell http://bit.ly/3yemlB
• This week's featured collection on digitalMETRO: The Papers of John Jay at Columbia U. http://bit.ly/w4F1e
• OLE; The unanswered questions http://bit.ly/1aZnqe (via @tadawes)
• Clearing up misconceptions about open source software http://bit.ly/3kE8Y1
• Digital librarians! tribute to the those on the front line for staying on top of tech! http://bit.ly/19RSSZ (via @danklyn)
• RT @dblduchess: 5 ways libraries fail twitter, and more http://www.web2learning.net/archives/3086
• Apprehending the Future: Emerging Technologies, from Science Fiction to Campus Reality (EDUCAUSE Review) http://bit.ly/hnm8s
• OCLC is spotlighting METRO members' digital collections this month http://bit.ly/F7d20

Have other news you think we should be sharing with subscribers to this list? Tweet us at http://twitter.com/tweetmetro.

Digitech Newsletter :: August 2009

Harness the Power of Open Source to Build Digital Collections with Omeka Many of you may remember that METRO recently announced the release of digitalMETRO, an online directory of digital collections. We built the system using Omeka, the collection management system created by the same folks that brought us Zotero. Omeka is a free and open source collections based, web-based publishing platform for scholars, librarians, archivists, museum professionals, educators, and cultural enthusiasts. Its “five-minute setup” makes launching an online exhibition as easy as launching a blog. Omeka is designed with non-IT specialists in mind, allowing users to focus on content and interpretation rather than programming. It brings Web 2.0 technologies and approaches to academic and cultural websites to foster user interaction and participation. Jeremy Boggs, Omeka Project Manager, will lead a one-day workshop on August 7. This workshop will introduce Omeka, provide a brief background on developing the software, show examples of different types of websites created with Omeka and teach participants how to use Omeka to build a website for your institution. Complete details and registration are available at http://bit.ly/WYNPA. METRO's Strategic Plan Released. Member Feedback Encouraged METRO has recently released the final draft of the 2009-2014 Strategic Plan, adopted in principle by the Board of Trustees after a unanimous recommendation from the Strategic Planning Committee. This Strategic Plan was developed through a broadly consultative and inclusive process with a goal of defining METRO’s identity and vision consistent with the needs of its members; the demands of a rapidly changing library/information world; and the beliefs of the METRO Board of Trustees, staff and members about what course the organization should take. We invite you to review the Strategic Plan and share your thoughts with METRO. Review the document and leave public comments here (http://bit.ly/gz9Er), or feel free to contact METRO staff directly with your feedback (staff emails are here: http://bit.ly/7UEhV) Digital Collection Spotlight: Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives Digital Library Each month we take a moment to share digital collections created by METRO members. Recommend a collection for the spotlight by emailing jkucsma@metro.org. The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA) is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting public awareness, research, and discussion about the Spanish Civil War and the American volunteers who risked their lives to fight fascism in Spain. The items in the ALBA Digital Library represent four collections that are historically significant and lend themselves to be easily used in a classroom setting. The records contained in this digital collection were selected from four separate collections: the James Lardner Papers, the Herman Greenfield Papers, the Miriam Sigel Papers, and the Marjorie Polon Papers. All four collections are housed in New York University's Tamiment Library. View the collection here: http://bit.ly/9Tp2S Visit the home of ALBA on a METRO site visit August 19 to the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives. Details: http://bit.ly/Ffc6z NOTE: The ALBA Digital Library is hosted on METRO's CONTENTdm system, taking advantage of affordable hosting for smaller digital collections. For more information about using this service for your library, museum, or archive, contact Jason Kucsma at jkucsma@metro.org Last Chance to RSVP for Digital Preservation Symposium at Center for Jewish History On Thursday, August 6 at 1pm, The Center for Jewish History will host a symposium on digital preservation. This symposium, sponsored by Ex Libris, will provide an overview of digital preservation, discuss the increasing need for digital preservation in a "born-digital" world, examine what digital objects should be preserved, and review key trends in digital preservation technology. In addition, the discussion will include digital preservation planning activities for libraries, archives and museums, the commitment undertaken in launching a digital preservation program, and the funding that may be required. Speakers for the symposium will include: Steve Knight, Associate Director and Programme Architect, National Digital Heritage Archive at the National Library of New Zealand Laura Leone, Director of Library Systems, Center for Jewish History Andrea Buchner, Director-Gruss Lipper Digital Laboratory, Center for Jewish History Mike Thuman, Digital Preservation Director, Ex Libris RSVP: To attend the symposium, please contact Greg Gosselin by Friday, July 31, 2009 at greg.gosselin@exlibrisgroup.com or 312.952.3578. Summer Digitization and Emerging Tech Workshops and Events August: 07 - Using Omeka to Build Digital Collections in Libraries and Archives. Details:http://bit.ly/WYNPA 09 - Webinar: Simple Strategies and Tools for Keeping Up With Tech Trends. Details: http://bit.ly/zsCPr 13 - Essential Wiki Master: How to Use, Install, Customize, Extend and Manage Wiki. Details: http://bit.ly/2Izsp Add these and other related events around NY and the world to your Google Calendar by subscribing to the METRO Calendar: http://bit.ly/metrocalendar. Newsfeed  The best of July's Tweets from the tweetMETRO feed (http://twitter.com/tweetMETRO): RT @s_francoeur: Eric Hellman has a write-up of the Google Book Search settlement discussion at NYPL as well. http://bit.ly/MzlIM Publishers Weekly recap of yesterday's Google Books discussion at NYPL http://bit.ly/EB1Ft NYTimes editorial on "Google's Big Plan for Books" http://bit.ly/fLiUD Colombia's digital library is up-and-running (13 contributing universities and institutions) http://bdcol.org/ RT @vonburkhardt: Six Things #Libraries Should Tweet http://bit.ly/ENq2J "How Not to Tweet" - tips for library tweeters from @davidleeking http://bit.ly/mdtLc ALA's Office for Information Technology Policy seeks nominations for best lib practices using cutting edge tech http://bit.ly/gmHLc Cliff Lynch on "Revisiting Institutional Repositories" from CNI's Spring Task Force Mtg http://vimeo.com/5498937 Are you or someone you know in the NYC area presenting at the Internet Librarian conference? DM @tweetMETRO and let us know RT @rww: Open Source and Social Media: Community, Collaboration, Freedom http://bit.ly/MNZKI Userful Corp. offers "Secure Your Funding" initiative for libraries seeking broadband technology stimulus funds http://bit.ly/jidZj Fan the digitalMETRO Facebook page and check out this week's featured digital collection: NYU Medical Center http://bit.ly/12k7fj Emerging Technologies: Background, tools and challenges for Higher Education (by @sirexykathryn) http://bit.ly/NjH8g Jenna Freedman on Twitter as a Tool for Website News http://bit.ly/N8jcM Tools for Evaluating Fair Use and Copyright Status (via Newman Library Idea Lab blog) http://bit.ly/Be85P RT @brooklynpublic: read all about our new text alert service on our blog http://bit.ly/icodR RT @dancohen: Critical read on long-range funding of digital academic projects: Ithaka Case Studies in Sustainability: http://is.gd/1zKEc LITA Social Software Showcase presentations available online http://bit.ly/VhWUQ Nice recap of digital library hardware showcase session at #ala2009; covers in-house v. outsourcing and more. http://bit.ly/GzLtf RT @arstechnica: How wide is the world's digital divide, anyway? - http://arst.ch/47w (via @sivavaid) Open Library: "One web page for every book ever published. It's a lofty, but achievable, goal. " (Guardian article: http://bit.ly/9Gh3X) Have other news you think we should be sharing with subscribers to this list? Tweet us at http://twitter.com/tweetmetro.

