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On The Road: Library Connect Seminars Reach Around the Globe

Library Connect Seminars Reach Around the Globe
Elsevier’s program of Library Connect seminars features agendas and speakers adapted to specific needs and regional interests of librarians worldwide

Argentina, August 2004

During the IFLA Conference, in Buenos Aires, a two-part Library Connect program offered a morning session designed for the SECTIP (Argentinean) consortium and an afternoon session opened up to librarians from all of South America.

The morning included two SECTIP panels and several Elsevier speakers and focused on how newly introduced electronic services are impacting universities in Argentina. Three representatives from SECTIP — Gustavo Crocce, Juan Ramirez and Mercedes Portugal — looked at applications and implementations changing how research is conducted on campuses across Argentina.

The afternoon looked beyond the borders of Argentina and Latin America. Elenara Almeida, Coordenadora de Acesso à Informação Cientifica e Tecnológica, CAPES, discussed the innovative electronic experiment of the Brazilian consortium, and Hilde van Wijngaarden, Digital Preservation Officer, National Library of the Netherlands, shared her experiences in building a national electronic archive.

India, August 2004

Nine cities in nineteen days — Elsevier India’s program of Library Connect seminars reached more than 400 librarians from institutes of all sizes. Martin Borchert from Griffiths University, Australia, joined leading Indian librarians to share experiences in the management of e-resources.

Participants felt the informal and friendly seminars offered an excellent opportunity to openly discuss issues and to network with their peers. In fact, 94% indicated they would like to attend future events. Commented Devasish Banerjee, Information Officer at Chembiotek Research International Pvt. Limited in Kolkata, “12th of August 2004 was a great experience for me. I had the opportunity to meet lots of experienced information specialists in the eastern region of India and enhance myself by gathering knowledge from their experiences.”

Costa Rica, October 2004

The University of Costa Rica hosted a Library Connect event that included three other Costa Rican universities. Participants discussed ways in which shared electronic resources can bring a new level of information access to a diverse collection of academic institutions. The roster of almost 100 attendees primarily included librarians but also science faculty and administrators representing university administration, computing centers and information services. Several library school and graduate science students were also in the audience.

The day offered a dynamic exchange of ideas and information. Ten speakers from the academic institutions present spoke throughout the day, with a panel of several librarians joining Elsevier representatives. With so many possibilities for new electronic solutions on the horizon, the attendees welcomed the opportunity to investigate the options available as they begin to build digital collections.

Egypt, October 2004

A Library Connect seminar hosted by ENSTINET (Egyptian National Science and Technology Information Network) brought together 30 senior librarians from the 15 largest academic and research institutions in Egypt. Librarians and Elsevier colleagues discussed author output in Egypt, usage statistics of electronic resources and Elsevier’s newly launched multidisciplinary A&I database, Scopus.

United Kingdom, October 2004

Ettington Park in Warwickshire was the venue for Elsevier’s UK Library Directors’ Forum — a two-day event entitled “Understanding User Behaviour and Measuring Impact and Value.” The guidance of Thomas Graham, University Librarian at the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, ensured an interesting program of speakers. These included: Carol Tenopir, Professor of Information Sciences at the University of Tennesee, who gave a US perspective on measuring impact and value; Natalie Ceeney, Director of Operations and Services for the British Library who outlined an independent economic impact study, commissioned to measure the British Library’s direct and indirect value to the UK economy; and Christine Urquhart, Project Director of JUSTEIS, who discussed “Monitoring and Evaluating User Behaviour in Information Seeking and Use of Information Technology and Information Services in UK Higher Education.” In his talk “Trust Me, I’m a Doctor,” practicing GP, writer and broadcaster, Phil Hammond, discussed the fact that one of the most interesting aspects of research is getting the public to believe it. He also focused on the importance of access to the best information, wherever you are in the research chain.

Allan Foster, Director of Keele University Library, commented, "Once again, I found this a very useful event. As a long-standing member (and past chair) of JISC's content committee, it’s helpful to keep in close touch with the views of major publishing industry players. The past year has been a difficult one for UK HE-publisher relations. But it’s always vital to keep open as many channels of communication and discussion as possible between us.”

United States, October 2004

A full-day program for corporate biopharmaceutical librarians, held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, focused on issues specifically relevant to the participants, many representing long-standing Elsevier customers and experienced ScienceDirect subscribers with highly targeted requirements. The theme of the meeting, “Information that Drives Innovation,” addressed data integration.

Elsevier speakers discussed interoperability, looking at how diverse services like ScienceDirect, DiscoveryGate and the newly launched Scopus are beginning to meld together to create seamless navigation among resources that serve different purposes.

A panel of librarians — Judith Blaine of ArQule, Jane Burke of Pfizer and Robert Kowalski of Wyeth — shared their views on what the biopharma industry needs from publishers. A highlight of the day’s program was Stephanie Fitch of Millennium Pharmaceuticals’ overview of how her information service has experienced several changes in direction in the past couple of years to respond to rapid changes in management priorities.

Greece, November 2004

More than 90 librarians from 22 institutions attended Library Connect seminars at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the University of Pireaus. Discussion centered on topics including the research output of Greek authors and how to use and interpret usage statistics for electronic resources. Presentations included an introduction to Scopus and an update on recent improvements to EMBASE.com.

South Africa, November 2004

Library Connect seminars at the University of KwaZulu/Natal in Durban and the University of Tshwane in Pretoria attracted more than 45 librarians. Guest speaker, Susan Veldsman, Project Coordinator of the South African Site Licence Initiative, provided an overview of current and future consortium developments. Tony McSeán, Elsevier's Director of Library Relations gave a lively talk entitled “Publishers and librarians: divided by a single purpose?”

United Kingdom, United States and Japan, November 2004

Scopus is launched! After two years of collaboration involving 21 institutions and more than 300 researchers around the globe, Scopus was commercially launched in November at events in Tokyo, London and New York. Three prestigious scientists spoke at Scopus launch events: Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London; Takafumi Matsui, Professor of Comparative Planetology and Astrobiology at the University of Tokyo; and Brian Greene, author of the acclaimed book The Elegant Universe and Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University.

United Kingdom, December 2004

Following London Online, the theme of Elsevier’s fifth annual event for corporate life sciences customers was: “Elsevier’s focus on customer needs and services.” Felix Haest, Project Manager for Librarian Customer Service, spoke about Elsevier’s increased focus on customer service and plans to continue monitoring and improving services for our librarian customers in the changing information market.

Guest speaker Henning Nielsen, Library Manager at Novo Nordisk and President of the Pharma Documentation Ring (P-D-R), shared P-D-R members’ customer service experiences and recommendations.