Talking in the Library

Open Access Week 2011: Open Access Journals #oaweek

Commercial and society publishers continue to dominate the academic publishing landscape but in the last twelve months, the number of open access journals listed in Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) has risen from 4300 to over 7000 journals.

What is so special about open access journals? To qualify for listing in the DOAJ, a journal must use a funding model that does not charge readers or institutions for access. Most are peer-reviewed or use editorial processes for quality control. Open access means increased visibility because the journals are available freely online. Subject coverage is extensive, which means there are a number of high-quality, scholarly journals of interest to the K-State community. Notable open access journals with high impact factors include PLoS Biology and Genome Biology.

K-State Libraries became an open access publisher in late 2007, founding New Prairie Press to support journal editors both at Kansas State and beyond. We have grown from two to six journals currently in production and two others preparing their first issues. We are also working with academic faculty to bring two new undergraduate research publications to our open access platform.

If you are involved with editing or publishing a journal at K-State and want to know more about moving your content to an open access platform like New Prairie Press, contact Char Simser at info@newprairiepress.org.

-Char Simser

This is our last open access post for the week.  Hope you enjoyed the series.

Get It: old friend gets new look

The Get It menu's look is a little tired. After all, it hasn't changed a lot since 2008 - not quite Totally Dated but not yet Vintage. On Monday, you'll see a fix for that. A refreshed Get It menu will go into production on 10/31; you can get a sneak peek today. All the Get It services you rely on will be available in the refreshed menu.

To coordinate with the menu's new look, we're releasing a new Get It button:

While you'll start seeing the new button on Monday, for technical reasons it won't immediately replace the old button everywhere it lives. Consider it normal to see both versions of the button out in the wild for the next few weeks.

What's the theme?

People always ask me what librarians do. If you're a librarian like me, you spend most of the day wowing folks with your awesome mind and clever words.  But that's not all we do. We're also good at organizing stuff and helping people find  it. Or we find stuff and then organize it.  It's a vicious librarian circle and we're not ashamed to admit it.

One way for us to be awesomely organized and to cleverly help you find things is by having a theme we talk about each week. I bet our loyal followers figured that out a long time ago. Can you guess what our theme was this week? Here is some of what we said:

• Scholars with awesome accents talk open access & why one of them is like a Babylonian who <3s his clay tablet. http://owl.li/73YBX
• Free your data! A cute short video in honor of #oaweek http://owl.li/73ZuG
• Why #KState undergraduates should care about open access & the academic publishing process. http://owl.li/73YUa

Did you guess? I'll reveal the answer for you next week. The video below is a clue to our theme next week.

Whatever could it be?

Open Access Week 2011: Open Data #oaweek

The internet has opened new potential in many areas of the research and scholarly process:  open access journals, institutional repositories, open source software  – and more recently, open data.  Do you ever stop and think about the datasets that are the foundation of every scholarly journal article?  What happens to all that data?  Is it ever seen or re-used by other researchers?  Is it preserved somewhere? 

Programs like the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) DataNet are beginning to address the enormous challenges of managing and sharing research data in order to drive networked, collaborative and innovative science.  The challenges involve building infrastructure and setting standards for storing data, encouraging researchers to deposit their data for others to see and use for new purposes, and creating fewer restrictions on licenses, patents and copyrights that currently forbid re-use of data.

In the past raw data was not considered for publication primarily because it was not affordable or feasible to include in print journals.  But, the predominance of online journals has changed that model.  Also, large federal funding agencies such as the NSF and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are having a tremendous impact on the publication of data. NSF expects that all data will be made available after a reasonable length of time. Each proposal must now be submitted with a Data Management Plan.  Since 2003 the NIH has required applicants seeking $500,000 or more in direct costs to follow the Data Sharing policy  by submitting a plan for sharing their final research data with their application.

Data can be big like the Human Genome Project or small like thousands of datasets created by individual or small group researchers at universities and research institutes each year.  No matter what the size, the potential for sharing and reusing this knowledge is huge.

-Beth Turtle

This is our fourth open access post for the week.  Hope you're enjoying the series.

Open Access Week 2011: K-State Research Exchange #oaweek

The basic of premise of Open Access – that all research should be freely available online – is also a guiding principle of the K-State Research Exchange (K-REx).  In a nutshell, K-REx enables students and faculty to put their scholarly work online and make it available for anyone to view and download.  Sounds simple, but the benefits can be enormous.

Let’s look at the example of Matthew Vanden Boogart, a K-State graduate student who deposited his masters thesis Uncovering the Social Impacts of Facebook on a College Campus in K-REx in 2006.  Since that time, his paper has been viewed or downloaded over 5,000 times and cited in 3 books.  Based on this interest, Matt is planning a follow-up study.  If his thesis had been submitted as a paper copy and placed on the library shelves, rather than freely available through K-REx and discoverable in Google, it’s unlikely it would have generated as much interest and led to further research.

