Against The Grain - The Podcast

Today’s episode features guest host Lauren Collister, Research Engagement Manager, Invest With Open Infrastructure, and an editorial team member of Katina, who talks with Lynda Kellam, Snyder-Granader Director of Research Data and Digital Scholarship at Penn Libraries, University of Pennsylvania and a volunteer organizer of the Data Rescue Project. In this conversation, Lynda talks with Lauren about The Data Rescue Project which is a volunteer-led, collaborative effort between various organizations, librarians, archivists and researchers to rescue, back up and catalog at-risk data, especially social and federal datasets, and raise awareness of the importance of government data and having access to it. Lynda also discusses the roles that librarians play, and how their skill sets, including information organization and stewardship of resources and data, are vital to this initiative. The video of this interview can be found here: https://youtu.be/iQqbrcTB00U Social Media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/

Today’s episode features guest host, Michael Upshall, Community and Outreach Manager at Core, who talks with Jason Priem, Co-Founder, CEO, OurResearch. After a career as a middle school teacher with a degree in history, Jason became interested in technology and online communities. He decided to go back to school in the information science program at UNC Chapel Hill. Now, Jason is an academic researcher who is a proponent for open research, open knowledge, and user accessibility who works to use technology to help communities understand themselves better. Jason co-founded OurResearch, a non-profit with a focus on open scholarly infrastructure that creates open source tools to uncover, connect and analyze research products. They are best known for OpenAlex, inspired by the Library of Alexandria, a comprehensive, open, and inclusive bibliographic platform. The video of this interview can be found here: https://youtu.be/e-tgopynvyU Social Media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mupshall/ https://www.

Today’s episode features guest host, Michael Upshall, Community and Outreach Manager at Core, who talks with Dr. Janice Fernandes, Academic Support Manager, University of West London. Janice is trailblazer in AI literacy and academic support in UK higher education. She has had a long career in librarianship- spanning over 35 years. Janice was the first in her family to attend university, and she talks about growing up in multicultural Mumbai and her journey from a career in chemistry and microbiology, with a love of the human body and how it functions like a perfect machine, to becoming a librarian with a PhD in information science.  Janice discusses the evolving role of AI in education, emphasizing the importance of understanding the ethical implications of AI and the need for AI literacy among students. She believes librarians need to up-skill and are crucial for promoting responsible AI use with students.    The video of this interview can be found here: https://youtu.be/xePx5J8_X50 Social Media: Linke

Audio from the 2024 Charleston Conference Leadership Interview Series. Heather Staines, Senior Strategy Consultant, Delta Think interviews Kamran Naim, the Head of Open Science at CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire). CERN was founded in 1954 as a project not only to advance our fundamental understanding of basic scientific questions about who we are and where we come from but also as an instrument to get European countries to work together on a common scientific mission. It is the world’s largest particle physics laboratory and largest research organization. In this conversation, Kamran tells us about his work as Head of Open Science at CERN to make all CERN research freely and publicly accessible.  Kamran has helped build national digital library access systems in countries like Pakistan, Madagascar, and Iraq. He has supported the Iraqi Virtual Science Library to reconnect scholar’s post-conflict, and has worked with USAID on extending similar models across North and East Africa. Kamran was

Audio from the 2024 Charleston Conference Leadership Interview Series. Heather Staines, Senior Strategy Consultant, Delta Think interviews Andrea Cayetano-Jefferson, a sixth-generation Gullah Geechee sweetgrass basket sewer from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. We had the pleasure of having Andrea speak with us at this year’s Charleston Library Conference and got to experience her beautiful sweetgrass basket display inside the Gaillard Center. In this conversation, Andrea shares the history of sweetgrass baskets, which is one of the oldest African American art forms still practiced in the United States. She tells us about her personal journey in the craft which began in her childhood, the difficult process of collecting materials to create these baskets,  the cultural significance of the Gullah Geechee language, and the challenges of sustaining this ancient art form today for future generations. Today, these baskets are cherished not only as works of art but as a living connection to history, preserving the

