Digital Commons Network^™

Role Of Libraries As Sources Of Information On Organic Farming In Oyo State Nigeria, Sobalaje Adewale Joel A. J, Oyetola Solomon Olusegun S. O, Ayano Kekinde Oluwaseun K. O.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

ABSTRACT: This study provided the role of libraries as sources of information on organic agriculture to the farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria. Organic agriculture/farming is the process of producing food naturally. Two hundred (200) questionnaires were distributed for administration, but only one hundred and eighty-five (185) questionnaires were returned, representing 92.5%, and were found useful for this study. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the returned questionnaires. The data was analysed using frequency tables, simple percentages, and regression analysis tests for dependent and independent variables. The study discovered that 90.8% of the respondents used …

Library As Third Space:​ Anchored By Student Voices And Udl​, Sarah N. Campbell, Zaidee Everett, Rebecca Gagne, Erika Gearing, Meika Matook

Library Staff Publications

Attendees will leave energized with new ideas on how to transform your physical library space into a true third space, using a UDL framework. The session demystifies the process of moving from inaccessible to accessible. It offers practical, budget-friendly tips for sourcing free items, leveraging campus relationships, and eliciting and integrating student feedback for continuous improvement. Before you know it, you too will be basking in the gentle glow of dimmable lights.

User Interaction, Service Effectiveness And Digital Resource Utilization In Private University Libraries Telangana State: An Empirical Study, Chandra Chary Sreeramoj, Sadik Batcha Dr. M.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The purpose of this study is to observe the operational design, cognizance levels, complications faced and complete fulfillment of users regarding numerical resources in designated private university libraries in the state of Telangana. The study predominantly emphasizes on graduates, postgraduates, research scholars, and faculty members of Malla Reddy University and S.R. University. The study adopted quantitative descriptive design, and data were collected by means of a Google Form survey, resulting in 1796 legal valid responses. The examination included descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests and ANOVA to classify variances across different user groupings. The outcomes reveal that most respondents are mindful of …

Assessment Of The Status Of Open Access Publications In Central Universities Of India: A Review Of Literature, Gulam Jilani, Swapna Banerjee

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Unrestricted access to research outputs and increased exposure and distribution of academic information are two benefits of Open Access (OA) publication, which has emerged as a revolutionary method to scholarly communication. With an emphasis on its economic models, international and Indian publishing trends, institutional activities, regulations, and researcher attitudes, this study explores the literature on open access publishing. The paper examines many OA models, such as gold, green, hybrid, bronze, and diamond access, emphasizing their benefits, drawbacks, and implications for the fair distribution of information. The expansion of open access publication in India and throughout the world is also covered, …

Non-Negotiable Responsibilities Of Librarians Despite The Presence Of Generative-Ai Powered Chatbots: An Overview, Emmanuel Chidiadi Onwubiko

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The presence of AI-Chatbots as linguistic models of Generative AI is one that has sent cold in the spines of librarians for the fear of the unknown.  Against this backdrop, it is received with mixed feelings.  To some librarians, it poses threats to their traditional responsibilities hence the fear of losing their jobs.  This paper conceptualizes the place of generative-AI Chatbots in libraries and their limitations, identifying some non-negotiable responsibilities of librarians regardless of the emergence of AI-Chatbots as well as clearing some doubts as expressed by librarians by reconciling the impacts of Chatbot and how librarians can leverage the …

Benchmarking Academic Knowledge Hubs: A Comparative Assessment Of Nirf Ranked Indian University Library Portals, Sheel Bhadra Yadav Dr., Vinit Kumar Dr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

University library portals have become important digital gateways for accessing academic information and services. This study examines the current status of library portals of the top 100 universities ranked under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in India. A structured evaluation framework was used to analyze the content and services available on these portals. The framework was developed through expert responses from library and information science professionals and validated using statistical methods. The analysis was conducted using a weighted checklist covering five major categories: general information, library collections, e-resources, library services, and social networking features. Data were collected through systematic …

Closing Keynote: Publishing In 2026: How We Got Into Such Trouble And How We Get Out Of It, Virginia (Ginny) Barbour

FORCE 2026

It would be hard to find anyone who is currently involved in scholarly publishing who think it works well for them, or who think that the system is underpinned by the values they care about. And all of this is at a time when trust in what is published has never been more important.

