Anne Powell INASP
Miriam Conteh-Morgan University of Sierra Leone
What are the common themes for research libraries around the world? What are the differences? What can we learn from each other? And how can publishers and libraries work together to ensure that researchers everywhere have access to the materials they need, and the skills to evaluate and use those materials? This session will be led by a librarian who has worked for many years in both African and international university contexts. She will share experiences of new developments and challenges through her career and current work helping African students develop their critical thinking skills
Salient Features of India constitution especially power and functions
Sharing library experiences from around the world
1. Sharing library experiences
from around the world
Miriam Conteh-Morgan, University of Sierra Leone @micm80
Anne Powell, INASP @annepowellINASP
Sioux Cumming, INASP @sdcumming
2. What will be covered in this session
• What are some common themes for research libraries
around the world?
• What are the differences?
• What can we learn from each other?
• How can publishers and libraries work together to ensure
that researchers everywhere have access to the materials
they need, and the skills to evaluate and use those
materials?
3. I hold this truth to be self-evident…
…that ALLlibraries are
created EQUAL
4. DISCUSSION POINTS
•Life in two places
•More commonalities than differences?
•How the library is leading change:
Examples from University of Sierra Leone
6. A TALE OF TWO LIBRARIES
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY MAIN LIBRARY
(1876)
UNIVERSITY OF SIERRA LEONE LIBRARY
AT FOURAH BAY COLLEGE (1827)
7. • 70+ faculty librarians (2013)
• 17 libraries across 7 campuses,
plus 8 special collections
• State flagship university
• Factoid: Cat loving
• 20 faculty librarians (2019)
• 7 libraries across 3 campuses,
plus 1 special collection
• National flagship university
• Factoid: Christian ministers
8. ALL LIBRARIES ARE CREATED EQUAL
• Service to a chosen public
• Always think they are underfunded/need more funds
• Always want … IT staff, equipment, space…
• Dedicated staff (with an image problem?)
• Creative staff and users
10. WHAT IS DIFFERENT OR COMMON?
• Scale and pace of change (scholarly communication; researcher
trainings; innovations on campus)
• But the focus tends to be on DEFICITS:
• Clouds the inclination to look more closely and get a clearer
image of libraries and librarianship in Africa
• Clouds the inclination of libraries in Africa to look more closely
at their strengths and opportunities
11. “In many ways, the experience is not that different,
surprisingly. In all positions that require pushing a
change agenda through, it is a matter of understanding
the governance structures and ensuring you are able to
communicate clearly to those people who are in a
position to make decisions.”
(Danny Kingsley, Jan 2019, comparing Cambridge University Library with her time at
Australian National University, www.researchinformation.info/interview/truly-
exciting-time)
“Libraries are oddly fractal. They feature strangely
recurring patterns.”
(Stuart Kells (2018), “The Strange Magic of Libraries”,
www.theparisreview.org/blog/2018/04/09/the-strange-magic-of-libraries)
13. Transforming Sierra Leone’s HE System
• AQHEd-SL – consortium of 7 HEIs, international partners
(including INASP), professional bodies and a gender
advocacy group aiming to transform teaching and learning
• As a support unit, the library saw an opening and
exploited its capilliary role
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14.
15. USL LIBRARY-led INITIATIVES
• Discovery platform to leverage teaching, learning and
research – ILS, IR + E-journal publishing
• Cross-institution training on academic writing for
early-career researchers
• E-resource training of early-career researchers and
students
• Writing center for students – critical thinking skills
development
16. FRAMING THE DISCUSSION
COLONIAL POSTCOLONIAL DECOLONIAL
“The demonstrated existence of Northern dominance and
influence does not imply Southern passivity, nor uncontested
domination. Knowledge production [Global librarianship] is
now negotiated, and creative ways of participating are
devised…[a] complex interweaving of Northern paradigms and
Southern Tier experiences.”
Robert Morrell. “The global south is changing how knowledge is made, shared and used” The Conversation, March 25, 2019.
theconversation.com/the-global-south-is-changing-how-knowledge-is-made-shared-and-used-113943. [25March, 2019. Review of
Colliyer et al. Knowledge and Global Power: Making New Sciences in the South. University of Witswaterstrand Press, 2019
17. • Supporting critical thinking skills
• Helping students and researchers navigate trustworthy
journals
• Recognizing biases
• Publisher negotiations/access support
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University library roles in the era of fake news
18. INASP’s critical thinking online course
• Online course for student self study
• Toolkit for face to face discussion materials
• Pilot and development of materials
– Classroom sessions
– Faculty support mechanisms
• Transfer of content
Taster unit: moodle.inasp.info/course/view.php?id=141
16/04/2019 18
19. INASP’s critical thinking online course
“I have been able to learn a lot from the course. And also I
have been inspired to share with others for the benefit of all.
