Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Sage renews scholarship to promote diversity within librarianship
SAGE Publishing, Voting Member, Press Release, March 14, 2024
Sage and the Joint Council of Librarians of Color (JCLC) have extended a partnership to provide scholarships to Library Information Science students from the National Associations of Librarians of Color (NALCo).
“Sage is committed to supporting the growth of diverse and inclusive teaching and learning communities where every individual has the opportunity to reach their potential. And as an independent company, we are free to transform this commitment into action,” said Karen Phillips, executive vice president of learning at Sage. “This scholarship program represents an investment in the educational and professional journey of library school students and librarianship—a role that we view as a critical component of teaching and research across campus.”
Product Innovation
Keeping Up with the Educational Market for Generative AI Tools: Announcing Ithaka S+R’s Product Tracking Tool
ITHAKA/JStor/Portico, Voting Member, Blog Post, March 7, 2024
Vendors are developing generative AI (GAI) tools designed for postsecondary teaching, learning, and research contexts at breakneck speed. Established companies, start-ups, and even a few not-for-profit organizations are bringing new products to market almost every day, making it challenging for students and faculty to understand which tools will best serve their needs. Differentiating between tools and assessing their value is also a challenge for university CIOs, IT departments, and others involved in decision-making about which products will be supported and/or licensed for campus users.
As part of our Making AI Generative for Higher Education project, conducted in partnership with 19 colleges and universities, Ithaka S+R has been closely tracking the GAI product landscape through a unique Product Tracking Tool. The Product Tracker includes a basic description of GAI tools marketed towards postsecondary faculty or student users, as well as information about the pricing model, key features, and other relevant details such as the large language model or datasets behind the tool or background on the vendor. The Product Tracker is a living document, which we update regularly as new products come to market or new information about existing products becomes available.
Annual Reports
Check out Fondren's 2023 Annual Report
Rice University, Fondren Library, L.S.A. Consortia Member (Amigos), Featured Report, March 2024
From the Vice Provost:
It is with great pleasure that I extend best wishes to each of you as we embark on another new year at Fondren Library at Rice University. As the University Librarian, it is my privilege to lead a dedicated team that strives to support the academic endeavors of our faculty, students, and researchers. It is with great pride that I share the achievements of the Fondren staff for FY23.
As you delve into the resources available at our library, I encourage you to explore the diverse array of collections and services outlined in our latest annual report. From groundbreaking research initiatives to community engagement efforts, we had a very productive and impactful year.
ORCID Annual Report 2023
ORCID, Inc. Voting Member, Featured Report, March 7, 2024
ORCID's 2023 Annual Report outlines how we built commitment to and engagement with ORCID as an essential element of the research experience, both for researchers and members, so that we can reduce administrative burden for researchers and help our members understand the impact of the research they are facilitating or funding.
Read more to find out what we did in 2023 to:
- Increase Value to Members
- Increase Value to Researchers
- Increase Global Participation
- Uphold Trust and Integrity, and
- Improve Staff Experience
AI & Emerging Technologies
Clarivate in the Age of AI: Innovation Rooted in Academia
Clarivate Analytics, Voting Member, Press Release, March 6, 2024
Clarivate Plc (NYSE:CLVT), a leading global provider of transformative intelligence, today shares an update on its generative AI strategy and its expanded AI-powered product portfolio.
In a virtual presentation, Bar Veinstein, President, Academia & Government, shares an update on the Clarivate generative AI strategy for academia, and demonstrates the new AI capabilities developed to drive research excellence and student success.
Elsevier and Iktos partner to deliver an AI-driven synthetic chemistry platform for drug discovery
Elsevier, Voting Member, Press Release, March 5, 2024
Elsevier, a global leader in information and data analytics, has signed a multi-year agreement with Iktos, a company specializing in artificial intelligence for new drug discovery. The partnership will strengthen Elsevier's flagship chemistry solution, Reaxys, by combining the company’s high-quality chemistry data with synthetic planning AI technologies developed by Iktos to accelerate chemistry research for pharmaceutical companies.
Mirit Eldor, Managing Director, Life Sciences Solutions, Elsevier said: “Our mission is to support research and development (R&D) organizations in fueling innovation and drug discovery with industry-leading predictive algorithms trained on our high-quality data. We are delighted to partner with Iktos to bring the valued industry insights that Reaxys offers powered by artificial intelligence, which will help reshape the landscape of small molecule discovery.”
Open Access, Open Science
Boston Library Consortium supports Path to Open
Boston Library Consortium, Voting/Consortium Member, and ITHAKA/JStor/Portico, Voting Member, News Announcement, March 20, 2024
Eight BLC libraries join JSTOR and the academic community in developing a sustainable path for open access university press monographs at scale
Boston Library Consortium (BLC), a coalition of libraries in the northeastern United States that share knowledge, infrastructure, and resources at scale, is the latest consortium to join Path to Open, a pilot program to support the open access publication of new groundbreaking scholarly books that will bring diverse perspectives and research to millions of people. Designated as an opt-in program for BLC’s member institutions, eight libraries signed on immediately, including Boston Public Library—the first public library to join Path to Open.
“BLC’s commitment to the Path to Open initiative marks a step forward in democratizing access to scholarly research and knowledge,” says Charlie Barlow, BLC’s Executive Director. “By collaborating with JSTOR, the libraries in our diverse membership network are supporting a scalable and sustainable model for open access in scholarly publishing that shows significant promise.”
News & Views: Open Access Charges – Continued Consolidation and Increases
Delta Think, Inc., Voting Member, News Announcement, March 19, 2024
This month we look at the latest data about Article Processing Charges (APCs). Per article pricing is a fundamental building block for all paid publishing models, so our review provides an invaluable insight into how costs of open access continue to evolve. This year, prices in general are increasing, some significantly. Important nuances in the distribution of prices continue to affect the value and cost of paid publishing models.
JSTOR joins the Directory of Open Access Books Trusted Platform Network
ITHAKA/JStor/Portico, Voting Member, News Announcement, March 14, 2024
JSTOR recently joined the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) Trusted Platform Network, a global initiative bringing together platforms committed to maintaining the highest standards in open access (OA) book publishing.
The DOAB Trusted Platform Network creates a more seamless process for platforms and publishers, including JSTOR, to index their OA books in DOAB by checking and verifying which books meet the DOAB criteria and automatically listing them in DOAB, thereby enhancing their discoverability.
Partnerships & Collaborations
OCLC partners with Equinox Open Library Initiative to provide access to the WorldCat Metadata API for mutual customers
Equinox Open Library Initiative, L.S.A. Member, and OCLC PICA, Inc., Voting Member, Press Release, March 18, 2024
OCLC, the worldwide leader in library cataloging and metadata services, is partnering with Equinox Open Library Initiative to offer access to the WorldCat Metadata API for OCLC cataloging libraries using service platforms supported by Equinox. The integration is available to mutual customers.
Equinox, a leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is the first to sign on to integrate the WorldCat Metadata API through the OCLC Partner Platform Program, which allows partners to integrate OCLC cataloging, discovery, and resource sharing functionality through a variety of APIs. The program also allows library service providers to integrate with OCLC's WorldShare Management Services and OCLC Wise library service platforms.