Bibliometrics is the quantitative analysis of journal articles, books and other publications, which can be used to understand elements of research performance and impact. With the acquisition of two bibliometric databases, SciVal and InCites, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Libraries has published a Responsible Use of Bibliometrics Statement to provide guidance for the TMU research community and raise awareness of the strengths and limitations of bibliometric indicators. This statement joins a growing list of responsible metrics statements from institutions and libraries across Europe and North America.

Responsible use of bibliometrics is especially important in the current Canadian research funding landscape now that the Tri-Agency funders have affirmed the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). NSERC has also released guidelines on research assessment that advises against using “surrogate measures”, such as bibliometrics:

The quality and impact of contributions to research should be assessed directly, where possible. Surrogate measures of quality and impact, such as the prestige of a publication venue or citation-based metrics (e.g., journal impact factor or h-index) must not be used as they introduce bias in the merit review process.[1]

Reliance on bibliometric measures in research assessment have been shown to be potential obstacles in the area of equity and inclusion, and can contribute to “structural inequalities in academia.”[2] For example, Diana Kwon cites political philosopher Perry Zurn on issues of citational justice: “We have really strong evidence that women are undercited and that people of colour are undercited.”[3] Responsible use of bibliometrics statements advocate for the direct and holistic evaluation of research, which can work towards addressing these inequities.

Direct evaluation of research also includes expanding which outputs are valued as part of scholarly knowledge creation and should therefore be considered in research assessment. NSERC, in their comprehensive “Forms of contributions to research”, points out that while scholarly journal articles are a valued research output when it comes to assessment, other forms of output and their impact should also be assessed.[4] A more expansive view of research contributions may include: equity and inclusion work in the research ecosystem, community service, policy impact, knowledge translation and mobilization activities, creation and curation of datasets, creation of intellectual property, and support for traditional knowledge and Indigenous Ways of Knowing.[5]

Educating the research community regarding the responsible use of bibliometric indicators is foundational to TMU Libraries’ emerging bibliometrics and research impact services. TMU Libraries’ Responsible Use of Bibliometrics Statement provides guidance for the responsible use of bibliometric tools, but also advocates for a holistic view of research performance evaluation, which includes both qualitative evaluation and quantitative indicators.

Read TMU Libraries’ Responsible Use of Bibliometrics Statement here: https://library.torontomu.ca/bibliometrics-statement/

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[1] Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. (2022, December 1). Guidelines on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring. Government of Canada. https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/NSERC-CRSNG/Policies-Politiques/assessment_of_contributions-evaluation_des_contributions_eng.asp
[2] Hatch, A., Barbour, G., & Curry, S. (2020, August 18). The intersections between DORA, open scholarship, and equity. DORA News and Announcements. https://sfdora.org/2020/08/18/the-intersections-between-dora-open-scholarship-and-equity/
[3] Kwon, D (2022): The rise of citational justice: how scholars are making references fairer. Nature 603, 568-571. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00793-1
[4] Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. (2022, December 1). Guidelines on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring. Government of Canada. https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/NSERC-CRSNG/Policies-Politiques/assessment_of_contributions-evaluation_des_contributions_eng.asp
[5] Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. (2022, December 1). Guidelines on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring. Government of Canada.
https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/NSERC-CRSNG/Policies-Politiques/assessment_of_contributions-evaluation_des_contributions_eng.asp

RACER, the software that has supported interlibrary loan activity for over 20 years across Ontario University Libraries, has reached end-of-life and is being discontinued by the vendor. Over the next few months, Toronto Metropolitan University Libraries will begin transitioning interlibrary loan to a new platform. 

Effective December 8, 2023, TMU RACER accounts will no longer be functional and new requests will not be accepted within the old system. Any requests already in progress will be fulfilled as planned. However, there’s no need to be concerned, as we are implementing a new system and improved process to ensure uninterrupted access to interlibrary loan services.  

We are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible. 

