Research Libraries – DigitalKoans

Looking Towards a Brighter Future: The Potentiality of AI and Digital Transformations to Library Spaces

At the University of Leeds, we have developed an ambitious, bold vision for our libraries called Knowledge for all. Knowledge for all sets out the libraries’ direction for 2030, and digital transformation is critical in making our vision a reality. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Libraries Project forms the basis of this report and it is one of the steps the library is taking to achieve its bold vision. This vision is fully embraced by the University of Leeds as part of the university’s development strategy.

https://tinyurl.com/44v2c5w8

"Promoting Open Access in Research-Performing Organizations: Spheres of Activity, Challenges, and Future Action Areas "

Open access (OA) has become a critical issue in science policy and affects a wide range of activities in universities and research labs. Research-performing organizations (RPOs), defined as publicly funded universities and research institutions, face significant challenges in shaping the OA transformation. This article examines the spheres of activity available to RPOs for shaping the OA transformation, using a categorization of 22 spheres of activity related to OA. These spheres of activity include strategy and communication, services and infrastructures, business relationships with publishers, and collaborations. Current challenges and future action areas in promoting OA are also described, providing support for RPOs in handling OA and highlighting key issues. The categorization can serve as a tool for systematically assessing OA activities at RPOs and shows that OA is a cross-cutting issue in these organizations. Collaboration on OA activities, both within and beyond organizations, presents a challenge. To effectively promote OA, it is crucial to strengthen the interaction between funding agencies and RPOs. Libraries are critical stakeholders, playing a vital role in advancing OA at the local, national, and international levels in partnership with RPO management and other partners in faculty, administration, and information technology.

https://tinyurl.com/s3xepnhh

Paywall: "The Effect of Virtual Reality on Knowledge Acquisition and Situational Interest Regarding Library Orientation in the Time of COVID-19"

This study examines the impact of using virtual reality for library orientation for first-year university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. . . . The results showed that virtual reality can increase situational interest in the sub-dimensions of "instant enjoyment," "novelty" and "challenge," but not knowledge acquisition in library orientation. In addition, the qualitative data analysis concludes that virtual reality is unsuitable for the main library orientation program for a large group but is suitable as a supporting tool for library orientation.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102789

"Collaborating to Support the Use and Development of Open Educational Resources: A White Rose Libraries Research Project"

Interest in open educational resources (OER) has grown recently due to many external factors, including the restrictive, unsustainable and expensive business models for teaching materials that are being used by some publishers. In February 2021, the libraries of the UK White Rose University Consortium (White Rose Libraries) initiated a research project to explore the potential of OER and to create guidance in the form of an OER toolkit that could be used across all three institutions, and more widely. The project also aimed to seek improvements in the discovery of OER in the Ex Libris Primo discovery service which is used by all three libraries. This article outlines the methodology used to ascertain the needs of the libraries’ user groups to inform the development of the toolkit. A survey of academic staff across all three institutions was conducted, followed by user experience interviews. The survey findings established that more than half of respondents knew little or nothing about OER, and over half also said that they would be likely or extremely likely to consider using or adapting OER, clearly demonstrating the need for more awareness raising and guidance. The survey interview findings were then used to develop and refine the toolkit.

https://doi.org/10.1629/uksg.622

"USC Press and University Libraries Launch Open-Access Publishing Platform"

The University of South Carolina Press and University Libraries are embarking on a new collaborative venture: Open Carolina, an open-access publishing platform. . . .

Many ventures into open scholarly resources are planned as temporary pilot operations because they are funded by time-limited grant pools. Thanks to consistent funding from the Libraries, Open Carolina has a sustainable model that will allow scholars with limited publishing funds to share their research via the platform, partially or totally foregoing associated fees. In its inaugural year, the Libraries aim to fund four full-length books and support is in place to make the program sustainable for years to come and allow Open Carolina to grow steadily.

Open Carolina will offer opportunities to a wide range of scholars and researchers regardless of university affiliation.

https://tinyurl.com/yn7zd3ta

Paywall: "Impact of Conversational and Generative AI Systems on Libraries: A Use Case Large Language Model (LLM)"

The study aims to examine how artificial intelligence (AI) could potentially affect specific services provided by academic libraries in the near future. To achieve this, the study uses three different Generative AI systems: ChatGPT, Perplexity, and iAsk.Ai. . . . The three AI systems selected for this study represent different AI approaches that can be used in academic libraries. ChatGPT, for example, is a conversational AI system that can provide quick answers to patrons’ queries, while Perplexity is a language model that can assist with tasks such as cataloging and content classification. iAsk.Ai is a natural language processing (NLP) system that can assist with research and reference inquiries.

https://doi.org/10.1080/0194262X.2023.2254814

Paywall: "The State of Streaming Video Content at Academic Libraries"

