Category: Research Libraries

"Towards More Consistent, Transparent, and Multi-Purpose National Bibliographic Databases for Research Output"

Linda Sile et al. have published "Towards More Consistent, Transparent, and Multi-Purpose National Bibliographic Databases for Research Output" in the LSE Impact Blog.

Here's an excerpt:

Even though the various national databases differ in terms of implementation and organisation, the challenges faced are rather similar. These range from specific technical tasks such as record deduplication, to more theoretical debates on principles that should guide the work with national bibliographic databases. However, perhaps the most pertinent issue is the need for reliable (persistent) identifiers for all research information entities. Author identifiers, research organisation identifiers, digital object identifiers – all of these could, in the long run, establish a more stable research information environment where different datasets can be integrated across institutional, regional, and even national contexts.

Academic Library as Scholarly Publisher Bibliography | Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

"Using Static Site Generators for Scholarly Publications and Open Educational Resources"

Chris Diaz has published "Using Static Site Generators for Scholarly Publications and Open Educational Resources" in the Code4Lib Journal.

Here's an excerpt:

Static site generators build websites from plain-text files. Most are free to use and are available under an open source license [1]. They are often described in comparison to content management system (CMS) software, like WordPress or Drupal. CMS websites use database processes on a web server to dynamically create HTML on demand. Static site generators, however, perform all of the plain-text-to-HTML processing before the files are deployed online. This preprocessing workflow removes the need for high-touch system administration, database installations, server-side processing, and security patching, reducing the need for full-time developers and system administrators for digital publishing services. These advantages make static site hosting, maintenance, and preservation more affordable and sustainable for small teams.

Northwestern University Libraries began using static site generators for our digital publishing service in 2018. We initially licensed the Digital Commons platform from Bepress to support our open access publishing services, but the Elsevier acquisition made us question our reliance on proprietary software and motivated us to consider open source alternatives (Schonfeld 2018). At the same time, interest in open source software for library publishing was growing (Library Publishing Coalition 2018). This article reflects on our use of two open source static site generators for library publishing, including an overview and evaluation of the technologies while focusing on two popular use cases: scholarly publications and open educational resources.

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"CLOCKSS Formalizes Long-Standing Commitments from Four Leading Universities to Ensure Perpetual Preservation"

CLOCKSS has released "CLOCKSS Formalizes Long-Standing Commitments from Four Leading Universities to Ensure Perpetual Preservation."

Here's an excerpt:

Four of CLOCKSS's twelve library nodes have agreed to continue to preserve the digital content that is preserved in CLOCKSS, if the organization were to cease to exist. In that unlikely event, Stanford Libraries (U.S.), Humboldt University (Germany), the University of Edinburgh (U.K.), and the University of Alberta Libraries (Canada) would take over the responsibility and the organization for running the LOCKSS software across the CLOCKSS content, to continue preservation for the future.

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"Software Curation in Research Libraries: Practice and Promise"

Alexandra Chassanoff et al. have published "Software Curation in Research Libraries: Practice and Promise" in the Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication.

Here's an excerpt:

INTRODUCTION Research software plays an increasingly vital role in the scholarly record. Academic research libraries are in the early stages of exploring strategies for curating and preserving research software, aiming to facilitate support and services for long-term access and use. DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM In 2016, the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) began offering postdoctoral fellowships in software curation. Four institutions hosted the initial cohort of software curation fellows. This article describes the work activities and research program of the cohort, highlighting the challenges and benefits of doing this exploratory work in research libraries. NEXT STEPS Academic research libraries are poised to play an important role in research and development around robust services for software curation. The next cohort of CLIR fellows is set to begin in fall 2018 and will likely shape and contribute substantially to an emergent research agenda.

Academic Library as Scholarly Publisher Bibliography | Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

"Developing a Business Plan for a Library Publishing Program"

Kate McCready and Emma Molls have published "Developing a Business Plan for a Library Publishing Program" in Publications.

Here's an excerpt:

Over the last twenty years, library publishing has emerged in higher education as a new class of publisher. Conceived as a response to commercial publishing practices that have strained library budgets and prevented scholars from openly licensing and sharing their works, library publishing is both a local service program and a broader movement to disrupt the current scholarly publishing arena. It is growing both in numbers of publishers and numbers of works produced. The commercial publishing framework which determines the viability of monetizing a product is not necessarily applicable for library publishers who exist as a common good to address the needs of their academic communities. Like any business venture, however, library publishers must develop a clear service model and business plan in order to create shared expectations for funding streams, quality markers, as well as technical and staff capacity. As the field is maturing from experimental projects to full programs, library publishers are formalizing their offerings and limitations. The anatomy of a library publishing business plan is presented and includes the principles of the program, scope of services, and staffing requirements. Other aspects include production policies, financial structures, and measures of success.

