Data is the central currency of science, but the nature of scientific data has changed dramatically with the rapid pace of technology. This change has led to the development of a wide variety of data formats, dataset sizes, data complexity, data use cases, and data sharing practices. Improvements in high throughput DNA sequencing, sustained institutional support for large sensor networks, and sky surveys with large-format digital cameras have created massive quantities of data. At the same time, the combination of increasingly diverse research teams and data aggregation in portals (e.g. for biodiversity data, GBIF or iDigBio) necessitates increased coordination among data collectors and institutions. As a consequence, “data” can now mean anything from petabytes of information stored in professionally-maintained databases, through spreadsheets on a single computer, to hand-written tables in lab notebooks on shelves. All remain important, but data curation practices must continue to keep pace with the changes brought about by new forms and practices of data collection and storage.

Ten simple rules for digital data storage.

PurposeThe subject of this paper is the phenomenon of social media aesthetics, which can be perceived as a tool for promoting and building the image of libraries, especially in terms of merchandising. The aim of this paper is to analyse the potential of the dark academia social media trend in the promotion of academic libraries.Design/methodology/approachThe article is based on a review of the social networking sites YouTube and Instagram and an analysis of network resources using the Brand24 tool.FindingsResources that are described by Internet users as “dark academia” are popular in social media. Dark academia as an aesthetic concept creates potential for the promotion of academic libraries, especially those that are more traditional in terms of their architecture, décor or how they offer their services.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper concerns a phenomenon which, although popular socially, has not yet been scientifically analysed in the literature on the subject. Since the topic is new and there is no scientific literature on it, the author had to base the paper on less standard sources of information (e.g. analysis of the content of social media). The article is a review, an introduction, as well as an invitation to further discussion. The author's aim is not to comprehensively cover this topic but only to draw attention to an interesting and rarely discussed issue that has great potential for practical activities.Practical implicationsThe topic has great potential for the practical improvement of the promotional activities of libraries, especially older, more traditional libraries, to create a strong and positive image on the basis of characteristics often perceived as weaknesses.Social implicationsSocial media services are powerful social impact tools. Showing the potential role of social media aesthetics for cultural institutions could serve to make the public more aware of the role of the proper use of social media for promotion and image building.Originality/valueThe use of social media aesthetics is very rarely discussed in the subject literature.

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Social media aesthetics as part of academic library merchandising

User experience with intuitive and flexible digital platforms can be enjoyable and satisfying. A strategy to deliver such an experience is to place the users at the center of the design process and analyze their beliefs and perceptions to add appropriate platform features. This study conducted with focus groups as a qualitative method of data collection to investigate users’ preferences and develop a new landing page for institutional repositories with attractive functionalities based on their information-structural rules. The research question was: What are the motivations and experiences of users in an academic community when publishing scientific information in an institutional repository? The focus group technique used in this study had three sessions. Results showed that 50% of the participants did not know the functionalities of the institutional repository nor its benefits. Users’ perceptions of platforms such as ResearchGate or Google Scholar that provide academic production were also identified. The findings showed that motivating an academic community to use an institutional repository requires technological functions, user guidelines that identify what can or cannot be published in open access, and training programs for open access publication practices and institutional repository use. These measures align with global strategies to strengthen the digital identities of scientific communities and thus benefit open science.

Improving Institutional Repositories through User-Centered Design: Indicators from a Focus Group

   The modern open science makes an ecosystem comprising open scientific knowledge, science infrastructure, dialogue with other systems of knowledge and engaged social actors. The latter is channelized through the concept of wide social involvement in scientific research – the civil science concept. Despite the libraries are mostly oriented toward the former two components, which is due to their information functions, they are also able to build themselves in the ecosystem through collaboration with civil science project. However, such projects have not become popular, which significantly narrows down the potentialities of open science.   The purpose of the article is to analyze the possibilities for libraries; entering the open science ecosystem through supporting is to open engagement of social players in science.   The author discusses the obstacles on the way of the citizen science as a part open science ecosystem, and libraries involvement. Thus, underdevelopment of civil science in Russia may be partially due to insufficient dissemination of scientific thinking in the non-scientific spheres, the closeness of scientific community and its low interest in communicating with the wider audience. The analysis of 431 websites of Russian research institutes proves that just about 42 % of them popularize scientific activities. Besides, many research institute are not so eager to disseminate instructions for developing the sphere of open and citizen science. Consequently, the libraries cannot jump to the collaboration with citizen science. As the first step, the author suggests to contribute to popularization of science and scientific system and in particular, the open science, and within its context, of the citizen science oriented on the community and researchers.

The role of libraries in promoting knowledge: How to make science truly open?

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aims to transform the education system in India by focusing on holistic and multi-disciplinary education, promoting critical thinking, and creating a learner-centric approach. In this context, academic libraries have an important role to play in supporting the NEP's objectives. This structured abstract is based on a review of the literature related to the role of academic libraries in supporting the NEP 2020. Academic libraries have a significant role in supporting the NEP 2020 by providing access to diverse and quality resources, promoting lifelong learning, facilitating research and innovation, fostering collaboration and networking, and enhancing digital literacy skills. Academic libraries can also contribute to the NEP's goal of promoting multilingualism by providing resources in different languages. Academic libraries have a crucial role to play in supporting the NEP 2020's vision of transforming the education system in India. By providing access to diverse and quality resources, promoting lifelong learning, and enhancing digital literacy skills, academic libraries can contribute to creating a learner-centric and holistic education system.

https://www.ijlsit.org/journal-article-file/19096

The role of academic libraries in the context of national education policy (NEP)-2020

In this paper we study the changes in academic library services inspired by the Open Science movement and especially the changes prompted from Open Data as a founding part of Open Science. We argue that academic libraries face the even bigger challenges for accommodating and providing support for Open Big Data composed from existing raw data sets and new massive sets generated from data driven research. Ensuring the veracity of Open Big Data is a complex problem dominated by data science. For academic libraries, that challenge triggers not only the expansion of traditional library services, but also leads to adoption of a set of new roles and responsibilities. That includes, but is not limited to development of the supporting models for Research Data Management, providing Data Management Plan assistance, expanding the qualifications of library personnel toward data science literacy, integration of the library services into research and educational process by taking part in research grants and many others. We outline several approaches taken by some academic libraries and by libraries at the City University of New York (CUNY) to meet necessities imposed by doing research and education with Open Big Data – from changes in libraries’ administrative structure, changes in personnel qualifications and duties, leading the interdisciplinary advisory groups, to active collaboration in principal projects.

Stefka Tzanova

Papers

Changes in academic libraries in the era of Open Science