Monthly Archives: June 2020

The 10-Minute International Librarian #6: Celebrate an item in your collection

Libraries have a strong history of cooperation and partnerships.

With no single institution able to acquire and preserve everything, we have worked together for centuries to preserve and share materials, for the benefit of users.

Long before the internet, libraries were enabling information to flow around the world in support of education, research and access to culture.

This role is as vital as ever, especially given that so many items in library collections being rare or unique.

Through ensuring their preservation and accessibility, each library contributes to achieving the missions of the field globally.

By highlighting these, you not only underline the importance of your work, but also that of the library field as a whole.

So for our 6th 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, celebrate an item from your collection.

Ideally, if copyright and ethical concerns permit, share a photo on social media and a description, or even a full digitised copy.

Let others know about the treasures you are safeguarding for the future!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! Strategic Direction 3, Key Initiative 2: Support Virtual Networking and Collections.

As we publish more ideas, you will be able to view these using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store (especially Opportunity 7)! Do also share your ideas in the comments box.

Library Stat of the Week #24: Where there are more academic librarians, there is more publishing and patenting

As highlighted in last week’s post, academic libraries are central to any country’s infrastructure for learning and innovation. Through giving learners and researchers access to existing knowledge, and support to make the most of it, they enable work to happen that leads to social and economic progress.

Last week’s post offered an initial overview of data about academic libraries and library workers in IFLA’s Library Map of the World database, suggesting that there are, on average, 1.32 academic libraries and 10.63 academic library workers per 100 000 people.

Within this, there is strong variation across countries, with, for example, there being 26.25 academic library workers per 100 000 people in the United States, but fewer than 0.1 elsewhere.

What might this mean for the ability of countries to innovate?

In this week’s Library Stat of the Week, we’ll take a first look at data on some common metrics of innovation performance – numbers of scientific publications, and numbers of patents – in order to look for potential correlations.

For this, we can cross data from the Library Map of the World (using figures for numbers of librarians and libraries per 100 000 people), and World Bank data on scientific and technical journal articles, and on patent applications by residents, also translated into figures for numbers per 100 people.

Graph 1: Academic Libraries and Publications

Graphs 1 and 2 do this in the case of publications. The link between the strength of the academic library network and the number of scientific and technical publication is relatively clear, and makes sense intuitively.

Researchers with better access to books, journals and other resources, through libraries, are better placed to write high-quality articles themselves, likely to be accepted in good quality journals.

Graph 2: Academic Library Workers and PublicationsInterestingly, the correlation is stronger in the case of academic library workers (Graph 2) than in that of academic libraries (Graph 1).

It is likely that numbers of library workers is a better indicator of the strength of the field, both given the importance of staff in helping researchers, but also potential variation from country to country in how academic libraries are organised and counted.

While, as always, correlation does not mean causality (a point we will return to below), the graph does at least seem to back up the argument that a stronger library field will tend to support a higher publications output.

The next stage is to look at patents. These are often treated as a key indicator of the innovation performance of countries, given that they can be associated with new products, services and so business.

Graph 3 Academic Libraries and Patent ApplicationsGraphs 3 and 4 therefore repeat the exercise with patent application data, comparing numbers of academic libraries and library workers per 100 000 people.

In this, in order to avoid distortion, some countries with outlying data (notably the extremely high patenting figures for China and South Korea) have been excluded in order to allow for a better look at others.

It is clear that the relationships are less clear with patents than they are with publications. This is perhaps understandable – much patenting activity comes from businesses, while publications tend to come from universities and research centres

It is already clear that correlations are weaker here – indeed, there seems to be little correlation at all between the number of academic libraries and patents at all (Graph 3).

Graph 4: Academic Library Workers and Patent ApplicationsNonetheless, on the stronger indicator of the strength of academic library fields – the number of academic library workers per 100 000 people (Graph 4) – the correlation does reappear, although is still slightly weaker than with publications.

 

Overall, these results do support the conclusion that countries which perform better on traditional metrics of innovativeness are also the ones that have a stronger academic library field.

As mentioned above, this is not necessarily the same as causality. In next week’s Library Stat of the Week, we will therefore try to control for some of the other potential factors which might influence this connection.

