bepress Advisory Board meeting & ALA Midwinter conference 2018

As a member of the bepress Advisory Committee since its formation in late 2017, I had been invited to the inaugural meeting to be held on Monday 12 February 2018 at the Denver Convention Centre in Denver Colorado. This fortuitously coincided with the American Library Association Midwinter conference. It would be my second only visit to the United States, having travelled to Portland and San Francisco on the west coast for a bepress event and the ACRL conference back in March 2015.

 Sydney airport terminal, 10 February 2018.

I flew out of Sydney on Saturday 10 February 2018 (9 February US time) on United Airlines to Denver, with a brief stopover at Houston, Texas. I would be in Denver from the Saturday afternoon through to the following Wednesday evening, when I would fly out on a United Airlines 737, returning to Sydney via Los Angeles and arriving home on the afternoon of Friday 16 February. The trip was sponsored by bepress (Elsevier) though the University of Wollongong supported my visit and attendance at the ALA Midwinter conference, plus assisted with airport transfers and insurance as a member of staff. I needed to apply online for a US Visa, which was straightforward enough, and ensure my passport was always close at hand. During this post 9/11 visit to the US I would encounter a security regime that was very different to that seen in Australasia and on our visits to the Cook Islands. At one point I remember the passengers being herded into an area of the airport (?Houston) where we had to wait for a sniffer dog to come, after which we all walked up and down some stairs and everything was then checked off for us to transfer to the next stage, closer to the departure lounge. Everyone was friendly enough, though it was complicated, wasted time, and was, in my view, over done.


Saturday 10th February - Sydney to Denver

I flew United Airlines to Denver, as it had been booked by Bepress. Usually I like to fly Qantas. The 15 hour flight from Sydney to Houston departed at 11.50am on Saturday and was better than I expected – I had a roomy, isle seat which was comfortable and there was plenty of good food and drink provided. Luckily I slept intermittently during the flight from Sydney to Houston, and a solid 2-3 hours near the end, such that when I arrived – thankfully – I did not suffer jet lag. Houston terminal was just like any other western airport – it could have been Sydney or Melbourne. There were a few Texan-type characters, but only a few, and no distinct TV accents. The airport services were typical, and the food my first taste of US cuisine this time around - different in many ways to Australia, but not so different as to cause any issues. I was frugal with money on this trip, so only purchased a hot chocolate and sandwich for lunch before heading to the departure lounge.


The flight from Houston to Denver was not as nice as the previous one, as the plane was smaller and rather packed. I had a window seat but saw nothing much due to the heavy cloud cover as we flew into Denver. This was the end of winter in the US, and as I looked out of the plane window on approach and departure I noticed that the landscape around Houston was a wet and wintery brown. It seemed very flat and swampy from above, perhaps reflecting the area's closeness to the Mississippi River and delta.


I arrived in Denver on the afternoon of Saturday 10th - it was a day behind Australia due to the length of the flight and the stopover, whereby we lost a day. Denver was covered in low cloud and it was snowing lightly. This was something I had not experienced before in a large city, apart from when I had visited the Australian snowfields back in the 1970s, and that was only in the context of small towns and bush. Denver was also bitterly cold, as was to be expected, having had a dump of snow overnight. 

Snow-covered Denver.
We arrived with some snow falling and snow everywhere, including on the tarmac. I could see a big jumbo being de-iced before take off, with cranes blowing the snow off the fuselage and wings. We came in half an hour late due to a problem with fuel at Houston, arriving in Denver around 2.30pm. I did not have any trouble getting through customs, though working out how to get into town was not as simple. I did have to stand in the cold waiting for a bus, which I eventually gave up on, deciding instead to spend $9 on the train, which was a good decision. The way the transport from the airport operated revealed a little bit about the subtle differences between Australia and the US - there is more private enterprise and less public services here. Lots of different private bus alternatives were on hand; there was no emphasis on taxis; and the train services was rather hidden.