Digitech Newsletter :: July 2009

Staying Connected with the METRO Universe

Regular readers of this newsletter know that METRO offers a number of ways to stay informed about what NYC libraries and librarians are thinking, doing, or thinking about doing. Whether it's through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or ALA Connect, we're working hard to share as much useful information with our members as possible, but sometimes it's hard to keep up with it all, right?

Enter the METRO Netvibes Universe. This new portal features feeds from libraries, librarians, professional associations, library schools, and relevant blogs -- all easily accessed via one online portal. Have a look for yourself at http://netvibes.com/mnylc and let us know of additional resources we should include in the portal.

Webinar to Focus on Digital Collection Management Systems

METRO is pleased to offer the first webinar collaboration with Lyrasis, the new organization formed from the merger between Palinet and Solinet. "Introduction to Digital Collection Management Systems" is a two-hour webinar that will:

• List several key features included in most digital collection management systems
• Detail the digitization tasks usually included and not included in digital collection management systems
• Name 4 commercial and 3 Open Source digital collection management systems
• Identify some questions to ask in the evaluation process

For more information and to register, visit http://bit.ly/106gBM

Digital Collection Spotlight:
Audio Digitization Pilot Project at The Center for Jewish History

Each month we take a moment to share digital collections created by METRO member libraries. If you'd like to recommend a collection, please email information to Jason Kucsma (jkucsma_at_metro_dot_org).

A recipient of a 2008 METRO digitization grant, The Center for Jewish History has assembled a collection of digitized oral histories from The Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and American Sephardi Federation. The Austrian Heritage Collection (Leo Baeck Institute) features recordings from a 1995 program to document the oral history of Austrian-Jewish émigrés who fled to the USA during the Nazi years. The German Jews of Washington Heights Collection (Yeshiva University Museum) features interviews from 1987 with over 70 people who participated in a unique project to record oral history testimony from German Jews who had fled Europe during WWII and settled in Washington Heights, an uptown neighborhood in New York City. The Henry V. Besso Collection (American Sephardi Federation) features recordings of Henry Victor Besso, a scholar in the field of Sephardic Studies, writer, teacher, lecturer, and bibliographer, who was born in Thessalonike, Greece in 1905.