…I look forward to apply what I have been learning. And I'll
be visiting the modules for reminding myself of important
things from modules.”
- Student, Mzumbe University, Tanzania
Taster unit: moodle.inasp.info/course/view.php?id=141
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20. It is vital that
Southern researchers
have the opportunity
to publish their
research and for it to
be discoverable by
other local - as well as
global - researchers
21. Southern journals face challenges in being respected internationally.
This can limit the perceived credibility of the published research.
The challenges for Southern journals
Lack of financial and structural
support
Lack of familiarity of
international publishing standards
Under-represented in
international indexes and rankings
Legitimate but unfamiliar journals
wrongly labelled as “predatory”
22. A far-reaching set of
criteria for assessing
Southern journals
www.journalquality.info
Jointly hosted by
23. Understanding local contexts and
challenges faced by Southern journals
The JPPS framework
builds on many years of work by
AJOL and INASP in supporting
the dissemination of Southern
journals and understanding
the various local contexts
and challenges faced by these
journals.
Susan Murray
Executive Director of AJOL
”
“
Susan Murray with Mr Adhikari from NepJOL
24. Reassures readers and
authors that journals meet
international standards to a
particular level
Guides journal editors on
improving publishing processes
Acknowledges journals that
have attained internationally
recognized publishing standards
25. NOTE: JPPS does NOT assess quality of
research content, only publishing practices
www.journalquality.info/criteria
Over 100 criteria based on:
Inclusion standards set out by
international journal indices
and industry guidelines *
Experience of contexts and
practices in developing country
journal publishing
Testing and feedback from
journal editors in Africa
Assessment criteria
*Including DOAJ, SciELO South Africa, Clarivate, Scopus, WAME,
FAME, COPE
26. New title - has been
publishing for less than two
years, but meets basic
inclusion requirements
Two stars - compliant with
additional publishing practice
quality criteria
Three stars - consistently
excellent in the technical and
editorial publishing best
practices set out in the JPPS
framework criteria
One star - has met the basic
inclusion requirements for at
least two years
No stars - not currently
meeting the basic criteria
for inclusion on a JOL
platform
Inactive - has not added
new content to the JOL
platform in over one year
Assessment criteria
27. of assessed
journals
available
only at
of JPPS
level added
to each
journal’s site
provided to
the editor,
highlighting
areas to
improve
of every
journal on a
JOL platform
Assessment Report Display Official list
www.journalquality.info
How it works
by experts in
international
publishing
Over 900 journals across six JOL platforms have
now been assessed against the JPPS levels
28.
29.
30. Dr Anuja Abayadeera, Editor
Sri Lankan Journal of Anaesthesiology
“I am thrilled with the two-star
status as it is, but I have stirred
the editorial board that we
have to achieve three-star
status.
I am determined to work
towards it.
Thank you so much for the
constant support you have
given me to work on the
journal.”
31. Seeking funding for:
Implementing the JPPS framework for
southern journals beyond the JOLs
Training and advisory support via face-
to-face and online methods to journal
editors to address knowledge and skills
gaps
Next steps
www.journalquality.info
@INASPinfo | @JOLsProject |@AJOLinfo
32. Think. Check. Submit. helps researchers identify
trusted journals for their research.
Through a range of tools and practical resources, this
international, cross-sector initiative aims to educate
researchers, promote integrity, and build trust in credible
research and publications.
thinkchecksubmit.org
16/04/2019 32
Navigating trustworthy journals:
Think. Check. Submit.
33. • Geography – of journals and researchers
• Language
• Selection of materials in line with institutional and national
priorities
• Hidden biases in metrics
• Access
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Recognizing biases
35. MIRIAM CONTEH-MORGAN
DEPUTY UNIVERSITY & CAMPUS LIBRARIAN
UNIVERSITY OF SIERRA LEONE
miriam.conteh-morgan@usl.edu.sl | mcmorgan@ipam.edu.sl |
Twitter: @micm80
Editor's Notes
Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change
Online course for student self study
INASP will pilot and deliver an online critical information skills course for student self-study. A prerequisite, which may help determine the institutions and departments, is that students will need access to computers with live internet connections to work on the online course modules over the length of the learning approach.