During the post-December 8 implementation period, users will discover a new Blank Request Form available on the Libraries’ website for submitting their requests. If you have included information in your teaching materials directing students to RACER, kindly redirect them to our Blank Request Form.

Great news! The new system is fully prepared to meet all of your interlibrary loan needs!

• No services will be lost. Your access to materials at other libraries will remain unchanged.
• No more separate login and password! Your TMU credentials will provide access to Library materials and all related services.   
• Users simply select ‘Request Resource From Another Library’ to request an item that TMU does not own.

Please feel free to send any questions to interlibloan@torontomu.ca

Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Libraries institutional repository preserves and disseminates all TMU faculty and student research outputs, making it easy to discover, share and cite work.  

Updated from a previous repository platform to RShare (a powerful open access repository system) and launched in 2021, the institutional repository holds the work of TMU faculty, researchers, and students in a single location. The platform supports any file type including: text, images, video, audio, datasets and 3D models. TMU community members can submit and also discover research and the work of their peers – from articles to conference and working papers. “I have been working on a wide variety of modalities and research formats, which can all be captured through RShare,” says Jack Layton Chair and Professor Ken Moffatt, adding that “by referring people to RShare they can see the work I have done including: video, podcasts, SSHRC research site, articles both refereed and non refereed and scholarly books.” 

Greater access to TMU research also improves discoverability by other institutions, peers and researchers, globally.  “RShare brings faculty work together under one institutional banner,” says Digital Repository Coordinator, Toby Malone. “This encourages trust in work that’s been carefully curated and stringently checked for copyright requirements.”

Having a central holding of research outputs for any academic institution enables it to showcase and highlight innovative areas of research being studied at that institution; as well as work that is breaking new ground. It also promotes equitable access and makes research and data public – a requirement of the tri-agency funding programs. For faculty, it gives their peers (national and international) open access to their scholarly outputs, which in turn helps to establish more collaborations and higher citation numbers, increasing the impact of their work. 

These open research platforms benefit the research community in many ways, including the possibility of continuing to further develop work through community awareness and collaboration. They also result in less of a need to rely on sites like ResearchGate and Academia.edu for content sharing.

Sociology Professor and Director of the Centre for Studies in Food Security, Mustafa Koc has worked with Malone to add his work on food systems to RShare. “I tried using different programs to load my publications online,” says Koc, adding “my experiences often ended with frustration.” In using RShare, Malone guided him through how the platform works and provided support in uploading articles. Koc has now posted some of his older, harder to find, papers and is digging up files which could have archival significance about food systems activism in Canada. “Posting these on RShare will not only improve accessibility to my files, but also accessibility to many of my other colleagues and to the research community at TMU,” says Koc.

This past year the TMU repository collection has grown substantially. Malone has played a major role in its growth by directly reaching out to faculty and encouraging participation and submissions to RShare. “Over the last year, close to one thousand TMU faculty members across every department in the institution have been contacted,” says Malone. His efforts have paid off. The number of faculty subscribers to the platform is now 787 and growing, up from 240 members in 2022. Along with the number of subscribers, the number of items submitted to the repository has increased. In September 2022 RShare held 7,343 items. Since then, 2,349 items have been added, including: links to 50 books, 63 book chapters, 38 conference papers, 6 datasets, 3 figures, 1,205 journal articles, 19 media items, 67 online resources, 4 posters, 203 preprints, 14 presentations, 124 reports, and 553 theses/dissertations/MRPs.

The response to the new repository continues to be more than enthusiastic and faculty like Mustafa Koc and Ken Moffatt are helping to spread the word. “I contacted my department and asked my chair to add an RShare link to our personal accounts when updating the website,” says Koc, noting that he also wants to learn how to upload data and documents. “I refer my colleagues and students to RShare. It is very helpful to have a location on campus that collects all modes of my academic work and community outreach,” says Moffatt.

