Digital Collection Road Trip: Activating Museum Collections by Digitizing Rare and Unique Materials from the Library and Archives

In 2012, the Philadelphia Museum of Art Library received a grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation to digitize an important and unique collection of 18th and 19th century European art auction catalogs in the renowned John G. Johnson Collection. More than 1200 masterpieces in the Johnson Collection form the core of the Museum’s European painting holdings. Mr. Johnson’s collection of auction catalogs, which was also donated to the Museum, is of vital importance to our understanding of the history of collecting and connoisseurship in the United States. In many instances, Mr. Johnson’s copies of auction catalogs are the only versions annotated with the prices realized in actual sales and/or information pertaining to the buyers. In addition, one out of every five of Mr. Johnson’s catalogs represents an edition that has never been filmed or digitized. Digitizing these catalogs will make this unique corpus of materials, a total of more than 1,500 titles, widely available to museum curators, art historians and researchers throughout the world as well as the general public via multiple channels, including the Internet Archive, PMA Library’s online catalog, OCLC’s SCIPIO auction catalogue database, and the new Getty Research Portal.

After a brief overview of the collection and the project workflow, the presenters will give a quick walk-through of their cataloging and digitization processes. The webinar will also cover some of the steps and procedures of working with Lyrasis, Internet Archive, Getty Research Institute, and the Library’s system vendor to extract and manipulate the metadata associated with the digitized catalogs. At the end, the presenters will share some interesting aspects of the project and lessons learned.

Date: October 24, 2013

Time: 1:00-2:00 ET

 

Host: Regan Harper

Presenters: Billy Chi-hing Kwan, Assistant Library Director

Ryan McNally, Project Cataloger and Coordinator
Philadelphia Museum of Art Library

For more information and to register, click here.

LYRASIS 2nd Friday - Resource Sharing Detective Work: Find it and Get it Using Free and Open Access Resources

The digital word is rapidly changing our approach to resource sharing. Institutional repositories, open access resources, and digitization projects are quickly opening doors to previously inaccessible information.

In this free 90 minute 2nd Friday Series session, Russell Palmer, resource sharing and reference specialist at LYRASIS, will share resources, tips, and tricks to help reference and resource sharing staff find and retrieve scholarly articles, newspapers, archival records, maps and other materials that are sometimes challenging to get into the hands of users.

After this session, attendees will be able to:

• Utilize digital resources more effectively as they pursue challenging reference and resource sharing requests
• Decrease the number of unfilled resource sharing requests
• Understand the scope of digital information available in institutional repositories, open access resources, and digital collections

Presenter:  Russell Palmer

Date:  August 9, 2013
Time:  12:30-2:00 ET

For more information and to register, please click here.

LYRASIS 2nd Friday - Graphic Design for Non-Designers: Design and Branding for Libraries and Cultural Heritage Institutions

It is likely that in your work or personal life, you have been asked to create some communication on paper, on-screen, or in some visual presentation. One problem with this is that the only tools that you are given to complete the task are ones like Microsoft Word or PowerPoint or Publisher, which are not dedicated design tools, but rather fill-in-the-blank approaches to design, where your creativity is limited to what the application provides in a pre-packaged way. Another issue is that in our society, we are typically taught reading, writing, and mathematics, but seldom taught even the most basic visual communication concepts.

In this 1.5 hour overview, John LeMasney, Manager of Educational Technology Training at Princeton University, will offer an overview of the foundation of design principles, free tools for design and illustration, and the basics of branding and visual communication that will lead to creating more effective visual messages.

Host:  Regan Harper
Guest Presenter: John LeMasney, Manager of Educational TechnologyTraining,
Princeton University

Date: July 12, 2013

Time: 12:30- 2:00 ET

For more information and to register, click here.

LYRASIS Member Showcase - Preserving the Photographic Legacy of HBCUs: A Project Funded by the Mellon Foundation

In December 2010, LYRASIS received a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to improve the preservation of significant photographic collections held in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Following a survey of the needs of these collections and a Preservation Symposium, ten institutions were selected to receive grants to support preservation demonstration projects, staff training, environmental monitoring, and student internships. The HBCU Photographic Preservation Project has enabled participants to address the needs of their significant at-risk collections ensuring their availability to scholars.

