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News from the Field

MSU Libraries sign Read and Publish agreement with BMJ

Michigan State University (MSU) Libraries has recently become the first US institution to enter a Read and Publish agreement with leading global healthcare knowledge provider BMJ. This exclusive agreement allows corresponding authors who are affiliated with MSU uncapped ability to publish their primary research open access in all BMJ journals at no cost to the author. Associated open access publishing fees will be covered in full by MSU Libraries. BMJ publishes more than 65 medical and allied science titles, including The BMJ, BMJ Case Reports, the BMJ Premier Collection journals, and the BMJ gold open access journals. This agreement also allows all MSU affiliates access to the content published in these journals.

“We are thrilled to be the first US institution to sign a Read and Publish agreement with BMJ,” said Interim Dean of MSU Libraries Terri Miller. “This is an excellent opportunity to expand our already robust OA program and to make meaningful connections with other institutions whose values align with those of MSU Libraries, which in this case includes increasing opportunities for authors to publish open access to advance accessibility and inclusion in knowledge-sharing.”

The MSU Libraries has been actively expanding its support for open access publishing in various ways since 2020. This agreement with BMJ joins a growing list of Read and Publish agreements with journal publishers, including Cambridge University Press, DeGruyter, Wiley, PLOS, IOP, Royal Society Publishing, Company of Biologists, and more.

Revised ACRL Standards for Distance and Online Learning Library Services

The ACRL Board of Directors approved a revised and updated version of the association’s Standards for Distance and Online Learning Library Services at its February 17, 2023, virtual meeting. Developed by the ACRL Distance and Online Learning Services Section (DOLS) Standards Committee, the revised Standards are intended for anyone who is involved in providing services to distance and online learning communities. The document provides a means to foster cross-departmental communication and improve advocacy, and offers a roadmap for strategic planning. The revised Standards for Distance and Online Learning Library Services is freely available in the Standards, Guidelines, and Frameworks section of the ACRL website at https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards. Contact DOLS Standards Committee Co-Chair Natalie Haber at natalie-haber@utc.edu with questions about the Standards.

Clarivate adds Preprint Citation Index to Web of Science

Clarivate has added the Preprint Citation Index to the Web of Science platform. Researchers can now locate and link to preprints alongside other trusted content in the database to streamline the research process and help make meaningful connections faster. Access to preprints in the Web of Science makes it quicker and easier for researchers to include them in their existing research workflows. It enables immediate access to up-to-date, aggregated, and searchable preprints from selected repositories linked to author profiles.

At launch, the Preprint Citation Index provides nearly two million preprints from the arXiv, bioRxiv, chemRxiv, medRxiv, and Preprints.org repositories. Papers from more than a dozen additional repositories will be added throughout 2023. Preprint records are discoverable alongside other scholarly output in the Web of Science and connected to final versions of record, where applicable. They are clearly marked in search results and not included in any citation metrics including Times Cited Counts or the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) within the Web of Science Core Collection or Journal Citation Reports. More information on the Preprint Citation Index is at https://clarivate.com/products/scientific-and-academic-research/research-discovery-and-workflow-solutions/preprint-citation-index/.

Library of Congress releases newly digitized colonial-era African postcards

The Library of Congress has announced the initial release of more thanr 1,300 newly digitized postcards from the Africana Historic Postcard Collection, which depicts life under French, Italian, German, Belgian, and British colonial rule in sub-Saharan Africa from the 1890s until the end of the 1930s. More than 5,000 colonial-era postcards will comprise the online collection in the future to help researchers, teachers and students, and the public, understand that, beyond their use as souvenirs, these postcards were mainly used as propaganda tools in favor of colonial powers and missionary activities during that period.

Available online only in PDF from 2017, the rerelease of these digitized postcards will facilitate access to images and little-known facts about the European colonial establishments relating to Ethiopia/Eritrea, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Madagascar, German East Africa, British East Africa, and the Belgian Congo. Nearly half of the online collection covers the Italian colonial period in Ethiopia, particularly the 1935–41 Italo–Ethiopian War, and present-day Eritrea. View the collection at https://www.loc.gov/collections/africana-historic-postcard-collection/about-this-collection/.

