ARL News

All staff working in ARL member libraries are encouraged to join the ARL-ASSESS Google Group. Library assessment—planning and implementing decisions based on good data—permeates the whole organization, and the biennial Library Assessment Conference attracts a diverse group of participants from across organizational structures. Even if you cannot attend the Library Assessment Conference, consider participating in the ARL-ASSESS discussions. The research library community can benefit from having all library staff members share their expertise and experience through this forum.

image © Thomas HawkARL invites applications and nominations for participation in the 2013–2015 class of the Research Library Leadership Fellows (RLLF) Program. The RLLF Program is an executive leadership program that offers an opportunity for development of future senior-level leaders in large research libraries and archives. This will be the fifth iteration of the RLLF since its inception in 2004. To date, the program has involved almost 30 research libraries sponsoring almost 90 key staff in their development as an emerging cadre of ARL senior leaders.

image © ed_needs_a_bicycleOn May 10, the Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) submitted comments (PDF) on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a trade agreement currently being negotiated between the US and the European Union (EU). While negotiations are still in their preliminary stages, LCA urges the inclusion of provisions to harmonize public access to the results of government-funded research. LCA also cautions against the inclusion of an intellectual property chapter in the agreement.

ARL IRDW Diversity Scholars 2013-15, photo by Molly MageeARL is accepting applications for the Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce (IRDW), a program designed to recruit master of library and information science (MLIS) students from traditionally underrepresented ethnic and racial minority groups into careers in research libraries. The IRDW includes a stipend in support of MLIS education of up to $10,000 over two years, leadership and career development training, a site visit to the Purdue University Libraries, financial support for skills development, and a formal mentorship program.

“Mrs. Duffee Reading Her Kindle,” © Mike LichtARL will host a Library Assessment Forum at the upcoming American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Chicago, featuring research on the value of e-books in academic libraries conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as part of the LibValue project. The forum will be held on Friday, June 28, 2013, from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. in the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place (Adler 24A-C). The forum is open to all who are interested and no registration is necessary to attend.

image © Bjørn MolstadThe Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) applauds the introduction in the US House of Representatives on May 9, 2013, of H.R. 1892, the Unlocking Technology Act of 2013, by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Jared Polis (D-CO). The bill guarantees that legitimate uses of digital works and technologies will not run afoul of copyright law, even if they require breaking digital locks. Prompted by the recent uproar over cell phone unlocking, the bill recognizes that issue as a symptom of a much larger problem and would fix that problem permanently.

Dogwood, image © tanakawhoSpeakers’ slides from the ARL Membership Meeting held May 1–3 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, are now on the ARL website. Available slides include:

The video of the webcast "LibValue: Comprehensive Approaches to Defining Library Value" presented on May 9, 2013, is now available on ARL's YouTube channel. This webcast provides an overview of methods used to estimate value in academic libraries and describes a study that calculated return on investment at the Syracuse University Library in 2010–2011. The presenter is Bruce Kingma, professor in the School of Information Sciences and Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. Webcast slides (PDF) are also availble for download. 

SPEC surveysARL is seeking proposals for 2014 SPEC survey topics. For 40 years ARL has gathered and disseminated data through the SPEC survey program to assist libraries in the continuous improvement of their management systems. Each year, ARL works with librarians in the US and Canada to develop six surveys of the ARL membership on strategic topics related to research library policies and practices. (Survey authors do not need to work at an ARL member library, but only ARL libraries are surveyed.)

ARL today joined major sponsors Public Library of Science (PLOS), Wellcome Trust, and Google to launch the Accelerating Science Award Program (ASAP), which recognizes the use of scientific research, published through open access, that has led to innovations in any field that benefits society.