June 2024 – DigitalKoans

Electronic Resources Coordinator-CARLI (Remote)

The Electronic Resources Coordinator supports library resources and software serving the member libraries of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries of Illinois (CARLI). In support of I-Share (currently Alma and Primo VE), electronic resources, and other CARLI services, the Electronic Resources Coordinator works with CARLI’s member library staff as well as other CARLI staff to troubleshoot, support and assist projects, services, and non-routine projects related to electronic resources as well as develop continuing education programs, consortial meetings in support of CARLI’s strategic plan.

Job Ad

"ARL & CNI Release Deluxe Edition of AI-Influenced Future Scenarios for Research Environment"

This Deluxe Edition of the ARL/CNI AI Scenarios includes:

The Final Scenario Set: This final scenario set explores potential futures where AI plays a pivotal role, providing critical insights into the evolving challenges and opportunities for the research environment.

The Strategic Context Report: This report summarizes community feedback gathered through focus groups and interviews about an AI-influenced future for the research environment that were held in winter 2023–24 and spring 2024.

The Provocateur Interview Report: Featuring forward-thinking dialogues with industry leaders, these interviews challenge conventional wisdom and stimulate stretch thinking with regards to an AI-influenced future.

https://tinyurl.com/5n7xwc8c

Electronic Resources Librarian at Georgia Institute of Technology

Reporting to the Head of Technical Services this position will serve as the Service Owner for E-Resource management and participate in strategic decision making as a core member of various internal and external committees. The Electronic Resources Librarian will provide expert advice regarding e-resource acquisition and management to inform and support the Georgia Tech Library collection development strategy and be a responsible steward.

Job Ad

"The Oligopoly of Academic Publishers Persists in Exclusive Database"

Global scholarly publishing has been dominated by a small number of publishers for several decades. We aimed to revisit the debate on corporate control of scholarly publishing by analyzing the relative shares of major publishers and smaller, independent publishers. Using the Web of Science, Dimensions and OpenAlex, we managed to retrieve twice as many articles indexed in Dimensions and OpenAlex, compared to the rather selective Web of Science. As a result of excluding smaller publishers, the ‘oligopoly’ of scholarly publishers persists, at least in appearance, according to the Web of Science. However, both Dimensions’ and OpenAlex’ inclusive indexing revealed the share of smaller publishers has been growing rapidly, especially since the onset of large-scale online publishing around 2000, resulting in a current cumulative dominance of smaller publishers. While the expansion of small publishers was most pronounced in the social sciences and humanities, the natural and medical sciences showed a similar trend. A major geographical divergence is also revealed, with some countries, mostly Anglo-Saxon and/or located in northwestern Europe, relying heavily on major publishers for the dissemination of their research, while others being relatively independent of the oligopoly, such as those in Latin America, northern Africa, eastern Europe and parts of Asia. The emergence of digital publishing, the reduction of expenses for printing and distribution and open-source journal management tools may have contributed to the emergence of small publishers, while the development of inclusive bibliometric databases has allowed for the effective indexing of journals and articles. We conclude that enhanced visibility to recently created, independent journals may favour their growth and stimulate global scholarly bibliodiversity.

https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.17893

Director, National Agricultural Library

Directs, oversees, and defends the development and execution of Agency program goals and resource requirements to the Department, OMB, and Congressional officials.

Facilitating cooperation and coordination for the agricultural libraries of colleges, universities, USDA, in conjunction with private industry and other research libraries.

Responsible for providing leadership and direction in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of the development and execution of broad programs of library and technical information services.

Overseeing the application of advanced computer and telecommunications technology for the worldwide collection, evaluation, and dissemination of specialized information in the agricultural and related sciences.

Job Ad

Research Data Alliance: Recommendations on Open Science Rewards and Incentives

Open Science contributes to the collective building of scientific knowledge and societal progress. However, academic research currently fails to recognise and reward efforts to share research outputs. Yet it is crucial that such activities be valued, as they require considerable time, energy, and expertise to make scientific outputs usable by others, as stated by the FAIR principles. To address this challenge, several bottom-up and top-down initiatives have emerged to explore ways to assess and credit Open Science activities (e.g., Research Data Alliance, RDA) and to promote the assessment of a broad spectrum of research outputs, including datasets and software (e.g., Coalition for Advancement of Research Assessment, CoARA). As part of the RDA-SHARC (SHAring Rewards and Credit) interest group, we have developed a set of recommendations to help implement various rewarding schemes at different levels. The recommendations target a broad range of stakeholders. For instance, institutions are encouraged to provide digital services and infrastructure, organise training and cover expenses associated with making data available for the community. The funders should establish policies requiring open access to data produced by funded research and provide corresponding support. The publishers should favour open peer-review models and open access to articles, data and software. Government policymakers should set up a comprehensive Open Science strategy, as recommended by UNESCO and followed by a growing number of countries. The present work details different measures that are proposed to the stakeholders. The need to include sharing activities in research evaluation schemes as an overarching mechanism to promote Open Science practices is specifically emphasised.

