Tag Archives: e-journals

Library Publishing Through the IFLA Global Lens

This posting is sponsored by the Library Publishing SIG and published in cooperation with the ARL Section. Members of the Library Publishing SIG reach out to library publishers and invite them to respond to a series of questions.

This post features Markus Putnings, a Senior Librarian at the University Library of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Bavaria, Germany, in charge of FAU University Press and the Open Access Department, see full bio on LinkedIn and activities & works in ORCiD.

 

What attracted you to work in library publishing?

I have worked in several areas of the book industry. Originally, I trained as a bookseller. Then e-books came along, Amazon became big, everything was particularly painful for the small, owner-operated bookshops. Adapt or perish was the motto, so I studied business informatics with a focus on information systems and e-business and started working in the new media editorial department at a medium-sized German publishing house. This publishing house was one of the first to publish in a media-neutral way; it brought out eBooks on USB sticks and CD-ROMs to accompany books, created small databases and knowledge clusters. However, the commercial environment was still tough and there were always extreme trade-offs between economic viability, saleability, media appeal, etc. Finally, I found my ideal through the library internship at the KIT library, which also housed the university press KIT Scientific Publishing: non-commercial library publishing, where science, quality, transparency and reusability (via Open Access and Open Data for research data) are the focus of all activities.

What partners do you collaborate with?

Like many small library publishers or university presses, we are a bit behind the curve in terms of media-neutral XML publishing. So far, we have only produced PDF eBooks. In order to keep up with commercial publishers and their professional content offerings, a greater degree of automation and streamlining of processes is required. The Open Source Academic Publishing Suite (OS-APS) project in collaboration with our partner SciFlow and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg aims to achieve this:

Small and medium-sized publishers typically receive Word manuscripts. OS-APS automatically extracts the underlying XML from these manuscripts, offers an optimisation option and, most importantly, export options in various formats (XML, HTML, PDF). The professional corporate design, e.g. of the PDFs, is managed automatically by using templates or by creating your own with the OS-APS Template Development Kit. In addition, OS-APS connects to scholarly and collaborative publishing platforms such as Open Journal Systems (OJS), Open Monograph Press (OMP) and Dspace.

To our other partners: All books published by our library are Open Access. However, when authors require printed versions for the book trade, we work with a number of different printers, depending on the author’s requirements. For example, print-on-demand titles are often printed by Docupoint.

What values and principles inform your work?

Due to our university ties, we are of course primarily bound by the values and principles of the university, e.g. good scientific practice. In addition, there are influences from relevant research funders in the German academic landscape (e.g. Research Integrity from the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG), from the working groups in which we are represented (e.g. the quality standards of the AG Universitätsverlage) and from relevant publishing coalitions such as COPE, C4DISC, OASPA, EASE. We try to aggregate these influences in our policies and present them in a transparent, comprehensible and practice-oriented way for our authors, book series editors and, of course, ourselves in our daily work.

An example of this is our recently published Diversity and Inclusion Policy, which, in addition to our Editorial Policy and Publication Ethics Guidelines, incorporates aspects of the DFG’s „Equal opportunities and diversity“, „Relevance of Sex, Gender and Diversity in Research“, the „Joint Statement of Principles“ of the Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications (C4DISC), and the Library Publishing Coalition’s „Ethical Framework for Library Publishing – Topic: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion“.

What is the impact of your library publishing programme at institutional level?

The FAU University Press publishing house, its publishing programme and functions (e.g. to strengthen Open Access among disciplines with a strong affinity for books and among young scholars) were and are very well integrated institutionally. For example, it is endorsed in the university’s former Open Access Policy and new Open Science Policy, there are book series for almost all disciplines at FAU, and it is part of the General Doctoral Regulations. Within the doctoral regulations, it is recommended to doctoral candidates as an equal publication channel to commercial publishers.

Tell us about a book that changed your life.

A book that impressed me in my youth was the Hagakure. In very general terms, it is about being a good servant to your employer, who in turn has a duty of care. Why was this so important to me? In Germany there are a lot of prejudices against civil servants, e.g. that they only like to do their work “go-slow”, just according to the rules, etc. For me, I took away from the book that the opposite should actually be the case and that as a civil servant librarian I can, should and must do more than a comparable person in the commercial sector. Because it’s not just about the salary, it’s about the greater good of society, such as Open Access or Open Science and the resulting benefits of knowledge transfer and research progress.

IFLA WLIC 2023 Grant Winners Congress Experience

My Experience as a Grant Winner at the World Library and Information Congress 88th IFLA General Conference and Assembly

My name is Anabelly Tinoco Altamirano, I live and work in Costa Rica. In this document I write some of my experiences at the World Library and Information Congress 88th IFLA General Conference and Assembly and in the Dutch country, which gave me the opportunity to appreciate and better understand areas of library science worldwide.

The World Library and Information Congress 88th IFLA General Conference and Assembly gave me the opportunity to meet, interact and learn with librarians from other countries. Such as dynamics of work, cooperation, collaboration, strategic alliances, access to information, open access, artificial intelligence, accessible documentary materials, accessibility in the library from the physical and technological infrastructure. In addition, I learnt about the impact that a library can generate when it integrates and executes any of the Sustainable Development Goals in their strategic plan.

