TWILIS

Headline of the Week: Thoughts from EDUCAUSE 2009

Last week I traveled to Denver for the fall meeting of the CLIR (Council on Library and Information Resources) CIOs group and EDUCAUSE 2009.

Headline of the Week: Library Renovations: Phases Two and Three

This past summer, LIS completed work on Phase One of a multi-phase project to reconfigure space on the main floor of Preus Library. Visitors to the library this fall found a relocated Technology Help Desk directly opposite the main library entrance and co-located with our Research Help desk. Late in September, Luther’s Writing Center moved from the lower floor of the library to be adjacent to the new Technology Help Desk Call Center, our main library computer lab, as well as our technology and research help desks.

Headline of the Week: LIS & H1N1

While H1N1 is not a new topic locally or nationally, the spread of the virus continues to pose a significant threat not only to health but to operations at colleges like Luther. Library and Information Services prepared an initial response plan for pandemic situations three years ago, and continues to revise and refine them as we head deeper into the current flu season. Just this week, many Luther supervisors met with County Health Department Administrator Krista Vande Brink to discuss preparations and procedures.

Headline of the Week: Copyright: A Case Decided

This past Wednesday, Blackwell Publishing, Incorporated et al v. Miller was decided, offering further insights into legal interpretation of Fair Use for libraries. Such cases play important roles in helping us to discern how to legally and properly provide information services with copyrighted material.

Headline of the Week: TWILIS Reimagined

Subscribers of TWILIS will recall we’ve conducted a brief survey over the past couple weeks to determine the parts of the newsletter that work particularly well, and areas where we could improve. Thanks to everyone who has offered their thoughts. This week I thought I’d share some of the collective wisdom and some thoughts on changes we’ll make in response now and in the coming weeks.

As of this afternoon, thirty-nine individuals have responded to the survey.

Headline of the Week: Celebrating 40 Years of Preus Library

This week, Luther celebrates the 40th anniversary of the construction of Preus Library, highlighted by a public reception Saturday, October 3rd from 3:00-5:00p in Hovde Lounge. All are welcome. Preus Library has served Luther extremely well for the past 40 years, and we look forward to 40++ more years of bringing the Luther community together to share, use, and produce scholarship and information.

In order to make This Week in LIS as useful as we can, LIS has issued a brief survey to recipients asking for their thoughts. Subscribers are encouraged to complete the survey (it shouldn’t take very long). Subscription information and more information about this weekly email newsletter from LIS is available at http://lis.luther.edu/twilis.

Headline of the Week: Into Each Life a Little Rain Must Fall

Be still sad heart and cease repining;
Behind the clouds the sun is shining,
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life a little rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

   — (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

I’ll admit I’m something of an information junkie (big surprise there I know). Going a few hours without the news feed reader can make me start twitching.

Headline of the Week: The Future: What Google Is Really Up To

Each summer LIS spends a day discussing, planning, and visioning our work for the coming year. The tangible results of this work take their form in our objectives which spell out specific initiatives we plan to focus on for the coming academic year.

Headline of the Week: Copyright and Intellectual Property at Luther

More and more, everything from the pulse of our daily (social media-enhanced) lives to the heartbeat of our national and international economies runs on information and knowledge. As we transition into a post-industrial world, information is currency and power. Because of the rising value of information, the stakes around ownership, management, and use of intellectual property continues to be a hot button topic.