OSTP Public Access Memo Deadlines Loom Over Us
The OSTP access memorandum has led to hearings this month. Be sure to contribute and observe.
Convenience versus Community — Is a Deeper Question Hiding Behind the Façade of the Access Debates?
While the access debates have dominated, another debate has been emerging, one that perhaps has greater significance in the long run.
Fighting on Three Fronts — A Presentation to the Council of Scientific Society Presidents
A summary with slides of a presentation for the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP). The argument is that professional societies are now fighting on three fronts: with the new open access mandates, with the large commercial competitors, and sometimes internally when governance is an issue.
The Law of Unintended Consequences Pays a Visit to the OSTP
The recent policy promulgated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy is likely to have the unintended consequence of putting further budgetary pressure on libraries.
Seeking Acceptance at F1000 Research — Early Problems With Identity and Outsourced Authority
Articles are published before they’re reviewed; doubts about a paper are viewed as a positive status; papers only need to contain “science;” review and revision can continue forever; and PubMed Central is their certifying entity. Welcome to the world of F1000 Research.
Stick to Your Ribs: The Library With No Books In It
Editor’s Note: This post is being republished to coincide with the launch of the Digital Public Library.
Wolves and Sheep — What To Do Now That Venture Capitalists Are Stalking Scientific Publishing
The recent sale of Mendeley exposed surprisingly naive perspectives on the company’s clear and inherent goals. Other venture capital plays are afoot in scientific publishing and academia. When will we stop being the prey?
Disruption Ain’t What It Used to Be
The journals business has not been disrupted and does not appear likely to be disrupted for some time. Journals publishers continue to dominate the institutional market and are seeking to coopt Gold OA services.
Interesting Findings from Ithaka S&R's Latest Faculty Survey
A new survey reinforces so long-term trends, but shows some surprising reversals that anyone interested in scholarly communication should note.
Gold for Gold — Royal Society of Chemistry Uses OA as Incentive to Sell "Big Deal" Site Licenses
A clever way to sell institutional site licenses and Gold OA together helps one publisher find the fulcrum amidst uncertainty.
Stick to Your Ribs: Going Legit: The Difficult Path from Piracy to Partnership
Though social networking websites continue to proliferate, turning them into sustainable, revenue-generating businesses is still a difficult prospect. For sites based on the illegal distribution of copyrighted material, the process is even more difficult. Is it possible for a pirate to become a respected member of the business community?
Splitting the Difference — Does an Editorial Mutiny at a Journal Do Much Long-term Damage?
Editorial boycotts and declarations of independence generate a lot of heat, but what do the data say about the actual success of the new journals compared to the journals that were overthrown.
A Matter of Perspective — Elsevier Acquires Mendeley . . . or, Mendeley Sells Itself to Elsevier
Elsevier acquires Mendeley, changing the game significantly, perhaps for most of us.
What the Heck Does a Book Cost?
The sheer number of new marketing programs for books makes it hard to determine just how much a book costs. This post details all the factors involved with pricing.
PubMed Central Reduces Publisher Traffic, Study Shows
PubMed Central reduces article downloads from 14 biomedical society websites when articles are made freely available after embargo.