Logo for VALA2010 Conference, 9 - 11 February at Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre


Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
2 Clarendon Street
Southbank VIC 3006
Australia
Tel + 61 3 9235 8000
Fax + 61 3 9235 8001
www.mcec.com.au
Venue directions


For further enquiries regarding the VALA2010 Conference, please contact:

VALA2010 CONFERENCE OFFICE
WALDRONSMITH Management
61 Danks Street West
Port Melbourne VIC 3207
AUSTRALIA
T +61 3 9645 6311
F +61 3 9645 6322
E info@wsm.com.au

ABSTRACTS

Tuesday 9 February 2010    0905 - 1015

PLENARY SESSION - Keynote Address

Karen Calhoun, OCLC, USA

The emergent library: new lands, new eyes

Marcel Proust wrote "The real act of discovery is not in finding new lands, but in seeing with new eyes." This presentation explores how this quote--with its emphasis on looking creatively at what we already have--applies to libraries and librarians today. Over the last two decades libraries joined thousands of other organizations in a massive rush to claim "new lands" in cyberspace. Yet at the end of the first decade of the new century, libraries may have cyber turf but insufficient cyber attention. Many end users persistently see libraries through the last century's eyes—to them, libraries are mainly about books and buildings. Before students, scholars and citizens can see libraries differently, we ourselves need to see with new eyes. In support of the many conference presentations that follow her address, Ms. Calhoun will introduce the notion of the "emergent library"--attracting more attention for library analog, licensed, and digital collections ; moving to cloud-based services; effectively deploying physical and virtual space; and playing a stronger role in the support of scholarly communications, especially through repositories.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1050 - 1120

CONCURRENT SESSION 1 - Discovery

Paul Hagon and Bobby Graham, National Library of Australia

Making our catalogue as easy as 1, 2, 3

A library's catalogue is core to a library's existence. The National Library of Australia recognises this and spends a great deal of time, energy and money on the data that goes into the catalogue. Less attention is spent on design and user experience. This changed in May 2008 when the National Library of Australia implemented VuFind as the new online catalogue. A year after this implementation, the Library reviewed the user behaviour and usability of the VuFind online catalogue. This paper outlines the process of that review, what the review has delivered and how we can use this information to meet the ever-increasing user expectations.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1125 - 1155

CONCURRENT SESSION 1 - Discovery

Karen Joc and Kayo Chang, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates

The impact of discovery platforms on the information seeking behaviour of ESL undergraduate students

Between September and December 2009, librarians at Zayed University undertook a three phase randomised, semi-blind usability study focusing on four discovery platforms, to ascertain which of these discovery platforms if any best met the criteria of these EFL digital natives. Three of the platforms were vendor based (AquaBrowser, Encore, Primo) and one of the platforms is open source (VuFind). In particular the investigators were concerned with the students' browsing and searching experience; were students provided with appropriate search options/alternatives; did students experience any dead-end searches; the relevancy of resources retrieved for search terms entered; the possibility of Arabisation; and, most importantly, the overall users' experience.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1200 - 1230

CONCURRENT SESSION 1 - Discovery

Jane Burke, Serials Solutions, USA

Discovery versus disintermediation: the new reality driven by today's end-user

Increasingly, libraries are viewed as irrelevant to the research process, leaving them vulnerable to being cut, both financially and from the mind of the end user. However, new ways of discovering content in library collections holds the promise of returning the researcher to the library. The author explores the impact of search technology including Discovery Layers (NGCs), Federated Search, and the emerging trend toward Web-Scale Discovery.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1050 - 1120

CONCURRENT SESSION 2 - Physical and Virtual Access

Michelle McLean and Linda Burridge, Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation, Vic

From mess to CMS: the transformation of a library website

Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation undertook to transform their website from an overburdened, highly unmanageable mess to a site that would meet both the users' and the site creators' needs. This transformation was made possible through the use of Drupal, a web content management system. This paper outlines the processes involved, the challenges, the lessons learnt and the final result of the transformation.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1125 - 1155

CONCURRENT SESSION 2 - Physical and Virtual Access

Rachel Chidlow and Hester Mountifield, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Aging gracefully? Reviewing and enhancing Information Commons services at the University of Auckland

