Gloriana St. Clair

Olive: A Digital Archive for Executable Content

Gloriana St. Clair et al. — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:39:28 PST

ncreasingly, executable content pervades research and industry. Traditionally, libraries have been responsible for the preservation of historical content in its original forms, and recently in born-digital forms as well. This practice has enabled the accumulation of knowledge while reducing reinvention. Libraries have failed, however, to meet their preservation obligations in the area of executable content. Using virtual machines for curation, Olive, an Internet-based infrastructure for archiving and preserving deprecated hardware, will enable libraries to fulfill their responsibility to those segments of the community that produce dynamic, interactive, and executable content. Including this content among the responsibilities of the academic library will foster progress for engineers, scientists, historians, sociologists, and others. Use cases to be explored preferentially will include educational software, games, and scholarly articles that include executables.

Challenges in Sustaining the Million Book Project, a project supported by the National Science Foundation

Gloriana St. Clair — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:07:49 PDT

One of the main roles I have played as a director of the Universal Digital Library has been to write grant proposals to support our work. Both for this project and for another project—Olive.org, an archive of executable content—how to sustain the final product is the most difficult challenge. This paper discusses the various models that might be adopted to sustain a large corpus of digital material, such as that of the million book project. Methods discussed here include government funding, foundations and non profits, university homes, and joining existing projects. All individuals working with large digital projects should be concerned about how their work will be kept available to the public

Letter to John Adler about American Journal of Science 1818-1895

Gloriana St. Clair — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 06:31:23 PDT

This letter thanks John Adler for his donation of a run of the American Journal of Science 1818 to 1895. This set of journals has now been digitized and is available for searching http://ajs.library.cmu.edu.

Tolkien's Cauldron: Northern Literature and The Lord of the Rings

Gloriana St. Clair — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:38:22 PDT

Tolkien's Cauldron studies the sources of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien was a scholar of Old Norse literature and much of his work in the Lord of the Rings is informed by his knowledge of old Norse mythology, Eddic poetry, and saga. Tolkien's use of these sources enriched this complex story of Middle-earth.

Editorial: Consonant Actions

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:20:03 PDT

At its annual Midwinter meeting in January 1999, Journal of Academic Librarianship board members discussed the ramifications of Elsevier's recent acquisition of the title. The thesis of this resulting editorial is that academic librarians who talk to their faculties about transforming their scholarly communications by moving away from commercial publishers cannot concurrently serve on an Elsevier-controlled journal board. Only consonant discussions and actions can undergird the integrity and moral force needed to be effective in the academy. The rationale of those leaving the board involves a discussion of journal microenvironment, the journal macroenvironment, the contribution to librarianship, the balance between responsibilities to campus and the profession, and the endgame. JAL readers are encouraged to communicate their reactions to gstclair@andrew.cmu.edu. These comments will be posted on the home page at www.suffolk.edu/admin/sawlib/jal/jalhomep.htm.

Council on Library andInformation ResourcesInternet Use Study

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:20:02 PDT

Editorial: The Digital Librarian

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:20:01 PDT

I n the lead article in this issue, Deanna Marcum discusses how the digital library differs from the traditional collection- oriented library. She wrestles with issues relating to the collections of traditional libraries. In this editorial, I make seven points about what librarians will do in a digital environment, and then I note briefly some barriers to the success of the digital library.

Editorial: Changing Perspectives

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:20:00 PDT

In April, I began work as the University Librarian at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While my duties as the editor of the Journal of Academic Librarianship (JAL) remain the same, this new environment is already changing my perspective on librarianship and its future. My sensibilities are being modified in these areas: size, scope, and focus; digital library approaches; instructional responsibilities; and partnerships. Readers and contributors to JAL are aware that most of the decisions about content are made by the Journal's referees. But, at the margin, Peter Hernon and I push in certain directions. This editorial suggests where some subtle changes in those emphases may begin to occur.

Editorial: Future Research and ACRL's RedefiningScholarship Project

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:19:59 PDT

In June, a member of the Carnegie Mellon bagpipe band piped the North American Serials Interest Group to the opening of its 14th national conference. Program organizers had drafted Rush Miller, University of Pittsburgh's Library Director, and me for a program about the Association of College and Research Libraries' (ACRL) redefining scholarship initiatives. Privately, Miller had challenged me to demonstrate how articles in the Journal of Academic Librarianship (JAL) fit into that construct. Based on the resulting program, this editorial demonstrates the value of the redefining scholarship work and suggests initiatives for further research in each of the four categories, with some additional comments on new developments. My thesis is that research in librarianship fits well into a system that can be applied to all disciplines. Doing research, talking about it on campus, and publishing it in refereed journals does increase campus respect both for the field of librarianship and for individual librarians.

