Distinguished Seminar Series
OCLC Research has hosted the Distinguished Seminar Series since 1978, to encourage exchange of ideas and thought leadership on topics that impact libraries, library staff, and librarianship. The series invites presenters to speak with OCLC staff and the library community on current issues facing the field, their current research, or other initiatives they have undertaken or recently completed. The format includes a presentation, followed by Q&A from the audience. Some presentation topics align with current OCLC Research areas of focus, while others may inspire our future directions. The series, which is live streamed and recorded for future viewing, strives to bring a diversity of perspectives to a global library audience and inspire call to action.
Upcoming DSS Events
More events coming soon!
Recent DSS Events
Distinguished Seminar Series: Sustainability—A Call to Action for the Library Community
Virtual
Topics: Distinguished Seminar Series
Distinguished Seminar Series: "Strategies to preserve the past and shape our collective future: The HBCU Library Alliance – A Sankofa Experience"
In this presentation, Sandra Phoenix, Executive Director, described the organization’s Sankofa Experience in remembering and embracing the past to make positive progress in the future. Learn about collections, HBCU Library Alliance programs, and how together we can envision a future to strive toward.
Topics: Distinguished Seminar Series, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion
Why so Few? The Underrepresentation of Women in Technology and Software Development
Sandy Payette, founding CEO of DuraSpace, discusses the alarming gender disparity in computing as a cultural issue in the areas of technology and software development.
Topics: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Distinguished Seminar Series
Wikipedia’s gender gap, and what would Hari Seldon do about it?
Struggling with issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, this presentation focuses on Wikipedia’s gender gaps: the low percentage of women editors and the equally low percentage of articles about women, their works, and their issues.
Topics: Distinguished Seminar Series, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion
But what about copyright?
Melissa Levine discussed the current efforts to address copyright concerns at scale, including the HathiTrust's Copyright Review Management System, global work in the creation of Rightsstatements.org, and how the Community Standards for 3D Data Preservation's working group on copyright is thinking about more than copyright.
Topics: Distinguished Seminar Series
For the Greater (Not) Good (Enough): Open Access and Information Privilege
Char Booth addressed the concept that open access has had a huge impact on publishing and scholarly communication, yet who you are, what you earn, and how you research still create serious barriers to information availability.
Topics: Distinguished Seminar Series
We Have Never Been Neutral: Search, Discovery, and the Politics of Access
Dr. Christen addressed the concept that library and archive practices are neutral and non-biased, traced the often violent histories of collecting and the construction of the public domain, unpacked their connections to the foundations of libraries and archives, and opened a space to provide a framework for ethical engagements and reciprocal practices through culturally responsive tools and engagements.
Topics: Distinguished Seminar Series
Distinguished Seminar Series: "Welcome to the Library: Success of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives
In this presentation, “Welcome to the Library: Success of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives,” Trevor A. Dawes, Vice Provost for Libraries and Museums and May Morris University Librarian at the University of Delaware, reviews the work of the ALA Task Force for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, which he co-chaired, and also examines the diversity and inclusion efforts at several libraries.
Topics: Distinguished Seminar Series