27 July 2010 Archives

Open Science Summit, July 29 – 31, 2010

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Elliott Smith

Open Science Summit 2010, July 29 – July 31, at International House, UC Berkeley

“This summer, scientists, hackers, students, patients, and activists will convene to discuss the future of our science/technology paradigm. Topics include: Synthetic Biology, Gene Patents, Open Data, Open Access, Microfinance for Science, DIY science, DIY Biology, Alternative Funding for Science, Open Source Drugs, Patent Pools, Open Health/Medicine, and Patient Advocacy for Innovation.

Ready for a rapid, radical reboot of the global innovation system for a truly free and open 21st century knowledge economy? Join us at the first Open Science Summit, an attempt to gather all stakeholders who want to liberate our scientific and technological commons to enable a new era of decentralized, distributed innovation to solve humanity’s greatest challenges.”

For complete details including a schedule of events and a list of speakers, go to:
http://opensciencesummit.com/

Of particular interest to members of the library community:
– A discussion of open access/open data, the scientific process, peer review and impact factors on Friday, July 30 starting at 12:45 with Nick Shockley, director of the Right to Research Coalition, Mike Eisen, MCB faculty and co-founder of PLoS and many others.

New ebooks in the Synthesis series

Posted on July 27, 2010 by UC Berkeley Library

Synthesis Digital Library Update for June 2010

Algorithms for Reinforcement Learning by Csaba Szepesvári, University of Alberta (Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Series)

Cells and Biomaterials for Intervertebral Disc Regeneration by Sibylle Grad, et al. (Tissue Engineering Series)

Humanitarian Engineering by Carl Mitcham and David Muñoz, Colorado School of Mines (Engineers, Technology, & Society Series)

User-Centered Agile Methods by Hugh Beyer, InContext Design (Human-Centered Informatics Series)

User-Centered Data Management by Tiziana Catarci, et al., University of Rome “La Sapienza” (Data Management Series)

Sketching a season for Mark Twain Papers & Project

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Lee Anne Titangos

“It’s a busy summer at the University of California, Berkeley’s Bancroft Library for Mark Twain scholars, who are preparing for the release of the never-before-published “Autobiography of Mark Twain” on the 100th anniversary of the author’s death.

The first of three volumes of the autobiography will come out this fall, memorializing the life of author Samuel Clemens, also known as Mark Twain, who died in 1910 at the age of 74. Meanwhile, Robert Hirst, general editor of The Bancroft Library’s Mark Twain Papers & Project that is home to six editors working on a comprehensive scholarly edition of all of Clemens’ published works and private papers, says his team continues to chalk up other major successes.

For example, they just celebrated the publication of an expanded, 125th anniversary edition of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” as well as of a 135th anniversary edition of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” And topping that, the project archives recently received a significant addition, by special delivery.

At a Sotheby’s auction in New York City last month, the Mark Twain Papers managed to bid its way to ownership of the original manuscript of “A Family Sketch,” Clemens’ 64-page, unpublished tribute to his daughter, Olivia “Susy” Clemens, who died of spinal meningitis at the age of 24.

The manuscript records remarkable details about the entire Clemens household, servants included. Most of the news accounts of the manuscript sale identified Ursus Books of New York as the June 17 buyer, but Ursus acted as the agent for the Mark Twain Papers, bidding according to its instructions, bid limits and overall budget, said Hirst.” – Kathleen Maclay, Media Relations

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