Digital Technologies in Humanities

The presentation outlines the key issues related to the application of digital technologies in humanities scholarship with a special focus on the role of open-source software in this area. Although the application of computers in humanities scholarship dates back to the mid-20th century and spans a wide range of outputs and practices from concordance indices, text tagging, quantitative methods in history and archaeology, to modern-day digital humanities, it is still often inferred that the poor uptake of digital technologies in humanities and the prevalence of print culture have to do with the poor computer skills of humanities scholars and their lack of interest in digital services and infrastructures. At the same time, it is also argued that major services, databases and infrastructures are designed for science and technology, while failing to meet the specific needs of humanities scholars (e.g. multilingual and multi-alphabet support, complex publishing requirements, variety of outputs beyond journal articles and their visibility, etc.). The major areas of development in digital technologies for humanities include text encoding, text and data mining,natural language processing, semantic tools, visualization tools, publishing management software, library and repository software, and web publishing software. The corpus of available solutions is diversified but it is also marked by the lack of interoperability and coordination among the active projects, which is a significant challenge for long-term sustainability. As an area of scholarship that is by far less likely to engender profit than science and technology, humanities rely on a considerably smaller research community and are less attractive for investors and IT developers, which is another crucial sustainability challenge. This is one of the reasons why open-source software plays an important role in humanities-related digital technologies. Bearing in mind the fear of proprietary lock-in, which has followed recent research infrastructure acquisitions by commercial publishers, and efforts towards creating open and interoperable international infrastructures (esp. European Open Science Cloud), it is reasonable to expect that the role of open-source software will be even greater in future

