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OCLC Global Scope of Library Activity

Thanks to Stephen Abram for the link to a new OCLC piece: http://www.oclc.org/uk/en/nextspace/014/librarystatistics.htm

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 13:12:00 +0000

Manuscript Submission

So in case you were wondering why posts and talks have slowed down this past year I thought I’d share some pictures. Well, why I can’t give too many details yet, I can show you: Yup, that is about 1,300 pages of my next book going into the mail (don’t worry, it is all double spaced [...]

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:30:47 +0000

Bullet Point: Dear Steve Jobs, iBooks has me Nervous

…or, Why Apple should talk to librarians about iBooks. What makes me nervous about iBooks, the new eBook app from Apple targeted for their iPad, is not what you might expect. DRM, cost models doesn’t worry me. These are mostly imposed by the publishers, and we saw how this played out in music and MP3’s. It [...]

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:52:06 +0000

UIS staff and faculty help to coordinate state-wide ILEAD U initiative

I don’t think I ever put up information on a new IMLS initiative I’m working on with the State Library of Illinois. The following is a nice press release on the project from another project partner, UIS: Staff and faculty members from the University of Illinois Springfield’s Brookens Library and the Center for Online Learning, Research [...]

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:46:14 +0000

Chart Wars

Here is a great (and short) presentation on the power of visuals and data. Well worth checking out.

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:04:37 +0000

New Year, New Web Site

Greetings all, I have changed my homepage (if you are just reading my blog you probably didn’t notice). Why? Well my former website was a hybrid site for both my professional work, and the area of participatory librarianship. Participatory librarianship, or new librarianship as I am now calling it, has grown beyond my personal agenda. Also, [...]

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:18:34 +0000

Speaker Biography

R. David Lankes is Director of the Information Institute of Syracuse, an associate professor in Syracuse University's School of Information Studies, and director of the library science program for the school. Lankes has always been interested in combining theory and practice to create active research projects that make a difference. Past projects include the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology, the Gateway to Education Materials, AskERIC and the Virtual Reference Desk. Lankes' more recent work involves how participatory concepts can reshape libraries and credibility. This work expands his ongoing work to understand the integration of human expertise in information systems.

Lankes is a passionate advocate for libraries and their essential role in today's society. He also seeks to understand how information approaches and technologies can be used to transform industries. In this capacity he has served on advisory boards and study teams in the fields of libraries, telecommunications, education, and transportation including at the National Academies. He has been a visiting fellow at the National Library of Canada, the Harvard School of Education, and the first fellow of ALA's Office for Information Technology Policy.

Updated: 2009-12-24 21:31:16

Extended Biography

R. David Lankes, PhD, is Director of the Information Institute of Syracuse (IIS), an Associate Professor at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies as well as director of the school’s library science program. Lankes received his BFA (Multimedia Design), MS in Telecommunications, and Ph.D. from Syracuse University.

Lankes co-created the AskERIC project with Michael Eisenberg and Nancy Preston. This work began a long collaboration with Eisenberg, the ERIC system, and the U.S. Department of Education. In his work as Researcher (1992-1994), Head of AskERIC R&D (1994-1995), Associate Director (1996-1998) and later Director (1998-2003) of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology Lankes explored the growth of the Internet. Within his ERIC work Lankes would create one of the first 100 web sites, the first web presence for CNN, the Discovery Channel, and the U.S. Department of Education.

As the work of the ERIC Clearinghouse expanded beyond Department of Education, Eisenberg and Lankes founded the Information Institute of Syracuse (IIS) in 1996 to house the ERIC work (including the Virtual Reference Desk and the Gateway to Educational Materials), as well as projects for AT&T, MCI/WorldCom, and Sun Microsystems. The IIS, under Lankes' leadership would go on to house several high profile research efforts for the National Science Foundation, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and the MacArthur Foundation.

In 1998, while Director of the IIS, Lankes joined the faculty of Syracuse University's School of Information Studies as an assistant professor. In his dual role as professor and director, Lankes spearheaded the development of the virtual reference movement through his Virtual Reference Desk (VRD) project. VRD helped coalesce the virtual reference movement through research (such as the Digital Reference Research Agenda), projects (AskERIC and the Virtual Reference Desk Consortium answered thousands of education questions), and events (seven international conferences, a research symposium and several White House sponsored briefings). These activities lead to a visiting scholar position at Harvard's School of Education, a visiting fellow position at the National Library of Canada, and being named as the first fellow at the American Library Association's Office of Information Technology Policy.

More recently Lankes has helped transform the IIS from a production-oriented organization to a library think tank. Recent Institute activities with organizations such as the American Library Association, the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the MacArthur Foundation have focused on credibility, gaming, and participatory networks. His current focus is on reconceptualizing the library field through the lens of "participatory librarianship." Simply put participatory librarianship recasts library and library practice using the fundamental concept that knowledge is created through conversation. Libraries are in the knowledge business; therefore libraries are in the conversation business. Participatory librarians approach their work as facilitators of conversation. Be it in practice, policies, programs and/or tools, participatory librarians seek to enrich, capture, store and disseminate the conversations of their communities.

Lankes has authored, co-authored or edited fourteen books, written over 30 book chapters and journal articles and numerous pieces for the professional audience. He has been principle investigator on over $13 million of competitively awarded research as well as serving as a researcher on numerous projects. He has been a keynote speaker around the globe, and given over 140 presentations at national and international conferences.

Updated: 2009-12-24 22:54:22

Press Photos


Formal Photo

[JEPEG, 1632 pixels by 2464 pixels, 5.44" x 8.23" @ 300 dpi, 1.9mb]

Informal Photo

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Sketch

Sketch

Contact R. David Lankes

R. David Lankes
Associate Professor, School of Information Studies
Director, Information Institute of Syracuse
Syracuse University
213 Hinds Hall
Syracuse, New York 13244

Phone: (315)443-3640
Fax: (315)443-5448

Web: http://www.DavidLankes.org E-Mail: rdlankes@iis.syr.edu

Updated: 2007-10-24 19:30:34


Timelines

This site makes extensive use of timelines. You can browse presentations, articles and research projects on a timeline. Just click and drag the timeline to see when things were done. If you drag the lower timeline you will move faster.

As a big believer in conversations, WHEN something happened is as important as WHAT happened. Seeing something in the context of other events provides some small context, and seeing how ideas evolved over time is important.

The timeline below is an aggregation of the other timelines in the site. It is meant to provide a sense of activity at a glance.

Drag to move the timeline, and click on an entry for the full results.
= Journal Aricles | = Posters | = Books | = Book Chapters | = Procedings | = White Papers | = Other Pubs | = Presentations

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.