Collaborative Collections and Shared Print: Libraries Working Together for a Better Future

In 2022, most libraries face the same two significant realities: decreasing budgets and finite space. Librarians are tasked with providing diverse populations of library users with the information resources they need and want (for ex., books, journals, scores, manuscripts, etc.) within a physical space that gets more crowded with each successive year.

It is not surprising, then, that discussions around collaborative collections and shared print have been on the rise for the past several years.

Books being digitized
Gerd Altmann via Pixabay.com

What are Collaborative Collections and Shared Print?

In the simplest sense, a collaborative collection is “the combined holdings of a group of libraries.”1 These collections do not just provide a list of all of the holdings of the participating libraries, but rather truly work to combine the collections. As this is done, any duplicate resources are reduced from the collection and as libraries consider future resource purchases the collaborative collection must first be consulted to make sure there are no duplicates. Having a collaborative collection can increase the scale of one’s collection while leaving items such as the status of ownership, collection access, and what resources are shown in the collection to those managing it.2

While some of these collaborative collections focus on online resources, there has been a rise in the amount of shared print programs as well. Through these programs, libraries work together to create a collection of their print resources in a physical or digitized format thus allowing patrons to access monographs, serials, and periodicals from multiple libraries. Shared print programs have a focus on “access and preservation, and an emphasis on partnerships and shared collection management.”3 The move toward shared print programs has helped to drive the growth of collaborative collections as the benefits of sharing collections have become more evident. 

Catholic University has seen these benefits first hand through our involvement in the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC). We work together with several other partner universities in the area to maintain a collaborative collection of over 22 million items that can be found at libraries throughout the area as well as at a shared storage facility in Maryland. With this, Catholic University patrons can borrow print resources from any of our partner universities to have them delivered directly to campus through the Consortium Loan Service (CLS). The Coordinated Collections Committee (CCC) of the WRLC, composed of librarians from nine academic institutions, collaboratively acquire and share some print and e-resources, at a substantial financial savings for each individual library. Consequently, each individual library has more discretion to purchase and share unique and specialized publications.

Washington Research Library Consortium
Washington Research Library Consortium

The Benefits 

The biggest benefit of collaborative collections for libraries and patrons alike is the increased access to resources. As these collections are created and duplicate works are weeded out, individual library collections become rather distinct from one another. The collaborative collection is then built to contain a well rounded collection with diverse and unique works within it.4 This optimizes the access to resources that patrons receive while allowing the library to then spend money on contributing more unique resources to the collaborative collection rather than spending money on resources that one of their partner libraries may already have.

The freedom that individual libraries retain within these collaborative collections is another benefit. Libraries working within one of these collections will follow standards for collection development and organization to best work with its partner libraries, but the libraries are still able to make decisions on how their individual resources are organized and retained within their physical space and are thus able to curate them to their specific community. Being able to keep individual communities in mind while still working within a collaborative collection and managing the collection as a group, really highlights the “shared goal of preservation and access” that these collections were created with.5 

Growth of Collaborative Collections

As collaborative collections and shared print initiatives continue to develop, librarians are excited by the possibilities for sharing resources more broadly, diversifying collections, and reaching users around the world. The Internet Archive, the Rosemont Shared Print Alliance, and HathiTrust have introduced innovative initiatives that are leading the way in exploring the potential for shared collections.

Catholic University is in the process of becoming a member of HathiTrust. HathiTrust is a collaboration of academic and research institutions that offers over a million digitized titles. It is fully funded by its member institutions so it is able to stay focused on the goals of preservation and access. It includes the digitally preserved collections of over 200 libraries and has made 40 percent of the collection available to the public which is the “broadest access legally possible” due to copyright constraints.6 HathiTrust can be fully integrated into a member library’s systems allowing patrons and library staff to take advantage of its offerings. It also offers tools for text analysis such as worksets and a separate analytics site to accomplish objectives such as text mining. Users are then able to benefit from this highly diverse collection and access titles online easily while libraries are able to preserve their print collections to allow users to engage with them for the foreseeable future.