Listen to the recordings here:
Austrian Heritage: http://bit.ly/18byVy
German Jews of Washington Heights: http://bit.ly/EcDDU
Henry V. Besso: http://bit.ly/17Fe6U

EmeraldView Adds Functionality to Greenstone Digital Collection Management System

Yitszchak Schaffer, Systems Manager at Touro College Libraries, has recently created Emeraldview, a PHP-based front-end for Greenstone, the open source digital collection management software solution. Schaffer said, "The main motivation behind EmeraldView was the potential for more user- and search-engine-friendly URLs, and greater ease of customization for the presentation layer [of Greenstone]." For more information about EmeraldView, visit: http://emeraldview.tourolib.org/

Repeat Performance: Introduction to Zotero Webinar

Due to popular demand, METRO will host another free Introduction to Zotero webinar on July 24th from 10:00-10:30. Zotero is a free, easy-to-use Firefox browser extension for collecting, managing, citing, and sharing research resources. As a research management tool that allows users to take control of their data (and take it with them wherever they go), it’s easy to see why Zotero is currently recommended by hundreds of institutions around the world including MIT, Stanford, and Yale.

The 30-minute webinar will provide some basic information about the popular research management tool and is recommended for any librarian or administrator considering METRO's more extensive 90-minute on-site workshop.

To sign up for the webinar, visit METRO's online registration system here: http://bit.ly/s7Wjp

For more information about the full 90-minute on-site workshop, click here: http://bit.ly/UFLQN

Summer Digitization and Emerging Tech Workshops and Events

July:

• 28 - Webinar: Information Use and Reuse in the Library: The Creative Commons Solutions. Details: http://bit.ly/1WVQw

• 29 - Webinar: Introduction to Digital Collection Management Systems. Details:http://bit.ly/106gBM

August:

• 07 - Using Omeka to Build Digital Collections in Libraries and Archives. Details:http://bit.ly/WYNPA

• 09 - Webinar: Simple Strategies and Tools for Keeping Up With Tech Trends.
  Details: http://bit.ly/zsCPr

• 13 - Essential Wiki Master: How to Use, Install, Customize, Extend and Manage Wiki. Details: http://bit.ly/2Izsp

Add these and other related events around NY and the world to your Google Calendar by subscribing to the METRO Calendar: http://bit.ly/metrocalendar.

Newsfeed 

The best of June's Tweets from the tweetMETRO feed
(http://twitter.com/tweetMETRO):

• IMLS "Libraries to the Rescue" podcast series http://bit.ly/2AqU2W (via @nsls)

• The METRO Portal: A Netvibes Universe-In-Progress http://bit.ly/Hik2C
  

• Libraries Tap Into Twitter in the UK. Welcome to the party! http://bit.ly/nGx5s
  

• RT @griffey: ALA conf. sched. done right - in the palm of yr hand! Point your mobile browser to http://ala.boopsie.com. (via @pbromberg)
  

• New York African Free School Archives is the featured digital collection this week on digitalMETRO's Facebook page. http://bit.ly/AoXuJ

• Brief comments from Lorcan Dempsey on sharing usability results http://bit.ly/VvCWL
  

• Google's digital book future hangs in the balance (via CNET News) http://bit.ly/15yWoG
  

• Brooklyn Public Library breathes a sigh of relief http://bit.ly/NDFmE
  

• RT @epistemographer: HUGE news out of city council: restoration of funds for NYC libraries! http://bit.ly/11EuYK (via @amandafrench)
  

• "Working the Social: Twitter and Friendfeed" article in Library Journal http://bit.ly/12sZhn
  

• New issue of Metropolitan Archivist provides great recaps of projects in NYC http://bit.ly/11Krbh
  

• Queens Library named "Library of the Year" by Library Journal http://bit.ly/IBtPl
  

• Sunday Times Mag article is a useful piece for answering the "What is Cloud Computing?" question (if you get those) http://bit.ly/lnQp9

• digitalMETRO has a Facebook page. Become a fan to hear about digital collections in NYC libraries and archives http://bit.ly/Hlw2c
  

• Free white paper on how special libraries and information pros are coping with budget and staff changes http://bit.ly/WUjlW
  

• Libraries lend a hand in recession (on NBC's Today Show) http://bit.ly/8XZKY
  

• The Cooper-Hewitt Museum Library recently added 30 more binders to Caldwell Lighting collection http://bit.ly/13HZc9
  

• Tim Gunn for NYPL http://bit.ly/z59bf

• June issue of First Monday: http://tinyurl.com/nmndrx Research on: digital storytelling, SL, wikidentities, BlackBoard (via @joycevalenza)

Have other news you think we should be sharing with subscribers to this list? Tweet us at http://twitter.com/tweetmetro. 

