2010 NFAIS Humanities Roundtable IX: 
Turn And Face The New -  Delivering Humanities Research Information In A Changing World

October 18, 2010 

The Graduate Center of the City University of New York
Skylight Conference Room, 9th Floor
365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
 

Change is the new normal. In the context of delivering humanities-related content, providers are challenged by new behaviors, new technologies, and new devices. At the Ninth Annual NFAIS Humanities Roundtable, you'll hear of both current as well as future trends impacting on disciplines in the humanities!

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Program

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8:30am - 9:00am: Registration

9:00am - 9:15am: Welcome

Jill O'Neill, Director, Planning and Communication, NFAIS

9:15am - 10:00am: The Changing Library Customer: Monographs, Budgets and Purchasing Behaviors

This presentation will cover current trends in publishing and purchasing of scholarly monographs. In light of the current constraints in library budgets and the interest in patron-driven acquisition, the outlook for the scholarly monograph is changing. Scholarly presses, experiencing similar constraints in their budgets, are considering new approaches towards the dissemination of the texts they publish. Consultant October Ivins who has been doing extensive research in these areas will provide attendees with an overview of the shifting landscape of the monograph, a format of significant importance to work in the humanities.

October Ivins, Principal, Ivins eContent Solutions [ Slides]

10:00am - 10:30am: The Computing Environment: Shifting to Mobile 

The era of mobile computing has arrived. Content providers will want to be prepared to deliver to users on multiple devices and platforms. But how does one even begin to address this transition. Listen to the advice of a major technology provider about what's necessary to shape cotnent for delivery as well as options ofr developing applications, or alternatively mobile optimized web sites.

Fernando Mesa, Principal Technologist, Mark Logic Corporation
[ Slides PDF File]

10:30am - 11:00 Break and Networking Opportunity

11:00am - 11:30am: Expanding Your Voice and Online Presence: Establishing Practices for BiblioLore 

 RILM (International Repertory of Music Literature) launched a successful blog, Bibliolore.org. Learn from RILM editor, Jim Cowdery, of the process they went through in developing content for a particular discipline and community. Of particular interest, the speaker will share the development of guidelines prior to the launch of the blog and the do-es and don'ts of developing an organizational voice on the Web.

Jim Cowdery, Editorial Director, RILM  [ Bibliolore.org]    

11:30am - Noon: Usage Statistics from Hosted Content

Inexorably usage statistics have grown in importance as the digital environment has matured. Listen to a representative from a major platform provider discuss what can and cannot be done with current technology in generating these usage statistics and what content providers should expect to understand from such "digital footprints"

Lu Parziale, Vice President, Information Systems, H.W. Wilson
[ Slides]

Noon - 1:00pm: Lunch (will be provided)

1:00pm - 2:00pm: Whither the Humanities? Free Range Discussion 

Three information providers in the humanities offer a snapshot of their organization, their mission and offer thoughts as to where they believe users will be in their particular discipline in the next 3-5 years. This lays the groundwork for defining where each provider believes the overall market will be in that same 3-5 years. After giving responses (each not more than 10 minutes), the representatives will then open the floor to discussions and observations of the implications for the community at large.

• Barbara Chen, Director of Bibliographic Information Services, MLA International Bibliography [ Slides]
• Richard Lineback, President, Philosophers Information Center
  [ Remarks (PDF)]
• H. Robert Cohen, Founder and Director, RIPM: Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals (1800-1950) [ Slides]

2:00pm - 3:00pm: Changes in the Reading Experience: Portable Devices and Mobile Users 

One of the hottest areas of product development is e-books. For most disciplines in the humanities, the book serves an important role for purposes of both research and academic reward. This session will introduce attendees to the various devices available in this space, discuss the reading experience in the context of such devices, and give an indication of trends to be expected. 

Maureen Kelly, Consultant, ContentKinetics, and Jill O'Neill, Director of Planning & Communication, NFAIS  [ Slides]

  3:00pm - 3:15pm  Break and Networking Opportunity

  3:15pm - 3:30pm  Discovery Services [Survey Results on Discovery Services, April 2010 ]

3:30pm - 4:15pm  The Future of Abstracting and Indexing Services in the Humanities: A Few Questions and No Answers

Gary Price, MLS, Editor and Founder of ResourceShelf.com [ Web Publication]

Gary Price, a strong advocate for the authoritative content that resides in the A&I services, will provide a closing keynote to attendees discussing the implications of the day's noted changes. What do A&I services and other authoritative content services do better than other resources? What do users want? How might these services expand and thrive? Price, whose expertise unites familiarity with both proprietary library resources as well as Web-based search services offers his insights.