Topic: Scholarly communication
Blog Post
June 12, 2019
(PR)EBLIP
Gearing up for EBLIP10
I’m looking forward to learning and sharing research next week at the Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (EBLIP) Conference being held in Glasgow, Scotland. This is an international, biennial conference that aims to promote the use of best available evidence to improve library and information practices within all types of libraries, and this year’s theme is “using evidence in times of uncertainty.” The conference is held over two and a half days with…
Blog Post
June 6, 2019
Legacy Missions in Times of Change
New Issue Brief on Library Collections
Regardless of the rapidly changing information and technology landscape, collections continue to be at the heart of academic libraries, signifying their role in providing access to our cultural heritage. But in an increasingly networked, distributed, licensed environment, how do we define the library collection? What do collections imply? What is involved in building a collection? The purpose of the brief…
Issue Brief
June 6, 2019
What’s a Collection Anyway?
In 1953, Kenneth J. Braugh stated that the mission of Harvard’s library was to collect and preserve everything. Those days are long gone. For the last couple of decades, given the rapid expansion of scholarly content sources and types, even the best-funded research libraries have become cognizant that a comprehensive collection is an unattainable vision. Nevertheless, many research library mission statements continue to give prominence to their role in making the world’s knowledge accessible to a wide range of user…
Blog Post
June 4, 2019
Reflections on the Society for Scholarly Publishing 2019 Conference
I had the opportunity last week to attend the Society for Scholarly Publishing 2019 conference, which seeks to not only bring together academic publishers, but also others in higher education, such as scholars and librarians, to discuss the latest developments and trends in the scholarly communication landscape. This goal is reflective of SSP’s ongoing mission to bring together diverse voices, as reflected in the code of conduct, invited keynotes…
Blog Post
May 13, 2019
Looking at Data Communities
New Issue Brief on STEM Research Data Sharing
There is a growing perception that science can progress more quickly, more innovatively, and more rigorously when researchers share data with one another. Amid a growing array of organizations, initiatives, and policies working toward this vision, there is a pressing need to decide strategically on the best ways to move forward. Central to this decision is the issue of scale. Is data sharing best assessed and supported on an international or national scale? By discipline? On a university-by-university basis? Or…
Issue Brief
May 13, 2019
Data Communities
A New Model for Supporting STEM Data Sharing
As organizations and initiatives designed to promote STEM data sharing multiply – within, across, and outside academic institutions – there is a pressing need to decide strategically on the best ways to move forward. Central to this decision is the issue of scale. Is data sharing best assessed and supported on an international or national scale? By broad academic sector (engineering, biomedical)? By discipline? On a university-by-university basis? Or using another unit of analysis altogether? To the extent that there…
Blog Post
May 8, 2019
The Usability of Research Data: If We Curate, Will They Reuse It?
During the last seven years, Ithaka S+R has conducted in-depth qualitative analyses of the research practices of academics in several fields. While the studies have highlighted disciplinary differences in research data sharing and reuse decisions in various academic communities, it is striking to observe that most of the scholars described similar requirements and roadblocks when it comes to reusing data. For instance, in their recent report on the changing research…
Past Event
May 23, 2019
What Key Faculty Findings Reveal for Libraries
Melissa Blankstein and Christine Wolff-Eisenberg Present at Library Connect Webinar
On Thursday, May 23, from 11:00 am – noon (EST), Melissa Blankstein and Christine Wolff-Eisenberg are presenting on the findings from the US Faculty Survey for Elsevier’s Library Connect. To register, please see the Library Connect website. About the webinar Would you like to explore opportunities to evolve or shape new library services based on quantitative data? Join us for a presentation of the Ithaka S+R Faculty Survey. The presenters will share insights into faculty research, teaching and publishing…
Past Event
May 21, 2019
Rebecca Springer at FAIRification of External Data Workshop
On Tuesday, May 21, Rebecca Springer is presenting a poster on “Data Communities: Understanding How and Why Scholars Share Data.” Her poster is part of the 2019 P-D-R Workshop, “FAIRification of External Data: Breaking down the Data Silos,” taking place at the Heathrow Marriott Hotel in the United Kingdom. For more information about the program, please see the event press release. …
Blog Post
May 7, 2019
CNI Spring Meeting Presentation on Scholars as Collectors
Video Recording Now Available
At CNI’s Spring Meeting in April, we had the pleasure of presenting some of the highlights from the recent Ithaka S+R brief on scholars as collectors and discuss the implications, benefits, trade-offs, and other key questions that must be taken into account when considering different models for supporting scholarly collecting. It was one of the talks selected for recording and is now available on CNI’s…
Past Event
May 20, 2019
National Survey: Local Findings
Join Us for a Webinar on May 20
Last month, we published the US Faculty Survey 2018, a national survey that tracks the research, teaching, and publishing practices of higher education faculty members at four-year colleges and universities. Thirteen libraries fielded a local version of the Ithaka S+R faculty survey concurrently with the national survey, and we are pleased to be hosting a webinar featuring librarians from two of these institutions. National Survey, Local Findings: Two Librarians Share the Impact of the Ithaka S+R…
Past Event
April 26, 2019
Deanna Marcum at ACLS
On Friday, April 26, from 3 – 4:00 pm, Deanna Marcum is presenting on “50 Years of Scholarly Communication” at the ACLS Annual Meeting in New York City. More information about the program is available on the ACLS website.
