Digital Commons Network^™

Open Research Information - How To Support Publishers To Make Metadata Openly Availble, Bianca Kramer

FORCE 2026

Research information, or scholarly metadata, is important for decision making around strategic priorities, distribution of resources, and evaluation of researchers and institutions. It is also used to assess the effect of policies, and to find and assess research results. Open research information (free to access and free to (re)use) is increasingly valued for fair assessment and equitable decision making, and is also important in digital sovereignty.


The Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information calls on organizations performing, funding and evaluating research to make openness of research information the default, work with services and systems that support and enable open research …

Mapping Themes, Aligning Strategies: Institutional Research Analytics With Bertopic And Genai, Danping Dong, Pin Pin Yeo

FORCE 2026

Libraries and research offices are increasingly tasked with making sense of unstructured institutional data, such as research publications and strategic documents. These insights help inform decision-making and leadership planning. This session shares how SMU Libraries leveraged BERTopic, an open-source topic modeling tool, together with generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude, to extract meaningful insights from faculty publications and support institutional sensemaking.

In one use case, we applied BERTopic to university-authored publications to surface thematic groupings related to research about Asia. Generative AI tools were then used to summarize each cluster into human-readable narratives, enabling research landscape mapping, identification …

Sharing The Load: Building An Open Research Information Collective, Cameron Neylon, Bianca Kramer

FORCE 2026

The rise of open research information resources is transforming the way we track, analyse and study research systems. Increasingly sources like OpenAIRE, OpenAlex, Crossref, DataCite, ORCID, ROR and others are being used as the basis for making decisions, designing interventions

and understanding progress. This operates both at the small scale, where access to data and evidence is easier than it has ever been, to the very large scale analysis of whole systems. Modern open data sources provide access, including access to full copies of the data, but there has been less focus on providing this access in a way that …

Researcher Impact Framework: Building Audience-Focused Evidence-Based Impact Narratives, Giovanna Lima

FORCE 2026

While a wealth of resources has been developed to help researchers plan for and communicate their projects anticipated impact when applying for funding proposals, not many resources have been developed for researchers when communicating their own impact as researchers at an individual level.
To support researchers in doing this Dr Giovanna Lima and Sarah Bowman have developed the Researcher Impact Framework (RIF). This framework helps to better share a broad spectrum of the researcher’s achievements in generation of knowledge, development of individuals, forming collaborations, supporting the research community and broader society.
The RIF provides a structure for crafting audience-focused evidence-based …

A Developing Critical Lens Based On Distinct Scholar Experiences In Scholarly Communication, Angel Y. Ford

FORCE 2026

Scholars around the world, even from core research locations, express frustration at the processes of sharing and disseminating research. Scholars discuss the confusing or conflicting reviews they receive, and the astronomical fees to publish in Open Access (OA) journals, but when these global factors are combined with regional factors for scholars in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the view of the scholarly communication landscape can quickly go from challenging, to treacherous and at times a career stunting topography with a variety of obstacles and barriers. The terrain scholars cross to obtain, produce, and disseminate research outputs looks different based on …

Opening Keynote: From 'Publish Or Perish' To Purpose And People: Going Together On Research Assessment Reform, Lily Kong

FORCE 2026

Universities hold a unique position as the brain trusts of society — creating knowledge, countering misinformation, and catalysing innovation that drives societal progress. Yet the cultures of "publish or perish" and competitive rankings have led academia to focus on certain metrics, and in so doing, chase misplaced goals. This has resulted in some misdirections: misconduct, data manipulation, mistreatment of early-career researchers, and a troubling misalignment between what scholars pursue and what society needs. How can we begin to rethink research impact beyond standard metrics to embrace both academic excellence and societal contribution? In the spirit of FORCE 2026's theme, Prof …

Pre-Conference Workshop 4: Global Perspectives On Open Research Information, Dominika Tkaczyk, Bianca Kramer

FORCE 2026

Research information (or metadata) relates to the conduct and communication of research. his includes bibliographic metadata, information about research software, research data, funding, research contributors, and more. It is located in systems such as bibliographic databases, software archives, data repositories, and current research information systems. Many research information infrastructures are closed, and yet they play an important role in research assessment and resource allocation in many countries. The Barcelona Declaration on Open research Information seeks to drive fundamental changes in this landscape. How do these concerns play out in other regions—are they shared globally? In this session, with a series …

Pre-Conference Workshop 3: Pids And Research Integrity: Paths To Increase Provenance For Research For Asia Pacific Universities And Researchers, Brian Minihan

FORCE 2026

Interest in persistent identifiers (PIDs) is growing for metadata simplicity of research, but details of provenance also accompany connections between people, works, and organisations through PIDs. Are there paths of cooperation for those entrusted with curating research in South, South East and East Asia?

