Webinar Series: Open Science and Libraries
10 AUGUST 2020
Making knowledge available and accessible is a major criterion for finding innovative solutions for the crisis the world is currently going through. The aim of Open Science Movement is to make scientific research at all levels and formats available to everyone so that learning, research, creation of additional knowledge, collaborations and innovations can take place. This has become critical as scientific research is becoming more and more data-driven and the need to share data and knowledge in order to curb wasteful duplication and scale discoveries and economies continues to increase.
Africa’s need for Open Science goes beyond finding solutions for the COVID-19 pandemic and assisting people to navigate the new normal successfully. The developmental challenges in the continent are escalating. Open Science will enable sharing of knowledge on how to solve these challenges that are holding the continent back. This is crucial for the growth of the motherland.
AfLIA believes that African libraries have huge roles to play as they fit in clearly as major proponents in making knowledge open, available and accessible to all. That is the reason this series of webinars have been arranged to widen the understanding of African librarians on Open Science Movement and to equip these professionals to be in the forefront of advocating and leading the practice for Openness of knowledge across the entire continent.
Emerald Publishing, one of the world’s leading independent digital-first scholarly publishing house with headquarters in UK is graciously providing a seasoned resource person, Valerie Robillard who is currently a Senior Publisher in the Open Research team at the organisation. Valerie assists with the strategic development of the Emerald Publishing Service, working with partner organisations and editors around the world to publish and develop their open access journals. She also supports open access initiatives implemented by Emerald. Previous to her current role, Valerie was Publisher of economics and finance journals and New Launch Publisher at Emerald significantly contributing to the growth of journals across business and management subject areas published by Emerald. Valerie holds a Master in International Business and Foreign Languages (English and German) from the University of Angers, France and BA (Hons) in European Studies from the University of Hull, UK.
The series will take off by Valerie providing answers to the question –
What is Open Science? On Tuesday, 25thAugust 2020, @10am GMT | 11AM WAT | 12pm CAT | 1PM EAT (Webinar 1)
She will continue the discussion on 1st September, 2020 by tackling;
Institutional and National Repositories in Africa and possibilities of centralized data repositories in Africa. 1st September, 2020 @10am GMT | 11AM WAT | 12pm CAT | 1PM EAT (Webinar 2)
Valerie will conclude her presentations on Tuesday 8th September, 2020 by delving into Research Data Management;
Research Data Management: Practices and present challenges. 8th September, 2020 @10am GMT | 11AM WAT | 12pm CAT | 1PM EAT (Webinar 3)
Registration
This is a free webinar and open to all African library and information professionals. Completing the registration form automatically enrolls you in all three webinars.
Carefully read the section on Technical Requirements to help you prepare adequately for this webinar.
Technical Requirements
Upon registration, reminders will be sent to all registrants periodically. This webinar will be hosted on Zoom Conferencing Platform. Participants, who do not have Zoom on their mobile devices and or computers, need to download, install and create an account on Zoom ahead of time (CLICK TO DOWNLOAD). Webinar attendees are encouraged to join early, preferably 15 minutes before the start of the webinar, as one may need time launch the application. The speaker will use a webcam to connect with attendees. Audio and video for the session will be streamed over computer speakers. Attendees are therefore encouraged to connect with a headset or earpiece for maximum utility. Participants will be able to ask questions and interact with the presenters and other webinar participants via the Q&A and chat features in Zoom.
Webinar Materials
A list of resources and further information will made be available at the end of the webinar, to enable thorough engagement with the webinar content. All registrants will have access to the presentation slides. The webinar recording will be uploaded on AfLIA Youtube Channel soon after the webinar to facilitate continuous engagement with the webinar content by webinar attendees and non-attendees. Webinar attendees who will present for at least two out of three in the webinar series may be eligible for a certificate of participation from AfLIA.
Queries
For further enquiries and assistance about the webinar contact us at afliacomm@aflia.net. Bring this to the attention of your colleague librarians as well as those in your professional circle. Also promote this webinar in your networks. It is free!!!