Research Libraries – Page 4

"Progressing with Patience: An Unflinching Look at the Challenges of Digital Preservation"

Many academic libraries have devoted significant time, resources, and strategy to developing approaches that steward digital assets responsibly into the future. This paper examines how one academic library’s experience [University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas] with this work has progressed over nearly a decade, and compares the experience to trends in the field. The point of view of technical services, digital collections, and management, are represented and specific workflows are shared. The paper takes a close look at challenges faced, explains how strategy has evolved over time, and shares examples of how other organizations might benefit from a shift in how progress is assessed through a new perspective on success.

https://repository.ifla.org/handle/123456789/2689

| Research Data Publication and Citation Bibliography | Research Data Sharing and Reuse Bibliography | Research Data Curation and Management Bibliography | Digital Scholarship |

"Artificial Intelligence in Subject-Specific Library Work: Trends, Perspectives, and Opportunities"

The general implications of AI for libraries are much discussed in library literature. But while this discussion takes place at the library-wide level, there are also important implications for subject librarians due to the specific uses of AI in different professions and areas of study. These are often overlooked as these specializations tend to publish in subject-specific journals. This article aims to address this research gap by providing a comparison and thematic analysis of this literature. Subject-specific library journals in the areas of law, health sciences, business, and humanities and social sciences were searched to identify relevant journal articles that discussed AI. 139 articles were identified and tagged with at least one category that reflected the nature of the discussion around AI. The following analysis showed that literature related to law had the greatest number of articles by far, though the publishing activity in all disciplines has increased significantly in the last 10 years. This article explores these trends to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the implications for subject-specific library work.

https://doi.org/10.33137/cjal-rcbu.v9.39951

Paywall: "From Stacks to Screens: Improving Access to Theses and Dissertations with Digitization and Automation"

The purpose of this case study is to share reproducible workflows for digitization, enhanced with automation, that can be adopted by other institutions who aim to increase accessibility and discoverability of their unique institutional research. Few studies have shared their workflows in a detailed, transparent way that can be reproduced by others who are interested in taking on digitization projects to improve access and discoverability via an institutional repository.

https://doi.org/10.1080/07317131.2023.2226433

"The Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL) Symposium: A Blueprint Designed in Response to a Community of Practice Need"

Background: Health sciences libraries in medical schools, academic health centers, health care networks, and hospitals have established institutional repositories (IRs) to showcase their research achievements, increase visibility, expand the reach of institutional scholarship, and disseminate unique content. Newer roles for IRs include publishing open access journals, tracking researcher productivity, and serving as repositories for data sharing. Many repository managers oversee their IR with limited assistance from others at their institution. Therefore, IR practitioners find it valuable to network and learn from colleagues at other institutions.

Case Presentation: This case report describes the genesis and implementation of a new initiative specifically designed for a health sciences audience: the Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL) Symposium. Six medical librarians from hospitals and academic institutions in the U.S. organized the inaugural symposium held virtually in November 2021. The goal was to fill a perceived gap in conference programming for IR practitioners in health settings. Themes of the 2021 and subsequent 2022 symposium included IR management, increasing readership and engagement, and platform migration. Post-symposium surveys were completed by 73/238 attendees (31%) in 2021 and by 62/180 (34%) in 2022. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

Discussion: Participant responses in post-symposium surveys rated MIRL highly. The MIRL planning group intends to continue the symposium and hopes MIRL will steadily evolve, build community among IR practitioners in the health sciences, and expand the conversation around best practices for digital archiving of institutional content. The implementation design of MIRL serves as a blueprint for collaboratively bringing together a professional community of practice.

https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1503

"Sustainability of Open-Access Author Fund: A Case Study of Faculty Usage Patterns and APC Cost"

The California State University, Los Angeles Library established a pilot program on Open-Access (OA) Author Fund in 2018. This article presents information about the management of the University Library’s Open-Access Author Fund. Particularly, this article focuses on faculty usage of the OA Author Fund by colleges, disciplines, and publishers. Additionally, the authors examined the article processing charges (APCs) and self-archiving policies of the top open-access journals where Cal State LA faculty publish. This analysis will assist the University Library’s Open-Access Group to understand if the University Library needs to provide additional funding and explore new ways to sustain the funding. Our research also revealed that librarians in specific academic areas can be more proactive in educating, explaining, and initiating conversations with disciplinary faculty about the benefits of open-access publications.

https://tinyurl.com/35kprj6a

Paywall: "An Initial Interpretation of the U.S. Department of Education’s AI Report: Implications and Recommendations for Academic Libraries"

