A Framework, Reports, and a Book Review

December 14, 2023

Welcome to LJAN Resources, our monthly academic content roundup. We’ll be curating standout InfoDocket posts and nonfiction LJ book reviews once every month for quick access to news and reviews you can use.

From Infodocket:

Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) Adopts New Strategic Framework, Revised Mission & Values Statements

On November 29, ASERL members overwhelmingly adopted a new strategic framework to guide the Association’s programming for the 2024–27 time period. Called “ASERL Ahead—2027,” the new framework builds on the success of ASERL’s 2020–23 strategy, while also streamlining the document to make it more memorable and easier to describe to others. At the same time, the membership also adopted revisions to ASERL’s Mission and Values Statements.

SPONSORED BY GALE

The World’s Largest Online Historical Archive of Eighteenth Century Studies Turns 20

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Gale’s “Eighteenth Century Collections Online” (ECCO), the largest collection—32 million pages—of 18th-century books, pamphlets, periodicals, and other ephemera in the world. ECCO was revolutionary in providing researchers and students a text-searchable corpus at their desktops 24/7.

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NY Review of Books: Robert Darnton Reviews Peter Baldwin’s Athena Unbound: Why and How Scholarly Knowledge Should Be Free for All

In Athena Unbound Baldwin takes a hard look at the world of knowledge. Have no illusions, he warns: journal publishers are gouging their customers, scholarly monographs reach a tiny audience, libraries are floundering under budget pressures, academics are pursuing careers rather than truth, and readers are not getting all the information they deserve. He expresses contempt for “cultural nostalgists,” who have a romantic view of creativity and an outdated attachment to the printed codex.

Lyrasis Releases 2023 Research Report: Building Connections: Community Inclusion Trends in Cultural Institutions

Building Connections: Community Engagement and Inclusion Trends in Cultural Institutions, the 2023 Lyrasis Research Report, explores the work of libraries, archives, and museums to continue their outreach efforts and expand community inclusion during and after the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

SPONSORED BY SIRSIDYNIX

Three Things Every Librarian Should Know About Open Access Content

As more academic journals embrace open access publishing models in response to shifting requirements from funders, open access content is playing an increasingly significant role in modern research.

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From LJ Reviews:

SOCIAL SCIENCES

The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust

By Elizabeth B. White & Joanna Sliwa

A full portrait of a woman who saved thousands in Nazi-occupied Poland, with broad appeal for readers interested in Holocaust and eastern European history and survivor’s stories.

PREMIUM

The Political Thought of Xi Jinping

By Steve Tsang & Olivia Cheung

This scholarly examination of Xi’s leader-driven ideological revolution will appeal to readers interested in current-day China, especially Chinese political philosophy.

PREMIUM

Alcatraz Ghost Story: Roy Gardner’s Amazing Train Robberies, Escapes, and Lifelong Love

By Brian Stannard

An excellent and thorough biography of a character whose true story is not widely known, and a wild ride through the Depression and the U.S. prison system; many will enjoy the journey.

PERFORMING ARTS

PREMIUM

Kubrick: An Odyssey

By Robert P. Kolker & Nathan Abrams

An admiring look at a fascinating figure. Likely to be the definitive word on Kubrick for years to come.

PREMIUM

I Sing To Use the Waiting: A Collection of Essays About the Women Singers Who’ve Made Me Who I Am

By Zachary Pace

Readers who enjoyed Jessica Hopper’s The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic and Hanif Abdurraqib’s They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us are the perfect audience for this book.

PREMIUM

She’s a Badass: Women in Rock Shaping Feminism

By Katherine Yeske Taylor

This book’s fierce attitude and biographies that pitch towards the positive will have plenty of appeal for readers seeking some inspiration from women who’ve carved out a place in rock music.

SPONSORED BY F1000

Librarians Are Instrumental in Supporting Open Access Publishing—and F1000 Can Help

With new guidelines stating that by Dec. 31, 2025, all federally funded research should be made freely available to the public moving forward, the momentum toward open access publishing at colleges and universities is growing.

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New Report: Current State and Future Directions for Open Repositories in Europe

From a COAR (Confederation of Open Access Repositories) Post: Open Science is ushering in a new paradigm for research, one in which all researchers have unprecedented access to the full corpus of research for analysis, text and data mining, and other new research methods. A prerequisite for achieving this vision is a strong and well-functioning network of repositories that provides human and machine access to the wide range of valuable research outputs.

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