1The University of Sydney

"IS THAT THE LIBRARY'S ROLE!?" - THE CULTURAL CHALLENGES OF INNOVATION

"IS THAT THE LIBRARY'S ROLE!?" - THE CULTURAL CHALLENGES OF INNOVATION

Ross Coleman Ross Coleman Director, Sydney eScholarship, Director, Sydney eScholarship,

University of Sydney LibraryUniversity of Sydney Library

2The University of Sydney

cultures, traditions and changecultures, traditions and change innovative context - researchinnovative context - research services, challenges, issues and rolesservices, challenges, issues and roles conclusion… conclusion…

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culture / innovationculture / innovation

cultureculture – shared set of values, norms and – shared set of values, norms and behaviourbehaviour

- organisational cultures- organisational cultures

- library culture- library culture innovationinnovation - new ways of doing something - new ways of doing something -

substantial, not an insignificant changesubstantial, not an insignificant change

- innovative / entrepreneurial cultures- innovative / entrepreneurial cultures

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library cultures, traditions, orthodoxieslibrary cultures, traditions, orthodoxies

preservation and accesspreservation and access cooperation and sharingcooperation and sharing connecting people and informationconnecting people and information roles not shifting, but expanding – prioritiesroles not shifting, but expanding – priorities organisational culture – generally rule drivenorganisational culture – generally rule driven orthodox librarianship – how things should beorthodox librarianship – how things should be dealing with new expectations and relationships with dealing with new expectations and relationships with

agility agility

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6The University of Sydney

innovative contextinnovative context engagement in the research processesengagement in the research processes-- communicating - scholarly publishing and open accesscommunicating - scholarly publishing and open access-- curating - digital repositories – preservation and accesscurating - digital repositories – preservation and access-- creating digital collectionscreating digital collections-- collaborating – appropriate advice and assistancecollaborating – appropriate advice and assistance semantic web technologies and toolssemantic web technologies and tools eResearch and data managementeResearch and data management new forms of scholarly expressionnew forms of scholarly expression scholarly [social] networkingscholarly [social] networking

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roles and innovating the traditionalroles and innovating the traditional irony in characterising these as innovations is that these new roles irony in characterising these as innovations is that these new roles

are squarely based on the most traditional and ancient role and are squarely based on the most traditional and ancient role and function of libraries – that of preservation and access.function of libraries – that of preservation and access.

libraries represent (consciously or unconsciously) continuity of libraries represent (consciously or unconsciously) continuity of content (preserved and accessible) over time, confirmed by the content (preserved and accessible) over time, confirmed by the expectations of libraries in this new context.expectations of libraries in this new context.

continuity is critical – the creation of new knowledge is a cumulative continuity is critical – the creation of new knowledge is a cumulative process drawing on existing knowledge [‘on the shoulders of giants’]process drawing on existing knowledge [‘on the shoulders of giants’]

what we are considering here - in many ways - is new responses what we are considering here - in many ways - is new responses based on these traditional roles.based on these traditional roles.

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drivers / impetus drivers / impetus

mission of a academic librarymission of a academic library scholarly communication and open access (SPARC)scholarly communication and open access (SPARC) repositories RQF/ERA and HERDCrepositories RQF/ERA and HERDC digital project partnerships (ARC etc)digital project partnerships (ARC etc) eResearch requirements (data etc)eResearch requirements (data etc) lifting profile of resources/serviceslifting profile of resources/services adding value to services and real value to institutionsadding value to services and real value to institutions strategic positioning (pro-active / pre-emptive)strategic positioning (pro-active / pre-emptive)

9The University of Sydney

whats in a name?whats in a name?

10The University of Sydney

eScholarship eScholarship

“eScholarship … facilitates innovation and supports experimentation in the production and dissemination of scholarship. Through the use of innovative technology, the program seeks to develop a financially sustainable model and improve all areas of scholarly communication….”

California Digital Library [2005]

This description enabled us to conceptualise and This description enabled us to conceptualise and articulate the relationships between the Library’s articulate the relationships between the Library’s digital collections, repositories and publishing digital collections, repositories and publishing activitiesactivities

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an eScholarship framework enables integrated services as aan eScholarship framework enables integrated services as afoundation for sustainable, innovative scholarly communicationfoundation for sustainable, innovative scholarly communication

Digital library collections

Project platforms

Publishing services

Digital repository archive

eResearch support

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organisational position/fundingorganisational position/funding

where do the new groups/units fit – anywhere but, where do the new groups/units fit – anywhere but, perhaps, the expectedperhaps, the expected

funding and priorities – mostly soft/contractfunding and priorities – mostly soft/contract new (unknown) costs of digital preservationnew (unknown) costs of digital preservation ‘‘non-library’ functions (HERDC, publishing)non-library’ functions (HERDC, publishing) librarians on the outsidelibrarians on the outside the [non] librarian – researchers, data archiviststhe [non] librarian – researchers, data archivists uncertainty - outside the comfort zoneuncertainty - outside the comfort zone

