Twitter shuts down SciHub

 Reposted from LibLicense list-serv

===========================

"Twitter last week permanently suspended the account of Sci-Hub, the website that has posted millions of freely accessible copies of scientific articles pirated from subscription journals. Twitter said Sci-Hub had violated its policy against promoting “counterfeit goods,” according to Sci-Hub’s founder, Alexandra Elbakyan.

The notification came shortly after a 6 January court hearing in India about a lawsuit filed by three of the world’s largest journal publishers—Elsevier, Wiley, and the American Chemical Society—which are seeking to block public access to Sci-Hub in that country because of copyright infringement. Elbakyan says Sci-Hub’s defense to the suit, filed in December 2020, will rely in part on tweets from Indian scientists who have said they support continued access to Sci-Hub because they cannot afford subscriptions to journal content.

Sci-Hub started its Twitter account 9 years ago, and it had attracted more than 180,000 followers. That number pales in comparison with the more than 3 million unique internet addresses people used to download scholarly articles from Sci-Hub during a 6-month period in 2016, according to a news article in Science. The website now claims to offer more than 85 million papers for download—a large chunk of the world’s scientific literature."

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/01/twitter-shuts-down-account-sci-hub-pirated-papers-website

=========================

Read more about SciHub

MLA Research Training Institute for Librarians now accepting applications

 Reposted from MLA

Apply for the Research Training Institute ’21! Find out more about the application process. Learn more about full scholarships available to most applicants. Submit an online application. Deadline extended to January 25, 2021. Are you a library professional who wants to take your research skills to the next level? Do you have a brilliant idea or research topic that you want to pursue but do not know where to start and need help from your peers and experts to carry it through? The Medical Library Association (MLA) Research Training Institute (RTI) is a unique, highly effective, and collaborative online research training and support program. The RTI ’21 immerses practicing librarians in scholarly research, inquiry, and publishing. Librarians of all levels of professional experience and from all types of work environments who provide health information, services, and support; have an interest in increasing their research skills and confidence; and want to improve library and health care outcomes are encouraged to apply to the RTI program. The institute is a one-year online program that consists of a series of online modules in advanced research methods, mentoring by faculty experts and peer coaches, preparation and implementation of a research project, and an opportunity to present findings at the MLA ’22 virtual conference. RTI ’21 features an expanded research curriculum and greater affordability and flexibility for participants. Learn more about RTI program details. RTI ’21 Application Deadline Extended to January 25, 2021 The application deadline for the 2021 cohort of RTI research fellows has been extended to January 25, 2021. Accepted applicants will be notified in March 2021. See the RTI Submission Process for eligibility requirements and selection criteria. The institute offers many full scholarship opportunities, including scholarships for professionals who work in small libraries and academic health libraries; engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) research; and have limited financial means. Discover and nurture your research talents! Learn how to conduct and lead quality research projects to improve your library and support quality health care. Meet like-minded research colleagues, make lifelong friends, gain research skills and confidence, form collaborations with other researchers, and help end-users improve health and wellness! Apply today! Read more about the RTI success story. Read what RTI fellows say about the RTI experience at @RTIatMLA. The project is made possible in part by a grant from the US Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). If you would like to learn more about the institute, please visit the RTI website or contact RTI Project Director Susan Lessick, AHIP, FMLA.

Dear Pandemic

In March 2020, an all-female interdisciplinary team of researchers and clinicians created the website Dear Pandemic.  Their goal was to provide the public with facts about COVID-19 in the face of rampant misinformation.  Every week, they host a live Q&A session to answer reader submitted questions.  Additionally, they keep a fantastic curated list of trusted resources.

Important Changes to NCBI Accounts Coming in 2021

[This article first appeared on the NCBI Insights Blog Jan 5, 2021.]

Do you login to NCBI to use MyNCBI, SciENcv, or MyBibliography? Do you submit data to NCBI? If so, you’ll want to read further to get a first glimpse at some important changes to NCBI accounts that will be coming in 2021.

What’s happening?

In brief, NCBI will be transitioning to federated account credentials. NCBI-managed credentials are the username and password you set at NCBI — these will be going away. Federated account credentials are those set through eRA Commons, Google, or a university or institutional point of access.

Why is this happening?

NIH, NLM, and NCBI take your privacy and security very seriously. As part of our normal reviews we have determined that making this change will increase the security of your accounts to a level that we feel is necessary.

When is this happening?

After June 1, 2021, you will no longer be able to use NCBI-managed credentials to login to NCBI.

What do I need to do?

If you currently use a federated login to access your NCBI account, you don’t have to do anything! Just be aware that if you also access your account with an NCBI-managed username and password, that route will be going away.

If you only have NCBI-managed credentials and you’d like to get a head start on this transition, you can do the following now:

1. Login to NCBI the way you usually do.
2. Click on your username in the top bar to load your NCBI Account Settings page.
3. If your Settings page looks like Figure 1, where you have a “Native NCBI Account” username and password and have no linked accounts, then you will need to add a linked account.
4. To add a linked account, click the “Change” button under Linked Accounts.
5. You may choose several options for a linked account including the following:

• Google
• University/institutional
• login.gov

Figure 1. NCBI Accounts Settings page showing a “Native” NCBI account without any linked accounts.

What about my account data?

This change will not affect the actual data in your account, such as your MyBibliography, SciENcv, or submission data. The only thing that is changing are the credentials you use to access your account.

What if I have questions?

We’re here to help! You can always write to info@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov for more information, particularly if you would be interested in helping us with this transition by being willing to migrate your credentials early. Your willingness will help us make the transition easier for everyone!

The first WHSLA Wisdom Chat for 2021: Connecting with your users during the pandemic

 An open discussion of WHSLA members sharing their collective wisdom on Thursday, January 21, 2021, from 12:30 to 1:30 pm.  Contact Barb Ruggeri (bruggeri at carrollu.edu)if you did not receive an invitation.

Meet Dr. Ala Stanford

We're into the second year of the pandemic, but there's still good news out there.  Check out the AMA's interview  with Philadelphia's Dr. Ala Stanford.  Last April, Dr. Stanford founded the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium to offer free testing to residents who wouldn't otherwise have access.  She has become the face of COVID-19 advocacy within her community, working to provide a trusted source of medical care and alleviate fears about the vaccine.

Photo from Phillymag.com