The Authority File

Supporting an emerging field requires innovation, investment, and infrastructure. Leaders must focus on community-building and engagement to foster sustained interest and growth. Even further, transformation in the academy—only one part of the scholarly ecosystem—must reach beyond campus to the publishing and librarianship sectors. In this third episode, Deanna Reder, Associate Professor of Indige...

For Deanna Reder, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies and English at Simon Fraser University, the tradition of life writing extends beyond cataloging accomplishments or documenting memories. Sharing âcimisowina, or personal stories, demonstrates “the necessity of including your own experience, and through extension, your family’s experience” in the canon of Indigenous records. While traditio...

During her undergraduate years, Deanna Reder, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies and English at Simon Fraser University, struggled to find a wide range of scholarship on Indigenous literary works. However, by the time she returned for her PhD in the early 2000s, an explosion of Indigenous scholars had entered the academic scene. This expansion not only made way for Deanna’s dissertation on...

In this four-part series, we turned the spotlight on three innovative library solutions. First, Jamia Williams, Health Sciences Librarian at SUNY Brockport, dug into the development of  LibVoices , an independent podcast that highlights the experiences and achievements of librarians of color. Next, we spoke to Lauren Puzier, User Experience Librarian at the University at Albany, who walked through...

This series has examined the recent transformation of academic librarianship, and how various stakeholders—vendors, librarians, and publishers—have adapted in response. Susanna Smith, Acquisitions Librarian at Georgia Highlands College, and Tracy Holtman, Associate Director of Access & Collection Services at Tarleton State University, handled the librarian perspective—collection strategies, pa...

Technology and librarianship go hand in hand. In fact, a strong relationship between an institution’s IT department and library can usher in innovative projects and patron-friendly solutions. At Baylor University, this interconnection allowed the library to bolster its digitization efforts, leading to new partnerships and opportunities. One such opportunity included the  Black Gospel Music Preserv...

In today’s age, collection development must satisfy a number of demands. Whether keeping up with student use trends, serving institutional goals, or meeting budgetary restraints, librarians need more than one-size-fits-all options. Indeed, a flexibility and diversity of resources, content types, and access models allows librarians to pick and choose what works best for their institution. What are...

In 2020, the pandemic precipitated widespread subscription cancelations and service interruptions at university libraries. For the University at Albany, it underscored the need to update its clunky and disjointed alert system. User Experience Librarian Lauren Puzier wanted to find an efficient, easy-to-use, and patron-friendly dashboard by factoring in user thought processes and search habits. Tea...

The rise of digital is nothing new. Even pre-pandemic, online learning and e-content were rapidly growing in popularity and use in higher education. Students wanted more flexibility, accessibility, and content options—and digital delivered. But how has this call for digital impacted the greater academic librarianship ecosystem? What strategies have publishers, librarians, and vendors adopted to me...

Academic librarianship demands innovation. Indeed, academic librarians must remain flexible and creative to keep up with the latest publishing trends, adjust to new mediums, and better serve the ever-changing needs of the modern patron. What initiatives have librarians introduced to better engage the community, connect with students, or advance institutional goals? In this four-part series, we’re...

COVID-19 forever altered the academic library. Classes moved online. Quick fixes like mailing services or web chat emerged. Librarians poured their budgets into digital resources—ebooks, audio content, streaming video—and even began to invest in textbooks to alleviate student costs. Now, libraries face a strange intermediacy; we aren’t past the pandemic, but students have returned to campus, mask...

Human activity has undoubtedly impacted our planet’s systems. With deforestation, air pollution, and plastic waste, can we still call the natural sciences “natural”? Or have humans changed the planet so much that the “natural” and “human” worlds are now indistinguishable? Could seeing ourselves as part of the earth’s systems help bring more urgency to the climate crisis? In the final episode of th...

