February might be short in days, but still a month with significance. Time to start working on the new year’s tasks, projects and activities and, as we are ending the winter break, get ready for a brand-new semester. Spring semester will continue with the help of technology and all KU Libraries will be virtually open for the academic community.

February is also a month to celebrate the rising presence, achievements and progress of women and girls in Science. KUDOS to all KU female students, researchers and Faculty members in Sciences departments!

New Library Trackit System

The newest addition to the Library’s operations is the incorporation of all branch libraries, library departments and services under a unified online request system. Added in the general KU Trackit system, the Library Trackit offers maximum flexibility and easiness as it allows for focused requests that are automatically assigned to the right person and are resolved in a timely manner.

Either you have an ILL request, a library training request for your course, you have trouble with your library account, you can’t access a database and many more, just visit the Library Trackit webpage and open a new request. The menu is designed to direct you easily among different options, giving you the opportunity to specify the library branch, the department and the service, avoiding writing wrong emails and maybe addressing the wrong person.

Give it a try and send us your feedback! We are here to assist with your requests and solves any problems you encounter with services and resources.

Cambridge University Press APCs for Open Access publishing

As a researcher at Koç University you can publish your research without any charges in Cambridge University Press (CUP) Open Access and hybrid journals. The article processing charges (APCs) are covered by an agreement between the publisher and Koç University.

ANKOS (Anatolian University Libraries Consortium) has negotiated waived Article Processing Charges (APCs) for authors from ANKOS member universities when they publish in Cambridge University Press fully Open Access (gold) or hybrid journals during 2021.

About the Agreement
The agreement is a national so-called “Read & Publish” agreement. The APCs are already prepaid, since the agreement includes both the costs of the library's subscriptions as well as the costs of Open Access publishing.

Why should I publish in an Open Access publication?
One of the visions of Koç University is to “create & apply new knowledge for the benefit of the society”. Open Access publishing, which makes more of the research generated by KU scholars freely available, fulfills our vision by transmitting knowledge more broadly and facilitating new discoveries that build on our scholars’ work.

You can read more about the value of Open Access on our Open Access & Scholarly Communication web page. SKL OpenAccess team will be happy to answer your questions via openaccess@ku.edu.tr.

The Critical Role of Open Access (OA) Repositories in Open Access and Open Science

The Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR) underscores the critical role of Open Access repositories in accelerating innovation in scholarly communications and the adoption of Open Access and Open Science. OA repositories are central for achieving equitable Open Access to research outputs world wide. Many researchers around the world do not have the means to pay OA publishing fees (APCs), nor do their governments or institutions have money for transformational agreements.

Read all details about the vital role of OA repositories in COAR’s website and visit the KU Institutional Repository to access the scholarly outputs of KU faculty members.

If you want to publish your articles in the KU repository, you can contact us at openaccess@ku.edu.tr.

Visit our updated LibGuides!

Libguides is an easy-to-use content management system, deployed at thousands of libraries worldwide. As one of the most flexible platforms, libguides allow librarians to curate information and share it with the university community, covering different topics. The libguides created by the SKL Liaison Librarians offer resources (books, journals, databases, social networks, beneficial websites, podcast, digital sources and blogs) that meet the needs of Faculty members, researchers and students with different information needs and different learning styles. In addition, Libguides is a useful distance learning tool, as they can be accessed easily online, from anywhere.

Below, you can find the recently updated Libguides:
Ottoman Art and Architecture, Byzantine Studies, History, Ottoman Studies, The Seljuks of Anatolia, Ancient Civilizations of Anatolia, Archaeology, Byzantine Constantinople, Children's Literature and Culture, Career Development, Comparative Literature, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, Gender Studies, Copyright, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Computer Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Turnitin, Economics, Marketing, the Business world.

You can always contact our Liaison Librarians for research support and suggestions to enrich the Libguides topics.