The University Library's Information Commons Group services and facilities have continued to thrive and improve student life and learning since the opening of the Kate Edger Information Commons in April 2003. The IC Group has a strong strategic focus on continuous improvement in areas of management, staff development, operations, space design, technology, resource development and client services. The IC Group collaborates with ITS in offering and improving electronic campus services for students. This paper outlines the "how" and "why" behind changes and improvements in the IC Group. The benefits to staff and students will also be demonstrated. This paper also briefly discusses the reengineering of the original service model to accommodate changes in learning, technology and student needs.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1200 - 1230

CONCURRENT SESSION 2 - Physical and Virtual Access

Mal Booth, Sophie McDonald and Belinda Tiffen, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW

A new vision for university libraries: towards 2015

At UTS, plans for a new library building to open in 2015 are fuelling a re-imagining of our library. We are moving towards a new sustainable, client focussed and innovative library that will find its physical expression in a new library building, but is envisioned as being situated equally in the physical and digital environments. In this paper, we aim to describe our vision of the future by revealing some of the plans and projects already underway at UTS Library, and also by speculating a bit on our future - and perhaps yours.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1050 - 1120

CONCURRENT SESSION 3 - Repositories

Danny Kingsley, Australian National University, ACT

The advocacy and awareness imperative: a repository overview

Populating institutional repositories poses a significant challenge. This paper provides an assessment of awareness and advocacy techniques that have been used in established institutional repositories in Australia and internationally. In summary, a repository policy is essential. Mandates work better than simply recommending repository use. It helps to make depositing as easy as possible and sort out copyright, by providing staff to work with the academics. Contacting academics individually is more effective than printed publicity material. The repository is more useful to the academic if it relates to their regular workflow.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1125 - 1155

CONCURRENT SESSION 3 - Repositories

Simon Huggard and Michele Hosking, State Library of Victoria

Go with the flow: data management and synchronisation across systems at the State Library of Victoria

From 2008-2010, the State Library of Victoria has implemented five enterprise-wide library systems as part of the SLV21 project planning framework. A considerable amount of time and effort has been put into working with data flow across these different systems to ensure that staff workflows and data use and re-use is properly managed. This paper will cover a range of data modelling and planning that has been necessary to work with each system. Some best practice methods are discussed and outcomes and recommendations put forward.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1200 - 1230

CONCURRENT SESSION 3 - Repositories

Adrian Burton and Andrew Treloar, Australian National Data Service, Vic

"Publish My Data": the design and implementation of a loosely-coupled data 'publishing' service

With an increasing societal move towards making research data public, the Australian National Data Service (ANDS) is releasing a number of services to assist with this. The subject of this paper is the service called "Publish My Data". It is not a centralised monolithic system, but rather a set of flexible services providing some key functions that enable organisations and individuals to more formally publish their data using as much of their own infrastructure as appropriate.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1405 - 1435

CONCURRENT SESSION 4 - Discovery

John Garraway, The University of Auckland, New Zealand

The Big BUT: the influence of business, users, and technology on unified resource discovery

The University of Auckland Library has introduced a Unified Resource Discovery (URD) environment, but has discovered implementing the technology alone does not necessarily provide a complete solution. This paper identifies other constraints, including different business models and user behaviour for acceptance of new technology that can influence the outcome. It concludes by articulating the role the Library can play in facilitating alignment between business, users, and technology to achieve a URD environment that works.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1440 - 1510

CONCURRENT SESSION 4 - Discovery

Michael Gonzalez, University of Western Sydney

Beyond the grave: where to with gen (wh)Y?

