Taylor & Francis Online may be unavailable for short periods of time on Friday, October 26 between 7–11 .p.m. due to platform maintenance. Taylor & Francis apologizes for the inconvenience.
DalSpace: Dalhousie’s Open Access Repository
Dalhousie’s open access digital repository exists to preserve and disseminate the scholarly and intellectual output of our community. DalSpace is hosted and curated by the Dalhousie Libraries and we are committed to freely and openly distributing our content for discovery. DalSpace has the following attributes:
- Free for everyone to read content
- No registration required to search, view or download
- Free to post content for registered community members
- Quick discovery of material via Google searching
- Permanent URLs for every item
- Meets the requirements of the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publication
- Not owned by commercial enterprises
- Primary purpose is to preserve and provide access
Check out the new look and feel of the DalSpace launch page
For more information on how DalSpace can fit into your open access workflow and help you attain your OA goals, attend one of our upcoming webinars:
- Open Access: Tips for Planning
- Copyright and Author Rights
Register to get a link at: https://dal.ca.libguides.com/ScholarshipSeries
For more information about DalSpace, contact Ann.Barrett@dal.ca, Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Communications.
ProQuest Ebook Central Outage on Saturday, October 27
To maintain the currency and security of ProQuest ebook platforms, Ebook Central will be unavailable for approximately 90 minutes between 1–2:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 27. ProQuest apologizes for
the inconvenience.
2018 Journal Assessment Update – Reviewing & Evaluating Data
Earlier this year, the Dal Libraries engaged faculty, instructors, and students in a consultation about journal subscriptions. Now, we’re reviewing and evaluating the data gathered from those consultations.
Your input allowed us to assemble a preliminary priority list of journal titles. Small teams of librarians and subject specialists are now refining the list by closely examining multiple factors:
Community recommendations: Which journals have Dalhousie faculty, students and staff identified as important to their research, teaching, and learning?
Usage: How often was the journal used over the course of five years? There are disciplinary differences in the way journal literature is used so we compare like journals — medical journals are compared to other medical journals while humanities journals are compared to other humanities journals.
Citations: How often do Dalhousie researchers cite a journal? Here too we are comparing each journal’s citation rates to other journals in comparable groups.
Duplication: Are we purchasing access to journal content twice? Back issues of many journals are available in several of the aggregator databases we subscribe to, such as EbscoHost and ProQuest. Generally, only the most recent content is unavailable through these databases.
Need for currency: Do we need access to the most recent content? We can identify the publication dates of articles downloaded by our users, and often, the most recent content is not what’s being used. In many cases, the aggregator databases we subscribe to provide our users with the content they need without subscribing to the journal package.
Document Delivery costs: If we decide not to retain a journal and we don’t have access to it through another database, can we provide the content by Document Delivery? We have a fast, reliable Document Delivery service that can provide access to most of the journal literature we need. The cost of providing access through Document Delivery for low-use journals can be less expensive than a subscription, if requestors are willing to wait for two days or less (on average) for delivery.
Balancing these factors is a painstaking process. As we continue to work through these details, we are monitoring the work of national consortia as they negotiate alternatives to the big deals.
When we have finalized the priority list, we will make it available to the Dalhousie community. If we decide to cancel subscriptions this year or in the future, we will monitor Document Delivery requests to identify any journals that may need to be reconsidered.
If there is a title missing from the priority list that you feel strongly about, please email Library.Collections@dal.ca. We can provide additional information about the decision-making process.
Thank you for participating in this consultation process. The data gathered through the Dal Libraries’ journal assessment database has been and will continue to be a crucial factor in the decision-making process.
Open Access Week 2018 – Events
International Open Access Week this year runs from October 22–28. We celebrate it annually at the Dalhousie Libraries, but what is Open Access Week and why should it matter to Dalhousie students and faculty?
Open Access Week provides an opportunity for academics and researchers to continue to learn about the potential benefits of Open Access, to share what they’ve learned with colleagues, and to help inspire wider participation that will make Open Access a new norm in scholarship and research. (from the Open Access Week website) The principles of Open Access are founded on ideas of public access to publicly funded research, author rights, availability of educational resources, and affordable access to materials for educational institutions. The Dalhousie Libraries are pleased to be using these principles to bring the research activities of Dalhousie to the world.
This year’s theme is Designing Equitable Foundations for Open Knowledge. Nick Shockey, Director of Programs & Engagement for SPARC (the global Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) says, “This year’s theme reflects a scholarly system in transition. While governments, funders, universities, publishers, and scholars are increasingly adopting open policies and practices, how these are actually implemented is still in flux. As open becomes the default, all stakeholders must be intentional about designing these new, open systems to ensure that they are inclusive, equitable, and truly serve the needs of a diverse global community.”
The Dalhousie Libraries have a number of events and posts to mark this important week. Please join us at one or more of our Open Access-themed events this fall, either during Open Access Week or later.
– EVENTS –
Open Access: Tips for Planning (webinar)
When people hear or see the words “open access,” they think of open access journals and wonder how much they’ll have to pay to publish in them. This session will address some of the misperceptions around open access and help you build a plan to make your research openly available using open access journals and/or Dalhousie’s institutional repository (DalSpace). Learn how to build open access into your research plan (fees, publisher policies, retaining preprints and post prints), learn about what Open Access is and isn’t and find out how our institutional repository DalSpace can fit into your workflow. Presenter Geoff Brown is the Digital Scholarship and Government Information Librarian at Dalhousie Libraries. He manages DalSpace, oversees the libraries journal hosting service and is working to support open textbook development both at Dalhousie University and in the Atlantic region.
