CRKN and Library and Archives Canada partner to improve access to digitized handwritten materials in Héritage Collection | Canadian Research Knowledge Network

Posted on September 13, 2023 by peter.suber's bookmarks

“The Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) and Library and Archives Canada (LAC) have partnered on a pilot project to improve access to LAC’s materials in the Héritage collection through Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR). The pilot project will process a subset of RG 10 collection, “Records relating to Indian Affairs,” with Transkribus ICR software developed by READ-COOP. This project will improve access to a highly used set of records and begin the journey towards our long-term aspiration to make the Héritage collection full-text searchable….”

A study on copyright issues of different controlled digital lending (CDL) modes – Ying Wang, Tomas A. Lipinski, 2023

Posted on September 7, 2023 by peter.suber's bookmarks

Abstract: In the recent years, CDL has been heatedly talked about, CDL should be treated objectively and rationally. Getting knowledge of CDL modes and their copyright issues is critical for sustainable development of CDL. Rather than CDL becomes a transient phenomenon as a result of many copyright hurdles. The paper will explore CDL modes by combing CDL practices and programs from research papers and official website documents of different library organizations. Then, based on legal frameworks of CDL in the US, Canada and the UK which are summarized, copyright issues of CDL modes are analyzed from perspectives of implementing institution, service resources, and usage mode. Finally, some copyright recommendations for sustainable development of CDL are proposed. We believe that library institutions can use CDL to advance their crucial mission for the public’s interest through making sense of different CDL modes and their copyright issues and implementing some proposals about copyright processing.

Queen’s and the Tri-Agency’s Update to National Open Access Policy | Queen’s University Library

Posted on August 29, 2023 by OATP primary

“As Canada moves to follow the open access example set by Europe and the USA, questions about financial sustainability and equity must be addressed.

On June 4th, 2023, Canada’s federal research granting agencies announced a review of the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications*, with the goal of requiring immediate open and free access to all academic publications generated through Tri-Agency supported research by the end of 2025. At Queen’s, this will mean significant changes to relevant policies and processes, primarily related to navigating the pay-to-publish model currently dominating the publishing landscape in the form of article processing charges (APCs).

APCs are extra fees that authors pay to academic publishers to make their articles openly available rather than barriered behind paywalls. Academic publishers are increasingly embracing this pay-to-publish business model, making the cost of open access publishing prohibitively expensive for many authors. APC fees vary by publisher and journal and can range from less than $1,000 USD to over $11,000 USD. Estimates indicate that Canadian authors spent at least $27.6 million USD on APCs related to Tri-Agency funded work from 2015 to 2018. This is in addition to the millions of dollars spent annually by academic libraries to provide access to paywalled articles, sometimes in the same journals in which the APC-paid open access articles appear. There are ongoing questions and concerns about not only the financial sustainability of academic publishers’ APC-driven business model, but the potential of this model for creating and reinforcing global inequities to the detriment of authors, libraries, and academic institutions. Ensuring open, accessible, and sustainable scholarly publishing is all the more urgent given Queen’s University’s strongly established commitment to advancing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals including ensuring equal access to university education and strengthening protection and safeguards for the world’s cultural and natural heritage.

While the University does not currently fund individual author APC fees, it does support open access through other means, including publishing agreements with select publishers, support for open infrastructure like Open Journal Systems and QSpace, and membership and participation in provincial, national, and international bodies promoting and supporting sustainable open access….”

CONCORDIA OPEN SCIENCE WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FOSTERING OPEN SCIENCE AT CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY

Posted on August 26, 2023 by peter.suber's bookmarks

“Concordia should: ? Broaden the university’s senate resolution on open access (dated to 2010) and update it to reflect the current state of open science and the need for widespread departmental and researcher buy-in. ? Continue to support foundational initiatives, like the Open Science @Concordia conference (inaugurally held in May 2022) and the Concordia Open Science Working Group led by Drs. Byers-Heinlein and Alessandroni, alongside library-hosted Open Access Week and Open Education Week events and services, which are crucial milestones along this pathway. These are key to creating awareness of the benefits of adopting open science practices, both broadly and in discipline-specific ways. ? Further the development of copyright support through an institutionally supported rights retention strategy, which can support green open access and diversify how research can be made openly accessible. ? Promote public outreach by creating (and enhancing existing) training programs in popular science writing for faculty and students using local expertise from the Department of Journalism, the Department of Communication Studies, and the Library. ? Strengthen ties with other institutions and organizations to secure long-term funding and resources for the implementation of open science. ? Position principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion at the core of open science practices, including designing, generating, and publishing science. ? Promote open education at Concordia, for example by highlighting in course calendars which courses use open materials, open software, and renewable assignments….”

