Scholarly Communication Commons^™

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 …

Building A Better Landscape For Research Dissemination, Scott Horowitz

Chemistry and Biochemistry: Faculty Scholarship

Let’s take a moment to think about where we’ve come to in scientific publishing. Once upon a time, journals and their publishers played an absolutely critical role in science’s growth and successes.  Many journal publishers are for-profit enterprises, and they still want to make profits even if they no longer serve an important purpose. By controlling the information, they can still force people to pay for services that are obsolete and manipulate the system in ways that stymie progress to maintain their market. Open access did not have the power to change this. Altogether, things are in bad shape. I …

Promote, Partner & Mentor: Research At Liberty University, Mark Hamilton

Faculty Publications and Presentations

How can you be involved with faculty and student research at Liberty University? Promote your own research through LU Faculty SHARE (the faculty research platform). Partner with Liberty University Journals, encouraging student submissions. Mentor students in the research process.

Objectives

At the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

• Promote your own Research through LU Faculty SHARE 
• Use LU Faculty SHARE to list your own articles, posters, and presentations.

• Partner with Liberty University Journals 
• Serve as an advisor, or editor of an existing journal.
• Create a new journal by completing an interest form and application for a new …

The Open Knowledge Fellowship: An Opportunity For Transformative Learning At The Doctoral Level, Elvis Bakaitis, Jill Cirasella, Patrick Mcgee

Publications and Research

How can we integrate the principles, practicalities, and complexities of open educational resources (OER) and open access scholarly literature into graduate-level education? At the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY), the popular and successful Open Knowledge Fellowship offers a much-needed intervention in doctoral education by addressing these topics and associated debates. Between 2020 and 2025, the intensive six-week Fellowship program was offered 12 times and trained over 200 doctoral students from across the disciplines in the selection and use of openly licensed resources in the courses they teach. These 200+ students then taught their revamped courses …

The Evolving Roles Of U.S. Academic Librarians: A Snapshot Of Job Responsibilities In 2023, Russell Michalak, Laura Rose Taylor, Michelle Reed, Amanda Koziura, Devon Ellixson

Library Faculty Research

This study examines the evolving roles of academic librarians across North America. Adapting a survey tool published in a prior Canadian study, it surveys over 350 librarians in the United States, analyzing shifts in Research Support, Teaching and Learning, Digital Scholarship, User Experience, and Scholarly Communication. Results indicate significant engagement in information discovery and digital scholarship with a growing need for training in digital tools and data management. The resulting report highlights the crucial role of academic librarians in adapting to technological and educational changes, underscoring the necessity for ongoing professional development.

Examining Challenges For Sociology Master’S Degree Students At California State University, David Ortuno

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the lived experiences of CSU sociology graduate students pursuing a master’s degree. Seven sociology graduate students from six of the eight (75%) total sociology MA programs throughout the entire CSU system were interviewed. Their responses were designed to analyze the support systems and challenges they face while pursuing a master's degree, as well as to investigate whether their experiences correlate with or fail to correlate with the promises in the CSU mission statement, and to answer the study’s research questions and achieve the purpose of this qualitative study.

Four themes emerged from …

Make It Shine: Strategies For Improving Academic Journals, Mark Hamilton

Faculty Publications and Presentations

This lightning talk, designed for journal editors and scholarly communication professionals, reviews several strategies for improving academic journals. These include developing best practices for journal publishing, maintaining high editorial standards, establishing regular publishing cycles, and updating the journal platform to a more modern design.

Evaluating And Supporting Transformative Agreements: Five Institutional Perspectives In Discussion, Anna R. Craft, Peggy Kain, Danica Lewis, Camille Mccutcheon, William Joseph Thomas

Libraries Professional Work

Transformative—or Read and Publish—deals are impacting the open access (OA) publishing landscape, allowing libraries to test new models for funding and incentivizing OA publishing, while also providing direct benefits for authors, including discounts and waivers on article processing charges (APCs). But how sustainable are transformative deals in light of library materials budgets and workloads for personnel who negotiate these deals, manage the implementations, and support campus authors? And how can libraries evaluate the perceived value of these deals in relation to the specific needs of their institutional users?

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Academic Commons Annual Report (2024-2025), Elizabeth D'Angel

Annual Reports & Administrative Documents

Please review the Academic Commons 2024-2025 website report.