Digitech Newsletter :: June 2009

June 2009 METRO's Summer catalog is now available online: http://bit.ly/el1Iq LibCampNYC 2009 Just Around the Corner In just a few days, METRO and Brooklyn College Library will host over 130 librarians for LibCampNYC -- the follow-up unconference to the 2007 Library Camp at Baruch College. The event is sold out, but you can follow the conversations on Twitter by tracking the #libcampnyc hashtag. We will also be aggregating notes, pictures, and additional resources in the LibCampNYC wiki at http://libcampnyc.pbworks.com. Curious about what will be on the table for discussion at LibCampNYC? You're welcome to view the topic poll results at http://bit.ly/pCs3w. METRO & Archivists' Roundtable of Metropolitan New York Team Up to Offer Archivists' Toolkit Workshop METRO is collaborating with The Archivists Roundtable of Metropolitan New York (ART) to host this full-day workshop on the Archivists’ Toolkitâ„¢ (AT), an open source application developed for tracking and describing special collections. Learn the many advantages and added functionalities of using AT in your work. The AT incorporates integrated modules for accessioning, description, name and subject authority control, and location management and also provides customizable reports and standardized description exports such as EAD, MARCXML, and METS. Topics include: creating accession records, creating multi-level description records, linking descriptions to authority records and locations, and generating EAD finding aids. Due to high demand for training with AT, we anticipate this workshop will reach capacity. Please register now to ensure your place: http://bit.ly/P2pe8 Digital Collection Spotlight: Childhood in the Bronx at Lehman College Each month we take a moment to share digital collections created by METRO member libraries. If you'd like to recommend a collection, please email information to Jason Kucsma (jkucsma_at_metro_dot_org). This collection is based on the "Childhood in the Bronx" exhibit originally featured in the Lehman College Art Gallery from October 23 - December 14, 1986. The exhibit took four years to research and create. By using both vintage and contemporary images, along with oral history text excerpts, the exhibit focused on the experience of childhood in the Bronx from the early decades of the 20th century into the mid-1980s. Photographer Georgeen Comerford reproduced eighteen (18) vintage children's images that spanned the period 1895-1943. These images came largely from family photograph albums loaned by interviewees participating in the Institute's oral history project. Additionally, Ms. Comerford created forty (40) of her own contemporary photographs of children from 1971-1985. Working with some three dozen Bronx organizations, she secured permission to photograph children. She also worked directly with local parents she met in public places around the Bronx. The parents gave her permission to photograph their child for inclusion in this project. We see children from infancy through their teenage years in these photographs. They are with family or friends, at play, on streets, in parks, schools, shelters, hospitals and at other locales. View the collection here: http://bit.ly/KJtf2 The Leonard Lief Library "Childhood in the Bronx" digitization project was supported in part by funds from METRO through the New York State Regional Bibliographic Databases Program. Library 2.0 Special Interest Group to Discuss Twitter in the Library Due to popular request, Library 2.0 SIG conveners have scheduled this informal, off-site Lib 2.0 SIG meeting to share ideas about using Twitter in libraries. Valerie Forrestal, Reference and Research Librarian at the Stevens Institute of Technology, will give a short presentation, followed by a discussion among the SIG members. Tweeters and not-yet-Tweeters are welcome! This meeting will take place on Wednesday June 10, 2009: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Mina Rees Library of the CUNY Graduate Center at 365 5th Ave., NYC between 34th & 35th Streets RSVP to Kathryn Shaughnessy at shaughnk@stjohns.edu or to Caroline Fuchs at fuchsc@stjohns.edu. You must bring a current photo ID to gain access