Mellon Foundation Funds Scholarly Communication Institute

[Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>]

Of possible interest to liblicense-l readers.

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NEWS RELEASE http://www.clir.org/pubs/press/2002_mellsci.html

For Immediate Release: April 11, 2002

Contact: Deanna Marcum 202-939-4750 or Richard Lucier 603-646-2236
Mellon Foundation Funds Scholarly Communication Institute

WASHINGTON, D.C. The Council on Library and Information Resources will
join with Dartmouth College Library to develop a Scholarly Communication
Institute with a new grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Digital technology is changing the traditional process of scholarly
communication the process by which scholarly information is created,
distributed, stored, and preserved. Scholars, libraries, and commercial
and nonprofit organizations have undertaken numerous experiments to
explore the potential of digital technology for creating richer materials
or better access for teaching and research, or for helping libraries
alleviate space or resource constraints. We know little about whether many
of these experiments can become sustainable, and we know less about how
systemic change will occur over time.

The Scholarly Communication Institute will bring together pioneers and
innovators in scholarly communication for a one-week residential
experience that will allow them to discuss, plan, and organize
institutional and discipline-based strategies for advancing innovation in
scholarly communication. The institute will foster this cadre of leaders
as mentors to the next generation of individuals who will work at the
forefront of the transformation of scholarly communication in a digital
environment. At least three annual institutes will be held, all on the
Dartmouth campus in Hanover, New Hampshire. The first is scheduled for the
summer of 2003.

"We are grateful to the Mellon Foundation for supporting the development
of this institute, which will provide a rare gift of time for leaders in
the field to join their peers in deep thinking and discussion about
visions and strategies for the future," said CLIR President Deanna Marcum.
"We are very pleased to be cooperating with Dartmouth on this project."

"We have learned a great deal from the experiments to date. We look
forward to giving those who have led these experiments a chance to
consider what must be done next for the academy to benefit fully from the
tremendous potential of digital libraries," said Dartmouth Librarian
Richard Lucier.

The institute will be limited to 20 individuals annually from the
scholarly, library, publishing, and technology communities. Individuals
must be nominated by their institutions or by peers from other
institutions who recognize their work. The nominator must submit evidence
of the pioneering qualities of the work accomplished by the nominees.
Detailed application information will appear on CLIR's Web site in July.

The Council on Library and Information Resources is an independent,
nonprofit organization that works to expand access to information, however
recorded and preserved, as a public good. In partnership with other
organizations, CLIR helps create services that expand the concept of
"library" and supports the providers and preservers of information.

Chartered in 1769, Dartmouth College is a private, liberal arts
institution in Hanover, New Hampshire. It is an undergraduate residential
college that also offers numerous graduate and professional programs.
Dartmouth has long been a leader in the application of digital technology
to scholarship and learning.

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