HKUL > One Millionth E-Book Celebration > Symposium





Conference Speakers

Keynote Speaker : Dr Reginald Carr

Director of University Library Services & Bodley’s Librarian in the University of Oxford since 1997. (23rd Bodley’s Librarian in an unbroken line of succession since 1600.)

Created the first integrated library service for Oxford (the Oxford University Library Services – OULS) in 2000. Now manages almost 50 libraries in the University containing more than 12 million printed volumes, as well as the largest and most important historic collection of rare books, manuscripts and archives held by any academic library anywhere in the world.

His professional library career spans 36 years, during which he has held senior posts in six English university libraries, including the John Rylands University Library of Manchester; the Cambridge University Library (where he was Deputy University Librarian for six years in the 1980s); and the Leeds University Library (where he was University Librarian from 1986 to 1996, and Dean of Information Strategy from 1995-6).

Holds degrees from the Universities of Leeds, Manchester, Cambridge, Oxford and Leicester (where he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in 2000 “for services to university librarianship”).

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts; a member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals; an Honorary Citizen of Toyota City, Japan; and a Professorial Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford.

From 1986-97: Director of the Consortium of University Research Libraries (Honorary Secretary,1991-97); Council Member of the Standing Conference of National and University Libraries (1990-96 – Vice-Chair, then Chair,1992-96); Board Member of the North American Research Libraries Group (1996-2003 – Chair, 1999-2003).

Board Member of the UK’s Joint Information Systems Committee (1996-2005), during which time he served as Chair of the JISC’s Committee on Electronic Information, presiding over the UK’s nationally-funded Electronic Libraries Programme (eLib) and the development of the UK’s Distributed National Electronic Resource (the DNER); Chair of the JISC’s Scholarly Communications Group, 2000-2006; Member of the Harvard University Board of Overseers’ Visiting Committee for the University Library (2002-).

In the 1980s, he authored a textbook on University Library administration; and he has published widely on professional issues as diverse as the early 20th-century private press movement, the future of the printed book, the development of the Hybrid Library, digital preservation, security in older library buildings, library fundraising, and the Google mass-digitisation programme.

He now spends much of his time fundraising for the Bodleian Library, and estimates that in almost ten years at Oxford he has helped to raise almost £100 million for library purposes including major purchases, preservation, and digital and capital library developments.

Presentation title : The Bodleian Library – from Gutenberg to Google
Abstract :
Gutenberg’s introduction of movable type in the 1450s was a major technological development, leading to the spread of the printed word all across the world and contributing to both the Reformation and the Renaissance in Europe.

Sir Thomas Bodley was an Elizabethan diplomat whose Protestant family background and education led him in later life to re-establish the Library of the University of Oxford as a basis for spreading the New Learning, made possible by Gutenberg’s invention. The Bodleian Library, opened in 1602, grew quickly into one of the great book-based libraries of the world, thanks to Bodley’s arrangement (in 1610) for his Library to receive a copy of every book printed in the United Kingdom.

But is the printed book now dead, and do libraries like the Bodleian have no long-term future? The principle of the co-existence of media types is explained, and seems to suggest that printed book libraries are not a thing of the past, even in the digital age. Manuscript has not been entirely displaced; and the printed book still has an important function alongside the computer and the new digital media. Along with other organisations, Google is mass-digitising the world of books, including many of those presently housed within libraries like the Bodleian. And yet the Google search service still produces masses of print-on-paper; and the number of printed books newly published and added to libraries like the Bodleian continues to increase each year.

The great research libraries are, in fact, re-organising themselves as ‘hybrid’ operations, using the new technology to improve access to all their holdings, both physical and virtual. The Bodleian’s increasingly sophisticated use of technology is described and illustrated in detail, and the principle of the co-existence of media types is seen to be still at work, as both the printed book and electronic collections continue to grow and be managed together as an integrated whole.

The presentation concludes with some thoughts about the present and future effects of the ‘discontinuities’ in human communications created by the digital age, and about the persistent value of libraries and librarians, as repositories and brokers of information in all its forms. Gutenberg’s legacy is seen as evolving and developing rather than being entirely superseded by the advent of the electronic book.

Keynote Speaker : Dr Chen Li

Dr Chen Li holds a PhD in History (1988). He worked at the Sichuan University Library from 1988 to 2001 including such areas as access services, archives and documents, and literature acquisitions. He served as the Deputy Librarian of the Sichuan University Library in 1995 and became the Librarian in 1996. He has been the Deputy Director of the National Library of China since 2001. His recent writings include:

1. Printed and Electronic Periodicals: a Dilemma for the National Library and Public Libraries
2. Resource development of digital libraries
3. On the diversified resource development of digital libraries
4. Google and Libraries
5. A review of the digitization methods of Chinese ancient books
6. Rethinking the digitization of Chinese ancient books
7. Library services in public services

Presentation title : Ebooks, Library Collections and Services
Abstract :
Since e-books have become one of the essential resources in libraries, the biggest challenge is how to manage these different types, sources and formats of e-books as well as other library resources to provide these brand-new services to their patrons.

