IRLIST Digest ISSN 1064-6965 December 11, 1995 Volume XII, Number 48 Issue 285 ********************************************************** II. JOBS 1. U. VT: Coordinator, Information Management Systems 2. Cornell U.: Metadata Specialist III. NOTICES A. Publications 1. The Information Society 11:3 B. Meetings 1. Language Engineering Workshop C. Miscellaneous 1. U. MD: Ph.D. Fellowship, Library & Information Science IV. PROJECTS E. Miscellaneous 1. Networked Library Services ********************************************************** II. JOBS II.1. Fr: Donna O'Malley Re: U. Vermont: Coordinator, Information Management Systems The Dana Medical Library at the University of Vermont seeks an Information Management Systems Coordinator to provide technology support for medical informatics in the Academic Medical Center, the University of Vermont, and the state. Additional responsibilities include teaching, reference service, research, professional service, and departmental liaison activities. Required: ALA-accredited MLS; two years current experience in computer technology with networking focus, or comparable education and training; willingness to work on a collegial level with other faculty; demonstrated ommunication skills. ferred: medical library experience, health sciences ground. We actively seek applicants from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Faculty status, excellent benefits. Apply with names and phone numbers of 3 references to: Search, Dana Medical Library, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405. EOE/AA. ------------------------- Donna O'Malley Donna.O'Malley@vtmednet.org Dana Medical Library (802) 656-2200 University of Vermont (802) 656-0762 (fax) Burlington, VT 05405 ********** II.2. Fr: Greg McClellan Re: Cornell U.: Metadata Specialist METADATA SPECIALIST The Albert R. Mann Library, the agricultural, life sciences, and related social sciences library at Cornell University, provides innovative information access for its clientele. Technical Services is engaged in a variety of activities which support access to both the print and the electronic library. While maintaining a strong commitment to national and international standards in traditional cataloging, Technical Services staff have played a leadership role in processing electronic publications; developing the Mann Library Gateway (http://www.mannlib.cornell.edu); and the emergence of a Technical Services Workstation. The Technical Services Division is recruiting for a specialist in metatdata who is interested in challenges and these new corrections in cataloging services The Library is seeking a creative librarian to provide leadership in the development and use of metadata. In this context, metadata is data used to describe information objects. The metadata, which may take the form of a MARC record, a TEI header, or a customized format for spatial data, provides intellectual and physical access to information resources. The responsibilities of the Metadata Specialist nclude: 1) analyzing and providing recommendations on the pes of metadata required for effective access to electronic publications; 2) tracking developments and advising staff on metadata standards; 3) active involvement in local and national discussions relating to providing access to resources; 4) facilitating access to resources through original cataloging of materials in a variety of formats; and, 5) active participation in the library's research and development efforts. QUALIFICATIONS: Required: Master's degree in library or information sciences from an ALA-accredited university. demonstrated interest in the issues and standards related to metadata, cataloging, and full-text retrieval. Excellent communication and analytic skills including the ability to work within a team setting. Solid facility with personal puters, information retrieval software, and network navigation tools. Working knowledge of one or more foreign languages. Interest in innovation and professional development. Desirable: Background or interest in agriculture, the life sciences, or related social sciences. APPLICATION PROCESS: Screening of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. If you are interested in applying, send a cover letter, resume, and the names and phone numbers of three references to: Bernadette Heath, Personnel Associate, 235 Olin Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. For more information about the position or to arrange a preliminary interview at the 1996 Midwinter meeting of the American Library Association, please contact: Janet McCue Head, Technical Services Mann Library, Cornell Univeristy Ithaca, NY 14853-4301 voice: 607-255-7952; email: jam7@cornell.edu Cornell University is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. ********************************************************** III. NOTICES III.A.1. Fr: Rob Kling Re: The Information Society 11(3) The Information Society, 11:3 is now available. This note includes a letter about changes in the journal, a brief introduction to this issue, and the Tables of Contents