Blog Post
April 29, 2019
You Asked, We’ve Answered
Ithaka S+R US Faculty Survey 2018 FAQs
Earlier this month, we were thrilled to release the Ithaka S+R US Faculty Survey 2018 at the ACRL 2019 conference in Cleveland in a standing-room-only session with 200+ conferences attendees. We subsequently had the opportunity share results from the survey via webinar on April 17th with 250+ attendees (the webinar recording is available here). We received so many thoughtful questions and comments during these presentations and wanted to take the…
Blog Post
April 16, 2019
When Research is Relational
New Report on Supporting the Research Practices of Indigenous Studies Scholars
I am excited to announce the publication of the capstone report from Ithaka S+R’s Indigenous Studies project, which brought together teams at eleven academic libraries to study the research support needs of Indigenous Studies scholars. Indigenous Studies places Indigenous perspectives at the center of inquiry, with unique protocols for defining, describing, sharing, and preserving information. The project provided a unique opportunity for academic librarians to come together, learn from Indigenous…
Blog Post
April 12, 2019
The Research, Teaching, and Publishing Practices of Faculty
US Faculty Survey 2018
This morning we published the US Faculty Survey 2018. Through this national survey, we have tracked the research, teaching, and publishing practices of higher education faculty members at four year colleges and universities on a triennial basis since 2000. Our aim in this project is to provide actionable findings and analysis to help colleges and universities as well as relevant support services, such as academic libraries, learned societies, and scholarly publishers,…
Research Report
April 12, 2019
Ithaka S+R US Faculty Survey 2018
The Ithaka S+R US Faculty Survey has tracked the changing research, teaching, and publishing practices of higher education faculty members on a triennial basis since 2000. Our aim in this project is to provide actionable findings and analysis to help colleges and universities as well as relevant support services, such as academic libraries, learned societies, and scholarly publishers, plan for the future.
Research Report
April 11, 2019
When Research is Relational
Supporting the Research Practices of Indigenous Studies Scholars
In 2017 Ithaka S+R launched a project to explore the changing research methods and practices of Indigenous Studies scholars across Canada and the US with the goal of identifying services to better support them in ways that are also beneficial to Indigenous communities more broadly. The project was undertaken by a cohort of research teams at 11 academic libraries with guidance from a group of advisors comprised of Indigenous scholars and librarians. Each research team in the cohort developed findings…
Blog Post
April 8, 2019
Learning from the Locals
How Local Survey Partnerships Have Enriched the Ithaka S+R US Faculty Survey 2018
In 2012, Ithaka S+R began offering colleges and universities the opportunity to field a customized instance of the US Faculty Survey, which tracks the research and teaching practices, perceptions, and needs of faculty members at four-year colleges and universities on a triennial basis. In more recent years, we began fielding our parallel surveys of undergraduate and graduate students as a means to gain better insight into the needs of these important stakeholders. To…
Blog Post
April 4, 2019
Hot Topics in FAIR Data: An Orientation for the Uninitiated
“Data” has become a watchword in academic circles – not to mention in society writ large. But it can be difficult to stay abreast of data-related developments as a plethora of organizations, initiatives, and technologies emerge. I recently had the privilege of attending and speaking at a CODATA workshop on FAIR data (which I’ll explain momentarily) and responsible research data management. Hosted at Drexel University, the two-day workshop brought together…
Blog Post
March 1, 2019
What is Content Syndication?
Over the past year, there have been some important developments among the major publishers as they move towards a new model for distributing their content. The principal driver has been the fear of “leakage,” which is to say usage for which publishers cannot provide COUNTER statistics and therefore are unable to monetize. There is real fear of losing library sales altogether due to leakage to SciHub, ResearchGate, and similar sites, which in one view is what has happened,…