Thomas Kaarsted - University Library of Southern Denmark, Anne Kathrine Overgaard - University Library of Southern Denmark, Kirsty Wallis - UCL The role and place of universities in society are shifting and various initiatives seem to bridge the gap between science and citizens. The last couple of years a number of Open Science and Citizen Science Hubs have emerged in Europe including the U.K. But how can this be relevant for my library or institution? What are the successes and pitfalls? And what is the added value? In this breakout session three seasoned Open Science and Citizen Science entrepreneurs engage participants on how to get started.

1. Libraries as hubs for innovation and co-creation:
How to get started!
Kirsty Wallis (UCL)
Anne Kathrine Overgaard (SDU)
Thomas Kaarsted (SDU)
13. and 15. April 2023

2. Who are we?
Kirsty Wallis: k.wallis@ucl.ac.uk
Head of Research Liaison, UCL Library Services
Office for Open Science and Scholarship Coordinator, UCL Library Services
LIBER Citizen Science Working Group member
“Coordinating Open Science and Citizen Science at UCL”
Anne Kathrine Overgaard: ako@sdu.dk
Head of External Projects, SDU Health Science
Co-founder of SDU Citizen Science
LIBER Citizen Science Working Group member
“Citizen Science advocate and project manager of several CS-projects”
Thomas Kaarsted: thk@bib.sdu.dk
Deputy Library Director, SDU Library
Co-founder of SDU Citizen Science
LIBER Citizen Science Working Group Co-chair
“Daily manager of SDU Citizen Science in the university library”

3. Today’s programme
• Innovation, policy and strategy: Trends, guidelines and
recommendations (Thomas)
• Strategy and implementation: Supporting Citizen Science in the UCL
Office for Open Science & Scholarship (Kirsty)
• Bridging the gap: SDU Citizen Science as facilitator between science as
society (Anne Kathrine)
• Brief Q&A
• Discussion and feedback in groups

4. What is Citizen Science?

5. Citizen Science is integrated in Open Science
“Consider creating, where
viable, a single point of
contact for citizen science
within the institution.”
(LERU White Paper 2016)

6. Innovation in science
• The world is facing unprecedented social, environmental
and economic challenges that will require policymakers,
business, scientists and citizens to open up to one another
and find new ways of collaborating. In our digital age, we
are reinventing the way knowledge is produced,
distributed and acted upon. And an approach based on
citizen science will be part of this new relationship
between science and society.
• The current increase in citizen science shows clearly the
societal desire to participate more actively in knowledge
production, knowledge assessment and decision-making.
Source: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv550cf2

7. Libraries and Citizen Science
• No One Size Fits all
• Broad Engagement in Science, Point of Contact (BESPOC)
• Institutionalize
• Prioritize
• Build networks: internally and externally
• Advocacy
• Utilize existing competences
• FAIR DATA
• Teach Citizen Science
Kaarsted, Overgaard; Hvidtfelt et al. (forthcoming): How European research libraries can support citizen-
enhanced open science. Open Information Science.
Ignat & Ayris (2020): Built to last. UKSG Insigts

8. Policy and strategy (examples og hubs)
Bottom-up: SDU, Open Systems, Åbo Academy
Inside-out: UCL, Leiden Citizen Science Lab, Edinburg
Top-down: VUB Citizen Science, Citizen Science Center Zürich

9. Question for discussion
• Which barriers or incentives could
hinder/grow Citizen Science at your
institution?

10. Office for Open Science & Scholarship
• Launched October 2020
• Supports UCL community in adopting Open practices
and approaches across the board
• Underpinned by the LERU 8 Pillars of Open Science with
top-down support via UCL Open Science Committee
• Collaborates with stakeholders across the university to
set direction and strategy
• Advocates good practice, shares resources
• Organises events, training, workshops and annual
conference
FAIR data
Next generation
metrics
Education &
skills
European open
science cloud
Future of
scholarly comms
Rewards &
initiatives
Citizen science
Research
integrity
Office for Open Science & Scholarship
https://www.leru.org/publications/open-science-and-its-role-in-universities-a-roadmap-for-cultural-change

