Planning for the future

Perhaps it's time for a Digital Commons reboot. That is to say, what is the direction the DC should take in the next academic year and beyond? Where are our energies best expended? How will Digital Commons be managed after I leave, and ideally as we prepare for the future while I am here!

Here are some parking lot items:

1. Update and post the policies 
1. What do we need policies for?
2. Where should we host the policies?
3. Who needs to approve them?
2. Do a site review
1. Are the pages current?
2. Deans?
3. Names of schools?
4. Names of chairs
5. URLs for the department website
6. Are there collections without any content?
7. Are there collections that should be updated - more content could be added?
3. What languishing submissions do we have? Deal with those.
4. Check filters on collections - especially Masters Theses - should change Within All Publications to Within (the specific collection). Otherwise, Senior Honor Theses for that department could show up. 

Creating Data Literate Students

I recently watched the 4T Data Literacy Conference on July 20-21, 2017 - sponsored by a grant from IMLS and put on by the University of Michigan School of Information. The videos, ranging from Data Refuge to several on Privacy concerns in the online world, are archived here: http://datalit.sites.uofmhosting.net/conference/schedule/. Examples of other topics include infographics, citizen science, big data and statistics. There is also an accompanying book that is currently being distributed through their website and will be available for full download later this fall.

I feel this is an area that most of us don't feel comfortable with, and so would be a great growth opportunity and a possible topic for student workshops.

NYLA Scholarly Communications Unconference

Recap of the Scholarly Communication Unconference held at NYLA, 11/2/2016

1.    Peter D. Barvoets, SUNY Cobleskill
What I learned in getting almost 100 students to publish their presentations from the SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC 2016)

Main takeaway – sent email permissions 5 days before event, was at conference with laptop to capture presentations as students registered.

2.    Amy Schuler, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Providing research data management training for students
Main takeaway – summer research institute for undergraduates. Teaches data management. Great presentation.

3.    Jeremiah Hall, Bard College
Digital Commons Platform for a Small College IR
Main takeaway – Instructional resources, Oral Histories, Senior Projects

4.    Kim Myers, The College at Brockport
Starting a library publishing program http://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/lib_presentations/14/

5.    Pamela McLaughlin, Syracuse University Libraries
Sound Beat: an innovative media publishing initiative at Syracuse University Libraries
Main takeaway – 2 minute sound bites on a variety of subjects, musical and otherwise. Librarians work with one or two classes a semester to produce these. Posted on a Wordpress site, use only clips so it is used as transformative, avoid copyright police.

6.    Alice Carli, Sibley Music Library, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester
A digitization project leading to publishing a large number of texts (including musical scores, in our instance) on our digital repository
Main takeaway – Multiyear project to digitize and conserve fragile scores in the SML. Those in public domain made public in the U of R’s IR+, those still in copyright put up with embargos, and made public only to U of R community.

7.    Jiebei Luo, Skidmore College
1. Creating an auto embargo reminder by utilizing Google Gadgets (Google form, Google Spreadsheet, formMule add-on script, Google calendar). 2. Building a live statistic Google site (iFrame, Google)
No takeaway here. Sophisticated use of Google Apps, but what doesn’t make sense is WHY? Why create work outside the IR (Digital Commons), when it is already provided?

Main conference takeaway –The above lightning rounds took place in the morning. The afternoon was devoted to a World Café, where the audience determined the topics. Of all the possible topics to discuss at this unconference, how to start and run an IR, engage with faculty, etc. was what most people wanted to talk about. Brockport is way ahead of the game there.

Links to presentations: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B5BZ7sQZ7CRUa3RqWWdabllYems