Libfocus Link-out for April 2024

Welcome to the April edition of the Libfocus link-out, an assemblage of library-related things we have found informative, educational, thought-provoking and insightful on the Web over the past while.

Images featured in this month's link-out articles

New report on the sustainability of Diamond OA in Europe.
A study from DIAMAS, which is led by SPARC Europe, looks at what financial sustainability means for institutional publishing in Europe.

An introduction to library linked data.
Following on from the recent OCLC announcement regarding efforts to bring linked data into cataloguing workflows, this Next article by Jeff Mixter explains what it means and why libraries should be interested.

Passive programming as a wellness strategy for the overworked outreach librarian.
On the Woc+lib blog Ginny Barnes looks at passive programmes as part of Outreach and their potential benefits to both librarians and their communities.

Intersectional Accessibility: Creating Inclusive Spaces, Examining Ebook Accessibility.
In this article from the Library Journal Sossity Chiricuzio and Matt Enis explore the challenges in creating inclusive accessible spaces. They examine how academic publishers are slowing progress towards ebook accessibility.

What Brings Gen Z to the Library?
What do Gen Zers, born between 1997 and 2012, want from their academic library? In this EdSurge article Jennifer Howard highlights the findings of various studies around the library use of the Generation Z cohort.

Here’s why AI search engines really can’t kill Google.
In this piece for The Verge David Pierce writes about AI search tools. He argues that though they are getting better they are not ready to replace Google in most searches any time soon.

Rational Simplicity: Celebrating Rudolph de Harak, an unsung hero of mid-century graphic design.
In this It's Nice That blog post Richard Poulin celebrates the trailblazing graphic designer Rudolph de Harak. His colourful, witty and warm designs appeared on over 350 book covers as well as on record sleeves and magazines. His modernist principles even transformed an office building in New York into 'an unforgettable visual experience.'

Women, academia and the unequal production of knowledge – An LSE Impact Blog review.
Michael Taster draws together articles that explore the gendered nature of research and scholarly communication. Read on to understand the inequalities at play in academia that disadvantage women.

7 AI Tools for internal Communicators.
Patty Rivas looks at how the role of internal communications (IC) has expanded far beyond message creation and distribution as technology advances and workplaces evolve. And AI is entering the field - how is it being used? And what are some tools that you could be using?

What Libraries Risk When They Go Digital.
In this Time: Made by History article, T.C.A. Achintya examines how libraries and archives across the world have worked to digitise their resources over the past few years. The United States, United Kingdom, and India, for instance, have all invested in expanding digital collections for their records. A recent ransomware attack on the British Library, and the many months-long disruption it has caused forces us to ask how safe these digital records are.

Predatory and Questionable Publishing Practices: How to Recognise and Avoid Them.
This guide, written by open access specialists at universities across the Netherlands, provides insight and practical advice for authors on how to avoid questionable and predatory journals.

Transitional Agreements Aren’t Working: What Comes Next?
Alison Mudditt's Scholarly Kitchen article looks at how ten years have passed since the Joint Information Systems Committee (Jisc) in the UK launched its first “transitional agreement” (TA) with Springer Nature. Since then, Jisc has negotiated and/or renewed 75 TAs with 47 publishers. Based on the journal flipping rates observed between 2018 – 2022 it would take at least 70 years for the big five publishers to flip their TA titles to OA.