In this session Steve Eberhardt, Project Coordinator, will speak about the structure of the project and the collections involved. Steve received his M.A. in Sociology from Georgia State University in 1993 and has worked on various preservation projects at LYRASIS (formerly SOLINET) since 1994. He served as the Coordinator in the previous Mellon-funded HBCU Photographic Preservation Project.

Host: Regan Harper
Presenter: Steve Eberhardt, Project Coordinator HBCU

Date: Decmeber 5, 2013
Time: 1:00-2:00 ET

For more information and to register, click here.

LYRASIS 2nd Friday: Services for the Disabled in our Libraries and Cultural Institutions: Today and Tomorrow

New Date!

Shellie Zeigler, Director of the Blind and Physically Handicapped Library Services of the Mississippi Library Commission,will share her experiences and offer an overview of services available to library users. She will review current technology and services, like the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped , and share how library staff in public, academic and special libraries can help an impaired person find the resources they need. Shellie will also explore and review other resources that may be offered and implemented for the physically and visually impaired. The session will close with a review and reflection upon how our information rich community of cultural institutions can increase access for disabled users in the future, and what the future scope of services for the disabled might be.

After this session, participants will:

• Understand what the Blind and Physically Handicapped Library Services is and what we provide.

• Know more about the National Library Service for the Blind, and how its services can greatly improve a visually or physically impaired person's life Implement ideas for helping the blind and physically disabled in a library (be it public, academic or special) to find what they need Identify other resources and services to offer and implement for the physically and visually impaired Reflect upon how we as an information community will increase the number of disabled users we reach, and what future services might be offered

Host: Russell Palmer

Presenter: Shellie Zeigler, Director of the Blind and Physically Handicapped Library Services of the Mississippi Library Commission

Date: September 13, 2013
Time: 12:30-2:00 ET

For more information and to register, click here.

New Dates Added: Going Digital

We have recently added more dates to our monthly Going Digital webinar series.  We hope that if you are interested in learning more about getting started on a digital project, you will tune in and check it out.  This session is free to LYRASIS members.

Presenters: Leigh Grinstead & Alix Bentrud
Date: 6/17/13 (11:00-12:00) ET

Presenters: Leigh Grinstead & Alix Bentrud
Date: 7/09/13 (11:00-12:00) ET

Presenters: Laurie Arp & Leigh Grinstead
Date: 8/22/13 (2:00-3:00) ET

Presenters: Leigh Grinstead & Alix Bentrud
Date: 9/09/13 (11:00-12:00) ET

Presenters: Laurie Arp & Alix Bentrud
Date: 10/08/13 (2:00-3:00) ET

Presenters: Leigh Grinstead & Alix Bentrud
Date: 11/13/13 (11:00-12:00) ET

Presenters: Laurie Arp & Leigh Grinstead
Date: 12/04/13 (2:00-3:00) ET

For more information and to register click here.

New Dates Added: LYRASIS Digitization Collaborative Information Session

Interested in learning more about the LYRASIS Digital Collaborative?  Attend our monthly free informational session presented by Laurie Arp.  New dates have just been added:

Date & Time	Class or Event Name	Delivery Method	Member Price	Non-Member Price
12/10/2013 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST	LYRASIS Digitization Collaborative Information Session	Live Online	$0.00	$0.00	Register
1/9/2014 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EST	LYRASIS Digitization Collaborative Information Session	Live Online	$0.00	$0.00	Register
1/21/2014 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST	LYRASIS Digitization Collaborative Information Session	Live Online	$0.00	$0.00	Register
2/11/2014 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST	LYRASIS Digitization Collaborative Information Session	Live Online	$0.00	$0.00	Register
2/20/2014 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EST	LYRASIS Digitization Collaborative Information Session	Live Online	$0.00	$0.00	Register
3/6/2014 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST	LYRASIS Digitization Collaborative Information Session	Live Online	$0.00	$0.00	Register
3/19/2014 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EST	LYRASIS Digitization Collaborative Information Session	Live Online	$0.00	$0.00	Registe

For more information and to register - click here.