E-Resources Cancellations

As you all know, the pandemic has imposed some necessary restrictions to various aspects of our daily life and work operations.In the Library, these restrictions affect some of our subscriptions due to the campus being close. As a result, we have decided to cancel our 2021 subscription to Bloomberg Terminal and Turkey Data Monitor. The most important reason for this decision is that these resources cannot be used effectively due to the pandemic conditions and the difficulties it brings, as they are available only on campus.

As we do every year, while evaluating our electronic resource subscriptions, we pay attention to the usage statistics during the previous year. Due to very low 2020 usage statistics, we cancelled our subscription to the 18th House of Commons Parliamentary Papers database.

There are also cases that a resource can be accessed from multiple sources. One such case in the AAAS Science. The subscription has been cancelled because it is included in the Academic Search Ultimate database. Users can access AAAS Science via inKUire.

We hope we can meet you again on campus on healthy days. For questions about the e-resources, you can always contact us at liberesources@ku.edu.tr

Manuscripts catalog (2^nd volume) & ANAMED Library talk

Having the privilege of housing the first manuscripts collection among other private universities of Turkey, Suna Kıraç Library proudly presents its new publication, the Manuscripts Catalog 2. The preliminary work of the catalog was carried out throughout 2020: It was compiled by Sami Arslan, who has specialized in manuscripts at Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation University, designed by Ersu Pekin, photographed by Hadiye Cangökçe, catalog images prepared by Didem Ülüş Bektaş, and edited by Senem Acar. Koç University Suna Kıraç Library Manuscripts Catalog 2, consisting of 275 works bound in 79 volumes, makes detailed textual analyses of the manuscripts, along with the evaluation of their historical significance, with comments on authors' and readers' notes, as well as the resource references to the concordances held in other archives and manuscripts libraries.

On the occasion of this new publication, we have scheduled a talk where Sami Arslan and Senem Acar will introduce to the audience a selection of the manuscripts included in the catalog, examining their topic, the method followed in cataloging, the story of the collection in general, but especially the centuries-old readers of the collection and the notes of these readers. Join us on February 2, at 18:00pm.

ANAMED Library Manuscripts Conservation Practices Workshop

How can we protect our manuscripts? In this workshop organized by the ANAMED Library, renowned conservator Nil Baydar will present examples of contemporary conservation approaches. As manuscripts are unique, conservation practices should be carried out with respect to the creator and their effort, the age of the manuscript, and the information it carries. Join us on February 9 at 18:00, to learn how the traces of time can be identified and be brought to light during the very delegate process of conservation.

ANAMED Library Podcast: Burada Konuşmak Serbest

Our Librarian guest for January was Ms. Şehriban Kizilkaya, the Library director of the ALKEV School Libraries. A school librarian offers a different view of the information science sector and our speaker described the characteristics and responsibilities of a school librarian, the activities of a school library, the importance of having an active library in schools and how it influences and improves the learning skills of the students and many more. You can listen to the podcast in our Spotify account.

ANAMED Library Podcast's January archive themed podcast guest was AKMED Head Librarian, Remziye Boyraz Seyhan and we had a pleasant and informative conversation about the “AKMED Archive”. In this podcast, you will be able to learn about different aspects of the AKMED archive, such as the history of the AKMED research center and its archive, the content of the AKMED archive, the projects of the archive, and the relationship between archeology and archives. Enjoy listening to this podcast!

International Book Giving Day

14th February, the International Book Giving Day, is about getting books into the hands of as many children as possible. We would very much appreciate your contributions to further develop our Children Books collection. Our goal is a constantly growing, long-term, sustainable collection for your own children, but we cannot do that without your generous help. Suitable books are Children's books for kids aged birth to 12 years old in new or gently used condition, either in Turkish or any other Language. The children books you donate are processed and ready for redistribution within few days. Duplicate donations will be sent to village schools asking for books for their libraries.

For donations, please email us at libcirculation@ku.edu.tr.