HathiTrust
HathiTrust

In the Future

Going forward, collaborative collections and shared print are likely to become increasingly more popular and seen within many library’s systems. Libraries are continuing to develop innovative processes to compliment these collections and allow patrons greater access. Controlled digital lending (CDL), circulating a temporary digital copy of a print book while removing the physical copy from circulation, is one such process that has become an emerging trend.7 With the rise of such collections and lending processes, patrons will be able to access more works than ever before while libraries will be able to preserve and more widely share their collections. Libraries will be tasked with developing best practices for such collections and emerging processes but the work put in now will benefit libraries and patrons for years to come.

References 

  1. Lavoie, B., Dempsey, L., & Malpas, C. (2020). Reflections on collective collections. College & Research Libraries, 81(6). https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.81.6.981
  2. Ibid.
  3. Fulkerson, N., & Weltin, H. (2021). Old texts, new networks: HathiTrust and the future of shared print. In L. McAllister and S. Laster (Eds.), Transforming print: Collection development and management for our connected future (pp. 69). Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
  4. See note 1 above.
  5. Fulkerson & Weltin, 2021, p. 67.
  6. Ibid., p. 71.
  7. Association of Research Libraries. (2020, July 1). Association of research libraries signs statement in support of controlled digital lending. https://www.arl.org/news/association-of-research-libraries-signs-statement-in-support-of-controlled-digital-lending/

University Research Day 2023 Call for Abstracts

As a member of the 2023 University Research Day Committee, I would like to share the following announcement with you:

University Research Day at Catholic University is back! The deadline for abstract submission for University Research Day 2023 is Jan. 24, 2023.

All members of the Catholic University community are encouraged to share their work by submitting an application. Research has a broad meaning and can include anything that falls under ‘scholarly work.’ Some examples include:

  • a scholarly paper
  • a collaborative project with a faculty member
  • a recent presentation given at a professional meeting
  • a dramatic or musical performance
  • a display of art

URD will be in-person with in-person presentations and a poster session on our DC campus. All presentations will also be pre-recorded so that the global community can access them virtually. Remote students, faculty and staff (e.g., online programs, at the Rome Center, and Tucson) can participate in the virtual poster and oral presentations. Students, faculty and staff on campus can participate in-person as well as share their research virtually.

URD is an opportunity to share one’s scholarship in a way that ensures accessibility to everyone — even those unfamiliar with the subject matter. Abstracts should reflect this, written with clear, non-technical language that is geared for ALL people. Examples of past selected abstracts are available here. Submitted abstracts will be judged by members of the URD Planning Committee and selected presenters will be notified by email.

Look for more information on social media from our hashtag, #CUatResearchDay and from this website including important dates, the format for the presentations, and the link to the application form. In addition, the names of the current planning committee members are listed on the website, should you have specific questions. See University Research Day 2022 presentations here.

Abstracts: If you are interested in presenting a paper, poster, or interactive demonstration, please complete the abstract submission form. Abstracts must be received by January 24, 2023 at 5 p.m., to be considered. Submissions received after that date will not be reviewed.

Elizabeth Edinger and Chris Raub
URD 2023 Co-Chairs

Life Is Hard

Gene Brutty at Unsplash

In Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way, Kieran Setiya writes a deeply personal and thought-provoking book, not only drawing on ancient and modern philosophy, but fiction, history, memoir, film, comedy, social science, and stories from his own experience. He offers a map for navigating rough terrain, from personal trauma to the injustice and absurdity of the world. Once you are finished, check out the rest of our Popular Reading collection. Titles range from commentary, fiction, historical fiction, mystery, suspense, non-fiction, current affairs, science, social issues, and politics.

Our collection is on the first floor of Mullen Library in the Reference Reading Room.

Hold your cursor over the Title to see a short description of the book, or click to view the catalog record. The status of the book is shown beside the call number.

 

 

Title Author Status
Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way Setiya, Kieran
Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder Shatner, William & Brandon, Joshua
Mad Honey: A Novel Picoult, Jodi & Boylan, Jennifer Finney
The Evolution of Charles Darwin: The Epic Voyage of the Beagle That Forever Changed Our View of Life on Earth Preston, Diana
Fen, Bog and Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis Proulx, Annie
You Don’t Know What War Is: The Diary of a Young Girl from Ukraine Skalietska, Yeva
Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions Grandin, Temple
Nineteen Ways of Looking at Consciousness House, Patrick
Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard Felton, Tom
Demon Copperhead Kingsolver, Barbara
They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl’s Fight for Freedom Tamimi, Ahed & Takruri, Dena
The Family Outing: A Memoir Hempel, Jessi
Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology Miller, Chris
Curse of the Reaper Mcauley, Brian
Everything the Light Touches Pariat, Janice
Livid: A Scarpetta Novel Cornwell, Patricia
A More Just Future: Psychological Tools for Reckoning With Our Past and Driving Social Change Chugh, Dolly
The Ransomware Hunting Team: A Band of Misfits’ Improbable Crusade to Save the World from Cybercrime Dudley, Renee & Golden, Daniel

