This weekend made it official…I am now a Full Professor!
MacArthur Foundation funds ‘Reference Extract’ to draw on librarians’ expertise and add credibility to Web search experience
DUBLIN, Ohio, USA, 6 January 2011—The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has awarded $350,000 to fund researchers and developers from OCLC, the information schools of Syracuse University and the University of Washington and Zepheira LLC to continue work creating a more credible Web search experience based on the unique expertise, services and input from librarians worldwide.
The goal of the Reference Extract project is to make it easy to find credible information in the digital age. Researchers and developers are expected to have initial practical analysis and models of this “credibility engine” to share with the community in early 2011. Details of this work can be found through the Reference Extract home page at http://www.referencextract.org/.
Reference Extract is designed to capture Web site URLs and references that librarians and other experts use in answering questions. This information, including data used to determine the most credible resources, is harvested, processed and then made available through a variety of Web environments. For example, Reference Extract will use a Web-based architecture that allows information to be embedded into existing and new Web sites and applications.
The Reference Extract system links the questions of users to Web sites referenced by librarians and other experts as well as to the resources used to answer the questions. This approach varies from traditional Web search engines that represent only a single type of relationship—a Web page that points to another Web page. Reference Extract adds another relationship—linking to resources that librarians and experts point to and use.
“The best search engines are great for basic search, but sometimes the Web site results lack credibility in terms of trust, accuracy and reliability. So, who can help? Librarians,” said Dr. Mike Eisenberg, Dean Emeritus and Professor at the Information School of the University of Washington and a lead on the project. “If a librarian recommends a Web site, you can be pretty sure that it’s credible. Reference Extract will take hundreds of thousands of librarian recommendations and use them to help indicate to end users which site is credible. We’re extremely fortunate to have the MacArthur Foundation’s support bringing together the right team to start to actively develop and showcase this work.”
Zepheira, a professional services organization with extensive expertise in Semantic Web standards, Linked Data principles, Web architecture and collaborative solutions, is working with OCLC, Syracuse and Washington to create the piece of Internet architecture that will make it easy to embed credible information in Web-based experiences.
“The computational machinery behind the Web is today somewhat like a small child in a shopping mall; it has no mechanism for distinguishing what sources of information to trust,” said Eric Miller, President of Zepheira. “Building a general architecture that makes it easy to re-use credible information on the Web is one thing; populating this architecture with trustworthy information is another. Building upon librarians’ expertise and existing virtual reference service offerings is a powerful way of offering new means for accessing credible information in a range of different online experiences.”
Reference Extract leaders say the project will work best if the entire library community gets involved to create a Web-scale effort to support this cooperative innovation. QuestionPoint, the OCLC virtual reference service supported by a global network of cooperating libraries and an infrastructure of software tools and communications, offers a starting point for building the service. QuestionPoint has more than 6 million reference transactions collected in a central knowledge resource and more than 10,000 librarians worldwide participating collaboratively to test the principles and impact of such a dynamic utility.
“The only way this will work is by making a project of an entire community,” said Dr. R. David Lankes, Director of the Information Institute of Syracuse and Professor at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies. “Web searchers get to tap into the incredible skill and knowledge of the library community, while librarians will be able to serve users on a whole new scale.”
In November 2008, the planning and research phase of Reference Extract began through a $100,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation. The MacArthur Foundation has continued to fund the project for the pilot development phase. Reference Extract work follows on previous credibility work supported by the MacArthur Foundation, most notably the Credibility Commons.
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. In addition to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, the Foundation works to defend human rights, advance global conservation and security, make cities better places, and understand how technology is affecting children and society. More information is available at www.macfound.org.
The School of Information Studies at Syracuse University
The School of Information Studies is The Original Information School in the nation. It is a leading center for innovative programs in information policy, information behavior, information management, information systems, information technology and information services. The nationally ranked school (U.S. News and World Report) has professional degree programs at the undergraduate and master’s levels and a research degree at the doctoral level. The school offers its master’s programs in campus and distance learning formats. For more information, visit www.ischool.syr.edu/about/.
The University of Washington Information School
Each year, the world creates more than 161 exabytes of new information—enough to fill 2 billion 80GB iPods. So much information can be overwhelming. Rigorous study of the users and uses of information conducted at the UW Information School helps answer important questions. By tackling key social and technical problems in the information field, the UW iSchool has become an important link between users of information and designers of information systems, connecting society with the information it needs. For more information, visit www.ischool.washington.edu/.
OCLC
Founded in 1967, OCLC is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing library costs. More than 72,000 libraries in 170 countries have used OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend, preserve and manage library materials. Researchers, students, faculty, scholars, professional librarians and other information seekers use OCLC services to obtain bibliographic, abstract and full-text information when and where they need it. OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the world’s largest online database for discovery of library resources. Search WorldCat on the Web at www.worldcat.org. For more information, visit the OCLC Web site.
