Good Data, Bad Data, You Know I’ve Had My Share: Library Book Acquisition Patterns
We have had assumptions about the academic book market that probably are just not true.
Hipster Antitrust and Structural Dominance — What Is a Monopoly Now?
Calling something a “monopoly” has been misleading in many cases, but the new economy may require a complete rethinking of the anti-competitiveness created by intermediaries at scale.
Guest Post: Inclusive Pricing or Inclusive of All People? Understanding What’s “Inclusive” in Digital Textbook Publishing
Stephanie Rosen from the University of Michigan discussed the varied meanings of the word “inclusive”, and why we should take care in using it.
Is Copyright Piracy Morally Wrong or Merely Illegal? The Malum Prohibitum/Malum in Se Conundrum
Is copyright infringement malum prohibitum (wrong only because it’s prohibited) or malum in se (morally wrong in and of itself)? Interestingly, scholcomm commentators and legal reference materials often characterize it as the former–while both statute and case law treat it like the latter, classifying it as “property theft” and regularly awarding its victims both statutory and punitive damages.
Guest Post: Institutional Alignment: The University Press Redux
A conference at the British Library provides ample evidence of the breadth of the university press sector and the absolute necessity of a clear institutional mission.
Stage Two Disruption in Scholarly Communications
Popular opinion to the contrary, scholarly publishing has not been disrupted. But only superior management can navigate the many challenges ahead.
Why Independent Bookstores Work in the Age of Amazon
The independent bookstore, once thought endangered, returns from the ashes.
Enriching Book Metadata is Marketing in the Digital Age
A study of how enriching keyword metadata improved sales of 4 publishers points to changes in how we should view marketing of books online.
Amazon in 1999, A Look Back
A look from 1999 at an interesting new company called, “Amazon”. Whatever happened to them?
Chefs’ Selections: The Best Books Read During 2017 Part 2
The beginning of the holiday season means it’s time for our annual list of our favorite books read during the year. Today brings Part 2 of the list.
Chefs’ Selections: The Best Books Read During 2017 Part 1
The beginning of the holiday season means it’s time for our annual list of our favorite books read during the year. Part 1 today, Part 2 tomorrow.
Book Review: “The New Analog” by Damon Krukowski
Is “signal” meaningful in the absence of “noise”? Damon Krukowski asks what important things have been lost in our transition from analog to digital media in his book, “The New Analog”.
University Press Week 2017
Testimonials to the importance of university presses.
Diagramming Time Travel
Traveling through time can get confusing. Here, an analysis of the way different movies and books approach causality.
Book Review — “World Without Mind,” by Franklin Foer
Franklin Foer’s new book is a bracing account of the current information economy, the monopolies and motivations at its heart, and the weakening of democratized knowledge.