For more great information from CUA Libraries, follow us on Facebook and Twitter: Mullen Library Facebook; @CUAlibraries

Open Access Week: New Features in ORCID

Open Access Week is October 24 – 30, 2022. Open Access “is the free, immediate, online availability of research articles coupled with the rights to use these articles fully in the digital environment. Open Access ensures that anyone can access and use these results—to turn ideas into industries and breakthroughs into better lives.” (SPARC*).

What is ORCID?

As a faculty member or a graduate student, you should be establishing a scholarly presence and managing your scholarly reputation. ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a nonprofit organization that provides a standardized way to uniquely identify researchers. ORCID provides a way to identify researchers and their work, no matter when and where it was published. The system is designed to be useful for both researchers and readers. Researchers can use ORCID to claim their work, build their profile, and receive recognition for their work. Readers can use ORCID to find more accurate and reliable citations, discover new research, and explore the work of a researcher. Specifically, ORCID is a persistent digital identifier (PID) unique to you.

 

What is ORCID? from ORCID on Vimeo.

**Need help setting up your ORCID account? Contact Kevin Gunn, Coordinator of Digital Scholarship, to arrange a consultation.

 

New Features in ORCID

Affiliation Manager

This new tool allows for the affiliation manager to add affiliation data to a researcher’s ORCID record by simply uploading a CSV file. Further, the affiliation manager can discover the ORCID iDs of their researchers, as well as adding and maintaining organization affiliation data to their researchers’ records. This can save researchers time and helps other systems such as grant management systems, manuscript submission systems, and university research information systems to accurately track the affiliations. Talk to Kevin Gunn, Coordinator of Digital Scholarship, for details.

44 Work Types and Growing

The type of work is central to the ORCID experience. Researchers can now add 44 work types to the registry, including CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) alongside existing contributor roles, and Data Management Plans (DMP).

Research Organization Registry (ROR)

The evolution of the PID ecosystem over the past decade has been facilitated by organization IDs. The Research Organization Registry (ROR) has been a critical component of this development by supplying organization ID metadata. ORCID has integrated this metadata into its system and now supports ROR’s Organization IDs. RORs can now be used with the API and the Affiliation Manager to easily track the impact of institutional research.

Catholic University and ORCID

Here is a screenshot of our member portal (click on the image to enlarge) with the number of affiliates over time:

 

Get an ORCID

Your ORCID ID will follow you throughout your scholarly career so acquire this unique identifier to showcase your research and ensure proper attribution of your work:

1. Claim your free ORCID ID at http://orcid.org/register

2. Import your research outputs and add biographical information using the automated import wizards.

3. Use your ORCID when applying for grants, submitting publications, or sharing your CV. Learn more at http://orcid.org

 

Need help or have questions? Please contact Kevin Gunn, Coordinator of Digital Scholarship (gunn@cua.edu).

Open Access Week: Open for Climate Justice

The theme for this year’s International Open Access Week (October 24-30) is, “Open for Climate Justice.” The theme: “seeks to encourage connection and collaboration among the climate movement and the international open community. Sharing knowledge is a human right, and tackling the climate crisis requires the rapid exchange of knowledge across geographic, economic, and disciplinary boundaries.” Open open access week 2022 posterAccess Week was created by the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) for the academic and research community to “learn about the potential benefits of Open Access, to share what they’ve learned with colleagues, and to help inspire wider participation in helping to make Open Access a new norm in scholarship and research.”

What is Open Access?

