What would a person do if they were suddenly given half a million dollars? The Southern Oregon University Library, after receiving a congressional grant of $470,000, decided to use the money to create the Southern Oregon Digital Archives (SODA). The primary goal for SODA was to have a full-text, completely searchable database of hundreds of…

Up until fairly recently, library collections have consisted of physical things--books; journals; audiovisual materials; and, in some libraries, collections of realia. Now, however, collections often include materials that cannot be placed on library shelves either because they are digitized versions of primary sources or because they exist only…

In this column on digital repository management, the author defines three areas within the sphere of digital repositories that need work. The first two pertain to information architecture, while the last one pertains to taking action. The author's first "wish" is for top-notch library Web sites that act as a gateway to any sphere of knowledge. He…

In days that seem very long ago, when the card catalog was the only way to search a library's collection, there was very little debate about the usability of the catalog. Librarians were most concerned about properly formatting catalog cards and, of course, ensuring that the cards were filed correctly. Today, the card catalog has been replaced in…

We all hate jargon that we do not understand. It leaves us feeling confused, frustrated, and belittled. We simultaneously wonder why we do not know what the terms mean and why the speaker does not explain them or use more understandable language. Communication between those "in the know" and those not in the know has always been an issue and will…

The National Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical Education Digital Library (NSDL), inaugurated in December 2002, is developed to promote science education on a comprehensive scale. The Journal of Chemical, Education (JCE) Digital Library, incorporated into NSDL, contains its own collections of digital resources for chemistry…

Integration of library services into the portal that Lasalle University recently implemented for the entire campus is described. In addition to learning the technical aspects was the need to inspire change in the communication culture of the university and to rethink how the library provides services.

For Jill Emery, an interest in librarianship came at an unusually young age. Today, Emery's earliest colleagues would be proud, not just of the vibrant career Emery has established for herself but for what she has done to lead the profession into the digital future. As director of electronic resources at the University of Houston, Emery is at the…

A recent library school graduate, Corey Harper was nominated by his colleagues at the University of Oregon (UO) because of the key role he played in implementing digital collections. Along with technical expertise, says Watson, he brought with him "[an ability to] balance idealism with expediency, the striving for perfection with the need to…

International Council for Educational Media-Conseil International des Medias Educatifs (ICEM-CIME) brings together experts from the fields of education, media, IT, and educational media production. Since its formation in 1950, the organization has witnessed and contributed to educational media in an international forum. The 2009 ICEM conference…

This paper presents the preliminary findings from the University of Northern British Columbia's e-portfolio project, entitled the Digital Record of Student Success (DRSS). The e-portfolio requires that the Education Program students provide artifacts of their learning related to the British Columbia College of Teachers' 13 standards for…

What types of information sources do masters and doctoral (M and D) students at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) use most, how do the patterns of use differ across subject disciplines and faculties, and to what extent does the Library and Information Services (LIS) keep or provide access to the journals that are mostly used by M and D…

Interprofessionalism, an emerging model and philosophy of multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working, has in increasingly become an important means of cultivating joint endeavors across varied and diverse disciplinary and institutional settings. This book is therefore, an important source for understanding how interprofessionalism can be promoted…

This study provides an overview of the various products available for library patrons with blindness or visual impairments. To provide some insight into the status of library services for patrons with blindness, a sample of American universities that are recognized for their programs for students with visual impairments was surveyed to discern…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the Images for All digitisation project at the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, and lessons learned from it. Design/methodology/approach: This paper describes the background to the project and collections held. It focuses on the development of the project web site, the digitisation of 100…