Google Books Partner Program as an Open Access Platform in Research Libraries

U radu se daje kratak pregled osnovnih modela otvorenog pristupa relevantnih za naučne biblioteke i posebno se analiziraju mogućnosti i ograničenja Partnerskog programa Gugl knjige kao platforme otvorenog pristupa na konkretnom primeru (za sada) jedinog naučnog instituta iz Srbije koji se uključio u ovaj program – Instituta tehničkih nauka SANU.\ud Partnerski program Gugl knjige je servis koji omogućava izdavačima, autorima i drugim nosiocima autorskih prava da svoje publikacije potpuno besplatno promovišu na internetu posredstvom online knjižare Gugl knjige. Izdavači ili autori koji učestvuju u programu šalju svoje publikacije Guglu (elektronsku verziju ili štampani primerak); pristigle knjige prolaze kroz OCR obradu i automatsko indeksiranje, nakon čega njihov sadržaj, delimično ili potpunosti (u zavisnosti od želje nosilaca autorskih prava), postaje dostupan korisnicima. Indeks Guglovog pretraživača knjiga inkorporiran je u indeks koji koristi Google.com, što omogućava veću vidljivost publikacija u ovom internet pretraživaču i pretraživost njihovog kompletnog sadržaja. \ud Institut tehničkih nauka SANU uključio se u Partnerski program Gugl knjige u julu 2009. godine na inicijativu biblioteke instituta, a sa ciljem da se u instituciji koja više od tri decenije nije imala biblioteku, u kojoj je stari bibliotečki fond bio potpuno rasut, a čiju izdavačku delatnost zbog višedecenijskog nemara ni danas nije moguće u potpunosti rekonstruisati, stavi tačka na pomenute negativne prakse tako što će se svi u tom trenutku raspoloživi elektronski izvori nastali kao rezultat naučnog rada saradnika instituta arhivirati i, uz saglasnost nosilaca autorskih prava, staviti na raspolaganje korisnicima u režimu otvorenog pristupa. U prvoj fazi, elektronske verzije monografskih publikacija, doktorskih disertacija i postera predstavljenih na konferencijama postavljeni su na sajt instituta u formi liste koja sadrži osnovne bibliografske podatke i linkove ka punom tekstu, a konačni cilj je uspostavljanje institucionalnog repozitorijuma: pretražive baze podataka koja bi pored ovih dokumenata obuhvatila i članke u časopisima. U tom kontekstu, uključivanje u Partnerski program Gugl knjige može se posmatrati i kao „međukorak“ – rešenje koje, s obzirom da obuhvata samo monografske publikacije, u nedostatku tehničkih i finansijskih mogućnosti privremeno i delimično može da nadomesti nedostatak institucionalnog repozitorijuma.\ud U zaključku rada sumiraju se prednosti i nedostaci Partnerskog programa Gugl knjige a i ističe se da ovaj program, koji je prevashodno zamišljen kao besplatna marketinška alatka namenjena velikim izdavačima, malim nekomercijalnim izdavačima (kao što su naučni instituti i muzeji) može da posluži kao platforma za objavljivanje monografskih publikacija u režimu otvorenog pristupa.The paper gives a brief overview of the basic models of open access relevant for research libraries and presents an analysis of possibilities and limitations of the Google Books Partner Program as an open access platform illustrated on the example of the (so far) only research institute in Serbia which became a participant in this program – the Institute of Technical Sciences of SASA.\ud The Google Books Partner Program enables publishers, authors and other copyright holders to promote their books on the internet free of charge through the Google Books online bookstore. It allows them to submit their books (either PDF files or hard copies) to Google; once sent or uploaded, the titles go through parsing and indexing procedures, after which either a limited preview or the full text of the books (depending on copyright holders’ desire) are made public. The Google Books index is integrated with the index of Google.com, which ensures greater visibility of the submitted titles in this search engine and makes them fully searchable.\ud The Institute of Technical Sciences of SASA became a participant in the Google Books Partner Program in July 2009. The idea was initiated from the institute’s library with the aim of putting an end to a set of negative practices in an institution which had not had a library for more than thirty years, whose old library holdings were scattered and whose publishing activity cannot be fully reconstructed due to decades of neglect, by archiving all available digital documents resulting from the institute’s research activities and making them available in the open access regime with permission of copyright holders. In the first stage, digital versions of monographs, doctoral theses and conference posters were published on the institute’s website in the form of a list with basic bibliographic data and links towards full-text documents, while the final aim is to establish an institutional repository: a searchable database which would also include journal papers. Having in mind technical and financial hindrances, participation in the Google Books Partner Program may also be viewed as an ‘interphase’ – a temporary and partial (since it includes only monographs) substitution for an institutional repository. \ud Advantages and drawbacks of the Google Books Partner Program are summarized in the conclusion to this paper, which also highlights the idea that a service designed as a free marketing tool for large publishers may serve to small non-commercial publishers (like research institutes and museums) as an open access platform for monographs

Дефинисање уређивачких политика часописа у отвореном приступу у Србији и улога библиотекара у том процесу

The paper discusses the process of devising an editorial policy template intended for Serbian Open Access journals and the role of librarians in this process. The template was developed with the idea to provide assistance to journals involved in the reapplication process in the Directory of Open Access Journals, as well as to those intending to apply for indexing in the Web of Science and Scopus. This ready-made solution has a modular structure and it covers the publication ethics, editorial and publishing procedures, and rights. Librarians also provided assistance in the process of aligning journal policies with the offered template. An early result of these actions is the positive outcome of the reapplication process for all journals that defined their editorial policies relying on the proposed template. The paper also identifies the future challenges associated with the implementation of the newly defined policies.У раду се разматра процес креирања модела уређивачке политике намењеног домаћим часописима у отвореном приступу и улога библиотекара у том процесу. Модел (образац) је документ који садржи предлог текста уређивачке политике дефинисан тако да задовољи све критеријуме у вези са уређивачком политиком које утврђују база података Directory of Open Access Journals, као и цитатни индекси Web of Science и Scopus. Структура обрасца је модуларна, а основни тематски блокови које покрива обухватају етичка питања у издаваштву, уређивање часописа и објављивање радова, као и ауторска права и права коришћења. Важну улогу у дефинисању обрасца имала су стручна знања која су чланови пројектног тима развили кроз рад у библиотекама научних установа. Библиотекари су пружили и техничку подршку у процесу дефинисања уређивачких политика домаћих часописа, односно у процесу њиховог усклађивања са понуђеним моделом. Један од првих резултата наведених акција јесте успешан исход поступка реапликације у бази података Directory of Open Access Journals за све часописе који су дефинисали уређивачку политику ослањајући се на понуђени образац. Процес дефинисања уређивачких политика домаћих часописа указао је на одређене проблеме, као што су селективна примена препорука, ослањање на непроверене информације које долазе од колега, уз истовремено занемаривање савета библиотекара, и, нарочито, непознавање и неразумевање основних појмова који се односе на ауторска права и права коришћења. Последњи наведени проблем, који одражава слабо развијену свест о ауторским правима у домаћој научној заједници, могао би да доведе у питање спровођење дефинисаних уређивачких политика. Имајући у виду непрофитни карактер и скромне буџете научних часописа из Србије, ангажовање правника који би помогли у решавању поменутог проблема није могуће. Проблем би се могао решити укључивањем библиотекара у едукацију припадника домаће научне заједнице о ауторским правима, нарочито у контексту отвореног приступа, а неопходан предуслов за то јесте унапређивање стучних способности самих библиотекара кроз осавремењивање курикулума и перманентну едукацију

