ARL Libraries – DigitalKoans

ARL and CARL: Observations on Research Libraries’ Alignment with Institutional STEM Priorities

This report synthesizes the two associations’ joint exploration of the need for, and nature of, alignment of research libraries with their universities’ STEM priorities. The report notes the challenges to be overcome, and provides examples of the ways libraries are already working to strengthen and support STEM at their institutions. The report includes a summary of common themes as well as observations of each institution visited.

https://bit.ly/3qaF9Qq

UC System: "Re: UCOLASC [University Committee on Library and Scholarly Communication] Statement on Retention of Author Rights in License to Publish Agreements"

As discussed at our joint UCOLASC and Council of University Librarians (CoUL) meeting held on February 15, 2023, the Project Transform Negotiating Team (PTNT) and Project Transform Working Group (PTWG) have learned that many publishers are requiring University of California (UC) authors to sign "License to Publish" (LTP) agreements, which purport to grant exclusive rights to publishers and contravene the spirit of the open access (OA) policies and declarations strongly endorsed by UC faculty.We find this now-common practice to be unacceptable and therefore ask you to prioritize the issue of author rights and act on our behalf when you negotiate with publishers. . . .

UCOLASC urges the Project Transform Negotiating Team (PTNT) to negotiate transformative open access agreements with publishers stipulating that authors only grant "limited" or "nonexclusive" licenses to publishers. Liberal Creative Commons (CC) licenses (e.g., CC BY) should be applied as the default choice, and licenses that restrict commercial and derivative uses of the work (e.g., CC BY-NC, CC BY-ND, and CC BY-NC-ND) should function as originally intended with authors always free to do whatever they want with their own works.

https://bit.ly/43uzuDd

"Research Libraries Advance Open Scholarship and Community Engagement"

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has published brief profiles of the eight institutions that participated in the 2021–2022 pilot program Accelerating the Social Impact of Research (ASIR). The pilot engaged small teams from eight ARL member libraries who wanted to share strategies to accelerate the adoption and implementation of open-science principles for social-impact and community-engaged research and scholarship.

https://bit.ly/3pZKqtU

"UC Berkeley University Librarian Jeff MacKie-Mason Announces Retirement Plans"

Among the hallmarks of MacKie-Mason’s tenure at the Library has been his commitment to open access. As co-chair of the University of California’s publisher negotiation team, he was instrumental in the university system securing a groundbreaking deal with publishing giant Elsevier. To date, UC has struck open access deals with 15 publishers, including all of the top five publishers of UC-authored articles. Together, these agreements make it possible for 54 percent of all UC-authored articles to be published open access, so they are freely available to anyone, anywhere in the world.

https://bit.ly/3IoEfGm

"Quick Poll Results: ARL Member Representatives on Generative AI in Libraries"

We conducted a quick poll of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member representatives in April 2023 to gather insights into their current perspectives on generative AI adoption, its potential implications, and the role of libraries in AI-driven environments. In this blog post, we summarize, synthesize, and provide recommendations based on the survey responses, aiming to offer valuable insights for senior library directors navigating the AI landscape.

https://bit.ly/3M9yVc2

"OA and the Academy: Evaluating an OA Fund with Authors’ Input"

The University Libraries at Virginia Tech established an Open Access Subvention Fund (OASF) in August 2012. Although it began as a two-year pilot project, the Fund has continued to the present. Anyone at Virginia Tech is eligible to apply for funding to offset the cost of an article processing charge to publish in an open access journal. To learn more about user perceptions of the OASF and open access in general, we surveyed everyone who had requested support. The survey, conducted during the fall of 2019, provided a means to gauge the needs of our users, seek feedback on the request and award process, and gather input on the fund guidelines. In this article, we review our findings in the hope that the lessons learned will be useful to other libraries in assessing similar open access subvention funds.

https://bit.ly/3nxjUHs

"LSU Libraries Announces New Government Publications and Open Scholarship Department"

In the latter half of 2022, the Government Documents and Open Scholarship & Affordable Learning departments combined into a new LSU Libraries department named Open Scholarship & Government Publications. This new department aims to combine the uncopyrighted materials in Government Publications with openly licensed resources available via Open Scholarship to provide students and faculty with free access to research materials.

Open Scholarship & amp;Affordable Learning saved students and their families more than $4.1 million in the 2022 fiscal year through LSU Libraries’ e-Textbook Initiative, which provides free access to library-licensed eBooks that are used in courses. Since its inception in 2014, it has saved more than $11.6 million.

https://bit.ly/3nrhLwZ

Elizabeth Kiscaden: "Dean and University Librarian Named to Lead University of Cincinnati Libraries"

Elizabeth Kiscaden, MLIS, AHIP, has been named dean and university librarian of the University of Cincinnati Libraries, effective Aug. 14, pending approval by the UC Board of Trustees.

Kiscaden currently serves as university librarian and assistant vice provost of library services at Creighton University. While at Creighton, she has worked to modernize legacy library systems and infrastructure to support an anytime, anywhere, any device philosophy and is overseeing the development of a single library enterprise, bringing together campus and health sciences libraries.

https://bit.ly/3oMzD5B

"Is the Library Responsible for Open Access Compliance?"

