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Academic Libraries; Educational Technology; Electronic Publishing; Electronic Libraries; Online Vendors; Library Administration; Library Materials; Library Services; Performance Factors; Certification; Contracts; Access to Information; Barriers; Usability; Library Policy

Abstract:
This bibliographic essay examines the difficulties associated with the selection, licensing, acquisition, and management of e-books in academic libraries. The potential advantages of e-book technology are likely to be realized only to the extent that they advance the economic goals of e-book suppliers and are consistent with the legal framework that has been negotiated by publishers, vendors, libraries, and readers. Many difficulties can be traced to a lack of uniformity in license terms, access restrictions, and librarians' expectations. Likewise, sustainable access to e-books is hindered by impermanent physical media, proprietary file formats and software, and restrictive license provisions. Although the goals of e-book providers are sometimes inconsistent with those of universities, librarians are well-positioned to guide vendors in the development of e-book licenses and platforms. (Contains 128 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Consortia; Elementary Secondary Education; Needs Assessment; Online Vendors; Shared Resources and Services; Information Technology; Computer Networks; Program Administration; Program Guides; Technology Planning

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This article features a major statewide initiative in North Carolina that is showing how a consortium model can minimize risks for districts and help them exploit the advantages of cloud computing. Edgecombe County Public Schools in Tarboro, North Carolina, intends to exploit a major cloud initiative being refined in the state and involving every one of its districts. The North Carolina Education Cloud, or NCEdCloud, a multiyear project that started in late 2010, is designed to provide structure, processes, and assistance that districts require to identify IT needs, potential service providers, and even motivation for making the leap from on-premises to cloud-based operations. The author discusses five lessons for the aspiring consortium: (1) understand districts' needs; (2) focus goals on pain points; (3) clearly define the scope of service; (4) make the service opt-in and motivate first adopters; and (5) be prepared to educate cloud vendors on K-12. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Systems Development; Educational Technology; Technology Planning; Information Networks; Shared Resources and Services; Information Policy; Data Processing; Information Services; Cost Effectiveness; Online Vendors

Abstract:
"Rent or buy?" is a question people ask about everything from housing to textbooks. It is also a question universities must consider when it comes to high-performance computing (HPC). With the advent of Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Microsoft Windows HPC Server, Rackspace's OpenStack, and other cloud-based services, researchers now have the ability to quickly rent space and time on an HPC cluster, a collection of linked nodes that run as if they were one computer. Researchers who need to process vast amounts of data can buy an HPC cluster, rent a cloud-based solution, or opt for a hybrid approach. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Cost Effectiveness; Computer Software; Open Source Technology; Online Vendors; Database Management Systems; Technology Planning; Program Administration; Best Practices; Performance Factors; Information Technology; Strategic Planning

Abstract:
With their budgets under increasing pressure, many campus IT directors are considering open source projects for the first time. On the face of it, the savings can be significant. Commercial emergency-planning software can cost upward of six figures, for example, whereas the open source Kuali Ready might run as little as $15,000 per year when hosted by a consortium. But it's important not to be seduced by the numbers alone. While these vendors can save institutions time, money, and resources, it's important for IT leaders to clarify exactly how the relationship will work and what's included in the service contract. Many of the issues that IT departments routinely hash out with proprietary software vendors apply in the open source market, too. Total cost of ownership and return on investment are probably the two biggest, but there are some questions unique to the open source arena that need to be answered as well. This article discusses seven questions IT leaders must have answers to before taking the plunge: (1) Is there a rich ecosystem around the software?; (2) What type of governance structure does the open source project utilize?; (3) How active is the vendor in the open source community?; (4) What are the licensing options, and what are the exit costs?; (5) How flexible is the vendor?; (6) How engaged will the vendor be with IT staff?; and (7) Which charges are additional? Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Internet; Web Sites; Labor Market; Credentials; Certification; Educational Attainment; Online Courses; Online Vendors; Information Science Education; Traditionalism

Abstract:
The spread of a seemingly playful alternative to traditional diplomas, inspired by Boy Scout achievement patches and video-game power-ups, suggests that the standard certification system no longer works in today's fast-changing job market. Educational upstarts across the Web are adopting "badges" to certify skills and abilities. If scouting focuses on outdoorsy skills like tying knots, these badges denote areas employers might look for, like mentorship or digital video editing. Many of the new digital badges are easy to attain--intentionally so--to keep students motivated, while others signal mastery of fine-grained skills not formally recognized in a traditional classroom. The biggest push for badges is coming from industry and education reformers. Mozilla, the group that develops the Firefox web browser, is designing a framework to let anyone with a webpage--colleges, companies, or individuals--issue education badges designed to prevent forgeries and give potential employers details about the distinctions at the click of a mouse. Hundreds of educational institutions have flocked to a $2-million grant program, run in coordination with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, seeking financial support to experiment with the educational-badge platform. Employers might prefer a world of badges to the current system. Diplomas contain little detail about what one has learned, whereas badges better reflect a person's qualifications. Some observers see a darker side, charging that badges turn all learning into a commodity and cheapen the difficult challenge of mastering something new. Rather than dive into an assignment out of curiosity, students might focus on an endless pursuit of badges, argues Alex Reid, an associate professor of English at the University at Buffalo. "The presence of a badge could actually be a detriment to an otherwise genuine learning experience," he wrote on his blog. But in an interview, he agreed that in today's tough job market, people are searching for alternatives that better reflect their qualifications. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Information Needs; Best Practices; Search Strategies; Information Literacy; Research Skills; Library Instruction; Library Services; Library Skills; Online Searching; Online Vendors; Academic Libraries; Electronic Libraries; Change Strategies; Information Seeking; User Satisfaction (Information); User Needs (Information); Usability; Reference Services