It was an interesting ride in the train - the landscape from the airport to the city was flat, dry and sparsely dotted with industrial and residential buildings. It seemed like there was a lot of development going on, and the former farm lands were being transformed with money from who knows where. I remember seeing a rather palatial hotel complex being constructed on a small hill in the distance, about 2 kilometres from the train line. It was relatively isolated and looked rather strange amidst the treeless landscape. Unfortunately on this particular day the train only went part of the way into town due to track works. After being informed of this by the female, gun-toting train guard / ticket collector, we all got out at the designated station, walked across the railway lines to the bus terminal, and hopped onto the nearest bus heading in to town. I unfortunately picked the wrong bus. Instead of hopping on board the city shuttle, which would have been much quicker, I ended up taking the all stops bus. It was much slower and took me through the residential outskirts of town and back streets. I was quite happy about this at the end though, as I like to take in as much of the local landscape as I can when I undertake trips such as this, though it is usually confined to walks around city streets and not straying too far from where I am staying. Pale cream, brick, single storey houses were typical on the ride into town, and snow was everywhere. The driver dropped me off just 2 blocks from the hotel, right in the middle of the city. I chattered briefly to him – he was a rather jolly, large Black man, and very welcoming.
 

I got off the bus around 4pm and walked over to the nearby convention centre where I registered at the conference. Around 4.45pm I entered the large exhibition hall and dropped in on the Bepress booth, where I met Ann Connelly, who I knew from my previous visit to Berkeley, along with Promitja and Matt. As I was straight off the plane I did not hang around for long, but went back to the hotel just around the corner to check in. It took me a while to sort out the credit card payment issue. Bepress was paying for two days accommodation, and the UOW Library for another two days. Unfortunately the hotel did not receive the credit card authorisation from Australia and I had to go over it with a call home before I could check in, which was all rather stressful. It was finally sorted out and, with a lot of relief, I settled into my room. After a quick shower I went for a walk through the snow covered streets as darkness approached. I had some dinner, then went to bed early so I would be as fresh as possible for the Sunday events and ward off the effects of any jet lag.

Sunday, 11th February - Denver


This was my first day at the conference. During the morning and afternoon I attended a number of presentations. A summary of these is available below. I also attended a Bepress lunch in room #715 of the expansive convention centre, where I had my first meeting with some of the other members of the Advisory Committee. In the evening I took part in the official Bepress dinner at the Osteria Marco. It was a large, Italian-style banquet, and despite the rather noisy ambience, it was an enjoyable night with a lot of interesting discussions, mostly around the subject of libraries and institutional repositories. We only briefly touched on politics and the state of the nation, though the latter come into play when the issue of funding for universities arose and President Trump's program of cutbacks was highlighted.

Monday, 12th February - Bepress meeting

The day started with a combined breakfast and bepress Advisory Committee meeting, at which the basic structure of the group was discussed, various sub-committees elected and an agenda for the year ahead set. It was a very constructive meeting, and continued on through to around lunch time. Some of the outcomes of the meeting are highlighted in the separate description below. After the meeting, and a Open Access subcommittee meeting with Paul Royster, I attended more sessions of the conference and checked out the trade stands. The latter were notable for their giveaways - lots of free books! I also brought for India a Hermoinie Granger library t-shirt, and enjoyed some of the bepress stand hospitality.

Tuesday 13th February - the city

I had planned to attend the conference in the am, but as the agenda was sparse I used the day to visit Denver and walk around town. I took the opportunity to visit book stores and art galleries and generally just take the city in. I had a map and made sure I was strategic in travelling over as much of the city as I could. This included the mall and the Museum of Contemporary Art. There were also a number of interesting book shops that I checked out, though nothing of significance was purchased. At the end of the conference I met up with a group of bepress staffers at a restaurant / wine bar in the Union Station building.

Union Station, Denver.
 
