February 2024 – Page 3

Research and Scholarly Communication Librarian at Algoma University

The Research and Scholarly Communication Librarian supports faculty and students to aid them at all stages of the research process. The Research Services Librarian provides education to all campus members on open access, research impact, and other scholarly communications initiatives. They also provide specialized research consultations and instruction services in these areas as well as information literacy. This role requires a thorough understanding of The Copyright Act of Canada and Fair use guidelines. This position plays a key role in the support and collaboration with all areas of graduate student research in our new and growing graduate Studies programs while also providing support and education for undergraduate research.

http://tinyurl.com/yeyurdx3

"A Guide for Social Science Journal Editors on Easing Into Open Science"

Journal editors have a large amount of power to advance open science in their respective fields by incentivising and mandating open policies and practices at their journals. The Data PASS Journal Editors Discussion Interface (JEDI, an online community for social science journal editors: www.dpjedi.org) has collated several resources on embedding open science in journal editing (www.dpjedi.org/resources). However, it can be overwhelming as an editor new to open science practices to know where to start. For this reason, we created a guide for journal editors on how to get started with open science. The guide outlines steps that editors can take to implement open policies and practices within their journal, and goes through the what, why, how, and worries of each policy and practice. This manuscript introduces and summarizes the guide (full guide: https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/hstcx).

https://doi.org/10.1186/s41073-023-00141-5

Vice Provost for Libraries & University Librarian at University of Missouri

The next Vice Provost will be joining the institution during a period of incredible growth and opportunities. During the past three years, the University of Missouri has achieved historic highs in student success (retention, graduation, and placement rates), research expenditures, state appropriations and alumni support. The next Vice Provost will have the opportunity to support these areas of excellence by enhancing the opportunities, activities, and initiatives of MU Libraries and acting as an advocate and catalyst for an integrated libraries vision for one of the most comprehensive universities in the United States.

http://tinyurl.com/5abcfef6

"On the Challenges of Open Access Monitoring"

Monitoring systems are essential for tracking the progress in open access (OA) and particularly the goal of transitioning from paywalled to OA publications in many European countries. In this work, we express our opinion about the challenges faced by monitoring dashboards in providing a complete view of the OA status, ensuring accuracy in measuring OA production and achieving efficiency in the entire process. We analyze the characteristics of various monitoring systems from European countries, including the sources of data, formats, visualization methods, update frequencies, granularity and types of access recorded. We conclude by underlining the importance of monitoring systems in showcasing policy implementation, aiding decision-making, ensuring compliance and measuring impact in the pursuit of a more open scholarly landscape.

https://doi.org/10.1629/uksg.641

Research Data Librarian at The London School of Economics and Political Science

The Research Data Librarian sits within the Research Support team and is jointly responsible for planning, developing, and delivering research data management services for researchers, staff and students across LSE. This includes data management planning, support for secure data, support for open data, and the curation, sharing and preservation of research data.

http://tinyurl.com/bdh4cn88

"OpenAI Introduces Sora, Its Text-to-Video AI Model"

The AI company says Sora "can create realistic and imaginative scenes from text instructions." The text-to-video model allows users to create photorealistic videos up to a minute long — all based on prompts they’ve written. . . . The model can also generate a video based on a still image, as well as fill in missing frames on an existing video or extend it.

http://tinyurl.com/y6jfbyd6

Systems Librarian at Old Dominion University

The Systems Librarian will administer, configure, troubleshoot, and coordinate the integrated library system (Alma), discovery interface (Primo), and related applications, and they will ensure reliable and efficient access to the Libraries’ collections and resources.

https://jobs.odu.edu/postings/20322

"Identifying the Most Important Facilitators of Open Research Data Sharing and Reuse in Epidemiology: A Mixed-Methods Study"

