Representatives from the UK government, funders, libraries, university administrators, learned societies, publishers and researchers came together at a conference on February 25, sponsored by five of the leading British learned societies. The agenda was to discuss the challenges of implementing the UK government policy on open access (OA) publication and the policies of research funders that have followed it.
Three key themes emerged from the day's presentations and discussions. It was observed that all stakeholders need to work together constructively to move away from the polemical to the practical. There was strong agreement across stakeholders that although change is in motion, it is important to recognise that the exact future landscape is impossible to predict and that we must focus efforts on achieving sustainable solutions to the challenges ahead.
The second theme was about clarity regarding the policies of research funders is essential. A clear understanding of what policies require in terms of permitting the reuse of published information and acceptable embargo periods, is crucial to enable all stakeholders to implement these policies effectively and sustainably. The government's and RCUK's efforts to achieve this through endorsing the 'decision tree', as the preferred guide for authors to ensure compliance with government and RCUK policy, were welcomed. The announcement by RCUK it would make available to researchers a list of journals that complied with its policy was also welcomed.
The third theme was that the needs and concerns of researchers must be addressed. Institutional stakeholders are nearing readiness to implement OA policies. However, many of those who will be most directly affected - the researchers themselves - are unaware of funders' requirements, or are concerned about the policy's implications for where they can publish, how frequently they can publish, the affordability of publication and whether their intellectual property rights will be affected.
Implementing OA policies will require a substantial shift in community attitudes and behaviour in some disciplines and all stakeholders need to increase their efforts to communicate more effectively with researchers, it was noted. Higher Education Institutions have a key role to play in facilitating the shift to OA by simplifying processes for researchers and communicating the benefits of OA more effectively.
Recognising the important role that learned societies have to play in facilitating the further development and implementation of OA among the UK's scientific research communities, the five learned societies that organised and sponsored the event will work to build awareness of, and support for, OA amongst members, and for those who have a publishing arm, its authors.
STM publisher Springer and the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) held their first-ever publishing symposium at University of Chicago's Gleacher Center on March 7, 2013. The gathering was established as an important opportunity to create dialogue between early-career publishers and librarians, in an effort to nurture closer collaboration as both consider the future of scholarly communication.
The goal of the meeting was to create a wider understanding of both the cultures, expectations and pressures on each side as they work together to serve their important constituencies and the wider scientific community. Attendees were asked to focus on where the interests of both groups intersect and diverge in order to engender a closer sense of shared purpose, and to create stronger partnerships as all look to the future of their respective fields.
With a total attendance of roughly 30 participants made up of early-career librarians, CIC staff and Springer personnel, a wide range of important issues were on the agenda. Topics ranged from social media's place in academic context, to mobile technology, open access and end-user needs to name a few.
Headquartered in the Midwest, the CIC is a consortium of the Big Ten member universities plus the University of Chicago. For more than half a century, these world-class research institutions have advanced their academic missions, generated unique opportunities for students and faculty, and served the common good by sharing expertise, leveraging campus resources, and collaborating on innovative programmes.
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has announced that registration is now open for a workshop on library value, to be hosted by ARL on July 1, 2013, in conjunction with the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Chicago. Megan Oakleaf, associate professor in the iSchool at Syracuse University, will lead the half-day event, 'Library Value: Conceptualizing, Capturing&Communicating Impact.'
Intended for librarians engaging an academic library value project, initiative, or research agenda, this half-day workshop will include mini-lectures, discussion, and hands-on activities to engage participants in answering four questions - What is academic library value, when viewed through an institutional lens?; What library services, expertise, and resources have institutional value on your campus?; How can you capture evidence of that value?; What can you do with evidence of value once you have it?; What decisions can you make?; and What actions can you take?
Megan Oakleaf is the author of The Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report and has earned recognition and awards for articles published in top library and information science journals, including College and Research Libraries, portal: Libraries and the Academy, Reference and User Services Quarterly, and Journal of Documentation. Her research areas include outcomes assessment, evidence-based decision making, information literacy instruction, and academic library impact and value.
Reed Exhibitions has announced that the London Book Fair 2014 will take place at Earls Court from April 8 -10 in 2014. The annual Digital Minds Conference - which will be in its sixth year - will take place on a week day, Monday, April 7, in line with other international book fair and conference programmes.
This year, the Digital Minds Conference is scheduled for April 14, 2013, at The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster. The conference will explore issues facing publishers within a fully integrated digital environment, including the changing role of the editor, the impact that digital plays on publishing and author brands and branding, and the continued debate over self-publishing and hybrid authors. It will also discuss key business model trends, means of reader engagement and those emerging markets which content providers must have a handle on.
The conference will build on the success of previous years, appealing to a global demographic with delegates and speakers coming from across the publishing industry and the media more widely. The format will remain fully interactive with live learning, networking, and a continued emphasis on experiential sessions.
ORCID, an international, interdisciplinary, open and not-for-profit organisation, has announced that it will be hosting its biannual Outreach meeting on May 23, 2013, in Oxford UK.
ORCID hosts two meetings in a year for the research community to learn about the progress of the ORCID initiative, talk with integrators, and learn more about the tools available to embed ORCID iDs. The Outreach meeting will be held in the Ogilvie Lecture Theatre at St. Anne's College.
At the meeting, participants will learn about the status of the ORCID Registry, membership, and technical tools, and will have the opportunity to interact with staff and integrators. ORCID will join up with Dryad to present a symposium on research attribution. The organisation is also hosting a Code Fest under the theme 'Connections', for developers to meet with ORCID technical staff and work on mashups with the ORCID APIs.
All events are free-of-charge, but registration is required.