Wednesday, October 24/12–1 p.m.
Session delivered via Zoom
Register to get a link at: https://dal.ca.libguides.com/ScholarshipSeries
Screening of Paywall: The Business of Scholarship & Facilitated Discussion
Join us for popcorn as we screen Paywall, followed by a facilitated discussion with Scholarly Communications Librarian, Melissa Rothfus. Paywall: The Business of Scholarship is a documentary which focuses on the need for open access to research and science, questions the rationale behind the $25.2 billion a year that flows into for-profit academic publishers, examines the 35–40% profit margin associated with the top academic publisher Elsevier and looks at how that profit margin is often greater than some of the most profitable tech companies like Apple, Facebook and Google. (from https://paywallthemovie.com/)
This film screening is co-presented by the Dalhousie Libraries and the School of Information Management as part of the IM Public Lecture series. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/IMPublicLectures
Thursday, October 25/12–1:30 p.m.
Room 5053, Rowe Building
6100 University Avenue
Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon: with a focus on women’s health
Your research skills can help make Wikipedia a better, evidence-based resource for people looking for information on women’s health. This is our third Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon and the first with a health focus. The US National Network of Libraries of Medicine are spearheading this initiative and you can join in or follow along on twitter with the hashtag #citeNLM2018
The session will begin with a brief presentation and discussion about Wikipedia followed by a learning session on Wikipedia editing. Participants will then embark in an edit-a-thon working with the aid of facilitators. Participants work independently or in groups to locate and update/edit pages and citations. You must bring a laptop to the session and create a Wikipedia user account prior to the event to be able to participate.
Wednesday, November 7/10–11:30 a.m.
Carleton Campus, Tupper Link, Room 2L3
DMNB 221
Please register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wikipedia-edit-a-thon-with-a-focus-on-womens-health-tickets-51511916529
Scholarship @ Dal Libraries – New series starting fall 2018
Dal Libraries is launching a new seminar series this month focused on research tools and services. This series will focus on a range of topics going forward but the fall 2018 sessions will focus on aspects of the publishing and research process including research reporting, rights and impact.
Open Access: Tips for Planning
Wednesday, October 24, 12–1 p.m.
Presented by: Geoff Brown
Taking Charge of your Professional Identity: Tools & Metrics
Friday, November 9, 12–1 p.m.
Presented by: Melissa Rothfus & Melissa Helwig
Copyright and Author Rights
Friday, November 23, 12–1 p.m.
Presented by: Roger Gillis
Intro to Research Data Management
Friday, November 30, 12–1 p.m.
Presented by: Erin MacPherson & Sarah Stevenson
All sessions will be online only. Register for links to individual sessions at: https://dal.ca.libguides.com/ScholarshipSeries
Discontinuation of Safari Tech Books Subscription
The Dal Libraries, in consultation with the Faculty of Computer Science, the Department of Engineering Mathematics & Internetworking, and the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, have decided not to renew our subscription to Safari Tech Books, a subscription that provided access to 69 titles.
Early in September, the Libraries learned the content of the Safari eBooks subscription would change significantly to include many more titles; however, this positive news was overshadowed by a significant price increase. Over the course of three years, the price of the subscription would increase by more than 100%. Given this increase, and with input from the departments mentioned above, we’ve decided not to renew this subscription.
We have identified the most highly used titles in the package and we are buying replacement copies. In most cases, we will be able to purchase digital versions of the books, but in a handful of cases we will need to purchase print copies. In addition, we are collaborating with the Faculty of Computer Science to purchase additional books to further develop and strengthen the Libraries’ collection in this area.
If you have suggestions for items to purchase or feedback about this decision, please contact Sarah Stevenson.
Pay Your Fines… with Food? Food for Fines Is Back!
Reduce your fines by $3 for every non-perishable food item donated to the Dalhousie Libraries. Donations will be given to Feed Nova Scotia, the DSU Food Bank, and the Colchester Food Bank. Please note: Charges for lost or damaged items cannot be reduced through Food for Fines.
Killam Library Closing at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 5
This closure is necessary to allow Facilities Management staff to do needed repairs so the heat can be turned on. If you’re looking for a study space nearby after 8 p.m., the Wallace McCain Learning Commons is open on Friday till 10 p.m. We apologize for the inconvenience this early closure may cause.
Welcome Alex Wojcik, the new Library & GIS Developer
We are pleased to welcome Alex Wojcik to the Dalhousie Libraries. Alex is an experienced GIS Developer, having worked in municipal and corporate environments.
Alex is a Dalhousie alumnus, with a degree in psychology. He also holds a diploma in Geographic Sciences with a specialization in GIS from the Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS) in Lawrencetown. He comes to us with program development skills and is currently pursuing a computer science degree to compliment his GIS background.
In addition to working for MapDev Technology Solutions, the Department of National Defense and SEG Consulting with clients that included Nova Scotia Power and Halifax Water, Alex has volunteered his skills to plan a habitat suitability analysis for wood turtles. Wood turtles are considered a vulnerable species in Nova Scotia.
Alex is part of the Academic Technology Services (ATS) team and also works with the GIS team, both within the Dal Libraries. He will be creating programs for GIS that will perform common GIS processing tasks, as well as developing apps that will support the collection and use of geospatial data. Alex will also be working on our website, libraries.dal.ca; our data repository, DataVerse; and our digital preservation system, Archivematica.
Welcome, Alex!