The Authority File Round-Up: October 2023

Last month's episodes delved into the value of incorporating creativity into scholarship and the scope of UN Publications.

Posted on November 14, 2023 in Blog

Looking at the intersection between creative expression and academic prose, our first series provided insights into the value of applying a rebellious spirit to scholarly communication. Our guests, editors of the recently published The Frankfurt Kabuff Critical Edition, dig into the title’s genesis at the Frankfurt Book Fair and their manifesto on applying experimentation to research and writing. Throughout the series, our speakers reveal the benefits of embracing creativity and the pitfalls of perfectionism.

Our second series brought together experts from UN Publications, the publishing division of the United Nations. Our speakers explained how UN Publications organizes and disseminates UN research and data, along with the facets of the iLibrary platform. They also underscore the value of the SDG Publishers Compact for librarians, booksellers, and publishers and how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) further structure UN Publications content.

Here’s a quick round-up of the episodes, in case you missed them. We hope you find the conversations engaging, informational, and insightful. Thanks for listening!

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Creative Disruption in Scholarship

Beth Driscoll, Associate Professor of Publishing and Communications at the University of Melbourne, and Claire Squires, Professor of Publishing Studies at the University of Stirling, joined TAF to discuss the benefits of broadening conventional standards of scholarly communication. Detailing how their comic erotic thriller on the publishing industry, The Frankurt Kabuff, evolved into a critical edition published this fall, Beth and Claire underlined the ways collaboration and the novella format added to their work. They also shared what they learned from self-publishing on Wattpad and described principles of their Ullapoolism manifesto on employing creativity, including considering scholarship as a form of activism. Brought to you by Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

Listen to episode one: The Frankfurt Kabuff Critical Edition
Listen to episode two: How Experimentation Yields New Ideas
Listen to episode three: The Ullapoolism Manifesto
Listen to episode four: What Happens Next?

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A Closer Look at UN Publications

TAF’s second series featured Mary Glenn, Chief, Shallu Thomas-Cherian, IT Project Manager, Stephen McGroarty, Editorial Manager, and Antje Kristin Watermann, Associate Marketing Officer, all of UN Publications. Our guests reflected on UN Publications’ mission to share United Nations research with a wide range of readers and the communication required across departments to achieve this goal. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were also covered in depth, with the speakers touching on the SDG book club, SDG Publishers Compact, and how librarians can support the SDGs through curated collections and community events. Brought to you by United Nations Publications.

Listen to episode one: Mission and Scope
Listen to episode two: Organizing and Optimizing Content
Listen to episode three: Introducing iLibrary
Listen to episode four: Global Partnerships and Reach

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Missed September’s episodes? We’ve got you covered.

Centering on the Global Environmental Justice (GEJ) Documentaries project, our September series featured perspectives from a filmmaker and two professors. Our guests emphasized the value documentaries bring to education, delving into the application of films from the project in the classroom and how they can help decenter students’ experiences. The speakers further cover GEJ’s teacher’s guides, user metrics, and the process of fielding feedback from librarians and faculty when determining pricing and selecting films for the collection. Listen to the series here.

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What’s Coming Up in November

In this month’s series, three guests explore the relationship between critical thinking and AI. Noting both pitfalls and benefits of generative AI, our guests underscore the need to approach AI with a critical lens and the importance of fact-checking AI-generated sources. Additionally, our speakers detail how AI is being employed in higher education and publishing and the ways generative AI can spark both fear and wonder among users. Listen to the first episode here.

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You can find more episodes of the Authority File here on our website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks for listening! See you next month.

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