https://tinyurl.com/4rhk44mn

Systems & Web Services Librarian at Carroll College

Serving as the technical expert for the Library’s Integrated Library System (ILS); maintaining and enhancing its operations as well as applications that support its services;

Providing leadership in solving problems associated with the ILS and other services;

Develop and document internal processes and procedures to support operations within Library Infrastructure Systems, including but not limited to the ILS, EZProxy, Worldshare Interlibrary Loan (OCLC), the Institutional Repository (Carroll Scholars), and the Carroll Digital Archives);

Job Ad

Special Section of Against the Grain About AI and Libraries

https://tinyurl.com/yrpr9snb

Electronic Resources Librarian at East Stroudsburg University

Performs all management, coordination, collection development, and troubleshooting for the library’s electronic resources, including but not limited to databases, journals, and eBooks.

Working from East Stroudsburg University’s campus, the Electronic Resources Librarian is responsible for maintaining the integrated library system (Alma), the discovery layer (Primo), and other electronic subscriptions.

Implement, troubleshoot, and maintain consistent and reliable operation, delivery, and access to the library’s ILS system, discovery layer, databases, and aggregate electronic resources.

Job Ad

"Effects of Research Paper Promotion via ArXiv and X"

In the evolving landscape of scientific publishing, it is important to understand the drivers of high-impact research, to equip scientists with actionable strategies to enhance the reach of their work, and to understand trends in the use of modern scientific publishing tools to inform their further development. Here, we study trends in the use of early preprint publications and revisions on ArXiv and the use of X (formerly Twitter) for promotion of such papers in computer science and physics. We find that early submissions to ArXiv and promotion on X have soared in recent years. Estimating the effect that the use of each of these modern affordances has on the number of citations of scientific publications, we find that peer-reviewed conference papers in computer science that are submitted early to ArXiv gain on average 21.1±17.4 more citations, revised on ArXiv gain 18.4±17.6 more citations, and promoted on X gain 44.4±8 more citations in the first 5 years from an initial publication. In contrast, journal articles in physics experience comparatively lower boosts in citation counts, with increases of 3.9±1.1, 4.3±0.9, and 6.9±3.5 citations respectively for the same interventions. Our results show that promoting one’s work on ArXiv or X has a large impact on the number of citations, as well as the number of influential citations computed by Semantic Scholar, and thereby on the career of researchers. These effects are present also for publications in physics, but they are relatively smaller. The larger relative effect sizes, effects of promotion accumulating over time, and elevated unpredictability of the number of citations in computer science than in physics suggest a greater role of world-of-mouth spreading in computer science than in physics.

https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.11116v2

Electronic Resources and Collections Development Librarian at Ball State University

Perform activities related to developing and sustaining University Libraries’ electronic and physical resource collections to meet user needs, including material selection, deselection, preservation, evaluation and assessment; coordinate pre-order activities for new e-resource acquisition, including trials and licensing; serve as collection development liaison for assigned academic departments; support an inclusive, diverse, and collaborative work environment and service culture to advance the strategic directions of the University Libraries.

Job Ad

"A Real-World Test of Artificial Intelligence Infiltration of a University Examinations System: A ‘Turing Test’ Case Study"

The recent rise in artificial intelligence systems, such as ChatGPT, poses a fundamental problem for the educational sector. In universities and schools, many forms of assessment, such as coursework, are completed without invigilation. Therefore, students could hand in work as their own which is in fact completed by AI. Since the COVID pandemic, the sector has additionally accelerated its reliance on unsupervised ‘take home exams’. If students cheat using AI and this is undetected, the integrity of the way in which students are assessed is threatened. We report a rigorous, blind study in which we injected 100% AI written submissions into the examinations system in five undergraduate modules, across all years of study, for a BSc degree in Psychology at a reputable UK university. We found that 94% of our AI submissions were undetected. The grades awarded to our AI submissions were on average half a grade boundary higher than that achieved by real students. Across modules there was an 83.4% chance that the AI submissions on a module would outperform a random selection of the same number of real student submissions.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305354

"US News Releases 2024-2025 Best Global Universities Rankings"

The new edition includes universities from more than 100 countries. The following countries have the most schools in the overall rankings:

China: 396

United States: 283

Japan: 112

India: 109

United Kingdom: 96

[Top 10:]

Harvard University (U.S.)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (U.S.)

Stanford University (U.S.)

University of Oxford (U.K.)

University of California Berkeley (U.S.)

University of Cambridge (U.K.)

