DigitalKoans – Page 24 – What Is the Sound of One E-Print Downloading?

Next Generation Metrics for Scientific and Scholarly Research in Europe

The field of evaluating academic activities is vast, complex, and highly dynamic, as are the roles of any data and indicators used to support these evaluations This Next Generation Metrics for Scientific and Scholarly Research in Europe paper, explores how universities can and should use currently available metrics and data to assess their research evaluation processes, in conjunction with qualitative expertise and information.

The authors have chosen to focus on the aspect of academic evaluation that shows great potential for significant advancements in the coming years: the use and advancement of next-generation metrics for responsible research evaluation, encompassing open science, societal impact, and innovation.

The paper aims to support universities in shaping their metric policies in alignment with their own missions, rather than relying solely on standard metrics and data availability. The paper furthermore intends to serve as a framework for universities to determine priorities to work on in specific domains for the application of contextually relevant indicators and metrics.

The authors place strong emphasis on the reuse of existing expertise on metrics as well as on collaboration, both among universities and between universities and funding agencies to achieve these goals.

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11123148

Thomas Intern for Digital Archives and Forensics at University of Oregon Libraries

Under the direction of Technical Services staff in Special Collections and University Archives, the Intern will receive training and experience in performing a range of archival work related to digital archives including data capture, integrity and fixity, inventory control, metadata standards, description, preservation, and provisioning for access. In addition to learning about the unique challenges of digital archives, the Intern will learn and utilize fundamental archival principles of appraisal, provenance and original order, authenticity, preservation and reliability, and legal issues related to copyright, privacy and access.

https://rb.gy/nfuaef

"The Puzzle of Large-Scale Digital Collections: Have We Reached an Inflection Point?"

Shared Collections allows institutions either to have JSTOR harvest their digital collections of documents, photos, and other special collections from a local Digital Asset Management System, or to create and share those same collections through JSTOR’s collection management tool. . . . While Shared Collections appears to represent a significant advance, the jury will be out for some time. The fundamental issues facing DPLA and Shared Collections are simply difficult, and the struggles with them have little or nothing to do with the skills or intentions of the capable people of both organizations. It is both a tough economic problem and an outcome of what we might call "rugged individualism in heritage collections": while shared descriptive efforts have been in place for books for more than a century, many standards for heritage collections have emerged since 2000. It’s a symptom of under-investment in cultural heritage in the United States.

https://rb.gy/597nkq

Open Research Manager at University of St Andrews

We are looking for a proactive, enthusiastic and highly skilled individual with expert knowledge of open access and scholarly publishing to join our Open Research team in Libraries & Museums, University of St Andrews. The purpose of this role is to focus on advocacy and outreach for Open Access, managing specific elements of the infrastructure, staff and services which support the University’s culture of Open Research.

https://rb.gy/cldx3c

"Recognising Open Research Data in Research Assessment: Overview of Practices and Challenges"

The literature review aims at identifying content and key issues regarding the assessment of ORD practices nationally and internationally. It starts from the observation that research assessment needs to be reformed as they are currently biased towards scientific publications. Internationally, discussions and projects thereon have emerged. To contextualise recORD and this literature review, we first describe international and Swiss initiatives for reforming research assessment and how they include ORD recognition. The remainder of the review follows an innovative methodology as it identifies first core values in responsible research assessment, and second existing frameworks, to thirdly derive propositions to keep in mind when developing concrete ORD-specific research assessment recommendations. In a final section, the review presents further readings and useful weblinks on the recognition of ORD in research assessment.

https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.11060206

Geospatial Data Analyst at Arizona State University

The person in this position is responsible for maintaining, enhancing, and populating those platforms with geospatial data, digital images, and associated web mapping applications. This involves the entire data acquisition and dissemination pipeline: identifying valuable new sources of public and proprietary geospatial data; facilitating data delivery/transmission processes from those sources; manipulating and managing large quantities of datasets in a diverse range of file formats; creating corresponding metadata records adhering to industry-compliant schema standards; loading data and metadata into tailored geospatial data distribution and curation platforms; producing derivative, value-added data products and their associated metadata; assisting with strategies for improving the efficiency and efficacy of geospatial data processing, documentation, and dissemination methods; and collaborating across the entirety of the organization and local community to best serve the University and global public.

https://rb.gy/16pp8l

"The Prevalence of Textbook Affordability and OER Initiatives at ARL Libraries"

