June 2025 – Page 2 – DigitalKoans

Open Access Publishing in an African Context: Notable Improvements and Recurring Challenges”

Open access publishing has been promoted as a pivotal means of bridging the gap in knowledge access and usage. Despite the growing support for open access publishing globally, little is known about African scholars’ engagement with open access publishing and the barriers limiting their open access publishing practices. Using a survey research design, data was collected from 241 researchers from selected universities in Africa, such as Nigerian, Kenyan and South African universities. The data was collected using online surveys and analysed using the descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages. The study reveals that while most of the respondents had published open access articles (78.01%) and had a positive perception of the quality of open access journals (73.45%) and editorial teams, more than half were still limited by article processing charges (58.51%) as they had no funding for their research. Although African researchers are embracing open access publishing more now than they were historically, barriers such as article processing charges and the prolonged response time from reviewers continue to pose a serious challenge to open access uptake in Africa. This study proposes five recommendations for improving open access uptake in African and Global South countries.

https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352251351113

Digital Government Records Description Archivist at State Archives of North Carolina

appraising records for archival value;

performing preservation actions on born-digital records;

processing records of all formats (including analog and audiovisual records);

increasing access by producing descriptive metadata;

https://tinyurl.com/3ftbvcp8

“A Case Study: The Savings Potential Thanks to Fair Data in One Materials Science PhD Project”

The FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles have gained significant attention as a means to enhance data sharing, collaboration, and reuse across various domains. Here, we explore the potential benefits of implementing FAIR data practices within engineering projects, with a monetary focus in the German context, but by considering aspects which are relatively universal. By examining the FAIR-data aspect of a Materials Science and Engineering PhD project, it becomes evident that substantial cost savings can be achieved. The estimated savings are 2,600 Euros per year from the PhD project considered. This study underscores the importance of implementing FAIR data practices in engineering projects and highlights some significant economic benefits that can be derived from such initiatives. By embracing FAIR principles, organizations in the engineering sector can unlock the full potential of their data, optimize resource allocation, and drive innovation in a cost-effective manner.

https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.12043

Digital Resources Librarian at LaGrange College

Reporting to the Library Director, the Digital Resources Librarian is responsible for managing all aspects of the electronic-resources life cycle (researching, acquiring, establishing access, administering, supporting, and evaluating) as well as updating the library’s homepage and overseeing library technology maintenance, upgrades, and troubleshooting.

https://tinyurl.com/sddjmwy7

“What Does ‘Open Research’ Mean for Qualitative Research?”

Open research methods are sweeping Higher Education institutions with promises of greater transparency, rigour and trustworthiness in research. However, as many of these methods (such as preregistration, data sharing and reproducible code) are derived from quantitative scientific methodologies and concerns, this creates dilemmas for qualitative researchers, especially those working with marginalised communities. Data sharing may not be possible where it endangers oppressed people, or where even storing such data places the researcher in danger. There are also questions about how relevant concepts like replicability are for research methods that focus on particular contexts, or whether preregistration is useful for ethnographic researchers whose “sample” and research questions change in the course of fieldwork.

https://tinyurl.com/45z29p9a

OECD: Developments in Artificial Intelligence Markets: New Indicators Based on Model Characteristics, Prices and Providers

Given AI’s potential to generate productivity and welfare gains, the paper provides new empirical evidence about AI markets to assess whether potential AI users benefit from favourable market developments regarding prices, quality and variety. It leverages an extensive data collection covering Generative AI model characteristics, including their performance and price, developers, cloud providers, and downstream AI-powered applications globally over the past two years. It finds several trends that are indicative of dynamism for the time being – including declining quality-adjusted prices and a growing number of market players and model offerings – but several risks remain, related to bottlenecks in the key inputs to AI, notably data, computing power and skills.

https://tinyurl.com/mt98wdfw

“Cataloging Computer-Generated Resources: Past, Present, and Possible Future”

The article. . . . provides an overview of the history of cataloging approaches to non-human authors. . . . The article finishes by evaluating the PCC guidance [on cataloging resources generated by AI] and suggesting a range of alternative and/or additional practices that catalogers could adopt.

