Transformative agreements and their practical impact: a librarian perspective – Insights

Abstract:  This case study aims at describing how transformative agreements (TAs) have affected our profession with new tasks and workflows at two university libraries in Sweden, namely Karolinska Institutet University Library and Södertörn University Library. TAs are one of the mechanisms by which scientific publications are made open access; they involve moving libraries’ contracts with publishers from payment to read toward payment to publish. We will summarize the status and progress of open access in Sweden, in particular the significant growth of TAs over a short time span. We will then focus on describing how TAs have affected our everyday work and what new tasks they have imposed. We will share our experiences and point out things we find challenging, for example, we will explore questions about eligibility, the verification process, publication types and title changes during the contract period. We will also give some recommendations on how we would prefer the workflows surrounding the TAs to be. Finally, we will share our conclusions and comments about the impact of TAs on the publishing landscape and speculate about what will happen next.

 

Complying with the UKRI open access policy: member experiences – Jisc

“Complying with the UKRI open access policy: member experiences

Representatives from three HEI libraries will share their experiences of implementing the UKRI OA policy at their institution.”

ICOR’s Inaugural Public Meeting: Evidence-based implementation of open collaborative research | 17 May 2023 | Incentivizing Collaborative Open Research

“We are pleased to announce that ICOR’s inaugural public webinar is scheduled for May 17, 10:30am – 12pm ET;  please join us by registering here.  Incentivizing Collaborative Open Research (ICOR) was founded in early 2020 with a small gathering of open science advocates, funders, practitioners and institutional leaders interested in taking constructive and immediate action to increase research transparency and accelerate scientific breakthroughs. The ‘Strategic Circle’ agreed that use of publications and associated metrics was incentivizing the wrong behaviors, leading competition over collaboration. To shift incentives, the strategists mapped out changes needed throughout the research lifecycle, as illustrated on our home page from early proposal of a research project to assessment of its outcomes….”

Implementing open science at scale Tickets, Fri 5 May 2023 at 14:00 | Eventbrite

“On 5 May, 14:00-15:30 London time (UTC+1) (in your timezone): the next Fireside Chat will take place on “Implementing open science at scale”.

Facilitated by Chelle Gentemann, Programme Scientist for NASA’s Transform to OPen Science (TOPS) mission with The Turing Way co-lead Malvika Sharan, this panel will feature insights from Ana Persic (UNESCO Open Science), Nokuthula Mchunu (National Research Foundation, Africa Open Science Platform), Steve Crawford (NASA) and Alex Mendonça (SciELO Brasil). These individuals and community leaders represent different open science efforts addressing the challenges and implementation of open science in Brazil, Africa, the USA and more broadly through cross-country collaborations (read their bios below).

Recommendations, infrastructures, expert services, policies, government buy-in, grassroots advocacies or combinations of several of these — what has worked in different geographical contexts? Highlighting these initiatives led and facilitated by our speakers, we will discuss the convening role of UNESCO, 25 years of SciELO’s open access efforts, 5 years of pan African Open Science Platform and the 2023 NASA’s ‘Year of Open Science’ to drive the implementation of open science at various scales.

We will also facilitate open discussions with attendees to learn about their perspectives on the topic via a shared document (links shared upon registration).

This event is being co-hosted by The Turing Way – a community-led handbook on data science and research and TOPS – part of NASA’s Open-Source Science Initiative designed to rapidly transform agencies, organizations, and communities to an inclusive culture of open science….”

DeSci for Web3 Builders – The SCI’s Newsletter

“As various stakeholders recognize the importance of open science and as DeSci emerges as the leading movement to implement open science principles, it is reasonable to assume that DeSci’s success will contribute significantly to the validation of the entire web3 ecosystem….

DeSci tools are inclusive by nature, locking open participation to individuals from all backgrounds, socio-economic status, and geographies. Combining the open nature of DLT with science, DeSci promotes the development of cross-border standards and best practices for applying web3 technologies to scientific research….”

UNESCO’s toolkit can help accelerate the transition to global open science | UNESCO

“The UNESCO Open Science Toolkit has been designed to support implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, the first international standard-setting instrument on open science.

This Recommendation was adopted by 193 countries in November 2021 at the 41st session of the UNESCO General Conference. The Recommendation provides an internationally agreed definition and a set of shared values and guiding principles for open science. It also identifies a set of actions conducive to a fair and equitable operationalization of open science for all at the individual, institutional, national, regional and international levels….”

