DSpace, the software platform behind MOspace, has a new logo.  The new brand coincides with a major rewrite of DSpace code, which is expected to be available for implementation in early 2018.  Called DSpace 7, the new DSpace code will give us more flexibility in the look and development of MOspace.  Felicity Dykas serves on a DSpace 7 community team that is reviewing and prioritizing proposed features from DSpace users. 

More about the new logo:  “With the help of 99designs, DuraSpace, and designers from around the world, more than 100 logo designs were contributed to help the DSpace community chose a new logo for the popular open source repository software in use by more than 2300 institutions worldwide. The DSpace community was invited to vote and comment on the top designs in a poll. The winner is a bright green “D” with a stylized “connector” icon. The concept was designed by Yadhie Coy who resides in Central Java, Indonesia. The new brand aims to give DSpace an updated look and feel with a modernized logo as community work on the new DSpace 7 with an Angular user interface continues. The new logo will become part of a redesigned DSpace web site later in 2017, and will also be featured on promotional items.”—DuraSpace marketing material.

View the new logo here: http://dspace.org/marcom.

 

In the March 2017 issue of Prime Magazine, Publisher Fred Parry extols the contributions of MU Extension.  He describes his involvement with the 4-H program while growing up and the contribution that MU Extension makes in Missouri today.  For example he notes that, “Statewide, their business specialists helped companies increase sales by $186 million last year while creating or retaining 7,766 jobs.” 

MU Libraries supports MU Extension efforts through its inclusion of MU Extension publications in MOspace. Working with Extension, Digital Services collected and added archival Extension publications to MOspace and continues to add new and revised publications as they are made available.  MOspace now includes 2,400 Extension publications, dated 1932 to 2017.  To give an idea of the range of subjects covered by Extension, here are the titles of a few of the 2016 publications:

• Activities for helping children deal with divorce
• Attracting hummingbirds to your property
• Controlling nuisance weasels in Missouri
• Days suitable for fieldwork in Missouri
• Parasitic worms of insects
• Steps to success in home canning

In addition to these publications, nearly 200 4-H Circulars were added in 2016-2017 with funding from a Project Ceres grant.  Ranging in dates from 1922 to 1967, the 4-H publications give an interesting snapshot of agriculture and farm life during that time period.

More information:

• Parry, Fred (2017). MU Extension Fills Important Need.” Prime Magazine, 8:12 (March 2017), p. 46.
• 4-H Circulars in MOspace: https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/handle/10355/49330
• Extension publications (by series) in MOspace: https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/handle/10355/49793
• Project Ceres Funds Seven New Projects: https://www.crl.edu/news/project-ceres-funds-seven-new-projects

 

The first annual Endangered Data Week will be held from April 17-21, 2017. As noted on the DLF Endangered Data Week wiki page, “Endangered Data Week is a national series of independently-organized events intended to raise awareness of threats to publicly available data, discuss the power dynamics of data creation, sharing, and retention, and work to make endangered data more accessible and secure.”

More information:

Endangered Data Week website:  http://endangereddataweek.org/

Twitter site:  https://twitter.com/search?q=%23EndangeredData

Digital Library Federation resources page: https://wiki.diglib.org/Endangered_Data_Week

 

 

 

MU Digital Library

A 15th-century book of hours from Venice, Italy has been digitized and is now available in the MU Digital Library. Books of hours would have been familiar to most members of the middle and upper classes by the late Middle Ages. These devotional books have as their central text the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin, a shortened version of the daily cycle of Christian devotions called the Divine Office. This book of hours also includes more specialized prayers and litanies relating to the Virgin Mary. The original, which was possibly made as early as 1450, is in the Ellis Library Special Collections Department. It is about 3.7 inches in height and is 330 pages long. 

MOspace Institutional Repository

In addition to papers and presentations from MU faculty, students, and staff, MOspace now includes many MU publications issued by departments. Recently, the Cambio Center Collection was greatly expanded. The MU Cambio Center, as noted on their website, "leads research and outreach on Latinos and changing communities.” In MOspace, you will find conference papers, eBriefs, and other Cambio Center publications. The University Libraries will continue to work with the Cambio Center to add new publications to MOspace. 

Links to sites mentioned:

• MU Digital Library: http://dl.mospace.umsystem.edu/mu/
• Book of Hours in the MU Digital Library: http://dl.mospace.umsystem.edu/mu/islandora/object/mu:417928#page/1/mode/2up
• MOspace: https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/
• MOspace – Cambio Center Collection: https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/handle/10355/2236
• Cambio Center website: http://www.cambio.missouri.edu/

The Digitization Advisory Committee (DigAC for short) is up and running. Established by the Library Management Team in February 2013, the Committee now has a formal charge in place (see below) and is meeting on a monthly basis. The Committee is currently looking at what digitization services the MU Libraries provides and what additional services are feasible. Like its predecessor, the Committee on Digitization Initiatives, the DigAC will look to provide digitization project support within the MU Libraries as well as supporting collaborative projects at MU. Feel free to contact one of the committee members if you have questions or ideas about the Libraries’ digitization services.

The Committee’s web page can be found here: http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/staff/committees/digitizationadvisory/digitizationadvisory.htm

Current members of DigAC are: Anne Barker, Dorothy Carner, Marie Concannon, Felicity Dykas, Michael Holland, Anselm Huelsbergen, Amy Lana, Ann Riley, Ernest Shaw, and Shelley Worden.

MU Libraries Digitization Advisory Committee Committee Charge June 2013

The Digitization Advisory Committee has responsibility for:

•             Advising the Digital Services Department on prioritizing, coordinating, and planning local digitization projects;

•             ensuring that metadata and preservation considerations are addressed as part of the collection development process;

•             coordinating with the MERLIN Digital Projects Committee;

•             the formulation of policies and best practices in digitization in the MU Libraries;

•             acting as an advisory body to the Library Management Team regarding the role of the library in digitization-related activities and services, needed resources and infrastructure in support of digitization activities, and participation in collaborative projects with other institutions;

•             facilitating collaborative efforts for digitization projects and services in the MU Libraries, the University of Missouri (Columbia), and with extra-mural partners.

The Committee will also, in cooperation with the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration, participate in identifying granting agencies that support the development of digital collections and cooperate in drafting grant proposals to those agencies.

Committee Organization

The Committee will be appointed by the Director of the Libraries and include representation from Special Collections, Archives and Rare Books (SCARaB), Acquisitions/Collection Development, the Head of the Catalog Department, the Digital Humanities Coordinator and two to four other librarians or staff. One of the two to four other librarians or staff should be part of the Research & Information Services Division and one should be from the Health Sciences Libraries. Ex-officio members will include the Associate Director for SCARaB, the Associate Director for Access, Collections and Technical Services, and the Head of Library Technology Services.

Terms for the rotating members of the Digitization Advisory Committee will be two years and will be staggered to ensure committee continuity. Terms may be renewed by the Director of the Libraries. The Director of the Libraries will entertain nominations and self-nominations for the rotating member positions as part of the annual committee staffing process.

Submitted by Anselm Huelsbergen

Chair, Digitization Advisory Committee