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Weekly News Digest
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December 10, 2020 — In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today.
CLICK HERE to view more Weekly News Digest items.
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TLC's eBiblioFile Is Now Available for RBdigital Customers
The Library Corp. (TLC) announced that due to OverDrive’s acquisition of RBdigital, “all former RBdigital customers are now eligible to utilize eBiblioFile, an on-demand MARC record service for eBooks and other downloadable titles. This service has been available to OverDrive customers as well as cloudLibrary by bibliotheca customers.”With eBiblioFile, libraries can use “the very best data possible to enhance the discovery experience of a borrower. eBiblioFile automatically receives that information and delivers ready-to-load records for each title directly to the library. Records are RDA-ified, authority controlled, contain the library’s predefined custom fields, and have a URL link to the title on the eResource vendor website. These records are delivered within 24-48 hours and—at $1 a record—eBiblioFile is 2/3 the cost of other vendors offering similar services with longer delivery times.” For more information, read the news item.
CCC Plans Virtual Town Hall on Remote Working's Impact on R&D
Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) is hosting Where R&D Meets WFH, a virtual town hall on Dec. 15 at 10 a.m. EST. It will provide “an in-depth look at the impact remote work is having on research and development (R&D) organizations” and reveal the results of an Outsell, Inc. survey, “Information Seeking and Consumption Study,” on how workplaces share and use copyrighted content.The town hall panelists will aim to answer the following questions: - How is the pace of research changing in different fields and practice areas?
- How have organizations found creative ways to maintain collaboration?
- How are researchers managing to share data and discoveries that will drive further innovation, despite working remotely?
For more information, read the press release.
eLife Moves to a New Preprints-Forward Publishing Model
eLife announced that it will transition from a “review, then publish” to a “publish, then review” model. The eLife journal will exclusively review preprints, and its editors and reviewers will concentrate on creating high-quality peer reviews that will be made public with the preprints. If a paper that eLife sends out for peer review is not already on a preprint server, eLife will post it to bioRxiv or medRxiv. eLife is also going to refocus its editorial processes on developing “refereed preprints” that have a publicly available assessment from the reviewers and editors attached.eLife notes, “These steps advance eLife’s mission of transforming the communication of new biology and medicine research, and come amid increasing support for preprints within the life science community, including eLife authors. A recent internal analysis showed that around 70% of papers under review at eLife were already available as preprints. The organisation began trialing this system with Preprint Review—an opt-in service for reviewing preprints posted on bioRxiv, which has seen more than 250 papers reviewed since its launch in May.” For more information, read the news item.
Sabinet Works With Gale and Unlimited Priorities to Offer Journal Content From African Researchers
Unlimited Priorities teamed with Sabinet and Gale to give American academic institutions access to Sabinet’s collection of scholarly journals from Africa. Designed to fill the need for more content from African countries, the collection provides more than 367 current and 230 retrospective full-text journals covering subject areas such as business and finance, education, law, medicine and health, and the social sciences and humanities.For more information, read the news item.
Kudos to Showcase Research Using Researchfish Data
Kudos partnered with Researchfish to help “researchers, institutions and funders by broadening engagement with research among diverse audiences, within and outside of academia.” Kudos notes that Researchfish “collects and enriches data for research outcomes linked to specific funder awards. This data is crucial for demonstrating the reach and impact of research beyond traditional measures such as publications and citations. … Through this new partnership, Kudos will build showcases based on researchfish data. These attractive and powerful portals will help funders and universities to bring valuable information to the attention of a worldwide audience.”“Linking those that produce research with those that can apply it is increasingly being seen as the key to accelerating impact,” says Melinda Kenneway, Kudos’ CEO. “This in turn builds reputation for researchers, and for their funders and institutions. I’m delighted that through this new partnership we can provide an end-to-end solution for research organizations wanting both to increase the visibility and impact of their research, and to provide comprehensive evidence of their achievements.” For more information, read the blog post.
