INFORUM 2011

As libraries are moving into the digital age, they are spending large portions of their materials budget on databases, ejournals, ebooks and other digital media. This program will take a close look at what practical strategies libraries should be using to determine what to license and what to cancel. In addition to a review of methodologies used by libraries to make smarter decisions, the audience will be asked to share their experiences and expertise. This program will be lead by George Machovec, Associate Director of the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries and Managing Editor of The Charleston Advisor (TCA). TCA is a peer reviewed journal which offers in-depth analysis and ranking of electronic products and services for libraries. Some of the specific areas to be covered include:

• Criteria for database selection and withdrawal including pricing and licensing
• The role and impact of consortia in licensing
• Product trials and the local selection process
• Evaluation tools and reviews (e.g. The Charleston Advisor)
• Content comparison tools
• Tips for negotiating and getting the best price

The workshop is organized in cooperation with CERGE-EI.

Libraries have in the past decade experienced the largest changes since Gutenberg invented the printing press. Information is suddenly not confined to the books behind library doors, but is openly available on the web. Libraries experience unprecedented competition from the open web and where the users might feel confusion about the quality of material available, but the ease of finding information elsewhere keep turning users away from the library, making the libraries loose relevance. So what can you do to win back your relevance to students and researchers? Libraries today spend a very high proportion of their budget on electronic resources, but very often they are not presented to the users in way that feels intuitive for them, library webpage’s are perceived as confusing and hard to navigate and the systems can feel slow and old fashioned to persons accustomed to Google speed and performance. Web scale discovery systems for the breadth of a library’s content has been on the market for some time now and the work shop will investigate if the promises of power and ease can be fulfilled. Behind the scenes modern, built for purpose software is a crucial component for the successful management of e-resources, from link resolver to e-resource management, but most libraries do not have much time to implement and maintain. Case studies shows how this to some extent can be avoided and we will also have a hands on look at some of the tools for maintenance and information management.

The workshop is organized in cooperation with the Library of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

The Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Business Activities of Albertina – a buffet reception – is held in the evening of Wednesday May 25, 2011 in Rajska Building at the University of Economics – Winston Churchill square, Prague 3 (map).

Beginning at 7:30 pm.

The INFORUM Awards for the best local projects, products and services will be announced at the evening reception.

The Celebrating 20 Years of AiP is organized in cooperation with the University of Economics, Prague.