News – Nominations now open for the OLH Library Board

“As part of our 2023-2030 plan for sustainable growth of the OLH, we are pleased to announce that the OLH Library Board is being re-constituted as one of three elected Advisory Boards. 

As a strictly not-for-profit publisher with no shareholders, the OLH exists purely for the intellectual and academic good of the research that we publish. This mission is shared by hundreds of stakeholders who work closely with us in extending diamond open access to the humanities – including scholars, librarians, students, other publishers, and open-source activists. We are governed by a Board of Trustees and three advisory boards: the Academic Advisory Board, the Library Board and the Publishing Technology Board. The boards meet bi-annually to review the OLH’s overall performance, discuss research and development for different user groups, vote on strategic and operational issues, and liaise with relevant stakeholders….”

Open Call for Volunteers for Presidential Task Forces

“ACM President Yannis Ioannidis is planning to create 10 task forces as part of ACM 4.0, a long-term strategic plan for ACM, and is inviting volunteers to serve on these task forces

Below are brief descriptions of each of the task forces. Each will comprise a cross-section of individuals selected for their interest and relevant expertise. Although the length of service for the different task forces may vary, it is anticipated that each will produce an initial report in about six months….

The Open Science task force will establish services to help researchers operate according to the Open Science paradigm (which includes Open Access as an important component) and the demands it brings, for example, reproducibility of experiments, transparency throughout the research life cycle, and new forms of scholarly communication and reviewing….”

Call for Volunteers: TOP Guidelines Advisory Board and Preregistration Template Evaluation Working Group

“Are you passionate about promoting transparency and openness in scientific research? The Center for Open Science (COS) is currently seeking volunteers for two opportunities. We seek colleagues to join (1) the Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines Advisory Board and (2) the Preregistration Template Evaluation Working Group….”

Call for Volunteers – DEIA Community of Practice – Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications

“C4DISC is seeking volunteers to help manage a new Community of Practice, a virtual space for peer learning around DEIA in scholarly communications – for those with a dedicated DEIA role or with a DEIA remit as part of their role, whether in a paid or volunteer capacity. 

Working group members will be responsible for chairing virtual discussions every other month that will combine time for open discussion with topical breakout discussions based on suggestions from participants ahead of the meetings. Volunteer leaders will solicit topics from participants, plan and facilitate the virtual discussions, as well as help promote engagement on the Community’s Listserv. We estimate the time commitment as approximately 2 hours per month….”

Call for Participation in a new Working Group on Image Sharing Practices in Cultural Heritage – CODATA, The Committee on Data for Science and Technology

“Are you a professional working in the Cultural Heritage sector, interested in exploring how your institution or research area could improve the findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability of the digital images you collect and create? The DRI is opening a call for participation for a short-term Working Group, which will meet over a 5 month period from January to May 2023, to review and refine a set of recommendations for aligning practices across the Cultural Heritage sector with the FAIR principles for data sharing. The DRI is particularly keen to add members to the Working Group from currently underrepresented regions: South America, Australasia and Africa, though any interested parties should get in touch.

These recommendations are being produced as part of the WorldFAIR Project, a major global collaboration between partners from thirteen countries across Africa, Australasia, Europe, and North and South America.  WorldFAIR will advance the implementation of the FAIR data principles, in particular those for Interoperability, by developing a cross-domain interoperability framework and recommendations for FAIR assessment in a set of eleven disciplines or cross-disciplinary research areas. The DRI is leading the WorldFAIR case study for Cultural Heritage….”

Diamond future of open access | Publication Forum

“In Finland, the expenses of open access publishing were calculated as part of the open science and research monitoring exercise in 2022. According to the monitoring, 4 million euros were used in Finnish research organisations for APCs and book processing charges (BPCs) in 2021.

This development has caused critique across the science community and reinforced the movement towards charge-free open access publishing, i.e. diamond open access. Science Europe, an association representing major public organisations funding or performing research in Europe, defines diamond open access as follows:

“Diamond Open Access refers to a scholarly publication model in which journals and platforms do not charge fees to either authors or readers. Diamond Open Access journals are community-driven, academic-led, and academic-owned publishing initiatives. Serving a fine-grained variety of generally small-scale, multilingual, and multicultural scholarly communities, these journals and platforms embody the concept of bibliodiversity. For all these reasons, Diamond Open Access journals and platforms are equitable by nature and design.”

Science Europe and cOAlition S, an international consortium of research funding and performing organisations, published the OA diamond journals study in 2021. It includes a report of the global situation of diamond open access journals and recommendations for funders, institutions and societies. 

The study finds that there are a few main concerns which many diamond journals share. These are, for example, lack of technical skills and resources to publish their content in a format which fulfils the standards specified in Plan S technical requirements. As a cause and effect of this, a large share of OA diamond journals are not included in established indexes for open access journals, such as DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals).

The study highlights that the editorial tasks of the journals are mainly based on the voluntary work of researchers, because the funding is not on a permanent basis. Voluntary work, e.g. editorial tasks or peer-review, is either not taken into account enough, for example, in institutions researchers’ assessment policies.

The study shows that despite common concerns the landscape of diamond journals is very diverse and fragmented. In conclusion, the study recommends measures for better utilising and sharing know-how and resources….”

Volunteers Rally to Archive Ukrainian Web Sites – Internet Archive Blogs

“As the war intensifies in Ukraine, volunteers from around the world are working to archive digital content at risk of destruction or manipulation. The Internet Archive is supporting several preservation efforts including the Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online (SUCHO) initiative launched in early March….

More than 1,200 volunteers with SUCHO have saved 10 terabytes of data including 14,000 uploaded items (images and PDFs) and captured parts of 2,300 websites so far. This includes material from Ukrainian museums, library websites, digital exhibits, open access publications and elsewhere. 

