Gastel Named a Special Liaison for University Libraries

Dr. Barbara Gastel
Barbara Gastel

Dr. Barbara Gastel, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM), is one of two Texas A&M faculty members selected as a “reverse liaison” in a unique and innovative program initiated by the Texas A&M Libraries.

As a “reverse liaison,” Gastel and Dr. Michael J. Miller, an associate professor in Texas A&M’s Rangel College of Pharmacy, will work with the library system on a 25 percent contractual basis to learn more about issues in scholarly communication, help colleagues in their respective departments and colleges deal with those issues, and pursue strategies for change.

Specifically, Gastel and Miller have been tasked with making an impact in the following areas:

  • Management of online scholarly identity and accurate promotion of reputational impact;
  • Streamlined reporting and tracking of scholarly work within departments and colleges, in alignment with Texas A&M Libraries standards;
  • Open access: the pros and cons of this relatively new method of publication;
  • Open educational resources, and particularly the use of open textbooks;
  • Author rights: how to keep one’s copyright when publishing;
  • Understanding of the economics of scholarly publishing and commercial publishers;
  • Ways that faculty can influence and work for change in the system; and
  • Avoidance of predatory publishing.

“Barbara’s main field of teaching, service, and publication is the communication of science; thus, the new allocation of part of her time is a logical extension of her existing work,” said David Carlson, dean of University Libraries. “Barbara will be working collaboratively with representatives from the Medical Sciences Library and the Libraries’ Office of Scholarly Communications to advance initiatives within the college regarding areas such as those listed above. If you are interested or simply feel uninformed about some of these issues, I encourage you to contact Barbara and initiate a conversation.”

After their selection and as a first step, the libraries sent both Gastel and Miller to San Diego for a week to attend an intensive series of workshops though a conferencing initiative called Force11, which “was an excellent, concentrated orientation to the issues related to scholarly communication,” according to Carlson.

Now, Gastel is eager to start working with her faculty colleagues at the CVM in her “reverse liaison” role.

“For starters, Barbara and her collaborators can help you with strategies that maximize the impact of your research and increase your scholarly reputation and visibility. Small steps and some attention to a few key issues can have a big impact,” Carlson said. “Barbara also is glad to expand existing activities of hers such as addressing publication-related questions, providing editorial consultation, and giving invited presentations on scholarly communication topics. Look to hear from Barbara in the coming months, and I strongly encourage you to attend any activities she may establish related to important, emerging scholarly communication issues.”

Gastel, who is in the CVM’s Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences (VIBS), said she felt honored to be chosen.

“I appreciate this chance to learn more about an area that has long interested me,” she said, “and I look forward to serving the CVM community further.”

She also said she would welcome suggestions from fellow faculty and others as to how she could be most helpful.

The “reverse liaison” program was initiated in response to the strains and stresses faced by faculty, colleges, and institutions in today’s evolving system of scholarly communication, in areas that include technology, open access mandates from federal granting agencies, data management requirements, and inexorable increases in publishers’ charges to libraries, exceeding national inflation rates.

“As both the primary producers and consumers of scholarly content, faculty play an essential role in the system, which serves not only to share knowledge but also to advance their own scholarly identities and the identities of the colleges and universities they serve,” Carlson said.


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