Zepheira
Zepheira is a US-based professional services firm comprising leaders in web architecture, semantic web standards, and linked data principles used to achieve integration of data stored in multiple systems and formats across organizations. Zepheira experts have a long history of leading Internet standards initiatives and delivering solutions founded in open standards and open source software. These solutions apply social computing principles and focus on allowing communities to collaborate around the analysis and curation of their data. Zepheira’s solutions benefit a broad range of industries including memory organizations, manufacturing, financial services, medical research and life sciences. The company is privately held and has offices in Virginia, Ohio and Colorado. For more information, visit: http://zepheira.com.
Faculty Votes to Promote Lankes to Full Professor
Today the faculty of the School of Information Studies voted to promote me to full professor. THe case now goes to the Senate for confirmation (but the faculty vote is the big hurdle). I would like to thank those from the community who supported me in this process. I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize for all the things I let slip in the process…I’m on it.
Promotion
Hi blog folks. I’m going up for promotion this year. If my work has been useful to you in practice, I ask you to respond to the below letter.
Hello,
In December 2, Professors Dave Lankes will be considered for promotion to full professor. This is one of the most important decisions we make with respect to faculty and so we sincerely request that you, as a student of Professor Lankes, help our deliberations by submitting an evaluation of him to be added to the body of evidence being collected for his case.
You are asked to comment on Professor Lankes’s teaching and advising and his contributions to the School and the profession. Please specify in what context you interacted with him (as advisor, coursework, independent study, research, and so on).
Please note that Professor Lankes has waived his right of access to the responses you make. This means that your letter will be held in the strictest confidence and that only members of the evaluation committee will see it.
In order to be eligible for consideration, your letter must reach us by November 28, 2010. The letter must be signed and in a sealed envelope. Otherwise, the evaluation committee will not see it. You may email me a copy and follow by a signed copy if you want to get the letter in the last minute. The letters may be left for me at faculty services in 245 Hinds Hall or sent to the address below.
We thank you for your contribution to this process. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Jian Qin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Chair, Personnel Committee
School of Information Studies
Syracuse University
311 Hinds Hall
Syracuse, NY 13244
http://eslib.ischool.syr.edu/
Come to the Syracuse LIS Open House
Know someone interested in library science? The iSchool is having an Open House for anyone interested in any aspect of library science. Help us spread the word!
Overview and Information Fair
Thursday November 11, 2010
5:15-7:30 p.m.
Discover the exciting opportunities awaiting you in the ever-evolving library profession. Talk to students, faculty, and alumni about their experiences and what opportunities await you in this ever-changing field. Learn about online learning options and WISE, the Library and Information Science and School Media programs, Digital Libraries, eScience, Cultural Heritage Preservation, career opportunities, and Admissions, Financial Aid and Scholarships.
Meet the Faculty
Friday November 12, 2010
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Participatory librarianship, eScience, information organization, innovation, and motivation—join us to hear our faculty members share how they turned their passion into their profession.
RSVP and learn more at http://ischool.syr.edu/OpenHouse.
Syracuse iSchool mourns the passing of research professor Joanne Silverstein
7/27/2010
Joanne Silverstein, an assistant research professor at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies and director of research and development of the Information Institute of Syracuse, died July 27, 2010. She was 58 years old.
A dedicated teacher, well-known researcher, and cherished colleague, Silverstein stepped down from active duties in August 2007 to, in her words, “make time for the simpler pleasures in life and give [her] body and mind the time that it needs to heal from a chronic illness.”
“Joanne made many wonderful contributions in the time she was with us, both in her teaching and her active research with the Information Institute,” said iSchool Dean Elizabeth D. Liddy. “Joanne loved and excelled at the lofty aspects of academic research as well as prizing the very real outcomes it could accomplish in the lives of students.”
Silverstein first came to the iSchool in 1991 as a master’s student in the information management program. After earning the master’s in 1993, she then went on to earn a Ph.D. in information science and technology in 1998. She was then hired as a professor by the school and researcher by the Information Institute.
Her research focused on digital literacy, participatory librarianship, ontologies, metadata, and digital reference services. She was interested in the evolving role of the human intermediary in information seeking and retrieval. Her research was funded by such organizations as U.S. Department of Education, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and the National Science Foundation.
Associate Professor and Director of the Information Institute R. David Lankes credits Silverstein with helping to build the research center. “Her insatiable curiosity, dedication to the school, and invaluable input at the Institute can never be replaced,” he said. “She did some amazing research in the area of digital libraries and the information needs of children. She always sought the best for the school, and she never shied away from a hard problem. She was an heir to the legacies of former iSchool Deans Robert Taylor, Jeffrey Katzer, and Ray von Dran, and she served that legacy well.”
A service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, July 30 at the Temple Concord, 910 Madison Street, in Syracuse.
The iSchool has also established a memorial site in her honor. Everyone is invited to share a memory, photo, or comment at http://ischool.syr.edu/joanne. These remembrances will be put together and shared with Joanne’s family at a later date.
Joanne Silverstein
This morning Joanne Silverstein passed away after a long and brave struggle with cancer. I could write more this amazing woman and her work in digital libraries, virtual reference, and kids information needs, but right now I just can’t. Right now all I can do is mourn the loss of a dear friend, and send my heart and prayers to Joanne’s husband Paul. We are all living in a better world because of Joanne.