This article provides an analysis of the U.S. Department of Education’s report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its implications for academic libraries. It delves into the report’s key points, including the importance of AI literacy, the need for educator involvement in AI design and implementation, and the necessity of preparing for AI related issues. The author discusses how these points impact academic libraries and offers actionable recommendations for library leaders. It emphasizes the need for libraries to promote AI literacy, involve librarians in AI implementation, develop guidelines for AI use, prepare for AI issues, and collaborate with other stakeholders.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102761

"Trends in Research Data Management and Academic Health Sciences Libraries"

Spurred by the National Institute of Health mandating a data management and sharing plan as a requirement of grant funding, research data management has exploded in importance for librarians supporting researchers and research institutions. This editorial examines the role and direction of libraries in this process from several viewpoints. Key markers of success include collaboration, establishing new relationships, leveraging existing relationships, accessing multiple avenues of communication, and building niche expertise and cachè as a valued and trustworthy partner. [Article includes case studies.]

https://doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2023.2218776

| Research Data Publication and Citation Bibliography | Research Data Sharing and Reuse Bibliography | Research Data Curation and Management Bibliography | Digital Scholarship |

"Building a Framework for Open Research Skills at the University of York"

This case study describes the development of an open research skills framework at the University of York. The framework responds to a need for more comprehensive training, clarity and understanding around open research practices across disciplines at York, in line with the University’s commitment to the long-term development of an open research culture. The framework was developed by Library, Archives and Learning Services (LALS) in partnership with practitioners from different disciplines across the University’s research community. We summarize the background of open research activities at York since 2020, describe how the project was initiated and progressed during the summer of 2022, then provide an overview of the framework itself including areas for future development and consideration. We conclude with some early indicators of usage and reflections on the project, and we hope that this case study will prove useful for research support staff who may be considering developing a similar framework for their own institution.

https://doi.org/10.1629/uksg.618

| Research Data Publication and Citation Bibliography | Research Data Sharing and Reuse Bibliography | Research Data Curation and Management Bibliography | Digital Scholarship |

"NISO Approves Working Group to Develop Recommended Practice for Operationalizing Open Access Business Processes"

The volume of OA content has proliferated in recent years, but the systems and workflows currently used by publishers and librarians were designed for traditional, pay-to-read models. Business processes are currently inadequate to address the requirements of—for example—transformative agreements, which require complex financial management and the tracking of authors and publishing outputs across large institutions. Libraries face challenges in managing micropayments and assessing the financial impact of such agreements, and authors often have difficulty determining whether their manuscript is eligible for OA publication under agreement terms. These complexities also impact publisher editorial and financial systems. As a result, organizations often adopt manual processes for managing these agreements, giving rise to inefficiencies across the ecosystem.

NISO’s Working Group will address the problem by identifying gaps in the infrastructure for OA publications and agreements, developing terminology to describe the surrounding processes, and outlining best practices for exchanging data and analytics and metrics. The work will focus first on the metadata required for exchange prior to publication as well as for article-level financial transactions, and then address reporting following publication. As the new Recommended Practice will be of interest to publishers, libraries, authors, funders, and OA advocates and community initiatives, the group is seeking volunteers representing a range of stakeholder groups from across the scholarly communications industry.

https://tinyurl.com/ywb7cu3e

Webinar Recording: "ACRL LDG A Mutualistic View of AI in the Library or a Continuation of Craft by Thomas Padilla"

During this session, Thomas Padilla [Deputy Director, Archiving and Data Services at the Internet Archive] will present a critical and generative position aimed at empowering GLAM professionals on their journey to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with AI. The discussion will cover the individual, organizational, and community impacts of AI in the library landscape.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh5PTyBT6AA

Ithaka S+R Draft for Comment: The Second Digital Transformation of Scholarly Publishing: Strategic Context and Shared Infrastructure

The issue that we identified as the biggest gap today is the perceived need for a secure digital identity for legitimate scholars, to help editors triage submissions into more and less trusted categories. We see opportunities for researcher identifiers to be used as the hub for much greater information about digital identity, in part by allowing publishers and other parties to submit markers of identity into identifier records. As examples, publishers that have processed APC transactions using credit cards have substantial signs of verified identity, as do universities that have securely linked an email address.

