Lindsay Barnett's blog

Open Access Week 2021

Welcome to Open Access Week 2021! Visit this page for daily updates with short activities you can complete to learn more about open access publishing and show you support for greater transparency in the scholarly publishing industry. From SPARC, “Open Access is the free, immediate, online availability of research articles coupled with the rights to use these articles fully in the digital environment.” Open access allows researchers around the world to access scholarship with no waiting periods or embargos, allowing research results to be disseminated and built upon more quickly. Did you know that the Yale Library supports open access publishing? We fund a number of membership programs that reduce or eliminate article processing charges (APCs) associated with open access articles for Yale authors. Our membership with PLOS waives all APCs in all PLOS journals for any article with a Yale corresponding author. Find more information about library support for open access here. Take our Open Access Week 2021 Quiz for an opportunity to win a prize up to $25 in value from the Yale bookstore!

Library to Cover All Publishing Fees for PLOS Journals

Yale University Library has entered into 2 unique membership agreements with PLOS, an open access publisher of high quality journals in science and medicine. These 3-year commitments will waive article processing charges (APCs) for Yale-affiliated authors publishing in PLOS journals! This includes all existing PLOS titles: PLOS Biology, PLOS Medicine, PLOS One, PLOS Computational Biology, PLOS Pathogens, PLOS Genetics, and PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, as well as any new PLOS publications launched during the contract term. Last year Yale authors published more than 100 articles in PLOS journals, with APCs of up to $3,000 per article. Effective Jan. 1, 2021, these author-paid APCs will be eliminated and replaced with annual fees paid by the library. The authors will maintain copyright ownership of their research. Read more Questions? Contact Lindsay Barnett: lindsay.barnett@yale.edu

STAT Plus is here!

The Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, in partnership with the Lillian Goldman Law Library, has established a new subscription to STAT Plus! What is STAT Plus? STAT Plus is STAT’s premium subscription service, which provides you with access to exclusive, in-depth pharma, biotech, life sciences, and policy coverage, keeping you on top of what's happening - as it happens. What does STAT Plus offer? On-the-spot analysis of market-moving news. A first look at early-stage research across the country. Inside intelligence from Capitol Hill. Regular intelligence briefings with our veteran beat reporters and industry experts on key trends and developments. Exclusive networking events, panel discussions, and industry events. Subscriber-only newsletters to get you briefed on important industry news. Complete access to STAT's substantial archives. Access to "cheat sheets," a way to get up to speed quickly on science, biopharma, and health policy issues. Exclusive interviews with CEOs and other industry leaders. Please reach out to Lindsay Barnett with any questions or feedback.

Census Panel Discussion: Recap and Additional Resources

Update: On Monday, March 26th, the Commerce Department announced that the 2020 Census will reinstate the citizenship question for the first time in 70 years. Our panelists discussed some of the dire and far-reaching consequences a Census undercount can have on public and economic health, as well as political representation. A number of states are planning legal action in response to this decision. See "What Can We Do?" below for a list of organizations advocating for a fair and trustworthy Census. Thanks to all who joined us on Tuesday, February 27th for a fascinating discussion: What happens to community health when data is compromised? A discussion panel on the 2020 Census and other survey data. A special thanks to our phenomenal panelists who made this session possible: Rachel Leventhal-Weiner – Data Engagement Specialist at Connecticut Data Collaborative Contact Rachel at rlw@ctdata.org. Kenya Flash – Pol. Sci., Global Affairs & Gov. Info. Librarian at the Center for Science and Social Science Information, Yale University Miriam Olivares – GIS Librarian at the Center for Science and Social Science Information, Yale University Jim Hadler – Senior Consultant, Infectious Disease and Medical Epidemiology, Connecticut and Yale Emerging Infections Program, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists And our Moderator, Kyle Peyton, PhD candidate in Political Science, Yale University, ISPS Policy Fellow. For those of you who could not attend, or want to stay involved in the discussion, here are some highlights and additional resources. What does Census data do?: Informs other population surveys Acts as an integral part of geospatial work Helps determine public health funding based on incidence Allows for analysis of social determinants of health through the American Community Survey, which fills in important details of population data that the decennial Census outlines. Read more about the links between Census data and public health in these articles: Using the Census to understand the link between flu and poverty in New Haven, CT Exploring the relationship between poverty and premature mortality in New York City Why is the Census endangered? A question about citizenship status has been proposed for the 2020 Census. This question has the potential to significantly reduce response rates among already undercounted immigrant and minority communities, jeopardizing the accuracy of the data collected and driving up costs as more resources are used to follow-up with non-responders. As Census data drives redistricting and federal funding, an inaccurate count puts vulnerable communities at risk of not receiving necessary funding and resources. Inaccurate Census data also hinders efforts of public health officers to initiate effective disease prevention programs in high risk communities. In addition, underfunding of the Census has the potential to result in an inaccurate count, as fewer resources are available for field testing and follow-up of non-responders, among other issues. The impacts of an undercount would be felt long after 2020, at both the local and national level. Lack of funding doesn’t just affect the decennial Census, many Census programs and other federal surveys are at risk. As Census data provides the infrastructure for numerous policy, commerce, and research efforts, stripping resources from the Census is like tearing up our roads and highways! What can we do? Reach out to your congressional representative and demand a fair and thorough count! A full count is in their self-interest as well as the communities they represent. Follow The Census Project, a network of organizations that “support a fair and accurate 2020 Census and a comprehensive American Community Survey”. https://thecensusproject.org/ The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) is building a strategy to end gerrymandering and create fairer maps in the 2021 redistricting process. https://democraticredistricting.com/ The Count on Stats initiative of the American Statistical Association aims to educate and advocate for the importance of trustworthy federal statistics. https://www.amstat.org/policy-and-advocacy/count-on-stats The Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics devoted to increasing the public’s knowledge of Federal statistics and creating dialog around the value of Federal statistics for the public good. https://www.copafs.org/ At the local level, The Connecticut Data Collaborative aims to “empower an ecosystem of data users by democratizing access to public data and building data literacy”. In addition to offering processed and machine-readable datasets through their data portal, the CT Data Collaborative offers a monthly open data conference call and provides updates in federal and state data in the news, in addition to various events. https://ctdata.org/ Register for the next Open Data Call and learn more about The CT Data Collaborative’s events here: https://ctdata.org/academy/ Contact a librarian at CWML for questions and additional resources about the Census and its impact on public health!

