UAB’s Office of Scholarly Communication (OSC) is a new central campus resource equipped to answer questions from Blazers working to establish publishing agreements, understand copyright guidelines, use Open Access publishing and more.UAB’s Office of Scholarly Communication (OSC) is a new central campus resource equipped to answer questions from Blazers working to establish publishing agreements, understand copyright guidelines, use Open Access publishing and more.
The OSC was born from a need Jeff Graveline, J.D., professor and associate dean for Research and Scholarly Communication for UAB Libraries, recognized during more than a decade of teaching copyright workshops on campus: There was no central hub where Blazers could take questions about topics such as copyright and publishing. So Graveline created one.
“The OSC is a one-stop office where people can have their copyright and scholarly communication questions answered, schedule individual consultations and group workshops to learn more about a variety of topics,” he said.
The OSC can support faculty at any stage of their careers, Graveline added, by helping them incorporate affordable instructional materials into their courses or making their work more accessible through Open Access publishing models.
“The OSC is a one-stop office where people can have their copyright and scholarly communication questions answered, schedule individual consultations and group workshops to learn more about a variety of topics and get support in a wide range of areas."The office also can help faculty create their Open Researcher and Contributor iD (ORCID iD), a unique identifier that certain federal funding sources now require for individuals supported by research training, fellowship, research education and career development awards. The NIH encourages all researchers to have an ORCID iD.
“It’s critical that our researchers remain in compliance with funding federal requirements,” Graveline said. “The OSC can play a role in making sure researchers have the information and support they need to comply.”
Students also can use the OSC to work smarter, not harder.
“Students can benefit from using the OSC to learn more about Creative Commons, Open Access publishing and the rights they have in their own works,” Graveline said.
Some of the OSC’s biggest offerings are its copyright workshops. Graveline says those can be tailored to specific needs such as fair use, copyright for online courses and more. Users can submit specific questions directly to Graveline using an online form and find basic information about scholarly communications topics on its website.
Information provided by the OSC is not legal advice and is not intended to replace the advice of qualified legal counsel. Graveline expects to expand the topics covered and support offered with a three-year strategic plan; learn more online.
