Harvard Library will join the US national libraries in implementing the Resource Description and Access (RDA)

Harvard Library to Adopt RDA

Pilot training program on new catalog code at Harvard Library to begin in November.                

October 25, 2012—The Harvard Library plans to adopt Resource Description and Access (RDA), joining the three US national libraries—Library of Congress, the National Library of Medicine and the National Agricultural Library and peers—in implementing the new code.

RDA, the successor catalog code to the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, Second Edition (AACR2), is the new standard for resource description and access for the digital world. Published jointly by the American Library Association, the Canadian Library Association and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, RDA is designed to accommodate both the print and digital worlds and provide a flexible and extensible framework applicable to both analog and digital resources.

A pilot training program at Harvard will begin in November 2012, led by the Library’s Information and Technical Services team in collaboration with staff volunteers and with training materials prepared by the Library of Congress training materials.  Following the completion and assessment of the pilot, the Library will roll out a larger, phased training program.

For more information, please contact: Elizabeth Hedrick
Communications Officer
The Harvard Library
1 617 496 1519

Please remember - there is no privacy or confidentiality on the internet

Reminding myself of this as well as any readers of this blog, and please pass along the reminder to your  library users: the internet is public. I am certain that I (and you, and yes, even you) have written emails that were sent in confidence - but there really isn't any confidence. Our confidential records can be made un-confidential on a moment's notice. As far as we know, our employers are copying our keystrokes. As far as we know, Blogger is keeping track of words that were deleted before posts were published. As far as we know, our internet providers are turning on the microphones and cameras on our home equipment. As far as we know, the laptops that hold our electronic health information can be stolen out of a car.

One example of capturing all computer activity of a group to conduct a surveillance project:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/us/fda-surveillance-of-scientists-spread-to-outside-critics.html?pagewanted=all 

As to confidentiality, again a story about the FDA:
FDA investigates release of files on devices
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303612804577529202785616274.html
-confidential files on medical devices that had yet to be approved were outsourced for printing, and the outsource had the files available to the public on a website.

Great example of plagiarism, and getting restitution for copyright infringement

Most of us in the library profession work to educate people on what constitutes plagiarism and copyright infringement. This post and video should be part of your education tool-box:

How to assert copyright over your work when its been plagiarized
http://www.allamericanblogger.com/21327/how-to-assert-copyright-over-your-work-when-its-been-plagiarized-video/

This former Missourian thanks Mr. Lester for sharing his story. It was also linked in the Assertive Cancer Patient blog: http://assertivecancerpatient.com/2012/05/plagiarism.html

News of interest to libraries

Think like a startup: http://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/18649/Think%20like%20a%20STARTUP.pdf?sequence=1

An open letter to academic publishers about open access (Chronicle of Higher Education - will require a login) http://chronicle.com/article/Hot-Type-An-Open-Letter-to/131397/

A free question/answer site to use with your students: https://piazza.com/
-from the site: "Welcome to Piazza—a place where students can come together to ask, answer, and explore under the guidance of their instructor. It'll save you time, and your students will love using it. It's also free, and easy to get started. "

Online universities need libraries, too

Looks like we need to let this group know about the value of a library to any online university effort:

Online Startup Seeks to Rival the Ivy League
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/04/net-us-usa-college-online-idUSBRE8330U320120404

As a Nebraska librarian, I am interested to see a Nebraska connection to the project: Bob Kerrey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Kerrey

Just letting anyone who reads this librarian-related blog that yes, I am still attached to it, and will be posting librarian-related resources. I know others have been in contact with me regarding old links that have changed - well, I figure librarians, my primary reader audience, are resourceful enough to locate updated links (you see, we got into this career because we love the hunt!).
My current project at the medical library is investigating iPad apps and hardware useful for our faculty and students. Expect a post on that very soon. In the meantime, here is a link on a long-running topic - outsourced (leased) library services:
Are Privatized Public Libraries So Bad?
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2012/03/are-privatized-public-libraries-so-bad/1583/

Post from the Annoyed Librarian on the Research Works Act:

http://blog.libraryjournal.com/annoyedlibrarian/2012/01/09/publishers-against-the-dissemination-of-research/

Anyone interested in open access issues needs to keep up with this, in my opinion.