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Weekly News Digest
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June 14, 2022 — 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.
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OASPA Introduces New Supporter Membership Category
OASPA is working toward open scholarship with a new option, Supporter Membership. The organization notes, “In commitment to its mission goal to convene community stakeholders to share experiences, discuss problems and identify opportunities in the advancement of open access; and in recognition of the diversity of stakeholders invested in open access, OASPA has launched this new membership category.” With this category, “OASPA welcomes organisations and individuals without a publishing program to have a formal place in the organisation and to support its work.”Claire Redhead, OASPA’s executive director, says, “OASPA’s growth has followed the expansion of open access itself, encompassing a broad range of organisations engaged in different and innovative approaches to open access publishing or providing key services and infrastructures. Increasingly in our events we are getting to the heart of some of the issues that all stakeholders in the scholarly communication systems are impacted by. As we continue to work towards an equitable future for open scholarship, it is important to bring in as many voices as possible. It’s been heartening to see the level of interest in our activities from an ever growing number of organisations and regions of the world.” For more information, read the blog post.
IFLA Unveils Blog on Building Management Skills
The IFLA Management and Marketing committee launched the IFLA Management Skill Building Blog, which “will focus on building and sharing management skills among library professionals. It already features blog posts by three library managers from around the world discussing unique challenges, recommended skills for emerging managers, skills they are developing, and motivations,” the Facebook announcement shares.For more information, read the announcement.
The Library of Congress Plans Workshop Series on Islamic Culture
The Library of Congress’ African and Middle Eastern Division is hosting a series of four online workshops to help people understand Islam and Islamic culture. The first, a screening and discussion of the film Prince Among Slaves, will be held on June 17, 2022. The film is “focused on the true story of Abdul Rahman Ibrahima Sori, an African prince enslaved in the American south. Workshop participants will be able to ask questions to the speakers and will also receive a list of library resources to further explore the topics.” Participants can join live via Zoom, and a condensed version of each workshop will be available online for on-demand viewing.The next workshops will be An Introduction to Islam in Africa on Sept. 22, Contemporary Islamic Culture in Africa and the Middle East on Oct. 20, and Islam in East Africa (Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania) on Nov. 10. Each workshop will be led by educators, researchers, and historians. The series is part of the Exploring Challenging Conversations project, funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc. For more information, read the press release.
The 50th Anniversary of Watergate at the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LC) is marking the 50th anniversary of the Watergate scandal with a new exhibit that explores the role of the press, Congress, the courts, and the Nixon administration. The exhibit, available at the LC’s Thomas Jefferson Building until Sept. 3, 2022, features materials from 24 of its Manuscript Division collections.In addition, the LC will host a panel on June 17, 2022 (the anniversary of the Watergate Hotel break-in), which will be moderated by Margaret Sullivan, media columnist at The Washington Post, and will feature former Post executive editor Leonard Downie Jr. and historians Rick Perlstein, Leah Wright Rigueur, and Dwight Chapin. View the event live on the LC’s YouTube channel. In related news, Downie recently donated his papers to the LC. Some of them are included in the Watergate exhibit. For more information, read the press release.
Patron Point Adds a Reading Recommendations Feature to Notices
Patron Point announced that its “notices can now be set up to include a ‘reading recommendations’ feature.” This additional function “takes notices a step further and can help drive circulation by making highly relevant and timely, personalized reading recommendations at the moment when a patron is most engaged: when checking a hold update or what might be coming due.” Subscribers to Patron Point Recommends will get this feature at no extra cost.For more information, read the press release page.
