Category Archives: Open Access

Publication of our Book Chapter: “An Institute-Based Approach to OER in Digital Caribbean Studies”

I am very excited to announce that our book chapter discussing our May 2019 NEH institute has been published in the open access edited volume Using Open Educational Resources to Promote Social Justice, published by the Association of College and Research Libraries. The book is available online as an Open Access PDF and we are chapter 16.

European Studies Statement on Collection Development, Access, and Equity in the Time of COVID-19

In response to the SALALM Resolution.

European Studies Statement on Collection Development, Access, and Equity in the Time of COVID-19

August 17 2020

In light of the COVID-19 situation and budgetary reductions, libraries are implementing collecting policies focused primarily on digital formats. The following represents an endorsement and expansion of the Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials (SALALM) Collection Development and Equity in the Time of Covid-19 Task Force Resolution issued 10 June 2020 — an endorsement and expansion of that resolution by library specialists engaged in the work of collection development and access to support the study of the communities, cultures, and languages of Europe. Members of the three Europe-focused programs administered by the Center for Research Libraries — the Slavic and East European Materials Project (SEEMP), the Collaborative Initiative for French Language Collections (CIFNAL), the German-North American Resources Partnerships (GNARP) — share the concerns around equity, representation, and access raised by our SALALM colleagues, and hereby reaffirm those concerns as they pertain to the long-term availability to North American researchers and teachers of the documentary record of the peoples, languages, and cultures of Europe — an extensive and enormously diverse geographic category having eastern and western divisions; numerous national and subnational cultures and languages representing many ethnic categories and language families; porous shared boundaries with Africa and Asia; and an abiding cultural and linguistic consanguinity with Latin America.

We list here seven concerns surrounding current challenges and vulnerabilities in the collection development ecosystem for European Studies and scholarship originating from Europe, and three related resolutions.

1. Whereas, the majority of publications from Europe are available in print only, and cannot be licensed to North American libraries in electronic formats, and many of the ebooks that are available come with unacceptable DRM restrictions, unsustainable price models, and moving walls, hindering access to timely and useful content;

2. Whereas, collection development policies privileging ebooks generally exclude non- English language materials and a significant portion of the cultural and scholarly production from the region, including small independent presses and the voices of marginalized, minority and vulnerable communities, new social movements, and transnational authors, which are so critical to advancing research of and learning about the linguistic and cultural diversity of the European continent;

3. Whereas, the inability to lend and borrow European ebooks inter-institutionally further reduces access to critical resources available across North American libraries and directly undermines the numerous existing shared print and other cooperative collecting partnerships formed to guarantee adequate representation of the linguistic, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the European continent;

4. Whereas the output of small, independent, print-only publishers outside mainstream distribution networks in countries with legacies and/or current practice of authoritarian publishing and media control (including many in Eastern Europe and the territories of the former Soviet Union) represents a crucial category for North American collections supporting research and teaching focused on those regions, and an e-centric collection model jeopardizes adequate capture and preservation of these critical categories;

5. Whereas, a sudden shift away from collecting research materials available only in print not only threatens the integrity of diverse library collections, but also places a dedicated network of local vendors of scholarly and ephemeral research materials at risk;

6. Whereas, these vendors are important because of their expertise in specific regions and local publishing practices, and the access they provide to necessary and unique materials for learning, teaching and research that would be overlooked by larger vendors based outside of the region;

7. Whereas, while pioneering cooperative Open Access models such as the European Commission’s OpenAIRE, OpenEdition in France, REDIB in Spain, OA2020 organized by the Max Planck Digital Library in Germany, and other initiatives have made scholarly journals from the region widely available, a gap for open monographs still exists across Europe;

Be it resolved, that the Collaborative Initiative for French Language, and the German-North American Resources Partnerships, and the Slavic and East European Materials Project, on behalf of their members:

A. Urge North American libraries to continue acquiring European print material through a network of regional vendors, often the only available sources, and thereby not limit diversity in scholarly collections.

B. Encourage collaboration and further discussion with other organizations working with international collections at a national and international level, such as the Africana Librarians Council, other divisions of the Center for Research Libraries, Council on East
Asian Libraries, Middle East Librarians Association, the East Coast Consortium of Slavic Library Collections, the Pacific Coast Slavic and East European Library Consortium, the MidWest Slavic and Eurasian Library Consortium, the Association for Slavic East European and Eurasian Studies Committee on Libraries and Information Resources, and the Seminar for the Acquisition for Latin American Library Materials (SALALM), among others.

C. Advocates for continued and increased support for Open Access initiatives in European countries through the Center for Research Libraries’ Collaborative Initiative for French Language Collections, German-North American Resources Partnership, Slavic and East European Materials Project, and other existing collaborative projects.
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Graduate Student Workshop Series: Building Your Career Fall 2019

Poster of the Graduate Student Workshop Series including dates, locations, and workshop titles and presenters.