Similarly, faculty use K-REx to facilitate access to and uptake of their work.  Melody LeHew (Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design) deposited her article Tourist Shoppers’ Satisfaction With Regional Shopping Mall Experiences in K-REx.  Within a few weeks time she received an invitation from a publisher, who had found the article in K-REx, to include it in an anthology.  Although the article was published in the International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality, depositing the article in K-REx provided access to readers (and editors) beyond the usual journal subscribers. 

Peter Pfromm and Peter Czermak, both in the Chemical Engineering department, have deposited 36 articles in K-REx, and these papers have been viewed or downloaded from K-REx an astonishing 16,422 times!  The authors submitted these articles to peer-reviewed journals, as scientists have done for centuries, and the articles were published and distributed to the journal subscribers.  But what Drs. Pfromm and Czermak do that vastly expands the reach of their work is to also submit copies of those articles to K-REx.  The goal of K-REx is not to replace traditional scholarly publishing, but rather to take advantage of the Internet and OA to increase the impact of scholarly research.

Want to jump in?  Contact Marty Courtois, 532-4428, courtois@ksu.edu for details on how to add your work to K-REx.

-Marty Courtois

This is our third open access post for the week.  Hope you're enjoying the series.

K-State Keepsakes: The Konza Prairie; 40 Years of Earth, Wind, and Fire, 1971-2011

30th in the Series

In 1971, about the time a new pop band, Earth,Wind & Fire, was producing its first hit album, a preserve to study nature's version of those astrological elements was officially established on the prairie approximately 8 miles south of Manhattan.  The Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, renamed the Konza Prairie Biological Station (KPBS) in 2000, was created through the joint efforts of The Nature Conservancy and Kansas State University as a field research station operated by the Division of Biology.

The concept for a research area for ecological research began with Lloyd Hulbert (professor in  the department of plant pathology and botany, later biology) as early as 1956 but without land and other means, a prairie preserve remained in limbo.  The stars fell into place for K-State when The Nature Conservancy, through funds provided anonymously by Katharine Ordway, was able to purchase an initial track of land along Interstate 70.  With the funds came the stipulation that the site be given a Native American name.  Konza, a variation of Kansa, the name of a tribe native to the state, was
selected.  Ordway, known as the "lady who saved the prairie," was responsible for funding the purchase of prairie lands throughout the United States.  With donations from Ordway, the KPBS expanded to incorporate 8,600 acres of grasslands, including the Dewey Ranch house and barn (constructed in 1911-1912).  Purchased in 1977, the housed became known as the Hulbert Center for Research when it was renovated in 1997.  The barn underwent a major renovation in 2008 and became the KPBS Meeting Hall.  Today, John Briggs serves as director of the KPBS.

The KPBS is dedicated to long-term ecological research, education, and prairie conservation.  In 1980 the Konza Prairie Long-Term Ecological Program (LTER) was one of the first six such initiatives funded by the National Science Foundation.  Since the program officially began 30 years ago in 1981, the focus of the LTER has been on fire, grazing, and climatic variability.

The most dramatic and visible research activity of the KPBS and LTER is the burning of the prairie. Often misunderstood by observers, the program of controlled burns of the grasslands on an annual basis keeps the land free of trees and other woody vegetation.  This burning is vital to the prairie ecosystem because it promotes new and nutritional growth of the native grasses.  In addition, burning allows researchers the opportunity to study how fire impacts the species living on the Konza Prairie.  Other studies involve the effects of fire between elements such as carbon and nitrogen, soil and plants.  David Hartnett, K-State biology professor and former director of the KPBS, stated "...fire is absolutely essential to maintaining the prairie."

Another characteristic of the original prairie was the presence of bison.  Their grazing provided another natural process for maintaining the native grasslands.  With the increase in acreage and the introduction of range management and grazing programs (and construction of a large fence!), bison were reintroduced to the Konza Prairie in 1987. 

To enable the public to experience the Konza, there are 3 hiking trails of differentt lengths totalling over 13 miles  They allow visitors to experience woods, creeks, limestone ledges as well as grasslands with impressive views of the Flint Hills.

The KPBS celebrated another milestone in 2011; the 15th anniversary of the Konza Environmental Education Program (KEEP) directed by Valerie Wright.  KEEP provides programming at the Konza Prairie site for school, youth, and adult groups through a variety of educational experiences, including curriculum-based activities related to science, mathematics and social studies.  Docent activities and Friends of the Konza Prairie organization have proved to be very successful components of this program.  Mike Haddock, assistant dean of the K-State Libraries, serves as president of the Friends in 2011.

School group exploring a Konza stream

To celebrate the contributions of the various programs of the KPBS and the LTER, the Institute for  Grassland Studies hosted a symposium at K-State in September 2011. "Grasslands in a Global Context" featured keynote speakers and attendees from around the world.

During the four decades since the KPBS was established in 1971, its research programs have made the earth a better place to live!

