From: Heather Flanagan <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2018 06:09:58 -0700

*Registration is now open for the free to attend RA21 seminar taking place
in Philadelphia on 27 April*


*Register at:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ra21-resource-access-for-the-21st-century-tickets-43700742096
<https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ra21-resource-access-for-the-21st-century-tickets-43700742096>*

RA21 <https://ra21.org/> (Resource Access for the 21st Century), a joint STM
<http://www.stm-assoc.org/> and NISO <http://www.niso.org/home/> initiative,
has been developing pilot technology to improve the user experience of
Single Sign-On (via SAML) while protecting privacy.

Benefits of Single Sign-On include:

   - A simple and more effective access experience for your patrons and
      your library resources,
      - protecting patron privacy in a Single Sign-On environment, and
      - driving greater usage of library resources by delivering a better
      access experience

*Attend this free half day event for an update on the results emerging from
RA21*


Attendees will learn about the issues addressed within the user experience
aspect of the project and the testing of solutions via two pilots.
Presentations will also explain how the library community values of
protecting privacy are at the centre of the initiative.


The focus of the seminar will primarily be aimed at academic library
representatives, however publishers, educational access management
federations, vendors and service providers would also be welcome.


*Join us to find out more as RA21 moves towards developing best practice
recommendations.*

--------------------------------------

*Other March & April events:*

   - UKSG <https://www.uksg.org/event/conference18>, April 9-11, 2018
   Glasgow
   - STM US 2018 <http://www.stm-assoc.org/events/stm-us-2018/> – Innovations
   Day
   <http://www.stm-assoc.org/events/day-2-stm-us-annual-conference-innovations-day/>,
   April 26, 2018, Philadelphia



For further information on forthcoming and past events, please visit the Events
page of the RA21.org website <https://ra21.org/index.php/ra21-events/>.

--------------------------------------

*Recent RA21 articles:*

*In The Scholarly Kitchen: Myth busting: Five commonly held misconceptions
about RA21 (and one rumor confirmed):* RA21 aims to promote a modern,
standards-based access management system that preserves patron privacy &
control. As the initiative progresses and interest in RA21 increases, it is
important to dispel some myths about RA21 so we can move on from the
outdated world of IP-authentication. Read the recent article in the
Scholarly Kitchen
<https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2018/02/07/myth-busting-five-commonly-held-misconceptions-ra21/>
.


*The Future of Digital Identity and RA21: *In a recent blog post entitled 'The
Future of Digital Identity and RA21
<https://ra21.org/index.php/2018/02/12/the-future-of-digital-identity-and-ra21/>',
Heather Flanagan, Coordinator of RA21's Academic pilots, provides a brief
history and overview of federated identity services. The post touches on
the differences between commerce-based federated identity (e.g., Google or
Facebook services) and explains some of the inherent privacy expectations
generally required in an academic identity federation. Finally, the post
attempts to put a sense of scale on the level of challenge inherent in
identity federation, given the numbers involved, and points out where
exactly RA21 is attempting to help solve some of those challenges.