To understand how open research data sharing and reuse can be further improved in the field of Epidemiology, this study explores the facilitating role that infrastructural and institutional arrangements play in this research discipline. It addresses two research questions: 1) What influence do infrastructural and institutional arrangements have on open research data sharing and reuse practices in the field of Epidemiology? And 2) how could infrastructural and institutional instruments used in Epidemiology potentially be useful to other research disciplines? First, based on a systematic literature review, a conceptual framework of infrastructural and institutional instruments for open research data facilitation is developed. Second, the conceptual framework is applied in interviews with Epidemiology researchers. The interviews show that two infrastructural and institutional instruments have a very high influence on open research data sharing and reuse practices in the field of Epidemiology, namely (a) access to a powerful search engine that meets open data search needs and (b) support by data stewards and data managers. Third, infrastructural and institutional instruments with a medium, high, or very high influence were discussed in a research workshop involving data stewards and research data officers from different research fields. This workshop suggests that none of the influential instruments identified in the interviews are specific to Epidemiology. Some of our findings thus seem to apply to multiple other disciplines. This study contributes to Science by identifying field-specific facilitators and challenges for open research data in Epidemiology, while at the same time revealing that none of the identified influential infrastructural and institutional instruments were specific to this field. Practically, this implies that open data infrastructure developers, policymakers, and research funding organizations may apply certain infrastructural and institutional arrangements to multiple research disciplines to facilitate and enhance open research data sharing and reuse.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297969

Software Development Librarian at North Carolina State University

The Software Development Librarian works as an active participant in a team that advances library services through applied research and application development and manages the entire life cycle of projects, from requirements gathering to deployment. They provide technical leadership and hands-on programming expertise for a portfolio of library projects, based on their skills and interests and on current opportunities. In close collaboration with a variety of partners across the Libraries, they identify emerging technologies that have potential for new and improved library services. Working both independently and in team settings, the incumbent develops new digital library services through an iterative, data-informed, and test-driven process that emphasizes creativity, usability, sustainability, and performance.

https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/jobs/ehra/sdl2024

"OpenAI Wants to Eat Google Search’s Lunch"

OpenAI is reportedly developing a search app that would directly compete with Google Search . . . Microsoft Bing would allegedly power the service from Sam Altman, which could be the most serious threat Google Search has ever faced. Current AI-enabled search engines from Google and Perplexity answer your questions with a clear AI-generated answer, usually in one to two sentences. Then, the engine provides links to its sources below, like a hybrid between an AI chatbot and a search engine. The report says this new search product could be faster than ChatGPT, without sacrificing its powerful summarizing abilities.

http://tinyurl.com/yc65hb5p

ILS Administrator at University of Central Oklahoma

Administer the library’s enterprise integrated library system or ILS (currently Ex Libris’ Alma and Primo), develop API connections with other library systems and software, and assist other campus users of the Alma system. Will also be asked to use existing and future systems to increase access to extensive library and community content that is currently only accessible through mediated assistance by working closely with Archives and Systems staff.

http://tinyurl.com/2jkj2jbj

Administer the library’s enterprise integrated library system or ILS (currently Ex Libris’ Alma and Primo), develop API connections with other library systems and software, and assist other campus users of the Alma system. Will also be asked to use existing and future systems to increase access to extensive library and community content that is currently only accessible through mediated assistance by working closely with Archives and Systems staff.

http://tinyurl.com/2jkj2jbj

"The Text File That Runs the Internet"

But robots.txt is not a legal document — and 30 years after its creation, it still relies on the good will of all parties involved. Disallowing a bot on your robots.txt page. . . sends a message, but it’s not going to stand up in court. Any crawler that wants to ignore robots.txt can simply do so, with little fear of repercussions. . . . As the AI companies continue to multiply, and their crawlers grow more unscrupulous, anyone wanting to sit out or wait out the AI takeover has to take on an endless game of whac-a-mole. . . . If AI is in fact the future of search, as Google and others have predicted, blocking AI crawlers could be a short-term win but a long-term disaster.

http://tinyurl.com/5n8s72bz

Application Development Team Lead at Washington State University

You will be responsible for design, creation and support of software applications that support the mission of the WSU Libraries. This will include evaluating current software applications deployed in the Library, working with Library colleagues to deploy new software solutions and lead the software development for integration of disparate Library software platforms.

http://tinyurl.com/mu2rfdhm

"Additional Experiments Required: A Scoping Review of Recent Evidence on Key Aspects of Open Peer Review"

