The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is working to define the program and mission that result from the return of DLF to the CLIR fold this summer of 2009. Charles Henry, the director of CLIR, has asked me to help as a senior advisor to this DLF transition process.

Definition of the role

Henry describes the role as...

I would like to appoint you Senior Advisor to CLIR, focusing on the DLF transition period (July-December 2009).
You would become a member of the DLF Transition Advisory Committee
Committee duties would entail a monthly conference call and one or two meetings in DC in the coming months
Main responsibilities attendant on this appointment:
- contribute ideas and recommendations on the best strategic course for DLF in the coming 3 years
- have an occasional conversation with me on the progress of the committee and its thinking
- occasional research into background of DLF Forums (history, focus, relative success of each program -- I mention this because the Transition Committee has very little history or involvement with the Forums)
- it may be worthwhile at some point to put your ideas into writing: a short white paper on some key ideas and rationale that may assist the committee's progress.

In this arrangement, you would report to me, and probably have occasional conversations with CLIR program officers as the concept of a new DLF takes shape. Our email exchanges, other than those that are sent to the Transition Committee, will be considered confidential. As we discussed, my interpretation of DLF is that as an organization it was unsuccessful, and has little in its history (except perhaps the Forums) from which to build upon. This gives us an opportunity to rethink, rename, and redirect the program in ways that better serve its constituency, provide an easily intuited return on investment, and contribute to a more robust, national digital environment for research and teaching.

Considerations

I have been active in the DLF for many years, though always a skeptic of its mission and especially of its exclusivity. I have presented at the Forum, run birds of a feather sessions, participated in the developer's network and Aquifer projects, but never been part of the program or local arrangements committees for the meetings. My network of contacts from DLF lie considerably below the leadership level, much closer to developers than directors. I say this to make clear my context in advising on the future of DLF programs. I come with baggage.

Scope

This time will be used to advise Henry and others at CLIR on the future of the DLF program and mission. It does not include managing a DLF Forum meeting during this period. A separate contract with CLIR has been arranged to make time available for technical support of the old DLF website at DreamHost. That contract is independent of this one.

Timeline

Though the time commitment is not specific, I will make about one week per month available from September through December. The time spent on this task will not be one consecutive week, obviously, but that measure is provided as a general guideline of my availability. While my commitments in July and August are too great to allow this same degree of commitment, I will make what time I can available to CLIR during those months as well.

Costs

The total cost of this contract will come to $28,000. I will invoice $4,000 at the end of August and $6,000 at the end of September, October, November, and December 2009. Any travel expenses will be billed separately and will be in addition to the costs outlined here.

Eric Celeste

Eric brings over 15 years of library and 25 years of technology experience to his consulting. At MIT Eric shepherded the creation of DSpace, open source digital repository management software developed with HP and now deployed at hundreds of institutions worldwide. At the University of Minnesota Libraries he encouraged the development of the UThink blog service, a wiki-based staff intranet, LibData, and the University Digital Conservancy. He works with non-profit institutions on appropriate uses of technology for informing, communicating, and collaborating with their constituencies.