Audio from the 2024 Charleston Conference Leadership Interview Series. Meg White, Senior Consultant, Delta Think interviews Nancy Kopans, Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary, ITHAKA. Nancy joined JSTOR (now part of ITHAKA) 25 years ago, after a legal career focusing on internet law, and has witnessed the transformation of digital scholarship over the years. In this conversation, Nancy discusses her role at ITHAKA, the challenges currently facing higher ed and libraries such as budgetary pressures while adapting to evolving digital needs- making for complex resource allocation- and increased legal and compliance requirements. Nancy and Meg also discuss AI, Copyright, and Scholarly Publishing. Nancy believes that trust, transparency and open discussions between all of the stakeholders in the scholarly publishing industry are vital for navigating the new challenges and legal complexities involved with AI.  The video of this interview can be found here: https://youtu.be/av0JkpFAE08 Social Media: Lin

Audio from the 2024 Charleston Conference Leadership Interview Series. Meg White, Senior Consultant, Delta Think interviews Katina Strauch, Founder of the Charleston Conference and Editor Emerita of Against the Grain. Katina is a leading figure in the scholarly communication industry, having founded the Charleston Conference over four decades ago when she couldn’t afford to attend ALA. Katina reflects with Meg about her long career in librarianship, her vision and the founding and history of the Charleston Conference, including the recent transition with Annual Reviews. Katina believes in trying to be different and forward thinking, while always retaining your sense of humor and having fun.  Katina leaves a lasting legacy with the Conference which has grown to become a major international event in the scholarly publishing world.  Social Media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megmorelandwhite/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/katina-strauch-b567975/ Keywords:    #KatinaStrauch #CharlestonConference #Aga

Audio from the 2024 Charleston Conference Leadership Interview Series. Heather Staines, Senior Strategy Consultant, Delta Think interviews Richard Charkin, Founder, Mensch Publishing. Richard is a veteran of the publishing industry. In this conversation, Heather and Richard discuss his early years in publishing, and the changes he has witnessed throughout his 50 years working in the industry,  the most noticeable being the rise of women in leadership roles, which is also the subject of a recent book he has written.  Richard also shares his experiences working with the Oxford English Dictionary on a digitization project in the 80’s, modernizing the dictionary, integrating vast amounts of data, and making it more accessible.  He also talks about global publishing, working with some high profile individuals, and also working with startups like Biomednet, the first social network for scientists in 1995. He emphasizes the importance of startups in driving innovation, as large corporations often struggle to inno

Today’s episode features a roundtable discussion on Research Impact. Caroline Goldsmith, Associate Director, Charleston Hub, talks with Rachel Borchardt, Scholarly Communication Librarian and University Library Faculty, American University; Andrea Hebert, Research Impact Librarian, Louisiana State University; and Camille Gamboa, AVP, Corporate Communications, Sage. This conversation features both the librarian perspective and the publisher perspective of how each defines and supports research impact at their institutions, how the conversation has expanded over the years, and why forward thinking is crucial to meet the challenges such as academic silos, the dominance of traditional metrics, and the lack of commitment from U.S. universities to initiatives like DORA, and to support more effective impact of research. Librarians have an important role in shaping these conversations and helping institutions move beyond traditional metrics. We also discuss Policy Maps, which is a free tool offered by Sage for in

This episode is sponsored by Digital Science, a global leader in AI-driven technology, providing advanced software and data solutions that empower researchers, universities, and organizations across the research ecosystem. Born out of the research community itself, Digital Science was founded by researchers who sought to solve the challenges they were facing. Now Digital Science is dedicated to making open, collaborative, and inclusive research a reality, partnering with academic institutions to provide pioneering AI-powered tools that enhance decision-making, foster innovation, and help shape a future where trusted, collaborative research drives progress for all. Learn more at https://www.digital-science.com/. Today’s episode features Caroline Goldsmith, Associate Director, Charleston Hub, who talks with Dr. Leslie McIntosh, Founder, Ripeta, and VP, Research Integrity, Digital Science.  Leslie talks with us about how she defines research integrity, and the major issues she sees currently facing the schola