The boundaries of the scholarly record represent another aspect of research integrity that requires new forms of infrastructure. Of course the record has never had absolute boundaries. But in a subscription landscape, libraries played an important role in establishing the metes and bounds of the scholarly record (and what would be preserved over time) based on their selection decision-making. In a gold or diamond open access environment, libraries may have a reduced role and so other forms of boundary-setting may be required. Journal rankings may increasingly serve to set the boundaries of the scholarly record, although whether that is the right form of shared infrastructure, or whether it has the right governance and business model to allow it to serve this role without fear or favor, is not yet settled.

https://tinyurl.com/mr2ce748

"The Relationship between University Presses, E-Book Vendors, and Academic Libraries: A Platform Theory Analysis"

We investigate the relations among university presses, academic libraries, and e-book vendors, by examining university presses’ perceptions of academic libraries and e-book vendors, and presses’ perceptions of themselves and the university press community. Findings are drawn from one-on-one interviews with 19 participants from 18 different university presses in the United States during 2020–2021. We observe a market structure for HSS e-books where most presses were satisfied with Big Four e-book vendors, including Project MUSE, EBSCO, ProQuest, and JSTOR, and lacked strong incentives to search for new e-book vendors. We find that most presses often treat libraries, including the one from the same institution, as their customers with limited interactions; findings also show university presses’ varied self-imaging, along with a shared perception about the collegiality of the university press community.

https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006231185883

Directions in Digital Scholarship: Support for Digital, Data-Intensive, and Computational Research in Academic Libraries

This report of a 2023 Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) initiative takes a broad look at library engagement with digital scholarship (DS) and examines connections with data-intensive and computational research over roughly the past five years and into the future. . . . To understand trends in DS programs, including attention to the impact of the pandemic, especially with reference to the importance of physical spaces and in-person programming, evidence was gathered from several sources, including online interviews with 12 library and DS leaders, profiles of 47 libraries’ DS programs, and conversations during two online forums representing a total of 24 institutions. Findings from these sources are analyzed and synthesized in this report.

https://tinyurl.com/398nzhcx

Vice-Provost & Chief Librarian at Western University

Western Libraries is the fourth-largest academic library system in Canada and is dedicated to supporting research, teaching, and learning at Western. Western Libraries comprises five libraries and three centres distributed across the University campus and is a member of the Ontario Council of University Libraries, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, and the Association of Research Libraries. Recognized for the quality of its staff, the access and services provided, and its outstanding collections — which include over eleven million items in print, microform, and various other formats, as well as online access to tens of thousands of digital resources — Western Libraries supports the University’s mission of providing the best student experience among Canada’s leading research-intensive universities.

https://tinyurl.com/uptyhsvh

"Exploring Faculty Perspectives on Open Access at a Medium-Sized, American Doctoral University"

Faculty hold widely varying perspectives on the benefits and challenges afforded by open access (OA) publishing. In the United States, conversations on OA models and strategy have been dominated by scholars affiliated with Carnegie R1 institutions. This article reports findings from interviews conducted with faculty at a Carnegie R2 institution, highlighting disciplinary and individual perspectives on the high costs and rich rewards afforded by OA. The results reiterate the persistence of a high degree of skepticism regarding the quality of peer review and business models associated with OA publishing. By exploring scholars’ perceptions of and experiences with OA publishing and their comfort using or sharing unpublished, publicly available content, the authors highlight the degree to which OA approaches must remain flexible, iterative and multifaceted — no single solution can begin to accommodate the rich and varying needs of individual stakeholders.

https://doi.org/10.1629/uksg.620

"Concordia Welcomes Amy Buckland as University Librarian"

Since August 2021, Buckland has held the position of assistant deputy minister for collections at Library and Archives Canada (LAC). In this role, she leads a team of 500 staff and manages an annual budget of $50 million. . . . Prior to joining LAC, Buckland was head of research and scholarship at the University of Guelph Library, where she oversaw the collaborative development of a digital infrastructure to support the needs of research teams and new forms of scholarly communication progressively and sustainably.

https://tinyurl.com/mk85rxf9

Michigan State: "Neil Romanosky Recommended as Dean of MSU Libraries"

Romanosky currently serves as dean of university libraries at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, a position he has held since 2019. His accomplishments in this role include developing a strategic plan for the libraries with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion; overseeing the alignment of the Ohio University Press and five regional campus libraries into the university libraries portfolio; working with campus partners to launch libraries-led, university-wide task forces on research data management and improving student study spaces; and spearheading Ohio University’s joining the HathiTrust, allowing for expanded university access to digital collections and other collaborative academic and research tools and services.

https://tinyurl.com/fuy6xtfy

Dean of University Libraries at University of Nebraska – Lincoln

Reporting directly to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer, the Dean of Libraries is a key member of the Executive Vice Chancellor’s leadership team, serving on the Deans’ Council. . . .

