There are many reasons to be cheerful in the world of scholarly publishing. Taking a cue from Ian Dury and the Blockheads, and his song, Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3., this post describes an example of good things afoot in the library community. It is up to you to provide parts 1. and 2.
We often talk about how our customers (a.k.a. users, researchers, authors, readers, etc.) are being overwhelmed by the flood of information available today. Let’s not forget that we are consumers of information as well. How are we handling information overload? […]
A report from Simba Information tallies the total value of the open access marketplace, putting OA at 2.3% of the total market for STM journals. It documents as well, without comment, that more and more OA activity is the business of for-profit companies.
With the appellate court’s rejection of the district court’s decision in the Georgia State University fair-use case, we have yet another twist in this six-year-long saga of copyright litigation. It’s clearly a setback for GSU–but what about for fair use?
The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC demonstrates its commitment to the scholarly record with the release of their Online Edition catalogue of 17th Century Dutch Paintings. What makes their approach to scholarly content of particular interest? Read on.
The display of new types of information is a constant challenge for scholarly publishers. A look at how filmmakers portray texting and computer use offers some insight into effective interface design.
Proposals to get more money to younger researchers shine a light on the aging cadre of academic researchers and the lack of succession we risk with current practices.
PeerJ is growing, publishing more papers and attracting more authors, although it is not clear whether the company is moving toward financial sustainability. In a crowded market of multidisciplinary open access journals, the success/failure of PeerJ may be determined when it receives its first Impact Factor.
The annual update to the list adds some important items overlooked on prior versions, including design, enforcement of editorial policies, and Board interactions.
The scientific literature is expanding while the number of publication slots in elite journals has shrunk. Is it any wonder why many more highly-cited articles are found in non-elite journals?
A bit of underappreciated scholarship for your Friday entertainment.
The idea of “reanalysis” needs to be rethought, if recent examples are any indication of what this trend could do to science.
Following up on a report posted on the Scholarly Kitchen two years ago, this essay addresses some ways university presses can mitigate some of the effects that demand-driven acquisitions have on book sales.
Three different items recently published discuss the current state of thinking about discovery tools for purposes of research. Which one captures the right mindset? What should content providers be doing to support discovery?
A drone’s eye view of Toronto’s spectacular new library.