Contents

• Updates at the Jefferson Libraries & Library Statistics
• Textile & Costume Collection
• Siegman Archives
• Instructional Design & Educational Technologies Support
• Professional Writing and Communications
• AV, Graphics, Video Production, and Photography
• Staff Highlights

Creation Of An Open Access Textbook, Sue Ann Gardner

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

Slide presented during the PRCA Research Celebration, June 3, 2025, in the University Libraries, University of Nebraska-Lincoln titled Creation of an Open Access Textbook, about the development and publication of Concepts in Animal Parasitology, co-edited by Scott L. Gardner and Sue Ann Gardner and published by Zea Books (Lincoln, Nebraska, USA) in 2024.

Why University Libraries Should Not Overlook Research Staff, Bella Ratmelia

Research Collection Library

In a commentary, the uthor noted that university libraries often overlook research staff due to the transitory nature of these roles. She emphasised that these staff are key drivers of research productivity, bringing specialised skills and adaptability to evolving methodologies. To better support them, the author urged libraries to engage research staff through initiatives like SMU’s workshops co-taught by librarians and researchers and the SMU Researcher Club, which fosters their professional and personal growth while building future collaborations across academia and industry

How Academic Libraries Support Systematic Reviews And Evidence Syntheses, Alyssa C. Borozan, Bonnie L. Fong, Siobhan K. Mccarthy

University Libraries Scholarship and Creative Works

As more faculty and graduate students conduct systematic reviews and other evidence/knowledge syntheses, it can be helpful for academic libraries to provide services and resources to support this type of research. This study identifies trends in evidence/knowledge synthesis support services among (thirty-six) selected institutions with Carnegie classifications of R1 or R2. Data about services and resources was collected from research guides, webpages, and via communications with library employees. There are many similarities between how R1 and R2 institutions are providing support, with a higher incidence of more comprehensive services among R1 universities. Most R1 institutions in our sample provide a …

Elbow Patches To Eye Patches: A Phenomenographic Study Of Scholarly Practices, Research Literature Access, And Academic Piracy, Lance Eaton

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Changes to academic publishing in the form of digital technologies and copyright law over the late 20th century have created increasing roadblocks for scholars to consistently and conveniently access research literature in their pursuit of scholarly work. As a result, academic pirate networks (APNs) such as Sci-Hub and Library Genesis have risen to fulfill the unmet needs of scholars. This study examined the experiences of scholars using APNs with a focus on how scholars make sense of their experiences with participating on APNs. By identifying meanings that scholars attributed to their participation on these networks, the study clarifies how these …

Tracking Affordable Learning: Is Airtable Right For Your Institution?, Janelle Wertzberger, Mary R. Elmquist

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Gettysburg College began tracking OER adoptions in a Google Sheet – and we quickly outgrew it. We migrated to Airtable (a web-based spreadsheet-database platform) in 2023 and immediately appreciated its advanced capabilities and potential for making sense of our complex data. As a result, we can now produce raw statistics and compelling data-based stories regarding OER use and zero-cost/low-cost courses for campus stakeholders at all levels. Learn more about how this platform works and how you might be able to benefit from it in your local context. Maybe Airtable is right for you!

Conducting Effective Literature Searches And Writing Strong Abstracts, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This invited presentation for students at Poland's War Studies University communicates ideas on how Ph.D. students at this institution can enhance their research quality. Specific content includes formulating your research question, determining research aims and methodology, reviewing a research question checklist, understanding the meaning of search terms you propose to utilize, devising effective search strategies, consulting multiple varieties of information resources from multiple countries, finding gaps in literature, being able to distinguish between nuances in literature and data, writing succinct abstracts, and enhancing the clarity of your prose.

Moving Goalposts: Unknowables, And Anxiety In Tenure And Promotion, Mark Diacopoulos, Ruth Monnier

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

In this study, two tenure-track colleagues (Mark and Ruth) examined their process of seeking tenure and promotion. They sought to answer the following question: To what extent do the unknowables in the tenure and promotion process lead to unnecessary anxiety?

Vcu And The 2025 Virginia Course Materials Survey, Abbey Childs

Open and Affordable Course Content at VCU

No abstract provided.

