News from OCLC

Citation

(2002), "News from OCLC", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 36 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/prog.2002.28036cab.006

News from OCLC

News from OCLC

OCLC to create computing portal for public libraries

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) a three-year, $9 million grant to build a Web-based, public access computing portal for public libraries and other organisations that provide open access information. The new portal will build on the foundation's five-year-old US Library Programme, which is providing computers with Internet access to more than 10,000 libraries across the USA.

"This award is indeed a great honour and we at OCLC, along with our grant partners, understand the significant responsibility it entails," said Jay Jordan, OCLC President and CEO. "We view the portal as a place of continuous online collaboration and learning for public libraries and other non-profit organisations whose mission includes open access to authoritative knowledge resources. It provides a wonderful opportunity to extend the OCLC library co-operative and continue the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's important mission of helping public libraries and their patrons use computers and navigate the Internet."

To help bring widespread public access to information technologies, the portal will be designed to serve the ongoing needs of public libraries in managing hardware and software, implementing advanced applications, training staff and patrons, and delivering digital library services. It will leverage the installed computing base and trained population already established by the foundation's US Library Programme to develop a community of librarians who can share the resources and information necessary to provide ongoing public access computing. Content will serve five critical areas: continuing education, technical support, purchasing, capacity building and community building. The portal will host a range of services and tools, such as online tutorials, training modules, Web casting, message boards and expert assistance that will help libraries manage and enhance their programmes.

"This new interactive Web site will be an invaluable tool for the thousands of libraries working to sustain public access computing stations," said Richard Akeroyd, Executive Director of Libraries and Public Access to Information for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. "By providing free, online technical assistance, the site will help libraries of all sizes maintain and even grow their public workstations."

Marilyn G. Mason, a consultant specialising in strategic planning and management for public libraries, will be Program Director of the portal. Ms Mason served as Director of the Cleveland Public Library from 1986-1999 and Director of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library from 1981-1985. In 1979, she was Director of the White House Conference on Library and Information Services, the largest White House Conference ever held in one place. In 2000, President Clinton appointed her to the US National Commission on Libraries and Information Science.

OCLC will work with four partners that collectively bring the research, evaluation, governance, e-learning and technology skills needed to successfully design, develop and operate the portal:

1. 1.

   The Colorado State Library (CSL) (www.cde.state.co.us/index_library.htm), part of the Colorado Department of Education, encourages and supports the development of public, school and college and university libraries to improve library services to the communities these libraries serve. CSL also develops and supports the Colorado Virtual Library providing access to library resources and quality Web resources state wide. In addition, CSL serves as a state documents depository, conducts research and manages libraries at state institutions. The state library will participate in the development of the portal through its communications with other state libraries and assist in the evaluation of the portal's programme and initiatives.

2. 2.

   The mission of the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org) is to advance a public interest vision for the digital age and to demonstrate the value of communications for solving social problems. Its focus is on accelerating digital opportunity for all people. The foundation will recommend governance and advisory structures for the portal. Benton will also bring to this project its extensive experience in Web site and portal development and implementation through such programmes as the Digital Divide Network (www.digitaldividenetwork.org) and One World US (www.oneworld.net/us)

3. 3.

   Isoph (www.isoph.com) develops hosted database applications for growing, sharing and sustaining knowledge. Isoph will provide site design, e-learning course content and learning management systems and standards.

4. 4.

   Techsoup (www.techsoup.org) is a comprehensive technology Web site just for nonprofits, powered by CompuMentor. This well-respected resource will provide content evaluation, management and syndication, community building and portal maintenance.

Started in 1997, the US Library Programme was Bill and Melinda Gates' first major philanthropic venture. Since that time the programme has made grants to more than 8,000 libraries. The programme is dedicated to providing increased public access to computers, the Internet and digital information to library patrons in low-income communities throughout the USA. By the end of 2003, 10,000 libraries in 50 states will have benefited from the $250 million investment from the foundation.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (www.gatesfoundation.org) is dedicated to improving people's lives by sharing advances in health and learning with the global community. Led by Bill Gates' father, William H. Gates, Sr, and Patty Stonesifer, the Seattle-based foundation has an asset base of $24 billion.