Through the analysis of the University of Western Sydney's (UWS) federated searching tool usage statistics, the paper aims to highlight potential issues for Libraries choosing to make federated searching, the preferred method for finding scholarly resources. The paper will reflect on the UWS experience and create an awareness of potential issues for future implementations of federated search products.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1515 - 1545

CONCURRENT SESSION 4 - Discovery

Shirley White, Roxanne Missingham and Rina Brettell, Parliament House, ACT

All aboard ParlInfo Search: the journey towards integrated access to bibliographic and full text information from the Parliament of Australia

This paper outlines the journey towards ParlInfo Search, a high-profile service that provides integrated access to bibliographic and full text information that is of interest both to the Parliament of Australia and to the public in general. The paper outlines the business needs of the system, stakeholder and governance issues and discusses Parlinfo Search's technical architecture and content solution, its features, lessons learnt during the course of the project and future directions.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1405 - 1435

CONCURRENT SESSION 5 - Metrics

David Wells and Petra Dumbell, Curtin University of Technology, WA

Ebook usage at Curtin University Library: patterns, projections and strategy

Since Curtin University Library began to collect ebooks in the early 2000s, we have used a variety of collection development and access models for different purposes. To a large extent different acquisition models have been aligned to different collection development goals. For example, acquisition of publishers' collection sets has been directed to providing long-term infrastructure for researchers; purchase of individual ebooks has been intended primarily to address short-term demand for materials required to support teaching and learning. This paper will examine the patterns of usage of different categories of ebooks to establish the extent to which method or philosophy of acquisition has an impact on ebook usage.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1440 - 1510

CONCURRENT SESSION 5 - Metrics

Lynne Horwood and Sabina Robertson, University of Melbourne, Vic

Role of bibliometrics in scholarly communication

The aims of the paper are, firstly, to provide an overview of the major developments of bibliometrics. Secondly, the paper will discuss features of two of the major citation databases, Scopus (Elsevier) and Web of Science (Thomson Reuters). Both vendors are focussing their product development in the areas of visual representation of the relationships of the cited papers. Thirdly, the paper will illustrate the opportunities for academic librarians to engage with their academic communities.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1515 - 1545

CONCURRENT SESSION 5 - Metrics

Carol Tenopir, University of Tennessee, USA and Donald King, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, USA

Value and future of library e-resources

Academic libraries are under increasing pressure to demonstrate the value of their collections to their stakeholders and to focus on products and services that support e-science. If the costs of library services increase and the perception of the importance of the library decreases, a value gap can result. Measures of value, including usage, explicit value, contingent valuation, and return on investment can help demonstrate the current value of the library and help librarians set priorities for the future. Recent studies demonstrate that library journal and book e-collections hold many implicit and explicit values in helping staff and students do their work, obtain grants, and improve their research. Libraries can also play a role in data archiving and distribution and in many phases of research.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1405 - 1435

CONCURRENT SESSION 6 - Repositories

Andrew Harrison and Sam Searle, Monash University, Vic

Not drowning, ingesting: dealing with the research data deluge at an institutional level

Australian government funding and policy guidelines increasingly encourage researchers to deposit their research data in institutional or subject repositories, but there are significant technical and organisational practicalities involved in achieving this. In this paper, Monash University Library staff members with responsibility for repository development and research data management describe their work together to establish the Monash University ARROW Repository as a key part of the university's overall program to improve research data management. Repository-related activities are discussed in the context of wider developments, both in technical infrastructure and in terms of professional development and outreach to researchers.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1440 - 1510

CONCURRENT SESSION 6 - Repositories

Jean-Gabriel Bankier, Tim Tamminga and Courtney Smith, Berkeley Electronic Press (Bepress), USA

Digital repositories at a crossroads: achieving sustainable success through campus-wide engagement

To guarantee the long-term viability of the institutional repository (IR), the IR must be made integral to units on campus beyond the library. Strategically, this requires expanding the range of stakeholders served by the IR and increasing the scope of content the IR collects, moving beyond post-prints to consider the entire continuum of scholarly content. With this approach, the scope and value of the IR transcend a limited administrative or library function to fundamentally change the role of the library on campus.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1515 - 1545

CONCURRENT SESSION 6 - Repositories

David Groenewegen, Australian National Data Service

ANDS responses to the data management challenges in the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research

In early 2009, selected senior staff at a number of research institutions were invited by the Australian National Data Service (ANDS) to attend Forums to discuss the issues surrounding the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research and to share their strategies around compliance. These issues included the governance arrangements, the technological and policy requirements, and the best way to reach research staff. This paper discusses the Code and its relevance to data management, the issues identified by ANDS and the strategies recommended.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1620 - 1730

PLENARY SESSION - Keynote Address

Thomas Tague, Thomson Reuters, USA

Next up? The linked content economy

OpenCalais Initiative lead Tom Tague will share insights on today's rapidly evolving digital information landscape and the growing ecosystem of open data assets in the Linked Data Cloud. He will also share lessons learned and emerging best practices in digital content curation based on more than two years spent meeting with publishers, content curators and entrepreneurs in the 'Web 3.0' space.


