Scholarly Communication Commons^™

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 …

Research Integrity Without Borders: How Getftr Extends Trust Across The Scholarly Ecosystem, Joris Van Rossum

FORCE 2026

As research discovery increasingly happens beyond publisher platforms (through aggregators, institutional repositories, AI tools, and citation networks) maintaining trust in the integrity of the scholarly record becomes ever more complex. Visibility is not enough; researchers need confidence that what they find, read, and cite is current, authoritative, and trustworthy.

GetFTR (Get Full Text Research) addresses this challenge by embedding integrity and transparency signals, including retractions, errata, updates, and license information, directly into the researcher’s discovery experience. Through its cross-publisher API and integrations with major discovery tools, GetFTR ensures that researchers are always connected to the version of record and alerted …

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 …

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: …

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 2: Toward A Shared Understanding Of Data Use: Bringing The Data Usage Typology Into Practice, Evgeny Bobrov, Scott Edmunds

FORCE 2026

As open data becomes an increasingly key practice in research, understanding how data are used is becoming essential to inform data policies and facilitate inclusion of data in research assessment. Different groups have started categorizing uses for their own purposes, but the community lacked consensus on how to conceptualize the types of uses of datasets. This hinders comparison of reports on the uses of data, and their transferability into evaluation processes. The FORCE11 Data Usage Typologies Working Group is creating a community-led typology to capture the diverse ways in which datasets are (re)used, and to enable a shared understanding of …

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 …

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

Government Documents For All, Tim Dodge

The Southeastern Librarian

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

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.

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 …

The President's Column, Laura Slavin

The Southeastern Librarian

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

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)

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)

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)

News From The States, Blake Denton

The Southeastern Librarian

Library news reports from SELA member states

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 …

Editor's Notes, John H. Barnett

The Southeastern Librarian

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

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