@leighbutler
Scholarly Communication Librarian (@uottawa.ca)| open science advocate, community-based publishing champion, but also mom to kids, chickens, cats, and a dog 🐓🐈🐶.| #scholcommlab #openscience #scholarlypublishing #libraries
Libraries need to critically engage with language we use when assessing TAs/R&Ps.
Out now: doi.org/10.5860/crln...
with my fantastic co-authors @leighbutler.bsky.social, Jaclyn McLean, Jason Friedman, Erin Fields, and Monica Ward
"Framing outcomes as “savings” or “cost avoidance” may obscure the fact that these agreements often redirect funds rather than reduce overall expenditure."
with co-authors @dededawson.bsky.social, Jaclyn McLean, Jason Friedman, Erin Fields, and Monica Ward
Just published in College & Research Libraries News! 🎉 “Tangled Terms: How We Talk About Transformative Agreements”: doi.org/10.5860/crln.... We argue for more caution with the language used when talking about the "value" of TAs.
A new version of Coalition Publica's Canadian scholarly journal dataset now available on doi.org/10.5683/SP3/..., including latest FRQ support data and new journals. @borealisdata.bsky.social @pkp.sfu.ca @erudit.org
We’re excited to announce the launch of Philosophical Logic at the Open Library of Humanities.
This follows another mass editorial resignation at Springer Nature (open letter linked in the announcement).
Read more:
'Van Bellen and Céspedes identify three defining traits of the Canadian journal landscape:
1. The exceptionally high prevalence of diamond open access,
2. The predominance of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines, and
3. The relative absence of commercial publishers (p. 104).
Fab summary of @simonvbellen.bsky.social and @lucyces.bsky.social 's amazing work documenting the diamond OA landscape in Canada: doi.org/10.5206/cjil...
Go Canada and a special nod to our library publishing programs 🇨🇦.
"Canada’s strong library publishing sector is critically enabled by OJS, which allows universities and research centres to retain control over scholarly communication infrastructure rather than outsourcing it to commercial entities"
Le 1er janvier 2026, le CNRS coupera l’accès au Web of Science, Core Collection et Journal Citation Reports. Une nouvelle étape de sa politique en faveur de la science ouverte pour promouvoir des alternatives ouvertes, transparentes et responsables.
This blog summarises the crippling intellectual and scholarly consequences of the financial drain of commercial scientific publishing.
Builds on earlier work on strain and oligopoly of publishing:
Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Strain: bit.ly/StrainQSS
Oligopoly: bit.ly/OligSciPub
The collective profits are staggering, actually overwhelming. So, let's resist: "The good news is that if the drain has a particular history and geography, it means that it is not inevitable. It can be resisted." @danbrockington.bsky.social @aileenfyfe.bsky.social @stefhaustein.scholcommlab.ca
Over the past months (and at least 11 versions!), I was lucky to work with 11 amazing colleagues on a call to action to reform academic publishing.
Not another declaration, but an appeal to our powerful friends, research funders & institutions, to Stop the Drain of Scientific Publishing. 1/n
💎 The Diamond Discovery Hub (DDH), which aims to list all European #DiamondOA journals, was officially launched at the @craft-oa.bsky.social Conference #CRAFT_OA2025 #DDH
In this 3-minute introductory video to the DDH, the basics of the Hub are explained @eudch.bsky.social
📽️ www.craft-oa.eu/ddh/
One week until this amazing event! Open to all, come join us in-person at uO (CRX 230) or on zoom. Registration link below!