Academic Library as Scholarly Publisher Bibliography | Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

Associate University Librarians at Cornell University

Cornell University is recruiting two Associate University Librarians.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

All qualified candidates are invited to apply, however particular emphasis will be placed on the candidates' abilities to supervise personnel and support strategic initiatives in two broad areas: (1) special collections and (2) information technology and digital research.

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"Measuring Open Access Policy Compliance: Results of a Survey"

Shannon Kipphut-Smith et al. have published "Measuring Open Access Policy Compliance: Results of a Survey" in the Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication.

Here's an excerpt:

INTRODUCTION In the last decade, a significant number of institutions have adopted open access (OA) policies. Many of those working with OA policies are tasked with measuring policy compliance. This article reports on a survey of Coalition of Open Access Policy Institutions (COAPI) members designed to better understand the methods currently used for measuring and communicating OA policy success. METHODS This electronic survey was distributed to the COAPI member listserv, inviting both institutions who have passed an implemented policies and those who are still developing policies to participate. RESULTS The results to a number of questions related to topics such as policy workflows, quantitative and qualitative measurement activities and related tools, and challenges showed a wide range of responses, which are shared here. DISCUSSION It is clear that a number of COAPI members struggle with identifying what should be measured and what tools and methods are appropriate. The survey illustrates how each institution measures compliance differently, making it difficult to benchmark against peer institutions. CONCLUSION As a result of this survey, we recommend that institutions working with OA policies be as transparent as possible about their data sources and methods when calculating deposit rates and other quantitative measures. It is hoped that this transparency will result in the development of a set of qualitative and quantitative best practices for assessing OA policies that standardizes assessment terminology and articulates why institutions may want to measure policies.

Academic Library as Scholarly Publisher Bibliography | Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

"Surveying the State of Data Curation: a Review of Policy and Practice in UK HEIs"

Amy Pham has self-archived "Surveying the State of Data Curation: a Review of Policy and Practice in UK HEIs."

Here's an excerpt:

Through a three-part methodology, the dissertation research aimed to provide a clear picture of the current state of data curation in UK HEIs, including adherence to best practices and the existence of provisions for data curation efforts. A survey questionnaire was disseminated as the primary method of data collection, and additional information was gathered through a literature review and an analysis of online resources and institutional policies. Data curation practices were found to be mostly inconsistent with best practices and were largely focused on facilitating access to research data. However, there is an awareness of the underdeveloped areas of data curation, especially preservation, and efforts are being made to improve these areas. Institutional policies were found to be mostly documents that defined roles and responsibilities and provided little guidance for follow-through. The role of researchers was repeatedly emphasized in both policy and practice and was essential in understanding the current state of data curation.

Academic Library as Scholarly Publisher Bibliography | Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

"Learning to Love Data (Week): Creating Data Services Awareness on Campus"

Katie Wissel and Lisa DeLuca have published "Learning to Love Data (Week): Creating Data Services Awareness on Campus" in College & Research Libraries News.

Here's an excerpt:

In May 2017, The Economist ran a cover story titled "The world's most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data." Given the continued growth in the sourcing, curating, and storing of data for academic research, it seems the academy would agree. In response to this growing need at Seton Hall, a midsized research university, the Seton Hall University (SHU) Libraries conducted an assessment of the current and emerging data requirements of the researchers and students on campus.

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Vice President for the Harvard Library and University Librarian at Harvard University

Harvard University is recruiting a Vice President for the Harvard Library and University Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

In his or her capacity as the Roy E. Larsen Librarian for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the incumbent has an additional reporting relationship to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and is responsible for the leadership and administration of the major libraries and numerous departmental and specialized libraries within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), including but not limited to a centrally administered unit within the FAS that is referred to as the Harvard College Library (HCL). HCL includes Widener, Lamont, Cabot, Houghton, and many departmental and specialty libraries.

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"’Publication Favela’ or Bibliodiversity? Open Access Publishing Viewed from a European Perspective"

Pierre Mounier has published "'Publication Favela' or Bibliodiversity? Open Access Publishing Viewed from a European Perspective" in Learned Publishing.

Here's an excerpt:

As a future infrastructure to support open scholarly communication across Europe, OPERAS aims to coordinate a range of publishers and service providers to offer researchers and societies a fully functional web of services to cover the entire research lifecycle.

Academic Library as Scholarly Publisher Bibliography | Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

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