Have Journal Prices Really Increased Much in the Digital Age?
A new report on institutional information expenditures raises the real possibility that instead of their being a pricing problem, there’s a quantity problem driving expenditures.
Intellectual Property Is a University’s Best Friend
Universities should seek to retain control of their copyrights and develop mechanisms to monetize them to ensure the financial health of the institutions. This is a proposal that sides neither with open access advocates nor with the interests of commercial organizations.
Dancing with Myself — The Principal Impediment to Change and Innovation
The principal impediment to changing or developing an organization is the view of the management that they already are doing a good job. Thus all new initiatives are measured in terms of past successes.
Video Rewind: Printing's Alive, a Celebration
Is print dead, or just demoted? This video shows that it, and its advocates, won’t go down without a fight.
The $20 Tablet, and Four Interesting Questions for the Academic Market
A low-priced tablet computer from India might have the potential to change the game for many. Are we ready for a potential rapid and system-wide disruption?
The Slow But Steady March Toward Paid Content
The New York Times is now publishing short e-books, another step down the path to monetizing content directly instead of through the sale of advertising.
A Call for Simplified Tablet Publishing — "The Subcompact Manifesto"
A manifesto urges publishers to make simple, functional, and practical tablet editions, and to avoid the tendency for bloat.
Moving Scholarly Society Members Online-Only – Are We Reaching the Tipping Point?
More value can be delivered online, and members seem to be seeking it. Is it time to move to an online-only benefits model for societies?
Gaming Google Scholar Citations, Made Simple and Easy
A new paper demonstrates how easy it is to game Google Scholar citations, and how the system resists correction.
New Players, New Priorities — Part 2: The Problematic Role of Funders
Funders — corporate, governmental, and philanthropic — have different priorities, yet they are now reaching into scientific publishing, wearing OA as a glove that fits. This post explores the problems this is creating and might create if allowed to perpetuate.
New Players, New Priorities — Part 1: Governments and Politics Enter Scientific Publishing
In this first part of a three-part series, the intrusion of governments into scientific publishing is contemplated — its causes, current state, and possible effects.
A Call for Participation — A Survey on Book Discovery
A call to participate in a survey on how books are discovered and ultimately purchased. The survey is being conducted in cooperation with O’Reilly Media.
As Hybrid Open Access Grows, the Scholarly Community Needs Article-level OA Metadata
With OA gaining momentum and hybrid and full OA policies becoming more common, article-level metadata and other standard approaches are necessary to facilitate discoverability.
Six Mistakes Your Sales Reps Are Making
While your sales reps are doing a great job overall, here are six mistakes that can creep into their interactions with buyers.
Ask the Chefs: "What's the Most Important Print Subscription You Haven't Canceled?"
Even in the digital age, some print products are hard to give up. What is the allure?