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Building Support for Non-Traditional Scholarly Outputs

Webinar

Scope

The second half of this two-part NISO Roundtable allows participants to expand the discussion into the expanding realm of non-traditional outputs, and what support for such output may demand of different stakeholders in the scholarly ecosystem. Video, audio, and data visualization are already increasingly common output formats. Specific disciplines, such as the arts, require support for images, performances, and more. What does this all mean for our research infrastructure? For editorial or content management systems? For discovery tools? For content platforms? System requirements are becoming increasingly more complex — and also exciting — as content and system providers have to think outside the box to meet their users’ needs.

Confirmed speakers include Wind Cowles, PhD, Director, Research Data and Open Scholarship, Princeton University Library; Salwa IsmailAssociate University Librarian for Digital Initiatives and Information Technology, University of California - Berkeley; Carl Stahmer, Executive Director, DataLab, Data Science and Informatics, University of California -Davis; and Bonnie J. Russell, Project Manager for MESH Research, Humanities Commons, and Digital Specialist for HuMetricsHSS, Michigan State University. 

 

Event Sessions

Roundtable Discussion

Speakers

Dr. Wind Cowles

Director of Data, Research, and Teaching
Princeton University Library

Salwa Ismail

Associate University Librarian for Digital Initiatives and Information Technology
University of California, Berkeley Library

Carl Stahmer

Executive Director, DataLab, Shields Library
University of California - Davis

Bonnie J. Russell

Project Manager for MESH Research and Humanities Commons
Michigan State University

This Roundtable Discussion is moderated by Todd Carpenter, Executive Director of NISO. 

The discussion by participants touched on the following:

In your experience, how is scholarly output changing? What “non-traditional” outputs are you encountering? What are the unique challenges of dealing with output in these formats?

These outputs aren’t just a single thing, but seem to have a variety of ancillary components. What responsibilities for capturing those components fall on individual researchers? Subsequently, what responsibilities fall on the library staff in terms of hosting, storage, etc.?  

What impact does that have on staffing and workflow? What existing practices (created by default) are libraries developing and following now in hosting and preserving this content? What are the on-going challenges of making these ancillary components discoverable and/or reusable? 

What challenges do non-traditional formats present when considering the needs of a global research community? 

What challenges do you face in working with researchers who are developing these materials related to their collection? Are they thinking about these issues?  When approached, are they receptive or interested in addressing these issues?

Has the speed with which the technology has changed over the past twenty or thirty years been a problem for libraries in preparing their institutions to host non-traditional materials? Are digital platforms catching up? What role have such tech giants as Microsoft played in supporting these platforms or services?

What are the gaps and where do those gaps occur? What are the minimum requirements for ensuring access, discovery and use of this scholarly output that institutions of higher ed should urge into place? 

How are you thinking about assessment of this work? Do you have metrics for considering how well your institution is doing with regard to preservation or impact?  Are you collecting metrics on use or applications of these materials?

What are the things that keep you awake at night when thinking about the on-going work of preserving non-traditional outputs and supporting subsequent re-use? 

In considering long-term preservation of digital materials, what are the challenges?

How are you thinking about format migrations and keeping these materials from falling out-of-date if, say the supporting software doesn’t work on the next release of the operating system, etc…?

In what ways might the information community come together to resolve some of the problems discussed in this session? How might standards be of value in this situation? Where should such discussions start?

Resources, literature, and more!

THE SCIENTIFIC PAPER IS OBSOLETE - Here’s what’s next By James Somers

Software Preservation Network - The Software Preservation Network (SPN) is a leading organization established to advance software preservation through collective action. SPN preserves software through its Affiliated Projects, Strategic Partnerships and member engagement across five core activity areas.

HuMetricsHSS - HuMetricsHSS is an initiative that creates and supports values-enacted frameworks for understanding and evaluating all aspects of the scholarly life well-lived and for promoting the nurturing of these values in scholarly practice.

Additional Information

NISO assumes organizations register as a group. The model assumes that an unlimited number of staff will be watching the live broadcast in a single location, but also includes access to an archived recording of the event for those who may have timing conflicts. 

NISO understands that, during the current pandemic, staff at a number of organizations may be practicing safe social distancing or working remotely. To accommodate those workers, we are allowing registrants to share the sign-on instructions with all colleagues so that they may join the broadcast directly. 

Registrants receive sign-on instructions via email on the Friday prior to the virtual event. If you have not received your instructions by the day before an event, please contact NISO headquarters for assistance via email (nisohq@niso.org). 

Registrants for an event may cancel participation and receive a refund (less $35.00) if the notice of cancellation is received at NISO HQ (nisohq@niso.org) one full week prior to the event date. If received less than 7 days before, no refund will be provided. 

Links to the archived recording of the broadcast are distributed to registrants 24-48 hours following the close of the live event. Access to that recording is intended for internal use of fellow staff at the registrant’s organization or institution. Speaker presentations are posted to the NISO event page.

Broadcast Platform

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