NISO Professional Development Events, March and April 2019

March 2019

KBART: From Soup to Nuts
NISO Open Teleconference, Monday, March 11, 12 Noon – 1:00 pm (Eastern Daylight)

KBART (Knowledge Bases and Related Tools) is a NISO Recommended Practice that's been around for most of this decade. KBART concentrates on a description for metadata transfer, to support a content provider's communication of journals and monograph information to knowledge bases maintained by link-resolver vendors. It's so ubiquitous in many scenarios that librarians and publishers might easily take KBART for granted, but a closer look can reveal its utility and flexibility in the electronic product landscape and how it is put to use to support dependable end-user access to library resources.

On Monday, March 11, at 12 Noon (Eastern, US & Canada), NISO will provide a FREE 60-minute webinar to discuss KBART from soup to nuts and to highlight its value to those who use it, and those who could use it.  This webinar will take the place of the monthly NISO Open Teleconference, so there will also be opportunities for questions and answers and discussion about KBART.

Confirmed speakers include: 

  • Noah Levin, NISO KBART Standing Committee Co-Chair
  • Dominic Benson, Analytics and Discovery Officer, Brunel University London 
  • Ben Johnson, Provider Relations Engagement Manager, ProQuest/Ex Libris
  • Robert Heaton, Collection Management Librarian, Utah State University Libraries
  • Andrée Rathemacher, Head, Acquisitions, University of Rhode Island Libraries

Note, if for whatever reason you're institution is unable to attend on Monday, the recording will be posted to the event page here. It will not be password protected, and will be accessible approximately 24 to 48 hours following the live broadcast.

Defining The Library: The Mission, Role and Community
NISO Webinar, Wednesday, March 13, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (Eastern Daylight)

Nearly twenty years into the 21st century, how exactly do we define the word, library? This is hardly a frivolous question. Neither is it a settled one. If a library is less defined by its information resources or access services than by foot traffic or usage stats, then appropriate assessment of its contribution to the institution -- through either quantitative or qualitative metrics -- becomes demonstrably more difficult. The question has implications for administrators with budgetary concerns as much as for educators in the field. Should libraries be focused on decentralization in order to better serve specialized research communities? Or should they be more centralized as the central organ of an educational organism?

Confirmed Speakers include:

  • Patti Brennan, Director, National Library of Medicine
  • Stanley J. Wilder, Dean of the Library, Louisiana State University
  • Roger Macdonald, Director, Television Archive, Internet Archive

Visit the NISO event page to register.

Long Form Content: Ebooks, Print Volumes and the Concerns of Those Who Use Both
NISO Virtual Conference, Wednesday, March 20, 12 Noon – 4:00 pm (Eastern Daylight)

It’s a muddled area for libraries, content providers and readers. Long-form content has traditionally been contained in printed volumes both for reasons of consumption as well as convenient access. With the arrival of ebooks, some aspects of engaging with long-form content became a bit easier – searchability, mobility, etc. Still, neither form seems to fully satisfy. Each user learns his or her own best practices for reading and referencing book content. Is it any wonder then that those whose scholarship relies on long-form content are suspicious of proposed changes to book production, delivery and access?

This virtual conference will consider from a variety of perspectives issues associated with creation, publication, and distribution of The Book. Speakers may explore metrics of usage (downloads, duration of reading session, etc.) as well as questions of reader behavior, assignment of metadata, and long-term access to licensed digital content.   

Confirmed Speakers include:

  • Catherine Ahearn, Senior Product Editor, PubPub, MIT Knowledge Futures Group
  • Tzviya Siegman, Information Standards Lead, Wiley
  • Jaclyn Kovach, Product Manager, ASTM
  • Kara Laufer Levesque, Digital Content Product Manager, ASTM
  • Kathryn Conrad, Director, The University of Arizona Press
  • Melissa Milazzo, Product Manager, Science & Technology Books, Elsevier

Visit the NISO event page to register.

April 2019

The Power of Library Consortia: How Publishers and Libraries Can Successfully Negotiate
NISO Webinar, Wednesday, April 17, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (Eastern Daylight)

This session will examine the role and powers of the modern library consortium. Content and systems providers are aware of the need to successfully address consortia demands, but may not be as aware of the importance of collaboration with such groups. Consortia may be set up to satisfy different needs or achieve specific goals in areas such as licensing of content or technological support. Regional or statewide consortia can offer publishers significant insights into what may be expected in a forthcoming fiscal year or the flaws in a proposed business model. The session is intended to foster engagement as well as understanding between supplier and buyer.

Confirmed Speakers Include:

  • Emily Farrell, Sales Manager, DeGruyter
  • Jill Grogg, Licensing Program Strategist, LYRASIS
  • Jill Morris, Executive Director, PALCI

Visit the NISO event page to register.