Wednesday 10 February 2010    0845 - 0955

PLENARY SESSION - Keynote Address

Marshall Breeding, Vanderbilt University Libraries, USA

Blending evolution with revolution: a new cycle of library automation spins on

Based on his ongoing research and analysis of the product, technology, and business trends of the library automation industry, Marshall Breeding will give his perspective on the current state of the field and what libraries can expect over the next few years. While some companies will continue a stable and evolutionary path, others articulate more dramatic changes in their strategies. Open source ILS options have already repainted the landscape, with new community source projects underway that promise additional change. The industry drives forward on two fronts, one focusing on automating internal library processes and the other providing new ways for users to discovery and access library collections. Major tech trends such as the rapid rise in smart mobile devices, the shift from local computing to platform-as-a-service cloud computing bring new mandates of change that demand new directions of innovation. These cycles all turn within an economic climate that presents great challenges in the levels of resources that libraries can bring to the table.


Wednesday 10 February 2010    1345 - 1415

CONCURRENT SESSION 7 - Innovation

Warwick Cathro and Susan Collier, National Library of Australia, ACT

Developing Trove: the policy and technical challenges

In September 2008 the National Library of Australia embarked on a project to develop a powerful new discovery service to expose the wealth of information in Australian collections. The new service, branded "Trove", was released in December 2009 after six months as a beta service. Trove is not only replacing eight legacy services, but is improving the discovery experience for the Australian public and researchers by including more content and by allowing users to engage with the content. This paper will describe the policy and technical challenges which were faced by the Library during this project, and will outline the Library's plans for the further development of Trove.


Wednesday 10 February 2010    1420 - 1450

CONCURRENT SESSION 7 - Innovation

Paul Hagon, National Library Of Australia, ACT

Everything I know about cataloguing I learned from watching James Bond

Is it enough to rely on human interpretation for cataloguing our collections, or like James Bond, will we require high tech gadgets to get the job done? Image searches now analyse the pixel-by-pixel colour values of an image, allowing searching by colour. Consumer-grade photo management software incorporates facial recognition, allowing us to identify individuals. When researching, will we be querying the content to get the metadata or will we still be relying on querying the metadata to deliver the content? Will these technologies filter down into the way we catalogue items within our collections, or will this be a layer that enhances our traditional cataloguing methodologies or provides an additional service for our users?


Wednesday 10 February 2010    1345 - 1415

CONCURRENT SESSION 8 - Intellectual Property

Emily Hudson, University of Queensland

Fair use, fair dealing and Section 200AB: what overseas experience teaches us about Australian copyright law

In December 2009, the Australian Copyright Act was amended to introduce a new exception for cultural institutions: Section 200AB. This Section adopts a far more open-ended drafting style than the existing libraries and archives provisions, and was introduced with the intention of capturing some of the benefits of a flexible exception. However, the operation of Section 200AB has been a matter of debate, because of uncertainties in its application. The aim of this paper is to explore how Section 200AB can become a meaningful part of copyright management. The paper includes discussions of fieldwork with US institutions about fair-use practice, which may provide guidance to Australian counterparts.


Wednesday 10 February 2010    1420 - 1450

CONCURRENT SESSION 8 - Intellectual Property

Robyn Van Dyk, Australian War Memorial, ACT

Digital preservation: the problems and issues involved in publishing private records online: lessons learnt from the web publishing of the notebooks and diaries of C.E.W. Bean

In 2003, the Australian War Memorial commenced a project to digitise the notebooks and diaries of C.E.W. Bean for preservation and with the intent to make the images publicly available via the website. The digitisation of the records was completed in 2004, but the project ground to a halt when the copyright of this material was examined more closely and the records were found be a complex mixture of copyright rather than Commonwealth copyright. For the Memorial, this project represents our first venture into publishing a large complex collection of private records online and also our pilot for publishing orphan works using s200AB of the Copyright Act.