Literature search

The paper seeks to highlight the complexity of literature searching in online bibliographic databases and the importance of developing advanced search skills towards greater search efficiency. The lack of knowledge of the content, structure and operation of databases, poor search skills, and superficiality in assessing search results are discussed as the major obstacles to efficient literature searching. It is suggested that despite technical improvements towards adjusting search engines to natural language processing, the knowledge of traditional search strategies remains highly relevan

Partnerski program Gugl knjige kao platforma otvorenog pristupa u naučnim bibliotekama

Oral presentation at the XI International Conference: OPEN ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE IN LIBRARIES, October 26, 2012, National Library of SerbiaUsmeno izlaganje na XI međunarodnoj konferenciji „Otvoren pristup znanju u bibliotekama“ u organizaciji Bibliotekarskog društva Srbije, Narodna biblioteka Srbije, 26. oktobar 201

The Implementation of Standards in Special Libraries in Serbia

The presentation outlines the most important initiatives aimed at improving the status of special libraries in Serbia. In the Serbian library ecosystem, the concept of special libraries is rather vague. In practice and common usage, the term ‘special libraries’ covers the libraries that are part of public, cultural and research institutions, as well as business organizations. At the same time, the current Law on the Library and Information Service in the Republic of Serbia recognizes the libraries that are part of research organizations as a distinct type of libraries. This is reflected in the Rulebook on the National Standards for Performing the Library Service, where distinct sets of standards are defined for each library type identified in the law. In practice, the standards (in terms of facilities, information and documentation infrastructure, the number of staff, staff education and competencies, etc.) are rarely met and there is no enforcement mechanism to ensure compliance with the standards. Possible solutions could include a more pragmatic approach to defining library standards – e.g. standards based on specific library profiles and services, and not merely on the legal status of individual library types; frequent revisions of the standards that are not necessarily associated with the revisions of the LIS law; and periodic compliance evaluations, the results of which would be publicly available.Presentation at the conference Standardi in knjižnice / Standards for Libraries (27. in 28. september 2018, Hotel City Maribor) : Strokovno posvetovanje sekcij ZBDS, 2018, [ http://www.zbds-zveza.si/?q=standardi-in-knjiznice-2018]Conference abstract: [https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_dais_10632

A. ResearcherID.com – Social Network for Researchers; B. Reference Management Tools

Predavanje na tribini „Bibliotekari u susret istraživačima: novine na polju naučnih informacija u Srbiji“, Institut za nuklearne nauke „Vinča“, 9. april 2009. (organizatori: Biblioteka Instituta za nuklearne nauke “Vinča” i Savet korisnika Biblioteke)Lecture at the Forum Bibliotekari u susret istraživačima: novine na polju naučnih informacija u Srbiji, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Science, April 9, 200