Today’s episode features guest host, Michael Upshall, Community and Outreach Manager at Core, who talks with Dr. Elizabeth Bik, Microbiologist and Science Integrity Consultant. Elisabeth is a prominent microbiologist and renowned investigator into scientific misconduct, particularly the manipulation and falsification of research data. She has uncovered issues in over 7,000 scientific papers, resulting in more than 1,000 retractions. Her work has gained international attention, earning her the 2021 John Maddox Prize. This conversation explores Elizabeth’s career trajectory, her work on identifying scientific malpractice, and her thoughts on the systemic issues and potential reforms within the research and publishing ecosystem. View the video of the interview here: https://youtu.be/uEYsqTKHits Social Media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mupshall/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabeth-bik-4376782/ Twitter: Keywords: #ScientificIntegrity, #ScientificMisconduct, #research, #ResearchData, #ResearchRe

Today’s episode features guest host, Michael Upshall, Community and Outreach Manager at Core, who talks with Alex Carroll, Associate Director, Science and Engineering Library, Vanderbilt University, and Josh Borycz, Librarian for STEM Research, Vanderbilt University.  In this conversation, librarians Alex Carroll and Josh Borycz discuss their unique journeys into library science, their involvement with generative AI, and the workshops they conduct to educate students on the effective use of AI tools in research. They both believe AI literacy is very important, and discuss the balance between advocacy and skepticism towards these technologies, the evolving role of librarians in the digital age and their commitment to enhancing research practices through innovative tools. Alex and Josh discuss practical applications of AI in various fields, especially in humanities and social sciences, and provide recommendations for libraries on how to effectively engage with these technologies, and the need for users to under

Audio from the 2024 Charleston Conference Leadership Interview Series. Meg White, Senior Consultant, Delta Think interviews Yulia Sevryugina, Senior Associate Librarian, University of Michigan. Yulia is an active researcher and an author. She transitioned into a career in librarianship specializing in scholarly communications to achieve a better work life balance.   She says part of the research life cycle is sharing the results of your work with the world so that others can continue and improve it further. Yulia believes scholarly communication is very important for sharing research findings and that publishers are important in creating mini communities and combining people with similar research goals to share their experiences.   Yulia emphasizes the role of librarians in supporting researchers and in educating researchers about publishing ethics. Collaboration among librarians, publishers and researchers is key for research integrity and for the credibility of academic work. Video of the Interview is av

Audio from the 2024 Charleston Conference Leadership Interview Series. Heather Staines, Senior Strategy Consultant, Delta Think interviews Ivan Oransky, Co-Founder, Retraction Watch. Heather and Ivan discuss the founding of Retraction Watch, a nonprofit that publishes daily reports on scientific fraud and misconduct, acting as a watchdog for scientific integrity, and also maintains a retractions database that was recently acquired by Crossref, which makes the data open and provides sustainability. Ivan is the Editor in Chief of The Transmitter, a publication at the Simons Foundation that covers neuroscience for neuroscientists. He is special advisor for policy and strategy in Scientific Publishing and for funding the archive initiatives at the Simons Foundation. For over 20 years, Ivan has taught medical journalism at New York University.  He believes librarians play a critical role in supporting research and publishing and have been instrumental in supporting Retractions Watch’s mission. Video of the Inte

Audio from the 2024 Charleston Conference Leadership Interview Series. In this episode, Erin Gallagher, Chair of Acquisitions and Collections Services, University of Florida interviews Katharine Macy, Interim Associate Dean of Scholarly Communication and Content Strategies at Indiana University, Indianapolis and Project Director for the O’Neill Project. In this conversation, Katharine discusses her library origin story and how her grandmother going back to school to become a librarian at a community college influenced her. Although Katharine initially earned her MBA, and worked in the private sector, eventually she realized that her favorite part of her job was teaching people how to find and access and use information. She decided to go to library school, and still uses some of the skills from her MBA in her current role as a business librarian.  Working with the O’Neill Project, she helps empower academic librarians in using negotiation skills, which she says is often overlooked in MLIS programs.    Vide