The veracity, simplicity and ability to authenticate metadata stored by PIDs is why several nations are exploring national strategies.

This interactive workshop seeks to engage stakeholders with a focus on the Asia Pacific region to discuss methods to bring institutions to consider whether PIDs adoption increases research integrity, or practical methods institutions can undertake in their …

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

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 …

The Spring 2026 Issue, Destiny Dehart, Sara Gonzalez, Crystal Walker, Karen Winstead, Anthony Toledo, Lauren Nimon-Viola, Tristan Mioduszewski, Fatima Al Jaberi

Fonds and Feathers

The theme of this issue is "we explore what matters" – what matters to us, what matters to archives, and what matters to libraries. Different voices are reflected by writers in the formats of poetry, artwork, research, and articles.

“I Was Well Informed. It Was A Great Advantage”: Pre-Arrival Information Seeking, Information Intelligence, And Immigrants’ Settlement, Nafiz Z. Shuva, Paulette Rothbauer

Publications and Research

This study reports on the role of pre-arrival information seeking and informed decision making in the settlement experiences of Bangladeshi immigrants in Canada. Despite the importance of immigrants in shaping Canada’s future in innovation, economy, and population, this research shows a significant mismatch between immigrants’ expectations and their actual settlement experiences, particularly in terms of their employment. This mismatch can lead to depression, frustration, and anxiety, affecting integration into Canadian society. While there has been a recent increase in immigrants’ settlement information behavior research in LIS, most focus on post-arrival information needs and seeking. Research findings of this study contribute …

Member Spotlight, Blair Jones

The Southeastern Librarian

Member Spotlight no. 4 for the Spring 2026 issue of the Southeastern Librarian. The spotlight shines on Crystal R. Gates, Chief Executive Officer of the North Little Rock (Arkansas) Public Library System.

Building Community At An Academic Library With Bilingual Story Trails, Laura Bright, Janice S. Lewis

The Southeastern Librarian

A story trail is an activity that combines exercise and literacy as visitors read sequentially displayed book pages while walking. Story trails are often set up outdoors along existing paths and feature rotating selections of children’s picture books. Many story trails are set up and maintained by community groups, public libraries, or schools. Academic libraries can use story trails as opportunities to promote literacy, foster a sense of local community, support families, and encourage healthy habits. The authors of this article use City of Greenville (North Carolina) StoryWalks® created by staff at East Carolina University’s Joyner Library as an example …

Chet Atkins: Mr. Guitar, David W. Young

The Southeastern Librarian

Author: Don Cusic

Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2025

ISBN: 9780820373393

464 pp. $24.13 (Hbk)

Who Benefits? Assessing The Author Experience And Impact Of Open Access Agreements, Lindsey Skaggs, Rachel E. Scott

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

In this session, we share findings from surveys and interviews conducted with ISU authors who have published under transformative agreements as corresponding author. The presenters provide insight into authors’ awareness of library OA agreements, authors’ experience navigating various publishers’ OA platforms and processes, how OA agreements impact author venue selection, author order, and selection of corresponding author, and whether authors perceive OA agreements to be an endorsement of a publisher. The presenters also explore how their university’s transformative agreements benefit researchers at other institutions and investigate the impact of these agreements on inter-institutional collaboration. In doing so, the presenters share …

National Agricultural Library (Nal) Search., Leah Everitt, Sonya Lemke

Publications

SEARCH is the USDA National Agricultural Library (NAL)'s main discovery platform that provides integrated access to the NAL Digital Collections, Special Collections, PubAg and AGRICOLA. NAL SEARCH is a valuable tool for health science librarians, students, and professionals seeking veterinary science, nutrition, or animal experiment alternatives. This article aims to give users a comprehensive overview of this resource.