RShare is open to the TMU community. If you are TMU faculty, researcher, instructor or student and would like to learn more, please contact TMU Libraries Digital Repository Coordinator, Toby Malone: toby.malone@torontomu.ca

To activate a free account, visit: https://rshare.library.torontomu.ca/

Open access materials are academic materials that are legally accessible and distributed online, free of cost. The theme for this year’s International Open Access Week (October 23-29) is “Community over Commercialization,” encouraging a candid conversation about which approaches to open scholarship prioritize the best interests of the public and the academic community, and the importance of wider access to published research. 

Public access to scholarly research is crucial for several reasons:

• Knowledge Dissemination: Open research ensures that knowledge from scientists is accessible worldwide.
• Informed Decision-Making: Policymakers can make data-driven decisions by accessing the latest scientific findings.
• Inclusivity: Open research breaks down location and affiliation barriers, democratizing information access.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Open research allows researchers from different domains to build on each other’s work.
• Economic Efficiency: Open access reduces subscription costs for institutions, ensuring sustainable research practices.
• Global Problem-Solving: Publicly available research enhances collaboration on global challenges.
• Educational Value: Students and educators can access current research, aiding learning and teaching.
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Open research fuels innovation by providing data for entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses.
• Ethical Transparency: It aligns with principles of transparency, accountability, and fairness, ensuring publicly funded research benefits the public.

In recognition of International Open Access Week, the TMU Libraries are hosting the following three events. We encourage faculty and graduate students to attend one of our three open access week events and learn more about how open access can help academics find a wider audience for their research.

Show and Tell: Open Access Publishing Tools

Date: Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Time: 11  a.m.-12  p.m. EST
Format: In-person LIB 387 – Library Collaboratory

Register: Show and Tell: Open Access Publishing Tools

Join us in the TMU Library Collaboratory for a look at the specialized open access tools available to support your research and teaching. During our roundtable event, library experts will be on hand to answer all your questions about RShare, our digital repository, Open Journal Software for scholarly publishing, Pressbooks and H5P for creating interactive books and textbooks, and LaTex for writing, editing and publishing scientific documents. Participants will also have an opportunity to tour the Collaboratory and explore the features available to members, including AR/VR equipment, digital fabrication tools, and drones. 

 

TMU Academic Leaders Discuss Open Access to Research

Date: Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Time: 3  p.m. – 4  p.m. EST
Format: Online on Zoom

Register: TMU Academic Leaders Discuss Open Access to Research

Join us online for an Open Access Week panel event hosted by the TMU Libraries. Chief Librarian Mark Robertson will moderate a discussion with academic leaders Sean Kheraj, Dr. Teresa Chan and Michael Kolios, on the value of open access research. 

 

Let’s Talk Series: Learn how to use RShare

Date: Thursday, October 26, 2023
Time: 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. EST
Format: Online on Zoom

Register: Let’s Talk Series: Learn how to use RShare

Learn more about the RShare digital repository including  how to set up your profile, tie it to your ORCID account, and deposit your academic work and data. This workshop will show you how to use the RShare knowledge mobilization platform hosted by the Library. This session is open to faculty members and instructors.

Walk through the research process with someone, or access your favourite publications online

By: Michelle Grady
Originally published Sept 15 by Toronto Metropolitan University

 

If you are receiving an error message when trying to access digital course reading lists on D2L, please clear your cache to resolve the issue. Instructions to clear your cache can be found on the CCS website.

If you are enrolled in a Distance Education course and are receiving an error message when trying to access course reading lists, please inform your instructor. Instructors should contact reserve@torontomu.ca to have their links updated to a torontomu link in D2L.

We hope everyone is having a successful exam period – the Spring/Summer term is almost complete!

• Please clear any outstanding fines and return overdue items as soon as possible. Head to the renewals page to see if you have overdue items or fines greater than $25. Students with fines greater than $25 will not be able to view their grades until their accounts are cleared.
• All fines can be paid to the Library at the Circulation Deskeither by VISA, MasterCard, American Express or with your OneCard. The Library also accepts credit card payment by phone – please call 416-979-2149. We do not accept personal cheques.

