Libraries, Collections, & Archives
PUL Librarians support OCLC project to enhance Library collaborations
Princeton University Library, L.S.A. Member, and OCLC, Voting Member, News Announcement, September 14, 2023
How do art libraries support art scholarship? In response to the challenges created by limited budgets and the COVID-19 pandemic, OCLC embarked on Operationalizing the Art Research Collective Collection (OpArt), a project to help art libraries identify opportunities for beneficial partnerships around their collections, build effective collaborative structures, and navigate the practical challenges involved in making collaborations sustainable and successful.]
At Princeton University Library (PUL), Rebecca Friedman, Assistant Librarian, Marquand Library, supported these efforts as part of the OpART advisory board from 2021 to 2023 along with seven colleagues from art research libraries. “I was asked to serve by Dennis Massie from OCLC who was involved with the project and has been coming to Art Libraries Society (ARLIS/NA) conferences for many years so I had gotten to know him via resource sharing circles initially,” Friedman said.
Internet Archive Files Appeal in Publishers’ Lawsuit Against Libraries
Internet Archive, L.S.A. Member, Blog Post, September 11, 2023
Today, the Internet Archive has submitted its appeal [PDF] in Hachette v. Internet Archive. As we stated when the decision was handed down in March, we believe the lower court made errors in facts and law, so we are fighting on in the face of great challenges. We know this won’t be easy, but it’s a necessary fight if we want library collections to survive in the digital age.
Statement from Brewster Kahle, founder and digital librarian of the Internet Archive:
“Libraries are under attack like never before. The core values and library functions of preservation and access, equal opportunity, and universal education are being threatened by book bans, budget cuts, onerous licensing schemes, and now by this harmful lawsuit. We are counting on the appellate judges to support libraries and our longstanding and widespread library practices in the digital age. Now is the time to stand up for libraries.”
Grants, Funding, & Awards
US Caribbean & Florida Digital Newspaper Project Celebrates 10 Years and Grant Renewal
University of Florida Libraries, Voting Member, Featured Article, September 13, 2023
The George A. Smathers Libraries are the awarded institution in Florida for the National Endowment for the Humanities National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP). The NDNP provides access to a searchable database of historically significant newspapers from 1690 and 1963. This grant is the longest running grant in the George A. Smathers Libraries system and one of the three largest grants (monetarily). The proposals have been so successful that the Libraries use this model for other grant acquisitions. An inclusive project, the University of Florida strives to reach more than English language users and are committed to providing providing access to Spanish-language newspapers and newspapers from diverse communities as much as possible. These newspapers are open access—anyone can access these resources for free. As long as you have Internet access, more than 520,000 pages are available for exploration.
This project benefits students and teaching faculty who use newspapers as primary sources for coursework and research, allowing for various perspectives from primary sources. Other applications include genealogists and the general public who are passionate about family history. Digitizing newspapers allows researchers and scholars to examine events from multiple perspectives and lenses. Through sourcing multiple papers, academics are able to analyze the journalist’s perspective, the paper’s audience and reach, all becoming a lesson in not only national events, but local day-to-day experiences.
Library gets grant to raise algorithmic literacy
Cornell University Library, L.S.A. Member, News Announcement, September 11, 2023
Cornell University Library has been awarded a grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) to support a project aimed at creating open educational resources on algorithmic literacy—building the public’s knowledge about what algorithms are, how they function, and how they shape modern life.
“Algorithms are pieces of code used to solve problems,” said Reanna Esmail, lead librarian for instruction at Cornell University Library and a co-leader of the project. Esmail explained that these algorithmic rules set the parameters for a variety of automated tasks—from recommending movies on Netflix to screening banking mortgage applications.
Research Initiatives
New Digital Lab enhances Heard Libraries’ resources for teaching and learning
Vanderbilt University, L.S.A. Member, News Announcement, September 8, 2023
The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries have strengthened their resources for teaching and learning with the recent launch of the Digital Lab, an initiative that equips Vanderbilt University faculty, students and staff to create, develop and sustain digital projects. The new Digital Lab combines three library departments—Digital Scholarship and Communications, the Digital Commons, and the Digital Humanities Center—into one overarching unit, realizing efficiencies that advance the Heard Libraries’ goal of facilitating transdisciplinary research and teaching through cohesive services.
“The Digital Lab positions the libraries as an essential partner on campus,” said University Librarian Jon Shaw. “Housing Vanderbilt’s digital projects under one umbrella enables us to take better advantage of the synergies that exist between them while also increasing opportunities for collaborative scholarship among faculty, students and staff.”
Scopus introduces the Author Position metric - a new researcher signal
Elsevier, Voting Member, Blog Post, September 7, 2023
Scopus is proud to announce a new metric available on the Scopus Author Profile page. This metric is designed to help researchers better track and understand their research performance. It helps researchers pull together a comprehensive overview of their research performance and expand metrics they can provide on promotion, tenure and grant applications.
How does Author Position work?
Most publications are created with the input from multiple co-authors. Traditional citation metrics give each co-author the same citation impact, even though the actual contribution of each researcher will not have been even.
Partnerships & Collaborations
CRKN and Library and Archives Canada partner to improve access to digitized handwritten materials in Héritage Collection
Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN), L.S.A. Consortium Member / Voting Member, and Library and Archives Canada, L.S.A. Consortia Member (CRKN), News Announcement, September 12, 2023
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.