Textbook affordability programs and the promotion of OER are well-established priorities for many academic libraries, but few studies have examined the prevalence of such programs either in general or across institution types. This paper presents the results of a study designed to gather information about textbook affordability initiatives at university libraries that are members Association of Research Libraries. It uses information from the publicly available websites of ARL libraries in the United States to determine how many of those institutions maintain textbook affordability programs, with those figures further broken down by status (public/private) and membership in the Open Education Network. In addition, the findings reveal some notable characteristics of textbook affordability programs, including an overall lack of visibility on institutional websites, a marked variety in financial incentives, and evidence of programs that have been discontinued.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2024.102884

Electronic Resources Librarian at North Carolina Central University

The Electronic Resources Librarian manages the Library’s electronic resources and ensures optimal and accurate access to subscription resources, including databases, electronic journals, and e-books.

https://jobs.nccu.edu/postings/30684

"Artificial Intelligence’s Role in Digitally Preserving Historic Archives"

The term "Artificial Intelligence" (AI) is increasingly permeating public consciousness as it has gained more popularity in recent years, especially within the landscape of academia and libraries. AI in libraries has been a trending subject of interest for some time, as within the library there are numerous departments that serve a role in collectively contributing to the library’s mission. Consequently, it is imperative to consider AI’s influence on the digital preservation of historic documents. This paper delves into the historical evolution of preservation methods driven by technological advancements as, throughout history, libraries, archives, and museums have grappled with the challenge of preserving historical collections, while many of the traditional preservation methods are costly and involve a lot of manual (human) effort. AI being the catalyst for transformation could change this reality and perhaps redefine the process of preservation; thus, this paper explores the emerging trend of incorporating AI technology into preservation practices and provides predictions regarding the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence in preservation for the future. With that in mind, this paper addresses the following questions: could AI be what changes or creates a paradigm shift in how preservation is done?; and could it be the thing that will change the way history is safeguarded?

https://doi.org/10.1515/pdtc-2023-0050

Audiovisual Preservation Specialist at Iowa State University

The AV Preservation Specialist is primarily responsible for maintaining and caring for the Special Collections & University Archives audiovisual collections and digital conversion of AV and film materials. In cooperation with SCUA and Preservation staff, the AV Preservation Specialist is instrumental in establishing preservation and digitization priorities for the collection. They will work with vendors and manage digital conversion projects, provide recommendations for preservation storage for both analog and digital masters, and assist in incorporating AV materials into the library’s digital collections.

https://bit.ly/3QANZ49

"Association of Research Libraries and Coalition for Networked Information Publish AI-Influenced Scenarios for Research Environment"

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) are pleased to announce the publication of The ARL/CNI 2035 Scenarios: AI-Influenced Futures in the Research Environment. These scenarios explore potential futures shaped by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and its integration within the research environment.

Developed through a robust, member-driven process, these scenarios serve as a strategic resource to aid leaders in the research environment in navigating the complex landscape of AI technologies. Library directors, IT leaders, funding agencies, academic presidents and provosts, and those working in scholarly publishing are among the many individuals who will find these scenarios useful. By examining diverse futures, ARL and CNI aim to equip their members with the foresight needed to proactively address the challenges and opportunities that AI presents.

https://tinyurl.com/24c7s7wn

Associate Dean for Collections and Discovery Services at San Diego State University

The Associate Dean for Collections and Discovery Services provides leadership for the design and implementation of strategies for the acquisition, access, discovery, development, management and long-term stewardship of its collections, information resources, and discovery platforms.

https://apply.interfolio.com/140375

"Thousands of AI Authors on the Future of AI"

In the largest survey of its kind, 2,778 researchers who had published in top-tier artificial intelligence (AI) venues gave predictions on the pace of AI progress and the nature and impacts of advanced AI systems The aggregate forecasts give at least a 50% chance of AI systems achieving several milestones by 2028, including autonomously constructing a payment processing site from scratch, creating a song indistinguishable from a new song by a popular musician, and autonomously downloading and fine-tuning a large language model. If science continues undisrupted, the chance of unaided machines outperforming humans in every possible task was estimated at 10% by 2027, and 50% by 2047. The latter estimate is 13 years earlier than that reached in a similar survey we conducted only one year earlier [Grace et al., 2022]. However, the chance of all human occupations becoming fully automatable was forecast to reach 10% by 2037, and 50% as late as 2116 (compared to 2164 in the 2022 survey).