Tony Crawford, Curator of Manuscripts, Morse Department of Special Collections

Sources: KPBS Historical Records (University Archives), Vertical Files-Konza Prairie, publications of the KPBS and photographs from the Univ.Archives and courtesy the KPBS, Friends of Konza Prairie, and Edward Sturr.

Open Access Week 2011: K-State Student Advocacy #oaweek

Often during discussions about Open Access there is a group that is overlooked. Usually Open Access is declared a librarian thing. Maybe it'll even be considered a faculty thing. And while free and open access to information is a library thing and a faculty thing, we all tend to forget it isn't just those. Students do research, too. Open Access is and should be as important to students as it is to faculty and librarians.

Whether you're an Expos student working on an investigative report or a grad student researching your doctorate, you need information. You need access to the endless amounts of research that countless others before you have generated and published, whether it's the latest in biofuel research or archaeological find in the Flint Hills. And helping to connect you with the information you need is what Open Access Week is all about: free and unfettered access to the research and data you need for your own work.

That's also what the Right to Research Coalition is all about. They're an international student group with a mission: they believe that "No student should be denied access to the research they need". Check out their Student Statement on the Right to Research for more information or take a look at their Advocacy and Education tools.

While there currently isn't a student association at K-State affiliated with R2RC don't despair! You can still be an Open Access advocate here at K-State. If you are writing a paper to publish, check out OA journals in your field to publish in. Talk with your professors to see if they're publishing their research in OA journals and advocate they do so. Deposit your scholarly work in K-REx and suggest your classmates and faculty do so as well. Use articles from OA journals in your research. Or check out the R2RC webinar that we will be showing on Wednesday at 11am in Hale 301.

And, while you're at it, take a look at the Special Merit video from the Sparky Awards by a group of students at Boston University.

-Jenny Oleen

This is our third open access post for the week.  Hope you're enjoying the series.

Open Access Week 2011: What is Open Access? #oaweek

This week, October 24-28, is Open Access Week (http://www.openaccessweek.org/), and each day this week Talking in the Library will feature a new post covering a different aspect of Open Access. So, what is OA and why are we making such a fuss over it?

The basic idea of OA - that all research should be freely accessible online - is a very important matter for students, faculty, universities, and libraries. Many students are surprised to learn that libraries must pay thousands, sometimes even tens of thousands of dollars per year for a subscription to a single research journal. These journals contain results of research projects and provide essential information for students, faculty, and researchers. If libraries can’t afford to subscribe to a journal, those who need the information might not be able to get it.  Starting to see the problem?

OA is a different way of looking at the distribution of information, particularly when information is treated as a commodity. Should research funded by taxpayers provide the basis of a business model for commercial publishers? Isn’t the public that funded the research entitled to its results? Yes, OA is radical, but it holds a lot of promise. Consider these benefits of OA:

• Undergrads will have an easier time finding information for term papers and other projects;
• Graduate students can make their dissertations freely available online to other interested researchers and potential employers;
• Faculty can increase awareness and impact of their research programs and publications, and find potential collaborators;
• Universities and libraries can trim costs for journal subscriptions and foster their goals of disseminating information.
• Journal publishers can benefit from the increased visibility and “discoverability” of OA articles.

With all these benefits, OA is catching on, as evidenced by over 4300 OA journals listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals. The Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) is a major proponent of and a good source of information on OA. Make a point to visit these sites (and to re-visit Talking in the Library) to learn more about OA during Open Access Week 2011.

-Jenny Oleen

This is our second open access post for the week.  Hope you're enjoying the series.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month; 18th Century Remedy

When associating breast cancer with a loved one or friend it is important to realize that women have always suffered from this dreadful disease. We don't have to go any further than a manuscript cookbook located in the Morse Department of Special Collections to obtain evidence of how some people in England during the late 18th century used a remedy to treat cancer.  For several centuries personal handwritten cookbooks often included remedies for curing an illness as well as recipes for preparing food.  The following is a transcription of a remedy that was used for breast cancer in the late 1700s (it was transcribed by Allison Skees, history major and student employee in Special Collections).  It is from an English manuscript cookbook attributed to Mrs. T. Gould containing recipes and remedies circa 1795-1841; the spelling and grammar have not been altered.

A Fierce Green Fire

“We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes. I realized then, and have known ever since, that there was something new to me in those eyes—something known only to her and to the mountain. I was young then, and full of trigger-itch; I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters’ paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view.”
- Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac, 1949

On Wednesday of next week, we'll be screening the film Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time at 3:30pm in Hale Library's Hemisphere Room. It is the first full-length, high-definition documentary film ever made about legendary environmentalist Aldo Leopold. Green Fire highlights Leopold's extraordinary career, tracing how he shaped and influenced the modern environmental movement. The screening is sponsored by K-State Libraries, the Konza Prairie Biological Station, and the Friends of the Konza Prairie.  We'd love to have you join us for this free event. Check out the trailer below.

We hope to see you there! You can learn more about the film from its website.