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Librarians speak out against Harvard Publishing’s latest restrictions

As of August 1, 2013, all databases containing Harvard Business Review, a journal published by Harvard Business Publishing (HBP), became “read only” for 500 (HBR 500) of the most popular Harvard Business Review articles. Campuses may pay a premium to restore full access to link, save, and print the affected articles.  EBSCO, exclusive provider to electronic Harvard Business Review articles, notified subscribers in spring of 2013 about this change.  These new access restrictions will affect researcher’s ability to access and use these articles.

Librarians decry the erosion of full access to scholarly material. Members of the Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS) of the Reference and User Services Association(RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) have clarified the restrictions with HBP and EBSCO, considered implications for libraries, colleges and universities, and offer suggestions for addressing this newest access restriction to an electronic journal.

Join us in urging HBP and other publishers to work with libraries to find access and pricing models that honor our shared educational and scholarly missions, and to broaden the discussion by informing their administrators, constituents, and legislators about the situation and its relevance to scholarly communications and the costs of higher education.

To access this statement,  visit: http://www.ala.org/rusa/sections/brass/brasspubs/publications/statement_hbr

For further information, please contact:

Ann Fiegen, Past BRASS Chair 2012-2013 and HBR Task Force Chair, afiegen@csusm.edu;
Andy Spackman, BRASS Chair 2013-2014, andy_spackman@byu.edu

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Learn more about the association at www.ala.org/rusa.

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Call for nominations: BRASS Emerald Research Grant Award

Are you a librarian in need of funding for a business research project?

The Emerald Research Grant Award, sponsored by Emerald Group Publishing Limited offers one award of $2,500 and a citation to an individual or team seeking support to conduct research in business librarianship. The awards will be presented at the RUSA Awards Ceremony at the 2014 ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas. Recipients will be required to attend the RUSA Awards Ceremony.

Candidates must submit a detailed proposal outlining their proposed research project; methodology, scope and timetable; how this project fits into the existing literature; and projected outcomes, including a statement outlining how this research will benefit the library profession. Proposals will be reviewed for thoroughness; potential to positively impact the library profession; and potential to provide a useful addition to the existing library literature. Proposals will be accepted from both individual researchers and those working collaboratively. At least one member of a collaborative team must be a member of ALA.

The deadline for proposals is December 15, 2013.

Proposals can be sent to elizabeth.stephan@wwu.edu

Good luck!

Elizabeth Stephan
Coordinator of Instruction/Assistant Professor
Librarian to the College of Business & Economics
Western Washington University

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Call for Nominations – Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence in Business Librarianship

Dear Colleagues,

For those of us in the Business Reference And Services Section (BRASS) and/or the field of business librarianship—the Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence in Business Librarianship is like the BRASS Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oscars!  We honor an individual who has made significant contributions in the field business librarianship.

So please take a look around your professional life and reflect on what contribution to business librarianship has made an impact on your professional career.  Now is the time to honor this person for their important contribution with a nomination for this prestigious award.

Our sponsor is Gale Cengage Learning.

The recipient will receive a $3000 cash award and a citation.

Applicants for this award will be evaluated based on their contribution to the field of business librarianship. These contributions may include, but are not limited to: authorship of a seminal book or articles in business librarianship; development of an imaginative and successful program centered around business within a library; teaching business librarianship in a particularly creative and substantive manner; and displaying strong leadership in a professional association geared to business librarianship.

NOMINATIONS –

To submit a nomination, please download and complete the nomination form, and follow the submission instructions therein.  For more information, as well as link to the nomination form, please see:

http://www.ala.org/rusa/awards/businesslib

http://www.ala.org/rusa/sites/ala.org.rusa/files/content/awards/businesslib/businesslib.pdf

The award and citation will be presented at the RUSA Awards ceremony at the 2014 ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas!

Please email, or mail the nomination packet by DECEMBER 15, 2013, to the Committee Chair, Mark E Andersen.

(Drum roll)…  And the Oscar Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence in Business Librarianship goes to…stay tuned.

Remember, if you don’t nominate that significant contributor in our field, they can’t be considered for this award!

-Mark

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Learn more about the association at www.ala.org/rusa.

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Call for speakers: Business library instruction forum

Call for speakers for the BRASS Forum at the ALA 2014 Conference

The theme for next year’s forum is business library instruction.

Got an idea about what makes a business instruction session work? Share your experiences or research with one shot sessions, collaboration with faculty, course embeds, liaison, roving reference, or other innovative techniques. Special attention given to proposals that focus on assessment or other measurable results.

We are looking for 3-4 panelists. Each panelist will speak for approximately 20 minutes.  We are looking for librarians from any type of library setting, including academic, public, or special (see the abstract below for more details on the forum topic). While we are not able to offer any type of financial compensation, this is a great addition to any librarian’s CV.

Please send nominations (self-nominations welcome) or proposals to Charles Allan, ca20@txstate.edu.

The Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS) represents the subject interests of reference librarians, business information specialists, and others engaged in providing business reference/information services. For more information about the section and its committees, please visit the section page at www.ala.org/rusa/sections/brass.