https://doi.org/10.1080/01639374.2025.2515110

OECD: Trustworthy AI Models with Privacy-Enhancing Technologies

Privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) are critical tools for building trust in the collaborative development and sharing of artificial intelligence (AI) models while protecting privacy, intellectual property, and sensitive information. This report identifies two key types of PET use cases. The first is enhancing the performance of AI models through confidential and minimal use of input data, with technologies like trusted execution environments, federated learning, and secure multi-party computation. The second is enabling the confidential co-creation and sharing of AI models using tools such as differential privacy, trusted execution environments, and homomorphic encryption. PETs can reduce the need for additional data collection, facilitate data-sharing partnerships, and help address risks in AI governance. However, they are not silver bullets. While combining different PETs can help compensate for their individual limitations, balancing utility, efficiency, and usability remains challenging. Governments and regulators can encourage PET adoption through policies, including guidance, regulatory sandboxes, and R&D support, which would help build sustainable PET markets and promote trustworthy AI innovation.

https://tinyurl.com/4h5jsef3

“Why Engage with Transformative Agreements in Scholarly Publishing? Analysis of Customer and Publisher Press Release Statements”

How open access (OA) should be supported has been a frequent point of debate during the last three decades as different pathways have been created and evolved. One particular point of contention has been the use of institutional contracts between customer institutions and academic journal publishers, so-called transformative agreements (TAs), where subscription-based reading access is bundled with OA publishing rights. This study explores the motivational reasonings given by customers and publishers engaging with TAs. This study provides a thematic content analysis of customer and publisher statements from 95 press releases announcing new TAs involving five large scholarly journal publishers. Existing literature on motivational reasoning for open science, OA, and TAs was reviewed in order to create an initial set of codes to be used, which was complemented with an inductive process producing additional codes based on categorisation of reasonings that did not fit within the initial codes.The study found that TAs were supported for a variety of reasons, where both customers and publishers stressed better research dissemination, facilitating a transition towards OA publishing, and improved workflow management for publishing and invoicing. Customers emphasized economic and equality aspects while publishers did so to a notably lesser degree. This study complements the active area of bibliometric studies on TAs with a rich qualitative study based on a set of press releases that have not been used for this type of research, establishing a solid foundation for future studies to build upon.

https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/crxn3_v1

Associate Dean for Research & Learning at University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries

Research & Learning includes the Information Services & Learning Spaces, Research Partnerships, and Teaching Partnerships units. . . .

Information Services & Learning Spaces. . . spans areas such as customer service, user-centered design, graphic design, accessibility standards, service delivery innovation, and community engagement strategies. . . .

Research Partnerships designs and delivers advanced information and data services, collaborates on campus-wide research initiatives, and provides expert support in areas such as evidence synthesis, research data management, and geospatial analysis. . . .

Teaching Partnerships leads curriculum strategy and development, ensuring that the Libraries’ teaching initiatives meaningfully connect with campus curricula and bring strength across disciplines.

https://tinyurl.com/3jadce3p

OECD: The Effects of Generative AI on Productivity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

This document reviews experimental research on the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on productivity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. It highlights to what extent AI automates tasks, enhances skills, and transforms business operations. Additionally, this study discusses the role of AI in fostering creativity, accelerating research and development and lowering entry barriers for businesses, while also noting challenges related to trust and human expertise. Findings suggest that AI’s effectiveness depends on the user’s experience and the task carried out, with human-AI collaboration being key to maximising its potential. The review identifies gaps in current research, particularly regarding AI’s long-term business effects and workers’ understanding of its limitations, emphasising the need for further studies to guide its responsible and effective use.

https://tinyurl.com/zc74umve

Paywall: “The Tower of Babel in Science Communication on Social Media: An Analysis of Linguistic Diversity in Twitter Mentions of Scientific Publications”

To unravel the linguistic dynamics of science communication on social media, this study presents a large-scale, cross-disciplinary analysis of language use in over 21 million Twitter mentions of 6.7 million scientific publications. While English dominates—accounting for 90.8% of all mentions and serving as a bridging language for the international dissemination of research—90 non-English languages contribute to a rich and diverse multilingual ecosystem.