Wednesday 10 February 2010    1345 - 1415

CONCURRENT SESSION 9 - Automation

Patrick Gregory, State Library Of Victoria

It's reference, Jim, but not as we know it: using the Vocera communications system to support mobile customer service at the State Library of Victoria

In January 2009 the State Library of Victoria implemented a new model for delivering reference and customer services, based on the principles of mobility, communication and teamwork. To support this new model, it became the first library in Australia to implement the Vocera wireless communications system. This paper outlines the impetus for change, describes the use of the Vocera system and provides an analysis of the pros and cons of this implementation.


Wednesday 10 February 2010    1420 - 1450

CONCURRENT SESSION 9 - Automation

Jane Hunter and Anna Gerber, The University of Queensland

The Aus-e-Lit project: advanced e research services for scholars of Australian literature

For the past eighteen months, the eResearch Lab at the University of Queensland has been working with the Australian Literature community on the Aus-e-Lit project. Aus-e-Lit is a cross-disciplinary collaboration that is developing eResearch tools for scholars of Australian literature who are members of the AustLit consortium. The AustLit Web portal provides access to a comprehensive bibliographic and full-text collection that is considered the peak resource for scholars of Australian literary heritage. The portal also provides a mechanism for the dissemination and deployment of the eResearch services that we have developed and that are described in this paper. These include: text processing services, federated search services, annotation services, compound object authoring tools and advanced visualisation services.


Wednesday 10 February 2010    1345 - 1415

CONCURRENT SESSION 10 - Looking Forward

Paul Bonnington, Monash e-Research Centre, Vic

The changing landscape of research: tools andmethods for 21st century discovery

The US National Science Foundation noted in recent reports on 21st Century Discovery and Virtual Research Organisations that increasingly researchers (from all domains) are working in virtual teams across institutions. Furthermore, they are creating, compiling, accessing, analysing, linking and storing terabytes of digital research data through joint experimentation, observation and simulation. They note that the dynamic linking of data generated through this joint observation and simulation is enabling the development of new research methods that adapt intelligently to evolving conditions to reveal new understanding. In this talk, we highlight this phenomenon in the Australian context, and demonstrate how technologists, information specialists and domain specialists can work together in partnership to create local services and infrastructure to support 21st century discovery.


Wednesday 10 February 2010    1420 - 1450

CONCURRENT SESSION 10 - Looking Forward

Roy Tennant, OCLC, USA

Libraries at the network level: APIs, linked data, and cloud computing

Large Internet hubs like Google and Amazon have long used server farms and machine-to-machine services to reach massive scale and computational flexibility. Libraries are now beginning to take advantage of these same technologies by moving services to the "cloud", where robust and secure infrastructure services can reduce the total cost of ownership of library systems. Libraries are also leveraging the network to expose library data and services to support powerful new ways to interact with library data to provide new kinds of services. This session will tell (and show) you how.


Tuesday 9 February 2010    1455 - 1605

PLENARY SESSION - Keynote Address

Stephanie Orlic, Museum Lab, Musée du Louvre, France

The Louvre - DNP Museum Lab, a Multimedia Mediation Laboratory

Based in Tokyo, the Louvre - DNP Museum Lab is an experimental project exploring new approaches to artworks in the Musée du Louvre's collections, based on Dai Nippon Printing's expertise in information technology and state-of-the-art digital imaging, and public outreach know-how developed at the Louvre. The project aims at determining how new technology can benefit institutions like the Musée du Louvre by implementing solutions, improving the public's understanding of the artworks and promoting access to art in general.