We are at a time when what we do now will shape the future of scholarly publishing, and the choices we make will shape how open, trustworthy and reproducible that future system is. These choices provide both opportunities and challenges for everyone involved in the system …

How Systems Use The Research Organization Registry (Ror) For Research Integrity, Maria Gould, Adam Buttrick

FORCE 2026

As scholarly publishers strive to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record, verified author affiliations have become a key metric to assist with assessment of manuscript submissions. For instance, a recent article in Nature used author affiliations to identify problematic research practices at particular institutions, and a recent STM report on Trusted Identity in Academic Publishing points out that a verified author affiliation valuable as it links an individual to an organisation, providing a route for accountability where there would otherwise be none.

Knowing that there is a confirmed link between an author and a reputable research organization is a …

Connected, Traceable And Trusted Identifier In China, Jia Liu, Xiaolei Xia, Lijuan Wang, Shu Wang, Yuanchun Zhou

FORCE 2026

Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) has been recognized as a critical infrastructure for the Open Science. The Chinese National Standard GB/T 32843-2016, Science and Technology Resource Identification was launched in 2016 which specifies the numbering schema of the Science and Technology Resource Identification(CSTR). The standard systematically defines the identification objects, encoding rules, and applications for science and technology resources, establishing a robust technical foundation and operational guidelines for their complete lifecycle management. CSTR Identification Platform（https://www.cstr.cn/en） based on the Standard, providing unique identification service for global science data, papers, patents and other science and technology resources.
Connected
CSTR platform services cover …

Promoting Crisis-Ready Data Policies In Science Publishing: Implementing Unesco’S Open Science Guidance For Resilient Preservation, Response, And Recovery, Francis P. Crawley

FORCE 2026

Crises disrupt not only societies but also the continuity of scientific data and publications essential for evidence-based decision-making. Preserving the integrity, accessibility, and long-term usability of these resources during disruptions has become a global priority. In response, UNESCO, with the support of CODATA, has developed a suite of Open Science Toolkit instruments (Factsheet, Guidance, and Checklist) on ‘Developing Data Policies for Times of Crisis Facilitated by Open Science’. This presentation examines how these instruments can strengthen data preservation, response, and recovery within scholarly communication. By promoting crisis-ready data policies supported by AI-enabled systems in science publishing, the UNESCO approach connects …

A Mixed Score Card: Findings And Recommendations From Australia’S National Pid Benchmarking Toolkit, Simon Porter, Ann Campbell, Natasha Simons, Lyle Winton, Matthias Liffers

FORCE 2026

In 2024, Australia launched its National Persistent Identifier (PID) Strategy to accelerate research quality efficiency, and impact through the universal use of connected PIDs. To measure progress against this strategy, the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) commissioned Digital Science to develop a comprehensive PID benchmarking framework and conduct Australia’s first national assessment of PID adoption. This presentation will share the key findings from the final report, the Australian National Per-sistent Identifier (PID) Benchmarking Toolkit (https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29281667).

The report reveals a “mixed score card” for the nation’s research ecosystem. While Australia has achieved world-leading success in ORCID adoption for researchers …

The Use Of Surveys In Soliciting Patron Feedback: Effective Strategies For Creating, Promoting, And Applying Them, David J. Fuller

The Christian Librarian

This literature review examines recent sources that explore ways to optimize the helpfulness of surveys in different information organization management contexts. In the landscape of the scholarly literature on using surveys in information organizations, three significant sub-topics for discussion emerge: strategies for incentivizing participation and completion, using surveys in combination with other assessment measures, and formulating action steps from survey results. These three sub-topics are discussed with a focus on common themes, contradictions, and gaps in existing research.