Dominance Of Leading Business Schools In Top Journals: Insights For Increasing Institutional Representation, Rodrigo Romero-Silva, Erika Marsillac, Sander De Leeuw

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

The competitive push for business schools to publish in prestigious journals has resulted in a disproportionate number of papers in prestigious Management and Operations Research/Management Science (OR/MS) journals coming from a select group of institutions. Our analysis shows the Matthew effect of prestigious journals favors established schools with 51.2% of papers in 18 Management ABS 4* journals and 61.3% of papers in 3 OR/MS ABS 4* journals involving authors from the 100 top business schools identified by the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). Citation patterns are similarly concentrated among papers authored by scholars from UTD-listed business schools, with nearly …

Reparative Research Practices: Addressing Epistemic Inequity In University Research, Gabriel Bruguier, Scout Calvert

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

The main argument regarding the ‘repair’ in reparative practices: University research is a social good, subjects are entitled to be included in knowledge production, and subjects ought to have fair access to epistemic goods.

Therefore, a subject’s being prevented from making a contribution to the pool of resources utilized to create knowledge is an injustice. Knowledge produced by an entity that excludes community participation is perspectival and incomplete.

Our definition: Reparative research practices (RRP) are those that can intervene and replace other practices across the research life cycle to address epistemic harms and injustices, incomplete knowledge production, shared knowledge, and …

Oer Curation Worksheet, Theodore J. Szpakowski

All Musselman Library Staff Works

This worksheet aids library staff in curating open educational resources for a given class.

An Undergraduate Student’S Guide To The Open Ed Conference, Theodore J. Szpakowski

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Attending conferences as an undergraduate student is different from attending them as a working professional. This guide suggests how students can get ready for and successfully attend the OpenEd conference, as well as suggesting useful conference recordings from past years. It was written based on the author's experience as a Scholarly Communications Student Assistant.

Letter From The Editorial Board, Joshua M. Avery, Lana Wilson, Denise Nelson, Addison Lucchi

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Restructuring And Upgradation Of The Dspace-Based Institutional Repository Of Cept University Library: A Case Study, Namrata Dobariya, Gayatri Doctor Dr.

The Journal of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This paper aims to present a strategic overview of the restructuring of the CEPT repository structure, maintaining and upgrading its software for continuous access improved services.

Method: The process of restructuring and upgrading CEPT University Library's repository to DSpace 7 involved identifying the need for technical proficiency, establishing a new server, configuring the repository, migrating existing data while preparing metadata. Furthermore, data in the new storage hierarchy was restructured, and SSL integration with Shibboleth was implemented.

Result: The paper highlights the benefits and outcomes of the restructuring process, emphasizing the enhanced accessibility, discoverability, and preservation of scholarly works.

Implications: …

How To Make A Theologian: Theological Education And The Life Of Discipleship, Andrew C. Stout

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Academic Commons Annual Report (2023-2024), Elizabeth D'Angel

Annual Reports & Administrative Documents

Contents

• Recap of the Year
• Jefferson Libraries
• Archives & Collections
• Educational Technologies & Instructional Design
• Professional Communication
• Media Services: Audio Visual, Graphics, Photography & Video
• Staff Highlights

Check out the Adobe Express website for the Annual Report 2023-2024.

Creating The E-Buzz Around Collaborative And Collective Dei Efforts In Academic Libraries, Essraa Nawar, Kristin Laughtin-Dunker

Library Articles and Research

Like many academic libraries, the Leatherby Libraries at Chapman University (USA) is committed to supporting and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for students, faculty, researchers, and staff and has increased its efforts in the last several years to reflect that commitment through its resources, services, and outreach activities. However, in the wider literature, the efforts of scholarly communication librarians in DEI initiatives outside of openaccess advocacy are less discussed. Nevertheless, precisely because scholarly communication librarians are concerned with advancing the dissemination of knowledge, they fit naturally into DEI efforts that seek to elevate new or historically marginalized voices and …

Fry, John. A Prairie Faith: The Religious Life Of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Grand Rapids, Mi: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2024., Randi K.J. Baltzer

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Paraclete Press. Season Of Beauty: A Lent And Easter Treasury Of Readings, Poems And Prayers. Brewster, Ma: Paraclete Press, 2024, Cynthia Hammell

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Fear Of Ai, Christianity, And The Modern Library, Brady D. Lund, Zoë A. Teel

The Christian Librarian

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape aspects of our world, fears and misunderstandings about its implications are widespread. Some of these concerns are rooted in the practices and beliefs of our religious communities. This paper aims to address worries regarding AI and its impact on religion and Christian traditions. It does so by examining the nature of AI and its limitations, stressing the importance of informed discussions within communities. Examples drawn from academic literature, scripture, and prominent figures within the Church are used to illustrate key points. Libraries and librarians are discussed as crucial facilitators of these informed discussions …