Proactive Institutional Repository Collection Development Techniques: Archiving Gold Open Access Articles and Metadata Retrieved with Web Scraping: Journal of Library Administration: Vol 0, No 0

Abstract:  Many institutions face low deposit rates with their institutional repositories despite investing substantial resources in implementing and supporting these systems. Deposit rates are higher in IRs that offer mediated deposits; however, this can be a time and labor intensive process. This article describes a method for copying open access articles and corresponding descriptive metadata from open repositories for archiving in an institutional repository using Beautiful Soup and Selenium as web scraping tools. This method quickly added hundreds of articles to an IR without relying on faculty participation or consulting publisher policies, increasing repository downloads and usage.

 

Institutional Repository Readiness Virtual Learning Series – Data Curation Network

“In April, we shared our new research project, “Sustaining Open Research: Institutional Repository Readiness,” which focuses on supporting IRs that share data in demonstrating alignment with and evaluation of the Desirable Characteristics of Data Repositories for Federally Funded Research (DC-DR). As part of this work, we are hosting a series of virtual learning days that include lecture, discussion, and exercises. Each session will have a different topic and set of exercises– and while each session can be attended individually, we invite those that are able to participate in all of them, as the content is cumulative. For those that cannot attend, we plan to record the presentations….”

The Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL) Symposium: a blueprint designed in response to a community of practice need | Journal of the Medical Library Association

Abstract:  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.

 

No-pay publishing: use institutional repositories

“The European Council’s recommended open, equitable and sustainable scholarly publishing system, free to readers and authors, has been dismissed as unsustainable and too costly (see Nature https://doi.org/kjwj; 2023). However, institutional repositories run by research institutions offer an inexpensive and sustainable route to realizing this aspiration.

Such non-profit repositories are ubiquitous and capable of hosting ‘diamond’ open-access academic journals, which are free to publish and to read. In Spain, for example, the journal Psicológica is owned by the Spanish Society for Experimental Psychology and published on DIGITAL.CSIC, the institutional repository of the Spanish National Research Council (see go.nature.com/3jxaw9z).

Transferred in 2022 from a commercial publisher, Psicológica publishes about 50 articles, preprints and peer reviews annually. Publication costs are shared between the journal — which is financially supported by the society — and the publicly funded repository, which provides services such as archiving, DOI assignation and metadata curation. At an estimated cost of €30 (US$34) per publication, Psicológica can increase its output without incurring substantial extra costs. This underscores the sustainability of such models.”

Habits and perceptions regarding open science by researchers from Spanish institutions | PLOS ONE

Abstract:  The article describes the results of the online survey on open science (OS) carried out on researchers affiliated with universities and Spanish research centres and focused on open access to scientific publications, the publication process, the management of research data and the review of open articles. The main objective was to identify the perception and habits of researchers with regard to practices closely linked to open science and the scientific value added is that offers an in-depth picture of researchers as one of the main actors to whom this transformation and implementation of open science will fall. It focuses on the different aspects of OS: open access, open data, publication process and open review in order to identify habits and perceptions. This is to make possible an implementation of the OS movement. The survey was carried out among researchers who had published in the years 2020–2021, according to data obtained from WoS. It was emailed to a total of 8,188 researchers and obtained a total of 666 responses, of which 554 were complete, the rest being forms with some questions unanswered. The main results showed that open access still requires the diffusion of practices and services provided by the institution, as well as training (library or equivalent service) and institutional support from the competent authorities (vice rectors or equivalent) in specific aspects such as data management. In the case of data, around 50% of respondents stated they had stored data in a repository, and of all the options, the most frequently given was that of an institutional repository, followed by a discipline repository. Among the main reasons for doing this, we found transparency, visibility of data and the ability to validate results. For those who stated they had never stored data, the most frequent reasons for not having done so were privacy and confidentiality, the lack of a mandated data policy or a lack of knowledge of how to do it. In terms of open peer review, participants mentioned a certain reticence to the opening of evaluations due to potential conflicts of interest that may arise or because lower-quality content might be accepted in order to avoid conflicts. In addition, the hierarchical structure of senior researcher versus junior researcher might affect reviews. The main conclusions indicate a need for persuasion of OA to take place; APCs are an economic barrier rather than the main criterion for journal selection; OPR practices may seem innovative and emerging; scientific and evaluation policies seem to have a clear effect on the behaviour of researchers; researchers state that they share research data more for reasons of persuasion than out of obligation. Researchers do question the pathways or difficulties that may arise on a day-to-day basis and seem aware that we are undergoing change, where academic evaluation or policies related to open science, its implementation and habits among researchers may change. In this sense, more and better support is needed on the part of institutions and faculty support services.