The Dean is supported by a seasoned administrative team of six direct reports and oversees 40 faculty librarians, 72 support staff, and 130 student employees and an annual budget of $16 million, including a collections budget of $8 million. This team is in the final stages of implementing a restructuring of the organization to better fulfill the strategic planning vision.

https://tinyurl.com/bb9at9vs

"The State of the Field: An Excerpt From the 2023 Library Publishing Directory"

The most common material types reported in 2023 were journals (89%), conference papers and proceedings (80%), theses and dissertations (75%), educational resources (66%), and monographs (60%). Under half of respondents (46%) reported publishing datasets. Other material types reported include gray literature, newsletters, multimedia, expansive digital publications, and databases. . . . Over 80% of respondents provide copyright support and DOI assignment. Over half provide metadata services (71%), author advisory services (66%), training (66%), ISSN registry (64%), hosting of supplemental content (60%), cataloging (56%), and analytics (55%). The decline in the number of library publishers providing digitization services holds steady with 49% of respondents in 2023 identifying it as one of their services.

https://tinyurl.com/yhwp4pph

Access the entire directory.

Boston University: "Appointment of Mark Newton as University Librarian"

Mark has been at BU since 2019 and he has served as University Librarian ad interim since July 2021. During this time, he has led several critical efforts at the University level and within the libraries. Most importantly, he has actively led or been involved in the consultative processes over the last four years to set the vision for the future of the BU libraries. . . . Prior to his appointment as University Librarian ad interim, Mark served as BU’s Associate University Librarian for Digital Strategies and Innovation, beginning in 2019. In this role, he directed efforts across the library’s technical services and platform support as well as its digital scholarship and open repository programming. . . . Prior to arriving at BU, Mark served as director of digital scholarship at Columbia University. He also previously worked as digital collections librarian and assistant professor of library science at Purdue University.

https://tinyurl.com/du8hsdkv

Open Science Services by Research Libraries: Organisational Perspectives — A LIBER and ADBU Report

Many research libraries in Europe deliver Open Science services in the field of RDM and OA. However, it is estimated that up to half of European research libraries deliver only limited services in these domains. LIBER and ADBU conducted a study to understand the organisational structures and competences needed to create, and sustain, these services.

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8060242

Video: "Dryad in the Community: New Data Sharing Mandates and the Role of Academic Libraries"

In this presentation, Dryad’s Head of Community Engagement, Sarah Lippincott is joined by fellow presenters Michael Casp, Head of Production Division at J&J Editorial, Emma Molls, Director of Open Research & Publishing at University of Minnesota Libraries, and Alberto Pepe, Director of Strategy and Innovation at Wiley and Co-founder of Authorea. Sarah reviews some pertinent highlights from the Nelson memo and NIH policies, two of the major developments that will impact data sharing over the next few years. and concludes with a discussion on how libraries can help researchers move from data sharing to data publishing.

https://tinyurl.com/bdfd7axh

Norman and Armena Powell University Librarian at University of California Los Angeles

As the chief executive officer of the UCLA library system, the UL provides strategic vision for and operational leadership of the libraries, which support UCLA’s research and instructional missions by providing access to and delivery of information resources; developing, organizing and preserving collections for optimal use; supporting the discovery of and access to remote information sources; encouraging innovation; and promoting excellence. Among the UL’s responsibilities are overseeing the appointment, promotion and advancement of approximately 122 librarians campuswide; working closely with faculty to advance teaching and learning by engaging new services to enhance the student experience and support the entire research lifecycle; leading an aggressive fundraising program, including an annual giving program and stewardship of significant collections as gifts-in-kind; and providing administrative leadership for the UCLA Library Senior Fellows Program. The UL will lead the continuing effort to build a library of the future by making knowledge accessible both in person and online, advancing digital innovations, preserving global cultural heritage as part of post-colonial collecting, establishing community partnerships that preserve Los Angeles history, and supporting open publishing and new forms of scholarly communications.

https://www.arl.org/jobs/job-listings/a0I6T00000aKGJqUAO/

"It Takes a Researcher to Know a Researcher: Academic Librarian Perspectives Regarding Skills and Training for Research Data Support in Canada "

This study demonstrates that an in-depth qualitative portrait of data-related librarians within a national academic ecosystem provides valuable new insights regarding the perceived importance of conducting original empirical research to succeed in these roles.

https://doi.org/10.18438/eblip30297

ACRL: "2022 Academic Library Trends and Statistics Data Now Available"

Key findings include:

Of the libraries that have sought to hire new employees in the past year, 56% report that the candidate pool is smaller than pre-Covid levels, while only 30% say it is the same size or larger.

60.7% of library employees have the option to work remotely in some capacity, whether it be full-time, hybrid, a compressed work week or flexible hours and locations.

Since 2017, the average number of digital/electronic book titles in library collections has changed from 315,213 to 619,805, an increase of 96.6%.

The average number of FTE libraries has remained steady in the last three years. In both 2020 and 2021 the average was 11, while the 2022 average is 12.

https://tinyurl.com/53a6pw6v