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Open access in science can mean much more than journal articles.  Take, for example, the Ketterson lab, Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington.  In the course of their over 30-year study on songbird biology the group has published over 100 articles.  In addition to the published record of their research, they had accumulated large amounts of data and other products of research that were unpublished and likely of value to the greater scientific community. 

First, a confession:
Yes, I write poetry. In fact, I've written poetry slowly but persistently for more than three decades. Most of it is complete garbage; some of it has been published in literary journals. But a great deal more, of modest quality, has never been published, submitted or shared. The last fifteen or so years have been largely dedicated to a single form--five couplets, generally not rhyming; ghazals, loosely understood and (at times) loosely "after" Ghalib.

This week I am wrapping up my last evidence summary for the (open access) Evidence Based Library and Information Practice Journal. I'm feeling quite nostalgic about it. I joined the evidence summary team in mid-2012 and have completed two 2-year commitments. It's been a key writing activity for most of my pre-tenure time here at UL. It has also been a valuable and challenging experience that has forced me to publish more frequently than I thought was possible.

Changes are happening! Since 2009, I have had responsibility for all things metadata at University Library. During the last 7 years, the Digital Libraries Team has gone through two name changes and an enormous amount of growth to become the Center for Digital Scholarship. Though it is somewhat bittersweet for me, the current level of productivity and diversity of projects coming out of the Center made this the right time to hand off metadata management responsibilities to someone for whom metadata would be her sole responsibility.

IUPUI University Library Center for Digital Scholarship librarians have used the Library of Congressses Chronicling America API to take another look at the usage of the word hoosier through time and across geographies.  Chronicling Hoosier began as a technology driven pursuit of the long sought origin story of hoosier.

We hope you'll consider attending the first Indiana Memory Digital Public Library of America Fest, September 23, 2016. The Fest is for institutions at all levels of digital collection creation from "just beginning to think about it and need more information" to "long time creators looking at enhancements and with knowledge to share."

Indiana Memory Digital Public Library of America FEST 
Friday, September 23, 2016
9:30 AM-4PM
Indianapolis Public Library, Central Library
40 E. St. Clair St. Indianapolis, IN 46204

One of the fun things about working in a center for digital scholarship are the unexpected and creative questions. Although I spend less time doing reference than I used to, I often use reference questions as an opportunity to take a deep dive into a topic I haven't had time to explore. Recently, someone asked us how to tweet about research. After thinking about it, I realized I do actually have a formula. On the flip side, I get annoyed when journalists and media professionals fail to point to the original research they are discussing. Don't be that person!

Back in March, the Harvard Library Office of Scholarly Communication (https://osc.hul.harvard.edu) published a preliminary draft of a literature review (https://osc.hul.harvard.edu/programs/journal-flipping/public-consultation/) on methods for converting subscription-based journals to open access (OA).* The report was open for public comment, and while the public comment period has passed, it is definitely worth a read for anyone interested in the future of scho

IUPUI University Library’s mission is to Inform, Connect, and Transform. The work I do as a resource sharing librarian is the literal fulfillment of our mission to Connect. My entire career as a librarian has focused on providing our users with access to the information resources they need to be successful in their teaching, research, and learning. I am, in fact, a self-proclaimed librarian devoted to resource sharing.

The IUPUI Faculty Council adopted a rights retention, “opt out” open access policy about 18 months ago. Adopting a policy, however, was just an initial step toward honoring the campus's commitment to the broad and open dissemination of research and scholarship created by its authors. Building a culture of open access requires willing participants, technology, and dedicated effort from academic libraries. Here's a short summary of our implementation efforts to date and the current level of policy participation from faculty on the IUPUI campus.