Face to face discussion materials
A special feature of this project will be the provision of a toolkit of open learning materials which faculty can use in a classroom setting after students have completed each online module, reinforcing the content and making it relevant to each class.
Pilot and development of materials
In this pilot phase, INASP and faculty members will collaborate to
Develop learning material for the classroom sessions that complement the online course content
Develop support mechanisms and materials for faculty members in guiding students through this learning approach, if identified as necessary
Host and manage a pilot of the blended learning approach, review pilot feedback and modify the learning approach and materials if necessary
Transfer of content
By 31st March 2020 INASP will alongside WG3, put processes in place for sustainable re-use and revision of the face to face toolkit
Deliver the online content to the Sierra Leonean team to host and install the course on the project Learning Management System.
Many challenges face journal publishing in the Global South. Some of these challenges are local – such as lack of funding or resources or unreliable internet or limitations in language skills. But some challenges are international.
The Global South has for many years been underrepresented in metrics such as the journal impact factor, and when metrics are based on citations, this problem becomes self-perpetuating and inequalities and biases persist.
There is also a lack of familiarity with international publishing standards and practices – and the significant risk of legitimate but unfamiliar journals being wrongly labelled as “predatory”.
In response to this challenge, African Journals Online (AJOL) and INASP developed the Journal Publishing Practices and Standards (JPPS) to demonstrate the quality of the southern journals, as well as guidance and support to operate to the same standards and processes as journals published in the Global North. It has been applied to journals on the JOL platforms in Africa, Asia and Central America.
JPPS assessments provide an important guide to authors and readers as they navigate a complicated scholarly publishing landscape and JPPS badges provide reassurance of the credibility of Southern journals. Equally important, however, is improving equity in scholarly publishing, giving small, scholar-led journals in lower- and middle-income countries access to the same tools as the rest of the world – and helping them to meet the same expectations too.
We discussed in the original submission the background to JPPS and how the criteria were developed. A key point to emphasize if that this was at the request of Southern journals and developed with Southern editors to be relevant to their contexts.
These criteria measure factors such as the amount of information included on a journals’ website; the transparency and robustness of the peer-review process; and the journal’s archiving policy.
The JPPS assessment process rates each JOL partner journal into one of the following six rating categories:
One star – has met the basic requirements for at least two years
Two stars – compliant with additional publishing practice quality criteria
Three stars – consistently excellent in all the technical and editorial publishing best practices set out in the assessment criteria of JPPS
WORKING TOWARDS JPPS STARS No stars – not currently meeting the basic criteria for inclusion on a JOL platform
New title - has been publishing for less than two years, but meets basic requirements
INACTIVE - has not added new content to the JOL platform in over one year
Journals assessed against the JPPS criteria are given one of six levels: inactive title; new title; no stars; one star; two stars; and three stars. The JPPS badges for each journal are displayed on the JPPS website (www.journalquality.info), where the definitive list of assessed journals can be found, and also on the Journals Online websites. As such, they also form part of the Think. Check. Submit. checklist. The JPPS badges provide assurance to authors and readers that the journals meet an internationally recognized set of criteria at a particular level.
Reports have been sent to journal editors in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Central America and Africa and the JPPS site and JOLs platforms now display badges for all these journals (over 900 journals in total).
In the first assessment of the Asian and Central American journals, 35 journals were awarded two-star status and 64 were awarded one star.
We have received overwhelmingly positive responses.
The initial assessments were labour-intensive but reassessments should be quicker because they are not assessing all journals at once and particularly focusing on changes since the previous assessment.
Spot checks will also be conducted to ensure that journals have maintained the practices required at a particular level.
AJOL and INASP have been grateful for funding and encouragement from Sida and DFID over many years to support the development of the JOLs platforms and, more recently, the JPPS initiative. We are pleased to have continued support from Sida for this work over the next year but are also keen to discuss other funding opportunities to extend this work.
On the technical side, we are working towards an online form (and database) to streamline the assessment process. This would be a tool that new journals could use in applying to join a JOL platform and also that journals already on the platforms could use in their applications for reassessment.
Extensions to JPPS might also include going beyond the JOLs platforms in partnership with other Southern journal platforms. In addition, we hope to roll out a full online course in journal quality following feedback and refinement from the current pilot.
Sioux?
Say that INASP is part of this
A few suggestions from me but I know you have some already planned:
What chimes with your experiences from this talk?
What is different?
How far does the library role extend?
What role does library have in addressing critical thinking/navigating fake and low-quality resources?
What are the challenges?
How can libraries worldwide support each other?