Scholarly Communications at Georgia Southern University

Scholarly Communications Newsletter - May/June 2025

University Libraries’ Migration to a New Services Platform This Summer

On July 16, 2025, the University System of Georgia (USG) will migrate all USG libraries to a new Library Services Platform that will result in significant upgrades and changes to the University Libraries’ GIL-Find Catalog and Course Reserves.

Action Required by University Faculty:

To ensure a seamless transition for you and your students, we are requesting your assistance in identifying and updating any existing GIL-Find links. These links could include “galileo” or “ebsco” in the URL. This includes links that faculty could have embedded in their:

• Syllabi
• Folio course pages
• Online resource lists
• Any other digital or printed materials

We ask that you create a list of all the links you are currently using and share them with your designated library liaison as soon as possible, and no later than May 30, 2025. [Read more]

Also see the guide on the New Gil-Find https://georgiasouthern.libguides.com/newgilfind 

Cutting Costs, Boosting Impact: Georgia Southern's 

Latest OER Grant Winners

Several Georgia Southern faculty members were recently awarded grants through Affordable Learning Georgia (ALG) to help reduce the cost of course materials for students. Their efforts not only support the success of our own students, but also benefit learners throughout our broader community. Below is a summary of Georgia Southern’s awardees from Round 27 of ALG’s grant cycles:

Transformation Grants:

• Kathryn Zeigler (Team Lead), NURS 3101 – $27,385.00
• Michelle L. Amos (Team Lead), READ 6131 – $16,931.59
• Weitian Tong (Team Lead), CSCI 4520 – $10,566.44

Continuous Improvement Grants:

• Heidi Eisenreich (Team Lead), VIP 3000 – $10,000.00 Resource: Guidance for adults supporting K-2 students in math skills and meeting state requirements

Total amount awarded to GS teams for Round 27: $64,833.03
Estimated total student savings for GS students: $127,205.83

By adopting and creating Open Educational Resources (OER), faculty not only make course materials more affordable, but also enhance student learning through resources tailored to specific courses and student needs. OER adoption fosters innovative curricular and co-curricular opportunities, strengthens strategic partnerships, and expands access to learning for the entire community.

Library Support for Faculty:

The University Libraries are here to help faculty at every stage of this process. We offer expert assistance in locating high-quality OER and affordable course materials, navigating proper licensing, and applying for ALG grants. Our team is dedicated to supporting your efforts to make education more accessible and impactful for all students.

If you are interested in learning more about these projects, OER, or future ALG grant opportunities, please contact:

Nikki Rech

Associate Professor & Open Access and Sustainability Librarian

dcannonrech@georgiasouthern.edu

• What is ICPSR?  Watch "ICPSR Stands for Data" (YouTube, 2:08) or  visit the ICPSR YouTube channel, ICPSR 101
• Do you teach with data? See ICPSR’s Classroom Exercises and Resources for Teachers.
• ICPSR's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement

Recent Data Releases and Data Brunch, ICPSR's podcast:

• Stories about data, the people who use, seek, or create data, and why you should care. From ICPSR, the world's largest social science data archive. Proudly recorded at the University of Michigan.

  Subscribe now and never miss an episode. You can listen on Soundcloud, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

• Also, be sure to check out the latest ICPSR Bulletin (APR2025) and ICPSR Guidance on New NIH Policy (12-20-2023)

  • ICPSR Bulletin Archive

Data sharing, retrieval, and archiving at ICPSR

Did you know that you can deposit data (at no cost) with ICPSR? Please refer to the following guides for more information.

• Depositing Data with ICPSR [overview of ICPSR deposit services for both public-use and restricted-use data]
• Guide to Social Science Data Preparation and Archiving [best practices in preparing data for sharing]
• frequently asked questions

ICPSR also supports a government data archive, DataLumos. Its purpose is the safekeeping and disseminating US government and other social science data. You can use it to deposit and search for data, and can also support their efforts to safe-keep and disseminate data from government agencies. Click on the image below to learn more.