The Authority File

In the final episode of this four-part series, Beth Driscoll, Associate Professor of Publishing and Communications at the University of Melbourne, and Claire Squires, Professor of Publishing Studies at the University of Stirling, and the editors of The Frankfurt Kabuff Critical Edition, discuss the future of disrupting scholarly communication. They underscore the need to encourage creative, innovative, and collaborative methods of scholarship that can sit beside and be in conversation with traditional research. Specifically, they chat about potential interdisciplinary approaches to their work, and how they plan to advance their concept of Ullapoolism in forthcoming projects. They close with thoughts on how the practice of perfecting craft can act as a hurdle or barrier to the intellectual process. As Beth explains, “Sometimes the first draft or the rough version contains an insight or some kind of truth that if you work it over endlessly and polish it, disappears from the final product.”

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In the third episode of this four-part series, Stephen McGroarty, Editorial Manager at UN Publications, chats about the workflows and collaboration that make UN Publications’ iLibrary platform possible. First, Stephen discusses his current role managing several teams that contribute to publications on the global trade data site Comtrade, the recently relaunched e-commerce site, and UN iLibrary, an online subscription platform of United Nations content. He digs into the editorial and organizational processes for research from the UN’s many agencies, highlighting the extensive review procedure each publication goes through to ensure the information is vetted and accurately categorized. He also shares the rigorous publication schedule of UN Publications and provides a walkthrough of how to navigate iLibrary. Despite all iLibrary content being freely available to everyone, Stephen underscores the benefits of subscribing to the platform, such as the ability to save titles or searches and download, print, or share files of the publications.

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In the third episode of this four-part series, our guests chat about their manifesto on arts-based research, “…designed to fuel discontent and discomfort, to amuse and entertain, but also to unite a critical and creative movement.” Beth Driscoll, Associate Professor of Publishing and Communications at the University of Melbourne, and Claire Squires, Professor of Publishing Studies at the University of Stirling, and the editors of The Frankfurt Kabuff Critical Edition, walk through a few of the principles, starting with “Scholarly Direct Action.” This idea highlights how scholarship functions as a form of activism, underscoring the impact of research outside of academia. They also review principle number five, “The Predicament,” which states, “…when circumstances demand it, we reject ethical hypochondria, we resist the requirements for prior ethics approval, we refuse to limit harm for those in positions of power, and we insist on improper research.” They dive into the potentially controversial nature of this statement, and its goal to not outright reject ethical processes but instead nurture a “rebellious spirit.”

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In the second episode of this four-part series, Shallu Thomas-Cherian, IT Project Manager of UN Publications, joins the program to discuss the organization and optimization of UN Publications content. She digs into the structure of the iLibrary platform, where UN research is assembled and given the appropriate metadata. Shallu explains the communication needed between departments to share and catalog the information made available to the public. She also reviews the various UN Publications content types, advanced search functions, and how the iLibrary platform appeals to scholars, policymakers, librarians, and more. Finally, Shallu closes with how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) act as an organizing feature of UN content, allowing users to filter their search according to tagged SDG content and to recognize how publications pertain to multiple goals.

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In the second episode of this four-part series, Beth Driscoll, Associate Professor of Publishing and Communications at the University of Melbourne, and Claire Squires, Professor of Publishing Studies at the University of Stirling, and the editors of The Frankfurt Kabuff Critical Edition, discuss their process of combining creative expression and academic prose. They first chat about their concept of Ullapoolism, a guide for applying playful, experimental modes of expression to research. Connecting that framework to their comic erotic thriller The Frankfurt Kabuff, Beth and Claire explain why creative mediums can introduce subjectivity and new writing styles to the otherwise largely objective and traditional practice of scholarship. Further, they share social and political aspects of Ullapoolism, and how their disruptive approach to academia brings new ideas to the fore—including an exploration of the “big book” in publishing through the song composition, “Big Books (small snacks).”

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In this series, four guests join The Authority File to discuss UN Publications, the publishing division of the United Nations. Mary Glenn, Chief, Shallu Thomas-Cherian, IT Project Manager, Stephen McGroarty, Editorial Manager, and Antje Kristin Watermann, Associate Marketing Officer, all of UN Publications, dive into their respective roles within the publisher. They explain the process of assembling and sharing UN research and data, exploring the ins and outs of the iLibrary platform, organizing metadata, and marketing these materials to privately-owned businesses, government agencies, research institutions, and the general public. This series looks at the rigorous and frequently updated research available through UN Publications, and how that coincides with the UN’s work on global challenges like climate change, education, and more.