Diverse efforts are underway to reform the journal peer review system. Combined with growing interest in Open Science practices, Open Peer Review (OPR) has become of central concern to the scholarly community. However, what OPR is understood to encompass and how effective some of its elements are in meeting the expectations of diverse communities, are uncertain. This scoping review updates previous efforts to summarize research on OPR to May 2022. Following the PRISMA methodological framework, it addresses the question: "What evidence has been reported in the scientific literature from 2017 to May 2022 regarding uptake, attitudes, and efficacy of two key aspects of OPR (Open Identities and Open Reports)?" The review identifies, analyses and synthesizes 52 studies matching inclusion criteria, finding that OPR is growing, but still far from common practice. Our findings indicate positive attitudes towards Open Reports and more sceptical approaches to Open Identities. Changes in reviewer behaviour seem limited and no evidence for lower acceptance rates of review invitations or slower turnaround times is reported in those studies examining those issues. Concerns about power dynamics and potential backfiring on critical reviews are in need of further experimentation. We conclude with an overview of evidence gaps and suggestions for future research. Also, we discuss implications for policy and practice, both in the scholarly communications community and the research evaluation community more broadly.Diverse efforts are underway to reform the journal peer review system. Combined with growing interest in Open Science practices, Open Peer Review (OPR) has become of central concern to the scholarly community. However, what OPR is understood to encompass and how effective some of its elements are in meeting the expectations of diverse communities, are uncertain. This scoping review updates previous efforts to summarize research on OPR to May 2022. Following the PRISMA methodological framework, it addresses the question: "What evidence has been reported in the scientific literature from 2017 to May 2022 regarding uptake, attitudes, and efficacy of two key aspects of OPR (Open Identities and Open Reports)?" The review identifies, analyses and synthesizes 52 studies matching inclusion criteria, finding that OPR is growing, but still far from common practice. Our findings indicate positive attitudes towards Open Reports and more sceptical approaches to Open Identities. Changes in reviewer behaviour seem limited and no evidence for lower acceptance rates of review invitations or slower turnaround times is reported in those studies examining those issues. Concerns about power dynamics and potential backfiring on critical reviews are in need of further experimentation. We conclude with an overview of evidence gaps and suggestions for future research. Also, we discuss implications for policy and practice, both in the scholarly communications community and the research evaluation community more broadly.

https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvae004

Scholarly Research Services Program Lead Librarian at University of Colorado Denver

The Scholarly Research Services Program Lead Librarian leads the Auraria Library’s efforts to support the research mission of the Auraria Campus. This position provides leadership for areas related to the library’s research assistance role such as scholarly communication, data support and literacy, citation management, research consultations, and research recognition and promotion.

http://tinyurl.com/mu262tm5

"From Data Creator to Data Reuser: Distance Matters"

Sharing research data is complex, labor-intensive, expensive, and requires infrastructure investments by multiple stakeholders. Open science policies focus on data release rather than on data reuse, yet reuse is also difficult, expensive, and may never occur. Investments in data management could be made more wisely by considering who might reuse data, how, why, for what purposes, and when. Data creators cannot anticipate all possible reuses or reusers; our goal is to identify factors that may aid stakeholders in deciding how to invest in research data, how to identify potential reuses and reusers, and how to improve data exchange processes. Drawing upon empirical studies of data sharing and reuse, we develop the theoretical construct of distance between data creator and data reuser, identifying six distance dimensions that influence the ability to transfer knowledge effectively: domain, methods, collaboration, curation, purposes, and time and temporality. These dimensions are primarily social in character, with associated technical aspects that can decrease — or increase — distances between creators and reusers. We identify the order of expected influence on data reuse and ways in which the six dimensions are interdependent. Our theoretical framing of the distance between data creators and prospective reusers leads to recommendations to four categories of stakeholders on how to make data sharing and reuse more effective: data creators, data reusers, data archivists, and funding agencies.

https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.07926

GIS Specialist at The Ohio State University

GIS Specialist The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist works with the Geospatial Information Librarian to enhance and expand the University Libraries’ geospatial information services program in support of faculty, students, and researchers using geospatial data, methods, and tools. The specialist helps researchers and project teams understand and apply GIS in their research and instruction through consultations and a variety of educational programming. The specialist is responsible for leveraging GIS and geospatial technology resources to enhance curriculum development and research innovation across a wide range of academic disciplines. In collaboration with library colleagues and university partners, the specialist plays an important role in supporting all facets of geospatial information services offered through the University Libraries, including hardware, software, data access, and user services.

http://tinyurl.com/4s5bpvtw

"Court Dismisses Authors’ Copyright Infringement Claims Against OpenAI"

Several authors, including comedian Sarah Silverman, have suffered an early loss in their copyright battle against OpenAI. The authors accused OpenAI of using pirated copies of their books to train its models. A California federal court dismissed the vicarious copyright infringement and DMCA violation claims. However, the lawsuit isn’t over yet.