https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.70002

Diamond OA 2025: The World of No-Fee Open Access Journals

Diamond OA 2025 looks at the world of5no-fee gold open access or “diamond” OA as of the start of 2024, working from the same database as Gold Open Access 2025. This book also offers a quick look at funding sources for diamond journals published by traditional publishers and OA publishers that aren’t universities or societies. Contents include profiles for subjects, segments, regions (with brief notes on countries with fewer than ten diamond OA journals) and each of 80 countries with at least ten diamond OA journals.

https://tinyurl.com/mr3hjc7w

Open Access Version

Paywall: “Cost Effectiveness of Ebook Acquisition Models in Two Academic Library Consortia”

The author presents data about the cost and use of Oxford ebooks in two library consortia of which the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) is a member. . . . The author compared total list price for titles used and the total costs of the agreements to determine the return on investment (ROI) for the consortia as well as benchmark value for individual institutions.

https://doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2025.2517621

“Nature Looks to Open Up ‘Black Box’ of Science by Publishing Peer Review Files”

The scientific journal Nature wants to show people the nitty gritty of academic publishing. In a Monday editorial, the journal announced it would include peer review files with the papers it publishes, offering access to once behind-the-scenes processes in which reviewers critique scientific papers and authors respond with changes. Publishing peer review files at Nature has been optional since 2020; starting Monday, it is now automatic.

https://tinyurl.com/73eskzhw

“Wiley, Significantly Expands Profit Margins, and Reaffirms Fiscal 2026 Growth Targets”

“We delivered another strong year of execution as we met or exceeded our financial commitments, drove profitable growth in our core, expanded margins and free cash flow, and extended further into the corporate market through AI licensing and partnership, science analytics, and knowledge services,” said Matthew Kissner, President and CEO. “Our multi-year journey of continuous improvement and innovation is yielding material gains in profitable revenue growth, margin expansion, and cash generation, and we remain steadfast and confident in our continued progress.” . . .

Q4 Research revenue of $281 million was up 4% as reported and 3% at constant currency driven by solid growth in recurring revenue publishing models (calendar year 2025 journal renewals) and open access offsetting continued softness in backfiles, archives, and other ancillary products. Q4 Adjusted EBITDA of $97 million was up 4% as reported and at constant currency due to revenue growth. Adjusted EBITDA margin for the quarter rose modestly to 34.7%.

Full year Research revenue was up 3% as reported and at constant currency driven by growth in publishing and solutions. Research Adjusted EBITDA was up 4% or 5% at constant currency with margin up 30 basis points to 32.1%. Key performance indicators remained strong for the year, with submissions up 19% and output up 8%.

https://tinyurl.com/46fr734z

“Clarivate Unveils the 2025 Journal Citation Reports”

The JCR includes data from a total of 22,249 journals across 254 categories

Over 6,200 of these were published via gold open access

Scholarly journals from 111 countries are recognized and receive a JIF, including 14,591 in the sciences and 7,559 in the social sciences, as well as 3,368 journals in the arts and humanities

618 journals receive a JIF for the first time

This year’s release excludes citations to and from retracted content when calculating the JIF numerator, ensuring that citations from retracted articles do not contribute to the numerical value of the JIF. However, retracted articles will still be included in the article count (JIF denominator), maintaining transparency and accountability. This policy affects 1% of journals.

https://tinyurl.com/rd6ujpkc

“Attitudes towards Open Access Books in the European Research Area”

This paper examines the challenges and opportunities of publishing Open Access (OA) books within the European Research Area (ERA), drawing on data collected through the PALOMERA project. Despite the growing interest in OA books, the landscape remains fragmented due to a lack of clear policies. National policies are often sparse, with institutional and funder mandates typically focused on journal articles rather than monographs. An issue also highlighted is the marginalisation of non-English language works, which receive significantly less visibility than English-language publications. Additionally, the perceived prestige of OA monographs remains a concern, with some scholars viewing them as less reputable than traditionally published works. This paper synthesises findings from 42 in-depth interviews to offer an overview of the current state of OA book publishing in Europe. It identifies areas for policy improvement to foster a more inclusive and sustainable OA landscape.

https://doi.org/10.53377/lq.21719

Digital Scholarship Specialist at University of Florida

Partner with faculty and researchers to integrate digital scholarship methods and tools into course materials and research initiatives.

Provide consultations and training sessions for faculty and students on digital research tools, project sustainability, and innovative digital scholarship practices.