to the Mina Rees Library. Please RSVP by June 9 so that a guest list can be provided to the Graduate Center security folk. Summer Digitization and Emerging Tech Workshops and Events June: 03 - LibCampNYC [SOLD OUT] Details: http://libcampnyc.pbworks.com 10 - Using XML in Libraries. Details: http://bit.ly/celz4 16 - Internet Access to New York’s Historical Records: Documentary Heritage Program, NY State Archives. Details:http://bit.ly/v0eAT 19 - Free Webinar: Introduction to Zotero. Details: http://bit.ly/OsoMc 23 - Webinar: Creating Open Source Sandboxes with BitNami. Details: http://bit.ly/kOuad 25 - Creating a Virtual Library Tour. Details: http://bit.ly/14odZj 26 - Using the Archvists' Toolkit in Archives and Special Collections. Details: http://bit.ly/P2pe8 July: 28 - Webinar: Information Use and Reuse in the Library: The Creative Commons Solutions. Details: http://bit.ly/1WVQw 29 - Webinar: Introduction to Digital Collection Management Systems. Details:http://bit.ly/106gBM August: 07 - Using Omeka to Build Digital Collections in Libraries and Archives. Details:http://bit.ly/WYNPA 09 - Webinar: Simple Strategies and Tools for Keeping Up With Tech Trends. Details: http://bit.ly/zsCPr 13 - Essential Wiki Master: How to Use, Install, Customize, Extend and Manage Wiki. Details: http://bit.ly/2Izsp Add these and other related events around NY and the world to your Google Calendar by subscribing to the METRO Calendar: http://bit.ly/metrocalendar. Newsfeed  The best of May's Tweets from the tweetMETRO feed (http://twitter.com/tweetMETRO): Tracking poll results from libcampnyc attendees http://bit.ly/pCs3w "What programming should a library science student learn?" http://bit.ly/KCDgU RT: @LibraryJournal: Transparent Library: Reasons for Optimism http://bit.ly/35L71o advice to new graduates, and glimmers of hope More background and analysis of the Google Book Search agreement http://bit.ly/k22TK LibCampNYC 2009 Scout Books arrived today! http://twitpic.com/5pc6s RT: @CeeBee: new visual search engine: collect results in different media formats, drag around as infinite collage: http://beta.spezify.com Savvy Advocacy: Keep Your Library Open http://bit.ly/5BQSA RT: @msauers: Lessig: The Solipsist and the Internet (a review of Helprin's Digital Barbarism) http://is.gd/BOsl Brewster Kahle in the Washington Post on the "Google Book Grab" http://bit.ly/Ysz6D UC Berkeley Collaborative Tools Strategy Development Report http://bit.ly/15YRfE RT: @code4lib: Videos from code4lib '09 are online! Presentations: http://is.gd/A7lF Lightning Talks: http://is.gd/A7m0 "Is Google Waging a PR Campaign on Libraries?" http://bit.ly/16RplL RT @dancohen: Zotero 2.0 is here! Groups, sharing, backup, sync, personal profiles, find/follow people, and much more! http://zotero.org Protest at OSU over "gutting the library" sounds like teachable moment waiting to happen http://bit.ly/10Ukds Materials from the Coalition for Networked Information Spring Task Force Meeting are now available online http://bit.ly/OYKQr RT: @dancohen: Big news in digital repositories today: Fedora Commons and DSpace join to become DuraSpace: http://is.gd/zeha Digitize the old school newspaper -- but only the good parts, please. http://bit.ly/v4HY4 RT: @s_francoeur: Curate a Local Calendar for Your Community http://bit.ly/WgZhL Greenhill's "Why learning about emerging technologies is part of every librarians job" (via @shyviolet520) http://bit.ly/aPDQY DigiMan v. Team Chaos - Our hero warns of the preservation threats to digital information in this clever animated short. http://bit.ly/ZBPEE RT: @lbraun2000: WSJ on how digitizing txts led 2 finding previously undiscovered content http://bit.ly/tAPgU Libraries seek stimulus money for hi-speed internet http://bit.ly/YEVlW Libraries Ask Judge to Monitor Google Books Settlement http://bit.ly/dDkA2 Audio from the Google Books Settlement Forum at NYPL on April 27th (via Urban Libraries Council) http://bit.ly/dsxA6 RT: @dancohen: "Facebook and Academic Performance: Reconciling a Media Sensation with Data" deflates myth of bad grades: http://is.gd/vSyN Have other news you think we should be sharing with subscribers to this list? Tweet us at http://twitter.com/tweetmetro.

