Online Forum: Investing in open access to primary sources

Primary source materials and data for humanities and social science research are increasingly moving behind paywalls. This online forum—organized jointly by the Center for Research Libraries and the Northeast Research Libraries Consortium—will examine existing and emerging models for open access to news, archives, government information, and other primary data.

Investing in Open Primary Sources: an eDesiderata Forum

This event will be viewed together and followed by an in-person discussion among attendees.

Thursday, October 18
12:00 noon – 4:00 pm
Memorial Library, Room 126

Program Details

Session 1, 12:00 noon–1:25 pm: Existing Open Access and Cooperative Investment Models

A variety of models for sustaining Open Access digital resources exist and many of those are now evolving. Presenters will discuss the pros, cons, and possibilities of three models promoted by community-driven initiatives:

Infrastructure for Social Science Research: The ICPSR Model and its Future

• Libby Hemphill, Director, Resource Center for Minority Data and Associate Professor, University of Michigan School of Information.
• The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) maintains a vast archive of data on public opinion, crime, education, terrorism, and other fields of public interest. Governed by member universities and research institutes, ICPSR offers a combination of open data and member-only data, educational programs, and other services. Dr. Hemphill will discuss the current ICPSR funding model, and potential benefits that new investment by the academic community might create.

Moving from grant to membership models: the Biodiversity Heritage Library and the Medical Heritage Library

• Constance Rinaldo, Librarian, Ernst Mayr Library of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, and Melissa Grafe, John R. Bumstead Librarian for Medical History, Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, Yale University
• Grant-funded efforts seeking to sustain activities through membership or sponsorship models.

Supporting Open Access at the grassroots: USAIN and Project Ceres

• Michael Cook, Head of Collection Development & Digital Collections, Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University, and Amy Paster, Head, Life Sciences Library, Pennsylvania State University
• A community of interest builds and sustains Open Access resources through grassroots action and cooperative investment.

Session 2, 1:30–2:55 pm: Emerging and Potential New Models for Open Access

Experimentation in the publishing world, and in the world of political activism and investigative journalism, have produced some promising new models for sustainable, paywall-free access to data and digital content. How can libraries, working together, support and encourage those efforts?

The changing Reveal Digital model    

• Peggy Glahn, Program Director, Reveal Digital.
• The recipient of significant library investment to create OA collections, Reveal is now evolving to a new business model after the demise of its parent company.

Leveraging OA e-book and e-journal publishing infrastructure: JSTOR’s Open Access initiatives    

• Presenter: TBA
• How could the existing capabilities of electronic publishers be exploited for OA primary sources?

The growing privatization of public domain collections and public interest data, and some emerging alternatives 

• Bernard Reilly, President, CRL

Session 3, 3:00–3:30 pm: Possibilities for Collective Action

A panel of experts will discuss potential strategies for cooperative investment in Open Access primary sources, and how those cooperative efforts could best be structured to benefit the academy and digital scholarship.

• Lindsay Cronk, Head of Collection Strategies, University of Rochester Libraries
• Janet Hulm, Assistant Dean for Collections & Digitization Strategies, Ohio University Libraries
• Elizabeth Kirk, Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources, Harvard College Libraries

3:30-4:00 pm: Post-forum discussion

Interested attendees can stay for an informal discussion about the program and possible implications for UW-Madison.

Related Readings (suggested by event organizers)

General:

• Grossman, James. 2018. “Access to Digital Resources: Mapping the Landscape of a Problem.” Perspectives On History 56, no. 4: 15.
• Horava, Tony. 2017. “Some Reflections on Open Access and Collection Management.” Technicalities 37, no. 2: 12-15.
• Rathemacher, Andrée J. 2015. “Crowdfunding Access to Archives.” Library Journal 140, no. 2 (1 February 2015): 43.
• Velarde, Daniel. 2013. “Illusion and Achievement in Open-Access Digitization.” Feliciter 59, no. 3: 37-39.

Speakers:

• Caminita, Cook, Paster. 2018. “Thirty Years of Preserving, Discovering, and Accessing U.S. Agricultural Information: Past Progress and Current Challenges.” Library Trends 65, no. 3: 293-315
• Mathuews, Mackinde, Hulm. 2017. “Investing in Open Access: Identifying, Evaluating, and Supporting Open Access Resources.” IFLA WLIC 2017 Satellite Meeting: Serials and Other Continuing Resources Section & Acquisition and Collection Development.
• Reilly, Bernard F. 2018. “A Sea Change (9): Investment in Open Access and Shared Digital Resources.” Common Knowledgeblog.

For additional information about the local viewing of this event, please contact Carrie Nelson.