Recommendations for Fostering Open Science at Concordia University – Spectrum: Concordia University Research Repository

Posted on August 26, 2023 by peter.suber's bookmarks

Abstract: Open science—and open scholarship more broadly—is revolutionizing how research is conducted by democratizing access to knowledge and bringing inclusion and transparency to the forefront. By making research processes and products open and accessible to all, open science promotes fairness, efficiency, and accountability in the scholarly enterprise and ensures that the benefits of scientific and humanistic progress are shared with all segments of society.

In Canada, fostering the practical implementation of open science practices (e.g., open access, open educational resources, open data, open labs, open notebooks, open evaluation, open hardware, open-source software, and citizen science) is rapidly becoming a top priority. The Government of Canada’s Roadmap for Open Science envisions a complete transition to an “open by design and by default” model by 2025. This transition is underway, with policies being promoted by federal and provincial funding agencies. For example, the federal funding agencies, also known as the Tri-Council, have enacted an open-access policy requiring grant recipients to ensure that publications funded by the agencies are freely accessible within 12 months of publication. This can be achieved by depositing peer-reviewed manuscripts in institutional or disciplinary repositories or publishing them in open-access journals. Departing from the Tri-Agency model and aligning with Plan S, the Fonds de Recherche du Québec (FRQ) updated its Open-Access Policy in 2022, requiring that articles and theses be made freely available under an open license upon publication or institutional deposit. The fast-approaching date of 2025, in combination with new mandates and policies, will require institutional support and advocacy to achieve effective solutions.

On May 27, 2022, Concordia University took a decisive step towards advancing open science by hosting the Open Science @Concordia conference, which brought together a diverse group of open science advocates and stakeholders from Concordia University and other institutions. The conference included keynote talks by national and international speakers, interdisciplinary lightning-talk sessions, and roundtables. Ten national and international speakers presented on topics like open access, open data, open infrastructures, open educational resources, and citizen science. Jessica Polka (ASAPbio, USA) delivered a powerful keynote on the pressures of publishing with preprints, and Malvika Sharan (The Turing Way, UK) presented on fostering open communities.

Building upon the momentum generated from the conference, we established the Concordia Open Science Working Group, whose first workshop was held on September 30, 2022. During this half-day session, more than 20 faculty members, trainees, and students from 8 different academic units, including Psychology, Computer Science and Software Engineering, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Biology, Mechanical, Industrial, and Aerospace Engineering, Education, Communication Studies, and the Library, gathered at the Loyola Campus to explore the challenges and possibilities of promoting open science at Concordia. This report presents the key insights derived from this workshop, as well as a comprehensive examination of the methodologies used and a full account of the results.

The Beaverbrook Art Gallery launches its online digital collection of nearly 5000 works of art

Posted on August 25, 2023 by peter.suber's bookmarks

“The entire Beaverbrook Art Gallery permanent collection of works is now viewable online on the gallery’s website for members of the public to study and enjoy, and this is joined with new animated videos and activities for children.

Beginning as a COVID-19 project, the curatorial team at the Beaverbrook undertook the major project of reviewing, documenting, and photographing the entire collection housed at the gallery. Ranging from paintings, to sketches, prints, photographs and sculpture, the entire art collection has been re-catalogued and photographed with a state-of-the-art digital process. The photographs, along with artwork and artist information, have now been uploaded to a browsable database that is available to the public.”

Don’t Blame Copyright for Declining Revenue. It Won’t Help Authors | Canadian Federation of Library Associations

Posted on August 16, 2023 by peter.suber's bookmarks

“Libraries and librarians support education in colleges and universities across Canada and they support authors through their purchases.

That important message is being drowned out by the barrage of accusations from author groups and publisher organizations that libraries are threatening the economic viability of authors. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Those hundreds of millions of dollars in access and subscription fees, paid by libraries, should be going to authors of the licensed works. Copyright is not part of that transaction and tweaking the Copyright Act won’t change the economic plight of Canadian authors….