Digitech Newsletter :: May 2009

May 2009 Introducing: digitalMETRO METRO is pleased to announce digitalMETRO, a directory of digital collections created and maintained by METRO member libraries. digitalMETRO provides an added layer of discoverability for METRO members’ digital collections. Features include: detailed records of over 100 digital library collections (and growing steadily!) browsing collections by institution or searching across the directory RSS feeds to track new additions a contribution form for submitting your library’s collections exhibits drawing connections between library collections As an evolving project, digitalMETRO requests your help in adding more collections to the directory. Please visit http://nycdigital.org to view the directory and see how you can get involved. Digital Dilemmas Symposium Recap METRO would like to extend a warm thanks to all of you who participated in last week’s Digital Dilemmas Symposium. A number of post-symposium resources are now available on the METRO website, including: a summary article, slides from the presentations, links to related blog posts, the Twitter feed from the day, and photos. All of these may be accessed at: http://bit.ly/digitaldilemmas. Digital Collection Spotlight: Frederick Winslow Taylor at Stevens Institute of Technology Each month we take a moment to share digital collections created by METRO member libraries. If you'd like to recommend a collection, please email information to Jason Kucsma (jkucsma_at_metro_dot_org). Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915), pioneered the application of engineering principles to shop management in the movement that came to be known as scientific management. The collection consists largely of Taylor's personal and work-related correspondence, including his communications with companies interested in implementing scientific management. Also included are rough drafts of his major publications, translations of his works on scientific management and the cutting of metal, examples of forms developed to improve shop efficiency, glass slides of factories and offices using scientific management, articles written by Taylor on his system, and responses from readers. Correspondents include Louis Brandeis, Morris Llewellyn Cooke, Ida Tarbell, Harvey Gantt, and the administrative officers of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Also included is a collection of memorial letters written by Taylor's associates after his death. Besides letters, the collection includes Taylor's work journal from Midvale Steel. View the collection here: http://bit.ly/14K9NV Digitization Training in May includes NEW CONTENTdm and Outsourcing Digitization On May 8, Joyce Rambo (NYLINK) will lead a full-day workshop on "How to Create Digital Collections Using CONTENTdm." This session will be conducted with CONTENTdm 5, the newest version of the collection management software. On May 13, Laurie Gemmill (Lyrasis) will lead a half-day workshop on "Outsourcing Digitization" (details: http://bit.ly/l6wY3). Gemmil is currently heading up the Lyrasis Mass Collaborative Digitization Project working to digitize collections in partnership with Internet Archive and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. METRO to Offer Individual Zotero Workshops for Libraries this Summer Zotero is a free, easy-to-use Firefox browser extension for collecting, managing, citing, and sharing research resources. As a research management tool that allows users to take control of their data (and take it with them wherever they go), it’s easy to see why Zotero is currently recommended by hundreds of institutions around the world including MIT, Stanford, and Yale. If you are interested in adding your library to the growing list of institutions offering Zotero to your community, METRO is offering exclusive workshops to train your librarians and staff to not only learn how to use Zotero, but to also teach library users how to take advantage of all Zotero has to offer. These 90-minute workshops will walk librarians and staff members through process of downloading, installing, and working with Zotero in your Firefox web browser to collect, organize, and cite information resources. The session will also feature case studies illustrating how Zotero can be used in your library to simplify and improve research for faculty, students, and general users. Individual workshops with up to 25 people may be held at your library in a computer lab, or you may arrange for a private workshop at METRO’s Training Center. Please contact METRO’s Emerging Technologies Manager, Jason Kucsma, to schedule your on-site workshop: jkucsma@metro.org or 212.228.2320 ext 23 May/June Digitization and Emerging Tech Workshops and Events May: 01 - Digital Imaging Practicum: Best Practices for Digitization, Workflow, and Image Collection Management. Details: http://bit.ly/4BPMiP 08 - How to Create Digital Collections Using CONTENTdm. Details: http://bit.ly/KeSa 13 - Outsourcing Digitization Workshop. Details: http://bit.ly/l6wY3 19 - Using Wink Freware to Create Tutorials/Demos for Libraries. Details: http://bit.ly/1qzqZq June: 03 - LibCampNYC. Details: http://libcampnyc.pbworks.com 10 - Using XML in Libraries. Details: http://bit.ly/celz4 More June workshops will be announced in Mid-May! Add these and other related events around NY and the world to your Google Calendar by subscribing to the techMETRO Calendar: http://tinyurl.com/techmetrocalendar. This is a partial list of events focusing on digitization and emerging technologies. For a complete list of METRO workshops and events, visit http://www.metro.org Newsfeed  The best of April's Tweets from the METRO's the tweetMETRO feed (http://twitter.com/tweetMETRO): @s_francoeur on his "Effective Chat Reference" workshop held yesterday at METRO http://bit.ly/B8jO0 Justice Dept. Opens Antitrust Inquiry Into Google Books Deal (NYTimes) http://bit.ly/i33mz Congrats to Brooklyn Museum for winning "Best Overall" in Museums and the Web 2009 Best of the Web Awards! http://bit.ly/LSIGq OCLC Announces "Quick Start" Version of OCLC WorldCat Local Service http://bit.ly/hyLjt RT: @dancohen: "Digital Harlem: Everyday Life, 1915-1930," from U.of Sydney, launches. Google Maps + NYC Muni Archives: http://is.gd/tVH UN's World Digital Library has 1200 resources -- roughly 683,800 items less than NYPL's Digital Gallery. Just sayin' http://bit.ly/cPT3l UN's World Digital Library goes live: http://www.wdl.org/en/ NYPL's Barbara Taranto on the Digital Dilemmas Symposium http://bit.ly/h5qCi some thoughts from @SPB about #didil09 http://bit.ly/1axpd2 LC Digital Preservation Newsletter for April http://bit.ly/fx5CC "Exploring Digital Library Collections" during LibWeek with Finding Dulcinea http://bit.ly/16uRRi RT @pewinternet 2/3 of yng adlts w/ SNS profile took part in some political actvty on sites 2008 http://tinyurl.com/d2kr4j (via @lbraun2000) RT: @rww: "If web 2.0 was abt democratizing publishing, the next stage of the web may be democratizing data mining. " http://bit.ly/1PEqT RT: @lbraun2000: Future of bibliographies from nypl http://bit.ly/12gyH NYHeritage.org (a collaborative digital collection project) features thousands of resources from around the state http://bit.ly/mGgW RT: @timoreilly: Some fascinating ideas & links about social media, storytelling, and activism, from @kanter: http://bit.ly/19fE1p METRO releases 1st phase of digitalMETRO (built on @omeka). Invites libraries to add their collections! http://nycdigital.org RT: @jakrose: Easily search the Smithsonian Institute's photography collection for Public Domain works (1830-1923): http://bit.ly/20laRZ METRO is hosting a visit from Library Science prof today for a short meeting to talk about libraries and technology. Say hello to Dr. Chen! Chat reference and more from @mprimeaux as a follow-up to yesterday's webinar by @msauers http://marketingadlibrarian... Slides from @sauers "Are You a 2.0 Library" session http://tinyurl.com/dnmgn4 Entertainment Weekly celebrates their favorite libraries and librarians during the Nat'l Library Week http://bit.ly/RILml RT: @nytimes: Finding Utility in the Jumble of Twittered Thoughts http://bit.ly/uThw New digital library at U. VA "American Founding Era Collection" provides new access to Founding Fathers' papers http://bit.ly/7xDR2 Thank you, Amazon, for reminding us why you are not a substitute for the library. Very kind of you. #amazonfail RT: @dancohen: Free download of the 221 pp. proceedings of the Digital Curation 2009 meeting at UNC: http://is.gd/rOXN [PDF] Have other news you think we should be sharing with subscribers to this list? Tweet us at http://twitter.com/tweetmetro.