 

Find out more on the Library Map of the World, where you can download key library data in order to carry out your own analysis! See our other Library Stats of the Week! We are happy to share the data that supported this analysis on request.

The 10-Minute International Librarian #5: Think of a Potential Partner

Libraries should never need to be isolated or alone.

Indeed, building partnerships, not just inside but also outside our field can be a great way of increasing impact while saving effort.

While it can seem like an effort at first, just taking a little time to identify and build partnerships can bring major benefits in future.

Indeed, this was the subject of one of the ten key opportunities identified in IFLA’s Global Vision!

So for our 5th 10-Minute International Librarian, as a first step, think of some potential partners.

Who shares the goals of libraries? Who sympathises with our institutions? Whose support could help you go further?

It could be a business sector, a non-governmental organisation, or even a part of government.

Write your ideas down – you can even categorise them by sector, or by how easy you think it could be to reach out.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! Strategic Direction 3, Key Initiative 3: Empower the Field at the National and Regional Levels.

As we publish more ideas, you will be able to view these using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store (especially Opportunity 7)! Do also share your ideas in the comments box.

Library Stat of the Week #23: On average, there are 1.32 academic libraries, and 10.63 academic library workers per 100 000 people globally

After a few weeks of focusing on public and community libraries, it’s time to take a look, instead, at academic libraries. These are at the heart of the institutions they serve, as well as core parts of the infrastructure of any country for learning and research.

While future posts will look at the relationship between academic libraries and library workers and various indicators of research and education outputs, this week we’ll be looking just at how many institutions and staff there are, both in absolute terms, and related to population (using World Bank data for 2018).

Overall, globally, IFLA’s Library Map of the World counts over 80 000 academic libraries globally, on the basis of data from 105 countries, representing a total population of over 6bn (almost 80% of the total).

The largest number of academic libraries is in India, with over 42 000 alone recorded there, followed by the United States (4266) and China (almost 3000). In other world regions, Nigeria has the most in Africa (815), Ukraine in Eurasia (1843), Italy in Europe (1581), Brazil in Latin America and the Caribbean (2407), Egypt the most in the Middle East and North Africa (464), and Australia the most in Oceania (190).

Numbers of Academic Libraries by region, both in absolute terms, and relative to population (per 100 000 people)

Graph 1 provides further insights into number of academic libraries per region (where India ensures that Asia comes out as having the highest number of academic libraries, but also offers figures relative to population sizes.

This helps us see that globally, there are 1.32 academic libraries per 100 000 people, although at a regional level, this varies from over 1.5 in North America to 0.31 in Africa and 0.41 in the Middle East and North Africa.

The variation is wider still at the national level, going from 6.17 academic libraries per 100 000 people in Slovenia, followed by Kiribati (6.04), Macao, China (5.38) and Argentina (4.71) to 0.004 in Madagascar. It is of course possible that there is under-reporting here.

Other regional leaders include Benin in Africa (1.87 academic libraries per 100 000 people), Ukraine in Eurasia (4.13), Bahrain in MENA (1.02), and Canada in North America (1.98).

 

However, as has also been underlined in the case of public libraries, staff are essential. Without them, students and researchers cannot benefit from the expertise and advice that trained librarians can bring, and the library cannot fulfil its potential.

Globally, the Library Map of the World suggests that there are almost 350 000 academic library workers, although in this case only from 78 countries’ data (accounting for 43% of the world population).

Numbers of Academic Library Workers by region, both in absolute terms, and relative to population (per 100 000 people)Graph 2 goes into more depth, breaking down numbers of academic library workers per region, and relative to overall population sizes. Once again, Asia comes out on top in terms of numbers of workers at almost 130 000 (not including India this time), with North America a little way behind on 93909.

At the national level, China has the largest single number of academic librarians (111023), followed by the United States (85752). Regional leaders (for which data is available) are Zimbabwe for Africa (750), Kazakhstan for Eurasia (10000), Germany for Europe (19614), Mexico for Latin America and the Caribbean (11209), Egypt for MENA (4309) and Australia for Oceania (3116).