 

Acceso abierto: aprender de casos de éxito en universidades | blok de bid

From Google’s English:  “The document is organized in three sections. In the first part, the Working Group makes a comparison of the evolution of the positions reached by its institutions (members of the 2019-2020 Open Access Working Group) in the 2019-21 editions of the CWTS Leiden Open Access ranking . The classification is based on the percentage of open access publications available, which makes it possible to evaluate the progress of the institutions in the implementation of open access. 

In the second part, four key factors of Group institutions that have helped to achieve outstanding open access results and thus to achieve a good position in the CWTS Leiden ranking in that category are identified and described :

Open access policies. Institutions with strong policies perform better than those without specific policies, beyond those required by funders. These policies should place deposit work flows at the center of academic activity and promote the consolidation of an institutional team to support the implementation of open access.
 
Availability and configuration of the institutional system (repositories/CRIS). The presence of an interconnected institutional repository and research information management system (CRIS) is crucial. The importance of capturing bibliographic metadata in CRIS and the transfer flow of metadata and files with the appropriate version of the text to the repository, where it is offered in open access or with an embargo period, is highlighted. 
 
Institutional research support staff. It is critical to have a dedicated Open Access/Open Science training and support team within the institution, usually within the library. This team should offer guidance and assistance to researchers in preparing their publications for open access, validation of publications in CRIS, as well as in meeting the requirements of funding policies. Open access training may include topics such as copyright, user licences, and research data management.
 
Collaboration and institutional commitment. Collaboration and commitment between different actors are essential to successfully introduce open access in institutions. This implies the active participation of researchers, libraries, IT services and other relevant departments. The institution should foster an environment in which open access is valued and supported, and where its importance to research and institutional reputation is recognized….”

Publication in open access journals at a university of technology in South Africa | South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science

Abstract:  Researchers in South Africa publish in journals that have a high impact factor and are accredited by the South African Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) as this will bring financial support to the researcher and the affiliated Institution for continuous publication. Moreover, these researchers do so for possible ranking of their universities and to seek collaboration with international and national researchers. However, publishers make it difficult for researchers to publish because of the Article Processing Charges that increase annually. Therefore, the study’s main objective is to propose general benefit guidelines for the use of open access by researchers. The unit of analysis was the university’s Institutional Repository (IR) and Scopus, a database which the university subscribes to. The IR has a collection of research outputs that include peer-reviewed articles, conference proceedings, and datasets. Hence, a quantitative and qualitative research approach was selected, where content analysis was used to collect data whereby research output from 2016 to 2020 was identified from both the IR and Scopus. The study examined, investigated, and explored the hindrances and challenges faced by researchers when publishing in open access journals (OAJ) with specific reference to South Africa. The study drew from a few organised threads of confirmation which make up the current dialogue on OAJ, comprising of peer-reviewed literature, grey literature, and other forms of communication. A manual Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method was applied to collect data from Scopus and the IR. The ethical considerations for conducting the study included permission to use the university’s IR and to collect primary data from academics in the selected university. The results show that publishers are making it difficult for researchers to publish in open access, because of the outrageous publishing costs involved.

 

Challenges with Open Access Institutional Repositories in Ghana

Abstract:  The libraries of institutions of higher education have developed institutional repositories to manage their research output and showcase the work of their institutions. A variety of software has been used. Most libraries have structured the repositories so that they are available through open access (OA) to the world. Some institutions have mandated that faculty and research staff place their publications in the repositories. Not all has been plain sailing and many issues and challenges have emerged. This chapter examines the nature of open access institutional repositories (OAIRS), outlines their development in Ghana and discusses issues which have arisen. It also reports on a study undertaken of institutional repositories in Ghana and suggests ways to go forward to ensure effective implementation of institutional repositories.