Endangered Data Week at CWML - Schedule of Events!

Join us the week of February 26 - March 2 as we discuss datasets in danger of being lost or repressed and explore preservation strategies! Biomedical Data Repositories Workshop Monday, 2/26, 4-5pm So you want to put your research data into a repository. Maybe you anticipate citations and credit from other researchers; maybe you practice open science; maybe data sharing is required by your journal or funder. In this workshop, Research and Education Librarian Kate Nyhan, Access Services/Clinical Librarian Alyssa Grimshaw, and Collection Development & Scholarly Communication Librarian Lindsay Barnett will go over some key questions to consider as you choose the right repository for your project. What are the advantages of domain-specific repositories and interdisciplinary repositories? Can you maintain some control over access and reuse of your data? What features facilitate the discovery, re-use, and citation of your data? By the end of the workshop, you’ll be able to discuss the pros and cons of data repositories including OSF, figshare, and NCBI (including PubMed Central’s new data deposit options), and you’ll know how to use re3data.org to find disciplinary repositories. What Happens to Community Health When Data is Compromised? A Discussion Panel on the 2020 Census and Other Survey Data Tuesday, 2/27, 12-1pm, Medical Historical Library Public health researchers and policy-makers rely on accurate, representative policy data to make informed decisions. This panel of researchers, experts, and activists will discuss how proposed changes in the 2020 Census could discourage participation, jeopardizing access to comprehensive population data. The panelists will explore the potential impacts to community health when essential data is lost or compromised. Panelists: Mark Abraham, Executive Director of DataHaven Rachel Leventhal-Weiner, Data Engagement Specialist at Connecticut Data Collaborative Kenya Flash, Pol. Sci., Global Affairs & Gov. Info. Librarian at the Center for Science and Social Science Information, Yale University Miriam Olivares, GIS Librarian at the Center for Science and Social Science Information, Yale University Jim Hadler, Senior Consultant, Infectious Disease and Medical Epidemiology, Connecticut and Yale Emerging Infections Program, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Moderated by Kyle Peyton, PhD Candidate in Political Science, ISPS Policy Fellow This event is co-sponsored by The Institution for Social and Policy Studies (ISPS) at Yale University. Data Discussion: Touring the Cushing Center and the Cushing Tumor Registry Thursday, 3/1, 11am-12pm "The brains are so cool!" All our visitors say that - but have you heard the story of how this collection came to be, and how researchers are still using these samples today? For Endangered Data Week, we're offering this special tour exploring how Cushing Tumor Registry has survived a century, and still supports research today. The Cushing Tumor Registry was endangered when researchers moved institutions, when key staffers retired or died, when funding streams dried up, and when environmental conditions threatened preservation. Could this happen to your project? Join Cushing Center Coordinator Terry Dagradi and Research and Education Librarian Kate Nyhan to discuss the continuing life of this extraordinary (and at one time, endangered) collection. Working with Census Data Thursday, 3/1, 4-5pm The Census Bureau offers rich, longitudinal, geocoded data on health and its social determinants. This workshop will navigate Census.gov to find public-use data releases, technical documentation, and questionnaires for any Census Bureau survey. Join Research and Education Librarian Kate Nyhan and Access Services/Clinical Librarian Alyssa Grimshaw to discuss key concepts for working with census data, including census geographies and the sampling implications of ACS 1-, 3-, and 5-year estimates. You’ll try out American Fact Finder to work with tables and maps, and compare it to licensed mapping tools like SimplyMap, PolicyMap, or SocialExplorer. When you leave the workshop, you’ll be able to leverage this rich public-use data, and you can make an informed decision about which mapping platform is right