Open Access – Keeping It Real
Like rock and roll, Open Access is here to stay but, as with rock and roll, it doesn’t always live up to its own hype.
Scholarly Kitchen Podcast: Tim O'Reilly on Building a Business and the Scholarly Publishing Scene
In this special SSP Annual Meeting edition of the Scholarly Kitchen podcast, Stewart Wills sits down with Tim O’Reilly of O’Reilly Media — and keynote speaker — to discuss favorite books, creating value, and the importance of diversifying your business.
Joining a CHORUS, Publishers Offer the OSTP a Proactive, Modern, and Cost-Saving Public Access Solution
A proposed partnership between publishers and the US government in response to the OSTP memorandum may show the way forward for public-private networked information solutions.
Scholarly Kitchen Podcast: Susan King on CHORUS
An interview with Susan King of the CHORUS steering group about the publisher response to the OSTP public access memorandum.
The Personality of a Publisher
While we tend to think of publishing as an attempt to make objectively true comments about the quality of research, in fact publishing is driven by personality. Services that try to eliminate such personality are likely to see personality reassert itself in other ways.
True Innovation Requires Knowledge — The Myth of the Naïve Disruptor and the Marginalization of Staff
The myth of the naive outsider is persistent and powerful, but even expert outsiders aren’t the only possible source of knowledge. What about the expert insider? What if most of your insiders are experts in some surprising way?
New Scholarly Kitchen Podcast — Adventures with the FOIA
A new episode of the Scholarly Kitchen podcast is ready. This time, we talk with head chef Kent Anderson about his experience filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
The Time Machine Investigates the First-sale Doctrine
The first-sale doctrine was a key component of the print world, but now many people want to extend this doctrine to digital media. Such a move would likely change the nature of content to make it less shareable.
Predators and Prey — The Plot Thickens
Strange comments emerge after a post about Beall’s list of “predatory” publishers appears, many of which attribute sentiments to people falsely.
CC-Bye Bye! Some Consequences of Unfettered Reproduction Rights Become Clearer
Authors should not be surprised when their open access articles show up in surprising places. Is it possible to embrace open access with some restrictions?
Populism vs. Activism — Encountering Limitations in the Age of Online Petitions and Signatures
We’re officially in the age of online petitions, which may be taking the place of actual activism. Is that an improvement?
High Noon — A Publisher Threatens to "Lunch" a Criminal Case Against Librarian Critic
Another publisher sues a librarian for opinions expressed on a blog. This time, the publisher is demanding $1 billion in damages and $10,000 for having to write the threatening letter in the first place.
Talking Sense — The Myth of "Job Creators," and Why Taxing the Rich Helps Everyone, Including the Rich
The limits of tax breaks for the rich and the myth of “job creators” are examined in this excellent TED Talk.
Turbulence at PLoS — Two Key Executives Leave in Apparent Haste, Chairman of eLife Named New CEO
More on the shake-up at PLoS — how rare these types of departures are, why a board might make such a move, and how unsatisfactory every scenario but the most obvious becomes once you begin to run scenarios.
Redundant and Expensive – How F1000 Research’s Model Reveals the Root Problems of PubMed Central
More internal PubMed Central emails show quite clearly that PMC is wasting taxpayers’ money solving problems publishers have already solved.