Thursday 11 February 2010    0845 - 0955

PLENARY SESSION - Keynote Address

Lee Rainie, Pew Internet & American Life Project, USA

Networked creators: how users of social media have changed the ecology of information and created new roles for librarians to play in people's lives

The rise of bloggers, social networkers, Twitterers, and other social media participants has created an explosion of information and new forms of cultural contributions. As assessors and curators of media – old and new – librarians are especially confronted by the new challenges these changes march through their communities. This paper will document the changes, discuss the new kinds of communities that social media users create, and point out several fresh roles that librarians can play in serving people in the new information ecology.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1030 - 1100

CONCURRENT SESSION 11 - Social Networking

Sue Cook, CSIRO Information Management and Technology, WA, and Constance Wiebrands, Edith Cowan University, WA

Keeping up: strategic use of online social networks for librarian current awareness

Librarians were surveyed in August 2009 about their use of online social networks for professional information. This paper describes the features of online social networking tools that facilitate the flow of relevant current awareness information. Practical methods that can be used strategically within tools to ensure that information is professionally relevant are described, including methods of discovery and evaluation.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1105 - 1135

CONCURRENT SESSION 11 - Social Networking

Majella Pugh, University of Queensland

Wiki-connections: creating synergies within an academic library's virtual health hub

Wikis are still considered new technology in an emerging and evolving trend (Web 2.0). In recent years, wikis have been implemented in multi-branch services and standalone libraries. This paper reports on the support a wiki provides a virtual hub of health branches within a university library service. Six of the university's fourteen branch libraries regularly populate a wiki space with health content, reinforcing synergistic relationships strengthened through a 2008 changed service model. One year later, targeted feedback and a Keepad (clicker) session indicate that health library staff find the space more integral to their daily work than usage statistics imply.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1140 - 1210

CONCURRENT SESSION 11 - Social Networking

Zaana Howard and Darren Ryan, CPA Australia, Vic

Replacing the water cooler: connecting through enterprise microblogging

This paper, founded within Enterprise 2.0, knowledge management and informed learning theory, outlines the introduction of Yammer, an enterprise microblogging application at CPA Australia. The implementation and adoption process is discussed through usage analysis, and resulting outcomes through user success stories. Lessons learned provide a framework for organisations looking to adopt social networking tools within their own organisational environment.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1030 - 1100

CONCURRENT SESSION 12 - IT Management

Kathryn Greenhill, Cottesloe-Peppermint Grove-Mosman Park Library, WA

Taking matters into our own hands: influencing factors and concerning factors for libraries that developed Open Source library software [Travel Scholar]

Libraries that develop Open Source library software are influenced by a number of factors. The insights from this group are useful for library staff who are considering adopting Open Source library software. The author surveyed and interviewed staff who developed Scriblio, SOPAC2, VUFind, Blacklight, Koha and Evergreen. She also interviewed librarians who specified the Open Library Environment. The interviews and questionnaires revealed a common attitude to the cost of Open Source Software; similar concerns about speed and process for enhancements to proprietary library software; and similar satisfaction with the control and community that Open Source software has brought to their library operations.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1105 - 1135

CONCURRENT SESSION 12 - IT Management

Carolyn McDonald and Kate Davis, Gold Coast City Council, Qld

ICT as core business: will we prosper or drown?

Recent changes in IT organisations have resulted in changes to library IT support. Concurrently, new tools and systems for service delivery, have become available, but these require a move away from the traditional ICT model. Many libraries are investigating new models, including Software as a Service (SaaS), cloud computing and open source software. This paper considers whether the adoption of these tools and environments by libraries has occurred as a result of a lack of suitable ICT solutions and support ICT organisations. It also considers what skills library staff need in order to ensure sustainability, supportability, and ultimately, success.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1140 - 1210

CONCURRENT SESSION 12 - IT Management

May Chang, University of Maryland Baltimore County, USA

Agile and Crystal Clear with library IT innovations

The Agile project management approach with the Crystal Clear method was used to rapidly develop and deploy a variety of innovative IT applications. Our A-Team of staff and students thrived on the flexible and iterative process, and helped fine-tune our adaptation of the Agile approach for future IT projects.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1030 - 1100

CONCURRENT SESSION 13 - Web/Library 2.0

Michelle McLean, Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation, Vic, and Paul Mercieca, RMIT University, Vic

