The Authority File

From the rise of transformative agreements to the aftermath of the 2022 OSTP Nelson Memo on openly sharing government-funded research, open access has dominated the academic publishing landscape. But what about open research? In this four-part series, our guests join the program to discuss the impact of open research objectives on the research lifecycle. They dig into how libraries guide authors through open research practices and the ways publishers have adapted their editorial operations to reflect changing scholarly needs. Throughout the discussion, our guests contemplate the shift in librarianship away from traditional MLIS backgrounds and collection development to expertise in scholarly communication and data management.

In this first episode, Natya Hans, Informatics and Reproducibility Librarian in the Academic Research and Consulting Services Department at University of Florida, Emily McElroy, Vice President of Academic Relations at Taylor & Francis, and Jamie Hutchins, Director of Open Research, Americas at Taylor & Francis, introduce their roles and involvement in the open research environment. They distinguish between open research and open access, seeing open research as a broader umbrella that emphasizes key goals of transparency, inclusivity, and reproducibility. In addition, Emily and Natya share how librarians can help authors adopt the principles of open research through research office partnerships, support for open data, and general outreach.

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In the second episode of this two-part series, Daniel Pfeiffer, the social sciences editor and LibTech Insights (LTI) editor at Choice, chats with TAF host Bill Mickey about general trends in AI librarianship, the forthcoming white paper from LTI, and Choice’s decision to begin reviewing AI products.

First, Daniel predicts that “AI” will be exploited as a buzzword to market new products, making it more difficult to identify legitimately useful AI tools. In the midst of this marketing frenzy, Daniel sees librarians searching for practical applications in their day-to-day functions and underscores the growing import of AI literacy. Next, our guest provides an overview of the upcoming LTI white paper that proposes a new framework for AI literacy based on interviews with librarians who instruct students and faculty on AI use. Last, Bill and Daniel preview the new Choice Reviews Rubric used to evaluate AI tools and reveal when Choice subscribers can begin to expect these reviews.

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This month’s two-part series features Daniel Pfeiffer, the social sciences editor and LibTech Insights (LTI) editor at Choice. Joining TAF host Bill Mickey, Daniel chats about the evolution of Choice’s library technology blog LTI and general trends in the artificial intelligence space.

In this first episode, our guest shares how LTI has grown to encompass webinars, reading lists, tutorials, job profiles, and more since its launch in January 2023. In addition, Bill and Daniel reflect on how the release of ChatGPT impacted LTI’s content as librarians and higher education stakeholders searched for guidance on predictive technology and AI. Underscoring the need for day-to-day use cases and practical tips readers can apply at their own institutions, they discuss relevant library tech topics beyond AI, popular posts with LTI readers, and a possible plateau in AI technology developments.

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In the final episode of this four-part series, Amanda White and Elysia French, coeditors of Ecologies in Practice: Environmentally Engaged Arts in Canada, discuss the influence of art on environmental action and the future of the environmental humanities. First, they walk through the emphasis on the environment in the arts, underscoring the need for collaboration and more artistic representation in academia. Exploring how art can inspire change, Amanda and Elysia chat about the impact of building community, evolving curriculum, and changing the culture around environmental issues. To close, our guests share how they envision future partnerships and support for various modes of inquiry between disciplines and how their book highlights existing examples of cross-departmental environmental humanities projects.

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In the third episode of this four-part series, Amanda White of Western University and Elysia French of Brock University highlight individual chapters and overarching themes in their coedited collection, Ecologies in Practice: Environmentally Engaged Arts in Canada. They first chat about Camille Georgeson-Usher’s chapter—the exploration of the power of gathering in a city garden—and how its reflections on gathering as action carry over as an invitation for engagement and main theme to open the book. Next, they dig into the implications of Genevieve Robertson’s chapter, “Carbon Study: Walking in the Dark,” which details using art to draw attention to ecological loss; one of Genevieve’s pieces also acts as the cover image of Ecologies in Practice. To close, Amanda and Elysia contemplate art’s role in communicating important messages by creating opportunities for interpretation and critical thought.