2023 Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL) Symposium | Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL)

“The Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL) Symposium planning committee would like to thank all presenters and attendees who participated in the 2022 symposium! Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL) is a free event that brings together IR practitioners and those with an interest in IRs at hospitals, academic medical centers, and other health settings for discussions and sharing of case studies and best practices for digital archiving of institutional content. We look forward to another great symposium in 2023! …”

CARL Canadian Repositories Community of Practice June Call – Community Conversations: Shared Infrastructure for Repositories – Canadian Association of Research Libraries

“Invited speaker: Geoff Harder, Associate University Librarian (University of Alberta) and CARL Project Director for National Shared Repository Infrastructure 

Institutional repositories have become increasingly vital to the digital scholarship landscape at Canadian post-secondary institutions. Over the last twenty years, we’ve gained a lot of experience and knowledge, but also face challenges working in isolation at our institutions. Geoff Harder, Associate University Librarian at the University of Alberta, was appointed as the Project Director to begin initial planning and development of a National Shared Repository Infrastructure in September 2022. Join us for the inaugural Canadian Repositories Community of Practice event, where Geoff will discuss his work with us. We’ll hear from Geoff and then the rest of the steering committee will lead further discussion with topics for the community and opportunities to share experiences and ask questions.”

Open access regulation

“Article 25fa of the Dutch Copyright Act (hereafter: CA) entitles researchers to share a short academic work without financial consideration for a reasonable period. To facilitate exercising this right, the VSNU (Association of Universities in the Netherlands) completed a successful pilot project as a part of the National Programme for Open Science (NPOS) in 2019. The participating researchers gave universities their permission to share short academic works. 

The pilot’s evaluation showed that the efficiency of the administrative procedures for researchers to grant permission (by two-way paper licence) is an obstacle to scaling up. The solution was found in converting the so-called opt-in approach into a tacit licence procedure with the possibility to opt-out. 

The universities, as the employer, warrant the participating researchers to pay for the possible costs in the case of a legal dispute with a publisher. Within the VSNU, the universities agreed to share the legal risks. 

Considering that: 

the Eindhoven University of Technology supports the importance of Open Access, thereby following Dutch government policy as laid down in the letter of the State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science dated 15 November 20131; 

Article 25fa of the Dutch Copyright Act (CA) entitles researchers to share a short academic work without financial consideration following a reasonable period after publication; 

the University has an interest in the academic output of its staff members being easily retrievable and, with a view to being a good employer, wishes to facilitate that its staff members can optimally exercise their rights under Article 25fa CA; 

the University requires a tacit, non-exclusive licence from its staff members for the purpose as mentioned above…”

Summer of migration: consolidating institutional repositories into a redesigned singular platform | Emerald Insight

Abstract:  Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a state mandated merger of two institutional repositories from two separate campuses of a university into one new institutional repository. Due to a State Legislature mandate, the University of South Florida was required to merge institutional repositories from two campus into one new institutional repository.

Design/methodology/approach

USF Libraries formed a committee, planned for the migration and executed of the migration.

Findings

The authors discovered many unforeseen issues during the process of the migration such as difficulties with site redirects and hidden collections.

Originality/value

This project was a large-scale migration of institutional repositories, under a tight deadline due to a legislative mandate, that has not been discussed in detail in the literature.

CU Scholar receives notable certification for reliability and trustworthiness | University Libraries | University of Colorado Boulder

“CU Scholar, the institutional repository that provides free and worldwide access to the research and scholarship of the CU Boulder community, is now certified as one of the most reliable repositories in the world.

The certification known as CoreTrustSeal marks CU Scholar as a trustworthy digital repository where researchers and scholars can place their work in confidence that it will remain readable, discoverable, accessible and unaltered. Likewise, the global research community can use CU Scholar, which is open access, in the knowledge that the digital information contained there will not become corrupted or degrade over time….”

Rights retention built into Cambridge Self-Archiving Policy – Unlocking Research

“We’re delighted to announce that the University of Cambridge has a new Self-Archiving Policy, which took effect from 1 April 2023.  The policy gives researchers a route to make the accepted version of their papers open access without embargo under a licence of their choosing (subject to funder requirements). We believe that researchers should have more control over what happens to their own work and are determined to do what we can to help them to do that.

This policy has been developed after a year-long rights retention pilot in which more than 400 researchers voluntarily participated. The pilot helped us understand the implications of this approach across a wide range of disciplines so we could make an informed decision. We are also not alone in introducing a policy like this – Harvard has been doing it since 2008, cOAlition S have been a catalyst for development of similar policies, and we owe a debt of gratitude to the University of Edinburgh for sharing their approach with us. …”