There has been a digital revolution in the educational publishing sector. Access to most course materials is now digital, not print, and governed by licences negotiated directly with publishers. While some of these electronic books and journal articles are openly licensed (at no cost to the user), most are subject to terms and conditions that provide students and educators with the right to reproduce the content for educational purposes. As such, the fair dealing and reprographic licences are not in demand as they once were.

This isn’t because students and educators are stealing content. The educational right to reproduce most commercially available course materials is paid directly by libraries to publishers or aggregate content providers. Continuing to attack libraries and educators for their lawful use of course materials won’t solve the issue of authors’ income….”

Job: Coordinator, Project Support and Open Publication. End of play: Aug 11, 2023 | BCcampus

Posted on August 3, 2023 by OATP primary

The BCcampus Coordinator, Project Support and Open Publication provides coordination, support, and open publication for projects and strategic initiatives that advance effective and innovative collaborative leadership practices across the B.C. post-secondary system. The position reports to the Senior Project Manager and works with other BCcampus staff, higher education administrators, faculty and staff from partner institutions and community organizations, students, contractors, suppliers, as well as with representatives of the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills and other Ministries as appropriate.

Position Outcomes:

Coordinate with project managers on the planning and delivery of BCcampus project meetings and events, including meeting logistics (polling, invitations, tracking, agendas, and tech support) and follow up (minutes, action items)
Provide calendar support to Project Managers and other BCcampus staff
Assist with research using both primary and secondary sources
Create and monitor participation and evaluation data
Coordinate, support and maintain digital project records
Coordinate consistent communication with project stakeholders and contract personnel (writers, editors, content experts etc.)
Coordinate with the Manager, Production and Publishing to add, update and archive resources in the B.C. Open Collection
Produce and format Open Educational Resources (OER) using multiple digital tools to ensure they:

Follow the BCcampus style guide and accessibility criteria
Display and function well in multiple formats
Are copyright compliant and follow citation and attribution guidelines

Identify and fix problems with HTML and CSS code
Share knowledge openly
Establish strong, positive, productive relationships
Contribute to a positive, supportive, and strong team culture at BCcampus
Continually expand and update professional knowledge

Education and Subject Matter Expertise:

Bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent combination of post-secondary education, and at least 2 years of related experience

Knowledge and Experience:

High attention to detail and superior organization skills
Demonstrated ability to prioritize workflow effectively
Excellent MS Office and Adobe skills
Proficiency in communication tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams
Strong writing, editing and communication skills
Experience editing, producing and publishing digital content, including different file formats and web-based content management systems such as WordPress, Pressbooks and Kaltura
Knowledge of copyright and Creative Commons licensing
Ability to exercise good judgement, show initiative and be proactive
Work well under pressure, effectively meet deadlines and build consensus through a team-based approach

The following skills and experience will be considered an asset:

Experience with open digital publishing processes and tools
Basic knowledge of HTML and CSS, including ability to identify and fix problems
Foundational project management knowledge
Experience working with the B.C. post-secondary sector

EDI Statement:

BCcampus is committed to inclusion. From the workplace to our learning spaces, we value diversity and are actively working to decolonize our organization and the ways in which we collaborate with others. We believe that a more diverse team will help us better support the individuals and communities we work with. Our definitions for this work are as follows:

Equity is the absence of barriers that exclude people with non-dominant or marginalized lived experiences, perspectives, and identities. We recognize that everyone is not starting from the same place and that there is a need for intent

Medical advances typically begin with a study. Now, universities are struggling to afford them | CBC News

Posted on August 1, 2023 by OATP primary

“Prices to access studies from peer-reviewed journals paid by universities — which are heavily subsidized by taxpayers — have risen more than 400 per cent over the past two decades, according to a study citing Statistics Canada data published in 2021. That’s the latest national information tracking cost increases over time, four specialists said.

Those rising costs have implications far beyond the ivory tower. Academic studies are a lifeblood of knowledge creation: from improved cancer treatments to debates about foreign policy or charting the advances of artificial intelligence, new information enters the public domain through peer-reviewed research….

The typical Canadian university library spends about 75 per cent of its acquisitions budget for new material on journal subscriptions, said Susan Haigh, executive director of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), an umbrella group representing this country’s largest university libraries….

Van Raay and his colleague, Prof. Andreas Heyland, are part of a growing trend of researchers trying to wrest control over information from the big publishing firms.

Their project, Peer Premier, is the first-ever professional peer review service intended to be independent of any journal or publisher, according to the University of Guelph….