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In the second episode of this four-part series, Elysia French, Assistant Professor in the Department of Visual Arts at Brock University, and Amanda White, SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Curating in the Department of Visual Art at Western University, discuss the guiding principle of “environmentally engaged arts” in their coedited title Ecologies in Practice: Environmentally Engaged Arts in Canada. Drawing on contemporary scholarship that analyzes the intersection of environmental art and social justice, they utilize this terminology to encourage nonrestrictive definitions of art that extend beyond visual artmaking. Next, they explain the intention behind the action-oriented chapter sections—Interrupt, Witness, (Re)Place, Reflect—and its narrative thread that highlights the contributors’ activism and methodology. Last, our guests consider the title’s geographical focus on Canada, parsing through the enormity of the environmental studies discipline, environmental justice issues specific to Canada, and the global scale of local case studies.

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The coeditors of Ecologies in Practice: Environmentally Engaged Arts in Canada, Elysia French, Assistant Professor in the Department of Visual Arts at Brock University, and Amanda White, SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Curating in the Department of Visual Art at Western University, join the program discuss the organization, development, and geographical focus of their book and the possibilities of action-oriented art. Covering specific contributions, the term “environmentally engaged art,” and the impact of art on policy and progress, this series dives into the current landscape of Environmental Humanities and the potential of cross-disciplinary partnerships.

In the first episode of this four-part series, Elysia and Amanda share their research interests and how their friendship in the academy lead to Ecologies in Practice. They also describe the Environmental Humanities, explaining how the field creates collaborative spaces for interdisciplinary approaches to the arts and environmental studies. Next, Amanda and Elysia analyze how their backgrounds influence their work. As a practicing artist, Amanda has knowledge of the process of artmaking, while Elysia, an art historian, critically engages with art, measuring social, political, and environmental impacts. Both, however, share an interest in artist-scholars, with that intersection made explicit in the title.

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In the final episode of this four-part series, Jamie Hutchins, Director of Open Research, Americas for Taylor & Francis Group, walks through lessons learned since Pledge to Open’s official launch last summer. Surfacing strategies like pricing adjustments and expanded benefits for participating institutions, Jamie explains how T&F is working to develop the pilot into a sustainable and affordable program. Next, he walks through the tension between frequently changing open access mandates by funders and governing bodies and a publisher’s need to maintain a consistent business strategy—all within the context of ongoing threats to research integrity and the introduction of artificial intelligence tools. Last, Jamie touches on T&F’s plans to incorporate AI into its publishing workflows and how institutions and publishers can expedite the adoption of OA agreements.

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In the third episode of this series, Jamie Hutchins, Director of Open Research, Americas for Taylor & Francis Group, discusses the library’s role in open access publishing. First, Jamie describes the publisher’s initial contact with libraries when recruiting for Pledge to Open, a collective model for institutions to fund open access titles on global challenges. As he explains, the library’s perspective often evolves from content acquisition to strategies for supporting open publishing and the institution’s research mission. Next, Jamie outlines Taylor & Francis’s various approaches for introducing libraries to the Pledge and the collective learning between institutions and T&F that helps strengthen the pilot. Jamie closes with thoughts on how the US falls behind in contributing government funding to open HSS publishing, and why the library acts as an access point to aid in bankrolling this work.

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In the second episode of this four-part series, Jamie Hutchins, Director of Open Research, Americas for Taylor & Francis Group, digs into T&F’s Pledge to Open, a collective funding pilot that aims to publish open access books focused on global issues. Detailing the brainstorming and launch of the program, Jamie discusses the publisher’s decision to support open book publishing and the pilot’s ties to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our guest walks through the various business models T&F looked at for inspiration and how the SDGs work as a unifying force editorially and to recruit institutions. To close, Jamie explores the challenges of a commercial publisher pursuing a collective model and a sustainable level of investment for the pilot.

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