From metal straws to veganism, our choices impact the environment. But when large corporations make environmentally-damning decisions, or members of Congress prioritize lobbyist interests over their own constituents, it can feel like our choices don’t matter. How can we take back control in our own lives by building greener habits? Further, how does environmental racism and classism act as barrier...

Translating highly technical, precise, or conceptual research for the layperson is not an easy endeavor. When tackling the topic of environmental sustainability—and its many political, social, and existential undertones—the task nears impossible. However, Robert Brinkmann, Professor of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment at Northern Illinois University, worked his way up to his latest title  Practic...

After years writing in the academic space, Robert Brinkmann, Professor of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment at Northern Illinois University, wanted to share his research with the general public. Specifically, he wanted to provide guidance and personal challenges to those asking: How much impact can one person have on the planet? What changes can the individual make for a cleaner, greener life? So,...

In the final episode of this four-part series, Emily Farrell, Library Partnerships and Sales Lead at MIT Press, and Curtis Brundy, Associate University Librarian at Iowa State University, discuss where the burden lies in advancing open publishing—publishers need to innovate to fit institution needs, but libraries have to be intentional in their budget spending and actions. In addition, Emily share...

In the final episode of this four-part series, Michelle Porter, author of Scratching River , explains how she incorporates Métis techniques, themes, and history into her writing. In particular, she talks of pulling from traditions of musical improvisation to develop her own unique writing structure, and finding the through line between her ancestry—the custom of travel, history of bison, folk-like...

When developing MIT Press’s library collective action model Direct to Open (D2O), the creators understood that a one-size-fits-all framework doesn’t work for university presses. Because of the breadth and diversity of the current publishing landscape, presses need open publishing options that they can mold to fit their own unique needs and circumstances. How can university presses use D2O as a jum...

When writing her memoir Scratching River , Michelle Porter balanced not only her own voice, but the added layer of family interviews and newspaper accounts. As Michelle notes, this story of her and her brother could be told in many different ways—in a journalistic fashion, following a linear storyline—but she chose to weave these narrative elements with her Métis ancestry, oral histories, and rese...

Since MIT Press’s Direct to Open (D2O) launched, 180 institutions (and counting!) have signed onto the library collective action model. Though based on a tiered structure—larger institutions pay a higher price and so on—the model has found more support and buy-in from larger libraries and consortia. What holds smaller institutions back from joining the project? Are there other major open access in...

Michelle Porter, author of Scratching River , didn’t set out to write about her family. In fact, the idea for the title began when her aunt recommended she read Vanishing Spaces, the memoirs of Métis ancestor Louis Goulet. Initially planning to research the past and present of the land where Goulet lived, his descriptions of travel reminded Michelle of her childhood days driving through Canada to...

In March 2021, MIT Press launched the library collective action model Direct to Open (D2O). By granting participating institutions access to backlist titles, D2O encourages libraries to aid in the notoriously difficult practice of opening up monographs. Since last year’s launch, over 150 institutions have signed on; due to this support, MIT Press will publish its entire spring 2022 catalogue of mo...

Flexibility isn’t exactly a defining trait of academia. Though scholarship has grown to embrace new areas of research and interdisciplinary subjects, historically, academics have stayed within their disciplines and employed traditional forms of study and evaluation. But is there another way? What can be gained by adopting multifaceted forms of research that fall outside conventional norms? Michell...

It’s no surprise that ebook usage has surged since the pandemic. While adapting to remote learning, many diehard print fans began to favor the accessibility and flexibility of e-content. However, this shift to digital resources in academia started far earlier than 2020. How have publishers encouraged this digital trend in the past decade? How does the move to e-resources coincide with the open acc...

Have you ever spotted someone reading in a park, coffee shop, or on public transport, and wondered about the story behind it? Who recommended the book? Are they enjoying it? What do the books we read say about our personality, interests, life? How can book trends reveal societal issues or values? In 2013, Uli Beutter Cohen found herself asking these same questions. Armed with a phone and curiosity...