This was perhaps the most enjoyable part of the whole trip. The pressure was off and we were all able to sit down an relax. There were about 8 staffers there, and it was interesting to talk to them about topics such as music. Coming from San Francisco and New York, and being in the age range 25 to 40, they often had interesting stories to tell. We had a few drinks and said our farewells til next time, as some of them were catching flights home. I was not leaving until late the next day so I was able to have a walk around town in the early evening - most of the snow was gone - and prepare for a relatively free day tomorrow.




Wednesday, 14 February- last day in Denver

7am - Sitting in bed in my Embassy Suites hotel room, Denver, Colorado. 13 degrees C outside, clear blue sky with some cloud. Wring in my diary. I see high rise all around me, in the distance towns, and to the west the range of mountains, dusted and capped with snow - the famous Rocky Mountains of John Denver. The landscape at this time of year was brownish, dull, with no green trees or grass anywhere to be seen. I do not fly out until 6.55pm , so I spend most of the day walking around town, and buying stuff for the family. This comprised t-shirts, all with Denver themes. Codi's large t-short featured a wolf, whilst Emma's special pink one was very much themed hippie / peace. I had a good look around town today, and especially enjoyed the Museum of Contemporary Art. The main Denver Art Gallery had some interesting exhibitions on, including Animals in Art, though I found the rest of the collection of varying quality. The one highlight of the visit there was the purchase of a Taschen book on Russian posters from the 1920s.

 

 


After my tour through town I returned to the hotel, picked up my luggage, and got on the train to the airport. The journey this time was a lot quieter, with no snow covering any of the landscape and its barrenness more profound. Boarding went smoothly, and I settled into my United Airlines seat for the 20 flight to Sydney, with a brief stopover at Los Angeles. The latter was uneventful, as was the journey across the Pacific.

Friday 16th February - home again

My plane landed in Sydney at 8.50am. I transferred to the minvan that was picking me up and was home around 1pm.

-------------------------------------
 
The following is a copy of my report to the UOW Library on my visit to Denver, with a emphasis on lessons learnt and experiences gained.

  DSC_0111

bepress Advisory Board meeting & ALA Midwinter conference, Denver, Colorado, 10-13 February 2018

In association with attendance at the inaugural meeting of the bepress Advisory Board (see below), I participated in the Future of Libraries Symposium at the American Library Association Midwinter conference in Denver, Colorado, between 10-13 February 2018. The ALA Midwinter conference sessions addressed issues relating to both public and university / research libraries. Highlights included the following presentations:

Libraries transform – diversity and equity: the two presenters outlined the importance of dealing with diversity amongst library patrons, highlighting issues such as language, culture and inclusiveness. As population diversity increases, libraries must give due consideration to these issues, based on a body of knowledge compiled over the last few decades. Whilst America has significant Black and Latino populations, it was pointed out that in the library profession their numbers were relatively low. A similar situation most probably exists in Australia in regards to Aboriginal, Asian and European populations. UOW has a diverse, international student population and programs and staff should reflect and acknowledge these increasing levels of diversity. Issues such as the #MeToo campaign impact on changing cultural mores in Western societies, highlighting aspects related to issues of diversity and equity.

_20180213_181834

Libraries in the age of extended reality: virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR). The presenters showed numerous examples of the various uses of VR, AR and MR in the library and educational context. They suggested that we will be able to use libraries very differently as a result these new technologies, just as they will be incorporated in curriculum. For example, digital objects could appear in authority files and for cataloguing; students will be able to ‘paint a wall’ or create a totally new environment with a Hololens; technology will support 24/7 mobile book borrowing and service provision; digital presentations will continue to develop into other dimensions; audio manipulation was becoming easier, and is tied in with the ‘fake news’ issue where the veracity of information is questioned e.g. Obama speech application where you can put any words into his mouth; the example of the Mythical Maze app allows a book to be connected with augmented reality posters, similar to the Pokemon Go app. In addition, augmented reality is being applied to shelf checking; the Aurasma app is being used as an augmented reality teaching tool; and VR is being used to create a perception of increased space in a library space, as in the TARDIS. Finally, LIDAR has been revealed as a research tool, in the scanning and discovery of unseen landscapes and objects, e.g. the Mayan city discovery.

