Legal issues for information professionals VIII: understanding the recent changes to the law

This article considers the recent changes in UK copyright law and the implications of them for information professionals. It sets the background to why these changes have come about. The most important changes are those on database rights and those resulting from the EU Directive on copyright in the information society. The latter has imposed new rules regarding so-called Technical Protection Systems, Rights Management Information and copyright for commercial research purposes. Suggestions are made for what will qualify as commercial copying or what will not. The article concludes with some thoughts on the management of risk in the current environment

Repository thrills and spills

Much can be learned from looking back and reflecting on events in the repository arena over the past few years. Repository systems, institutional managers, repository managers, advisory organisations and repository users have all come a long way in this short time. Looking back acts as a way of grounding prior activity in the present context. It can also provide invaluable insights into where repositories are headed. The activity of deliberating on past events may be of value to a range of individuals engaged in repository activities. This might include funding bodies, professional organisations, publishers, institutions with an existing repository; or those in the process of considering the deployment of one, repository managers, repository project workers, and repository contributors and content consumers. Some possible areas for consideration are technical and non-technical factors that encompass the whole range of the repository spectrum, from development through deployment, to advocacy and use. This article introduces this reflective process from the perspective of a repository project funded under the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) Digital Repositories Programme (JISC DRP) over the period 2005-2007. The Rights and Rewards Project's focus for the last two years has primarily been directed towards repositories with teaching and learning content. Although we consider repositories from the perspective of our local focus, i.e. an Institutional Repository, we also address issues from a wider sphere of influence. It is also worth bearing in mind that in the development of a repository of teaching resources we have benefited from prior studies by those setting up and maintaining research repositories. This invaluable background information has been extended to encompass a teaching perspective by the research undertaken by this and other projects. We present a brief background to repositories, and suggest some areas where shifts in perceptions may be occurring. This overview covers current context, the marketplace for repositories, actors and their roles, managing expectations, and service requirements. We also offer a light-hearted metaphorical view of the Rights and Rewards Project's "repository adventure". Areas for additional research activity are also discussed

The makeup of a teaching and learning repository support network

Removing barriers to the contribution of digital teaching and learning materials to an Institutional Repository (IR) can be viewed as a way of encouraging and rewarding users. One way this can be achieved is by the provision of support to make the process as straightforward as possible. Interviews with academic teaching staff at Loughborough University have given an indication of the processes involved in creating digital teaching and learning materials and of making them available to others via Learn, the university’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Support staff were consulted to provide an indication of the type of assistance that is available for the creation and dissemination of digital teaching and learning material. This network of support will be similar at other institutions but there may be local differences to take into consideration. This short report outlines support available at this institution for the creation of digital teaching materials. From this background information it is possible to suggest what assistance might be required for creating and depositing materials into a teaching and learning repository

Reviewing the impact of virtual teams in the information age

This paper provides an overview of virtual teams in the information age, focussing on the definition of virtual teams, their salient characteristics, the communication issues they face, (including information overload, geographic and social distance), the technical issues involved (linking this to theories of media use), the issues raised by cultural diversity in the teams (including identity, trust and conflict) and managerial implications. Suggestions are made on how to address the issues raised and omissions from pervious research are highlighted

A survey of copyright advice and guidance in UK Higher Education Libraries

The results of a questionnaire sent out to members of the lis-copyseek discussion group in Summer, 2003 to assess who currently provides copyright advice in UK higher Education libraries and what concerns these people have. There is a clear feeling that not all the answers given are correct, even though many queries are rated as quite easy. Queries arrive from a variety of sources. There is a need for continued short courses to keep copyright advisors up to date, but lis-copyseek itself is considered by far the most helpful source of information

Googlepository and the university library

The development of an increasing array of tools for storing, organising, managing, and searching electronic resources poses some interesting questions for those in the Higher Education sector, not least of which are: what role do repositories have in this new information environment? What effect is Google having on the information-seeking strategies of students, researchers and teachers? Where do libraries fit within the information continuum? And ultimately, what services should they look to provide for their users? The concept of Google as a repository was introduced at a recent JISC conference. Hitherto, it has been speculated that Google might be considered to be a digital library. This viewpoint provided a catalyst for the process of considering the differences between Google and repositories. We have evaluated this in terms of an exploration of their features and the services they provide. This leads on to a discussion of the potential value of these services to content contributors and consumers. In the long term, this will be expressed by users' engagement with the services and tools available to them

Designing a rewards and support scheme for a repository of teaching and learning materials

This report outlines the factors taken into consideration when designing a scheme to reward and support staff for depositing materials into a repository for teaching and learning materials at Loughborough. It details preferences for rewarding staff identified by the Rights and Rewards project survey (Bates et al., 2005) and the options considered for the scheme. These are set against the practicalities for possible institutional adoption. It is important to bear in mind that financial rewards represent a small part of the scheme and there are funding and sustainability implications to consider. Also, this is a research and development project and there may be a danger of raising expectations for the repository service that may not be met. Elements of the scheme may be phased in over time as the repository service is developed

The economic implications of alternative publishing models

A knowledge economy has been defined as one in which the generation and exploitation of knowledge has come to play the predominant part in the creation of wealth. It is not simply about pushing back the frontiers of knowledge; it is also about the more effective use and exploitation of all types of knowledge in all manner of economic activities. One key question is whether there are new opportunities and new models for scholarly publishing that might better serve researchers and more effectively communicate and disseminate research findings. Building on previous work, this paper looks at the costs and potential benefits of alternative models for scientific and scholarly publishing, describing the approach and methods used and summarising the findings of a study undertaken for the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) in the United Kingdom. It concludes that different publishing models can make a material difference to the costs faced and benefits realised from research communication, and it seems likely that more open access to findings from publicly funded research would have substantial net benefits

Designing a rewards and support scheme for use in Higher Education

This report outlines the factors influencing the design of a scheme to reward staff within higher education institutions. It is based on the efforts of the JISC funded Rights and Rewards project to design a scheme to reward and support staff for depositing materials into a teaching resource repository at Loughborough University. The project’s experience may provide a useful starting point for others who are considering creating a similar reward mechanism. The report suggests the need to work within the framework of existing institutional systems. It highlights the role institutional context plays in the design of the scheme and the benefits to be gained by aligning with, or cutting across, any existing reward schemes. The report describes a general model for rewarding staff and illustrates this by reference to our local situation. Local factors will play a part in determining and prioritising the main considerations for success. The general model can be adapted to take into account the factors discussed here

The evolution of the UK's Research Assessment Exercise: publications, performance and perceptions

This article examines how the UK Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), along with the development of performance indicators, fits into the production of research within a changing policy context. The historical evolution of the RAE from 1985-2001 is considered, before looking specifically at how research output (in the form of journal publications) was, and is, assessed. Such changes in output measurements necessitated a move from quantitative to quality evaluation, and the role of quality – perceptions and performance- is examined