 

The initiative is using a combination of technologies to crawl and archive sites and content. Some of the information is stored at the Internet Archive, where it can be discovered and accessed using open-source software….

The Internet Archive is providing technical support, tools and training to assist volunteers, including those with SUCHO, who are giving of their time.

Through Archive-It, a customizable self-service web archiving platform that captures, stores, and provides access to web-based content, free online accounts have been offered to volunteer archivists. Mirage Berry, business development manager for Archive-It, has coordinated support with other preservation partners including the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, the Center for Urban History of East Central Europe, and East European & Central Asian Studies Collections librarian Liladhar Pendse at University of California, Berkeley….”

Become a preprint advocate: apply now to be a 2023 ASAPbio Fellow – ASAPbio

“Are you new to preprints and want to learn more about their use? Have you been wondering what the buzz is about preprint review? Have you been using preprints for a while and now want to engage others? Then our Fellows program is for you!

The use of preprints in the life sciences has grown over recent years, and an important driver has been community support for preprints. At ASAPbio we recognize that outreach by community members is invaluable in driving awareness about preprints, and we want to empower existing and new community members in driving these conversations, particularly with colleagues in regions or disciplines where preprints are still not common.

To support the members of our community who want to deepen their engagement with preprints, we have since 2020 hosted the ASAPbio Fellows program. We are now thrilled to open applications for the fourth cohort of the program. 

The ASAPbio Fellows program provides participants with a comprehensive overview of the preprint and preprint review landscape. The program provides opportunities to explore trends, tools and the outlook for preprints in the life sciences while connecting with others interested in preprints and science communication. The program also allows Fellows to help shape and develop ASAPbio strategic initiatives, or to take forward a project of their choice. Our 2023 Fellows program will run from April to November, and is now open for applications until 24 March 2023….”

Wikidata Fellowships – Wikimedia Australia

“Keen to try something with Wikidata! Got a crazy idea? Or a provocation? Or an idea that needs investigating?

Wikimedia Australia and Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand are offering two creative fellowships grants of $1000 (AUD) and one of $1000 (NZD) to curate a data set, develop a prototype or undertake an investigation using Wikidata. You will be matched with a Wikimedian who will mentor you throughout your project offering resources, feedback and support.

We are open to applicants from all backgrounds and skill levels, and support proposals that involve investigations. We are looking for proposals that are enthusiastic and innovative as opposed to requiring pre-existing technical skills.”

NIMH » NIMH Creates Publicly Accessible Resource With Data From Healthy Volunteers

“Studying healthy people can help researchers understand how the brain works in states of health and illness. Although many mental health studies include healthy participants as a comparison group, these studies typically focus on selected measures relevant to a certain functional domain or specific mental illness. The Healthy Research Volunteer Study at the National Institute of Mental Health aims to build a comprehensive, publicly accessible resource with a range of brain and behavioral data from healthy volunteers.

This resource aims to shed light on basic questions about brain function and translational questions about the relationship between brain and behavior. Although the study focuses on healthy volunteers, the data also have relevance to clinical questions about neurobiological, cognitive, and emotional processes associated with certain mental illnesses.

The NIMH Healthy Research Volunteer Study is unique in the breadth and depth of its measures. All data collected as part of the study are anonymized and shared with the research community via the OpenNeuro repository….”

UKRI Infrastructure Advisory Committee – UKRI

“UKRI is seeking up to 3 members from across UKRI’s stakeholder groups to join the Infrastructure Advisory Committee which provides advice and guidance on long term infrastructure investment priorities and prioritisation of investments.

We are seeking senior level expert members with a strong interest and experience in research and innovation infrastructure planning or delivery, deep expertise in their professional area, and an ability to think strategically beyond their discipline.

We would particularly welcome applications from individuals with a background in arts and social sciences, innovation, international infrastructure prioritisation, or those from groups currently under-represented at senior levels in the research and innovation community….”

OpenActive Steering Committee – Voluntary Steering Committee Member job – Kings Cross, London – Open Data Institute

“OpenActive is a community-led initiative designed to increase physical activity and participation across the UK. 

Our aim is to use data to assist in the breaking down of barriers. Be those perceived or actual, by providing information encouraging future and sustained participation. That is for all ages, abilities, and geographical locations through enabling greater opportunity and access. 

OpenActive aims to cater to everyone, from the very active to the sedentary, encouraging access and opportunity to make physical activity a lifetime habit. 

Role description 

This is a voluntary strategic role for a 12-month period. We are looking to create a steering committee of approximately eight members with the ambition to set the direction of the initiative going forward. You’ll need an appropriate based experience level, and an ability to work autonomously and collaboratively as required. We’ll need you to commit to meeting once a month for up to four hours either virtually or in person. 

We want the steering committee to be as diverse as the communities we serve if we are going to succeed in getting everyone active. 

As identified, this will be a voluntary position, however affords the the following benefits;

An opportunity to be part of an influential and strategic leadership position,

first-hand experience with delivering a sector-wide Open Data initiative,

opportunity to network and connect with the key sport sector and data leaders,

support from the Open Data Institute to develop personal skills….”

Fellowship – Open Climate

“Open Climate seeks seven (7) mid career professionals for the 2023 Open Climate Fellowship Program. We welcome applicants from backgrounds across the open and climate movements such as researchers, activists, developers, and educators who are excited to:

Explore the intersections between open technology projects and the climate crisis. 
 Connect with new people working with open technologies and/or climate and environmental justice, coordinating with our team to put ideas, projects and partnerships out into the world. Network development, community building, and sharing ideas are always at the top of your mind. 
Center the expansion of the knowledge commons for addressing climate change in your work….”