for you. Can't get enough endangered data? Check out these events hosted by ISPS... Why Reproducibility in (Social) Science Matters (and How to Get it Right) Thursday, 3/1, 10:30am-12pm ISPS Policy Lab, 77 Prospect St. Talk by Brian Earp (Yale University). This talk will give an overview of the relevant history and philosophy of science with respect to reproducibility, mostly using examples from psychology, and explaining why reproducibility is so important. Yale co-sponsors: ISPS, Yale Day of Data, Center for Science and Social Science Information, Graduate Writing Lab Audience: Yale community Making Research Transparent and Reproducible Bad news! This workshop has to be postponed. Email isps@yale.edu if you'd like to be notified when it's rescheduled. Friday, 3/2, 10:30am-12pm ISPS Policy Lab, 77 Prospect St. Workshop with Florio Arguillas (Cornell University). The hands-on workshop is intended primarily for postdocs and graduate and undergraduate students in the social sciences. The workshop will focus on practices that help researchers conduct research efficiently and transparently, including how to create replication documentation for research involving statistical data that can help keep everything organized, enhance researchers’ ability to reconstruct the data processing and analysis they do, and be easily shared with others. Yale co-sponsors: ISPS, StatLab, Center for Science and Social Science Information, Yale Center for Research Computing Audience: Yale postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate students in social sciences. ...And this event hosted by the Department of Linguistics and Yale University Library! Linguistics Friday Lunch Talk Friday, 3/2, 12-1:30pm Sterling Memorial Library Lecture Hall A panel of Linguistics faculty and graduate students will discuss a position paper on reproducible research in linguistics. The panel will consider the role of reproducibility in increasing verification and accountability; associated implications for how linguistic data are managed, cited, and maintained for long-term access; and mechanisms for evaluating "data work" in academic hiring, tenure, and promotion processes. Panelists: Maria Piñango, Associate Professor of Linguistics, Psychology, Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program Jim Wood, Assistant Professor of Linguistics Rikker Dockum, Graduate Student, Linguistics Moderated by Claire Bowern, Professor of Linguistics Sponsors: Department of Linguistics, Yale University Library

Love Data Week at CWML - Schedule of Events!

Join us the week of February 12-16th as we celebrate data! Love Data Week Kick-Off Monday, 2/12, 11am-1pm Join us at the front entrance of the medical library for Valentines, candy, and data! Intro to Genome Browsers Monday, 2/12 2:30-4pm Ensembl provides access to genomic information with a number of visualization tools. This session will review the basic functionalities and navigation of Ensembl by using specific examples. Join Biomedical Sciences Research Support Librarian Rolando Garcia-Milian to explore the data retrieving and visualization capabilities of this resource. Please bring your laptop to follow the instructor. Data Discussion: The Cushing Center and the Cushing Tumor Registry Thursday, 2/15, 11am-12pm You may have seen the Cushing Center, with brains, photographs and more - but have you heard the story of how the collection came to be, and how researchers are still using these samples today? Join Cushing Center Coordinator Terry Dagradi and Research and Education Librarian Kate Nyhan to discuss the continuing life of this extraordinary collection. The Cushing Center will be closed for construction on 2/15, so we will meet in the medical library alcove. You're welcome to drop by at any time in the eleven o'clock hour! Practical Data Research Management Workshop Thursday, 2/15, 4-5pm Planning how you'll manage your research data will save you time and trouble. This workshop will discuss moments of "data management risk" and practical approaches to data management that you can apply in your own work. Join Research and Education Librarian Kate Nyhan and Access Services/Clinical Librarian Ayssa Grimshaw and leave this workshop with a checklist of practical next steps in data management.