Digitech Newsletter :: April 2009

April 2009 Thinking Strategically at the Digital Dilemmas Symposium Times are certainly tough for libraries in this economic climate. It has never been more important for us to think about how we can strategically position our institutions to emerge from this crisis as continued cornerstones of the communities we serve. Please join METRO on April 16 for engaging discussions at the Digital Dilemmas Symposium. More than simply a discussion about digital information resources, Digital Dilemmas will provide participants with an opportunity to join leading scholars in thinking strategically about changing community expectations and how our libraries might adapt and flourish under these conditions. Closing keynote speaker, Dan Cohen (Director, Center for History and New Media, George Mason U.) will present "Scholars and the Everywhere Library," discussing new possibilities for search, discovery, recommendations, and analysis that a modern library might provide for the next generation of scholars. The symposium will feature an opening keynote from Cliff Lynch (Director, CNI), and presentations by Pat Aufderheide (Director, Center for Social Media, American U.), Evan Owen (Chief Technology Officer, Portico), and Roger Schonfeld (Research Manager, Ithaka). Where: William And Anita Newman Library Conference Ctr. at Baruch College (pictured here) When: April 16, 2009 (9:30am-4:30pm) Fee: $125 (lunch provided) Complete Agenda and Registration: http://bit.ly/4F91m Digital Dilemmas is sponsored in part by OCLC, with additional support from Luna Imaging. Collection Spotlight: E. F. Caldwell & Co. Lighting Collection at Cooper-Hewitt Museum Library As part of a new monthly feature, we'd like to take a moment to share new digital collections created by METRO member libraries. If you'd like to recommend a collection, please email information to Jason Kucsma (jkucsma_at_metro_dot_org). The E. F. Caldwell & Co. Collection at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum Library, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, contains more than 50,000 images consisting of approximately 37,000 black & white photographs and 13,000 original design drawings of lighting fixtures and other fine metal objects that they produced from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries. Grant funding from METRO made it possible to scan all 142 large binders, containing 25,000 photographs, and 10,000 drawings. This online collection will provide access to over 35,000 images once all scans have been processed. A little over 30% of the Caldwell collection remains un-scanned, including 13,000 photographs and 3,000 drawings. View the collection online here: http://bit.ly/CMSAP. (Right: Caldwell chandeliers in the East room of the White House in Washington, D.C., c. 1902)   Digitization Essentials on the Agenda in April and May at METRO In addition to the Digital Dilemmas Symposium, three workshops geared toward helping libraries begin -- or begin thinking about -- digitization projects are on the schedule this Spring at METRO. In April, Professor Marcia Zeng (Kent State University) will lead a two-day intensive "Introduction to Metadata for Digital Collections" workshop (details: http://bit.ly/42kC7e). Elisa Lanzi (Smith College) and James Gehrt (Mount Holyoke College) will lead a one-day "Digital Imaging Practicum" workshop detailing workflows, best practices, and collection management for digital resources (details: http://bit.ly/4BPMiP). Laurie Gemmill (PALINET) will lead a half-day workshop on "Outsourcing Digitization" (details: http://bit.ly/l6wY3). Each of these workshops is part of METRO's year-long digitization curriculum, and is open to all members (with discounts) and other interested librarians, archivists, and museum professionals.   METRO Announces 2009 Digitization Awards METRO provides funding to its member libraries to support digitization projects that preserve and expand access to important collections of historical and rare materials in New York City and Westchester. The eight projects funded for 2009 are as follows: The Jewish Theological Seminary: Funding to digitize the diary of a prominent Jewish theologian. The American Jewish Historical Society: Support for the digitization of the papers and documents of Judah Lyons, a founder of Mount Sinai Hospital. The Center for Jewish History: Funding to digitize collections from the Leo Baeck Institute and the American Jewish Historical Society, including the digitization of three-dimensional objects from the collection. The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Library, Smithsonian: Funding to digitize a monthly fashion/design magazine published from 1809-1828. The CUNY Graduate Center: Support for the digitization of 250 photographs, newspaper engravings, lithographs, and postcards. Manhattanville College: Funding to digitize source materials from the first Catholic women’s