Most respondents expressed substantial uncertainty about the long-term value of AI progress: While 68.3% thought good outcomes from superhuman AI are more likely than bad, of these net optimists 48% gave at least a 5% chance of extremely bad outcomes such as human extinction, and 59% of net pessimists gave 5% or more to extremely good outcomes. Between 38% and 51% of respondents gave at least a 10% chance to advanced AI leading to outcomes as bad as human extinction. More than half suggested that "substantial" or "extreme" concern is warranted about six different AI-related scenarios, including misinformation, authoritarian control, and inequality. There was disagreement about whether faster or slower AI progress would be better for the future of humanity. However, there was broad agreement that research aimed at minimizing potential risks from AI systems ought to be prioritized more.

https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.02843v2

UX Designer at West Virginia University (Remote)

The designer reports to the Director of Systems in the WVU Libraries and works as part of the Systems department. In this role, the UX designer will guide the development of front-end products for the WVU Libraries websites, web applications, digital collections, and other web-based resources, developing and conducting usability testing as part of a collaborative environment consisting of library, university, and community stakeholders.

https://tinyurl.com/3h3jw8vy

Paywall: "Transforming Academic Librarianship through AI Reskilling: Insights from the GPT-4 Exploration Program"

This case study examines the GPT-4 Exploration Program at the University of New Mexico’s College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences, which aimed to foster a culture of continuous learning and innovation by providing hands-on experience with advanced AI technology. . . . The study reveals that effective AI reskilling involves cultivating a culture of continuous learning, adaptability, and collaborative exploration, anchored in a practical, hands-on approach. Participants reported significant improvements in AI literacy and confidence in applying AI tools to their work.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2024.102883

Open Scholarship Librarian at Augusta University

Lead campus efforts in creating open educational textbooks, open educational resources, and other teaching materials

Collaborate with partners to expand open access efforts on campus and explore other open research opportunities

Serve on the University System of Georgia/GALILEO Georgia Knowledge Repository Committee and as the library champion for Affordable Learning Georgia on the Augusta University campus

https://www.augusta.edu/hr/jobs/

Paywall: "Open Peer Review Correlates with Altmetrics but Not with Citations: Evidence from Nature Communications and PLoS One"

The analysis reveals articles subjected to OPR [Open Peer Review] have no obvious advantage in citations but a notable higher score in altmetrics. The distribution of data variation across most disciplines, displaying a statistically significant difference between OPR and non-OPR, mirrors the overall trend. Two potential explanations for the disparity in OPR’s impact on citations compared to altmetrics are proposed. The first relates to the quality heterogeneity between OPR and non-OPR research, while the second is related to the diverse authors citing and mentioning articles in distinct communities.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2024.101540

Assistant Director of Research Support & Digital Initiatives, UT Libraries at University of Texas Austin

Reporting to the Director of Academic Engagement, the AD of RSDI identifies and implements strategic directions for services and programs to support academic research across all disciplines and in multiple modalities, including reference, research consultation, teaching, liaison work, research data services, open science practices, collection development, curation, and digital scholarship. . . . The AD of RSDI leads a department consisting of four teams: Two Engagement Teams of Subject Liaison Librarians are focused on innovative research lifecycle support, digital project work and initiatives, data management planning, and related skill building. The Digital Scholarship Team provides consultation and learning opportunities associated with Digital Humanities and Digital Scholarship and oversees the Scholars Commons and Scholars Lab, physical spaces and programmatic initiatives central to facilitating and showcasing digital project work, supporting all facets of the research lifecycle, and nurturing interdisciplinary community. Research Data Services is the fourth team and they coordinate training and support for data management, GIS, the Texas Data Repository, and engagement with the UT Open Source Program Office (OSPO).

https://tinyurl.com/4ccy8njj

"And Never the Twain Shall Meet? Institutional Open Access Policies (IOAPs) and Review, Promotion, and Tenure (RPT)"