October 2 (211 Library West), “Getting Your Classes on Track: Improving Your Teaching Skills”

Sean Trainor (PhD), Lecturer, Management Communication Center.

New to teaching? Struggling to balance your teaching and research obligations? Then attend this session for some easy-to-implement tips on how to maximize your teaching effectiveness while minimizing teaching-related headaches.

October 9 (212 Library West), “Getting a Job: Finding Work after Grad School”

Megan Daly (PhD), Classics, Philosophy, and Religion Librarian

This workshop provides a brief introduction and discussion for graduate students about approaching the job market and job application process.

October 16 (212 Library West), “Getting Published: Writing Clear, Effective Academic Prose”

David Schwieder (PhD), Political Science Librarian

This session covers a set of powerful, easy-to-use techniques that will help participants write better theses, dissertations and manuscripts. 

October 23 (212 Library West), “Getting Free: Leveraging Open Access Publishing Options”

Perry Collins (MA, MLS), Scholarly Communications Librarian

Are you hearing terms like “open access,” “preprint,” and “data sharing” and want to know more? The open access publishing landscape has expanded exponentially over the past two decades—this workshop will introduce options across disciplines for sharing, reviewing, and publishing open scholarship. This workshop is part of international Open Access Week.

October 30 (212 Library West), “Getting Organized: managing Projects and Time”

Hélène Huet (PhD), European Studies Librarian

This workshop will provide you with tips and tools to help you manage your time and your various projects as you navigate your graduate career.

All sessions held during Period 4 (10:40-11:30 am). No registration required. Open to all UF Graduate and Professional Students.

New dLOC Video Tutorials in Spanish

Hello everyone,
A few weeks ago I was awarded a Smathers graduate student internship, which enabled me to hire a graduate student to support dLOC‘s ongoing efforts to enhance its website’s accessibility and ease of navigation for Spanish users.
Today we release the first task the intern had to do: create video tutorials in Spanish with captions on the following topics: What is dLOC? How does one do a simple search? How does one do a text search? How does one do an advanced search? How does one do a map search? And last but not least, How does one read an item and its metadata?
Thank you so much to my intern, Francesc Morales for his hard work on these.
PS: If for some reason you want to read my proposal for the internship, then please go ahead and have fun.
 

Webinar announcement: "Beyond Trinkets: The Value of 3D in the Library,” May 10, 2017, at 9:30am (Miami Time)

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Caribbean Scholarship in the Digital Age is a webinar series showcasing digital and/as public research and teaching in Caribbean Studies. The series provides a collaborative space for professionals to share on projects and experiences to foster communication and support our shared constellations of communities of practice.
Please join us for an upcoming event, “Beyond Trinkets: The Value of 3D in the Library,” May 10, 2017, at 9:30am (Miami Time).
Presenter: Dr. Sara Gonzalez, Marston Science Library, University of Florida
Click here to participate in the online event: http://ufsmathers.adobeconnect.com/Caribbean
About the Presentation:
“Beyond Trinkets: The Value of 3D in the Library”
In spring 2014, the UF Libraries opened its 3D services to the university and public.  This service, funded by student technology fees, expanded from 2 small 3D printers in the science library to now include 4 branch libraries with 10 3D printers, and circulates multiple portable 3D printers and scanners.  The library accepted over 1000 3D orders last year and librarians regularly teach workshops to the campus community and public, along with offering specialized consultations regarding 3D scanning and printing.
This presentation will provide an introduction to 3D printing and scanning technology, describe the opportunities and challenges of offering 3D technology in a library, and provide case studies that illustrate the potential of 3D across disciplines.
About the Speaker:
Sara Gonzalez is a science librarian at the University of Florida where she is the physical sciences and mathematics liaison and coordinates UF Libraries’ 3D Service and the MADE@UF software and virtual reality development lab.  She holds a Ph.D. in Geophysics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an M.L.I.S. from Florida State University.  Her current research interests include emerging technologies in libraries, modeling and visualization of data, and scientific literacy instruction. Dr. Gonzalez recently co-authored 3D Printing: A Practical Guide for Librarians (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016).
About the Caribbean Scholarship in the Digital Age Webinar Series:
The Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC), in partnership with the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL), the Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies of the University of Puerto Rico, the Latin American and Caribbean Cultural Heritage Archives roundtable (LACCHA) of the Society of American Archivists (SAA), and the Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials (SALALM), has organized a series of online events, Caribbean Scholarship in the Digital Age, a webinar series showcasing digital and/as public research and teaching in Caribbean Studies. The series provides a collaborative space for professionals to share on projects and experiences to foster communication and support our shared constellations of communities of practice.
Other upcoming webinars in the series include:

  • Date pending for: Caribbean Memory

Recordings of all webinars will be available in dLOC soon after the webinar.
Please join us for next stage conversations from the webinars, to take place at ACURIL’s 2017 annual conference, focusing on Interdisciplinary Research in the Caribbean: http://acuril2017puertorico.com/
Twitter: #digcaribbeanscholarship
Twitter: @dlocaribbean

Albert Huet: Fiche Matricule

La fiche matricule d’Albert Huet est consultable sur le site des archives départementales de l’Orne: registre par année de recrutement (classe 1917), bureau d’Alençon, registre matricule n°816 (vue 546). J’ai beau vouloir mettre le lien direct de la page, cela ne semble malheureusement pas marcher.
 