Abstract:
EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) has been heavily used by UMUC students since its implementation in fall 2011, but experience has shown that it is not always the most appropriate source for satisfying students' information needs and that they often need assistance in understanding how the tool works and how to use it effectively. UMUC librarians have developed best practices for working with students to help them assess their information needs and to then formulate a search strategy that can help them find all relevant e-resources that could potentially be used to help them answer their research question. These practices include taking into consideration patron research level (i.e., graduate or undergraduate student), assignment project/scope, and research subject area. (Contains 5 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Educational Technology; Automation; Technological Advancement; Computer Security; Information Security; Cost Effectiveness; Computer Software Reviews; Computer System Design; Information Management; Information Technology; Information Storage; Archives; Online Vendors; Change Strategies; Technology Planning

Abstract:
The education sector remains abuzz with cost-cutting expectations despite pressures to increase services. Automation of costly manual tasks could save funds for many of these institutions, specifically in data protection. The IT departments of schools and universities can take advantage of a proven cost-savings opportunity in data protection that also will increase their new data recovery expectations and school safety. Data recovery solutions always should include all three major areas for ensuring restores: backup, archive and disaster recovery. Buying technology to perform these three key functions separately creates huge divides in management and implementation. And, skipping out on any one of these areas will leave a facility vulnerable and out of compliance with school safety measures. All three functions of data recovery have taken a giant leap in automation over the past few years as a result of a single technological development: backup appliances. Beyond bundling all of the components needed to handle data recovery, IT shops now can purchase all-in-one data recovery designed for enterprise-class operations. Schools can simplify operations and save dollars with an appliance approach to data backup. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Internet; Computer Storage Devices; Information Storage; Computer Software Evaluation; Database Management Systems; Information Management; Online Vendors; Library Automation; Library Development; Evaluation Criteria

Abstract:
Backups are a modern fact of life. Every organization that has any kind of computing technology (and that is all of them these days) needs to back up its data in case of technological or user errors. Traditionally, large-scale backups have been done via an internal or external tape drive that takes magnetic tapes (minicassettes, essentially) and puts the compressed data from the server onto the tape. These tapes are neither cheap nor fast and require a human being to move them around. From changing tapes on a daily basis to moving tapes out of the initial location in case of catastrophic damage to the organization's building, their maintenance is pretty labor-intensive, at least in comparison to a backup solution that takes advantage of always-on internet access and nighttime low-bandwidth times to run backup copies of the data and send it, via the internet, to the cloud. When it came time to buy a new set of magnetic tapes for backups and to replace one of the servers, the author decided to check out the possibility of using the cloud to back up the data, avoiding the purchase of more tapes and a tape drive for the new server. She discovered that there were a number of vendors out there willing and able to provide one with backup solutions--but those solutions were sometimes difficult to compare and required that one has a pretty good idea of everything to back up. In this article, the author discusses how to research, evaluate, and choose a backup service in the cloud. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Credentials; Certification; Educational Attainment; Alternative Assessment; Vocational Evaluation; Online Courses; Online Vendors; Information Science Education; Traditionalism

Abstract:
The spread of a seemingly playful alternative to traditional diplomas, inspired by Boy Scout achievement patches and video-game power-ups, suggests that the standard certification system no longer works in today's fast-changing job market. Educational upstarts across the Web are adopting systems of "badges" to certify skills and abilities. Traditional colleges and universities are considering badges and other alternative credentials as well. In December the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced that it will create MITx, a self-service learning system in which students can take online tests and earn certificates after watching free course materials posted by the university. MIT also has an arrangement with a company called OpenStudy, which runs online study groups, to give online badges to students who give consistently useful answers in discussion forums set up around the free lecture materials the university has long posted as part of its OpenCourseWare project. But the biggest push for badges is coming from industry and education reformers, rather than from traditional educational institutions. Mozilla, the group that develops the popular Firefox Web browser, is designing a framework to let anyone with a Web page--colleges, companies, or even individuals--issue education badges designed to prevent forgeries and give potential employers details about the distinctions at the click of a mouse. Employers might prefer a world of badges to the current system. After all, traditional college diplomas look elegant when hung on the wall, but they contain very little detail about what the recipient learned. Students using Mozilla's proposed badge system might display dozens or even hundreds of merit badges on their online resumes detailing what they studied. And students could start showing off the badges as they earn them, rather than waiting four years to earn a diploma. The idea is already well established in some computer-programming jobs, with Microsoft and other companies developing certification programs to let employees show they have mastered certain computer systems. Some observers see a darker side, though, charging that badges turn all learning into a commodity, and thus cheapen the difficult challenge of mastering something new. Rather than dive into an assignment out of curiosity, many students might focus on an endless pursuit of badges. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Electronic Libraries; Librarians; Library Services; Information Technology; Higher Education; Library Automation; Online Vendors; Documentation; Standards; Cataloging; Catalogs; Metadata; Coding; Computer Interfaces; Vendors

Abstract:
Librarians are familiar with the single-line form, the consolidated index, which represents a very large portion of a library's print and online collection. Their end users are familiar with the idea of a single search across a comprehensive index that produces a large, relevancy-ranked results list. Even though most patrons would not recognize the term web-scale discovery (WSD), it is what they have come to expect. More and more libraries are stepping up to meet their users' expectations by implementing WSD services. Librarians around the world are trying to learn what these services are and how they work, evaluating the services on the market, selecting and implementing a service, and then teaching colleagues and patrons all about it. Based on her efforts to evaluate today's highly touted web-scale discovery systems, the author shares tips for evaluating the various services that are out there, based on her work in selecting a web-scale solution for the University of Central Florida. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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