Editorial: Library Development: Every Employee's Job

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:19:57 PDT

In "The Changing Role of the Library Director: Fund- Raising and the Academic Library" in this issue, Susan K. Martin does exemplary work in defining the responsibilities of a Library Director in gaining additional support for the library. As that article went through the refereeing and revision processes, I decided to write a complementary editorial to reinforce the importance of development initiatives in libraries. The points I want to emphasize are, first, making the case and identifying and cultivating prospects and, second, broad involvement among libraries' faculty and staff. This article and editorial discuss how successful development efforts can allow the library to do more with more in an environment where few additional college and university resources are forthcoming.

Editorial: Going beyond "Same Old, Same Old"

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:19:56 PDT

Writing in the July 1996 issue of JAL, Thomas W. Shaughnessy noted the emergence of a "new library organization" and the creation of "an entirely new way of operating, a new organizational culture.' The purpose of the new organization is "to reduce bureaucracy, empower staff, create a team-based culture, develop a deeper ownership of the library by staff, and become more responsive to the library's customers."

Editorial: Certain Times

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:19:55 PDT

With this issue, the Journal of Academic Librarianship begins a celebration of its 25th anniversary with a series of specially commissioned retrospective articles. Richard Dougherty reviews JAUs successes in meeting their stated challenges in a lead article entitled "Reflections on 25 Years of JAL and Academic Libraries." The founding editors, Richard Doughtery and William Webb's, inaugural editorial in March 1975 was titled "Uncertain Times." In it, they outlined four problems then facing librarians: "Supply and demand for new library school graduates," " Library assistants and technicians," "Affirmative action," and "Steady-state budgets." They offered the Journal of Academic Librarianship as a forum "To dialog," "To critique," To envision," and "To hope."

Editorial: Improving Quality

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:19:54 PDT

In our last editorial, Peter Hernon and I outlined our hopes for the future of the Journal of Academic Librarianship and provided some basic information about how to get your work published in JAL. This editorial offers suggestions for providing high-quality submissions. As students of the quality movement, we firmly believe that doing work correctly the first time provides the most effective results.

Announcement: Valedictory, Farewell, and Welcome

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:19:53 PDT

The Editor wishes to thank those who assisted her during her years with the Journal of Academic Librarianship. Without this superb team, the work of the Journal could not have been accomplished. The authors whose commitment to improving the profession caused them to do research and to write articles to share their knowledge with others. The reviewers whose sage advice allowed the selection and fostered the revisions leading to top quality materials:

Editorial: Assessment in an Era of Accountability

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:19:52 PDT

The July issue of the Journal of Academic Librarianship will focus on assessment. Ronald F. Dow, Dean of Libraries at the University of Rochester, will lead with an article outlining theory and detailing applications in a university environment. A set of articles reporting specific assessment exercises undertaken at a variety of different colleges and universities will follow. As an international authority on forms of assessment, Editor-in-Chief Peter Hernon will comment on the best practices. This editorial discusses why academic librarians should be interested in understanding assessment and practicing it with precision.

An Editor’s Life

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:19:51 PDT

Editorial: Coaching Higher Education for Change

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:19:51 PDT

Here at Penn State, we have just broken ground for the Paterno Library in honor of Joseph V. and Suzanne P. Paterno. Joe Paterno is Professor and Head Football Coach and Sue is a noted volunteer for a variety of good causes. Because the Paternos are such active supporters of the Libraries, I have many opportunities to learn from their ideas about higher education. Recently, Coach Paterno was recounting his days as a student at Brown University and remembering a particular professor who believed in a divine discontent with the status quo. Paterno concluded that "A great university is in the forefront of change." The challenges for higher education come from the impact of technology, the idea of the university as an instrument of social change, and the economics of education

Editorial: Innovations for aScholarly Communications System

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:19:50 PDT

Academic librarians practice in an increasingly turbulent information environment. Writing in the NACUBO Journal, Brian Hawkins recently laid out an alarming scenario for the future of academic libraries as collectors of the world's cumulative published knowledge. While most academic librarians had thought of information as doubling at an alarming rate of every 10 years, Hawkins asserts that the body of information now doubles every two to three years. His data indicate that while information production is increasing exponentially, library budgets have not and will not be able to keep up with the rising costs. His analysis shows that the aggregate of all academic libraries now collects about six percent of total available knowledge and that within 20 years that figure will drop to one half of one percent.1 The implications of that drop for librarian's roles as selectors will be the focus of a future editorial.

Knowledge from a MillionBooks and Palm Leaves

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:19:49 PDT

Editorial: Our Pledge: Continued Change in thePursuit of Excellence

Gloriana St. Clair — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:19:49 PDT

I n July, Gloriana St. Clair joined the editorial staff of the Journal of Academic Librarianship as the Editor. She will manage the peer reviewing process, and together we are determined to make JAL the premier journal addressing the professional requirements of academic librarians. This editorial, as well as the November one, reinforce the purpose of JAL as stated in the "Guidelines for Article Contributions:"

JAL provides a forum for authors to present research findings and, when applicable, their practical applications and significance; analyze policies, practices, issues, and trends; speculate about the future of academic librarianship; and present analytical bibliographic essays and philosophical treatises.