of TIS 11(1), 11(2) and 11(3). Rob Kling Editor-in-Chief ----------------------------------- Letter from the Editor-in-Chief for TIS 11(3) October 1995 The Information Society (http://www.ics.uci.edu/kling/tis.html) This issue of The Information Society (TIS, volume 11 #3), is the first that I organized as the new Editor-in-Chief. The journal, published since 1981, is a key forum for thoughtful analysis of the impacts, policies, system concepts, methodologies and cultural change stimulated by ways of organizing information and access to it. TIS is a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal whose audiences include scholars with an interest in the relationship between information technologies, social/organizational life, cultural change, and social change; policy- and decision-makers in government, industry and education; and managers concerned with the effects of information technologies on individuals, organizations and society. I am making some key changes in the organization of TIS. I have appointed many new editorial board members and plan to further expand the board with additional international appointments. I have asked the editorial board members to act as active ambassadors for the journal by encouraging their colleagues to submit significant papers for possible publication. The editorial board members are also playing active roles by organizing special issues or special sections of larger issues. Tora Bikson (and J.D. Eveland who is not a member of the editorial board), helped organize a special section of this issue that includes three important articles about the complexities of supporting group work with computer systems. Rolf Wigand is organizing a special issue on electronic commerce. Mark Poster is organizing a debate about the recent "Magna Carta for Cyberspace" that was written by Alvin Toffler, George Keyworth, George Gilder, Ester Dyson. One doesn't have to belong to the editorial board to edit special issues, and I am interested in proposals for special issues from TIS readers. In addition to publishing scholarly articles, I am also couraging the publication of debates in TIS. I have organized issue 11(4) to focus on the roles of electronic journals as reliable media for scholarly communication. The issue features a major debate (with standard length articles) between Steven Harnad (Editor-in-Chief of an electronic journal, Psycoloquy) and Steve Fuller (Editor-in-Chief of Social Epistemology). TIS articles are typically 4,000-7,500 words long. TIS will also publish shorter "position statements" of up to 2,000 words and debates in a new section, called "The Forum." The Forum will premiere with shorter articles that debate the character of social life and development of Advanced National Information Infrastructures in issue 12(1). I am also increasing the number of books that are reviewed in TIS. There is a growing stream of books that examine key aspects of the shifting social order in a way that highlights the role of information technologies. The popularization of metaphors such as National Information Infrastructures, information superhighways, and Cyberspace, as well as eased access to the Internet has stimulated a new wave of analysis. In the 1980s, much of the analysis of information society topics focussed on issues of the economy, organizational change, work and power relations. Today, the popularization of network technologies have stimulated broader analyses that also examine cultural changes and the nature of community life when people work and affiliate via electronic forums. I would like you to be able to learn about important books and to read thoughtful reflections about them in TIS. I have appointed two book review editors, Lisa Covi and Wayne Lutters, to help identify key books, identify reviewers and manage the reviews. The next TIS issue includes reviews of three books (Linda Harasim's "Global Networks," Richard Lanham's "The Electronic Word: Democracy, Technology, and the Arts" and Sven Birkerts' "The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age"). The Forums and book reviews will help to significantly multiply the number of studies, arguments and viewpoints that you will find in each issue of TIS. I have created a home page for TIS (currently http://www.ics.uci.edu/kling/tis.html) that can serve as a source where authors and readers can obtain up-to-date information about the journal, including announcements of forthcoming issues, article abstracts, and paper calls for special issues. I am discussing other materials that can appear on this web page, such as the whole texts of selected articles and abstracts of all articles, with TIS' publisher, Taylor and Francis. I hope that this collection of innovations will help make TIS into a journal that many more scholars and professionals feel that they must read routinely to keep up with the best studies and fresh commentaries about the changing information environments and social change. These innovations are experimental in many of their details. I welcome your comments about these innovations and alternative possibilities. Bob Kling Editor-in-Chief The Information Society University of California, Irvine ======================= Please see TIS' home page for information about the journal, a CFP for a special issue on Electronic Commerce (edited by Prof. Rolf Wigand), a more complete listing of articles blished in TIS, instructions for authors, and information bout subscriptions and sample issues. ======================= Tables of Contents for TIS 11(3), then 11(1) and 11(2): THE INFORMATION SOCIETY vol. 11, no. 3. Special Section: Computer Supported Cooperative Work Okamura, Kazuo, Fujimoto, Masayo, Orlikowski, Wanda J. and JoAnne Yates. 