About this Group
The DLIOC seeks to identify and to support the collaboration
among CIC libraries that will help to build, maintain, and expand
the digital library infrastructure and thereby ensure the full
exploitation of a shared online environment.
The Digital Library Initiatives Overview Committee (DLIOC) was
formed by the CIC Library Directors in May 2000. The group contains
one representative from the 13 research libraries within the CIC.
A CIC Library Director serves as the DLIOC Chair. The 13 representatives
cover a wide range of areas of expertise pertinent to the development
and management of digital library initiatives, including:
- Funding opportunities
- Grant writing
- Budgeting
- CIC collection and content management
- Digitizing text
- Text markup and encoding
- Digitizing audio (including music)
- Digitizing images
- Digitizing video
- Hypertext and hypermedia
- Copyright, fair use, intellectual property, and digital
rights management
- Hardware and software standards
- Digital preservation, migration, and archiving
- Public services for digital library initiatives
- Distance education needs and initiatives
- Metadata and cataloging standards
- Authentication and authorization
- Knowledge of national/international digital initiatives
DLIOC meets two or three times per year, often in conjunction
with ALA
conferences. Operating in synchronization with the Council of
CIC CLI Committee Chairs (the C5 Group), the DLIOC reports through
its chair,
a library director, to the CIC Library Directors, who are in turn
supported by the CIC Center for Library Initiatives.
The DLIOC seeks to identify and to support collaboration among
CIC
libraries that will help to build, maintain, and expand the digital
library infrastructure and thereby ensure the full exploitation
of a
shared online environment. Through the creation, conversion, and
management of digital library collections and services for research
and
teaching in and among CIC institutions, the DLIOC seeks to support
the
goals of the Provosts.
To this end, the group proposes to concentrate on developing
CIC
interoperability through shared or coordinated
- Metadata creation and harvesting
- Documentation
- Development of best practices and standards
- Digital repositories
- Assessment and evaluation
- Staff development and training
The DLIOC also proposes that it assess the feasibility of potential
projects as identified by the C5 Group and the CIC library directors.
The DLIOC will try to instill interoperability in all projects
and
initiatives through active development of the above areas generally
and
within specific projects and initiatives. As programmatic themes
emerge
within the group or from the CIC library directors or other CIC
groups,
the DLIOC will play a role in assessing the feasibility of specific
projects. The DLIOC will communicate and work with a wide range
of
other CIC committees, task forces, and working groups, as necessary
to
solicit ideas, to coordinate and monitor projects, and to assure
the
coherence of the CIC's plans for digital library development.
In addition to the above list of proposed goals toward
interoperability, the DLIOC will foster collaborative efforts
among
existing digital library initiatives at CIC member universities;
propose new joint digital library initiatives; monitor the progress
of
joint initiatives; establish and maintain a comprehensive knowledge
of
digital library expertise and initiatives within and among CIC
member
universities; provide guidance concerning future development of
the
Virtual Electronic Library (VEL) and other digital library initiatives;
work with other organizations, such as the Digital Library Federation;
advance digital library standards, specifications, and tools at
the
national and international levels; and, provide periodic status
reports
to the CIC Library Directors and other groups.
The Committee on Institutional Cooperation strives to promote
academic
excellence through cooperative endeavors that unite and leverage
each
institution's human, financial, and infrastructure resources and
that
provide a forum for the exchange of information and ideas. CIC
Provosts
seek institutional gains from collaboration, including leveraging
existing investments, enhancing research support, and better management
of current assets. In the areas of online teaching and learning,
they
are interested in expanding the classroom environment, integrating
learning experiences, and expanding current digital resources
in their
own institutions and across the CIC. The Provosts believe that
strong
collaboration among CIC institutions benefits all CIC members.
Areas where there appear to be common needs or complementary
interests
for the growth of digital libraries include infrastructure,
creation/conversion/management of digital content, interoperability,
digital library architecture, documentation and guidelines, staff
development, and interface development. Specific interests of
Provosts
and Library Directors, as informed by the community of users,
include
intellectual asset management, leveraging activity, funding support,
cost-savings and efficiencies, contributions to online learning,
maximum use of content, impact on instruction, ease of use, and
better
tools. Leveraging individual institutional strengths and increasing
production and scale are also important.
Throughout the 1990's, the CIC member universities experienced
considerable success with early digital library initiatives. Many
of
these initiatives received external funding. Some were intended
to be
projects, not programs, with unsustainable funding. Others have
grown
exponentially both through institutional and grant support. Now
is the
time to develop a higher level of coordination, interoperability,
sustainability, and integration of digital libraries into the
teaching,
learning, research, and service activities of the CIC community.
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