Library Voice

George Siemens, the keynote speaker yesterday at ODCE, mentioned an open source social networking project yesterday.  I did not catch the name, but I did get a chance to ask him this morning.  The project is called the Virtual Learning Commons.

The Virtual Learning Commons (VLC) is a web-based environment that combines a content management system, a set of academic support tools, and a social networking environment. The administrative functions of the VLC include the ability to manage all aspects of the site, including the creation of communities, content pages, navigation headings, content maps, configuration of tools, user accounts, user profiles and social networking topics and comments. Users of the site can add personal profile information, select avatars, generate topics of conversation (to do’s), create lists of to do items and personal contact lists.

This application sounds interesting, and it may be worth checking out.

Accelerating Change in Scholarly Communication

This morning I attended an interactive discussion of the changes in scholarly communication.  The disucssion revolved around open access and digital repository initiatives.  Faculty, librarians, and instructional technologists/support persons attended and provide insight into the discussion.   The presenters took notes on flip charts of all the discussion, which they will compile and post to the ODCE blog or wiki ASAP.  I was too busy wrapping my head around the issues to blog the session, so I’m really looking forward to the presenters’ synopsis of the session.