Digital Collection Road Trip - The Digital Public Library of America

Emily Gore, DPLA Director for Content, will discuss her work with Digital Public Library of America project.  Through the formation of a national digital library, the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA: http://dp.la/)) seeks to make U.S. cultural and scientific heritage materials available, free of charge, to all. Gore's talk will include discussion of the recent initial launch of the DPLA portal and platform, the Digital Hubs Pilot project and goals for DPLA's future.  Gore will also discuss the importance of open data, global interoperability and broad access to cultural heritage content. 

Host:  Regan Harper
Guest Presenter:  Emily Gore, DPLA

Date:  May 23, 2013  1:00-2:00 ET

For more information and to register, click here.

LYRASIS 2nd Friday Series: Services for the Disabled in our Libraries and Cultural Institutions -Today and Tomorrow

Shellie Zeigler, Director of the Blind and Physically Handicapped Library Services of the Mississippi Library Commission,  will share her experiences and offer an overview of services available to library users. She will review current technology and services, like the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped , and share how library staff in public, academic and special libraries can help an impaired person find the resources they need. Shellie will also explore and review other resources that may be offered and implemented for the physically and visually impaired. The session will close with a review and reflection upon how our information rich community of cultural institutions can increase access for disabled users in the future, and what the future scope of services for the disabled might be.

After this session, participants will:

• Understand what the Blind and Physically Handicapped Library Services is and what we provide.

• Know more about the National Library Service for the Blind, and how its services can greatly improve a visually or physically impaired person's life Implement ideas for helping the blind and physically disabled in a library (be it public, academic or special) to find what they need Identify other resources and services to offer and implement for the physically and visually impaired Reflect upon how we as an information community will increase the number of disabled users we reach, and what future services might be offered

Host:  Russell Palmer

Presenter:  Shellie Zeigler, Director of the Blind and Physically Handicapped Library Services of the Mississippi Library Commission

Date:  June 14, 2013
Time:  12:30-2:00 ET

 
For more information and to register, click here.

OCLC and LYRASIS Present: The Future of Resource Sharing

The resource sharing environment is constantly shifting.

In recent years, resource sharing practitioners have experienced changes in staffing patterns, trying financial times, and significant changes in technology. Access to digital materials has increased-- in the form of archival collections online and institutional repositories. A trend toward open access publishing increases access to published information.

At the same time, the cost of collections is rising—scholarly journals are increasingly more expensive, and book budgets are slashed, creating a need for us to share resources more creatively and effectively. The “buy vs. borrow” idea has started to enter into our thinking and practice, and the time for more options, more data and more utility from our systems is here.
 

In Person Event:
Join us for this full-day conference at Mercer University in Macon, GA, where we will explore ideas with speakers and resource sharing practitioners from around the community.

Our agenda includes Alisa Whitt and Mike Constentino from OCLC on the transition from WorldCat Resource Sharing to WorldShare ILL, Russell Palmer from LYRASIS on information resources for ILL staff, and resource sharing experts from around the state presenting best practices and great ideas.

Cost: Free

Location:

Mercer University
Jack Tarver Library
Macon, GA

http://libraries.mercer.edu/tarver/about

And as an added bonus, a continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Registration:  To register for this event, click here.

The LYRASIS Polite Debate Society Presents: Teaching the Tough Stuff: Exploring the Librarian’s Most Difficult Instructional Challenges

No matter what we call it—BI, programming, information literacy/fluency, user education—the instructional role of the librarian is challenging, but rewarding.
Many of us approach instruction with little to no formal training in “how to teach.” We work hard in order to figure it out, we consult our colleagues and friends to discover “what works?” –yet several concepts--the mechanics of searching, plagiarism, scholarly discourse-- remain consistently elusive, and are therefore regularly addressed in professional forums...