To use the service, an author pays $1,100 to the organization, in contrast to more than $10,000 to publish in some top journals, Heyland said.

Of that money, $300 goes to each of the article’s three independent reviewers and the remaining $200 is used for project administration. Researchers who submit get fulsome comments from the reviewers and leave with an edited, peer-reviewed manuscript that can be submitted elseware for publication, he added….”

The Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform—An open science framework for the neuroscience community | PLOS Computational Biology

Posted on July 31, 2023 by peter.suber's bookmarks

Abstract: The Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform (CONP) takes a multifaceted approach to enabling open neuroscience, aiming to make research, data, and tools accessible to everyone, with the ultimate objective of accelerating discovery. Its core infrastructure is the CONP Portal, a repository with a decentralized design, where datasets and analysis tools across disparate platforms can be browsed, searched, accessed, and shared in accordance with FAIR principles. Another key piece of CONP infrastructure is NeuroLibre, a preprint server capable of creating and hosting executable and fully reproducible scientific publications that embed text, figures, and code. As part of its holistic approach, the CONP has also constructed frameworks and guidance for ethics and data governance, provided support and developed resources to help train the next generation of neuroscientists, and has fostered and grown an engaged community through outreach and communications. In this manuscript, we provide a high-level overview of this multipronged platform and its vision of lowering the barriers to the practice of open neuroscience and yielding the associated benefits for both individual researchers and the wider community.

Secondary publishing rights can improve public access to academic research

Posted on July 27, 2023 by OATP primary

“Canada’s federal research granting agencies recently announced a review of the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications, with the goal of requiring immediate open and free access to all academic publications generated through Tri-Agency supported research by 2025.

To meet this requirement, the Canadian government should empower academic authors through the adoption of secondary publishing rights. These rights would ensure that authors can immediately “republish publicly funded research after its first publication in an open access repository or elsewhere,” even in cases where this is forbidden by publishers.

Tweaking the Copyright Act to include such rights would give academic authors the ability to make taxpayer-funded journal articles available to the public through open access upon publication….”

Building a framework for open research skills at the University of York – Insights

Posted on July 21, 2023 by OATP primary

Abstract: This case study describes the development of an open research skills framework at the University of York. The framework responds to a need for more comprehensive training, clarity and understanding around open research practices across disciplines at York, in line with the University’s commitment to the long-term development of an open research culture. The framework was developed by Library, Archives and Learning Services (LALS) in partnership with practitioners from different disciplines across the University’s research community. We summarize the background of open research activities at York since 2020, describe how the project was initiated and progressed during the summer of 2022, then provide an overview of the framework itself including areas for future development and consideration. We conclude with some early indicators of usage and reflections on the project, and we hope that this case study will prove useful for research support staff who may be considering developing a similar framework for their own institution.

Research Data Management Librarian (2 year contract) | Library | University of Waterloo

Posted on July 13, 2023 by peter.suber's bookmarks

“The University of Waterloo Library seeks a Research Data Management Librarian to support the university’s research data management strategy by providing consultation for researchers who are working with research data, including advice on data discovery, data management plans, data deposit and preservation, creating training materials, presentations and workshops, and communications and outreach on research data management. The librarian works collaboratively with colleagues in the library, especially liaison librarians with RDM specializations, and across campus who support the research lifecycle, including the Institutional Research Data Management Implementation Working Group. This is an excellent opportunity to help shape research data management services for the institution….”

Position Statement on Open Access for University of Alberta Librarians – UofA Library

Posted on July 11, 2023 by OATP primary

“Librarians at the University of Alberta recognize the importance of open access to content creators and researchers in fostering new ideas and creating knowledge. In keeping with our long-standing support of the Open Access movement, University of Alberta librarians have adopted a statement to communicate our commitment to disseminating our scholarly and other work as widely as possible, and to making these contributions available in perpetuity through deposit in an open access repository or through other acceptable means. It should be read and interpreted consistently with University of Alberta policies and other agreements related to academic freedom and intellectual property.

Position Statement

Academic librarians at the University of Alberta commit to making a reasonable effort to publish and share in venues providing unrestricted public access to their works. When appropriate, they will assign a Creative Commons licence to their works, endeavour to publish in open access venues, and/or to secure the right to self-archive their published materials, and deposit these works in an open access repository….”

University of Alberta Librarians Take Position on Open Access Publishing — news.library.ualberta.ca