Open Access refers to “the free, immediate, online availability of research articles coupled with the right to use these articles fully in the digital environment. Open Access ensures that anyone can access and use these results—to turn ideas into industries and breakthroughs into better lives.” (SPARC*). See this video for a fuller explanation:

 

Open For Climate Justice

The theme of Open for Climate Justice acknowledges that the impacts of the climate crisis are not borne “equally or fairly, between rich and poor, women and men, and older and younger generations” (United Nations, 2019). The focus is on climate justice as a human rights issue and not merely a scientific one: “[climate justice] insists on a shift from a discourse on greenhouse gases and melting ice caps into a civil rights movement with the people and communities most vulnerable to climate impacts at its heart,” said Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland. This power inequity can impact the ability of communities to produce, disseminate, and use knowledge. Having Open Access to create pathways to ensure equitable knowledge sharing is a step in addressing the power inequities that are part of climate change and how we can respond to them.

Making scientific knowledge available is an important goal of Open Access. On August 25th, The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) updated U.S. policy to make the results of taxpayer-supported research immediately available to the American public at no cost or embargo.

Why is OA important to CU Libraries? We believe that open access to good quality information is essential for a free and democratic society. The virtue of justice is central to this ethical problem.

Things you can do to participate

  1. Attend OA Week events: See the list of worldwide events on the OA website.
  2. Advocate for Open Access. Advocate in your discipline for open access. See how you can transition a journal from subscription to open access.
  3. Publish your work in open access platforms. You can determine what journals are open access by checking the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
  4. Adopt an open textbook. Students need a break from high textbook prices.  Learn how to adopt or adapt a textbook from the Open Textbook Library. The Washington Research Library Consortium (Catholic University Libraries is a member) has a series of webinars on how to get started. Adopt a textbook today!

About SPARC

SPARC has been at the forefront of Open Access since 1998. They are “a non-profit advocacy organization that supports systems for research and education that are open by default and equitable by design.” See the activities planned for Open Access Week 2022.

Further Reading

OASIS. Developed at SUNY Geneseo’s Milne Library, Openly Available Sources Integrated Search (OASIS) is a search tool for discovering open content. OASIS currently searches open content from 114 different sources and contains 440,269 records.

Open Science video (In English): What is Open Science? Created by the Knowledge Network for University Libraries (Website in Dutch).

Transitioning Society Publications to OA.

UNESCO, Open Educational Resources (OER).

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). OSTP Issues Guidance to Make Federally Funded Research Freely Available Without Delay, August 25, 2022.

The Fight of Our Lives

field with yellow grain and a blue sky with clouds
Marek Piwnicki at Pexels

When Ukrainian journalist Iuliia Mendel got the call she had been hired to work for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, she had no idea what was to come. Her time with the president is encapsulated in The Fight of Our Lives: My Time With Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s Battle for Democracy, and What It Means for the World. Zelenskyy is a lawyer, constitutional scholar, and entertainer who won his election, battled corruption, and united his country against Russian tyranny. Check out our other political and historical works in our Popular Reading collection. Titles range from commentary, fiction, historical fiction, mystery, suspense, non-fiction, current affairs, science, social issues, and politics.

Our collection is on the first floor of Mullen Library in the Reference Reading Room.

Hold your cursor over the Title to see a short description of the book, or click to view the catalog record. The status of the book is shown beside the call number.

Title Author Status
The Fight of Our Lives: My Time With Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s Battle for Democracy, and What It Means for the World /a> Mendel, Iuliia
Profiles in Ignorance: How America’s Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber Borowitz, Andy
They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent Kendzior, Sarah
To Love and Be Loved: A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa Towey, Jim
Electable: Why America Hasn’t Put a Woman in the White House … Yet Vitali, Ali
Nomad Century: How Climate Migration Will Reshape Our World Vince, Gaia
Run Time Howard, Catherine Ryan
Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta Hannaham, James
Operation Pineapple Express Mann, Scott & Meek, James Gordon
Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match Thorne, Sally
I Walk Between the Raindrops: Stories Boyle, T. Coraghessan
Prisoners of the Castle: An Epic Story of Survival and Escape from Colditz, the Nazis’ Fortress Prison MacIntyre, Ben
Wise Gals: The Spies Who Built the CIA and Changed the Future of Espionage Holt, Nathalia
The Two Lives of Sara West, Catherine Adel
Black Skinhead: Reflections on Blackness and Our Political Future Collins-Dexter, Brandi
The Book of Goose Li, Yiyun
Ghost Eaters Chapman, Clay
Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America Donovan, Joan; Dreyfuss, Emily; & Friedberg, Brian
Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization Tyson, Neil deGrasse
Wolf Hustle: A Black Woman on Wall Street Fabré, Cin
The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves Horowitz, Alexandra
The Bad Angel Brothers Theroux, Paul
Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence Reynolds, Nicholas
Fairy Tale King, Stephen

For more great information from CUA Libraries, follow us on Facebook and Twitter: Mullen Library Facebook; @CUAlibraries

Who Programmed the World’s First Modern Computer?