New from ACRL—Exploring Inclusive & Equitable Pedagogies: Creating Space for All Learners

Book cover: Exploring Inclusive & Equitable Pedagogies, volume 1Book cover: Exploring Inclusive & Equitable Pedagogies, volume 2

ACRL announces the publication of Exploring Inclusive & Equitable Pedagogies: Creating Space for All Learners, edited by Melissa Mallon, Jane Nichols, Elizabeth Foster, Ariana Santiago, Maura Seale, and Robin Brown. This two-volume set offers reflections, practices, and models that deepen our collective understanding of equitable and inclusive theories and practices and present new grounding for both our individual teaching and our instruction programs.

Inclusive and equity-minded pedagogy is inspired by a rich array of theories including Black feminist thought, critical race theory, cultural humility, cultural competence, disabilities studies, universal design for learning, and critical information literacy. When we base our instruction on inclusive and equitable pedagogies, we endeavor to connect authentically with students as well as to connect classroom learning to the context of their lives. We share power with students, centering them and their varied learning preferences, and strive to create a culture of care, empathy, and humility both in and out of the classroom. When we clearly share our objectives and expectations for a learning experience, students may better understand us and the learning context we aspire to create.

In Exploring Inclusive & Equitable Pedagogies, seven thorough sections across two volumes examine:

  1. Anti-Racist Approaches
  2. Intentional Information Literacy
  3. Engendering Care and Empathy
  4. Community Building
  5. Universal Design for Learning: An Important Benchmark
  6. Instructor Identity and Positionality
  7. Professional Development

Chapters cover topics including dismantling, reexamining, and reconstructing notions of authority in information literacy instruction; teaching technology inclusively; using primary sources to research queer and feminist histories; cocreating knowledge practices with students; prioritizing accessibility in synchronous and asynchronous learning environments; cultural humility, funds of knowledge, and information literacy instruction with first-generation students; designing and managing inclusive group projects; and much more.

Exploring Inclusive & Equitable Pedagogies can help us become the instructors our students need by adopting the mindsets and developing the underlying skills to enact inclusive and equitable teaching and learning.

Exploring Inclusive & Equitable Pedagogies: Creating Space for All Learners is available for purchase in print and as an ebook through the ALA Online Store, individually or as a set; in print through Amazon.com; and by telephone order at (866) 746-7252 in the US or (770) 442-8633 for international customers.

PALNI joins NISO as voting member

The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) recently became a voting member of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO). Through this membership, PALNI will play an integral role in advancing standards-based library infrastructure and innovation through collaboration with cultural, scientific, scholarly, and professional communities. NISO voting membership is open to any organization globally that supports the organization’s goals—to initiate, develop, maintain, and publish technical standards for information services, libraries, publishers, and others involved in the information business. NISO is the only organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for this purpose. Learn more at https://palni.org/news/palni-joins-niso-as-a-voting-member.

OverDrive Academic transforms access to digital resources

OverDrive Academic has announced new open access and flexible digital content collections for academic libraries that provide unlimited simultaneous use with more cost certainty. The new open access collection for Taylor & Francis provides libraries and schools with a collection of premium academic content at no cost, increasing access to knowledge and promoting collaboration for students and institutions.

The new content offerings from OverDrive Academic include budget-friendly options to meet colleges’ and universities’ increasing demand for academic and professional development titles. First, Taylor & Francis’ open access collection of more than 1,400 free simultaneous-use ebooks make published academic research available at no cost with unlimited access. Additional open access ebooks from other publishers—including the University of Michigan Press—will be offered in the coming months. Learn more about OverDrive Academic at https://company.overdrive.com/academic-libraries/.

OCLC introduces Choreo Insights library analytics solution

OCLC’s new Choreo Insights library analytics solution is now available to libraries in North America that are seeking to better align academic library collections with institutional priorities, new and emerging curriculum needs, and future trends. Available to development partner libraries since late 2022, Choreo Insights is now widely available to libraries in North America. Using WorldCat holdings data, Choreo Insights is a flexible solution that enables confident collection development decisions by comparing detailed subject breakdowns of local collections with overlap and gap analysis of any other library or group in WorldCat.

Libraries can map collections directly to academic programs using CIP (Classification of Institutional Programs) mapping. They can also use Library of Congress classifications, FAST subject headings, simple title text searches, and more to see how collections stack up. Analysis can take only seconds to perform and is not limited to one-time reports and static snapshots. Libraries can try a variety of analysis scenarios, such as comparing institutions with programs they hold in high esteem, or trim results based on years of publication and other facets. Complete details are at https://www.oclc.org/en/choreo-insights.html.

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