Once again, it is interesting to look at numbers of library workers in relation to the population as a whole. Globally, there appear to be 10.63 academic library workers per 100 000 people (where data is available), with North America coming top at 25.8, and Europe some way behind at 15.02. Africa stands at 1.26 and MENA at 3.13.

At the national level, variation is wider still, going from 54.72 academic library workers per 100 000 in Kazakhstan and 26.25 in the United States to 0.07 in Uganda and 0.17 in Papua New Guinea. It is again possible that there is under-reporting here.

Other regional leaders in terms of numbers of academic library workers per 100 000 people are Mauritius in Africa (9.88), Brunei in Asia (19.12), Lithuania in Europe (24.52), Colombia in Latin America and the Caribbean (15.23), Egypt in MENA (4.38) and New Zealand in Oceania (17.43).

 

These figures both provide an interesting insight into the state of academic libraries around the world, but also provide a starting point for further analysis of how the strength of the academic library field might relate to other outcomes.

Clearly, we are still working with incomplete figures and so numbers need to be used with some caution, but it is already powerful to be able to start to explore these themes.

 

Find out more on the Library Map of the World, where you can download key library data in order to carry out your own analysis! See our other Library Stats of the Week! We are happy to share the data that supported this analysis on request.

 

 

 

The 10-Minute International Librarian #4: Find Out Where IFLA Is Active

There’s so much going on in the global library field, it can be hard to work out where to start.

IFLA itself is active over so many different areas and on so many different questions. It can be easy to miss things!

It’s always a good idea to take a step back, and to think about where you might be able to identify colleagues facing similar challenges to you, or where you can ask questions.

This doesn’t need to take long either!

For our 4th 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, take a moment to find out where IFLA is active.

You can look at our Activities and Groups page to get an idea of where we have Sections or Special Interest Groups (focused on specific themes, library types, services or regions), as well as other programmes and areas of work.

Click onto the Section or Special Interest Group which is closest to your interests, and see if they have a mailing list, blog or social media. You can then follow them in order to find out more, and start to engage!

Good luck!

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! Strategic Direction 3, Key Initiative 2: Support virtual networking and connections

 

As we publish more ideas, you will be able to view these using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box.

#1Lib1Ref – Interview with Roy Cohen from the Elyachar Central Library in Israel

During the second campaign of # 1Lib1Ref 2020, libraries invested themselves all over the world! Roy Cohen is head of cataloguing and classification department at the Elyachar central library in Israel, and unveils the first launch of the campaign in his institution!

1. Could you please tell us a little bit about your institution and yourself? What is your experience with Wikipedia?

The Technion (officially: Technion – Israel Institute of Technology) is one of 9 universities in Israel, that specializes in the exact sciences and engineering, and related fields such as architecture, medicine, industrial management, and education.

The Technion library system is made of the Elyachar Central Library and research libraries that are located in the faculties. The Central Library determines policies and guidelines and provides services for all the Technion libraries, including the library operating systems, the libraries’ web portal, acquisitions, cataloguing, and interlibrary loans. The faculty research libraries’ aim is to focus on the information needs of their students and academic staff.

I am the head of the cataloguing department in the Elyachar Central Library for almost 7 years now and have been written and updated a few articles in Wikipedia in the last 10 years, both in Hebrew and English. I would say that my knowledge of editing Wikipedia articles in intermediate.

2. For how long has the Elyachar central library been involved in the # 1Lib1Ref campaign, what is the angle of contribution of your institution and why?

This is the first time we are involved in the campaign. I have decided to add references to Hebrew articles on Technion academic personnel.

3. What is your or your library’s intention to carry on with the project in the future?

We are setting up a workshop that is aimed to provide the elementary editing tools in Wikipedia for those who do not have any notion on how the editing process works. The workshop will be carried out by me. By doing so we hope to recruit some Technion staff that will be involved in future campaigns as such.

4. What would you recommend to university libraries or those linked to technological institutes to identify relevant contributions to make or first steps to invest in #1Lib1Ref?

If a university library or any other institution would like to join the campaign they should identify persons who already know how to create and edit articles on Wikipedia so that they would join the campaign and perhaps teach others how to edit.

Contract Override and Technological Protection Measures – Article 7 by Benjamin White

Benjamin White is researcher at the University of Bournemouth (UK).

