ARL News

On April 17, 2019, the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) issued a call for public comments on a draft recommended practice for improving access to institutionally provided information resources. The draft is based on findings from the RA21: Resource Access for the 21st Century initiative and provides recommendations for using federated identity as an access model and for improving the federated authentication user experience. The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has offered the following comments on the proposal, based on input from member representatives and broader engagement within our community:

image courtesy of DeEtta Jones and AssociatesAre you a research library supervisor, department head, coordinator, team or project leader, or change agent interested in developing your awareness, skills, and confidence as a leader and manager?

image CC0 by Bernard HermantThe first issue of Research Library Issues (RLI) in 2019 looks at privacy from a legal, digital, and applied perspective, with a focus on the implications and opportunities for research libraries. The release of this issue of RLI coincides with Choose Privacy Week 2019.

Advocacy and Public Policy UpdateThe latest Advocacy and Public Policy Update, by Prudence S. Adler and Krista L. Cox of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), covers key issues of interest to the research library community in Canada and in the US from January 16, 2019, through April 30, 2019.

Powell Library at UCLA, image CC-BY by Rictor Norton and David AllenThe FORCE11 Scholarly Communication Institute (FSCI) is offering Association of Research Libraries (ARL) community members a $150 tuition discount on the August 5–9, 2019, institute to be held at UCLA.

Julia Blixrud,
photo by Keith RussellTo honor the memory and extend the legacy of longtime Association of Research Libraries (ARL) staff member Julia Blixrud, ARL established in 2015 the Julia C. Blixrud Scholarship. The scholarship supports the attendance of one master of library and information science (MLIS) student or recent graduate at the Fall Forum, held in Washington, DC, each year. Generous donations to the Julia C. Blixrud Memorial Fund support the scholarship.

image CC-BY-SA by Visha AngelovaThe US Department of Education has issued a request for comments on planned changes to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) surveys, which include the Academic Libraries component. The 60-day Federal Register notice (docket ED–2019–ICCD–0028) was published on March 20, and the public comment period ends May 20.

image CC-BY-SA by Wikimedia FoundationIn a new Association of Research Libraries (ARL) white paper, a task force of expert Wikidata users recommend a variety of ways for librarians to use the open knowledge base in advancing global discovery of their collections, faculty, and institutions.

Ryan CloughThe Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has appointed M. Ryan Clough as senior director of public policy and general counsel, effective May 2, 2019. Clough is currently general counsel for Public Knowledge, a nonprofit organization that promotes freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works.

image CC-BY Lisa RuokisThe Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is accepting applications for the 2019–2021 cohort of the Kaleidoscope Program. Formerly known as the Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce (IRDW), the Kaleidoscope Program recruits master of library and information science (MLIS) students from historically underrepresented ethnic and racial groups into careers in research libraries and archives.