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Weekly News Digest
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October 28, 2014 — In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today.
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ACRL Extends Public Comments Deadline
The draft revision of the 2008 Standards for Distance Learning Library Services from the Distance Learning Section (DLS) of ACRL is now open for public comment until Dec. 1, 2014. Comments can be submitted via the DLS website or to Harvey Gover, the standards committee chair, at hgover@tricity.wsu.edu.The committee will seek final approval of the draft, which is available for download, at the American Library Association’s (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in January 2015. Source: Distance Learning Section of ACRL
Manuscripts From the Vatican Library Are Free Online
The Vatican Library is working on a digitization project that will make its archive of 82,000 ancient manuscripts available to the public for free. So far, it has digitized almost 4,500 documents, many of which are listed on its website. Monsignor Cesare Pasini writes, “Digitization of the 82,000 manuscripts is a task that Vatican Library has assumed for years now; and already we have established contact with cultural institutions and with companies that share and support our work. … [O]ur purpose is characterized by the willingness to draw up an overall project for the entire, huge range of our manuscripts, which could lead to 40 million digitized pages. …”The library aims to complete the project in a minimum of 15 years at a cost of more than $63 million. The Digita Vaticana nonprofit organization is currently working on raising the necessary funds. Source: PBS NewsHour
PCG Survey Reveals That Libraries Provide OA Funds
Publishers Communication Group (PCG) released its “Open Access Library Survey,” a white paper that presents the results of a survey of 150 librarians from 30 countries on their gold open access (OA) practices. Although gold OA is considered an “author pays” model, libraries have begun to provide funds for these publications.Almost 25% of respondents noted that libraries offer funding for article processing charges (APCs), some of which comes from existing materials budgets. According to the survey, OA resources are cataloged by 72% of libraries. “Because PCG stands at the crossroads of librarians, researchers and publishers, we field questions from all sides regarding open access publishing and its future impact on these stakeholders,” says Kate Lara, PCG’s head of market research. “The results of our study largely confirmed our suspicion that OA is presently a small but growing issue for librarians and institutions, while revealing that there are multiple and varied views into how the librarian can play a role in it.” Source: Publishers Communication Group
Adam Matthew Debuts Digitized Collection of American History
Adam Matthew published Part I of the Gilder Lehrman Collection as American History, 1493–1945: From the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, New York. Part II will be available in 2015.Part I features materials from 1493 to 1859, including 50,000 letters, diaries, maps, pamphlets, and photographs that document U.S. history, with emphasis on the Revolutionary War and Civil War periods. Other themes the collection explores are women, African-Americans, Native Americans, the World Wars, and American expansion. Source: Adam Matthew
ARL Produces Statistics Publications
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) rolled out three publications that describe library statistics: “ARL Statistics 2012–2013,” “ARL Academic Health Sciences Library Statistics 2012–2013,” and “ARL Academic Law Library Statistics 2012–2013.”This series of annual publications, which dates from 1961, describes the staffing, expenditures, collections, and service activities of ARL’s 125 member libraries as well as 60 health science libraries and 74 law libraries at ARL member institutions in the U.S. and Canada. The titles are available for purchase digitally or in print, and ARL members can access “ARL Statistics” and “ARL Academic Health Sciences Library Statistics” for free online. Source: Association of Research Libraries
Wiley Online Library Teams Up With ReadCube for More Options
ReadCube partnered with Wiley to integrate the ReadCube Checkout technology for almost all of Wiley’s journals. Wiley Online Library now offers 48-hour rental, permanent cloud-only access, and downloadable PDF options. These articles can be viewed as ReadCube Enhanced PDFs after purchase via Checkout. Other article features include annotation tools, hyperlinked in-line citations, and simultaneous download of supplemental data and figures.“One of Wiley’s goals is to ensure that our high impact content is accessible in ways that add to the productivity of researchers,” says Todd Toler, Wiley’s VP of digital product management. “Our partnership with ReadCube helps us transform the flat PDF into an innovative, next generation content experience across our journal portfolio on Wiley Online Library.” Source: ReadCube
EBSCO Database on Arab World Is Now Available
EBSCO Information Services introduced the full-text database Arab World Research Source, which includes magazines, trade publications, country reports, and other sources relevant to researchers studying Arab, Middle Eastern, and Islamic topics.The 300-plus full-text titles in the database are searchable using multiple languages. It features almost 200 scholarly journals, such as the Alexandria Journal of Veterinary Science, the Arab Journal of Nephrology and Transplantation, and the Journal of Sharia & Islamic Studies. Source: EBSCO Information Services
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Brandi Scardilli
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