The Impact Of Social Media Use For Service Delivery By Library Personnel In Nigeria., Jamiu Adewale Abdulsalam, Soliudeen Idowu Sanni, Shasil Adedoyin Opoola

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study examined how social media is impacting service delivery by the library personnel in two universities of Ogun State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design, correlational type was followed and a total enumeration sampling technique was applied to get all 105 members of the library staff from the two selected universities. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire, which was developed to capture the social media patterns of users and service delivery. Descriptive statistics (frequency counts, percentages, means, and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation) were used for data analysis. It was found that the most common library services …

Sela Officers, Executive Committee, State Representatives, Committees, Sections, Round Tables, And Ad Hoc Committees

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

Panel Discussion: The Role And Accessibility Of Open Scholarly Infrastructure In Asia, Rocio Gaudioso Pedraza, Ginny Hendricks, Xiaofeng Guo, Mochammad Tanzil Multazam, Maria Lamury

FORCE 2026

The panel will cover regional perspectives on accessibility of key scholarly infrastructure for research communication in Asia, and reflect on trends in open science across the region.

Rocio Gaudioso Pedraza, Crossref, will moderate, and discuss the research nexus vision for an open, reusable network of connections underpinning research communications. Nearly half of Crossref members are based in Asia. This community’s interest to embrace and participate in global open infrastructure is growing. Ginny will talk about working with local partners to make participation accessible. Guo Xiaofeng, Director of Sin-Chn SCIENTIFIC PRESS, drawing on experience in China and Singapore, will discuss challenges …

Supporting Fair Practices In Scholarly Publishing With The Editorial Reference Handbook, Susanna-Assunta Sansone, Allyson Lister, Rebecca Taylor-Grant, Matthew Cannon

FORCE 2026

Co-produced by academics and publishers (incl. CUP, Cell Press, EMBO Press, Taylor & Francis, GigaScience Press, OUP, PLOS, Springer Nature), the Editorial Reference Handbook (https://publishers.fairassist.org) assists scholarly publishers in supporting the sharing of digital research objects and in operationalising FAIR research practices by addressing gaps in editorial workflows, policy implementation and stakeholder alignment. The Handbook comprises three interrelated components—a checklist, detailed guidance documentation, and a flowchart—intended primarily for in-house editorial staff while also providing value to reviewers, authors, and service providers.

Beside this practical collaboratively developed product, the Handbook is also a socio-technical pilot to improve the culture …

Ten Years Of Tuwhera: A Commitment To Sustaining Open Access Publishing, Donna Coventry

FORCE 2026

Tucked away, far from the conference circuit, is a part of the world which doesn’t tend to make the headlines when it comes to open access initiatives. New Zealand and by extension, the South Pacific, is a region struggling with a history of colonisation and trying to make systematic change around decolonisation - open access to research about ‘our place in the world’ is vitally important. 

Ten years ago Auckland University of Technology’s library (Te Mātāpuna) made the decision to start hosting Diamond open access journals. Starting with two established journals, the service was named Tuwhera which can be translated …

From Notebooks To Knowledge: Curvenote And The Open Ecosystem For Continuous, Computational Science, Mike Morrison, Rowan Cockett

FORCE 2026

Scientific communication is evolving — yet most of today’s research is still trapped in static PDFs that fail to capture the computation, data, and interactivity that define modern science. Curvenote is an open-source Scientific Content Management System and publishing framework that bridges this gap by connecting authoring, computation, and open infrastructure across the research lifecycle.

Built with MyST Markdown (a Jupyter project) and integrated with Jupyter Book, Curvenote enables researchers to author, review, and publish modular scientific content directly from computational notebooks — preserving executable code, metadata, and rich visualizations. The result is a seamless, web-native workflow that transforms a …

Managing Ai Bot Access To Open Scholarly Infrastructures, Petr Knoth

FORCE 2026

The rapid rise of generative AI has created unprecedented demand for large, high-quality research corpora. Open access repositories and other open scholarly infrastructures have therefore become primary sources for AI bots, because they host research that is not universally reliable, but remains far more evidence-based than most web content. This is both an opportunity and a strain: repositories are now more valuable than ever, but machine traffic brings sustainability, capacity and policy challenges. Repositories may be able to scale, but who should fund that scaling, and under what conditions?