On the other hand, the experiences shared and acquired in the host country of the World Library and Information Congress 88th IFLA General Conference and Assembly have allowed me to have a broader vision of the organization, administration and improvement in libraries, organizations that contribute to the access and generation of knowledge through books, information resources in digital format through technologies and applications.

By participating in several sessions, I was able to reflect and analyze that with effort, collaborative work, strategic alliances and library cooperation, the improvement of a library can be achieved and they could contribute towards the development of their community, users, regions, and countries.

Therefore, many thanks to all the people, organizations and sponsors who contributed to making it a reality for me to attend and participate in the World Library and Information Congress 88th IFLA General Conference and Assembly.

The experience of the World Library and Information Congress 88th IFLA General Conference and Assembly has been enriching, the vision of a congress of international magnitude to share knowledge reaffirms the potential of librarians, the value of knowledge and libraries.

Expanding my knowledge in spaces of personal interaction like this is very valuable, as I realized the value of knowledge, information, culture, language, reading, sources of information, media or mechanisms used to offer users access to information as the fundamental work of the librarian.

Finally, the Congress was a space for analysis and retrospective in library work.

Thank you to the IFLA staff, everyone who collaborated at the Congress, the participating librarians, attendees, the sponsors, Sage and Ex Libris and the host country. Thank you so much.

Anabelly Tinoco Altamirano

Institutional email: anabelly.tinoco@una.cr

Personal mail: anatinocoaltamirano15@gmail.com

 

IFLA WLIC 2023 Grant Winners Congress Experience

This post features Snehal Dilip Bhalerao, one of the 2023 IFLA ARL Grant winners from India.

I am Snehal Dilip Bhalerao and I studied at the Savitribai Phule Pune University. I currently work as a research fellow at the Centre of Publication Ethics at the Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India. I feel very lucky to have won this grant which gave me the opportunity to attend the IFLA Conference, which was held from 21st -25th August, 2023. IFLA gave me the opportunity to visit Rotterdam and experience another world of libraries.

After visiting IFLA Rotterdam venue, I realized I could gain some valuable knowledge about Libraries which are different from the Indian setting. I had the opportunity to meet, interact and network with many librarians from across the world at the Conference.

The conference was organized in sessions which represented the different interest in IFLA. I therefore attended sessions that were of interest to me. All the conference sessions were very useful to the development of libraries and provided a great source of knowledge to the participants. The various presentations included the sustainable development goal activities in the various countries of the presenters. Topics included the Green Libraries. Some other presentations also showcased the impact of artificial intelligence on libraries and how for instance ChatGPT is helping in all aspects of our lives, both personal and professional, and how to apply it appropriately and effectively.

Again, the conference educated me on the role of IFLA in the development of the LIS profession.

Then there was the Cultural Evening which was organised by IFLA for participants. This event was very exciting and was another avenue for me to meet many colleagues on an informal level. This event comprised partying, eating and dancing. There was also a photo session and I had the opportunity to meet and take photos with the IFLA President. The evening helped me get off my hectic personal life to have some fun and enjoy myself. Thank you IFLA for the cultural evening. It was a very memorable day.

On the last day, there was a Library visit to Belgium by bus. I joined other librarians on this trip. We visited two libraries in Belgium to see how they operate and manage them. These libraries were very beautiful and are currently using AI to enhance their library operations. I initially did not support the use of AI in libraries but after the tour, I got a first hand experience of AI at work and it changed my mind. I have therefore resolved to advocate for its use in Indian libraries. I hope to be able to share my experiences and knowledge with my colleagues in India.

A great thank you to IFLA, I am really grateful for this opportunity. I appreciate IFLA for giving me the learning experience which will help progress my career in the future. I also want to thank the IFLA President and all IFLA Members and Volunteers who guided us during the IFLA Congress -2023 in Rotterdam.

Snehal Dilip Bhalerao

Savitribai Phule Pune University, India

IFLA WLIC 2023 Grant Winners Congress Experience

This post features  Ezequiel Vallejo Ríos who is one of the 2023 IFLA ARL Grant winners. from México.

Attending the IFLA WLIC 2023 Congress certainly opened an opportunity for those of us who are not in mainstream librarianship to see the various aspects of the profession. I experienced this through my interactions with colleagues who are involved in the day to day activities of the profession, their challenges and successes and other experiences from their various perspectives.

The various presentations at the congress were another source of great experience for me as they provided me with the latest trends in the profession, as well as new ideas which I can implement in my own environment. Some general topics which were discussed included  open access, inclusive publication, copyright, adaptation of copyrighted materials to formats accessible with the Marrakesh Treaty, access to culture and the future roles of the librarian in the environment of access to information. Again, there were discussions that addressed how the role of the librarian changes as society demands it, the implementation of technologies such as AI (Artificial Intelligence) or Chat GPT and with this the development of new digital skills to respond to the constant change in the knowledge society, and innovations in libraries.