University College London (U.K; tie)

University of Washington (U.S.; tie)

Columbia University (U.S.)

California Institute of Technology (U.S.)

https://tinyurl.com/3adh7adb

Search U.S. News Best Global Universities

Assistant Librarian – Content Subscriptions and Licensing at Ulster University

To ensure the university-wide development and delivery of a cost-effective and efficient service to manage the library’s serials and database subscriptions.

Job Ad

"RIAA Sues Suno & Udio AI Music Generators For ‘Trampling’ on Copyright"

Major recording labels of the RIAA have filed a pair of broadly similar copyright lawsuits against two key generative AI music services. The owners of Udio and Suno stand accused of copying the labels’ music on a massive scale and the labels suggest that they’re already on the back foot. In pre-litigation correspondence, both were ‘evasive’ on content sources before citing fair use, which the RIAA notes only arises as a defense in cases of unauthorized use of copyright works.

https://tinyurl.com/p9tnycte

Web Administrator at Chicago Public Library

Reporting to the Assistant Commissioner of Collections,Content and Access, this position designs, edits and maintains the web presence for the Chicago Public Library using content management software for the library website, blogs, events, apps, and marketing emails. . . Leads teams of site curators and bloggers from various library departments to develop editorial calendar and create engaging, timely content. Establishes and maintains content standards, including voice and tone guidelines, with a focus on taxonomies and search engine optimization (SEO). Writes copy and edits content for formatting, clarity, length, accessibility, reading level and consistency. . . . Oversees software-as-a-service (SAAS) agreements with vendors including monitoring performance and setting software development priorities. . . . Responsible for software troubleshooting, user acceptance and usability testing.

Job Ad

"An Empirical Examination of Data Reuser Trust in a Digital Repository"

Most studies of trusted digital repositories have focused on the internal factors delineated in the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference Model—organizational structure, technical infrastructure, and policies, procedures, and processes. Typically, these factors are used during an audit and certification process to demonstrate a repository can be trusted. The factors influencing a repository’s designated community of users to trust it remains largely unexplored. This article proposes and tests a model of trust in a data repository and the influence trust has on users’ intention to continue using it. Based on analysis of 245 surveys from quantitative social scientists who published research based on the holdings of one data repository, findings show three factors are positively related to data reuser trust—integrity, identification, and structural assurance. In turn, trust and performance expectancy are positively related to data reusers’ intentions to return to the repository for more data. As one of the first studies of its kind, it shows the conceptualization of trusted digital repositories needs to go beyond high-level definitions and simple application of the OAIS standard. Trust needs to encompass the complex trust relationship between designated communities of users that the repositories are being built to serve.

https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24933

Director, Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship at University of Notre Dame

The Center Director strengthens the role of the Hesburgh Libraries as a support hub and partner for literacies and fluencies in digital scholarship areas such as data use and visualization, digital humanities, media archaeology, research data management, immersive technologies, digital ethics, and other computationally engaged research and teaching methods and tools. The Director manages the Center budget, builds relationships across campus, and represents the University, the Libraries, and the Center externally through a broad network and a public presence at conferences and across the global digital scholarship community.

Job Ad

Updated Report to the U.S. Congress on Financing Mechanisms for Open Access Publishing of Federally Funded Research

This current report elaborates on:

Implementation to advance federal public access policies. Updated agency public access policies will go into effect by December 31, 2025, in accordance with the 2022 Memorandum.

Trends in scholarly publishing since the release of the November 2023 Report, including further discussion of business models to enable public access to federally funded research, as well as domestic and global developments in advancing public access to research results.

An expansion of the analysis of estimated article processing charges paid to publish federally funded research from 2016 to 2022, with further discussion of limitations associated with calculating these charges.

Efforts to advance research integrity, including through implementation of federal public access policies and open science practices.

Continuing trends in peer review as they relate to research integrity, equity, and sustainability.

https://tinyurl.com/yryw9ejv

Systems Librarian at Nevada State University

Oversees and administers library enterprise systems, including ExLibris’ Alma and Primo VE; OCLC Tipasa and Worldshare; OpenAthens; EBSCO Stacks; and Springshare LibApps.

Develops and sustains strong, cooperative partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholders to support both library-specific and broader campus technological objectives.

Job Ad

"Switzerland and Elsevier Sign R&P Agreement 2024-2028 "

On 10 June 2024, swissuniversities signed a comprehensive Open Access agreement with Elsevier on behalf of the Swiss universities and other mandating organisations. The agreement with Elsevier guarantees to members of Swiss universities and participating organisations a full reading access to Elsevier’s entire journal portfolio. The agreement also allows to publish, without restriction, in over 2,500 Elsevier Open Access journals, including the Cell Press and The Lancet journal series, at no additional cost. Furthermore, all institutions now receive permanent access to journal content that was published during the years of their participation in the agreement ("Post Cancellation Access"). . . .

