Introduction

Last updated on 2023-10-30 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 25 minutes

Overview

Questions

  • What is covered in this training?
  • Who are the trainers?
  • Who is participating?

Objectives

After completing this episode, participants should be able to:

  • Explain how trainers and participants will interact throughout the workshop.
  • Summarise the main skills that will be taught in this workshop.

About the lesson

Note: this is a lesson created via The Carpentries Workbench. It is written in Pandoc-flavored Markdown for static files and R Markdown for dynamic files that can render code into output. Please refer to the Introduction to The Carpentries Workbench for full documentation.

Pronouns and Names

Using correct names and pronouns (e.g. “she/her”) is important to setting a tone of respect. Learning these is hard to do quickly, so we recommend displaying it prominently during the workshop.

In an online workshop, give everyone a moment to update their display name to reflect how they would like to be addressed.

At an in-person event, we recommend supplying name tags and markers, or using plain paper to create table-displayed name placards.

Note that pronouns are personal and some participants might prefer not to share them. Do not force people to share their pronouns.

Before The Training Begins

Getting to Know Each Other

What was your dream job as a kid?

Participate by writing your answers in the shared document for the workshop.

Take 5 minutes to read an comment some of the answers.

Code of Conduct

To make clear what is expected, everyone participating in The Carpentries activities is required to abide by our Code of Conduct. Any form of behaviour to exclude, intimidate, or cause discomfort is a violation of the Code of Conduct. In order to foster a positive and professional learning environment we encourage you to:

  • Use welcoming and inclusive language
  • Be respectful of different viewpoints and experiences
  • Gracefully accept constructive criticism
  • Focus on what is best for the community
  • Show courtesy and respect towards other community members

If you believe someone is violating the Code of Conduct, we ask that you report it to The Carpentries Code of Conduct Committee by completing this form.

Today’s Trainers

To begin class, each Trainer should give a brief introduction of themselves.

(For some guidelines on introducing yourself, see the Workshop Introductions section of the Instructor Training curriculum).

Overview on Open, Inclusive, and Collaborative Science for Librarians

The main objective of this training is to help participants understand the motivations, principles, and potential benefits of open science for underrepresented communities with a focus on Spanish-speaking research communities.

During this training, we will introduce the concept of open science, along with the motivations behind it and the challenges that many communities face when attempting to implement these principles. Furthermore, we will elaborate on the concept of digital accessibility, FAIR principles, and CARE principles, and discuss their impact on people’s participation within the scientific community. Additionally, we will showcase various open science initiatives in Latin America and the diverse practices they employ to overcome the barriers faced by marginalized communities in the context of science and education.

By the end of this training, the participants will have acquire information that will allow them to assess the levels of accessibility of different digital resources and virtual events. They will also be equipped to apply best practices for fostering a more inclusive research network for non-native English speakers.

The Role of Open Science in Bridging Barriers

The declaration of 2023 as the Year of Open Science by NASA and other federal US agencies reflects the belief that open science is a pillar to ensure information access and the democratization of the scientific process.

Callout

Chelle Gentemann, program scientist for NASA’s Transform to Open Science (TOPS) mission, recently shared in Nature,

“I realized that open science isn’t just about tools. Open-science innovation is being driven by a global community with diverse perspectives. The scientific questions are more interesting and nuanced, the solutions better”

Open science communities and organizations serve as platforms where researchers and societal stakeholders converge to achieve results that are not only technically sound but also socially significant. This is made possible through the application of transparent, reproducible, and verifiable methods, engaging contributors from diverse regions, disciplines, and social contexts. However, non-native English-speaking researchers, educators, and professionals often encounter challenges in accessing the resources necessary to conduct their work, primarily due to limited funding, language barriers, and geographical constraints.

Our objective is to shed light on how open science communities, particularly those in regions like Latin America, actively engage in implementing, teaching, and disseminating open practices and resources. Drawing upon experiences from Spanish-speaking communities of practice, we aim to collaborate with librarians to explore the specific challenges faced by these communities when dealing with data and other resources primarily available in English, which creates a language-based accessibility barrier. Through these discussions, we intend to address how open science practices can aid marginalized communities of scholars in overcoming obstacles related to language, socioeconomic status, and other factors, ultimately fostering a more inclusive scientific community.

Key Points

  • This training aims to help you understand the unique forms that open science takes in traditionally underrepresented communities, so that you can promote these practices in the context of your work as a librarian from an inclusive perspective.