One of the many posts being written on IR’s, but this one is by someone who is both a researcher and repository administrator and is a little more ‘first hand’ and interesting than some of the drier accounts I’ve read.

For anyone curious about how internet traffic is charged here at Uni., and even why, try this Internet Review paper on the UC intranet. If the link doesn’t get you through, it’s under Committees – Information Technology Advisory Committee – Minutes – Papers

Dave Clemens

The project team recommendations, as presented at LLT this week are now on the project page.

The key recommendations are:

1. That an implementation group of 3-4 library staff work closely with AV services, and with selected academic Departments, to set up ordering, recording and cataloguing processes for a semester 1 trial in 2008.

2. The library covers any AV services recording charges incurred during the trial using the general library book fund – up to a maximum of $600

We will obviously need to work very closely with AV services to make this all happen.

Dave Clemens

For those of a bibliometric bent, this Ministry of Education report may be worth a look…

“The report, Comparing the academic impact of research by New Zealand and Australian universities 1981-2005, examines the number of times New Zealand university research publications are cited by subsequent researchers over a twenty-five-year period. Citation counts are an internationally recognised way of assessing the academic impact of research publications”.

A reminder that the end of year function will be held Friday 14th at Parklands Library from 6.30 p.m.

I can sell you a ticket for $10 (LIANZA member or $12 non-member), or they are available at the door on the night

If anyone is thinking of going I’d be interested in sharing a ride (unsure just yet if that means I’m offering to take people or not).

Dave Clemens
Central Library

Ext 8751

This info is now available from the SNZ pages

A PDF file on the page shows some of the Chch specific slides (Selwyn District seems to be the place of high median personal incomes!).

I attended the recent StatsNZ roadshow on Census info this week, along with Patricia Jordan, and of all the powerpoints and information presented one of the key resources that struck me as potentially useful across a range of disciplines was the Quarterly Regional Reviews (now freely available on the web).
These QRRs include stats from a range of agencies, so there are Hospital and Crime stats as well as car regos and the standard Stats NZ data as well. All bundled in a single PDF file.

For the full SNZ PR blurb about what’s being made freely available that wasn’t before try the MIFA page. INFOS, for example, is intended to become a web based product some time in 2008.

‘The report is based on a survey (by Harris Interactive on behalf of OCLC) of the general public from six countries—Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States—and of library directors from the U.S. The research provides insights into the values and social-networking habits of library users.’

Divided into chapters and highlights, if you just want to scan the summary pages.

‘Philosopher, jurist, and one-time stand-up comic, Peter Suber is widely viewed as the de facto leader of the open access (OA) movement.’

Peter Suber seems to be a name that keeps cropping up in the open access debate, and his opinions are less strident than Stevan Harnad’s! It’s a very long interview but from what I’ve read of it, an interesting insight into the OA movement and the different objectives and motivations within.