- Director’s Message: TCDL 2012
- Tech Teams Update: WordPress upgrade, new e-journal architecture, and more
- TDL Training Program schedule in April
- TDL travels to RDAP12, other digital library conferences
- Mark your calendars: Important dates for April and May
Director’s Message: 2012 Texas Conference on Digital Libraries
TDL Colleagues:
TDL Director Mark McFarland
With the 2012 Texas Conference on Digital Libraries just two months away, we are excited about welcoming TDL members and all those interested in the future of digital libraries to Austin on May 24-25. TCDL is an important opportunity for all of us to learn what others are doing in their digital library initiatives and to get caught up with our colleagues around the state.
Our conference committee, led by chair Sarah Sutton of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, is putting together a great program that will feature digital library practitioners from all around the state and beyond. We’re especially pleased to welcome James Hilton, the Chief Information Officer at the University of Virginia, as our opening keynote speaker. James is a leader in the effort to build a Digital Preservation Network (DPN), a collaborative project to create a nationwide preservation infrastructure that TDL is excited to be part of.
TCDL offers many opportunities to participate through presentations, posters, and workshops, and we encourage you, if you haven’t already to submit a proposal. Please note that the submission deadline has been extended to April 1.
If you’d like to register, submit a proposal, or just find out what’s happening with TCDL, please visit the conference website at http://conferences.tdl.org/TCDL/TCDL2012. Registration rates go up after April 14, so be sure to register as early as possible.
We look forward to seeing all of you in Austin in May.
Sincerely,
Mark McFarland
TDL Director
Tech Teams Update
The Tech Teams Update highlights the work of the TDL technical staff, which includes software development, systems administration, systems integration and analysis, and technical support staff.
- The TDL technical team upgraded all WordPress blogs and sites to WordPress 3.3.1. The latest version includes several new features, including:
– Drag and drop media uploading
– Improvements to dashboard design
– “New feature” pointers to highlight new functionality
More information about WordPress 3.3.1 is available in the WordPress 3.3 Codex.
- The team continued work re-architecting TDL Systems and applications and has begun setting up new online journals in OJS 2.3.6.0. Legacy journals residing on http://journals.tdl.org/ will be scheduled for upgrade to the latest version of OJS at a future date.
- In March, the TDL technical staff resolved 27 support requests that came through the TDL Helpdesk and other channels. The issues addressed ranged from setting up several new online journals, to importing collections to an institutional repository, to submitting dissertations through Vireo.
TDL Training Program to hold DSpace and Vireo training in April
Sign up now for TDL Training classes to be held in April at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Classes held in April include:
April 10, 2012 – Intro to DSpace Training
Location: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Library, Room E2.310A
April 11, 2012 – ETD submission and Management with Vireo (Introduction)
Location: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Library, Room E2.310A
All classes are FREE for members, but registration is required. You can register for the classes at this link.
For more information about the TDL Training Program please visit the TDL website.
Anyone wishing to host a training session on their campus, please contact the TDL at info@tdl.org.
TDL Travels: Program Coordinator presents at RDAP12
TDL Program Coordinator Ryan Steans
In March, TDL Program Coordinator Ryan Steans presented at the ASIS&T Research Data Access & Preservation Summit 2012 (RDAP12), held in New Orleans on March 22-23.
RDAP brings together librarians, data management experts, computational scientists and others dedicated to the management of data generated as a part of research at universities and other public institutions. The Summit is organized by ASIS&T, the American Society for Information Science and Technology.
Steans participated on the Data Management Plans and Policies panel, moderated by Reagan Moore, Chief Scientist for Data Intensive Cyber Environments for RENCI. The panel included an international group of organizations of varying sizes that discussed how they collaborated, shared information and managed technologies toward the preservation and access of data generated within their organizations.
“We were able to share how TDL works collaboratively to determine best practices for the organization,” Steans said, “as well as how we maintain the technology that makes data management possible for our institutions.”
The conference covered new and emerging technologies and concepts, including challenges of collecting data, citation of data, re-use of data, and education regarding data management in academic environments and continuing education.
You can find out more about RDAP12 at http://rdap12.posterous.com/.
Mark your calendars for important Spring 2012 dates
Take note of the following TCDL deadlines and opportunities to engage with TDL.
April 2012
- April 1 — Deadline for proposals for TCDL 2012
- April 10-11 — TDL Training Program at UT Southwestern Medical Center Library (see story above for details.)
- April 18 — TDL Forum at 10:30 AM (The TDL Forum is a monthly conference call and update for members.)
- April 23 — Last day for TCDL 2012 early registration rate of $75
May 2012
- May 24-25 — 2012 Texas Conference on Digital Libraries