Microsoft Word - edlibsum06.doc _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Education Libraries Volume 29, No.1 Summer 2006 20 Resources on the Net: Information Packaging Compiled by Anne Wade and Chris Bober, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec General Fenner, J. & Fenner, A. (2004, Fall). The future in context: How librarians can think like futurists. Library Philosophy and Practice,7(1). Retrieved on July 2, 2006, from http://libr.unl.edu:2000/LPP/fenner2.htm The authors provide an insightful look at what the future holds for academic libraries stressing the need for a “future pull” way of thinking. Trends are categorized by Users and Services; Personnel and Management; and Resources. One of their forecasts predicts an increase in the pre-packaging of information, such that “some packaging can be virtual, such as the subject portals that group Web resources, databases or other digital resources together in clusters by subject area or user preference. Packaging can also be physical, such as grouping common or class readings together, assembling all necessary materials for school assignments, bagging selected children's books intended for one age group, or combining relevant informational and resource materials on specific topics.” Gibbons, D. (2003, March). Building upon the MyLibrary concept to better meet the information needs of college students. D-Lib Magazine, 9(3). Retrieved May 17, 2006, from http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march03/ gibbons/03gibbons.html This article describes the integration of “CoURse Resources” into the University of Rochester Libraries’ portal. “CoURse Resources” is a relational database which matches subject librarian selected library print and electronic resources with specific courses offered by the University. It was created to address the concern that students were not readily adopting MYLibrary type portal systems. It has proven to be a successful initiative as ”the service dynamically generates web pages tailored to university course offerings, thereby meeting the immediate information needs of students in their medium of choice.” Gulati, A. & Raina, R.L. (2000, Fall). Professional competencies among librarians and information professionals in the knowledge era. World Libraries, 10(1/2). Retrieved on July 2, 2006, from http://www.worlib.org/vol10no1-2/gulati_v10n1-2.shtml Gulati and Raina review the required professional competencies for librarians including those related to Knowledge Analyses, Knowledge Synthesis, Knowledge Repackaging, and Knowledge Retrieval. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Education Libraries Volume 29, No.1 Summer 2006 21 Library Portals Hamblin, Y. (2004, November). LibPortal project: Case studies of portal Implementation in higher education libraries – a report to the Joint Information Systems Committee. Retrieved May 08, 2006, from Loughborough University, Library and Information Statistics Unit Web site: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/dis/lisu/downloads/Lib Portal_Case_Studies_in_HE.pdf This report presents five case studies of academic libraries in the United Kingdom that implemented commercially produced portals. The portal vendors and their associated products are: Innovative’s Millenium Access Plus, Ex Libris’ MetaLib and Endeavour’s ENCompass. These case studies were “intended to assist libraries in the decision making process of how to manage their electronic resources, and whether or not a portal meets the requirements of the library.” Jackson, M. E. (2004, May) The current state of portal applications in ARL libraries: Results of a survey conducted by the ARL Portal Applications Working Group. Washington, DC.: Association of Research Libraries. Retrieved May 10, 2006, from http://www.arl.org/access/portal/PAWGfinalrpt.pdf This report is based on the findings from 34 Association of Research Libraries that responded to a survey in 2002 and to follow up interviews in 2003. A wide range of portal definitions and applications were reported. The continued success of portals will depend partly on the widespread adoption of existing standards, on libraries collaborating with each other to share their experiences, and on libraries effectively communicating their needs and requirements to portal developers. Library of Congress. (2005, December 14). The Library of Congress Portals Applications Issues Group. Washington, D.C. Retrieved May 10, 2006, from Library of Congress, Portals Applications Working Group Web site: http://www.loc.gov/catdir/lcpaig/ Established in mid-2002, the Library of Congress Portals Applications Issues Group’s (LCPAIG) mandate included the intention to pursue the development and enhancement of portal functionality for the library community as a whole. This resulted in the publication of its “List of Portal Applications for the Library of Congress” in July 2003. The portal requirements identified in this report can be adapted to meet the needs of other research library environments. Also featured is a link to “Academic Portal Products, Projects and Vendors, “which includes “portals used by academic and educational institutions to organize and present institutional information and courses.” Course Packaging Cohen, D. (2002, May/June) Course-management software: Where’s the library? EDUCAUSE Review, 37(3), 12-13. Retrieved May 08, 2006, from http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0239.pdf Academic libraries continue to make significant investments in digital collections, including online databases and electronic journals. This parallels the popularity and use of commercially produced course management software in higher education. There is growing concern that the library and its vast resources are not used to their full potential as course management software directs students to alternative resources of uneven quality. The resources and expertise of the library have to be integrated into future courseware development, and this should be done in close association with faculty and IT personnel. Furthermore, “librarians should determine the ways in which software products enable students to use the expertise of librarians and the collections, physical and electronic, of the libraries.” McLean, N., Lynch, C. (2004, May 10) Interoperability between library information services and learning environments -bridging the gaps: A joint white paper on behalf of the IMS Global Learning Consortium and the Coalition for Networked Information. Retrieved May 08, 2006, from http://www.imsglobal.org/ digitalrepositories/CNIandIMS_2004.pdf _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Education Libraries Volume 29, No.1 Summer 2006 22 This paper provides a thorough summary of the key areas where academic library information services and e-learning systems need to interact, and “to open a dialog with the global library communities in higher education and between these communities and the communities involved in instructional technology and management.” Academic libraries should expand on the support, content and expertise that they currently provide faculty and use it to develop learning management systems. Shank, J.D., Dewald, N.D. (2003, March). Establishing our presence in courseware: Adding library services to the virtual classroom. Information Technology and Libraries, 22(1), 38-43. Retrieved April 18, 2006, from http://www.ala.org/ala/lita/litapublications/ital/2201shank.htm The authors propose two methods for integrating library resources and services into courseware. Macro- Level Library Courseware Involvement (MaLLCI) is a collaborative venture of librarians and courseware designers, developers and programmers. Its aim is to integrate all of the library’s resources, including the OPAC and all of its online databases, into the courseware domain. In Micro-Level Library Courseware Involvement (MiLLCI), the subject librarian works with individual faculty members to integrate customized library resources and services into the courseware module. The benefits and shortcomings of using each of these methods are also presented. Regardless of the approach, “if libraries successfully establish a presence in courseware, the gain will be an increased relevance with students, and strengthened relationships and collaborative ties with faculty.” Snavely, L., Smith, H. (2003, April). Bringing the library to students: Linking customized library resources through a course-management system. Paper presented at the ACRL National Conference (Charlotte, NC). Retrieved May 11, 2006, from http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlevents/snavelysmith.PDF This paper describes the integration of two library created modules into an existing course management system used campus-wide at Penn State University. The implementation of these two modules, ‘Reserves Reading Tool’ and ‘Library Subject Guide Tool’ was “an innovative approach to bringing library resources into the learning and teaching environment by seamlessly linking the students directly to the most appropriate library resources for their course.” Compilers’ note: Text that is enclosed within quotations marks has been taken directly from the source document. Chris Bober is the Education Librarian at Concordia University Libraries. Email: boberc@alcor.concordia.ca Anne Wade is manager of the Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance and has taught in the Information Studies Program at Concordia University for ten years. Email: wada@education.concordia.ca