14 March 2023 Librarian Community Call: implementation of the 2022 OSTP Memo | OpenCon

“As both agencies and institutions prepare for the implementation of the 2022 OSTP Memo, there are a variety of ways libraries can support this work—both on campus and in advocacy to ensure agency plans lead to strong policies. Join the next OpenCon Library Community Call on Tuesday, March 14th, at 12pm ET / 9am PT to discuss how libraries are preparing for the 2022 memo to take effect, what additional types of support could help in this preparation, and the important role libraries can play in advocacy around implementation. Katie Steen-James, SPARC’s Manager of Public Policy & Advocacy, will join the discussion and walk through the first opportunity for libraries to help shape the implementation of the memo in the NIH’s recently announced Request for Information on their plan to implement the 2022 memo.  Note: This call is open to those working in libraries and academic institutions rather than vendors, who are asked to respect the purpose of these calls for candid discussion….”

Implementing open science in East Africa is picking up speed

“Stakeholders, including academics, researchers and policy-makers in Tanzania, intend to adopt open science and present the plan to the government and implementation partners for funding. However, the decision to make research more accessible means they also have to deal with several challenges.

The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO), Tanzania’s Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), Public Library of Science (PLOS), and Training Centre in Communication Africa hosted a High-Level Multi-Sectoral National Open Science Dialogue for Academic and Research Institutions in Tanzania in mid-February 2023 to discuss the matter – three years after the initial decision to enter into a partnership that would promote open-science principles in the region….”

Towards a FAIRer World: Implementing the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science to address global challenges | UNESCO

“This one-day, hybrid symposium will examine the role of open science in addressing global challenges, specifically in times of crisis, and in accelerating progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. It will explore the existing and most recent cooperative scientific, digital, and ethics frameworks for advancing the implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science (2021) across its areas of action….”

 

Funding of €1.9 million to support Ireland’s National Action Plan for Open Research announced by Minister Harris

“Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris has today announced funding of €1.9 million to advance Ireland’s National Action Plan for Open Research.

Open research offers the public free access to research findings and encourages collaboration and sharing of information for the benefit of science and society.

This funding will be used to do a number of things including increasing public engagement with research and citizen science, establishing a culture of open research and working towards 100% open access to research publications….”

Plan S Annual Review 2022

“At cOAlition S, we are committed to accelerating the transition to open access. As an international consortium of research funding and performing organisations, along with the European Commission, we have been rolling out policies and tools since 2018 to achieve the goal of Plan S. In this annual report, we are presenting an overview of our activities in 2022, as well as the latest news on our policies, tools, and services. We also outline our support for various publishing models and highlight specific initiatives of cOAlition S funders. In the last section, we give a preview of our plans for 2023 as we look towards the future of scholarly communication….”

Plan S Annual Review 2022

“At cOAlition S, we are committed to accelerating the transition to open access. As an international consortium of research funding and performing organisations, along with the European Commission, we have been rolling out policies and tools since 2018 to achieve the goal of Plan S. In this annual report, we are presenting an overview of our activities in 2022, as well as the latest news on our policies, tools, and services. We also outline our support for various publishing models and highlight specific initiatives of cOAlition S funders. In the last section, we give a preview of our plans for 2023 as we look towards the future of scholarly communication….”

Plan S Annual Review 2022

“At cOAlition S, we are committed to accelerating the transition to open access. As an international consortium of research funding and performing organisations, along with the European Commission, we have been rolling out policies and tools since 2018 to achieve the goal of Plan S. In this annual report, we are presenting an overview of our activities in 2022, as well as the latest news on our policies, tools, and services. We also outline our support for various publishing models and highlight specific initiatives of cOAlition S funders. In the last section, we give a preview of our plans for 2023 as we look towards the future of scholarly communication….”

Plan S Annual Review 2022

“At cOAlition S, we are committed to accelerating the transition to open access. As an international consortium of research funding and performing organisations, along with the European Commission, we have been rolling out policies and tools since 2018 to achieve the goal of Plan S. In this annual report, we are presenting an overview of our activities in 2022, as well as the latest news on our policies, tools, and services. We also outline our support for various publishing models and highlight specific initiatives of cOAlition S funders. In the last section, we give a preview of our plans for 2023 as we look towards the future of scholarly communication….”