March 2025 – Page 5 – DigitalKoans

“The Economic Impact of Open Science: A Scoping Review”

This paper summarised a comprehensive scoping review of the economic impact of Open Science (OS), examining empirical evidence from 2000 to 2023. It focuses on Open Access (OA), Open/FAIR Data (OFD), Open Source Software (OSS), and Open Methods, assessing their contributions to efficiency gains in research production, innovation enhancement, and economic growth. Evidence, although limited, indicates that OS accelerates research processes, reduces the related costs, fosters innovation by improving access to data and resources and this ultimately generates economic growth. Specific sectors, such as life sciences, are researched more and the literature exhibits substantial gains, mainly thanks to OFD and OA. OSS supports productivity, while the very limited studies on Open Methods indicate benefits in terms of productivity gains and innovation enhancement. However, gaps persist in the literature, particularly in fields like Citizen Science and Open Evaluation, for which no empirical findings on economic impact could be detected. Despite limitations, empirical evidence on specific cases highlight economic benefits. This review underscores the need for further metrics and studies across diverse sectors and regions to fully capture OS’s economic potential.

https://doi.org/10.31222/osf.io/kqse5_v1

Sr. Innovation Specialist at Library of Congress

This position serves as a Senior Innovation Specialist in the Digital Innovation Division within the Office of the Chief Information Officer. The Digital Innovation Division’s mission is to broaden awareness of the Library’s digital innovation, expand the use of the Library’s digital resources, and to participate in community efforts to develop the use and preservation of our nation’s cultural heritage material.

https://tinyurl.com/4jfdfp7s

“Opinion: A Librarian’s Summary Of, and Response to, the Clarivate Announcement”

Furthermore, the transition to subscription-only access represents more than a change in purchasing models – it fundamentally undermines the ability of academic libraries to build collections that serve their specific institutional needs. . . . As the existing ProQuest One collections have demonstrated (causing great frustration), content can be removed without library input or prior announcement. Clarivate states: “We will continue our bi-annual schedule of title removals from subscriptions in June and December. There may be occasional off-cycle removals due to legal reasons or loss of publisher rights.” . . . The loss of Evidence-Based Acquisition (EBA) and Demand-Driven Acquisition (DDA) is also likely to be another blow to institutions whose budgets do not allow for the up-front purchase of all texts on lists.

https://tinyurl.com/4wy3eyc9

Research Data Curation Specialist at Purdue University

In this position, the research data curation specialist will engage in curation, archiving, preservation, and sharing of research data across disciplines and data formats. The specialist will provide support for campus researchers throughout their use of the system to publish and share data and work closely with the team members on metadata management, data analysis, and strategic initiatives to sustain and grow the system and services.

https://tinyurl.com/2mmyxtmd

“Academic Databases and the Art of the Overcharge”

To help libraries avoid price discrimination, we gathered research library pricing for three popular academic databases: SciFinder from Chemical Abstract Services (a division of the American Chemical Society); Scopus from Elsevier; and Clarivate’s Web of Science. . . .

Using this data, we will examine a selection of pricing that demonstrates the range of prices paid by libraries and compare pricing across different institutional factors. We will conclude with tips on how to use pricing data in your library’s next negotiation.

https://tinyurl.com/ycyyyhuf

Digital Preservation Librarian at Tulane University

The Digital Preservation Librarian leads the development of the cohesive digital preservation program ensuring the long-term access and preservation of digital assets under Tulane University Libraries'(TUL) stewardship. In collaboration with other library units In collaboration with other library units, the Digital Preservation Librarian maintains and updates TUL Digital Preservation Framework, policies and practices. . . . The position also works closely with campus Information Technology to ensure long-term storage availability and with students and faculty with respect to data stewardship, and digital preservation issues.

https://apply.interfolio.com/161582

“AI Is Reigniting Decades-Old Questions Over Digital Rights, but Fair Use Prevails”

A publisher recently provided UC Berkeley’s Library with an elusive explanation for their AI ban on a subset of their licensed materials, claiming that they would “require new and different AI terms [that] would be significantly higher in price,” and that “individual client requests [would] need to be evaluated [to] determine whether or not they will be permitted.” However, when prompted to provide said new terms and price, the publisher was unable, or perhaps unwilling, to provide any additional information, noting that there is “no set pricing model or terms to share.” . . .

Charging extra to secure AI rights is likely to be cost-prohibitive due to increased financial burdens on libraries and institutions of higher education; if publishers are successful, it could lead to less academic output as researchers may have to independently foot the bill for the right to conduct research using AI.

https://tinyurl.com/42nmfwm2