http://tinyurl.com/478vm6kw

IT Programmer at University of North Texas

Working with Python, the Django web framework, and other open source components, develops, maintains, and tests Digital Libraries applications and infrastructure. Provides programming support for the development of digital library initiatives, including The Portal to Texas History and the UNT Digital Library. Working collaboratively with other programmers and technologists, provides documentation and technical support, and assists with planning and implementing digital projects in the UNT Libraries.

http://tinyurl.com/5txrffaz

"Completeness Degree of Publication Metadata in Eight Free-Access Scholarly Databases"

The main objective of this study is to compare the amount of metadata and the completeness degree of research publications in new academic databases. Using a quantitative approach, we selected a random Crossref sample of more than 115k records, which was then searched in seven databases (Dimensions, Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic, OpenAlex, Scilit, Semantic Scholar, and The Lens). Seven characteristics were analyzed (abstract, access, bibliographic info, document type, publication date, language, and identifiers), to observe fields that describe this information, the completeness rate of these fields, and the agreement among databases. The results show that academic search engines (Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic, and Semantic Scholar) gather less information and have a low degree of completeness. Conversely, third-party databases (Dimensions, OpenAlex, Scilit, and The Lens) have more metadata quality and a higher completeness rate. We conclude that academic search engines lack the ability to retrieve reliable descriptive data by crawling the Web, while the main problem of third-party databases is the loss of information derived from integrating different sources.

https://doi.org/10.1162/qss_a_00286

Data Planning and Presentation Librarian at Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University Libraries is hiring a new Data Planning and Presentation Librarian (Associate) with a passion for curating research data and data visualization to join their team. This Associate Librarian will be responsible for ensuring compliance with university, funding agency, and government requirements, and facilitating all parts of the research data lifecycle. In addition, this position will ensure that research data are cataloged, discoverable, and preserved in accordance with requirements.

http://tinyurl.com/bdjs5nfc

2024 EDUCAUSE AI Landscape Study

Moving from reaction to action, higher education stakeholders are currently exploring the opportunities afforded by AI for teaching, learning, and work. . . To aid in these efforts, we present this inaugural EDUCAUSE AI Landscape Study, in which we summarize the higher education community’s current sentiments and experiences related to strategic planning and readiness, policies and procedures, workforce, and the future of AI in higher education.

http://tinyurl.com/4fhprhs6

Digital Curator at Arizona State University

Digital Curators contribute to the development and expansion of the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR), an international repository of digital data and documents related to archaeological investigations. Curators follow established procedures relating to digital data entry, file storage, file maintenance, and security of the archaeological data stored in tDAR. Digital Curators need to have professional knowledge and experience in at least one of these areas: archaeology (field, lab and classes); digital preservation and digital data management; information technology, scripting, and programming.

http://tinyurl.com/5cfa42eu

"NIST Releases Version 2.0 of Research Data Framework (RDaF)"

The NIST RDaF is a resource for the entire research data community, including both organizations and individuals engaged in research data management in any discipline, community members from industry, universities, government departments and agencies, funders, and scholarly publishers. . . .

[It is:]

a map of the research data management ecosystem, organized by a canonical data lifecycle, into topics and subtopics;

a dynamic guide for research data stakeholders to understand best practices in research data management and dissemination;

a resource for understanding costs, benefits, and risks associated with research data management;

and a consensus document based on inputs and conversations amongst stakeholders in research data.

Providing perhaps the most comprehensive view of the research data ecosystem to date, the NIST RDaF comprises: 6 lifecycle stages, 50 topics, and 335 subtopics (programmatic and operational activities, concepts, and other important factors relevant to research data management with definitions), 14 overarching themes, 8 “generic” profiles (samples for common job functions or roles), and over 1,000 informational references (standards, guidelines, and policies, that assist stakeholders in addressing that subtopic).

http://tinyurl.com/fbep35xu

Software Engineer, Enterprise Library Systems at Indiana University

The Enterprise Library Systems Team in UITS encompasses a team-based work environment in which we develop and support all aspects of Indiana University Library Systems including the SirsiDynix Symphony Library Management System, the IU online Catalog (IUCAT), and the locally developed Bento-style library discovery tool. Additionally, this team provides infrastructure for Enterprise Scholarly Systems such as Digital Collections, Media Collections Online (Avalon), Pages Online and Imago.

http://tinyurl.com/4y2jbtu3