While these topics are frequently discussed, they are still challenging to solve. Through our reasoned and polite debate, we will discover great ideas to implement in the classroom, and identify deeper issues to discuss—such as developing a personal pedagogy, the role of teaching partners like faculty, teachers, volunteers and others, and the best tools and resources available to guide us as we work to become better teachers.

Host:
Russell Palmer

Panelists:
Annemarie Roscello, Bergen County College
Jessica Critten, University of West Georgia
Becky Hinton, Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
Diane Fuller, Upper School Library at the Gilman School

Date: Friday April 19^thTime: 1:00-2:30 PM ET

Seats are available. For more information and to register, click here.

LYRASIS Member Showcase - The Engaged Library: Information Literacy Instruction and the First-Year Experience at Washburn University

Washburn University is an open-admissions medium sized public university in Topeka, Kansas, whose University Libraries, by 2007, were increasing irrelevant to the campus community of learning. Indeed, like many other similar sized libraries, the Washburn Libraries had to answer the question of their relevancy in the age of Google. Now, as 2013 begins, the Washburn University Libraries have returned to their historic position at the center of the University community of learning and this presentation will detail how this occurred during a period of fiscal austerity. This discussion will examine a five-year plan that saw the Washburn Libraries engage the campus community in effective and transformative ways through Information Literacy instruction and as a key partner in developing the institution's new First-Year Experience program.

Presenter: Alan Bearman, Dean of Libraries - Washburn University
Cost: $0

Date: Wednesday, March 27 2013
Time: 1:00-2:00 ET

Seats are available. For more information and to register, click here.

Digital Collections Road Trip: Preserving and Digitizing the Architectural History of St. Augustine, Florida

Two grant-funded projects at the University of Florida are digitizing architectural drawings and related materials documenting the historical buildings of St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest permanently occupied European settlement in the continental United States. The Saving St. Augustine’s Architectural Treasures project, which was completed in 2012, preserved and digitized architectural drawings of Hotel Ponce de Leon and the Memorial Presbyterian Church, created by Henry Flagler during the height of the Gilded Age and designed by the prestigious Carrère & Hastings firm. The Unearthing St. Augustine’s Colonial Heritage project, which started in 2012, is digitizing maps, drawings, photographs and other materials documenting the city’s Spanish and British Colonial periods. This project is particularly exciting because it unites resources from the fields of architecture, archaeology, historic preservation, geography and history. Researchers will be able to discover digital objects using a new map-based search system as well as traditional search options.

Presenter: John Nemmers, Archivist
Cost: $0

Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Time: 1:00pm-2:00pm ET

Seats available. For more information and to register for this free session, click here.

2nd Friday Series - The Other Nutshell: Introduction to RDA for Serials (Live Online)

Beth Thornton, Head of Serials Cataloging at the University of Georgia, will provide an overview of the essentials of RDA (Resource Description and Access) as it applies to serials.

During this session, Beth will highlight some differences in cataloging practice RDA will introduce in the serials cataloging environment.

It will be of benefit to people who read and use serial records, such as acquisitions staff, and people at smaller libraries who copy catalog serials.

Learning Outcomes:

Understand introductory RDA instructions for serials Identify the differences between an RDA serial record and a current, AACR2 serial record

Presenter: Beth Thornton, Head of Serials Cataloging at Univeristy of Georgia.

Date: Friday April 12, 2013 12:30-2:00 ET

Seats are available. For more information and to register, click here.

Making a Difference: Introduction to LYRASIS Membership for Non-Members (Live Online)

Like its members, LYRASIS is active and engaged, a consortium striving to advance knowledge by harnessing the collaborative spirit of all types of libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, and other cultural heritage organizations.  Could your organization benefit from membership in LYRASIS? 

If your organization is not currently a member of LYRASIS*, attend our free, monthly, hour-long interactive session “Making a Difference” for an overview of LYRASIS’ mission, programs, and services -- including the recently announced LYRASIS Digital initiative.  Learn what membership in LYRASIS could mean for your organization.  We’ll provide information on LYRASIS ‘ extensive educational programming; partnerships and projects at the national and international levels; membership dues; governance;  and the simple and quick steps your organization can take to become a LYRASIS member. 