Have you ever thought about who programmed the first modern computer? Kathy Kleiman would like to introduce us to the six women who programmed the ENIAC, the first modern computer, at the end of World War II, in her book, Proving Ground: The Untold Story of the Six Women Who Programmed the World’s First Modern Computer. Check out our other scientific works in our Popular Reading collection. Titles range from commentary, fiction, historical fiction, mystery, suspense, non-fiction, current affairs, science, social issues, and politics. Happy Autumn!

Our collection is on the first floor of Mullen Library in the Reference Reading Room.

autumn

giphy.com

Hold your cursor over the Title to see a short description of the book, or click to view the catalog record. The status of the book is shown beside the call number.

Title Author Status
Proving Ground: The Untold Story of the Six Women Who Programmed the World’s First Modern Computer Kleiman, Kathy
The It Girl Ware, Ruth
Our Unfinished March: The Violent Past and Imperiled Future of the Vote-a History, a Crisis, a Plan Holder, Eric & Koppelman, Sam
Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith Christopher, Adam
How to Raise an Antiracist Kendi, Ibram X.
Miss Aldridge Regrets Hare, Louise
Other Names for Love Soomro, Taymour
Upgrade Crouch, Blake
The Sewing Girl’s Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America Sweet, John Wood
Gangland Hogan, Chuck
The Awoken Howes, Katelyn Monroe
Do No Harm Pobi, Robert
I’m Glad My Mom Died McCurdy, Jennette
Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe Maraniss, David
Stay Awake Goldin, Megan
Diana, William & Harry Patterson, James & Mooney, Chris
Elizabeth Finch Barnes, Julian
Mindreader: Find Out What People Really Think, What They Really Want, and Who They Really Are Lieberman, David J.
Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America’s Overdose Crisis Macy, Beth

For more great information from CUA Libraries, follow us on Facebook and Twitter: Mullen Library Facebook; @CUAlibraries

Appointment of New Lima Library Director

Provost Aaron Dominguez is pleased to announce that Livia Lopes, JD has been appointed the new Director of the Oliveira Lima Library of The Catholic University of America beginning July 1st, 2022. On August 1st, Livia’s appointment as the Director of the Institute for Latin American and Iberian Studies (ILAIS) also began. She will serve in these positions concurrently.

Livia Lopes graduated from the Rio de Janeiro State University’s Law School (Brazil) with J.D. and M.A. (summa cum laude) degrees. She also attended the University of Coimbra (Portugal) and the University of Salamanca (Spain) as a visiting student with academic distinction; the Ohio State University (USA), and Georgetown University (USA) as a visiting researcher. Before joining Catholic University, Livia served as an Assistant Director and Visiting Scholar at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, affiliated with the Brazil/Latin American Program. She came to Catholic University in 2020 to lead the Latin American and Iberian Initiatives in the Office of Global Strategies. OGS advances academic programs, projects, and partnerships related to Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. Livia Lopes is a Brasilianista, a researcher on Latin American and Brazilian studies, with concentrations in law, politics and public policy. 

Adopting Open Educational Resources into your Course Material: How to Begin?

Faculty are invited to join the Washington Research Library Consortium Textbook Affordability Working Group on Wednesday, September 28th for a brief introduction to open textbooks and a panel discussion featuring faculty members who teach with them. Attendees will have the opportunity to earn a $200 stipend by posting a review of an open textbook!

Register today! – https://forms.gle/5EfzTzdSHRA9bHPS9 (Zoom link will be sent the day before the event to registered attendees).

Learn more about the event and Open Textbooks at https://open.wrlc.org.

Upcoming Events

October 13th, 2022 11:00 AM Faculty Perspectives: You’ve Already Done This!: Creating and Publishing OER Courseware
November 2nd, 2022 12:00 PM Faculty Perspectives: Use Only What you Want: Adapting and Remixing OER
November 16th, 2022 12:00 PM Faculty Perspectives: Choosing a Creative Commons License for your OER: Where to Begin?
December 6th, 2022 12:00 PM Save the Date!