Introduction: Institutional open access policies (IOAPs) express an institutional commitment to making scholarly knowledge openly accessible, typically by asking academics to deposit their scholarship into an open access (OA) repository. Faculty, however, must prioritize other scholarly requirements, such as those specified in review, promotion, and tenure (RPT) processes and policies. If IOAPs are ignored or in conflict with RPT, they will not be as effective as possible. Literature Review: Despite the fact that many higher education institutions say they value scholarly research contributing to the public good, they often do not articulate that OA is a necessary component to achieve this goal. Parallelly, increasing numbers of higher education institutions have adopted an IOAP, but few of them include the policy in RPT policies. Methods: An electronic survey was disseminated to members of the Coalition of Open Access Policy Institutions (COAPI) in order to quantify how many include the concept of OA and/or their IOAP in their RPT mechanisms. Results: Only four out of 28 respondents indicated that the concept of OA is integrated into RPT at their institution, and only one out of 28 reported that the IOAP is present in RPT. Discussion: Consistent with sparse examples in the literature, this study suggests that most IOAPs exist in separation from RPT, and this separation threatens the success of IOAPs. Conclusion: Faculty prioritize RPT guidelines in order to advance their careers, but these policies rarely address OA and IOAPs. More attention to the relationship between IOAPs and RPT is necessary in order to discover how they can complement one another and enhance scholarly knowledge production and exchange.

https://doi.org/10.31274/jlsc.16899

Systems Librarian at Middle Tennessee State University

The systems librarian is a Collection Development and Management (CDM) department member and reports to the chair. The position is highly collaborative, working with all members of the library and various campus partners. The systems librarian plays a key role in the work of the library and in making resources accessible to library users. They lead the Systems Unit within CDM, directly supervising one systems administrator and one applications support analyst.

https://tinyurl.com/bt4mjpe3

"Are Transformative Agreements Worth It? An Analysis of Open Access Publication Data at the University of Kentucky"

Open access publishing is continuing to grow as funders such as cOAlition S, National Institutes of Health, and the White House implement mandates and requirements that publicly funded research be made immediately available for public consumption. Publishers have adopted open access as a business model through transformative agreements that combine subscription and publishing fees. However, it is unclear whether these agreements are beneficial for libraries. This article discusses a project by the University of Kentucky Libraries to gather and analyze open access publication data to aid in the evaluation of transformative agreement proposals. This article also discusses how the University of Kentucky compares to peer institutions in the Southeastern Conference and other benchmark institutions regarding open access publishing output. Additionally, this article discusses downsides of transformative agreements and highlights promising alternatives.

https://doi.org/10.5860/lrts.68n1.8211

Electronic Resources Specialist at University of Pittsburgh

This position is responsible for the coordination, configuration, and administration of the institution’s extensive electronic resources collections. This position is instrumental in supporting the research and learning needs of the university community. Responsible for overseeing the lifecycle of electronic resources, including e-journals, databases, e-books, and digital media, from acquisitions to accessibility. Monitors, troubleshoots, and resolves access issues by communicating with vendors and stakeholders to ensure optimal functionality of resources. Reviews, interprets, and tracks license agreements to ensure compliance to support users.

https://tinyurl.com/twpc4vcc

"Navigating Open Access and Transformative Agreements: A Case Study of the University of Maryland"

"What should we be doing as a public institution when it comes to open access and transformative publishing agreements"” Most large US research institutions are facing this question, including the University of Maryland, College Park. This article explores this issue by looking at the University’s publishing landscape from a high level. It then dives deeper into three recent transformative agreements the University library has entered, investigating pricing, usage, and publishing data for a nonprofit society publisher, a for-profit commercial publisher, and, finally, a university press. The goal is to better understand how these agreements intersect with university-sponsored scholarship, library budgets, and the implications for the academic publishing landscape.

https://doi.org/10.5860/lrts.68n1.8219

Digital Initiatives Librarian at The University of Alabama

Oversees digital services operations in Special Collections, including supervision of staff and students working on digitization projects to ensure accuracy and productivity.

Designs and implements innovative online exhibits of resources in Special Collections.

Collaborates with the Head of Special Collections to set priorities for the digitization queue and determine intellectual property rights of resources.

Collaborates on joint projects between Special Collections and the Alabama Digital Humanities Center.

https://tinyurl.com/msymxw8a

"Exploring a Read and Publish Agreement: The Three-Year Taylor & Francis Pilot"

The Ohio State University Libraries (University Libraries) entered into a three-year read and publish pilot agreement with Taylor & Francis in 2020—the first read and publish agreement for The Ohio State University and the first such deal for Taylor & Francis in the Americas. This study provides an overview of University Libraries’ motivations behind the agreement, the lessons we learned implementing and supporting the agreement, and the open access publishing outcomes of the pilot agreement that ended December 2022.

https://doi.org/10.5860/lrts.68n1.8213