Professor Dai Longji

Born in Chengdu (Sichuan, China) in 1947. He worked in Inner Mongolia in 1968 before studying library science in Peking University in 1977. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1982, he began teaching in Peking University. He was visiting scholar at the University of Maryland from 1985-1986. In 1989, he was deployed to Peking University Library and became deputy librarian in 1993. In 1997, he became the Deputy General Manager of the China Educational Publications Import and Export Corporation and was also employed as a researcher. He has served as University Librarian at Peking University since 1999. He is also the Vice President of China Academic Library & Information System and President of the Academic Library Society of China Society for Library Science.

Presentation title : Recent Development of Chinese E-Books in Mainland China
Abstract :
Discuss and analyze the history, current status, and future development of Chinese academic electronic resources from four aspects: the national informatization strategic environment and infrastructure developments, introduction of Chinese electronic databases, analysis of academic users’ demand, and copyright. There are several factors that favor the rapid development of academic electronic resources in China. Among them are policy support from the government, speedy development of the nation’s digitization and information network technology, substantial demand from the academic sector, and flexibility in copyright issues.

Professor Fan Liu H.Y.

Ellen F. Liu is retired professor, Graduate Institute of Library and Information Science, National Chung Hsing University; member of board of directors, Library Association of the Republic of China. She teaches half-time since her retirement in Jan. 2006. Her current interests in teaching and research consist of collection development, user services, and academic libraries.

After her education and work in the U.S., she returned to Taiwan and was professor at the National Yang Ming Medical College and university librarian at the National Chung Hsing University for a total of 23 years. During her 15-year term at the National Chung Hsing University, she undertook and accomplished two demanding tasks— founding of the Graduate Institute of Library and Information Science and building a new library after the earthquake of 1999.

Presentation title : Sharing netLibrary e-Books among the academic libraries in Taiwan

Mr Richard Rosy

Richard Rosy is Corporate Vice President, Content Management, OCLC Online Computer Library Center, with specific responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the netLibrary Division, including all aspects of Product Development, Business Development, and Product Marketing as well as Publisher Relations, Content Integration, and Technology. Since joining the company in 1999, Rich has led netLibrary to become the leading eBook provider to the institutional library market, now serving nearly 15,000 libraries worldwide with a growing collection of monographs that, as of March 2006, numbers in excess of 110,000 titles. In addition, the company has expanded in recent years and also offers thousands of eJournals, eAudiobooks, and a growing collection of other full-text electronic content.

Prior to joining netLibrary, Rich was Executive Vice President of Centrobe, an EDS company specializing in publishing and customer relationship management services. Other experience includes sales, marketing, operations, and overall management responsibilities in the publishing, technology, manufacturing and service industries.

About OCLC
OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., is a nonprofit organization that provides computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing, preservation services, and content management services, to 40,000 libraries in 81 countries and territories. OCLC was founded in 1967 to improve access to the world’s information and is the world’s largest library cooperative.

About netLibrary
Founded in August 1998, netLibrary today is a leader in full-text electronic resources. netLibrary helps academic, public, corporate and special libraries create a richer, more productive learning environment for their patrons. By combining the time-honored traditions of the library system with electronic publishing, netLibrary offers an easy-to-use platform for accessing the full text of reference, scholarly, and professional works, as well as popular fiction and non-fiction. netLibrary is a division of OCLC Online Computer Library Center.

Presentation title : eBooks...Journey & Destination
Abstract :
Much like a speeding train, the acceptance of electronic resources is taking hold faster than was anticipated even a few short years ago. For libraries, eBooks represented a point of departure for new ways of extending the value and use of eContent. This talk will take you on a journey describing the development and evolution of eBooks, demonstrating why eBooks were only the first stop along a course still being charted, yet leading the way to exciting and innovative approaches for discovering, accessing, and using electronic content.

Professor Zhao Jihai

Mr. Zhao Jihai is a Professor and Deputy Director of Zhejiang University Libraries in Hangzhou, China. Since 2002, he has been responsible for the Digital Library Initiatives in the university library system, and for the China-US Million Book Digital Library Project.

