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Item Funding lotteries for research grant allocation: An extended taxonomy and evaluation of their fairness(Oxford University Press, 2024-08-17) Feliciani, Thomas; Luo, Junwen; Shankar, Kalpana; Science Foundation IrelandSome research funding organizations (funders) are experimenting with random allocation of funding (funding lotteries), whereby funding is awarded to a random subset of eligible applicants evaluated positively by review panels. There is no consensus on which allocation rule is fairer—traditional peer review or funding lotteries—partly because there exist different ways of implementing funding lotteries, and partly because different selection procedures satisfy different ideas of fairness (desiderata). Here we focus on two desiderata: that funding be allocated by ‘merit’ (epistemic correctness) versus following ethical considerations, for example without perpetuating biases (unbiased fairness) and without concentrating resources in the hands of a few (distributive fairness). We contribute to the debate first by differentiating among different existing lottery types in an extended taxonomy of selection procedures; and second, by evaluating (via Monte Carlo simulations) how these different selection procedures meet the different desiderata under different conditions. The extended taxonomy distinguishes “Types” of selection procedures by the role of randomness in guiding funding decisions, from null (traditional peer review), to minimal and extensive (various types of funding lotteries). Simulations show that low-randomness Types (e.g. ‘tie-breaking’ lotteries) do not differ meaningfully from traditional peer review in the way they prioritize epistemic correctness at the cost of lower unbiased and distributive fairness. Probably unbeknownst to funders, another common lottery Type (lotteries where some favorably-evaluated proposals bypass the lottery) displays marked variation in epistemic correctness and fairness depending on the specific bypass implementation. We discuss implications for funders who run funding lotteries or are considering doing so.Item Conference Review: A New Era – Exploring the Possibilities and Expanding the Boundaries BOBCATSSS 2023(Library Association of Ireland, 2023) Harrington, ElaineBOBCATSSS is an independent European non-governmental and non-profit association with LIS lecturers, students and professionals as members. Since 1993 BOBCATSSS has held an annual conference based in a city with an i-School. Each conference is organised by European students and aims to promote academic and intercultural communication, facilitate the exchange of best practices, support the development of innovative forms of university education and inspire future LIS professionals. The 2023 conference was held in Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), Norway, 25-27 January 2023. The theme of BOBCATSSS 2023 was to explore the possibilities for services and programming and the expansion of physical and virtual boundaries in this new era for libraries, archives, and information services.Item Remaking the printed word in the digital age(Library Association of Ireland, 2023) Harrington, ElaineThis article describes collaborative activities between Special Collections and Digital Learning departments at UCC Library from January-May 2022 which was presented in a poster format at IFLA 2022, and since May 2022 activities building on that first tranche of work. This article is based on a poster presented by Stephanie Chen and Elaine Harrington at the 87th International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions World Library Congress (IFLA WLIC), Dublin 26-28 July 2022.Item Reflections on leading the social media team at IFLA WLIC 2022(Library Association of Ireland, 2022-10) O'Connor, Martin; De Paor, SaoirseItem Motorways to boreens: the story of the Irish Health Sciences Libraries Group virtual journal club(ALIA/Health Libraries Australia (HLA), 2021-12-20) Dunne, Mary; Halton, Linda; Herlihy, Breeda; Madden, Anne; O'Sullivan, NiamhBoreens (from the Gaelic bóthairín meaning little road) are the narrow roads that twist through the Irish countryside. Travel is slower than the busy major roads that cut straight through, but these routes enable the traveller to easily change course as options arise and to discover hidden opportunities for exploration. It is in this context that we share how we moved from the idea of a journal club for health librarians to the reality of an active knowledge sharing group. Through the story of the governing committee and our first three presenters, we explain what is required to drive this kind of club. At the beginning there were so many options and decisions it felt like moving quickly along a busy motorway, often changing lanes to avoid snarl-ups, and watching out for tolls. However, as we settled in for the long haul, we decided to take our own quieter but ultimately more interesting route. We found that if you are clear about your destination, ensure you have sufficient resources, plan carefully but are flexible about how you get there, then you may just enjoy the journey.