If you have questions or concerns about fines or overdue items, please contact Library Circulation access@torontomu.ca

Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Libraries has once again partnered with the Aga Khan Museum to develop digital installations for their current Rumi exhibition. Since 2019, the Libraries’ Information Technology (LITs) and Collaboratory teams have collaborated with the Museum on immersive projects for exhibitions, providing graduate students with real-world opportunities to work on digital installations. The first collaboration was the 2021 Remastered exhibition of Persian, Turkish, and Mughal Indian manuscript paintings, in which the Libraries developed: holographic 3-D visualizations, smartphone interactives, digital restorations and animations of artwork. The partnership has continued to grow, giving unique opportunities for graduate students to gain experience working with immersive technologies. 

Last August, the Aga Khan Museum reached out to TMU Libraries to kick off discussions about their then upcoming exhibition titled Rumi: a visual journey through the life and legacy of a Sufi Mystic. The exhibition, which opened in May and runs through to October 2023, “celebrates one of history’s most famous poets on the 750th anniversary of his passing.” Dr. Michael Chagnon, who joined the Museum in 2019, curated the exhibit that explores “Rumi’s enduring impact through an examination of artifacts, manuscripts, and contemporary art.” TMU Libraries, along with a group of contemporary artists, was asked to assist in creating new ways of learning about the poet’s life and experiencing his work.

Under the direction of TMU Libraries’ Immersive Technology Specialist Michael Carter-Arlt, the partnership (and this project), has given way to the opportunity for Library Collaboratory research assistants and TMU graduate students Ava Mozaffari, Liam Gregory and recent grad Jae Seo to gain experience and expand their skills in fabrication and 3D printing, contextual video creation, and large-scale projections. 

“The Libraries’ partnership with the Aga Khan Museum has allowed students and faculty to learn how XR technology can be used for museums,” says Carter-Arlt. “It’s rewarding and a privilege to work with and mentor graduate students, as they develop their own professional portfolios.”

Mozaffari, an international student and 2023 graduate of the TMU Master of Digital Media program, worked as an assistant developer on the project creating a contextual video and a portrait projection of Rumi. “This project was a fusion of my Persian roots, and digital art and technology,” she says. “It allowed me to expand my technical capabilities and also gain a richer appreciation for my own culture and its enduring impact on the world.” 

The portrait, a ten by ten foot tiling animation made up of multiple images related to the poet, is seen at the beginning of the exhibit and acts as an introduction to the poet’s work and life. From a distance, visitors see the poet’s face. As they move towards the projection they discover folios, significant artifacts, statues of and poems by Rumi. The piece provides an understanding of the poet’s legacy in a single instance through a purely visual context. 

Using the open-source programming language Processing, Mozaffari developed and coded the installation so it could be re-scaled, re-formatted and re-purposed for new projects. Prior to this she worked in Processing for student projects, but had not explored its use for such a  large piece. This project pushed her to learn how to adapt and alter the code.

Recent computer science graduate Jae Seo had previously worked with Carter-Arlt on the Remastered exhibition and acted as a consultant for the Rumi projection portrait. Similar to Mozaffari, Seo valued the opportunity to further develop skills and explore Persian-Islamic culture. “This project allowed me to utilize AI tools to expedite the process for coding using Processing, a language I’m not very familiar with,” says Seo. “It also opened my eyes to the captivating intricacies of Islamic culture.”

In addition to the portrait, Liam Gregory, a graduate student in Computer Science, assisted with the 3D printing of three exhibit artifacts. The prints were done in collaboration with artist Simin Keramati who had also created an interactive installation for the exhibition. While knowledgeable about the 3D printing process, Gregory had not worked on a large-scale project. Through the collaboration, and working from 3D models that had been created by Carter-Arlt, he was able to gain a solid grounding in 3D printing. 

“The pieces for the Rumi exhibit presented an interesting challenge in printing sturdy parts for public use. Getting such large and strange pieces to print well was a neat test of my skills and of equipment available at the Library Collaboratory,” says Gregory. “It was great to help out the exhibit and add something very different to my portfolio.”