In the first episode of this four-part series, Mary speaks to the mission and scope of UN Publications. She outlines the UN’s various agencies and their contributions to the UN’s publishing output, highlighting UN Publications’ goal to disseminate UN research and reach a wide range of readers. In addition, Mary shares what’s next for UN research, including the impending target date for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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The Authority File often looks at the intersection between conventional modes of research and creative mediums like art, poetry, or song. This month’s series continues that tradition with Beth Driscoll, Associate Professor of Publishing and Communications at the University of Melbourne, and Claire Squires, Professor of Publishing Studies at the University of Stirling, and the editors of The Frankfurt Kabuff Critical Edition. The title came about during the second year of Beth and Claire’s field work at the Frankfurt Book Fair. When one claimed the other’s writing was too “exciting” for a conference paper abstract, they decided to embrace it. This resulted in The Frankfurt Kabuff, a comic erotic thriller analyzing the publishing industry. This September, the critical edition arrived, including annotated text, academic essays, and more.

This four-part series digs into the making of the novella and the benefits of disrupting the standards and formats of scholarly communication. The episodes also explore Beth and Claire’s manifesto, Ullapoolism, and how it criticizes and reflects on the scholarly workflow in their fields. Further, while they acknowledge the value of conventional scholarship, Beth and Claire advocate for trying out new ideas and sharing them with your peers, arguing that worrying too much about craft can slow the process or even inhibit the original insight from coming to fruition.

In this first episode, Beth and Claire discuss The Frankfurt Kabuff’s genesis at the fair and its publishing process from Wattpad to print and ebook self-publication to its critical edition with Wilfrid Laurier University Press. They also examine how the medium of fiction allowed them a unique method to express their scholarship and the ways in which the critical edition of the novella enhances key concepts of the story.

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In the final episode of this four-part series, our guests chat about the engagement and reach of the Global Environmental Justice (GEJ) Documentaries project on campus. First, Gary Marcuse, filmmaker and Project Director for GEJ, discusses the project’s metrics, such as top users of the platform and the average viewing time of a film. Further, he explains how user data impacts the evolution of GEJ, helping determine new documentary selections and contributing to the initiative to offer short film clips for case studies or examples during instruction. Next, Jason Carbine, Professor of Religious Studies at Whittier College, and Rebecca Overmyer-Velázquez, Professor of Sociology at Whittier College, walk through the real-world and interdisciplinary applications of documentary films, which extend beyond the humanities and social sciences to STEM and public health fields. They also highlight a popular film on the GEJ platform, The True Cost, and why it connects to today’s students.

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In the third episode of this four-part series, Jason Carbine, Professor of Religious Studies at Whittier College, Rebecca Overmyer-Velázquez, Professor of Sociology at Whittier College, and Gary Marcuse, filmmaker and Project Director for GEJ, dig into how the Global Environmental Justice (GEJ) Documentaries project can be used in the classroom. First, Rebecca and Jake highlight how documentaries allow students to witness real-world perspectives and context around classroom topics, therefore decentering their experiences and adopting a more global lens to scholarship and their lives. Further, Rebecca and Jake provide examples of how they’ve used GEJ’s film collection and study guides to bolster curricula; for instance, Jake explains how he built a course specifically around GEJ’s offerings. Last, Gary chats about how GEJ works to stay abreast of evolving environmental justice topics and the collection’s expansion since inception.

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In the second episode of this four-part series, our guests discuss the curation of the documentary films and development of the teacher’s guides for the Global Environmental Justice (GEJ) Documentaries project. First, the developers of the project—Jason Carbine, Professor of Religious Studies at Whittier College, Rebecca Overmyer-Velázquez, Professor of Sociology at Whittier College, and Gary Marcuse, filmmaker and Project Director for GEJ—map out how they curated the list of potential documentaries from hundreds to a few dozen by seeking faculty and librarian input on the educational applications of each film. Next, they dig into the making of GEJ’s teacher’s guides, which include the film’s possible subject areas, classroom activities, supplemental reading, and a note on why the film was selected for instruction. Last, our guests chat about how GEJ’s films and guides encourage cross-disciplinary instruction by avoiding discipline-specific jargon and offering a list of documentaries applicable to both the humanities and sciences.

Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!