July 2020
Rescheduled! NISO Webinar
No More Big Deal? Picking and Choosing Titles for Use
New Date: Monday, July 6, 2020, 1:00pm - 2:30pm (Eastern Daylight, US & Canada)
More than 20 years since it was first introduced, some institutions are moving away from the “Big Deal”, which licenses institutional access to a critical mass of content. There are pros and cons of doing so, and this roundtable discussion will bring together speakers from institutions that have already stepped back from such deals and those for whom taking that step is — for whatever reason—- not yet an option. They will consider questions such as: What do their respective collection budgets permit? Do researcher or departmental needs run the risk of being sidelined or overlooked in either scenario? Is it really possible — or desirable — to go back to selecting content just for your own community’s needs?
This webinar is for everyone who wants to know more about this important topic, whether you work at an institution that is considering making — or has already made — this change, or at a publishing or other organization that is interested in understanding more about the decision-making process.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Keith Webster, Dean of University Libraries, Carnegie Mellon University
- Evviva Weinraub Lajoie, Vice Provost for University Libraries, State University of New York at Buffalo
- Curtis Brundy, Associate University Librarian, Scholarly Communications and Collections, Iowa State University
NOTE: ALL members of NISO automatically receive sign-on credentials for this event as a member benefit. There is no need to register separately. Check your institutional membership status here.
NISO educational events will be on hiatus for the month of July, with the exception of this single, re-scheduled event.
August 2020
NISO Two Part Webinar:
By Faculty and For Students: Supporting Open Educational Resources, Part One
Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm (Eastern Time)
Open Educational Resources (OER) might seem like a win/win for students and faculty alike, but adoption isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. For example, some texts may not lend themselves to being printed out — the subject matter may dictate an interactive design, or one that is heavily image-driven. And, while the creation of low-cost textbooks and curriculum support is recognized as important, how is the information community dealing with the challenges of ensuring currency and quality? How do we ensure equal access for all in a world of differing access to technology?
In the first session of this two-part webinar, a panel of experts will address some of the key challenges, including: How can you successfully drive buy-in by your undergraduates? What design elements are most likely to engage them? What indicators of use should you be measuring, how, and why? How can you support faculty members who are interested in developing these materials?
Confirmed speakers include Perry Collins, Scholarly Communications Librarian, University of Florida, Anita Walz, Assistant Director for Open Education and Scholarly Communication Librarian, Virginia Tech, and a representative of the Rebus Foundation.
Open Access Monographs: What You Need To Know, Part Two
Wednesday, August 19, 2020, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm (Eastern Time)
A 2019 article in The Atlantic observed that the current disruption in scholarly book publishing might result in the Great Sorting, what the author saw as a beneficial “matching of different kinds of scholarly uses with the right media, formats, and locations.”
In that context, the second session of this two-part webinar focuses specifically on OA monographs. Which stakeholders are currently delivering them and using them? Which current business models are most likely to represent sustainability for those stakeholders? And, with a population of interested readers of these works that may be far larger than their actual revenues, what can publishers, librarians, vendors, and others do to help drive discovery and usage of high-value OA monographs?
Our panel of expert speakers representing all these key stakeholder communities will share their experiences and expertise, as well as answering your questions about OA monographs.
Confirmed speakers include Charles Watkinson, Director, University of Michigan Press and Associate University Librarian, Publishing, University of Michigan, Barbara K. Pope, Director, Johns Hopkins University Press and Frances Pinter, Executive Chair of the Central European University Press and Founder of Knowledge Unlatched.
NOTE: ALL members of NISO automatically receive sign-on credentials for both parts of this event as a member benefit. There is no need to register separately. Check your institutional membership status here.
NISO Virtual Conference:
Transforming Search: What the Information Community Can and Should Build
Wednesday, August 26, 2020, 12:00 pm Noon - 4:00 pm (Eastern Time)
Linked data. Aerial photography. Voice recognition and automated transcription. While none of these alone have transformed the user’s search experience, each plays a part in how users currently think about information retrieval and about the research process. In the coming years, artificial intelligence will have an increasingly important role as well in satisfying the user’s information need. This event will address how search technologies have progressed as well as emerging issues associated with discovery and relevant retrieval.