Presentation title : The Copyright Law and Related Regulations and their Impacts on the Development of E-books in China’s Mainland
Abstract:
The law and regulations closely related with Chinese e-book development are the Copyright Law, the Regulations on Protection of Rights of Communication via the Information Network, and the Regulations on Collective Administration of Copyright in the China’s Mainland. The presentation analyses the challenges and opportunities facing Chinese e-book development under the framework of the current copyright law and regulations, and puts forward the strategies of copyright clearance. The measures are discussed to deal with the copyright issues in the Million Book Digital Library Project.

Mr Warren Holder

Warren Holder has been a librarian at the University of Toronto since 1978. During his time at the university Warren has been the head of the undergraduate library as well as the head of the circulation department (book stacks, periodical reading room, document delivery etc) of the Robarts Graduate Library.

Currently Warren is the Electronic Resources Co-ordinator with responsibility for identifying content, negotiating site licenses that will allow access to electronic resources for the faculty, staff and students at the University of Toronto.Warren’s latest passion is e-books. The University of Toronto Library is undertaking an e-book initiative and plans to study how users discover and use e-books.

Warren is a member of the Ontario Council Of University Libraries Information Resources Committee and he has been active in the formation and ongoing activities of Consortia Canada. These activities also link up with the international library consortia world through ICOLC (International Coalition of Library Consortia).

Presentation title : E-Books: Setting New Directions
Abstract :
To quote Carole Moore, the Chief Librarian at the University of Toronto Libraries ( UTL ) ; “One solution we have decided on is to invest in a pilot project in electronic books,” At UTL, we believe that our users do not care whether the information they are looking for is in a journal article, a section of a reference work or a chapter of a book, they want the information online 24/7 365. To that end, we intend to undertake a pilot project with a critical mass of e-books from as many publishers as we can afford with the intent of ascertaining how users discover the e-books, what do they do when they are in the e-books and what do they do after they get the information they were looking for.

This presentation will discuss the current thinking of one large research intensive university library as it pertains to current academic e-books.

Since December 2005, UTL has licensed access to over 25,000 current academic e-books from several publishers and intends to add to this total as funds permit. By the time of this e-book event in Hong Kong there should be some early usage figures that can be presented as well as any early results of the planned pilot project. As attendees will be aware, the whole e-book area is changing daily and this presentation will attempt to be as current as possible. Stay tuned.

Mr Yoshiro Kato

Yoshiro Kato is Chief Executive of International Centre at Keio University. He holds degrees in Management from Aoyama University and Library and Information Science from Keio University and Master’s degree in Information Science from Keio University. During his career at the Keio University Library since 1980, Kato has also served as lecturer at many universities, including Tsurumi University, Otsuma Women’s University, Nihon University, and Seisen Women’s University. Since 1999, he has been active in many national and international library and information science organizations, contributing to the development of librarianship locally and globally. Examples of some of his roles are:


  • 1999-2003 Chairman of International Library Cooperation Committee, Japan Association of Private University Library
  • 2000-2004 Committeeman, National Informatic Institute Cataloging Committee
  • Committee member, Global ILL Framework Project
  • OCLC Asia Pacific Delegate (Japan)

Presentation title : Scholarly Communication and University Libraries in Japan (University Libraries Consortia development as a purchase method of eMaterials)
Abstract :
1. Electronic journals and globalization in scholarly communication
As of 2005, 90% of scholarly journals in the world are available in electronic format. Since the mid 1990s, most of international commercial publishers and larger academic societies have continued to provide their journals in electronic form from the first issues to current ones. Electronic journals are now used by most researchers, especially in the field of science, technology, and medicine.

In effect to crisis in publishing, Japan had suffered from getting foreign scholarly journals. Since 1940s the number of foreign titles purchased by Japanese university libraries had consistently increased, to about 40,000 titles at the end of 1980s. But the number of titles decreased to half in the next decade and it was equal to that of 1960s. Cost of serials in research libraries has risen by 273% from 1986 to 2004 in the U.S. This situation generally called ‘Serials Crisis’, was also experienced by academic libraries in the U.S. in 1980s and 1990s.

2. Serials Crisis as good opportunity in Japan
In 1999, the Japan Science and Technology Agency has launched the electronic journals platform, J-STAGE (Japan Science and Technology Information Aggregator, Electronic), which helps academic societies in Japan to publish electronic journals. The National Institute of Informatics (NII) operates the electronic journals platform of Japanese scholarly journals, CiNii which provides 2.7 million of articles.

3. University Library action
In 2000, Japan Association of National University Libraries set up an electronic journals consortium to strategically negotiate directly with foreign publishers for purchasing. In 2004, national university libraries could access electronically to 4,300 titles on average. On the other hand, 5 private universities had also launched a consortium. In 2004, so now about 85 private universities participate in, it is called the Private University Libraries Consortium (PULC). Its purpose is the same as National university’s.

