The processes and supports within an institution can, I’ve noticed, demand a bit of effort to change. When we speak of open scholarship or open science, many aspects tie-in or lead out from those concepts, which makes the whole prospect of institutional change quite complex. I’m very excited about the efforts so far that the Open Science Working Group (of which I’m a participant) at Concordia University has undertaken and accomplished. These include an initial report on “Recommendations for Fostering Open Science at Concordia University” (DOI: 10.11573/spectrum.library.concordia.ca.00992647)
Continue reading “Institutional Change toward Open Scholarship and Open Science”Artificial Intelligence to Examine Us
The hype over the last few months regarding generative AI has been quite interesting. I’ve facilitated a variety of discussions (and presented some) with faculty, staff, and other librarians regarding these tools and I’ve been following the public discourse. The thing that I keep coming back to and which I don’t feel gets the attention that it merits, is the potential to consider these newer AI systems, LLMs, etc. as tools to be used for examining human cultures, behaviours, and society.
Continue reading “Artificial Intelligence to Examine Us”Publishers Proposing Surveillance Tech on Libraries
Gautama Mehta’s recent article “Proposal to install spyware in university libraries to protect copyrights shocks academics” is an important read. I appreciate the many issues it raises and the great links to additional commentary about Elsevier’s and Springer’s problematic Scholarly Networks Security Initiative (SNSI).
Although the article mentions digital rights advocates and scientists, I did not see much written about the fact that librarians are not passive recipients of technology in their libraries.
Continue reading “Publishers Proposing Surveillance Tech on Libraries”Letter to Ministers Regarding the New NAFTA / USMCA & “Intellectual Property”
This morning, upon learning of the newly negotiated NAFTA or as it seems to be called now USMCA, I sent the following letter to ministers of the current Canadian government. Continue reading “Letter to Ministers Regarding the New NAFTA / USMCA & “Intellectual Property””
Digital Curation Issues Involving Open Government Data
Open data is a well-defined concept but in the public sector, there is some difficult work ahead for its digital curation.
Although the support and production of open data from governments around the world varies (with many not yet supporting it at all) there are clear movements to encourage and grow open government data initiatives. Within the realm of governments that do support and produce datasets open to the public, benefits that would otherwise accompany the availability of this open data are sometimes hampered due to incomplete adoption of best practices.
I’d like review some of the tenets of open government data, then I’ll discuss some of the digital curation issues that are important to deal with for the success of open government data initiatives. Continue reading “Digital Curation Issues Involving Open Government Data”
Copyright Law, TPMs, and Appraisal
This is the third part in a series of three posts.
The Canadian Council of Archives (CCA) identifies five categories of appraisal criteria. Some of these criteria mix poorly with copyright law and TPMs on the issue of determining what can be acceptable for long term digital preservation. Continue reading “Copyright Law, TPMs, and Appraisal”
Long Term Digital Preservation and the Role of TDRs
This is the second part in a series of three posts.
Archives face inexorable problems with the duty to preserve massive quantities of information, stored on frail digital media. There is at once, the archives’ own mandate and its capability to fulfill that mandate. To understand what an archive must be capable of doing, here is a definition of digital preservation. Continue reading “Long Term Digital Preservation and the Role of TDRs”
How Recent Copyright Legislation (C-11) and TPMs Prevent Digital Preservation
Recent copyright legislation prevents archives from legitimately fulfilling key requirements for the long term preservation and provision of access to digital fonds. Bill C-11 (An Act to amend the Copyright Act)[1] changed many elements of copyright law but the area posing the greatest problems to archival practices is the portion that prohibits circumventing technological protection measures (TPMs). Continue reading “How Recent Copyright Legislation (C-11) and TPMs Prevent Digital Preservation”