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Scholars Portal
@scholarsportal.bsky.social
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Scholars Portal is the service arm of the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL). We provide shared technology and digital collections to university libraries in Ontario and beyond.

Also at mstdn.ca/@scholarsportal
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scholarsportal.bsky.social
Happy GIS Day!

We're celebrating with a new blog post about the AI-supported workflows that we're using to enhance the metadata for our collection of historical topographic maps.

oculsp.ca/eike8 (SPOTDocs login required)
1949 map of Vancouver showing detail in and around Burrard Inlet
November 19, 2025 at 3:46 PM
scholarsportal.bsky.social
Happy World Digital Preservation Day!

As the eresource landscape continues to shift, Scholars Portal is committed to supporting Canadian libraries with long-term preservation and perpetual access to their resources, even after termination of vendor agreement.

#WDPD #WDPD2025
World Digital Preservation Day, 6th November 2025
November 6, 2025 at 2:19 PM
scholarsportal.bsky.social
C’est la Semaine du Libre Accès avec Scholaris !

Les dépôts institutionnels constituent un élément essentiel de l'écosystème de Libre Accès vert, offrant aux chercheurs des options abordables pour partager leurs connaissances avec leurs communautés.

#OAWeek25 #OpenAccessWeek
Graphique violet et noir avec un fond représentant le ciel nocturne et les étoiles et une symbole d'une serrure ouverte. Le texte dit "La Semaine du Libre Accès 2025. 20-26 octobre 2025."
October 21, 2025 at 2:31 PM
scholarsportal.bsky.social
Happy #OpenAccessWeek from Scholaris!

Institutional Repositories are a critical part of the Green OA ecosystem, offering researchers affordable options for sharing knowledge with their communities. This work takes a village & we're grateful to collaborate with such a vibrant repository community.
Purple and black graphic with a background of a starry night sky and an open lock symbol. Text reads "Open Access Week 2025. October 20-26, 2025."
October 21, 2025 at 2:25 PM
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The September Scholars Portal Newsletter is here! Highlights from this edition include:
🔷New journals, books & Odesi datasets
🔷Updates on Scholaris & the GeoPortal redevelopment
🔷A Spotlight on perpetual access & journal entitlements
🔷Bug fixes & new features

Catch up here: oculsp.ca/459pm
Blue graphic with white and yellow text that reads "Scholars Portal Newsletter".
September 10, 2025 at 4:27 PM
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Please note that the service disruption to the Scholars GeoPortal and OCUL Usage Rights (OUR) over the weekend has been resolved and regular service has been restored. Apologies for the inconvenience, and thank you for your patience!
Blue graphic with the Scholars Portal logo and white text that reads: Service Disruption RESOLVED!
September 8, 2025 at 5:25 PM
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Service disruption: we are currently experiencing degraded performance on the Scholars GeoPortal and the OCUL Usage Rights database. We are working to restore regular service as quickly as possible.
Service disruption
September 6, 2025 at 3:13 PM
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🚨ATTENTION! Due to planned network maintenance, Scholars Portal services may experience temporary downtime of up to 15 minutes between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Wednesday, September 3.

Apologies for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience!
Blue graphic with a white "Attention" symbol and the Scholars Portal logo. Text reads: Service Disruption. Wednesday, September 3 between 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. Eastern Time.
September 2, 2025 at 8:25 PM
scholarsportal.bsky.social
Our Metadata & Data Services Librarian, Alicia, recently did an interview with the Western Association of Map Libraries about the GeoPortal Redevelopment Project.

Read the full interview to learn more about key project tasks, new infrastructure, metadata enhancements, and more: oculsp.ca/gkuag
A screenshot of the Western Association of Map Libraries Geospatial Data Management Interview Series landing page, featuring an interview with Alicia Urquidi Diaz from the Scholars GeoPortal Redevelopment Project.
August 11, 2025 at 7:09 PM
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OPPORTUNITÉ D'EMPLOI !

Nous recherchons un étudiant ou récent diplômé d’un programme en bibliothéconomie (MLIS/MI) intéressé par un poste d'opérateur de référence virtuel bilingue avec le service Clavardez avec nos bibliothécaires.

