Setting the Agenda: Key Issues for Scholarly Publishing
What are the key issues for scholarly publishing today? Setting the agenda for productive discussion.
Spam versus Targeting — Which Approach Will Define the Age of Abundance?
As spam defines one end of abundance, targeting enters to deflect the damage. Can they co-exist? Or will one become the defining trait of the age?
Capturing Words — Revisiting the Echoes of History
Words persist, but the form they take can change something fundamental in their meaning.
The Membership Business Model for Scholarly Communications
The membership business model for scholarly communications is built on a network of reciprocal relationships, where a member’s dues pay both for the privilege of publishing and the right to access.
The Rapture of Demand — Caring for Orphan Works Left Behind
The orphan works problem is not easily resolved, but it may not be such a big problem, as books mostly become orphans because there is little demand for them.
John Palfrey: Thoughts About the Future of Libraries and Learning
John Palfrey talks about digital scholarship, digital students, and the challenges and opportunities both provide. From the closing plenary of the SSP Annual Meeting.
What’s for Sale? Moving from Selling Content to Monetizing Attention
At some point book publishers will begin to copy the Netflix model of selling by subscription. This changes the nature of the business from one where products are sold to one where publishers attempt to monetize readers’ attention.
What Patron-Driven Acquisition (PDA) Does and Doesn't Mean: An FAQ
Patron-driven acquisition — what does it mean? This FAQ deals with how PDA approaches books, journals, and libraries.
What Upstarts Can Teach Established Presses
The strategies of established university presses can be enhanced by studying start-ups and slyly coopting some of their new and best ideas.
Creating a New University Press
The university press world is well established, but it is worth considering how one would go about a new press today. The key is not to do what the established presses do already, and do very well.
Stick to Your Ribs: When Did Print Become an Input?
The mental models associated with print are still defining how we work and design. Why has this persisted?
As Book Warehouses Vanish, Is It Time for Librarians to Stop Running Libraries?
Are librarians making the same mistake railroads made — forgetting their purpose to remain tied to their physical heritage?
Mobile Reading REALLY Comes of Age — An Information-packed Slide Deck Worth Viewing
The facts and context for e-reading show strong trends of demand and expectations.
Is Piracy Really the F**king Answer?
A viral book sensation’s obvious story may not be as obvious as some think, harder to replicate, and indicative of a strong counter-trend.
Mourning the Printed Book — The Aesthetic and Sensory Deprivation of E-books
Nostalgia about the book will be upon us soon enough. But we’ve been down similar paths before, and so have prior generations.