4. Present condition and direction of e-Book in Japan
From the point of view of academic information in Japan, there are two problems in e-book as well as developing electronic journals. One issue is the small need of materials written in foreign languages other than Japanese, another is the resistance to change from printed matters to electronic matters.

Concerning the former, most undergraduate students in Japan do not read materials written in English for their dissertations and reports. University students begin to read English materials after they have entered master course. In case of Keio University, undergraduates amount 28,000 students, graduates 4,000, faculty 1,500. This means that only 20% of Keio students are using English materials for research and learning.

As mentioned above, Japanese library users are apt to refuse to change from printed materials to electronic materials. This is especially the case of users coming from field of humanities. On the other hand, the library system for retrieving information, or e-journals are being purchased increasingly. As a matter of fact, digitalization of materials in the field of natural science is already well developing, where social science is developing gradually. As a result, the most important factor which library users are refusing electronic materials is there is no guarantee to be able to get archives of electronic materials.

In conclusion, there are 2 ways to develop the e-book market in Japan: one is to increase Japanese materials; the other is to guarantee use of archives of electronic materials.

Mr BEH Chew Leng

Mr. Beh is currently the Acting Senior Director for Library and Professional Services at the National Library Board in Singapore, a position he has held since April 1, 2005. In addition to this position, he has also been the Director for Singapore Integrated Library Automation Services (SILAS) since 1998. He was the Chief Executive Officer for ELpedia Pte Ltd until October 31, 2005. ELpedia Pte Ltd is a wholly own subsidiary of the National Library Board of Singapore. Prior to that, he was the Chief Information Officer for the National Library Board in Singapore from 1995 to 2004.

Mr. Beh is an active member in many library science and information technology initiatives. The following are some of the roles he has held in these professional activities:

  • OCLC Members Council Delegate representing Asia Pacific (SILAS, Singapore)
  • Associate Member, Library Association of Singapore
  • Senior Member, Singapore Computer Society
  • Systems and Network Consultant, National Library of China
  • Member of Information Technology Management Association, Singapore
  • Deputy Chairman of Technical Committee, Singapore Article Numbering Association
  • Member of the American Library Association
  • Member of the Advisory Board of Library Automated Systems Information Exchange (LASIE, Australia)

Mr. Beh has a B.Sc. (Hon.) in Chemistry from Nanyang University in Singapore. He also has an M.Sc. (Environmental Technology & Management) from the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand as well as a Diploma in Petroleum Refining and Petrochemical Industries from Ploiesti Institute of Petrol & Gas, Ploiesti in Romania.

Presentation title : E-book Development in Singapore
Abstract :
The development of electronic books in Singapore has more been driven by technology rather than by content or readership.

We are a small country that is not big in book publishing. The number of books published each year is about 4,000. For electronic books, the number is even less.
However, we have at least one enterprising author, Ms Catherine Lim who took a jump to publish her book, “A Leap of Love” on the internet at about the same time when Stephen King published “The Plant” on the internet in the year 2000. Both suffered the same fate of dismal failure because few readers are willing to pay for the downloads.

Over the last 20 years, Singapore has contributed some interesting information technology to the development of electronic books. Examples are the 3-D digital flip technology that emulates the flipping of book pages.

One local digital book publishing company, Digital Publishing Solution has published more than 15 million pages of XML based e-books for dissemination over the Internet.

Our libraries are also fast catching up with the rest of the world libraries by supplementing their collections with e-books for easy access. But its usage is still low compared with the traditional print books. It may be that we have yet to fully understand preference of our readers or the information technologies are not quite there yet.

Mr Christopher Warnock

Prior to co-founding ebrary, Mr. Warnock consulted at Stanford University, where he helped develop a method in which University Presses could implement an electronic workflow solution for the electronic distribution of publications. He also provided feasibility research for Octavo Corporation, which publishes and preserves rare books and manuscripts using advanced digital tools and formats.

From 1991-1996, he worked at Adobe Systems as a systems engineer, project manager, and product marketing manager for Adobe Acrobat.

Mr. Warnock holds a B.S. in Philosophy from the University of Utah.

Presentation title : Beyond the Greatest Library in the World
Abstract :
The world of academic research is changing and today's modern libraries are making academic research more efficient. But are they acting quickly enough? Libraries have the opportunity to acquire. organize and distribute electronic information more efficiently than ever before. The opportunity before every library today, is the opportunity for that library to become the greatest library in the history of the World from their patron's perspective, despite the hurdles of multiple publisher platforms, business models, document types and "consortial" thinking.

 

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