The core dilemma is how to curb abusive high-load bot activity …

Integration Of Research Software In Open Scholarship, Michelle Barker, Daniel S. Katz

FORCE 2026

The Research Software Alliance’s Publishing Research Software Forum is a collaboration of publishers committed to recognizing research software as fundamental and vital to research, supporting it, and connecting it and its developers to research publications. The forum provides a formal mechanism for members to share practices and consider how to individually and collectively address common challenges to achieve the significant cultural change needed across the research sector globally.

This presentation will share the forum’s work to increase policy alignment and implementation; incentives and enforcements to support researcher citation of research software; and alignment with broader efforts to improve citation of …

Beyond The Launch: Seven Years Of Sustaining An Open Educational Resource After The Grant Ends, Susan Gardner Archambault

FORCE 2026

This presentation shares seven years of lessons from maintaining Project CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), an award-winning, open-access platform where librarians and educators share adaptable information literacy assignments. Launched in 2016 with grant support and strong community engagement, CORA saw early success: international page views across 150+ countries, 200+ shared assignments and teaching resources, and community-building features like "adapt this assignment" and leaderboards.

But when funding ended in 2018, Project CORA entered what many open projects experience but few discuss publicly: the precarious post-grant phase, when initial funding and enthusiasm fade but infrastructure still needs support. Annual contributions dropped …

Assessment Beyond Transactions: Measuring Library Impact In Knowledge Synthesis And Research Support, Shameem Nilofar Maideen

FORCE 2026

As newer forms of research assessment emerge that move away from narrow bibliometric indicators toward holistic evaluation of scholarly contributions, academic libraries face both an opportunity and a challenge to articulate their value beyond transactional metrics. Traditional library assessments such as circulation statistics, database logins, and reference transactions fail to capture libraries' increasingly sophisticated roles in knowledge synthesis, research integrity support, and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.

This session explores emerging and possible assessment methodologies that align library evaluation with broader research assessment reform movements. Through examples from Singapore Management University Libraries' transformation toward knowledge partnership models and an analysis of innovative …

Diamond Open Access Journals In India: Status, Sustainability And Challenges, Mallikarjun Dora, Kanagasabai K, Raj Kishor Kampa

FORCE 2026

Open-access publishing has transformed scholarly communication in recent decades. The share of OA articles between 2014 and 2024 increased by 26%, from a modest 14% in 2014 to 40% in 2024. OA journals have evolved over time and exist in various models based on funding mechanisms, including the Gold, Green, Hybrid, and Diamond models. While OA publishing emerged in response to scientific inequality, middle- and low-income countries face the barrier of high Article Processing Charges (APC), which hinder them from publishing in those journals (Alperin, 2022). The Article Processing Charges are part of the Gold and Hybrid OA models, where …

Bridging Metrics And Meaning: Integrating Traditional And Alternative Indicators For Responsible Research Assessment, Junjie Shen, Sarah Ormes

FORCE 2026

How do we recognise great research in all its diverse forms? Around the world, institutions are trying to move beyond simple citation counts toward something fairer and more meaningful. At the University of Bath in the UK, we’ve been experimenting with ways to combine traditional bibliometrics with richer indicators of engagement, such as policy influence, media attention, and real-world impact, to build a more balanced picture of research quality.

