2009/10 - SFU Library

TechnologyA variety of new initiatives coupled with thecontinued growth of existing projects reinforcedthe Library’s prominence as a technologicalinnovator.The Web Ideas Working Group implementeda feedback blog where users can commenton Library services and collections at http://blogs.sfu.ca/departments/library/.In January the Library provided an online interfacefor digital submission of theses, makingthe Theses Office as paperless as possible.Auditing of incoming theses is also done withthe new web-based tool, and submissions areimmediately made public for students’ futureemployers or schools.The Library relies heavily on virtualization tomanage its servers. Systems staff successfullymigrated from the original VMWare hardwareand operating platform infrastructure to a newone that will allow us to continue to provide reliable,cost-effective data center management.The SFU Library was the lead in the secondphase of Multicultural Canada (MCC), fundedby the Department of Canadian Heritage. Thisdoubled the size of the MCC digital collectionto 1.6 million pages and introduced a new“scrapbook” interface where users can combinedigital content from the collection withtheir own to create personal narratives. TheLibrary also began a special beta testing relationshipwith OCLC, the provider of CONTENTdmsoftware, as one of the MCC newspapercollections, the Chinese Times, was one of thefirst and largest users of their non-English languageindexing tools.This year the Library researched, acquiredand implemented a one-stop “Fast Search”tool called Summon. Library users can nowsearch for books and articles in one search—something not previously possible. FastSearch does not replace the library catalogueor databases. Rather, it provides an entry pointto library research for those users who are accustomedto doing quick, Google-like searchesfor information, and might otherwise be intimidatedor reluctant to use the library as an informationsource.In another initiative, MySFU Library serviceswere integrated with SFU Connect. The Librarywill be integrating additional services into thisnew version of MySFU.The SFU Library hosted the Second InternationalPublic Knowledge Project (PKP) ScholarlyPublishing Conference in July 2009. Theinternational event featured plenary speakerNgûgĩ wa Thiong’o, a highly respected novelist,playwright, journalist, editor, academicand social activist from Kenya. The number ofjournals published with PKP’s flagship opensource software package—Open Journal Systems(OJS)—passed the 6,500 mark in 2010. Itis now used in at least 52 countries in 24 languages.All translations are contributed by thePKP user community. International collaborationsand partnerships continued to flourishincluding those with the International Networkfor the Availability of Scientific Publications(INASP); Instituto Brasileiro de Informação emCiência e Tecnologia (IBICT); African JournalsOnline (AJOL); Red de Revistas Científicas deSFU Library Annual Report 2009-10 9Scanned clippingfrom the April 8, 1966Canadian Jewish Reviewonline at multiculturalcanada.ca.“Myson Andrew and his wiferecently had their firstbabies, twins: Noah andHannah, and they areover the moon with joy.He is 44 and his wifeis 36. He will celebratehis first Father’s Dayso I decided to make ascrapbook of pictures of“daddy” from birth tilltoday for him to sharewith his children asthey grow. It was quiteby accident that I cameupon this notificationof the b’rit milah of myson. -- and so with yourgood help I will makethis announcement thefirst page. Thank you.”--Rifky Rosensweig viathe comment page atmulticulturalcanada.ca