This paper provides a literature review of academic library collection activities related to the provision of streaming video content in support of higher education curricula. It reviews the budgetary, collection management, licensing, technology, and acquisition processes and associated challenges that the provision of streaming video content poses for academic libraries in offering this much needed content to their patron base. The authors present a recent history of developing academic video collections, the transition to and increased demand for the streaming video format, and the evaluations required of funding models and vendor supply models to make the availability of streaming video content sustainable in the academic environment.

https://doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2023.2255561

"The State of Scientific PDF Accessibility in Repositories: A Survey in Switzerland"

This survey analyzes the quality of the portable document format (PDF) documents in online repositories in Switzerland, examining their accessibility for people with visual impairments. Two minimal accessibility features were analysed: the PDFs had to have tags and a hierarchical heading structure. The survey also includes interviews with the managers or heads of multiple Swiss universities’ repositories . . . An analysis of interviewee responses indicates an overall lack of awareness of PDF accessibility, and shows that online repositories currently have no concrete plans to address the issue. This paper concludes by presenting a set of recommendations for online repositories to improve the accessibility of their PDF documents.

https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1581

"Appeals Court Rules That Library of Congress Can No Longer Require Deposit of Published Works"

The bottom line now seems to be that CO [Copyright Office] can no longer require the deposit of two copies of all published works. Deposit can, it appears, continue to be a condition of copyright registration, but in light of this ruling it seems only a matter of time before that requirement is challenged as well. . . .

The implications of this ruling for the Library of Congress are potentially significant — if for no other reason than it will now have to purchase many of the books it once could rely on publishers and authors providing gratis.

https://tinyurl.com/zt23ksh8

"Finding the Right Platform: A Crosswalk of Academy-Owned and Open-Source Digital Publishing Platforms"

A key responsibility for many library publishers is to collaborate with authors to determine the best mechanisms for sharing and publishing research. Librarians are often asked to assist with a wide range of research outputs and publication types, including eBooks, digital humanities (DH) projects, scholarly journals, archival and thematic collections, and community projects. These projects can exist on a variety of platforms both for profit and academy owned. Additionally, over the past decade, more and more academy owned platforms have been created to support both library publishing programs. Library publishers who wish to emphasize open access and open-source publishing can feel overwhelmed by the proliferation of available academy-owned or -affiliated publishing platforms. For many of these platforms, documentation exists but can be difficult to locate and interpret. While experienced users can usually find and evaluate the available resources for a particular platform, this kind of documentation is often less useful to authors and librarians who are just starting a new publishing project and want to determine if a given platform will work for them. Because of the challenges involved in identifying and evaluating the various platforms, we created this comparative crosswalk to help library publishers (and potentially authors) determine which platforms are right for their services and authors’ needs.

https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:59231/

Digital Scholarship Has Released the Artificial Intelligence and Libraries Bibliography

The Artificial Intelligence and Libraries Bibliography includes over 125 selected English-language articles and books that are useful in understanding how libraries are exploring and adopting modern artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. It covers works from January 2018 through August 2023. It includes a Google Translate link. The bibliography is available as a website and a website PDF with live links.

Libraries have been exploring AI technology for a long time. In particular, there was an active period of experimentation from the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s that primarily focused on the use of expert systems. Many projects used expert system shells, which simplified development; however, some projects also used AI languages, such as Prolog. This period produced a significant number of library-related AI papers.

Subsequently, library interest in AI diminished until around 2018, when research activity increased.

The public release of generative AI systems in late 2022, such as ChatGPT, sparked a strong upsurge of interest in them and a rush to utilize their capabilities. Since these systems are relatively easy to use, this development may result in a significant new wave of library-oriented AI activity.

https://digital-scholarship.org/ai/ai-libraries.htm

"Towards Research Software-ready Libraries"

Software is increasingly acknowledged as valid research output. Academic libraries adapt to this change to become research software-ready. Software publication and citation are key areas in this endeavor. We present and discuss the current state of the practice of software publication and software citation, and discuss four areas of activity that libraries engage in: (1) technical infrastructure, (2) training and support, (3) software management and curation, (4) policies.

https://doi.org/10.1515/abitech-2023-0031

University Librarian at University of California, Berkeley

Comprising 22 libraries, the UC Berkeley Library has one of the world’s most comprehensive academic research collections, from the trove of primary documents chronicling the West at Bancroft Library, to the collaborative and innovative spaces at the Moffitt Library, to the vast and unparalleled collections at Doe Library — a beacon of information standing in the shadow of the iconic Campanile. Together, these libraries help sustain UC Berkeley as a leading producer of knowledge. The Library holds more than 13 million volumes in its world-renowned collections. Materials include paintings, lithographs, papyri, audio and video recordings, and ephemera such as leaflets from the Free Speech Movement, a note from Helen Keller to Mark Twain in honor of his 70th birthday, and vintage costumes worn by Berkeley’s beloved mascot, Oski. The Center for Connected Learning, a "collider space" where students will have access to one-stop consultation on retrieval, evaluation, and use of advanced information resources and will acquire skills required for 21st century information literacy will soon be open in Moffitt Library.