Again, attending this congress has helped expand my panorama about the profession also to network with librarians from other institutions, as well as exchange ideas, knowledge, and success stories from their libraries which will help guide me in my work going forward.

Without a doubt, it is gratifying to have experienced professionals sharing their lives, and interests with the new generation of librarians who are barely getting involved in the relevant issues of the profession in order to be able to contribute to the discipline. In turn, it is gratifying that young professionals who came with fresh ideas were given the space to contribute to the profesión and also enrich themselves intellectually. Being in these congresses of global trajectory offers us an excellent environment to get involved with the dynamics of the profesión and thus contributing to the profession.

Inclusion, the theme and topics of the congress are a determining factor for more people to be involved in the development and participation of these congresses. As such, the congress organisers could be more open in their ideas, regardless of gender, religion, social status, political ideology or some kind of motor weakness. This would allow for a more inclusive congress.

 

Columbia and Cornell Libraries Receive Mellon Grant for Expanding E-Journal Preservation

NEW YORK, October 23, 2013 – The libraries at Columbia University and Cornell University are pleased to announce an 18-month, $150,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to conduct a project intended to expand significantly the preservation coverage of e-journals and to implement strategies that will sustain the initiative beyond the duration of the project.
The project, a joint undertaking of the partnership between the libraries of Columbia and Cornell known as 2CUL, will identify priority content from the perspective of the research library community and make significant progress towards increasing the number of e-journals archived by major preservation programs. Both Columbia and Cornell hold the preservation of, and continuity of access to, knowledge and culture as a core aspect of their mission, and they bring to the work a wealth of experience and substantial resources.

“The main objective of this project is to increase the number and range of e-journals that will be preserved, but it’s equally important to develop and promote methods that can be broadly adopted to expand our work,” said Oya Rieger, associate university librarian for digital scholarship and preservation services at Cornell University. “Making sure that the vital content in e-journals is available to scholars and researchers is an essential part of the process.”

Electronic serials originate in all regions of the world, with the libraries of Columbia and Cornell each providing access to well over 100,000 titles. They are very significant as a record of scholarly research but also have importance as they contribute to cultural expression, report current events, and convey scientific, economic, legal, and governmental information.  In many fields, e-journals have become the predominant means of access for current research and, as libraries, concerned about space, act to consolidate their print collections, users increasingly rely for access on the digitized versions of historical titles.

“Preservation initiatives such as CLOCKSS, LOCKSS, and Portico have been successful in preserving thousands of important journals, yet there are still at least twice as many that are not preserved anywhere,” said Bob Wolven, associate university librarian for bibliographic services & collection development at Columbia. “Libraries are eager to see more progress, and this project is an important step towards engaging more parties in a broad effort.”

The transformative 2CUL partnership began in 2009, with an initial grant from the Mellon Foundation that allowed Columbia and Cornell to join forces in addressing budgetary challenges posed by the economic recession and improve library efficiencies, promote innovation and meet new and emerging academic needs.

Columbia University Libraries/Information Services is one of the top five academic research library systems in North America. The collections include over 11 million volumes, over 150,000 journals and serials, as well as extensive electronic resources, manuscripts, rare books, microforms, maps, and graphic and audio-visual materials. The services and collections are organized into 22 libraries and various academic technology centers. The Libraries employs more than 500 professional and support staff. The website of the Libraries is the gateway to its services and resources: library.columbia.edu.

Cornell University Library’s rich collections, expert librarians, responsive services and welcoming spaces inspire and nourish scholarship and learning throughout the university. In the class of 2012, 85 percent of students reported that the Library contributed to their academic success and efficiency. Its world-class collection — around 8 million print volumes, nearly a million e-books and 5 million journal article downloads per year — covers incredibly diverse fields, such as hip-hop and punk, East and Southeast Asia, labor, agriculture, hospitality and Liberian law. Thanks to a 24/7 chat reference service, helpful librarians are always just a keystroke away. To learn more, visit library.cornell.edu

Source: Columbia University

 

Singapore papers are available from IFLA’s Library

The papers from the joint session of the Knowledge Management SC  and Academic & Research Libraries SC held at Singapore are now available from IFLA’s library.

Relevant papers are:

  1. CALTER, Mariellen (2013) MOOCs and the library: engaging with evolving pedagogy. Paper presented at: IFLA World Library and Information Congress, 17 – 23 August 2013, Singapore.
  2. CHEN, Joyce Chao-chen (2013) Opportunities and challenges of MOOCs: perspectives from Asia. Paper presented at: IFLA World Library and Information Congress, 17 – 23 August 2013, Singapore
  3. SADEH, Tamar (2013) From search to discovery. Paper presented at: IFLA World Library and Information Congress, 17 – 23 August 2013, Singapore.
  4. BURNHILL, Peter and PELLE, Françoise (2013) Who is looking after your e-journals? Telling tales about the keepers registry & your digital shelves. Paper presented at: IFLA World Library and Information Congress, 17 – 23 August 2013, Singapore.
  5. TAN, Margaret (2013) Implementing agile management through collaborative social computing. Paper presented at: IFLA World Library and Information Congress, 17 – 23 August 2013, Singapore.