SSP 35th Annual Meeting Plenary: Massively Online Open Courses – Send us your questions!
Attending the SSP 35th Annual Meeting in San Francisco? Want to learn more about MOOCs? Ask your questions now, and we’ll try to answer them.
Merger — The Consolidation Wave Hits Two Publisher Associations
Consolidation among publishers has been a trend for more than 30 years. Mergers may be gargantuan, such as the announcement last fall of Random House and Penguin, or they may be very small. Mergers and acquisitions have taken place across […]
Book Review: "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business"
A few months ago, I assigned a book to my senior managers — Charles Duhigg’s “The Power of Habit.” They smiled wanly as they accepted the books, prepared to slog through a business book with little bearing on their real […]
Don't Miss Another Hour with the Chefs, and Other Highlights — The SSP Annual Meeting in San Francisco
The Chefs are headed to San Francisco for another lively session closing out the SSP Annual Meeting. A range of topics and opinions will serve as dessert for a terrific meeting.
Three Years of the Sun in Three Minutes — No Sunscreen Required
A stable satellite monitoring the sun reveals three years of images, a comet, a transit of Venus, two partial eclipses, and more as the sun approaches its solar maximum.
Interview with Michael Bierut — Typography, Modern Applications, and Timeless Communication Challenges
An interview with designer Michael Bierut, about the history of typography, its current manifestations, the power of habituation, and why Parma matters.
What Keeps a Train on a Track? It's Not What You Might Think
A question you’ve probably never thought to ask, an answer that is more insightful than you might have imagined.
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.
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.
SSP Board Decides to Reinstate Removed Posts
The Board of the Society for Scholarly Publishing votes to restore disputed posts in order to stand for the organization’s core principles of discussion, freedom of expression, and welcoming all perspectives.
BBC Contemplating Reality TV Show to Decide How Research Councils UK Block Grants Are Dispersed
Leaked emails show the the BBC and certain university administrators have been contemplating launching a competition reality television show based on the APC allocation battles the RCUK OA policy will create.
Another Door Opens (Quietly) for MOOCs
Recent initiatives around MOOCs, if successful, may open a completely new chapter in the history of colleges and universities. It’s hard to see what serious roadblocks remain.
Federal Research Funding and the Unwillingness to Cut Bait
Recent austerity measures have shone a light on the need to make choices. Can professionals in academia discriminate between more valuable and less valuable activities in the same manner?
Who Is the Mook Among the MOOCs?
Who will be the winners and losers in the world of MOOCs? It may be that the decision by prominent universities to partner with online venues may undermine their own activities.
Book Review — "Academic and Professional Publishing"
A new book for scholarly publishers updates a classic, and shows just how diverse, interesting, and promising scholarly publishing has become.