IUG Clearinghouse -- Call for Interest

["Seeman, Corey Glenn" <CSeeman@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Folks -- 

The recent discussion on the Innovative e-mail list about training
manuals and shared scripts has reminded me of the interest expressed by
a number of people in getting an IUG Clearinghouse off the ground.  A
clearinghouse would be an ideal way to help Innovative users share
resources that we develop with other IUG members.

There are many different ways to manage a resource like this.  Ideally,
a clearinghouse would be hosted on the IUG website and would allow the
IUG members to share local documentation (especially training and
orientation manuals & websites), scripts, web forms, etc. that other
members could use or serve as examples.  This feature would be a benefit
of the IUG members and require users to authenticate to get to the
resource.  I see this as a complement to the tremendous NOBLE Swapshop
run by Elizabeth Thomsen (http://www.noblenet.org/swapshop/).  Users
would post material to the Clearinghouse that they would be willing to
share with others and possibly state up front their ability to support
(especially as people try to adapt WAM entries or scripts to their own
system).    

My initial thought is that the resources would not be stored on the IUG
website, but listed (in some manner) as a series of links that would
point back to the author's/library's website.  The Clearinghouse would
then be maintained centrally as new links are added and old ones are
removed.  Material available on the clearinghouse would include the name
of the contact person or author at the Library, the release associated
with the material, a description of what it is or does, and other
information that will help users utilize these resources.  We would also
need to add a general liability statement that would state that the IUG
should be held clear from harm should someone incorrectly use a script
on their system.  As we pull together a committee to start looking at
this, we will create a mechanism for sharing this information to the
users.  
 
Speaking of which...if you are interested in participating, please
e-mail Corey Seeman (IUG Steering Committee Member) at
corey.seeman@xxxxxxxxxx.  I hope to have a small committee of IUG
members to help craft and fine tune these ideas into a workable project.
This work would be in concert with the IUG Steering Committee and the
IUG Webmaster.  The goal should be to have something to show in Boston
next year for IUG.  

I look forward from hearing from you

Thanks -- Corey

Corey Seeman
Assistant Dean for Resource & Systems Management
Assistant Professor, University Libraries
Carlson Library
Mailstop #509 
University of Toledo
2801 W. Bancroft
Toledo, OH 43606

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