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Lorcan Dempsey

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digital collectionsdigital collections

digitisation of primary sources – text and imagesdigitisation of primary sources – text and images research led and project funded (ARC etc)research led and project funded (ARC etc) standards and skills – XML /TEIstandards and skills – XML /TEI mass digitisation – library as collaborator or collaboratormass digitisation – library as collaborator or collaborator special collectionsspecial collections digital library and preservation – is it enough?digital library and preservation – is it enough? tools, re-use, re-mix, re-engineer (ORE etc)tools, re-use, re-mix, re-engineer (ORE etc) ‘‘books are the vinyl of the text world’books are the vinyl of the text world’

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Mass digitisation Mass digitisation

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scholarly communication and publishingscholarly communication and publishing

library scholarly publishing as just a platform library scholarly publishing as just a platform for our people only? – self-servingfor our people only? – self-serving viability - is it a business or a service modelviability - is it a business or a service model the browse market – the penetrating passivity of the webthe browse market – the penetrating passivity of the web skills and training – for the businessskills and training – for the business critical integration with the repositoriescritical integration with the repositories new partnerships – editorial, authoring etcnew partnerships – editorial, authoring etc new forms of expression, creation and communicationnew forms of expression, creation and communication rights, licencing and re-userights, licencing and re-use

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Values matrixValues matrix

Direct incomeDirect incomesales and diversified income sales and diversified income accrued via eStore (split SUP accrued via eStore (split SUP and Library), ‘long tail’ and Library), ‘long tail’ publishing, trade pricingpublishing, trade pricing

Tangible benefitsTangible benefitscitation/OA download metrics, citation/OA download metrics, research assessments, research assessments, productivity index etcproductivity index etc

Indirect incomeIndirect incomepublishing subsidies, research publishing subsidies, research publication funding points, etcpublication funding points, etc

Intangible benefitsIntangible benefits scholarly/intellectual value, scholarly/intellectual value, social impact, authority, brand social impact, authority, brand etcetc

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repositoriesrepositories ‘‘build and they will come’ fallacy – IRs in crisis?build and they will come’ fallacy – IRs in crisis?

29The University of Sydney

repositoriesrepositories ‘‘build and they will come’ fallacy – IRs in crisis?build and they will come’ fallacy – IRs in crisis?

““Academic librarianship has not supported repositories or their Academic librarianship has not supported repositories or their managers. Most libraries consistently under-resource and managers. Most libraries consistently under-resource and understaff repositories, further worsening the participation gap. understaff repositories, further worsening the participation gap. Software and services are wildly out of touch with faculty Software and services are wildly out of touch with faculty needs and the realities of repository management. These needs and the realities of repository management. These problems are not insoluble, but they demand serious problems are not insoluble, but they demand serious

reconsideration of repository missions, goals, and meansreconsideration of repository missions, goals, and means””

- Dorothea Salo- Dorothea Salo - - Innkeeper at the Roach MotelInnkeeper at the Roach Motel

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repositoriesrepositories ‘‘build and they will come’ fallacy – IRs in crisis?build and they will come’ fallacy – IRs in crisis? the blessings of ASHER – a new ERA for repositoriesthe blessings of ASHER – a new ERA for repositories the green and the gold - open access and compliance the green and the gold - open access and compliance

with funding mandateswith funding mandates IR platforms “overengineered yet underdesigned”IR platforms “overengineered yet underdesigned” repositories beyond IR – ‘the long tail of science’ and repositories beyond IR – ‘the long tail of science’ and

domain repositoriesdomain repositories federated models for a diversity of needsfederated models for a diversity of needs they are a realitythey are a reality

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data management / eResearchdata management / eResearch researcher driven / research spaceresearcher driven / research space library capabilities, skills – the data librarianlibrary capabilities, skills – the data librarian from literature specialist to domain specialistfrom literature specialist to domain specialist data curation – generic vs domain requirementsdata curation – generic vs domain requirements archiving - more than storage - who for archiving - more than storage - who for library services as part of institutional research support library services as part of institutional research support

systemssystems ANDS and the eResearch agenda - on the marginsANDS and the eResearch agenda - on the margins tools and servicestools and services data as publication - citabilitydata as publication - citability

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wrap upwrap up

culture, values and orthodoxyculture, values and orthodoxy new contexts and frameworks – agile responsenew contexts and frameworks – agile response curation, communication, creation, collaborationcuration, communication, creation, collaboration role and capacity of the libraryrole and capacity of the library literature specialist to domain specialistliterature specialist to domain specialist nature of new partnershipsnature of new partnerships uncertainty and the reluctance to commituncertainty and the reluctance to commit

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"IS THAT THE LIBRARY'S ROLE!?""IS THAT THE LIBRARY'S ROLE!?"

35The University of Sydney

"IS THAT THE LIBRARY'S ROLE!?""IS THAT THE LIBRARY'S ROLE!?" of course, if… the mission of the library is to support research the mission of the library is to support research acknowledge the nature of research IS changing acknowledge the nature of research IS changing overcome uncertainty and risk of hesitationovercome uncertainty and risk of hesitation invest ininvest in

-- skills development (takes time to build)skills development (takes time to build)

-- specialist staff engagementspecialist staff engagement

-- building collaborative infrastructure and curation servicesbuilding collaborative infrastructure and curation services

-- adding tangible value to institutional researchadding tangible value to institutional research So…So…

36The University of Sydney

its time to commitits time to commit