Audio from the 2024 Charleston Conference Leadership Interview Series. In this episode, Erin Gallagher, Chair of Acquisitions and Collections Services, University of Florida interviews Elaina Norlin, Professional Development, Leadership/Organizational Change Trainer and Consultant, Association for Southeastern Research Libraries. Elaina is an editorial committee member for Katina Magazine focusing on The Future of Work, and has over 20 years of experience in librarianship. She has authored numerous books including: The Librarian's Journey: Elaina Norlin's Story, Building Connections: Professional Development in Libraries, and Leadership Insights from Elaina Norlin. In this conversation, Elaina shares her extensive journey in librarianship, touching on her various roles and experiences across different sectors. She discusses the importance of professional development in libraries, her leadership journey, and the significance of cultivating belonging within library communities. She emphasizes the need for me

In this episode, guest host Michael Upshall talks with Michael Levine-Clark, Dean of the University of Denver Library. He discusses his academic background, the evolution of libraries, and the changing role of librarianship in the digital age. He emphasizes the importance of library staff, current issues in library metrics, and the impact of open research and AI on library services. Levine-Clark also shares insights on hiring trends in libraries and the role of institutional repositories in promoting open access.   Takeaways Michael's academic background in history informs his perspective on librarianship. The role of libraries has shifted from being the main source of information to helping users navigate a complex information landscape. Investing in library staff is crucial for adapting to the evolving needs of users. Current library metrics and agreements need better data for effective decision-making. Hiring trends in libraries are expanding beyond traditional MLS qualifications. Institutional reposit

Today Caroline Goldsmith, Associate Director of the Charleston Hub welcomes back Dr. Mark Hannell, who’s the Vice President of Open Research at Digital Science and Founder of FigShare, along with Graham Smith, the Open Data Program Manager at Springer Nature.  In this episode, Dr. Mark Hannell and Graham Smith discuss the collaboration between Digital Science, FigShare, and Springer Nature on the State of Open Data report. They explore the purpose of the report, the methodology used, key findings, and the implications for researchers and stakeholders. The conversation emphasizes the importance of data sharing in academic publishing and the need for practical support and metrics to drive change in open data practices. Takeaways The State of Open Data report aims to understand researchers' attitudes towards open data. Survey data often reflects perceptions rather than actual practices. Quantitative analysis complements survey data to provide deeper insights. There are significant differences in data sharing pr

Today’s episode features guest host, Michael Upshall, Community and Outreach Manager at Core, who talks with Alicia Wise, Executive Director, CLOCKSS, and Lorraine Estelle, Director, COUNTER. Lorraine Estelle and Alicia Wise are two well-known figures in the scholarly landscape, having been involved with the industry for over 25 years. They both worked with JISC, as well as heading not-for-profit initiatives, Alicia with CLOCKSS, and Lorraine with COUNTER, as well as several other roles. Currently they work together as part of the consultancy Information Power. In this conversation, Alicia and Lorraine tell us about their careers in scholarly publishing. They reflect on their journeys, the evolution of digital access, the importance of negotiation skills, and the transformative projects they have been involved in, such as JISC Collections and historic book digitization. They discuss the challenges and progress of open access, their engagement in climate change initiatives, and the ongoing issues surroundin

Audio from the new Charleston Conference Leadership Interview Series. Meg White, Senior Consultant, Delta Think, and a Director of the Charleston Conference, interviews Roy Kaufman, Managing Director of Business Development and Government Relations, Copyright Clearance Center. In the interview, Roy talks about his professional history as an attorney working in copyright law. He recounts his time at Columbia Law School, his work at a small law firm in music law, and later, his transition to John Wiley and Sons, where he became involved in early digital publishing initiatives. Roy gives some background on Copyright Clearance Center and his current priorities there, including their work with educational institutions and corporations to ensure proper copyright use. Roy also gives a sneak peek to his upcoming presentation at the 2024 Charleston Conference on the impact of AI on copyright and licensing. Video of the Interview is available at: https://youtu.be/XIfVTC_WIao Social Media: LinkedIn: https://www.lin