*If your organization is already a member of LYRASIS, attend the free, quarterly Latest from LYRASIS update webinars or contact membership@lyrasis.org for more information.

Presenters:  Timothy Cherubini and Regan Harper
Cost:  $0

Dates:
     March 27, 1:00-2:00 ET
     April 16,  1:30-2:30  ET
     May 17,   12:30-1:30  ET
     June 12,   1:30-2:30  ET

Seats are available.  For more information and to register, click here.

 

Free Webinars Introducing FOSS4LIB

Do you find yourself trying to answer any of the following questions?

• Is open source software right for my institution?
• Do we have the necessary skills/support to run open source software?
• Would it be cheaper or more expensive to use open source software?
• What open source software package fits my requirements?

With the financial support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, LYRASIS Technology Services introduces a new suite of tools to help you answer these questions.
Available to all in the library community, FOSS4LIB provides self-guided readiness assessments to help you determine if open source software is right for your library, as well as a registry of software packages to help you find information about open source software service providers, events and usage by peers. With these free tools, librarians and technologists can determine the best approach to leveraging open source software.
To learn more, make plans to attend any one of these FREE webinars:

• February 26th from 10am to 11am Eastern U.S. Time (1500 to 1600 UTC)
• March 22nd from noon to 1pm Eastern U.S. Time (1600 to 1700 UTC)
• April 22nd from 3pm to 4pm Eastern U.S. Time (1900 to 2000 UTC)

To sign up or to learn more about FOSS4LIB, please e-mail Peter Murray (Peter.Murray@lyrasis.org).

Evergreen Demo: Interested in the Evergreen Open Source ILS? (Live Online)

Interested in the Evergreen Open Source ILS? Join us for a one hour session about the LYRASIS Evergreen ILS services which include hosting, migration and support and demonstration of the system.

 Presenter:  Jennifer Bielewski

Cost:  $0

March 11, 1:00-2:00 ET
April 1, 1:00-2:00 ET
May 6, 1:00-2:00 ET

Seats available.  For more information and to register, click here.

LYRASIS Free Lunch and Learn: NEH Preservation Assistance Grants (Live Online)

Are you considering applying for a Preservation Assistance Grant? Join us for a lunch and learn discussion to talk about your project ideas, as well as to get advice on crafting your narrative and goals. We will also be talking about what is eligible for potential digital preservation projects – now included in the Preservation Assistance Grant (PAG) as an option.

Presenter:  Alix Bentrud

Cost: $0

Date/Time:  All times are in Eastern Time

     February 22,   (1:00 - 2:00)
     March 13,  (12:00 - 1:00)

For more information and to register, click here.

Going Digital (Live Online)

Are you curious about all of the moving parts of getting a digitization project off the ground? Could you use a basic foundation of what is involved in this kind of endeavor? Then we have just the webinar for you.

Join LYRASIS Digital staff for a 1 hour free webinar that briefly introduces the critical components of digital content creation and collection development.

Cost: $0

Dates/Times:

February 20th 2:00-3:00 ET

Presenters: Laurie Arp & Alix Bentrud

March 15th 11:00-12:00 ET

Presenters: Leigh Grinstead & Tom Clareson

April 12th 9:30-10:30 ET

Presenters:  Laurie Arp & Alix Bentrud

May 20th 5:00-6:00 ET

Presenters: Leigh Grinstead & Alix Bentrud/Tom Clareson

June 17th 11:00-12:00 ET

Presenters: Leigh Grinstead & Alix Bentrud

 

Seats are available.  For more information and to register, click here.

Latest from LYRASIS (Live Online)

Join LYRASIS Regional Director for this informal overview and discussion of the latest programs and offerings from LYRASIS. This quarterly webinar series provides you an opportunity to take full advantage of the benefits that LYRASIS membership provides, and learn about new initiatives and programs that are coming your way.

Presenter:  Timothy Cherubini

Cost:  $0

Dates/Times:  All times are in Eastern Time

Coming Soon!

Seats are available!  For more information and to register, click here.