Organize and lead workshops and develop instructional resources that empower faculty and students to use digital tools effectively. . . .

Design and develop engaging instructional materials and multimedia content for various instructional formats, ensuring alignment with course and learning objectives, and pedagogical standards. . . .

Develop and maintain policies, procedures, and technical infrastructure related to the Digital Humanities Lab at CHPS. Oversee the strategic use of the lab while ensuring efficient daily operations.

https://tinyurl.com/bdzndvt4

“Georgetown Hires New University Librarian and Dean of the Library”

Hudson-Ward is the associate director of research, learning and strategic partnerships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Libraries. . . .

As dean, she will serve as the chief administrative officer for the Georgetown University Library, which holds 3.5 million volumes and extensive collections and offers research and information services for students and faculty. . . .

Hudson-Ward earned her master of library and information science from the University of Pittsburgh, where she pursued both academic and corporate librarianship tracks, and her doctorate in library and information science from Simmons University.

In the years since, she served as a tenured associate librarian at Pennsylvania State University and the director of libraries for Oberlin College. . . .

She joined MIT in 2020, where she leads research and learning services for MIT’s library; partnerships with more than 40 MIT departments, labs, centers and institutes; and the library’s AI strategy — work she’s eager to continue at Georgetown. Her latest book project, Social Intelligence in the Age of AI, will be published by ALA Editions later this year.

https://tinyurl.com/ywsyadyn

Paywall: “The More Things Change: Tracking Social Media Platform Shifts in Academic Libraries (2019–2025”

The research findings indicate that academic libraries continue to use well-established platforms with only a limited number of reviewed libraries demonstrating early adoption of newer tools. Instagram led as the platform with the most active accounts linked from the reviewed libraries’ current websites, narrowly prevailing over Facebook. . . . The most added platform was LinkedIn, and the most removed platform was X.

https://doi.org/10.1080/19322909.2025.2502930

“Reeling Them In: Using TikTok and Video Content to Leverage Engagement Between Academic Librarians, Libraries and Students”

TikTok is the video-sharing social media platform of the moment. Young people, most often of the age of undergraduate students, are its primary users. Creating a library TikTok profile and sharing video content on the platform is consequently an excellent way for academic librarians and their libraries to engage with their student users. This case study explores the strategy employed at the Ferriss Hodgett Library at the Grenfell Campus of Memorial University for creating and sharing engaging videos on our library’s TikTok and other social media channels. Providing a critical evaluation of TikTok use and discussing themes and ideas for video content alongside best practices, this article outlines how short-form videos can be leveraged via TikTok and other video-based platforms to make the academic library and its staff more relevant and approachable, and lay the foundation for building stronger and more meaningful relationships with students.

https://doi.org/10.1629/uksg.693

Electronic Resources Librarian at Emory University

Reporting to the Head of Electronic & Continuing Resources, the Electronic Resources Librarian coordinates the day-to-day management of the electronic resources workflow. The Electronic Resources (ER) Librarian works closely with others on the ECR team, with the Resource Description team, and others to develop e-resources-related policies, procedures, and practices.

https://apply.interfolio.com/169217

Paywall: “A.I. Might Take Your Job. Here Are 22 New Ones It Could Give You.”

“Our data is showing that 70 percent of the skills in the average job will have changed by 2030,” said Aneesh Raman, LinkedIn’s chief economic opportunity officer. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs report, nine million jobs are expected to be “displaced” by A.I. and other emergent technologies in the next five years. But A.I. will create jobs, too: The same report says that, by 2030, the technology will also lead to some 11 million new jobs. . . .

Where does A.I. want humans? To my mind, there are three major areas where humans either are, or will soon be, more necessary than ever: trust, integration and taste.

https://tinyurl.com/43ybzcw4

Digital Scholarship Librarian at Florida Atlantic University

Serve as a champion and coordinator of the Libraries’ digital institutional repository, Digital Commons, including the service of hosting Florida Atlantic journals.

Serve as the Libraries’ resource person for questions related to the institutional repository and open routes for research dissemination

Collaborate on initiatives that advance open access to knowledge created by Florida Atlantic researchers.

Support the shared work of the Libraries’ Digital Initiatives and Scholarship Unit including the use of Scopus/SciVal and other research intense databases and software.

https://tinyurl.com/5cdm29zv