En savoir plus sur le poste à oculsp.ca/377v8
OPPORTUNITÉ D'EMPLOI ! Opérateur de référence virtuel bilingue avec le service Clavardez avec nos bibliothécaires. Soumettez votre cnadidature avant le 25 juillet 2025 !
July 9, 2025 at 1:30 PM
scholarsportal.bsky.social
JOB OPPORTUNITY!

We are seeking library or information studies students (MLIS/MI) and recent graduates interested in working as a Virtual Reference Operator for the Ask a Librarian service.

Job details & application information are available at oculsp.ca/dngxn
Job Opportunity: Virtual Reference Operator. Submit your application by July 18, 2025!
July 9, 2025 at 1:26 PM
scholarsportal.bsky.social
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Scholars Portal Days last week! 🐝

Event recordings will be shared soon. In the meantime, if you attended the event, please take a moment to fill out our feedback form: forms.scholarsportal.info/form/sp-days...
Yellow graphic with greyscale honeycomb border. Text reads: Scholars Portal Days 2025: Building with Intention. THANK YOU!
June 3, 2025 at 2:40 PM
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Aujourd'hui ! Scholars Portal Days en français !

Rejoignez-nous cet après-midi de 12h00 à 12h30 pour des mises à jour sur le DNF, Scholaris, et GeoPortal !

ocul.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

#SPDays25
Graphique jaune avec bordure en nid d'abeille. Le texte se lit comme suit : Scholars Portal Days 2025, Construire avec l'intention. Aujourd'hui! 12h00 à 12h30 heure de l’Est.
May 30, 2025 at 3:06 PM
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Happy Scholars Portal Days!🥳🐝

Join us this afternoon at 12:30 p.m. EDT for Day 1, featuring lightning talks, updates from OCUL and the AIML Program, and a keynote from @biancawylie.com!

Register here: ocul.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

#SPDays25
Yellow graphic with a greyscale honeycomb border. Text reads: Scholars Portal Days 2025: Building with Intention. TODAY! 12:30-3:30 p.m. EDT on Zoom.
May 29, 2025 at 2:20 PM
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The 2024-2025 Scholars Portal Annual Report is here!

In keeping with our theme for Scholars Portal Days 2025: Building with Intention, the report covers the GeoPortal Redevelopment Project, the new Data Explorer, perpetual access for e-resources, and more.

Read the report now: oculsp.ca/oqrc9
A yellow report cover with a greyscale beehive. Text reads: Scholars Portal. Report to the OCUL Directors 2024 & 2025.
May 27, 2025 at 7:15 PM
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It's the final countdown to #SPDays25! Join us this Thursday & Friday 12:30-3:30 p.m. EDT to discuss Building with Intention.

We have an amazing lineup of 10 lightning talks, updates from Scholars Portal and OCUL, & a keynote from @biancawylie.com.

Details at spday.scholarsportal.info/register/
Yellow graphic with a greyscale honeycomb border. Text reads: Scholars Portal Days 2025: Building with Intention. This week! Visit https://spday.scholarsportal.info/register/ for details & registration!
May 26, 2025 at 1:56 PM
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The May SP Newsletter is here! Highlights from this edition include:
🔹Upcoming events & surveys
🔹New journals, books & datasets
🔹Updates on Scholaris, GeoPortal, Books & Journals
🔹A Spotlight on the upcoming SP Days Lightning Talks!
🔹Bug fixes & new features

Catch up here: oculsp.ca/r8gtt
Blue graphic with white and yellow text that reads: Scholars Portal Newsletter.
May 22, 2025 at 4:04 PM
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La première année de Scholaris a été excellente ! Nous sommes reconnaissants à tous ceux qui nous ont rejoints dans cette entreprise.

Célébrez avec nous et @carl-abrc.bsky.social et découvrez quelques-unes des étapes importantes de cette première année de Scholaris : oculsp.ca/scholaris1an
scholaris un an plus tard : 3 groupes d'experts, 2 utilisateurs precoces, 12 migrations realisees. oculsp.ca/scholaris1an
May 21, 2025 at 6:04 PM
scholarsportal.bsky.social
It’s been an exciting first year for Scholaris! As we reflect on the Early Adopter Program & the Network of Experts, we’re grateful to all who have joined us.