Research library directors discuss the changing landscape for libraries

More than 100 research library directors from 17 countries and territories met 3-6 March 2002 in Dublin, Ohio, for the Twentieth Annual OCLC International Conference of Research Library Directors. The library directors represented institutions in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, the UK and the USA. Sponsored by OCLC and the Research Libraries Advisory Committee, the four day conference, titled Continuing to Weave Libraries into the Web, examined the changing needs and roles of libraries as the world's information becomes increasingly digital.

"This conference gives library directors an opportunity to meet and discuss issues facing their libraries today," said George Needham, Vice President, OCLC Member Services. "It also allows time for the attendees to meet with OCLC staff and advise OCLC on current services and those needed in the future."

Robert S. Martin, Director, Institute of Museum and Library Services, spoke on "Blurring the boundaries of cultural institutions: collaborating to serve a nation of learners". "In a digital world, these boundaries do not merely blur, they disappear," said Dr Martin. "Users may not know, or even care, whether the originals for a digital collection are in a library, a museum or an archive." Dr Martin cited several examples of collaboration between such institutions, as in the co-operative efforts between the Children's Museum of Houston and the Houston Public Library, to support and extend the missions of both organisations. He said that as collections in these institutions become increasingly digital, the distinctions between libraries, museums and archives will become less and less noticeable.

The conference also explored the changing field of scholarly publishing. Attendees heard from representatives of two organisations that have created electronic publications of peer-reviewed scholarly articles. Karen Williams, Team Leader, Digital Library Initiatives and Special Collections, University of Arizona and Jan Velterop, Group Publisher, BioMed Central Group, spoke on their approaches to producing scholarly communications and making them available at substantially lower cost than traditional peer-reviewed journals.

Conference attendees also heard from OCLC staff, including Lorcan Dempsey, Vice President, OCLC Research, who spoke on "Place in space: developing services in a shared network space"; and Robert W. Kaufman, President, netLibrary, who spoke to delegates on "netLibrary and OCLC libraries and learning in the digital age". In smaller groups, the directors met with other senior OCLC staff members for further discussions.

In round table meetings, attendees participated in discussions of issues facing research libraries. Experts on each issue facilitated the discussions:

• •

  Building co-operative relationships internationally – Marianna Tax Choldin, Director, Mortenson Center, University of Illinois.

• •

  Distance education and library activities – Joan Giesecke, Dean of Libraries, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

• •

  Information seeking behaviour – Karen Swan, Associate Professor, University of Albany (State University of New York).

• •

  Marketing libraries content and services – Jenny Johnson, Director, OCLC Corporate Marketing.

• •

  Preservation issues – Nancy Gwinn, Director, Smithsonian Institution Libraries.

• •

  Staffing issues – Marianne Gaunt, University Librarian, Rutgers University, and Charles Lowry, Dean of Libraries, University of Maryland, College Park.

OCLC Institute and Information Institute of Syracuse co-sponsor Virtual Reference Desk Conference

The OCLC Institute and the Information Institute of Syracuse at Syracuse University are co-sponsoring the Virtual Reference Desk (VRD) Conference Toward a Preferred Future: Charting the Course of Reference, 10-13 November 2002, in Chicago, Illinois.

Initiated in 1999 by the Virtual Reference Desk Project, funded by the US Department of Education and managed by the Information Institute of Syracuse (iis.syr.edu), the VRD Conference has become a leading professional conference dedicated to the rapidly changing field of reference systems, standards and practice.

"VRD has become the place where the digital reference agenda is set," said R. David Lankes, Director of the Information Institute of Syracuse and the Virtual Reference Desk Project. "I can think of no better partner in this than the OCLC Institute with their experience in setting the agenda in library science and education. With the OCLC Institute with us, the conference truly is world-class in content, management and planning."

The theme of this year's conference emphasises planning and direction founded upon practical experience, research or trend analyses. Presenters and participants will examine issues, identify practices, and propose organisational and technological systems, standards and practices that advance the state of reference librarianship in a digital environment.

The OCLC Institute, an educational division of OCLC, promotes the evolution of libraries through advanced education and knowledge exchange.

For further information please contact: Bob Murphy, OCLC, 6565 Frantz Road, Dublin, Ohio 43017 3395, USA. E-mail: bob_murphy@oclc.org URL: www.oclc.org