1995. "Helping CSCW Applications Succeed: The Role of Mediators in the Context of Use." The Information Society. 11(3):157-172. Roucefield, Mark, Viller, Stephen, Hughes, John A., and Rodden. 1995. "Working with "Constant Interruption": CSCW and the Small Office." The Information Society. 11(3):173-199. Bowers, John. 1995. "Making It Work: A Field Study of a "CSCW Network." The Information Society. 11(3):189-208. _____________ Drahos, Peter. 1995. "Information Feudalism in the Information Society." The Information Society. 11(3):209- 222. Doss, Erini and Michael C. Loui. 1995. "Ethics and the Privacy of Electronic Mail." The Information Society. 11(3):223-235. ======================= THE INFORMATION SOCIETY vol. 11, no. 1. Mayer-Kress, Gottfried and Cathleen Barczys. 1995. "The Global Brain as an Emergent Structure from the Worldwide Computing Network, and Its Implications for Modeling." The Information Society. 11(1):1-28. Derrick, Jason and Kenneth L. Kraemer. 1995. "National Technology Policy and Computer Production in Asia- Pacific Countries." The Information Society. 11(1):29- 58. Holsapple, Clyde W. and Wenhong Luo. 1995. "Organizational Computing Frameworks: Progress and Needs." The Information Society. 11(1):59-74. Atkin, David. 1995. "Audio Informational Services and the Electronic Media Environment." The Information Society. 11(1):75-83. ======================= THE INFORMATION SOCIETY vol. 11, no. 2. Culnan, Mary J. and Priscilla M. Regan. 1995. "Privacy Issues and the Creation of Campaign Mailing Lists." The Information Society. 11(2):85-100. Evans, John. 1995. "Meetings of the Clans: Projecting the Information Spectrum in Papua New Guinea." The Information Society. 11(2):101-112. Eveland, J.D., Blanchard, Anita, Brown, William, and Jennifer Mattocks. 1995. "The Role of "Help Networks" in Facilitating Use of CSCW Tools." The Information Society. 11(2):113-12. Ruhleder, Karen. 1995. "Computerization and Changes to Infrastructures for Knowledge Work." The Information Society. 11(2):131-144. Lally, Laura. 1995. "Exploring the Adoption of Bulletin Board Services." The Information Society. 11(2):145-155. ********** III.B.1. Fr: Dr TG Rose Re: Language Engineering Workshop Language Engineering for Document Analysis and Recognition CALL FOR PAPERS A one-day workshop organised by L.J. Evett & T.G. Rose as part of the AISB 1996 Workshop Series 2nd April 1996 University of Sussex, England ABSTRACT: Natural Language Engineering is at a formative stage in its development. Whilst the analysis of the structural aspects of language has reached a sophisticated stage of development, the analysis of meaning and content has proven somewhat more problematic. The present workshop aims to review current approaches to content analysis with regard to the development of practical tools for language engineering. Traditional approaches to NLP have often used rule (i.e. logic) based techniques. However, recent technological developments have made possible the processing of large text corpora from which probabilistic information may be derived and subsequently applied to a range of language engineering applications. Other on-line lexical resources are now widely available, and these have been used with varying degrees of success. Consequently, the scene is now set for considering the practical techniques of natural language engineering, with the focus on methods for content analysis. The present workshop aims to discuss these methods, evaluate the various techniques that have been developed, and to investigate the production of practical tools. In particular, it will emphasise the potential for real-world, commercial applications that require knowledge of the meaning or content of a language sample. Examples include: document analysis, text recognition, speech recognition, automatic indexing, topic identification, text categorisation, automatic abstracting, sense disambiguation, discourse segmentation, and information retrieval. REQUIREMENTS FOR SUBMISSION: Please submit an extended abstract (max. 500 words) to the address below. Email submissions are strongly encouraged. Authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to write a full paper for inclusion in the proceedings. A limited number of bursaries are available to graduate students to cover the cost of registration and accommodation. DEADLINES Abstracts due : 19 January 1996 Acceptance notification : 