Evaluating Web 2.0: user experiences with public library blogs

How well do Web 2.0 tools work for libraries? There have been countless articles written about which Web 2.0 tools libraries should be using and for what purposes, but what about the success of those that are already being used? Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation (CCLC) conducted a survey of online and in-building users over a two-week period to discover their awareness of and use of CCLC's five library blogs. This data, in conjunction with statistics from Google Analytics, provided an interesting insight into library users and their interaction with CCLC's Web 2.0 endeavours.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1105 - 1135

CONCURRENT SESSION 13 - Web/Library 2.0

Michael Stephens, Dominican University, USA, Richard Sayers, CAVAL Ltd, and Warren Cheetham, CityLibraries Townsville, Qld

The impact and benefits of Learning 2.0 programs in Australian libraries

This paper outlines the development and research methodology of the CAVAL 2009 Visiting Scholar Research Project, Measuring the Value and Effect of Learning 2.0 Programs in Libraries. Created to include all staff in a learning activity and offered to all via a Creative Commons license, some LIS practitioners have lauded Learning 2.0 programs as a successful way to engage staff. Replicated more than 500 times across the globe in various types of libraries and over 30 times in Australia alone, this project explores the true impact of the program on Australian libraries


Thursday 11 February 2010    1140 - 1210

CONCURRENT SESSION 13 - Web/Library 2.0

Paul Sutherland, Christchurch City Libraries, New Zealand

From library automation to Library 2.0: exploring Web 2.0 tools, while reflecting on our traditional values as we move towards Library 2.0 and beyond

This paper reflects on Christchurch City Libraries' history of the use of technology, including more recent use of Web 2.0 tools, and some of the learnings along the way. First there is a brief examination of Christchurch City Libraries' digital progress from library automation to the World Wide Web. This is followed by considering some key examples of using Web 2.0, including a library blog, podcasting, a staff learning program, using Flickr and community archiving. Finally the paper reflects on our progress and raises some questions about what libraries and the library community need to do to move us further towards the participatory library world that the notion of Library 2.0 promises to deliver.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1345 - 1415

CONCURRENT SESSION 14 - Online Communities

Amirhossein Mohtasebi, Extol Corp, Malaysia and Parnian Najafi Borazjani, University Technology Malaysia

Privacy concerns in social networks and online communities

This paper studies the awareness of students in Malaysian universities of the threats in online social networks, mainly Facebook, and measures their level of vulnerability to those threats, such as identity theft and online harassment. Taking the maturity of social networks into consideration, both in terms of number of users and provided services, the authors tried to find out how concerned university students are about their privacy in online communities, and the extent to which they use the privacy enhancement enablers that are available to protect their personal information.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1420 - 1450

CONCURRENT SESSION 14 - Online Communities

Fiona Salisbury and Sandi Monaghan, La Trobe University, Vic

Finding a new voice: keys to building successful online communities

This paper examines La Trobe University Library's experience in adopting Web 2.0 technologies to build and increase interaction with their online community. Examples discussed include the library blog and LMS discussion threads. The content, participation, and online conversation in these examples are examined and analysed with a view to understanding key elements in building successful online communities.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1455 - 1525

CONCURRENT SESSION 14 - Online Communities

Ellen Forsyth, State Library of New South Wales

Wiki ecosystems: the development and growth of online communities of practice

This paper provides an analysis of collaborative wikis managed by the New South Wales public library Reference and Information Services Group. The Reference Excellence wiki and the Readers Advisory wiki are examined to explore the development of collaboration and community amongst and between the participants. There is a discussion of the different purposes of the wikis, their effectiveness, planning, outcomes, time frames and software. How the communities of writers and editors have developed is also discussed. Why people are attracted to participating in and contributing to the different wikis is explored.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1345 - 1415

CONCURRENT SESSION 15 - Digitisation/Publishing

Les Firth, Yarra Plenty Regional Library, Vic

If you can't measure it, you can't manage it: transforming library usage data into strategic information

Whilst most of the systems and products libraries used in our daily work can and do produce a wealth of measurement detail, the problem that persists is "what does this all mean?" What we want is information. What we get is data. This presentation will show how Yarra Plenty Regional Library achieves that transformation: data into information. Using real data, you will see the tools that have been developed to give YPRL management insights into many aspects of the services provided by a modern public library. From collection management to WiFi usage, from public PC utilisation to door counts, eight different aspects of public library services will be discussed.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1420 - 1450