11. Citizen Science at UCL
• The office builds upon the many projects and groups with
Citizen Science expertise
• Aims to act as a central point for support and liaison
• Citizen Science coordinator
• Internal and external webinars and events
• Community building workshops
• Participation in active projects
• Leads the Citizen Science Working Group: founded June 2021
• UCL Citizen Science Academy and Certification Citizen Science
Certification
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/open-science-research-support/open-science/citizen-science

12. Service development
• Phase 1 (to end academic year 23-24)
• Formalise working definition
• UCL Citizen Science Academy and Certificate
• Research – Scale of CS at UCL, key contacts, needs assessment
• Develop – good practice guidelines, library of documentation, training and
knowledge sharing events, sustainable expansion plan
• Phase 2 (academic year 23-24 onwards)
• Expand service according to expressed needs
• Create business case for Citizen Science support officer/s

13. Questions for discussion
• Would it be relevant for your library/unit to
do a CS-strategy?
• If yes, which elements would be
relevant?
• Do you have any examples at your
university within CS?
• Could you use any of the skills in your
library/unit to facilitate CS?

14. Bridging the gap
SDU Citizen Science Knowledge Center as
facilitator between science as society

15. Science & Society:
CS-support at SDU starts in 2016

16. 2016: The first CS-workshop
30 participants:
• Professors from all faculties and the University Hospital
• Media
• Museums
• Citizens
Aim: Can we describe a Citizen Science project?
Idea: Make citizens prioritize which research project that should be funded
with 1 mio. DKK. (115.000 GBP)

17. A HEALTHIER SOUTHERN DENMARK
Recruitment of user communities:
Citizens in general
Method: Collaboration with media
2017
ESF
2018
ESF
2019
ESS
2020
ESS
2022
ESS
Total Reach 272.725 192.889 487.452 338.328 1.031.359
Facebook (videos viewed) 134.279 130.552 151.930 Ikke oplyst 499.586
Web (articles wiewed) 44.003 51.518 74.682 91.591 86.000
Votes 11.895 6.985 14.895 8.000 10.899

18. WHAT IS CS at SDU?

19. In Denm
CITIZEN SCIENCE AT SDU
Citizen Science is often used for data
collection and mapping of nature areas, but at
SDU we see Citizen Science as more than that.
Citizen Science is about generating interaction
and dialogue between citizens and
researchers, thereby reducing the distance
between them in order to encourage a debate
based on knowledge and facts.

21. Nardi et al., Sustainability 2021, 13(14), 7904; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147904
Citizen Science typologies

22. THE SDU CITIZEN SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE
CENTRE
OPENED: 1. JANUARY 2021

24. For society:
To bring citizens closer to science – and scientists closer to society
To open the research process for citizens across all levels of education and social
groups through communication, education and learning
For researchers:
To enable researchers to conduct excellent research with regards to Citizen Science
To provide relevant services for researchers – and enable them to act themselves
To support the UN SDG’s
THE MISSION

25. CS-CENTRE: What’s in it for our researchers?
• EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS
• PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
• PROJECT MANAGEMENT
• COMMUNICATION
• MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS AND OTHER EXTERNAL PARTNERS
• FAIR DATA / RDM
• EDUCATION MATERIALS (HIGH SCHOOL)
• COMMUNITITY BUILDING
• EVALUATION / SCIENCE LITERACY

26. WHAT DOES EU COMMISSION SAY ABOUT CS
Gabrielle Leo, Policy Officer,
EU Commission

27. CS is an important method in Research
& Innovation - and good fun!!
+30 PROJECTS SINCE 2017 +2.000.000 CITIZENS IN ‘REACH’

28. Questions for discussion
• Do you see your library play a central role in CS?
• How would the faculties think about the library as
an anchor point for CS across the university?

29. Discussion in small groups
• Which barriers or incentives could hinder/grow Citizen Science at your
institution?
• Would it be relevant for your library/unit to do a CS-strategy?
• If yes, which elements would be relevant?
• Do you have any examples at your university within CS?
• Could you use any of the skills in your library/unit to facilitate CS?
• How could the library handle this role?
• How would the faculties think about the library as an anchor point for CS across
the university?