Category Archives: IFLA

NISO/DCMI Webinar: Semantic Mashups Across Large, Heterogeneous Institutions

[IFLA-L] NISO/DCMI Webinar: Semantic Mashups Across Large, Heterogeneous Institutions: Experiences from the VIVO Service

Join NISO/DCMI for our joint May webinar
–Webinar: Semantic Mashups Across Large, Heterogeneous Institutions: Experiences from the VIVO Service
–Date: May 22, 2013
–Time: 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. (Eastern Time – UTC 17:00:00) (World Clock: http://bit.ly/157qF2S)
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ABOUT THE WEBINAR:
VIVO is a semantic web application focused on discovering researchers and research publications in the life sciences.  The service, which uses open-source software originally developed and implemented at Cornell University, operates by harvesting data about researcher interests, activities, and accomplishments from academic, administrative, professional, and funding sources.  Using a built-in, editable ontology for describing things such as People, Courses, and Publications, data is transformed into a Semantic-Web-compliant form.  VIVO provides automated and self-updating processes for improving data quality and authenticity. Starting with a classic Google-style search box, VIVO users can browse search results structured around people, research interests, courses, publications, and the like — data that can be exposed for re-use by other systems in a machine-readable format.
This webinar, held by a veteran at the Albert R. Mann Library Information Technology Services department at Cornell, where the VIVO project was born, presents the perspective of a software developer on the practicalities of building a high-quality Semantic-Web search service on existing data maintained in dozens of formats and software platforms at large, diverse institutions.  The talk will highlight services that leverage the Semantic Web platform in innovative ways, e.g., for finding researchers based on the text content of a particular Web page and for visualizing networks of collaboration across institutions.
SPEAKER:
John Fereira, a senior programmer/analyst and technology strategist at Cornell University, is a contributing member of the VIVO project team.  He also consults on issues related to information technology in higher education with an emphasis on open-source, modular, distributed software systems and is currently working on systems based on VIVO software for international Agricultural Information systems communities.
Registration closes one hour before the webinar begins.
For more information and to register, visit the event webpage:

IFLA President’s Meeting 2013

3 April 2013

IFLA President’s Meeting 2013

By Filiberto Felipe Martínez-Arellano, Chair of Division V

The IFLA President’s Meeting was held on 6-7 March 2013 at the National Autonomous University of Mexico facilities.  It was sponsored by the UNAM Coordination of Humanities, the Institute of Research in Library and Information Science and the General Direction for Libraries.  This IFLA Presidential Meeting was organized by the IFLA Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean and the IFLA Section for Latin America and the Caribbean. Likewise, the Mexican Library Association and the National College of Librarians of Mexico collaborated in its organization.

The Keynote Speakers were the UNAM Coordinator of Humanities, Estela Morales Campos, Open access to information: a right or an aspiration?, (See More)

[IFLA-L] International Meeting of Experts on the Safeguarding of Mali’s Cultural Heritage, UNESCO Headquarters, 18 February 2013

Following the Director-General of UNESCO’s decision to assist the Government of Mali in restoring and rebuilding its cultural heritage, UNESCO has established a working group of experts from all its partners, including IFLA, with the purpose of preparing an action plan for the restoration and reconstruction of the country’s cultural heritage and building the necessary capacity. More details are available here.

Ellen Tise will represent IFLA in the Expert Group which will work mainly via electronic communication. As the Past President Ellen has an excellent understanding of IFLA and also our work on cultural heritage through our Blue Shield membership and UNESCO. Also, Ellen is a member of the UNESCO Memory of the World advisory board; is Chair of the National Library Board in South Africa – the South African government and National Library have been working with the Mali government on a number of projects re the manuscripts and other cultural heritage; is the Director of Library Services at Stellenbosch University and so is familiar with work being done by a number of universities in Africa working with the cultural heritage in Mali and is well-placed to liaise with these institutions; and is well-known to African library and cultural heritage colleagues. Ellen’s role will focus on liaison across the participating organisations.

The working group was launched with an international expert meeting and the ‘Solidarity for Mali’ event on Monday the 18th of February 2013 in Paris. IFLA was represented through Christiane Baryla, Director of the IFLA Preservation and Conservation (PAC) Core Activity. Throughout the day, experts of cultural heritage worked on fine-tuning the action plan for the protection of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the region. In  collaboration with our colleagues  (ICA, ICCROM, ICOM, ICBS),  IFLA insisted notably on the need for an assessment not only of the damages but also the situation before the damages from the conflict. IFLA pointed out the necessity of organizing training seminars in the different fields of  preservation, restoration, digitization and disaster’s management  and recovery. The UNESCO action plan is not yet finalised.

IFLA will work closely with UNESCO, through our role in the Blue Shield to assess the impacts the conflict has had on libraries in Mali and will help to rebuild the library infrastructure. When the region has been declared safe UNESCO will consider sending a mission to evaluate the situation for cultural heritage. In the meantime IFLA is focusing  on drawing together information about colleagues who have experience with training or working in Mali, and what the situation was for tangible heritage artifacts before the conflict.

If you have any experience or knowledge with regards to the issues in Mali and would like to help please contact Julia Brungs.

Please see here for webversion.

Julia Brungs

Policy and Projects Officer

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)

P.O. Box 95312
2509 CH The Hague
Netherlands