The document discusses opportunities for libraries through online portals. It summarizes LIBER, a network of European research libraries working to advance strategies in areas like scholarly communications, digitization, and preservation. It argues that libraries should push services to researchers' work environments through portals, but also enrich portals with more digitized content. Portals could also facilitate data exchange and support for open access. While mobile access is growing, libraries still need to support traditional services.

1. Online portals: opportunities for
library professionals?
Wouter Schallier
Executive Director of LIBER (Association of European Research
Libraries)
wouter.schallier@kb.nl
www.libereurope.eu
LIBER @London Online, 29 November 2011

2. “Making the case for European research libraries”
 LIBER = the largest (and nicest) network of European
research/academic libraries: 425 institutions, from 46
countries
 Mission: to represent and promote the interests of
European research/academic libraries
 Formulate a European strategy for research libraries
 Knowledge sharing and dissemination, fostering partnerships
Annual Conference, workshops, EU projects, publications
 Advocacy and lobbying
LIBER @London Online, 22 November 2011

3. LIBER Strategy 2009-2012: areas of interest
http://www.libereurope.eu/activities
 Scholarly Communications
E-science, OA
 Digitisation and Resource Discovery
Europeana, copyright
 Heritage Collections and Preservation
 Organisation and Human Resources
 Architecture, quality and benchmarking, security, library
passport
LIBER @London Online, 22 November 2011

4. Push it!
Don’t try to get the researcher to the library
Get the library into the researcher’s
working environment
LIBER @London Online, 22 November 2011

5. LIBER @London Online, 22 November 2011

6. Portals are nice windows …
But we need more and better stuff
behind them (enriched data,
DIGITISATION!!!)
And we need to put them in front of
the researchers
LIBER @London Online, 22 November 2011

7. Europeana-Libraries.eu
 2-year project funded by the European Commission’s IST-PSP
programme
 Will add over 5 million digital objects (including full text) to
Europeana:
 Books (incl. books digitised by Google)
 Special collections
 Audiovisual materials
 More than 200,000 OA research theses (via DART Europe)
 More than 270,000 OA scholarly articles (via DOAJ)
 From 19 research and university libraries
LIBER @London Online, 22 November 2011

8. Some portals reinforce poor information literacy
Portals should not direct to themselves
But should stimulate people to
discover new things
LIBER @London Online, 22 November 2011

9. Opportunities for data exchange
http://www.ode-project.eu/
 Data sharing is
 smart: it is efficient, avoids duplication, stimulates the
advancement of science
 about transparency: it allows re-analysis
 about enrichment: it adds value to traditional publications
 rewarding: requirement for publicly funded research
Raw data from a central Pb+Pb event for 40 rows of the Main TPC
Image: http://na49info.web.cern.ch/na49info/Public/Press/pictures/mtpc40rowsRawData.gif
LIBER @London Online, 22 November 2011

10. LIBER @London Online, 22 November 2011

11. Mobile devices are cars…
And many of us have cars (or at least
look at them)… but still ride horses
LIBER @London Online, 22 November 2011

12. LIBER @London Online, 22 November 2011

13.  Thank you!
 Questions/comments?
 LinkedIn: LIBEReurope
 http://www.slideshare.net/libereurope
 Twitter: @LIBEREurope
 wouter.schallier@kb.nl
LIBER @London Online, 22 November 2011