The President's Column, Laura Slavin

The Southeastern Librarian

SELA President Laura Slavin's column for the Spring 2026 issue of the Southeastern Librarian

Character Demographic Assessment In An Academic Library's Graphic Novel Collection: Implications For Collection Development, Bridgette L. Whitt

The Southeastern Librarian

This article presents an analysis of the main character demographics across a graphic novel collection housed at the Paul Meek Library, University of Tennessee at Martin. The study evaluates the presence of specific identified character traits such as race, ethnicity, ability, emotional or psychological themes, and the settings of the 451 evaluated titles. The assessment also evaluates the genre distribution of fiction, nonfiction, and biographical content and how often the novels were set outside of the United States. The goal of this study was to better understand the narrative scope and representation within the graphic novel collection, with a focus …

From Print To Pixels: Preserving Alabama’S Historic Newspapers Through Digitization, David Ferrara, Melissa Young

The Southeastern Librarian

This article presents a case study of the Alabama Digital Newspaper Project (ALDNP), a grant-funded initiative to digitize Alabama’s historic newspapers. It outlines the establishment and history of ALDNP, including its accomplishments, and the challenges faced and overcome by University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections (UALSC) staff. This case study details ALDNP’s workflows, including title selection, metadata creation, technical standards, and microfilm digitization. This article also highlights outreach efforts, including collaborations with regional archives, student workers, and community educators. In addition to providing details on the accomplishments of ALDNP, it also outlines potential areas for growth and expansion. Detailing a …

Cultural Humility In Libraries: A Call To Action And Strategies For Success, Megan Callaghan

The Southeastern Librarian

Authors: Shannon D. Jones & Beverly Murphy, eds.

Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2024

ISBN: 9781538162156

196 pp. $39.95 (Pbk)

Government Documents For All, Tim Dodge

The Southeastern Librarian

The Government Documents for All column for the Spring 2026 issue of The Southeastern Librarian

Proper Imposters: Four Novellas, Allison Faix

The Southeastern Librarian

Authors: Chaya Bhuvaneswar, Mauricio Montiel Figueiras, Jason Ockert, & Jeff Parker

Pensacola: Panhandler Books, distributed by University of Florida Press, 2025

ISBN: 9780991640485

206 pp. $24.95 (Pbk)

Southeastern Librarian 74(1) Spring 2026 (Full Issue), John H. Barnett

The Southeastern Librarian

Complete issue of the Southeastern Librarian, Volume 74 Number 1, Spring 2026

Editor's Notes, John H. Barnett

The Southeastern Librarian

The Southeastern Librarian editor's column for the Spring 2026 issue

Mob Rule In The Ozarks: The Missouri And North Arkansas Railroad Strike, 1921-1923, Kristine Stilwell

The Southeastern Librarian

Author: Kenneth C. Barnes

Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2025

ISBN: 9781682262627

304 pp., $24.95 (Pbk)

News From The States, Blake Denton

The Southeastern Librarian

Library news reports from SELA member states

Sela Leadership: Officers, Executive Committee, State Representatives, Committees, Sections, Round Tables, And Ad Hoc Committees, John H. Barnett

The Southeastern Librarian

List of SELA Officers, Executive Committee, State Representatives, Committees, Sections, Round Tables, and Ad Hoc Committees for the Spring 2026 issue

The First Cut Is (Hopefully) The Deepest, Michelle Colquitt

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Reshaping Academic Libraries As Dynamic Partners And Knowledge Hubs For Research Productivity And Professional Development For Academics, Abdullahi Olayinka Isiaka, Benjamin Adebisi Bamidele, Adelani Rotimi Ibitoye, Abdullahi Adebola Yusuf, Kaliat Oyindamola Abdulwahab, Ajeigbe Emmanuel Afolami, Ifelayo Esher Bamidele

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Academic libraries have long been regarded as repositories of knowledge, but their roles are rapidly evolving to meet the growing demands of research productivity and professional development among academics. This paper explores how libraries are transforming into dynamic partners and knowledge hubs to facilitate access to resources, tools, and services that enhance research output and academic growth among academics. This study adopted a survey design approach. The population of this study is all the 86 academic librarians from the nine university libraries in Kwara State. Total enumeration sampling technique was used and data were collected via questionnaire from the respondents. …

Exploring Information Literacy Skills, Attitudes, And Barriers Among Medical And Nursing Students In Bahrain: A Mixed-Methods Perspective, Asif Altaf, Suchita N. Dsilva, Simple Sibi Joseph, Fida Mukhtar, Muhammad Zeeshan, Bindhu Nair

Communications in Information Literacy

Information literacy is essential for evidence-based medical education, yet Gulf-region studies rarely examine student competencies and barriers. This study examines the information literacy skills, attitudes, and challenges faced by medical and nursing students at RCSI Bahrain. A mixed-methods design was employed, combining a quantitative survey (n = 343) with qualitative focus groups (n = 10). Students reported high self-perceived information literacy across domains. Time constraints and information overload were identified as the primary barriers to effective communication. Focus group findings highlighted the late introduction of curricula, technical access challenges, and inequities between medical and nursing programs. Library training attendance, academic …