Celebrate with us & @carl-abrc.bsky.social by checking out some of the milestones from the first year of Scholaris: oculsp.ca/scholaris1year
Scholaris one year in: 3 repository expert groups, 22 early adopter participants, 12 migrations completed. Visit oculsp.ca/scholaris1year for more!
May 21, 2025 at 6:01 PM
scholarsportal.bsky.social
It's almost time for the highlight of every year: the SP Days pet parade & spring slideshow!

We want to know what spring looks like for you & how it makes you feel connected to your home & community. We also want to see your adorable pets!

Submission information available here: oculsp.ca/feu9t
A yellow graphic with a greyscale honeycomb border. Text reads "Pet Parade & Spring Slideshow", above a group of photos of animals, flowers, trees, and bugs.
May 15, 2025 at 2:42 PM
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Scholars Portal Days en français !

La majeure partie de notre programme est en anglais, mais une partie se déroulera en français. Rejoignez-nous le vendredi 30 mai de 12h00 à 12h30 pour des mises à jour sur les services and projets de Scholars Portal !

S’inscrire dès maintenant : oculsp.ca/ookw5
Graphique jaune avec bordure en nid d'abeille. Le texte se lit comme suit : Scholars Portal Days 2025, Construire avec l'intention. Le vendredi 30 mai, 12h00 à 12h30 heure de l’Est.
May 6, 2025 at 6:49 PM
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1 month until #SPDays25 & we can’t wait to welcome @biancawylie.com as our Keynote Speaker!

Bianca Wylie is a writer with a dual background in technology & public engagement. She is a partner at Digital Public, where she leads work on public interest technology advocacy.

Register: oculsp.ca/ookw5
Yellow graphic with a greyscale honeycomb border and image of a bee in the bottom right corner. On the left is a headshot of the Scholars Portal Days 2025 Keynote Speaker Bianca Wylie. To the right a speaker bio reads: Bianca Wylie is a writer with a dual background in technology and public engagement.  She is a partner at Digital Public, where she leads work on public interest technology advocacy. She worked for several years in the tech sector in operations, infrastructure, corporate training, and product management. Then, as a professional facilitator, she spent several years co-designing, delivering and supporting public consultation processes for various city governments and government agencies, including projects that focused on library operations, urban planning, and park design. She founded the Open Data Institute Toronto in 2014 and co-founded Civic Tech Toronto in 2015 and she sits on the advisory board of the Electronic Privacy Information Centre.
April 30, 2025 at 2:48 PM
scholarsportal.bsky.social
Just over one month to go until #SPDays25 and the event agenda is now available online!

This year's program features ten fantastic lightning talks, updates from Scholars Portal and OCUL, and a keynote from @biancawylie.com

Agenda: oculsp.ca/pvrvn
Registration: oculsp.ca/ookw5
Yellow graphic with a greyscale honeycomb border. Text reads: Scholars Portal Days 2025: Building with Intention. Agenda Available now! spday.scholarsportal.info.
April 23, 2025 at 1:38 PM
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Only a couple days left to submit a Lightning Talk proposal for #SPDays25! The deadline for proposals is this Sunday, April 6 at 11:59 p.m.

Submit a talk: forms.scholarsportal.info/form/sp-days...
Yellow graphic with a greyscale honeycomb border, announcing the deadline for Lightning Talk submissions for Scholars Portal Days 2025 is Sunday, April 6 at 11:59 p.m. Possible topics include: Foundations, endurance, & maintenance for long-lasting infrastructure; Sustainability - balancing our needs with care for the environment; Communities of care - working hours, community calls, collaborative projects; Testing AI tools - how they fit (or don’t fit) into services & workflows; Changes to the e-resource landscape; Building with core values & evidence-based work; Data privacy & digital sovereignty.
April 4, 2025 at 2:59 PM
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The Scholars Portal Days 2025 website is live! Visit the website for event details & information about registration & Lightning Talk submissions. An agenda will be shared in late April - stay tuned!

Website: spday.scholarsportal.info
Registration: bit.ly/4kSO6Wu
Submit a talk: bit.ly/4hyaVfi
The homepage for the Scholars Portal Days 2025 website. The webpage has a bright yellow banner at the top with the theme, Building With Intention, in the top left. In the top right are tabs for home, register, agenda, and accessibility. In the center-right of the page is a large greyscale graphic of a beehive. To the left is the event information, including dates (May 20th and 30th from 12:30-3:30 p.m.) and theme blurb.
April 2, 2025 at 2:23 PM