On découvre par exemple son signalement (nez rectiligne, visage ovale, front vertical) mais surtout, on apprend le détail de ses services et mutations diverses. Albert a d’abord été affecté au 102 ème R.I le 7 janvier 1916 (au front dans la Marne – bois d’ Hauzy et Main de Massiges) puis est passé au 124ème R.I (dans la Somme début 1917, vers Ablaincourt puis secteur de Verdun) et au 363ème R.I le 26 juin 1917. C’est au sein de ce régiment qu’il recevra sa citation le 20 avril 1918. A noter que des mutineries ont touché son régiment en 1917 et sont remontés jusqu’à l’échelle divisionnaire. Il se trouve dans l’Aisne, Marne puis en Champagne en 1918. Si ce document officiel explique qu’Albert tombe malade en octobre 1918, laissant croire à la grippe espagnole qui fait rage à cette période, la realité est bien différente: Albert a en effet été touché par une attaque aux gaz / son masque avait été percé par des éclats (obus ?) et donc inefficace. Enfin, il sera “affecté spécial” comme wagonnier à la gare d’Argenteuil. Son affectation à la gare d’Argenteuil marquera la suite de sa vie : il entre à la Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de l’Etat (à l’époque on embauche à tour de bras pour compenser les pertes en effectifs de la guerre) et deviendra Chef de Train. Il restera définitivement à Argenteuil, après avoir épousé la soeur d’un de ses camarades de régiment.
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Fiche Matricule d’Albert Huet

Learning to be a Librarian: Creating Research Guides and Documentation

Hello everyone,
I have been fairly quiet these past few months because I have been quite busy. I started my new job as the European Studies Librarian at the University of Florida on August 3 (Go Gators). One of my first tasks was to redo the research guides for the Romance languages. And if you have ever done this, you know this is a never-ending task!
I am so happy to share them today with you. If you have any feedback please let me know. I am always looking for new ways to improve them. You will find my contact information on the homepage of each guides.

  1.  French and Francophone Studies
  2.  Italian Studies
  3.  Portuguese Studies
  4.  Spanish Studies

I also created three documents that some of you may find helpful. The first was for a Spanish Literature class and the second one was for MA students in French. Both are very similar (not knowing exactly what their knowledge of library research was) and are divided into two parts. The first part gives some information about the Libraries and is accompanied by useful links (at least, I hope they are useful!). The second part showcases three important databases and explains to the students how to request the books and articles they find there. In class we went over how to properly search these databases. The third document details more how to use the MLA International Bibliography and how to borrow books from ILLIAD or UBorrow.

  1. Library Tools for SPW 4283
  2. Library Tools for MA Students in French
  3. MLA International Bibliography

OpenCon 2014

This coming weekend, I will be off to Washington DC to attend the OpenCon 2014 conference.
So what is OpenCon? The full title of the conference is Student and Early Career Researcher Conference on OpenAccess, Open Education, and Open Data. Attendees are coming from all over the world: from England and South Africa to Germany and Canada. I am very lucky to have been chosen by the Dean of the Penn State libraries, Barbara I. Dewey, to receive a fellowship to attend this conference.
Open Access
The first time I heard about Open Access was when I started my position as the Digital Scholarship Services Graduate Assistant in the Penn State  Libraries, back in August 2013. For a junior scholar like me, Open Access is incredibly exciting as it offers a way for people to learn about my passion and my work. I love the idea of sharing my research and my data, because I believe that our role, as scholars, is to share our knowledge with as many people as possible. To support Open Access, I have made two documents available online — a conference paper and a poster — both of which I have uploaded on Penn State’s institutional repository ScholarSphere. Users from all over the world can download these documents and access my research. I am also the project manager of Mapping Decadence, a website I have created to show how location played a role in shaping collaborations between writers and publishers at the end of the 19th century in Paris. My goal with this website is to share my data in an effort to help other scholars answer questions that they might have on the period’s publishing world or on the four Decadent authors at the center of my work. The next step of this project will be to develop a platform so that other scholars might be able to contribute and add information on different authors/publishers of the period, in order to create an extensive map of the Parisian literary world of the Belle Epoque.

Open Access Week: Sharing a Conference Presentation

Good evening everyone,
In honor of Open Access Week, I have decided to upload in ScholarSphere a conference presentation I gave in October 2011 for the Nineteenth-Century French Studies Colloquium.
The presentation is in French and is entitled Clarimonde : femme fatale, vampire décadente?
I hope you enjoy this quick read.
PS: As a reminder, here is my poster on Rachilde and Mapping Decadence I presented in April 2014 for the Penn State Graduate Exhibition.