Library News for the Faculty

From University Librarian Gary E. Strong

I am pleased to inform you that the UCLA Library's application to join the Digital Library Federation (DLF) has been accepted, and the Library is now a strategic member. We are extremely pleased by this development, because the DLF's programs and innovative strategies fit well into the Library's strategic plan and goals.

Founded in 1995, the DLF is a non-profit organization of forty-two academic libraries and related organizations that are pioneering the use of electronic-information technologies to extend their collections and services. Other strategic members around the world include the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, British Library, Library of Congress, and National Archives and Records Administration, as well as leading universities across the country. Within California alone, UC Berkeley, the California Digital Library, Stanford University, and USC are all members.

The organization provides leadership for libraries by identifying standards and best practices for digital collections and network access, coordinating research and development in libraries' use of technology, and fostering projects and services that libraries need but cannot develop individually.

The federation's initiatives change as libraries' and users' needs change, which enables the organization and its members to serve as flexible catalysts for experiment and change. Examples of work it has supported include digital library structures, standards, preservation, and use; archives for electronic journals; online collections for use in teaching; Internet services that expand scholars' access to resources; and assessment of libraries' future roles.

In the past, UCLA Library staff members have participated in DLF program including the Electronic Resources Management Initiative. This effort focused on developing common specifications and tools for managing license agreements, related administrative information, and internal processes associated with collections of licensed electronic resources.

We are looking forward to working with the federation on the Aquifer project, which is developing schemas, protocols, and communities of practice to enable effective use of digital library material in American culture and life by scholars, teachers, and students. Funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the two-year initiative was launched in April 2007.

In announcing the Library's acceptance, DLF Executive Director Peter Brantley noted, "Within the last five years, UCLA has assembled an impressively strong digital library team that is an exemplar in the strength of its engagement with both on-campus and national academic initiatives. We are delighted to have UCLA join our membership because the extension of their involvement into the wider world is emblematic of how libraries must structure themselves to thrive in the contemporary age."

If you have questions about the Library's activities as a DLF member, please contact me by phone at extension 51201 or by email.