college to accept African American students. The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research: Support for the digitization of eight volumes of a Yiddish scholarly journal published by the YIVO Institute. Wagner College: Funding to digitize 165 letters relating to the Christian Socialist movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The applications were evaluated by a review team of representatives from METRO’s Digitization Advisory Council, Information Systems and Services Advisory Council, and nationally known digitization consultants. These grants are funded through state funds from the New York State Regional Bibliographic Databases Program and METRO’s operating funds. Applications for 2010 Grants will be made available in September. Interested libraries may review last year's application on the METRO site here: http://bit.ly/v9rtl   April/May METRO Digitization and Emerging Tech Events April: 03 - Firefox Plug-In Showcase. Details: http://bit.ly/3mM126 08 - Library 2.0 Special Interest Group. Details: http://bit.ly/JMwEZ 13 - Library 2.0: Creation, Collaboration, and Conversation Webinar. Details: http://bit.ly/s8X2L 16 - Digital Dilemmas Symposium. Details: Library 2.0 Special Interest Group. Details: http://bit.ly/JMwEZ 20 - Introduction to Metadata for Digital Collections. Details: 22 - Code4LibNYC Special Interest Group. Details: http://bit.ly/5Mbal 23 - VENDOR SHOWCASE: Open Source All Grown Up: LibLime/Waldo. Details: http://bit.ly/PGT3 28 - Effective Chat Reference. Details: http://bit.ly/1q0CXS  May: 01 - Digital Imaging Practicum: Best Practices for Digitization, Workflow, and Image Collection Management. Details: http://bit.ly/4BPMiP 08 - How to Create Digital Collections Using CONTENTdm. Details: http://bit.ly/KeSa 13 - Outsourcing Digitization Workshop. Details: http://bit.ly/l6wY3 19 - Using Wink Freware to Create Tutorials/Demos for Libraries. Details: http://bit.ly/1qzqZq Add these and other related events around NY and the world to your Google Calendar by subscribing to the techMETRO Calendar: http://tinyurl.com/techmetrocalendar This is a partial list of events focusing on digitization and emerging technologies. For a complete list of METRO workshops and events, visit http://www.metro.org   Newsfeed  from METRO's tweetMETRO feed (http://twitter.com/tweetMETRO): Couldn't make it to Computers In Libraries this year? Follow the conversations at your desk http://bit.ly/FM5lJ #cil2009 Top 100 Librarian Tweeters. Who's missing from this list? http://bit.ly/WOG7D "Open Source All Grown Up" free LibLime showcase at METRO April 23 http://bit.ly/1nErFh If you weren't able to attend this year, webcasts from WebWise 2009 are available online http://bit.ly/Q5Zn Brewster Kahle crunches the #s on book digitization http://is.gd/oDrw & comes up w/$300 mil, same as http://is.gd/nUB Nominations are pouring in for the Library Society of the World's "Shovers and Makers 2009" http://www.shoversandmakers.net/ Slides are now posted from yesterday's Digitization SIG meeting on Content Management Systems - http://bit.ly/F6qwT http://twitpic.com/2a9fp - LibCampNYC's lookin' sharp! More info: http://bit.ly/libcampnyc 30+ people at the METRO Digitization SIG to talk Content Management Systems this afternoon. Slides to follow. Stay tuned. NYC libraries facing cuts & layoffs? :-( As reported in the NY Daily News: http://tinyurl.com/cymwnw Archivists Roundtable of Metropolitan New York is now on Facebook. http://bit.ly/RFvLa METRO's Digitization Special Interest Group meets tomorrow (2-4pm) to talk collection management systems. Details at http://bit.ly/cXs2 Movers & Shakers 2009: 51 Answers to the Library Leadership Dilemma http://www.libraryjournal.com/movers2009 In the Foothills: A Not-Quite-Summit on the Future of Libraries - March 26 http://bit.ly/P3IW Library of Congress Digital Preservation Newsletter for March 2009 http://bit.ly/WY0Hf Top Ten Things You Can Do To Get Broadband Stimulus Funds http://bit.ly/4Ol8v Meet ALA Presidential candidates this evening at METRO (4-6pm). Info and free registration at http://bit.ly/ihoCc Sessions announced for Digital Dilemmas Symposium on April 16. You heard it here first. http://bit.ly/digitaldilemmas Slides from "Improving Library Content with LibGuides" workshop yesterday. http://bit.ly/metro_libguides NPR Librarian is on Twitter http://twitter.com/nprlibrary Digital Dilemmas Symposium, Digital Murray Hill, Arcade, and more in new METRO Digitech Newsletter: http://bit.ly/HIR7F Drupal Camp in NYTimes http://bit.ly/6fubq Recap from first Triannual Zotero Trainers Workshop http://tinyurl.com/dgyjju (spot the METRO staffer) Journal of Library Innovation accepting submissions: http://www.libraryinnovation.org/ Search the Frick, MOMA, and Brooklyn Museum together online! http://arcade.nyarc.org Have other news you think we should be sharing with subscribers to this list? Tweet us at http://twitter.com/tweetmetro.