In this scenario, the research office would be responsible for complying with the new open access mandates — just as it is for all other research funder obligations. Perhaps the research office would arrange Green deposits. Perhaps it would ensure that grant submissions to federal agencies include funds to cover APCs. Perhaps it would negotiate publishing services agreements with preferred vendors. Perhaps it would take a lax approach, assuming that there are few likely consequences to uneven compliance with this mandate.

https://bit.ly/3KMZ92e

Paywall: "When the Big Deal Gets Smaller: Use of ScienceDirect after Cancellations "

This study investigates how article downloads from ScienceDirect changed after Temple University Libraries downsized its all-inclusive Elsevier big deal bundle to a selective custom package. After the libraries lost current-year access to nearly half of Elsevier’s active journals, the total downloads from Elsevier journals declined by 16.2 percent over three years. Combined use of still-subscribed and open access journals fell 10.6 percent in the same three years. . . . Reliance on open access appears to have increased.

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/887660

Paywall: Digital Initiatives in Academic Libraries: Challenges and Opportunities

This article explores the discourse surrounding professional titles and responsibilities in digital initiatives within North American academic libraries between 1990 and 2020. A review of job advertisements, position descriptions, and professional activities reveals ambiguously defined responsibilities, inadequate technical education, and limited opportunities for training. Current trends suggest digital initiatives will expand from traditional digitization and digital library projects toward more diverse and flexible digital project management

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/887663

Paywall: "Going for Gold, Deep in the Red"

Having survived the budget uncertainties following the Great Recession and during the COVID-19 pandemic, libraries are no strangers to the hard work, patience, and luck needed when it comes to budget planning and pushing publishers toward OA. But will libraries ever achieve the ultimate feat of bagging gold OA for all titles in all disciplines? Open access comes at a price; a gold sweep may not be possible as many institutions continue to struggle financially with the after-effects of the pandemic and lower enrollment figures.

http://bit.ly/3MHU5yy

"University of California Agreement with Wiley Expands to All 10 UC Campuses: New Agreement Quadruples the Number of UC Articles Eligible for Free and Open Access in Wiley Journals"

The University of California, which generates nearly 10 percent of U.S. research output, and Wiley, one of the world’s largest publishers, announced today an expansion of their open access agreement. Researchers at all 10 UC campuses and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) will now receive funding support to publish open access, making significantly more UC research freely available to people around the world.

http://bit.ly/3GYDW4n

"Digital Information Security Management Policy in Academic Libraries: A Systematic Review (2010–2022)"

Digital information security management (DISM) is considered an important tool to ensure the privacy and protection of data and resources in an electronic environment. The purpose of this research is to look into the applications of DISM policies in terms of practices and implementation in academic libraries. It also identifies the challenges faced by academic libraries in applying these DISM practices regarding policy. A systematic literature review was conducted to achieve the objectives of the study. . . . A few libraries have developed a mechanism to protect and secure users’ sensitive data from hackers, viruses, malware and social engineering. Findings indicated that both organisations and users trust libraries due to their strict privacy and data security policies. However, some academic libraries did not adopt and implement DISM policies in their organisations, even though they had written DISM policies.

https://doi.org/10.1177/01655515231160026

University of Kansas: "Carol Smith Selected as Next Dean of KU Libraries"

The University of Kansas has selected Carol E. Smith to be the dean of the KU Libraries. Smith currently serves as university librarian at Colorado School of Mines, an institution with a Carnegie classification of very high research activity. Her appointment as dean of KU Libraries is effective July 3. . . .

Smith comprehensively reorganized the Colorado School of Mines library and museum in direct support of strategic goals. She established the Scholars Hub, a center for scholarly communications and open initiatives, and created a new engagement librarian role responsible for student outreach and robust curricular and cocurricular programming, including book discussions, workshops and more. She recruited new leadership that turned a static campus museum into a top regional family attraction with a K-12 outreach program.

https://lib.ku.edu/new-dean-carol-smith

Ithaka S+R US Library Survey 2022: Navigating the New Normal

Many library deans and directors are grappling with talent management and recruitment challenges. Nearly a fifth of respondents anticipate reducing staff in access services and technical services, metadata, and cataloging within the next five years. Furthermore, deans and directors are currently struggling to recruit personnel for roles in technology and programing, DEIA, cataloging and metadata, and indicate they are most likely to consider outsourcing cataloging and metadata and technology and programming skills.

https://doi.org/10.18665/sr.318642

Academic Library as Scholarly Publisher Bibliography, Version 3

Digital Scholarship has released the Academic Library as Scholarly Publisher Bibliography, version 3. This bibliography includes over 300 selected English-language articles, books, and technical reports about academic libraries’ digital publishing programs from 1989 though 2022. While academic libraries have published a variety of digital publications during this period, this bibliography primarily covers the open access publishing of scholarly books, journals, and other serials. It provides a brief narrative overview of the early development of these publishing efforts. It covers the establishment of new university presses by academic libraries, especially all-digital open access presses, and the merger or cooperative efforts of libraries and university presses. It also covers the technical publishing infrastructures used by library publishing programs. It includes full abstracts for works under certain Creative Commons Licenses. It is available as a website and a PDF file (52 pages). It includes a Google Translate link.

