This Infra Finder spotlight features OpenCitations, an infrastructure organization dedicated to publishing open bibliographic and citation data. They do this work by creating records describing bibliographic and citation information using linked open data technologies, as well as through advocacy for open scholarly metadata and open research information in the context of several initiatives such as the Initiative for Open Citations, the Initiative for Open Abstracts, and the Barcelona Declaration.
IOI’s Lauren Collister interviewed Chiara Di Giambattista, Communications Director at OpenCitations, about their participation in Infra Finder.
Lauren: What was your experience during the Infra Finder entry creation process?
Chiara: The process was smooth, and we received a lot of support from the IOI team. We really appreciated the terminology and approach to the questions. The entry allowed us to present our commitment to open bibliographic and citation data in a dynamic perspective. We also found it helpful that we could present our active role in the community. We believe that is the root of transformative influence and progressive change towards an open research environment.
Lauren: Did Infra Finder give your team any ideas for your ongoing work?
Chiara: We took the opportunity to update some of our materials. For example, in 2022, we published a mission statement and two different analyses of how OpenCitations was positioned in the research landscape. This intake form gave us a chance to update this and revisit some of the commitments and long-term plans that we had discussed then and review our progress.
We also learned about some new things that we could do – we are considering writing and publishing statements about accessibility and diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are also working with our advisory board on governance redesign to build on what we have learned.
Lauren: How is Infra Finder useful to you and the OpenCitations community?
Chiara: We see Infra Finder as a resource that can serve two purposes. First, it is a way to connect infrastructures to each other and the community. You can come to Infra Finder and explore what other organizations are doing, and that can be a way to foster support and strengthen the community.
Second, it is intuitive and easy to use as a reference point for Open Infrastructure. Someone new to the community can come to Infra Finder and get answers to many of the questions that they might have when learning about infrastructures and tools. And it’s something I can show to my parents when they ask about OpenCitations!
Lauren: What advice would you give other infrastructure providers who are interested in being part of Infra Finder?
Chiara: The first step is to explore the whole catalogue. It can be a source of inspiration to work on your own policies, and you can see others’ work in this area and discover different perspectives.
Then, don’t be afraid of applying to join Infra Finder. It’s a very useful tool, and the IOI team is very helpful in creating the entry. Even if you think you might not have everything perfectly in order, that is okay because you will find help and collaboration.
Lauren: What news can we watch for from OpenCitations and your community?
Chiara: We are working on improving the usability and accessibility of our services. We compiled feedback from our community and our Board, and this process will result in a redesign of the website, which will be launched later in 2024. Our goal is to make access to our datasets more intuitive. As part of that, we will also offer a newsletter highlighting our latest developments and projects. We are also excited to be working on an update to our governance process. We have a working group dedicated to this, and we will make an announcement later this year.
We are preparing for the next edition of our Workshop on Open Citations and Open Scholarly Metadata, which will be held in Bologna in May 2025. It is a year away, but will be here before we know it!
Lauren: Besides checking Infra Finder for updates, how can readers learn more about this work and keep up with the other news from OpenCitations?
Chiara: We are very active on social media - you can find us on Mastodon, X, LinkedIn, Bluesky and Threads. Readers can also visit our blog where we share our latest updates and will be announcing more details on these ongoing projects.
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This post is part of our “Infra Finder Spotlight” series. To stay updated on posts from this series and more from Invest in Open Infrastructure, please sign up for our newsletter. If you’d like to see your organization in Infra Finder, let us know!