Marie Radford Kicks Butt
A big congrats to one of my favorite people Marie Radford who has won RUSA’s Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award:
In selecting Radford for this honor, the committee cited her many accomplishments, including authorship of four books, among them “Conducting the Reference Interview (2nd ed.),” “The Reference Encounter: Interpersonal Communication in the Academic Library” and “Web Research: Selecting, Evaluating, and Citing”; editorship of three other books, including “Reference Renaissance: Current and Future Trends”and “Academic Library Research”;numerous articles published in top library journals; and dozens of conference papers and presentations.
In addition to her publications, Radford brings high energy, deep passion and an interdisciplinary approach to the study of face-to-face and virtual reference. She has provided inspirational leadership in professional organizations such as RUSA, ALA, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE). Radford is currently co-chair of the conference program for the Reference Renaissance 2010 and co-chair of contributed papers for ACRL’s 2011 National Conference. She will be the keynote speaker for the upcoming 2010 REFolution Conference.
Syracuse iSchool alumni Marie L. Radford and R. David Lankes to launch new book April 5 at Bird Library
Marie L. Radford G’75 and R. David Lankes ’92, G’99 will celebrate the publication of their new book Reference Renaissance: Current and Future Trends (Neal-Schuman, 2010) on Monday, April 5 at 4:00 p.m. in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons on the first floor of E.S. Bird Library.
Radford will give a talk about what information services will look like in the years ahead. She will discuss the opportunities, challenges, and realities that librarians will encounter. She will also address topics including how librarians can maintain equilibrium amid such rapid change, how emerging technologies will continue to impact reference services, and evolving user demands, especially from the tech-savvy and mercurial Millennial Generation.
Radford is an associate professor at the Rutgers School of Communication & Information. Her research interests are interpersonal communication aspects of reference/information services (both traditional and virtual), nonverbal communication, cultural studies, and media stereotypes of librarians. She is the 2010 winner of the Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award for distinguished contributions to reference librarianship given by the Reference and User Services Association of the American Library Association.
Prior to joining the Rutgers faculty, Radford was acting dean of Pratt Institute’s School of Information and Library Science in New York City. She has published numerous books and articles in top library and information science journals and frequently presents at national and international scholarly and professional venues. She is a co-author of the book Conducting the Reference Interview, 2nd ed. (Neal-Schuman, 2009). Her latest book is co-edited with R. David Lankes.
R. David Lankes is library and information science program director at the Syracuse iSchool as well as associate professor and director of the Information Institute of Syracuse (IIS). The IIS houses several high-profile research efforts, including the Educator’s Reference Desk and projects related to the NSF’s National Science Digital Library.??Lankes co-founded the award-winning AskERIC project and served as director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology. He also founded the Virtual Reference Desk project and served as one of the architects of the Gateway to Education Materials, a standards-based system for describing and finding educational materials on the Internet.??Lankes has authored, co-authored, or edited 14 books, written over 30 book chapters and journal articles and numerous pieces for information professionals. He has been principle investigator on over $13 million of competitively awarded research grants, and has served as a researcher on numerous projects. He has been a keynote speaker around the globe, giving more than 140 presentations at national and international conferences.
Please note this is not the Atlas to New Librarianship that will be published by MIT Press and ACRL in Spring 2011
Syracuse iSchool Library & Information Science program director R. David Lankes to speak at U.S. Embassy event in Rome, Italy
R. David Lankes, director of the Library & Information Science program at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool), will speak at the U.S. Embassy Rome’s spring event “Libraries in the 21st Century.” The event will be held Wednesday, April 21, 2010.
The day-long conference is being organized by the U.S. Embassy to Italy and the American University of Rome. The conference is an initiative to engage the Italian library community in a dialogue with American peers, with the aim of sharing the best and most innovative practices taking place at American libraries.
Speakers at the event will include professionals from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), NATO, Università degli Studi di Parma, Università di Roma “La Sapienza,” Università degli Studi di Cagliari, and Università del Salento. Topics covered will include libraries as participatory places, new librarianship, social media for libraries, catalog sharing, marketing libraries, and the future of books. Lankes’ presentation will focus on how to build a new librarianship.
In addition to speaking at the U.S. Embassy event in Rome, Lankes will also give a presentation the next day in Naples at the Palazzo Donn’Anna to approximately 70 local librarians.
Lankes is LIS program director at the Syracuse iSchool as well as associate professor and director of the Information Institute of Syracuse (IIS). The IIS houses several high-profile research efforts, including the Educator’s Reference Desk and projects related to the NSF’s National Science Digital Library.
Lankes co-founded the award-winning AskERIC project in 1992 and served as director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology from 1998 to 2003. He also founded the Virtual Reference Desk project responsible for building a national network of education expertise. In addition, he was also one of the architects of the Gateway to Education Materials, a standards-based system for describing and finding educational materials on the Internet.
Lankes has served on advisory boards and study teams in the fields of libraries, telecommunications, education, and transportation, including at the National Academies. He has been appointed as a visiting fellow at the National Library of Canada and the Harvard School of Education. He was also the first fellow of the American Library Association’s Office for Information Technology Policy.