ICR uses artificial intelligence models to identify characters in both digitized handwritten and printed text. Aware of the need to improve access to the Héritage collection, which contains approximately 60% handwritten text, CRKN staff identified the Transkribus ICR software as the best option for launching this pilot project. Initial tests showed that Transkribus was able to transcribe a sample of handwritten text with an error rate of just 5–7%, which can be improved through training
Open Access, Open Science
Index Data Applauds Linköping University Library’s Successful FOLIO Implementation
Index Data, Voting Member, Press Release, September 13, 2023
COPENHAGEN – Index Data is delighted that Linköping University Library in Sweden has gone live with FOLIO. Linköping University (LiU) has been part of the FOLIO Community for a number of years and has worked on its migration for months, culminating in a go-live on July 24, 2023. Staff at Linköping University Library began the process by analyzing FOLIO’s functionality and workflows. This included mapping local library workflows to the features offered by FOLIO apps, enabling efficient resource management and improved user experiences, and mapping existing data to the data structure in FOLIO. Crucial was an outstanding collaboration with the University’s IT department.
In the implementation phase, Linköping University Library contacted Index Data to provide support and expertise in a number of areas, including advice and best practices regarding technical infrastructure troubleshooting and upgrades.
Product Innovation
Index Data Becomes Registered Service Provider for VuFind®
Index Data, Voting Member, Press Release, September 8, 2023
Index Data, a global leader in library technology services, is proud to announce its registration as a service provider for VuFind®, the innovative library resource portal designed and developed by libraries for libraries. Index Data has a history of providing hosting and development support for VuFind® in association with FOLIO and ReShare implementations. This announcement formalizes its commitment to the VuFind community and further enriches its portfolio of open source library solutions.
“At the heart of Index Data’s services lies a commitment to open source software and empowering libraries with tailored solutions,” said Lynn Bailey, CEO at Index Data. “As a registered service provider for VuFind®, Index Data extends its dedication to offering a wide range of services that enhance library operations worldwide. We are excited to offer our expertise and support to libraries seeking to transform their search and discovery interfaces through VuFind®.”
Ex Libris Introduces campusM Library to Support Academic Success and Drive Student Engagement
Ex Libris, Inc., Voting Member, News Announcement, September 11, 2023
Ex Libris is proud to announce the launch of campusM Library, an integrated mobile application designed to bolster student engagement and facilitate streamlined access to institutional resources. This app empowers academic librarians to play a more central role in fostering student success.
With campusM Library, academic institutions can actively engage students, showcase the full spectrum of library offerings, and contribute to broader institutional initiatives aimed at enhancing student outcomes.
The app provides students with a personalized digital experience that allows for easy access to a wealth of institutional online resources. campusM Library seamlessly integrates with Alma, Primo, Leganto, and the learning management system, thereby enriching the learning journey by offering students direct access to institutional services and course materials.
Industry Leadership
Brigitte Weinsteiger Appointed Interim Director of the Penn Libraries
University of Pennslyvania Libraries, L.S.A. Member (PALCI), News Announcement, September 20, 2023
Brigitte Weinsteiger has been appointed the Interim Director of the Penn Libraries. She will also continue to serve as the Penn Libraries Gershwind & Bennett Family Senior Associate Vice Provost for Collections and Scholarly Communications, a role she has held since September 2022.
Weinsteiger has served in multiple leadership positions since she joined the Penn Libraries staff in 2008. As Senior Associate Vice Provost, she directs the Libraries’ academic and community engagement services; collection strategy; acquisitions, access, and licensing; the preservation, conservation, and exhibits programs; and library counsel and scholarly communications. In addition, she oversees the Penn Libraries’ 10 departmental libraries, directing personnel, facilities, access services, and operations at these locations across campus. She leads a team of 115 staff, in addition to hundreds of student employees and interns, and has direct oversight of the Libraries’ information budget of $27 million.
Emerging Technologies
CCC Pilots AI-disambiguated Researcher and Institution Data
Copyright Clearance Center, Voting Member, Press Release, September 28, 2023
CCC, a leader in advancing copyright, accelerating knowledge, and powering innovation, announces the availability of AI-disambiguated data and enriched metadata, for researchers and institutions, within RightFind Navigate through a pilot for its customers. CCC also announces several powerful new features of the RightFind Suite.
Pharmaceutical and life science companies are dealing with tremendous growth in available information and an increasingly diverse range of sources that make it challenging to maintain a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding on key research advancements. RightFind Navigate’s machine-learning driven semantic enrichment and advanced personalization features help users locate the most relevant information in scientific literature, clinical trials, patents, and many other sources. This pilot expands the data intelligence already available in RightFind Navigate with the introduction of disambiguated researcher and institution profiles.
Clarivate Establishes Academia & Government Innovation Incubator and Acquires Alethea, an AI Student Engagement Solution
Clarivate Analytics, Voting Member, Press Release, September 26, 2023
Clarivate Plc (NYSE: CLVT), a global leader in connecting people and organizations to intelligence they can trust to transform their world, today announced it has established an Academia & Government Innovation Incubator. This will further accelerate its strategy to drive innovation, utilize artificial intelligence and introduce novel solutions for its academic users and customers.
The Incubator’s first program focuses on realizing better learning outcomes and student success through the acquisition of Alethea, an AI-powered students’ content engagement platform created by Pangea. Alethea facilitates meaningful engagement with academic texts, class readings, and assignments through personalized and adaptive guidance. It provides faculty and librarians with the insights they need to analyze students’ reading engagement and rapidly adapt their teaching.