In total, the LITs and Library Collaboratory teams developed five immersive experiences. In addition to the portrait projection and 3D printing of artifacts, the project scope included: a 13th century interactive timeline of world events, Rumi’s life and his impact on art and architecture; a contextual video depicting three folios related to Rumi’s poetry; and a touch screen application that allows visitors to engage with selections of four Rumi poems.

“Our partnership with the Aga Khan Museum has been a wonderful opportunity for our students to gain valuable experience that they can take into their career,” says Kelly Dermody, head of LITs. “We hope to explore more partnerships with organizations like the Aga Khan Museum in the future.”

 

 

Do you use streaming media and DVDs for instruction? TMU Libraries is conducting a survey to learn more about multimedia needs for teaching. Fill out our brief survey (15 – 20 mins) and let us know about your current usage, challenges, and costs.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated and will help to better inform our collection development priorities and licensing needs. 

Fill out survey: Teaching with streaming media and DVDs

The survey deadline is May 31, 2023.

Theatre aficionado saved over 4,000 theatre programs making it one of the largest personal collections

Article by: Michelle Grady

 

TMU students and faculty interested in the history of Canadian theatre will now have access to one of the largest private collections of theatre playbills and programs from Toronto, Broadway and London’s West end dating back nearly 70 years.

Theatre aficionado Paul Christie, who was well known in the theatre community in Toronto, amassed a huge personal collection of playbills and programs dating back to 1953, which has kindly been donated to the TMU Libraries Special Collections.

“Before Paul passed in 2021, he and I were talking one day and I asked him, ‘what would you want done with your collection when you’re gone?” says Arnie Lappin, Christie’s close friend and colleague at the Elgin-Winter Garden Theatre, where he worked as an usher for 25 years. Christie’s collection is extensive, dating from 1952 to 2020 and it includes approximately 4,000 theatre bills and programs, as well as ticket stubs, reviews and images from performances.

 

After extensive research and consideration, Lappin connected with the TMU Libraries’s Special Collections, where students and researchers at the School of Performance, as well as the general public, could access this extensive archive of theatre materials and dive into a great historical record of theatre in Toronto.

“It was really important that these go somewhere where they would be accessed by students and that they would be used and appreciated and have a life in research,” says Alison Skyrme, special collections librarian. She and her team at the Special Collections have been busy cataloguing and digitizing Christie’s collection, which will be ready for full access come summertime.

A theatre buff and mentor

 

Christie had a deep personal interest in theatre productions, says Lappin. “Paul’s knowledge of the performing arts was peerless, and he unconditionally supported the careers of generations of emerging actors, singers and writers.”

Though he worked as a court reporter professionally, he also worked and volunteered for over 25 years at various Toronto theatres, including the Elgin-Winter Garden Theatre, where he met Lappin. “All during his life he was a mentor to hundreds of aspiring performers, writers and directors – attending their shows, events, reading their books and scripts. As he neared retirement he began working at Toronto theatres as an usher and eventually worked at the Elgin-Winter Garden Theatre Centre in that capacity for 25 years.”

Christie organized his collection of about 4,000 theatre bills and programs in binders by date, and included reviews or images that appeared in the theatre section of the paper. Skyrme says the Library is keeping these materials as they catalogue everything.

“I think the history of theatre in Toronto is really held here,” she says. “There are programs from other cities as well, but it’s mainly focused on Toronto, and it’s really fascinating to see that there were theatres that no longer exist, including one called the Crest Theatre.”

Though there are databases online that contain information about theatre productions in Toronto, Skyrme says she isn’t certain how far they go back. “This collection has information that might not be available anywhere else.”

“The fact that it is so organized means that his intentions in the collection are very clear. We know exactly how he accessed them himself and how he wanted them to be catalogued,” she says. “So we tried to stay true to that and keep it as he had organized it.”

The collection will be available to view at the Library’s Special Collections this spring.

 

Article posted on TMU Today, March 23