Syracuse University Libraries Becomes First Institution to Preserve Newly Published Volumes for GPO
The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) announced that Syracuse University Libraries expanded its Preservation Steward agreement, meaning that it has pledged “to permanently preserve print collections of historical Government publications produced by GPO. Syracuse University Libraries is the first Preservation Steward to agree to preserve new volumes as they are published, as well as the historical volumes.”Syracuse University Libraries has agreed to preserve the U.S. Code, from Volume 1 of the 1940 edition through all newly released volumes, and the Statutes at Large, from Volume 1 through all newly released volumes. “GPO congratulates Syracuse University Libraries on being trailblazers in Government information and becoming the first library to preserve new volumes of Government information as they are published,” says Superintendent of Documents Laurie Hall. “This is a big step forward in providing access to Government information today and into the future and realizing GPO’s vision of an America Informed.” For more information, read the press release.
Jisc Report Looks at How to Mitigate Digital Carbon Footprints
Jisc released a report, “Exploring Digital Carbon Footprints,” which “examines the impact of digital technology on the environment and offers practical steps that colleges and universities can take on their journey towards carbon net zero.” It was written by Scott Stonham, an independent technology analyst, and is designed to support IT and tech leaders when making decisions.Jisc notes, “The report highlights best practice around procurement, on-premise IT, cloud technologies and remote working, with an awareness of the cultural, economic and practical realities within the further and higher education sector.” Jisc’s Robin Ghurbhurun says, “The increasing use of digital technology in education has many benefits, but it’s important that we recognise and try to mitigate its contribution to climate change. Every email, video call and social media post, every piece of content we download, and all the time we work or study on our devices, adds to the world’s carbon load.” For more information, read the news item.
Annual Reviews Provides Free Access to Articles on Sleep, Health, and the Brain
Annual Reviews made a collection of 15 articles on sleep, health, and the brain free to download and read through July 31, 2022. The collection “explores varying perspectives of the complex relationship between sleep, health, and the brain. The [articles] span multiple fields of study including nutrition, neuroscience, psychology, and physiology.” They discuss three key areas related to sleep: Health and Habit, Neuroscience and the Nervous System, and Therapy and Medicine.For more information, read the news item.
OverDrive Celebrates Pride Month, Offers Diversity Audits to Libraries
OverDrive shared the following:June is Audiobook Month, and while it may not be an official holiday we here at OverDrive certainly believe it’s a call for celebration all the same. … Our annual Audiobook Month sale is happening this month and it’s the perfect time for librarians to stock up on audiobook titles for listeners of all ages. Pride Month is also happening in June! We read LGBTQIA+ books all year long, but magic can happen when you combine these two celebrations. (As queer musician Miley Cyrus once sang, ‘It’s the best of both worlds.’) Recently Professional Book Nerds podcast co-host Joe sat down with some of Team OverDrive to discuss favorite audiobooks by queer authors and/or featuring queer characters! From swoony romances to heartwrenching memoirs and spectacular science fiction and fantasy, there’s a little bit of everything in these audiobooks. For more information and a list of audiobooks for Pride Month, read the blog post. OverDrive also provided information about its diversity audit option, stating the following: Available at no cost to our library partners, a Diversity Audit from OverDrive is a powerful tool that is available on-demand to partners looking to gain greater insight into the diversity of their digital collection. Using BISAC headings and Recommended Lists created by our own OverDrive librarians, our Diversity Audits can provide partners a better view of their digital library as well as help identify opportunities to expand areas of the collection. Our Recommended Lists are continuously updated, making it important for libraries to add Diversity Audits to their annual collection development goals. For more information, read the blog post.
Cambridge Information Group Buys the Emerald Group
Cambridge Information Group (CIG) acquired the Emerald Group, which consists of Emerald Publishing (social sciences-focused academic publishing) and Emerald Works (on-demand learning solutions). “The acquisition signals a key milestone in the Group’s history; one which allows continuity as well as change, and the opportunity to accelerate growth, particularly in response to the evolving open research landscape,” the press release states. CIG “is a family-owned, mission-led investment firm with a history of long-term investments in education, information, and software companies. During CIG’s multi-decade ownership of ProQuest, the business grew rapidly through investments in new products and multiple strategic acquisitions. CIG’s acquisition of Emerald builds on their deep experience in the higher education industry, with real ambition for long-term growth of the business.”For more information, read the press release.
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Brandi Scardilli
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