The agreement now explicitly regulates the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in connection with licensed content. It guarantees members of Swiss universities and mandating organisations the greatest possible liberty in the use of AI tools for the analysis of Elsevier publications for research, teaching and innovation purposes. The agreement allows the analysis of open-access publications (under licences such as “CC BY”) with any AI tool or their use for the development of AI applications. The agreement also authorises any use of AI tools as long as it is guaranteed that the licensed content is not used for the further development of the model. The use of learning AI tools or the development of the university’s own AI applications is permissible insofar as these are hosted locally by the institution or operated by third parties exclusively for the institution.

https://tinyurl.com/2tkhekwv

Data Services Librarian at Wake Forest University

As a member of the library’s Digital Initiatives & Scholarly Communication department, the Data Services Librarian will shape the library’s data services, including collaborating with faculty and subject librarians to integrate data literacy into the classroom and course projects. They will develop instructional resources and workshops on locating, analyzing, and visualizing data. In addition to classroom instruction and engagement, this position will offer individual and small group consultations for students.

Job Ad

"Towards an All-Ireland Diamond Open Access Publishing Platform: The PublishOA.ie Project—2022–2024quot;

The Government of Ireland has set a target of achieving 100% open access to publicly funded scholarly publications by 2030. As a key element of achieving this objective, the PublishOA.ie project was established to evaluate the feasibility of establishing an all-island [Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland] digital publishing platform for Diamond Open Access journals and monographs designed to advance best practice and meet the needs of authors, readers, publishers, and research funding organisations in Irish scholarly publishing. It should be noted in this context that there is substantial "north–south " cooperation between public bodies in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, some of whom operate on what is commonly termed an "all-island " basis. The project commenced in November 2022 and will run until November 2024, with the submission of a Final Report. This article originated as an interim project report presented in September 2023 at the PubMet2023 conference in Zadar, Croatia. The project is unique in its mandate to report on the feasibility of a shared platform that will encompass scholarly publishing across the two jurisdictions on the island of Ireland, which are now, post-Brexit, inside and outside the European Union (EU): the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom. The project is co-led by the Royal Irish Academy (RIA), Ireland’s leading body of experts in the Sciences and Humanities, and the Trinity Long Room Hub Arts & Humanities Research Institute of Trinity College Dublin. There are sixteen partners and affiliates from universities and organisations from the island of Ireland. The feasibility study will be based on a review of the publishing practices in the island of Ireland, with gap analysis on standards, technology, processes, copyright practices, and funding models for Diamond OA, benchmarking against other national platforms, and specifications of the requirements, leading to the delivery of a pilot national publishing platform. A set of demonstrator journals and monographs will be published using the platform, which will be actively trialled by the partner publishers and authors. PublishOA.ie aims to deliver an evidence-based understanding of Irish scholarly publishing and of the requirements of publishers to transition in whole or in part to Diamond OA. This paper provides an interim report on progress on the project as of September 2023, ten months after its commencement.

https://doi.org/10.3390/publications12030019

University Librarian and Dean, University Library at University of Saskatchewan

Reporting to the Provost and Vice-President Academic, and as one of the senior leaders in the university, the University Librarian and Dean plays a central role in setting strategy and overall direction; advises the President, the Provost, and other Vice Presidents; works collaboratively with and supports other leaders to achieve university goals; uses influence to align the University Library with university priorities; and models institutional values and competencies. With six locations across campus, the University Library is essential to students and researchers’ success. The University Library operates in an environment where its services and resources are multi-faceted, technologically rich, and continuously changing. The successful candidate will lead a team of approximately 115 faculty and staff members to meet and exceed the needs of a university that is a member of the U15 group of major research-intensive universities in Canada, one that welcomes more than 26,000 students from over 130 countries..

Job Ad

Achieving Global Open Access The Need for Scientific, Epistemic and Participatory Openness

Often assumed to be a self-evident good, OA has been subject to growing criticism for perpetuating global inequities and epistemic injustices. It has been seen as imposing exploitative business and publishing models and as exacerbating exclusionary research evaluation cultures and practices. [Stephen] Pinfield engages with these issues, recognising that the global OA debate is now not just about publishing business models and academic reward structures, but also about what constitutes valid and valuable knowledge, how we know, and who gets to say. The book argues that, for OA to deliver its potential, it first needs to be associated with ‘epistemic openness’, a wider and more inclusive understanding of what constitutes valid and valuable knowledge. It also needs to be accompanied by ‘participatory openness’, enabling contributions to knowledge from more diverse communities. Interacting with relevant theory and current practice, the book discusses the challenges in implementing these different forms of openness, the relationships between them, and their limits.

https://tinyurl.com/msn9k945