[Web4lib] CFP: IJDL Special Issue on Digital Libraries and Education

[Sarah Giersch]

**apologies for multiple postings**

Call for Papers: Special Issue on Digital Libraries and Education
International Journal on Digital Libraries
http://www.dljournal.org/

--Special Issue Editors--
* Lillian Cassel, Villanova University, lillian.cassel at villanova.edu
* Sarah Giersch, National Science Digital Library; Association of  
Research Libraries, sgiersch at bellsouth.net
* Mimi Recker, Utah State University, mimi.recker at usu.edu

--Important dates--
* Submissions are due: 1 June 2007
* Acceptance notifications: 20 July 2007
* Final manuscripts due: 17 August 2007
* Anticipated publication of the special issue: late Fall 2007

CFP URL: http://ia.usu.edu/ijdl.html

--Background and Significance--
Recent widespread availability of educational resources on the World- 
Wide Web holds great potential for transforming education. In science  
education, for example, students can now access real-time images from  
space exploration. They can also download data and partner with other  
students and scientists to analyze simulations of complex weather  
events. In mathematics, students can interact with virtual tools and  
manipulatives that help make abstract concepts more concrete. Across  
all disciplines, teachers can effectively and efficiently tailor  
instructional activities to meet curriculum standards and the unique  
interests and educational needs of their students. In short, through  
interacting with Web content, students can now engage in highly  
personalized learning experiences, instead of relying on a one-size- 
fits-all textbook.

In recognition of this potential, several large-scale initiatives are  
developing digital libraries containing catalogued online learning  
resources (or, learning objects), including:
* the United States' National Science Digital Library (htttp:// 
nsdl.org);

* the Australian Le at rning Federation (http:// 
www.thelearningfederation.edu.au);

* the European Union’s Ariadne Foundation (http://www.ariadne-eu.org/);

* EduSource Canada (http://www.edusource.ca).


Key objectives of the initiatives are to provide teacher and learner  
access to high-quality learning objects in order to help improve the  
effectiveness and efficiency of education at all levels and across  
all disciplines. Emerging research issues include: collecting and  
assessing high-quality learning objects of varying levels of  
granularity; cataloging to facilitate effective information retrieval  
by non-specialist audiences; services and tools that support the use  
and re-use of learning objects; systems interoperability; and, policy  
issues associated with integrating technical systems into existing  
social and educational systems. As such, these initiatives are  
concerned with many of the same research issues that the  
international digital library community has been grappling with for  
the past decade.

The purpose of this special issue is to critically examine the role  
that digital libraries can and should play in education. Papers are  
invited on the technical, social, and policy dimensions of digital  
libraries for education. Topics to be considered include, but are not  
limited to:

* The design, use, evaluation, and sustainability of innovative  
digital library technologies in education;
* Critical examinations of educational practices using these  
technologies;
* Interdisciplinary aspects; international cooperation;
* Metadata frameworks for education;
* Knowledge organization systems and subject access for education;  
e.g., thesauri, ontologies, and other terminologies;
* Quality issues related to learning resources;
* Indexing, retrieval, and discovery of resources and data for  
education;
* Digital curation, provenance, repository, privacy, and preservation  
issues associated with digital libraries for education;
* Teacher/Learner needs and user interfaces for creating, managing,  
customizing, annotating, and collaborating;
* Accessibility of and to technologies by diverse teacher / learner  
communities

Due to the emerging nature of this field, we welcome a broad variety  
of lengths and publication types. However, all submissions need to  
relate to the field of digital libraries for education. Please  
contact one of the editors for feedback and guidance.

--Submissions--
* Papers must be submitted via the web site (will go live in March  
2007): http://www.softconf.com/start/IJDL_educationDL

* Manuscripts must be written in English and should include a cover  
page with title, name and address (including email address) of author 
(s), an abstract, and a list of keywords.

* Authors are encouraged to follow the formatting instructions at:  
http://cimic.rutgers.edu/~ijdl/submission_index.htm

* Questions concerning this call should be addressed to the special  
issue editors

--Important dates--
* Submissions are due: 1 June 2007
* Acceptance notifications: 20 July 2007
* Final manuscripts due: 17 August 2007
* Anticipated publication of the special issue: late Fall 2007

* CFP URL: http://ia.usu.edu/ijdl.html