Common provisions

“Any contractual provision contrary to the exceptions provided for in Articles 3, 5 and 6 shall be unenforceable.”

“Article 5(5) of Directive 2001/29/EC shall apply to the exceptions and limitations provided for under this Title. The first, third and fifth subparagraphs of Article 6(4) of Directive 2001/29/EC shall apply to Articles 3 to 6 of this Directive.”

  1. Can you explain to us what article 7 of the EU-DSM Directive contains?

Although one of the least obtrusive articles in the EU-DSM Directive, Article 7 structurally performs a vital role.

Article 7(1)  ensures that text and data mining for research purposes, preservation and any member state exceptions relating to education that fall under the new Directive cannot be removed by licence or contracts. Essentially these three categories of limitations and exceptions one could argue have become more than mere defences against claims of copyright infringement, but have now become “user rights” in European law.

Article 7(2) deals with an existing anomaly in the 2001 European Copyright Directive. Before this amendment EU governments were only able to require rightsholders to give access to digital content users were locked out from, if the digital content was either off-line (e.g. CD-Roms), or if online, not subject to any terms and conditions. Given that most digital content these days is online and comes with terms and conditions this provision created a position in law where governments were not able to force rightsholders to give access to the vast majority of digital content available to researchers and consumers.

As a result of this amendment  however, governments will now have the ability to require rightsholders to give access to online digital content subject to terms and conditions. It applies to both text and data mining exceptions, preservation and any member state exceptions relating to education that fall under the new Directive.

Whilst a step forward Article 7 is perhaps unclear in regards to some of the exceptions. For example, how does non-contractual override of Article 5 work, if member states allow activities undertaken in educational establishments to be regulated by licences and not by exceptions? Similarly it is hard to see what difference it will make under the commercial data mining exception (Article 4), given that the Article itself allows rightsholders to opt out using technical means, preventing their works being used under the exception.

  1. Why is this provision necessary to libraries?

These provisions are vitally important for libraries. Libraries have been asking for decades for governments to protect the public interest activities of libraries and educational establishments from technical and contractual override for decades. Essentially without this, in a digital world where contracts and technical protection measures (TPMs) are ubiquitous, access to content for preservation, data mining, teaching etc cannot be guaranteed.

Article 7.1 is necessary because other than in a handful of European countries, licences offered to libraries can and do routinely remove limitations and exceptions provided for in copyright law. In many countries the kinds of defences available to consumers in regards to unfair contract terms, are simply not available to institutions like libraries and universities.

In terms of technical protection measures blocking access 31.2% of teachers and 36.9% of learners said they were not able to access or use TPM-protected works in a study commissioned by the European Union. The process to request to government access when access to digital content is blocked is also very unclear in most countries. Where it is clear the process of engaging with government has also proven to be very slow. (see section three below.)

Without addressing these issues intelligently, it also brings into question the very function of government in regards to maintaining the important balance in copyright law that supports new innovation and learning through limitations and exceptions. If limitations and exceptions can simply be removed by rightsholders through contracts or technical measures, what is the function of the legislature in supporting the public interest through copyright law?

  1. What is the best implementation Libraries could hope for with this article?

The best implementation of Article 7 would be for member states to apply the principles of non-contractual and non-technical override of limitations and exceptions to all exceptions – as a minimum those that relate to libraries, education, research etc.

Countries like the UK, Ireland, Portugal and Belgium already have provisions that prevent contracts removing many public interest exceptions in copyright law.

I believe it is very important that librarians in all European countries use the implementation of the EU-DSM Directive to push for the non-overridability of exceptions by contracts and technical protection measures

It is also vitally important that the existing governmental process for circumvention of technical protection measures is improved. It should be clear, transparent, and give access to digital content quickly. In the UK it took half a year from start to finish for a researcher to get some kind of resolution when locked out from digital content they were wishing to data mine. This is why organisations such as the European Research Library Association (LIBER) and Communia are calling for access to be given within 72 hours of the government being made aware of the blockage.

  1. You followed the implementations in Europe in particular on this article, what are the different positions proposed by the governments?

I am not aware of how this technical provision has been introduced in the countries where drafts are available (Belgium, Germany, Croatia and Hungary) but would love to know!