1. It Takes a Village: One Year of Journals Requiring ORCID iDs
Getting researcher buy-in to new tools and systems can be challenging - even when those tools are intended to help free them of administrative burden. A community approach, such as the publisher-led initiative to require ORCID iDs for authors, can be very effective, notes Alice Meadows, in her post in the Scholarly Kitchen Blog.
The blog post says (quote): It is important to note that publishers are not the only organisations that are starting to require ORCID iDs for their researchers. A number of funders also do so including, most recently, the National Research Foundation of South Africa. In Italy, ANVUR, Italy's National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research Institutes, required researchers participating in the 2011-2014 national research evaluation exercise (VQR) to register for an ORCID iD, and connect their ORCID record and relevant bibliometric databases with all publications submitted for evaluation. The ORCID experience demonstrates that a scholarly research community "village" approach really can work. Over 1,500 journals published by 16 publishers and societies, require iDs for at least their corresponding authors and, from the conversations with leaders of organisations across all sectors, we know that similar approaches are actively being considered by organisations in other sectors………………(unquote)
The full entry can be read Here.
2. Uncover More: Using Analytics To Improve Library Resource Management & Discovery
One longstanding topic of great interest to librarians was explored in great detail across several sessions during the recent Electronic Resources and Libraries (ER&L) 2017 Conference in Austin, Texas. Scott Schuetze, in his post in the Ex Libris Blog, discusses presentations on how analytics are being used to improve acquisitions workflows, serve researchers better, and measure the impact of e-resource use.
The blog post says (quote): As the ER&L sessions demonstrate, added to the many articles, books and conference presentations before them, librarians and those within the library have long held the strong desire to gather data and statistics. But beyond just collecting data and looking at statistics, there is a new, significant interest to analyse: to convert the information gleaned to help drive decisions, to become more efficient, and to better understand today's users. Emerging technologies are enabling new methods of collecting data and analysing it. Ex Libris supports both libraries and librarians in these areas by leveraging flexible and robust Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) platform-based tools and capabilities within its library services platform and discovery services………………(unquote)
The full entry can be read Here.
3. Public Partners | Collaboration
While librarian-to-librarian collaborations between school and public libraries are nothing new, public libraries are now ramping up their efforts for deeper strategic engagement and collaboration at scale, embedding public library services within schools' daily operations and combining catalogs and access services. Such deeper integration requires both sides to take into account a range of complex issues-commanding all-in support from library leadership and a strong working relationship with local educational administrators, discusses Lisa Peet, in her post in the Library Journal Blog.
The blog post says (quote): One of the best-known full-scale partnerships, Nashville's Limitless Libraries, didn't originate with the Nashville Public Library (NPL) or Nashville's public schools. It was the brainchild of former mayor Karl Dean. In 2008, Dean came up with the idea of using the purchasing and programming power of NPL to bolster the city's struggling school libraries. With the approval of then–NPL director Donna Nicely and Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) administration, the school system, library, and mayor's office signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to allow schools to share student information with NPL and initiated a four–high school pilot project in 2009. NPL librarians and school library personnel worked together to weed school collections and replace discards with updated material. Student IDs became library cards, and NPL provided materials to students and teachers via the schools’ delivery service………………(unquote)
The full entry can be read Here.
4. Proven Strategies for Language Learning
Internationalisation, language learning and ESL are prominent themes for many libraries. EBSCO and Rosetta Stone hosted a panel of academic and public librarians who have implemented language learning programming in their libraries. A post in the EBSCOpost Blog provides highlights from their insights and suggestions.
The blog post says (quote): At the main, patrons primarily want access to tools to help them learn a new language for travel and enrichment, while at the Station Branch, patrons want access to ESOL programs and tools to help them learn English. How did Huntington go about implementing a program for patron groups whose needs were so different? They started beginner and intermediate English classes, and later Spanish classes. While a lot of interest was expressed by the community, the library faced obstacles. Space was limited for in-person training classes, and attendance varied. Huntington Public Library complemented in-person training, which is very costly and reaches a limited number of people, with Rosetta Stone, which expanded access dramatically………………(unquote)
The full entry can be read Here.
5. When is a Preprint Server Not a Preprint Server?
One of the primary purposes of preprints is that they allow authors to collect feedback on their work and improve it before submitting it for formal peer review and publication. In his post in the Scholarly Kitchen Blog, David Crotty discusses when a preprint became a publication.
The blog post says (quote): As new ground is broken and new models arise, new terminologies and new definitions become necessary. Preprints are generally being presented to the research community as a way to get their work out quickly, while not hampering, in any way, one's ability to publish the work in a journal that will provide maximum career benefits. Mixing in journals that formally publish the preprint version of an article and do not allow re-submission elsewhere muddies the water about just what a preprint is supposed to be. Getting the terminology right has implications for how research is communicated and the trust it engenders. Already, this fuzzy terminology around preprints is sowing confusion………………(unquote)
The full entry can be read Here.
6. Engaging with sensor-based methods for social sciences research is necessary, overdue and potentially rewarding
Sensors are an important source of big data. Developments at the heart of "smart cities" or the exploding "quantified self" movement are all reliant on sensors. However, attempts by social scientists to engage with sensors from a methodological perspective have been rare. Jörg Müller, in his post in The Impact Blog, argues that such engagement is not only necessary and overdue, but also potentially rewarding.
The blog post says (quote): The second argument to take sensor-based methodologies more seriously has to do with the very jurisdiction of the social sciences. Machines continuously approximate human capabilities and supersede them. Computers are now better than humans on face recognition tasks. The AI community is thus moving on, addressing new challenges such as "social signal processing". The aim is to enable machines to "understand" social situations through real-world locomotion and interaction patterns among people. What merits scrutiny here, especially from the social sciences, is the often black-boxed leap from the available raw sensor data to established higher-level social and psychological constructs………………(unquote)
The full entry can be read Here.
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