UC Davis Experiments with a New Textbook Model: An Interview with Jason Lorgan
An interview with Jason Lorgan, executive director of campus stores at @UCDavis, about the university’s innovative new textbook-affordability program.
The Most Popular Social Media Networks Over Time
A look at the most popular social media networks by users over time.
A Case for Popularization: A Review of Rockonomics
Bringing the authority of the academy to a broad audience should be second only to original research itself, especially if the research community hopes to retain or even increase the public’s support for the esoteric work that goes on behind the laboratory walls.
Building for the Long Term: Why Business Strategies are Needed for Community-Owned Infrastructure
As community-owned and -led efforts to build scholarly communications infrastructure gain momentum, what can be done to help them achieve long term sustainability?
Guest Post: How to Win the Internet, Digital Single Market Edition: A Ten Step Program
Roy Kaufman of Copyright Clearance Center lays out an argument for a more robust and expansive use of licenses by rightsholders, especially in light of recent developments in the EU.
Why Is It So Hard to Solve Problems with Technology?
Publishing has always been an information technology business. Why then, is our industry often accused of being slow to adopt technology? Do we struggle to integrate new ideas into our systems and workflows more than we should? How can make the best use of new technology innovation without being overwhelmed?
Landscape Analysis: A SPARC Report on the Changing Nature of the Academic Publishing Industry and the Implications for Institutions
The latest report from SPARC is a departure from advocacy and is very well done. Robert Harington discusses key findings from Claudio Aspesi et al., for SPARC – A Landscape Analysis: The Changing Academic Publishing Industry – Implications for Academic Institutions
Apple’s Vision of the Future (from 1987)
A look back at a glorious Apple promotional video from 1987, as the company predicted a rosy future while just on the edge of its darkest period.
The University of California and Elsevier: An Interview with Jeff MacKie-Mason
Rick Anderson interviews Jeff MacKie-Mason about the University of California system’s recent break with Elsevier.
The New “University Journals” in the Marketplace
For “University Publishing” to succeed by any measure, however, it is going to have to attract a lot of authors.
Cabell’s Predatory Journal Blacklist: An Updated Review
Two years after its initial entry into the marketplace, Cabell’s Blacklist has matured into a carefully crafted and highly useful directory of predatory and deceptive journals.
Researcher to Reader (R2R) Debate: Is Sci-Hub Good or Bad for Scholarly Communication?
Transcript of a debate held at the 2019 Researcher to Reader Conference, on the resolution “Sci-Hub Does More Good Than Harm to Scholarly Communication.”
Guest Post — The Dissertation Publication Requirement: It’s Time for Reexamination
Guest author Rob Schlesinger encourages a rethink of the common requirement that graduate students publish their dissertations.
Guest Post — Low Cost Textbook Alternatives: Worth the Effort?
When a University of Utah professor grew frustrated with the slim textbook offerings available to students of Arabic, she turned to the library for help. The result was the collaborative creation of a new and radically cheaper text — that got much higher ratings from students than the old one had. How did we do it?
Isn’t Leakage Good for Libraries?
Leakage has strengthened libraries’ negotiating position with respect to content providers. The emerging syndication model syndication offers libraries the opportunity to provide dramatically improve the research experience for their users — with a number of risks as well, including the prospect of substantially reducing their leverage at the negotiating table.