The Implementation of Standards in Special Libraries in Serbia

Avtorica v prispevkuoriše najpomembnejše predloge za izboljšanje statusa specialnih knjižnic v Srbiji. V srbskem knjižničnem ekosistemu je koncept specialnih knjižnic dokaj neoprijemljiv. V praksi in splošni uporabi se termin specialna knjižnica uporablja za knjižnice, ki sodel javnih, kulturnih in raziskovalnih institucij tertudi poslovnih organizacij. Obenem trenutni Zakon o knjižnicah in informacijskih storitvah v Republiki Srbiji prepoznava knjižnice, ki so del raziskovalnih institucij,kot posebno vrsto knjižnic. To seodraža v Pravilniku o nacionalnih standardih za izvajanje knjižničnih storitev, kjer je za vsak tip knjižnice,identificiran v Zakonu,oblikovan poseben set standardov. V praksi se standardi (v smislu storitev, informacijske in dokumentacijske infrastrukture, števila osebja, izobrazbi in kompetencah zaposlenih itd.) redko upoštevajo. Hkrati ne obstaja mehanizem, ki bi zagotovil usklajenost s standardi. Možne rešitve bi lahko vključevale bolj pragmatični pristop k definiranju knjižničnih standardov –npr. standardi na temelju profilov in storitev posameznih knjižnic, in ne le na pravnem statusu posameznih tipov knjižnic; pogoste prenove standardov, ki niso nujno povezani s prenovami področnega zakona; in ponavljajoče evalvacije usklajenosti, katerih rezultati bi bili javno dostopni.The presentation outlines the most important initiatives aimed at improving the status of special libraries in Serbia. In the Serbian library ecosystem, the concept of special libraries is rather vague. In practice and common usage, the term ‘special libraries’ covers the libraries that are part of public, cultural and research institutions, as well as business organizations. At the same time, the current Law on the Library and Information Service in the Republic of Serbia recognizes the libraries that are part of research organizations as a distinct type of libraries. This is reflected in the Rulebook on the National Standards for Performing the Library Service, where distinct sets of standards are defined for each library type identified in the law. In practice, the standards (in terms of facilities, information and documentation infrastructure, the number of staff, staff education and competencies, etc.) are rarely met and there is no enforcement mechanism to ensure compliance with the standards. Possible solutions could include a more pragmatic approach to defining library standards – e.g. standards based on specific library profiles and services, and not merely on the legal status of individual library types; frequent revisions of the standards that are not necessarily associated with the revisions of the LIS law; and periodic compliance evaluations, the results of which would be publicly available.Conference website: [http://www.zbds-zveza.si/?q=standardi-in-knjiznice-2018]Conference presentation: [https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_dais_10635

Strategies for the Scientific Progress of the Developing Countries in the New Millennium: The cases of Serbia, Slovenia and South Korea

The quality and significance of scientific research in any society could be used as mirrors of its prosperity. By comparing two cases of prosperous scientific management, of South Korea and Slovenia, with the problems of poor scientific and industrial productivity typically faced by the developing countries and illustrated using the example of Serbia, a few general guiding lines for the evolution of a society towards higher scientific and social prominence are outlined. It is argued that the most favorable pattern of growth should be based on a parallel progress in control of scientific policies on one side and in the excellence of scientific and basic education on the other. The "leapfrog" tactics, according to which, the less developed countries should learn from the natural cycle of alternate progressions and regressions that the developed countries experience, is invoked as an essential systemic strategy to be adopted. Applied research is demonstrated to be most productive when it is carried out on the basis of already established infrastructural and industrial prosperity. Examples are given in favor of the fact that the technological design and industrial solutions shown as successful in the context of a developed society often turn out to be disastrously impractical and inefficient when simply transformed to less developed social circumstances. As a result, the strategy of an adjustment of production capacities to local needs has to be considered when implementing a new technology on different social, political and economic grounds. Finally, it is concluded that to provide conditions for efficient transfer and implementation of know-how and technologies, embedment into international science and engineering networks is required as much as strong local scientific and technological bases

Open Access Journals in Serbia: Policies and Practices

This study is the result of the project Revisiting Open Access Journal Policies and Practices in Serbia, funded through the EIFL Open Access Programme. The project was implemented by the Serbian Library Consortium for Coordinated Acquisition – KoBSON between 22 March 2016 and 22 January 2017