https://tinyurl.com/3368pf5k

"Research Reproducibility Activities in Health Sciences Libraries"

Within medical and health sciences libraries, research reproducibility work and services are seldom described in those terms, and are often hidden within other data services. RR work is highly dependent on institutional context, such as availability of partners and institutional needs. Most of the RR work is handled by individuals or teams who tend to focus on data services broadly. Meaningful assessment of the work is not done well at present. Getting administrators, researchers, and other stakeholders to associate the library with RR is a particular challenge. Librarians who are interested in RR could learn from others who are doing the work, understand their institutional context, identify relevant institutional partners, and model RR practices in their own work.

https://doi.org/10.7191/jeslib.650

"Association of Research Libraries and California Digital Library Receive Grant to Advance Data Management and Sharing"

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the California Digital Library (CDL) have received a $668,048 National Leadership Grant from the US Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to assist institutions in managing and sharing federally funded research data. This project will build a machine-actionable data-management plan (maDMP) tool by enhancing and developing new DMPTool features utilizing persistent identifiers (PIDs). CDL and ARL will work together to further strengthen institutional capacity for tracking research outputs by piloting the institutional integration of maDMPs across an academic campus and building community across institutions for maDMPs.

https://tinyurl.com/35x9d45z

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

Forthcoming, Paywall: Copyright: Best Practices for Academic Libraries

This book provides advice on how to analyze and apply the copyright law to specific areas encountered by librarians and instructors. . . . Written by Donna L. Ferullo, the Director of the University Copyright Office at Purdue University who holds both law and library science degrees and Dwayne K. Buttler, the Evelyn J. Schneider Endowed Chair for Scholarly Communication at the University of Louisville, who also holds a law degree.

Google Books preview.

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

"Progressing with Patience: An Unflinching Look at the Challenges of Digital Preservation"

Many academic libraries have devoted significant time, resources, and strategy to developing approaches that steward digital assets responsibly into the future. This paper examines how one academic library’s experience [University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas] with this work has progressed over nearly a decade, and compares the experience to trends in the field. The point of view of technical services, digital collections, and management, are represented and specific workflows are shared. The paper takes a close look at challenges faced, explains how strategy has evolved over time, and shares examples of how other organizations might benefit from a shift in how progress is assessed through a new perspective on success.

https://repository.ifla.org/handle/123456789/2689

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

"Artificial Intelligence in Subject-Specific Library Work: Trends, Perspectives, and Opportunities"

The general implications of AI for libraries are much discussed in library literature. But while this discussion takes place at the library-wide level, there are also important implications for subject librarians due to the specific uses of AI in different professions and areas of study. These are often overlooked as these specializations tend to publish in subject-specific journals. This article aims to address this research gap by providing a comparison and thematic analysis of this literature. Subject-specific library journals in the areas of law, health sciences, business, and humanities and social sciences were searched to identify relevant journal articles that discussed AI. 139 articles were identified and tagged with at least one category that reflected the nature of the discussion around AI. The following analysis showed that literature related to law had the greatest number of articles by far, though the publishing activity in all disciplines has increased significantly in the last 10 years. This article explores these trends to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the implications for subject-specific library work.

https://doi.org/10.33137/cjal-rcbu.v9.39951

Paywall: "From Stacks to Screens: Improving Access to Theses and Dissertations with Digitization and Automation"

The purpose of this case study is to share reproducible workflows for digitization, enhanced with automation, that can be adopted by other institutions who aim to increase accessibility and discoverability of their unique institutional research. Few studies have shared their workflows in a detailed, transparent way that can be reproduced by others who are interested in taking on digitization projects to improve access and discoverability via an institutional repository.

https://doi.org/10.1080/07317131.2023.2226433

"The Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL) Symposium: A Blueprint Designed in Response to a Community of Practice Need"

Background: Health sciences libraries in medical schools, academic health centers, health care networks, and hospitals have established institutional repositories (IRs) to showcase their research achievements, increase visibility, expand the reach of institutional scholarship, and disseminate unique content. Newer roles for IRs include publishing open access journals, tracking researcher productivity, and serving as repositories for data sharing. Many repository managers oversee their IR with limited assistance from others at their institution. Therefore, IR practitioners find it valuable to network and learn from colleagues at other institutions.

