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Scholarly Communication in a Digital World: A Thought Provoking Symposium To Celebrate the World-Wide Launch of DSpace

Ann Wolpert Hal Abelson PhD '73: November 4, 2002; Running Time: 00:53:48

About the Lecture

About the Lecture

MIT Libraries Director Ann Wolpert defines Dspace and explains that "solving the digital problem" is central to the mission of libraries and librarians. She also announces plans for a federation with other research based universities, and explains the critical role of the H-P MIT Alliance.

Hal Abelson discusses the dangers of massive "propertization" in academic environments. He offers some chilling, real-world examples of what can happen if all content in academic discourse is seen as "property", and how a student's class notes can become a derivative work, with restrictions on sharing. He argues that universities need a "seat at the table" as new models for scientific publishing take shape.

Lecture Details

Location: E-51 Bartos Theatre

About the Speakers

Ann Wolpert

Director, MIT Libraries

As Director of Libraries, Ann J. Wolpert is responsible for the MIT Libraries and MIT Press. The MIT Libraries consist of five major collections, a number of smaller branch libraries in specialized subject areas, a fee-for-services group, and the Institute Archives.

The Institute Archives and Special Collections preserve the historical records of MIT and the personal papers of many faculty members.

The MIT Press publishes about 200 new books and more than 40 journals each year in fields related to or reliant upon science and technology. The Press is widely recognized for its innovative graphic design and electronic publishing initiatives.

The Director's Institute responsibilities include membership on the Committee on Copyright and Patents, the Council on Educational Technology, the Deans' Committee, and the Academic Council. She chairs the Management Board of the MIT Press and the Board of Directors of Technology Review, Inc.

Prior to joining MIT, Wolpert was Executive Director of Library and Information Services at the Harvard Business School. Before working at Harvard, Wolpert was involved in management of the Information Center of Arthur D. Little, Inc.

Wolpert received a B.A. from Boston University and the M.L.S. from Simmons College. In 1998 she was nominated for and accepted into the National Network for Women Leaders in Higher Education of the American Council on Education.

Hal Abelson PhD '73

Class of 1922 Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, MIT School of Engineering

Harold (Hal) Abelson is Class of 1922 Professor Of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT and a Fellow of the IEEE. He holds an A.B. degree from Princeton University and a Ph.D. degree in mathematics from MIT. In 1992, Abelson was designated as one of MIT's six inaugural MacVicar Faculty Fellows, in recognition of his significant and sustained contributions to teaching and undergraduate education. Abelson was recipient in 1992 of the Bose Award (MIT's School of Engineering teaching award). Abelson is also the winner of the 1995 Taylor L. Booth Education Award given by IEEE Computer Society, cited for his continued contributions to the pedagogy and teaching of introductory computer science.

He was also a founding director of the Free Software Foundation, and he serves as consultant to Hewlett-Packard Laboratories. He is co-director of the MIT-Microsoft Research Alliance in educational technology.

About the Host