DSC_0278
Mobile book vending machine, conference exhibitors hall

Virtual realities in libraries: case study of the California Virtual Reality Experience project. This presentation was based on a 2 year pilot project involving 100 Californian public libraries, where Oculus Rift devices were installed. From the study it was determined that there are positive aspects in utilising VR for leaning, and a figure of 10% improvement was presented. The learning benefits of VR include: * it can provide an easy-to-understand introduction to difficult concepts; * it enables user to experience what was previously impossible to conceive or experience; * VR can create an emotional connection with a subject; * there are kinaesthetic (physical) benefits to engaging with virtual reality; there is a sense of agency (control) with VR; and VR can provide a gateway to the discovery of passions. As a result, it is likely that VR will be introduced into  classrooms and at the university level of teaching and learning in the short term, as the technology becomes universal.

DSC_0062

ALEXA – what does library AI look like in the future? Technologies changes us – they change our behaviours. Devices such as Amazon’s Alexa, ChatBot, Apples’ Seri and Google Assist are new, innovative technologies which are voice activated and display artificial intelligence (AI). These will have applications within a library environment, and a number of related pilots are currently underway.

 DSC_0280

This session presented the example of a university placing 600 Alexa “Echo Dot” devices in  dormitories for students to connect to the University of Oklahoma Libraries client service database. This enabled Alexa to answer basic Tier 1 queries, similar to a library assistant. For example, the question was asked: Alexa, I need information on sociology (image at right) and the device responded with a detailed answer. The answer also provided web links and catalogue links, and sought additional information as required.This is a pilot and the technology was basically: Alexa – Device – Dialog Flow – Libguides / Droople.

It is important in setting up such a system to ask a user what they want first, and create a personal user interface on the fly. AI is also good for accessibility issues. The following blog discusses the project in more detail, highlighting the complexities of this evolving technology.

DSC_0060
Denver, midwinter 2018
 
bepress Advisory Board inaugural meeting

On 11-12 February I attended the inaugural meeting of the bepress Advisory Board. This is a new initiative by bepress, following on its acquisition by Elsevier in May 2017. The Board brings together 18 repository and research library managers from America, Asia and Australia.

Untitled

The Board’s aims are set out in a Values Statement which was developed during the meeting and over the following 2 weeks. The most recent draft reads as follows:

Values Statement
The mission of the bepress Advisory Board is to advocate for the interests of clients, depositors, administrators and end-users of the bepress platforms. The board strives to represent the values of the bepress user community and to provide an opportunity for platform users to come together as a resource of expertise and advice for bepress and a channel for communication between all parties. The Board will encourage best practices and advocate for features that enhance users’ experience with bepress platforms while also aligning with open access priorities and increased dissemination of content. The Board will work collaboratively with bepress to achieve these goals.

The bepress Advisory Board is committed to the promotion of Open Access, which is herein defined as free and unrestricted access to content. The Board supports the widest possible extent and degree of sharing and espouses all forms of open access. The board holds true the contention that institutional repositories are vital in supporting open access initiatives, with their primary function the open dissemination of works: scholarly, scientific, creative, cultural, historical, educational and institutional. Institutions must be free to maintain control of content and ensure it is as open and as widely distributed as possible. The Board recognises the value of bepress as a digital service company, closely tied to its customer service ethic and corresponding reputation.
 
———————————–

bepress had a large contingent of technical support at the ALA Midwinter conference and I was able to use this opportunity to raise technical issues with them such as: ORCID integration; interoperability with research management systems such as Symplectic through the use of a bepress API; the IRUS-ANZ pilot in regards to international benchmarking of usage and download statistics; and the availability of harvesting tools. Imminent innovations to the platform include PLUM integration and a streaming server. A webinar introducing the Board to the wider bepress community was held on 22 February.

Last updated: 17 March 2021
Michael Organ

Comments