26 January 1996 Full paper due : 1 March 1996 Please send submissions and correspondence to: L.J. Evett, Department of Computing, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham, NG1 4BU England. Tel: 0115 9486018 Fax: 0115 9486518 email: lje@doc.ntu.ac.uk ********** III.C.1. Fr: Gary Marchionini Re: U. Maryland: Ph.D. Fellowship, Library & Information Science The College of Library and Information Services (CLIS) invites applicants for a limited number of Ph.D. fellowships funded through the U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Act, Title II-B. Awardees must be U.S. Citizens or permanent residents. Each fellowship consists of a potentially renewable cash stipend of up to $14,000 (dependent on demonstrated financial need) plus health benefits and full remission of tuition and fees. The CLIS doctoral program is both highly interdisciplinary and specifically tailored to meet individual students' interests and goals. The program provides opportunities for course work and research with other departments on the College Park campus as well as opportunities to take advantage of the rich information environment of the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. The CLIS faculty itself has backgrounds and interests in a range of areas: Information Retrieval and Knowledge Representation Communication and Information Transfer Archival Studies Information Technology Human-Computer Interaction Library and Information Services for Children and Youth Information Literacy Economics of Information School Library Media Health Informatics Administration and Management The CLIS homepage provides further information about the program: http://oriole.umd.edu:8000/ Fellowship applicants must meet all CLIS and University of Maryland requirements for admission to the doctoral program and should possess impressive academic credentials, strong potential for teaching and research, a demonstrable interest in the nature and uses of information, and a commitment to acquiring and applying the theoretical and methodological skills necessary to perform exceptional research in the area of information studies. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Requests for information and for application materials should be addressed to: Dr. Diane Barlow, Assistant Dean College of Library and Information Services University of Maryland at College Park 4105 Hornbake Library Building, South Wing College Park, MD 20742-4345 dbarlow@deans.umd.edu ********************************************************** IV. PROJECTS IV.E.1. Fr: John Mackenzie Owen Re: Networked library services KNOWLEDGE MODELS FOR NETWORKED LIBRARY SERVICES A study for the European Commission by NBBI NBBI Project Bureau for Information management is currently carrying out a study for the European Commission under the title 'Knowledge Models for Networked Library Services'. The objectives of this study are: - To examine the library's evolving role in the knowledge mediation process in the light of scenario's combining existing collection-based procedures with access to external documents of various types. - To review the specific needs of users for services in library environment with a view to increasing user interaction, improving the knowledge mediation potential and providing adequate help support at all levels. - In the light of the above, to develop new library application models for acquisition, lending and reference incorporating integrated access to networked functions. have created a website which offers background information on the project. You can download the two reports produced so far in WfW and WP6.0 format. There is also a bibliography available in HTML-format. The URL for this site is: http://www.nbbi.nl/kms/kmspage.htm We would highly appreciate comments on these documents from our colleagues in Europe and elsewhere. For comments and rther information please contact: J.S. Mackenzie Owen (mackenzie.owen@nbbi.nl) BBI O. Box 80544 NL-2508GM The Hague The Netherlands el. +31 70 3607833 Fax +31 70 3615011 Please do not respond directly to this list but to mackenzie.owen@nbbi.nl ********************************************************** IRLIST Digest is distributed from the University of California, Division of Library Automation, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA. 94612-3550. Send subscription requests and submissions to: NCGUR@UCCMVSA.UCOP.EDU Editorial Staff: Clifford Lynch calur@uccmvsa.ucop.edu Nancy Gusack ncgur@uccmvsa.ucop.edu The IRLIST Archives is set up for anonymous FTP. Using anonymous FTP via the host dla.ucop.edu, the files will be found in the directory pub/irl, stored in subdirectories by year (e.g., /pub/irl/1993). These files are not to be sold or used for commercial purposes. Contact Nancy Gusack for more information on IRLIST. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN IRLIST DO NOT REPRESENT THOSE OF THE EDITORS OR THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. AUTHORS ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONTENTS OF THEIR SUBMISSIONS TO IRLIST.