CONCURRENT SESSION 15 - Digitisation/Publishing

Cathie Jilovsky, George Panagiotidis and Janette Wright, CAVAL Ltd

Digitise this: converting content

This paper describes and illustrates the new processes that CAVAL is using to convert content into digital form. The research and development process began with the purchase of a Kirtas 2400 RA Book Digitising device in 2008. This page-turning device now underpins the provision of high quality digitisation services for books and bound volumes. Issues discussed include image enhancement, file format options, differing criteria for preservation and digitisation and the potential integration of complementary services such as metadata harvesting and copyright permissions management. More recently a facility to digitise large format newspapers and maps has been developed. Much of the digitised content created has now been made available via the web providing access to full-text searchable information that was previously almost impossible to find and access.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1455 - 1525

CONCURRENT SESSION 15 - Digitisation/Publishing

Anna Shadbolt, Joe Arthur and Silvia Paparozzi, University of Melbourne, Vic

A research idea, an administrative need and a resource capability come together in time to create an invaluable historical collection: the University Calendar story at Melbourne

Four events were critical to our university calendar story: a researcher searching for lists of University Members over time; an administrator documenting researcher records over time; a records analyst frustrated by precious storage housing duplicate copies of calendars, and finally, the need to dispose of multiple sets of surplus calendars. Serendipity combined these events, digitising 150 years of university history and producing an invaluable digital record. The learning from our journey has been an appreciation of the complexities of digitisation projects. Key outcomes have been the development of better workflows and a more intentional strategy for future digitisation projects.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1345 - 1415

CONCURRENT SESSION 16 - Usability/Portability

Sarah-Jane Saravani, Waikato Institute of Technology, New Zealand

Standards informing design of library service delivery to mobile devices and nomadic learners

What educational institutions are facing today are the requirements of increasing numbers of learners who are described as nomadic. The nomadic learner has specific requirements, not all of which include specific mobile devices or technologies, but rather a support system or infrastructure which allows easy access to information in a convenient form as the nomad moves from place to place. Across the education environment a shift of focus is occurring: 'learner demands, the technology supplies seamlessly'. This shift challenges libraries to examine their service delivery and to focus on the implementation of relevant standards.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1420 - 1450

CONCURRENT SESSION 16 - Usability/Portability

Kat Clancy and Michelle Watson, Deakin University, Vic

Usability testing: a client-centred approach to innovation

Systematic usability testing of the library website was unheard of at Deakin University Library three years ago. However, over the last two years, a large scale usability testing program has evolved and various methodologies have been trialled and tested by the team. This paper discusses the methodologies used by the team, and the changes that were made to the Library's search interfaces as a result of the studies. The paper provides useful insights on what we did right, and on what we need to do differently in future usability studies.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1455 - 1525

CONCURRENT SESSION 16 - Usability/Portability

Alan Butters, Sybis, Vic

Data sets, profiles and standards: creating interoperability & adding value to RFID within Australian libraries

This paper provides an update on the status of the new ISO data model standard for libraries and explores some of the issues facing Australian libraries wishing to maximise the benefits offered by the new standard. The potential for data profiles to add value in the interoperability context is explored, as are the complexities involved with mixed data profiles at the point of circulation. Some suggested guidelines for the selection of data elements under the standard are also offered for consideration.


Thursday 11 February 2010    1555 - 1705

PLENARY SESSION - Keynote Address

Mckenzie Wark, Associate Professor of Media Studies, Eugene Lang College and the New School for Social Research, New York, USA

The Networked Book

In 2007 I collaborated with the Institute for the Book on a 'networked book' version of Gamer Theory, which was later published in the old dead tree format by Harvard University Press. That experience led all of us on a merry chase after solutions to many problems, some technical, some economic, some cultural. In this presentation I will sum up that experience and try to draw some lessons from it for future experiments that lie at the intersection of publishing, librarianship and writing, at a time when the boundaries between these professions are interestingly fluid.