The bibliography has the following major sections:

https://digital-scholarship.org/alsp/alsp.htm

Digital Scholarship’s website bibliographies have been reformatted as single-page files and a PDF file designed for printing has been made available for each one. They include a Google Translate link.

Building a Community of Assessment: Final Report of the Research Library Impact Framework Pilot Initiative

The RLIF provides a structure to examine library services, operations, impact, and alignment with institutional mission and goals across four critical areas: Research and Scholarly Life Cycle; Teaching, Learning, and Student Success; Collections; and Physical Space. The full framework includes 185 potential research questions across these critical areas. However, the framework is also meant to be flexible and modular, allowing for modifications and adjustments based on salient issues facing research libraries. In this way, the framework serves as a tool to organize and prioritize research efforts.

bit.ly/3mOhqE0

Penn State: "University Libraries Expands Open Access Support via 3 New BTAA [Big 10] Agreements"

The agreements with Wiley, Institute of Physics (IOP) and Microbiology Society cover OA publishing charges for Penn State corresponding authors publishing in these publishers’ journals. Those qualified articles will be immediately open access on the publisher’s platform. These publishers will offer a choice of open access licenses to Penn State authors publishing in their journals. Authors retain copyright in their articles.

The agreements run for three years from Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2025. In general, articles will need to be accepted during the agreements’ timeframe. The agreements also cover subscriptions and read access to Wiley, Institute of Physics (IOP) and Microbiology Society journals. Unlimited open access publishing is included with no additional cost to individual Penn State authors.

bit.ly/3Sjx9Xa

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

"University of Oregon and Oregon State University Collaborate to Launch Oregon Digital"

The University of Oregon and Oregon State University are proud to announce the launch of Oregon Digital, a cultural heritage repository that brings together more than 500,000 digitized works from both universities, including unique digitized and born-digital collections. This collaborative effort includes historic and modern photographs, manuscripts, publications, and more.

https://library.uoregon.edu/node/7904

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

University Librarian at Concordia University

The Library holds over 2.2 million titles and welcomes over 2 million visitors annually from Concordia and the public. A leading proponent of Open Educational Resources, the Library features a technology sandbox and visualization studio with an immersive audio system that have well-defined service models to support a broad range of research, teaching, and learning activities. In addition to its collection of print and digital materials, the Library hosts a large range of special collections, including the Karl Polanyi Archive, the Negro Community Centre / Charles H. Este Cultural Centre archives, the Jazz Association of Montreal Fonds, and La Centrale Fonds. The Library is also home to Concordia University Press.

http://bit.ly/3Im3FES

University Librarian at Boston University

Boston University (BU) is seeking its next University Librarian to lead and implement a strategic vision for BU Libraries as part of our vibrant academic experience and thriving research community, with a major focus on the renovation of its central campus library, Mugar Memorial Library, a critical component of the BU2030 Strategic Plan. . . . The University today enrolls more than 36,000 students, including over 17,000 undergraduates, and employs more than 4,000 faculty members across 17 schools and colleges offering more than 300 programs of study. Its current annual operating budget is approximately $2.5 billion.

bit.ly/3loQHgl

Dean of the Libraries at Tulane University

The next Dean will build upon a solid foundation and excellent special and general collections across highly diverse academic areas to collaboratively develop and articulate a comprehensive strategic vision for the Tulane Libraries. Working closely with the Provost and a team of 96 library staff, the next Dean must develop measurable goals and articulate new priorities that will guide the Libraries’ path forward, encompassing both the Tulane Libraries’ role and physical spaces on campus, its relationship to the evolving information landscape, and its home within the multicultural, sophisticated, and vibrant community of New Orleans.

http://bit.ly/3HZAhnC

Dean of the USC Libraries at University of Southern California

President Carol Folt has outlined a bold set of moonshot initiatives that include a dramatic investment in the "Frontiers of Computing" and an expansion of the university’s health science efforts, and the next Dean will ensure the USC Libraries are aligned with these strategic initiatives while continuing to serve the expansive needs of USC’s equally expansive academic community. The Dean must recognize the Libraries’ existing strengths while building on its success, further elevating its national and international profile. With the strong support of the university administration, the next Dean will lead the USC Libraries into an exciting new era, in which traditional resources remain vital while digital technologies are re-defining the role of academic libraries.

bit.ly/3RjL1Ab

UNC-CH "María Estorino Named Vice Provost for University Libraries and University Librarian"

We are excited to share that María R. Estorino has been appointed vice provost for University Libraries and university librarian, effective Jan. 30. She has held this role in an interim capacity since May and will continue to provide collaborative and community-focused leadership on our campus.

Estorino has been a leader in academic libraries for more than 20 years. She joined the University Libraries in 2017 as associate university librarian for special collections and director of the Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library.

https://www.unc.edu/posts/2023/01/26/maria-estorino/