SirsiDynix Makes Contactless Library Service Easier With BLUEcloud Mobile Updates
SirsiDynix unveiled new features for BLUEcloud Mobile: Patron Self-Service and Click-and-Collect. These optional workflows for any size library facilitate contactless circulation, with patrons using their mobile devices to check books in and out (Patron Self-Service) and engage in curbside pickup (Click-and-Collect).According to the press release, “Unlike other current curbside offerings, SirsiDynix’s Click-and-Collect functionality does not require appointments, but rather allows the patron to indicate that they are on their way to pick up their holds right then. Library staff have a staff interface they can access from a tablet, laptop, or desktop to manage the requests for pickup, including the ability to set library pickup hours, establish a parameter on the number of incoming patrons they can serve at a time, and fully customize it to fit how the library is planning on offering this service.” “COVID-19 has placed a strain on all existing workflows, and we are pleased to provide our customers with a solution that not only simplifies and streamlines the adaptations they’ve made, but also considers the safety of both library staff and the patrons they serve,” says Bill Davison, SirsiDynix’s CEO. For more information, read the press release.
New Executive Order Outlines Principles for Using AI in Federal Agencies
Access Partnership shares the following:On Thursday, December 3rd, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) on Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the Federal Government. The EO lays out nine Principles to guide agencies (excluding the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community) in the development, acquisition, and use of these technologies—tasking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) with carrying out the necessary policy guidance. … Within 180 days, OMB shall develop a roadmap of policies, including timelines for engaging the public. The EO also advises agencies to continue using voluntary consensus standards developed with industry and advises OMB to consider these standards in the development of new guidance. Examples of the principles include that AI is used in a way that is “lawful and respectful of US values,” that AI’s “safety, security, and resiliency” is ensured in the face of forms of “exploitation,” that AI is “regularly monitored,” and that its use is “transparent” to “stakeholders” such as Congress and the public. For more information, read the news item.
Springer Nature Enacts Gold OA Option for Nature Journals
Springer Nature announced that starting in January 2021, all of its authors can publish gold OA when submitting to Nature and its 32 research journals. They will receive the same article-processing charge (APC) as Max Planck Digital Library, which Springer Nature signed an agreement with in October 2020.Also in January 2021, Springer Nature will launch an OA pilot that covers six journals and lets authors submit an article once and have the chance to publish in one of a number of journals. Authors who opt in to the pilot will pay an Editorial Assessment Charge and receive feedback via an Editorial Assessment Report. From there, if they are accepted for publication, they will pay a reduced APC; if they aren’t, they can use the report to help them get published by another journal. “At Springer Nature we have been committed to driving the transition to open access for 20 years,” says Alison Mitchell, Springer Nature’s chief journals officer. “This is why, using our experience, we have been able to come up with a range of options to enable authors to publish OA in our highly selective titles. While transformative agreements are the biggest driver of OA transition and largely avoid the need for significant additional funding from authors themselves, these take time for institutions to put in place and are not suitable for all organisations. I am delighted that we are now able to open up this opportunity to ALL authors and also to experiment with brand new ways of helping our authors succeed via the guided OA pilot.” For more information, read the press release.
The Library of Congress Gets One Step Closer to Its Remodel
The Library of Congress is getting a new look: The Dwight D. Opperman Foundation is donating $1 million to “reimagine and enhance” its visitors’ experience, featuring a new orientation gallery in the Thomas Jefferson Building, exhibitions, and a learning lab. The renovation is part of a multiyear plan to bring forward more of the library’s collections into public spaces and help visitors connect the materials to their own creativity and research. The Opperman gift is in addition to other gifts from earlier in 2020, as well as appropriation from Congress, that will help the library realize this plan.For more information, read the news item.
Exact Editions Provides Access to the Magazine of The British Museum
Exact Editions is now offering global institutional digital subscriptions to The British Museum’s membership magazine. The archive, designed for museum students and professionals, dates back to 2006 and will be completed in early 2021. Subscribing institutions can get IP access on site as well as remote access options.The press release states, “Founded in 1753, the British Museum is the oldest and greatest publicly funded museum in the world, exhibiting two million years of human history and culture. Published three times a year, the pages of membership title British Museum Magazine include striking visuals alongside museum and exhibition insights, research news and historical features.” For more information, read the press release.
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Brandi Scardilli
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