Case Presentation: This case report describes the genesis and implementation of a new initiative specifically designed for a health sciences audience: the Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL) Symposium. Six medical librarians from hospitals and academic institutions in the U.S. organized the inaugural symposium held virtually in November 2021. The goal was to fill a perceived gap in conference programming for IR practitioners in health settings. Themes of the 2021 and subsequent 2022 symposium included IR management, increasing readership and engagement, and platform migration. Post-symposium surveys were completed by 73/238 attendees (31%) in 2021 and by 62/180 (34%) in 2022. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

Discussion: Participant responses in post-symposium surveys rated MIRL highly. The MIRL planning group intends to continue the symposium and hopes MIRL will steadily evolve, build community among IR practitioners in the health sciences, and expand the conversation around best practices for digital archiving of institutional content. The implementation design of MIRL serves as a blueprint for collaboratively bringing together a professional community of practice.

https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1503

"Sustainability of Open-Access Author Fund: A Case Study of Faculty Usage Patterns and APC Cost"

The California State University, Los Angeles Library established a pilot program on Open-Access (OA) Author Fund in 2018. This article presents information about the management of the University Library’s Open-Access Author Fund. Particularly, this article focuses on faculty usage of the OA Author Fund by colleges, disciplines, and publishers. Additionally, the authors examined the article processing charges (APCs) and self-archiving policies of the top open-access journals where Cal State LA faculty publish. This analysis will assist the University Library’s Open-Access Group to understand if the University Library needs to provide additional funding and explore new ways to sustain the funding. Our research also revealed that librarians in specific academic areas can be more proactive in educating, explaining, and initiating conversations with disciplinary faculty about the benefits of open-access publications.

https://tinyurl.com/35kprj6a

Paywall: "An Initial Interpretation of the U.S. Department of Education’s AI Report: Implications and Recommendations for Academic Libraries"

This article provides an analysis of the U.S. Department of Education’s report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its implications for academic libraries. It delves into the report’s key points, including the importance of AI literacy, the need for educator involvement in AI design and implementation, and the necessity of preparing for AI related issues. The author discusses how these points impact academic libraries and offers actionable recommendations for library leaders. It emphasizes the need for libraries to promote AI literacy, involve librarians in AI implementation, develop guidelines for AI use, prepare for AI issues, and collaborate with other stakeholders.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102761

"Trends in Research Data Management and Academic Health Sciences Libraries"

Spurred by the National Institute of Health mandating a data management and sharing plan as a requirement of grant funding, research data management has exploded in importance for librarians supporting researchers and research institutions. This editorial examines the role and direction of libraries in this process from several viewpoints. Key markers of success include collaboration, establishing new relationships, leveraging existing relationships, accessing multiple avenues of communication, and building niche expertise and cachè as a valued and trustworthy partner. [Article includes case studies.]

https://doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2023.2218776

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

"Building a Framework for Open Research Skills at the University of York"

This case study describes the development of an open research skills framework at the University of York. The framework responds to a need for more comprehensive training, clarity and understanding around open research practices across disciplines at York, in line with the University’s commitment to the long-term development of an open research culture. The framework was developed by Library, Archives and Learning Services (LALS) in partnership with practitioners from different disciplines across the University’s research community. We summarize the background of open research activities at York since 2020, describe how the project was initiated and progressed during the summer of 2022, then provide an overview of the framework itself including areas for future development and consideration. We conclude with some early indicators of usage and reflections on the project, and we hope that this case study will prove useful for research support staff who may be considering developing a similar framework for their own institution.

https://doi.org/10.1629/uksg.618

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

"NISO Approves Working Group to Develop Recommended Practice for Operationalizing Open Access Business Processes"

The volume of OA content has proliferated in recent years, but the systems and workflows currently used by publishers and librarians were designed for traditional, pay-to-read models. Business processes are currently inadequate to address the requirements of—for example—transformative agreements, which require complex financial management and the tracking of authors and publishing outputs across large institutions. Libraries face challenges in managing micropayments and assessing the financial impact of such agreements, and authors often have difficulty determining whether their manuscript is eligible for OA publication under agreement terms. These complexities also impact publisher editorial and financial systems. As a result, organizations often adopt manual processes for managing these agreements, giving rise to inefficiencies across the ecosystem.

NISO’s Working Group will address the problem by identifying gaps in the infrastructure for OA publications and agreements, developing terminology to describe the surrounding processes, and outlining best practices for exchanging data and analytics and metrics. The work will focus first on the metadata required for exchange prior to publication as well as for article-level financial transactions, and then address reporting following publication. As the new Recommended Practice will be of interest to publishers, libraries, authors, funders, and OA advocates and community initiatives, the group is seeking volunteers representing a range of stakeholder groups from across the scholarly communications industry.

https://tinyurl.com/ywb7cu3e