In this lightning talk, we’ll share what we’ve learned so far: how we co-created guidance with researchers, librarians, and research managers; how we built discipline-sensitive approaches; and how we trained our …

Oxa: An Open Exchange Architecture For Modular And Computational Scientific Content, Nokome Bentley, Rowan Cockett, Tracy Teal

FORCE 2026

Scientific communication remains bound by legacy formats designed for print, even as research itself has become computational, collaborative, and continuous. The Open Exchange Architecture (OXA, https://oxa.dev), is a community-driven schema and specification for representing scientific documents as structured, interoperable JSON. Developed in collaboration/participation with projects such as Jupyter, MyST, Stencila, Curvenote, Posit (Quarto), openRxiv, PLOS, eLife, Octopus, Creative Common, and the Continuous Science Foundation, OXA defines typed, linkable nodes (text, math, code, figures, metadata) that together form a shared “bedrock” for interoperable, modular, machine-readable, and executable research.

OXA allows for the exchange of scientific content across authoring environments (MyST …

Using Ai-Assisted Programming To Develop Research Services Tools For Research Impact, Open Access Publishing & More, Gary Lee

FORCE 2026

Academic libraries play a vital role in scholarly communication, As research practices become more data‑driven and interdisciplinary, librarians can help scholars by creating and sharing flexible, customizable tools that align with local workflows and user needs.

AI Assisted programming (sometimes called “vibe coding”) offers a new way for librarians without extensive programming knowledge to develop such tools . This allows previously non-expert librarians to go from conceptual goals to working applications by rapid prototyping, experimentation, and roll-out, resulting in service innovation and improvement.

This presentation illustrates how librarians at HKUST have explored vibe coding with tools like GROK, POE, and …

Mapping The Landscape Of The Open Access Journals Using Open Journal Systems From Indonesian University Publishers, Maria Lamury

FORCE 2026

This study maps the landscape of open access (OA) journals published by Indonesian university publishers using the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform, highlighting collaborative efforts in advancing scholarly communication across institutional and disciplinary boundaries. Using the latest data from the OJS Beacon dataset and journal websites, this analysis examines the distribution, characteristics, and visibility of open access journals managed by 1,529 university publishers, representing a sample of 15,293 university publishers in Indonesia. Many research stated that Indonesia hosts the world’s largest number of OJS-based journals, with more than half adopting the Gold OA model. This balance reflects both the growing …

Archiving In Advance Of Mission Completion, Molly Stothert-Maurer

Journal of Western Archives

This paper presents a detailed case study of the born-digital archiving efforts associated with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) Asteroid Sample Return Mission at the University of Arizona Libraries Special Collections. From the perspective of an archivist, the project exemplifies the integration of digital archiving into an active scientific mission, conducted in collaboration with multiple departments across the university. By preserving mission-critical content, including project management documents, social media interactions, and web content, this initiative serves as a model for resource light digital products utilizing batch descriptive techniques. The paper …

Enhancing Digital Literacy Programmes For Advanced Search Skills Of Adult Public Library Patrons, Santel Smit Ms., Nikiwe G. Momoti Dr

Urban Library Journal

Digital literacy enables individuals to confidently engage with electronic devices and digital resources. While many adults use these tools to search for information, some still lack the essential skills to do so effectively. This pragmatic paper investigates the basic digital literacy skills of adult patrons at Adriaanse Public Library in Cape Town. Framed by SCONUL Seven Pillars of Information Literacy through a Digital Literacy “lens”, we employed a sequential mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative pre- and post-tests with qualitative interviews among 30 purposively selected participants. Quantitative data was analyzed statistically while thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. The findings revealed …

Recognizing And Rewarding Peer Review: Rethinking Research Assessment For Openness, Fairness, And Global Equity, Tung Tung Chan, Bernd Pulverer, Johan Rooryck

FORCE 2026

The Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) Working Group on Recognizing and Rewarding Peer Review has developed a comprehensive framework for reforming how scholarly review is valued within research careers. Our recommendations address a fundamental question: how can peer review, a critical yet often invisible scholarly contribution, be made visible, credited, and meaningfully integrated into research assessment?

Developed through a collaborative effort across 16 European organisations, the Working Group’s outputs offer targeted recommendations for four key stakeholder groups: research performing organizations, research funding bodies, publishers and editors, and individual researchers. These recommendations are structured across five key dimensions:
(1) Openness: …