The Scholarly Kitchen
Historical
Old Media, New Media, Data Media: Evolving Publishing Paradigms
We typically classify publishers as Old Media and New Media, but now we have companies that are part of a new paradigm, the Dat Media company. Such companies sit above both Old and New, studying patterns in usage and in the databases of information aggregated by publishers. Continue reading
Guest Post: Emory’s Gary Miller, “The Literature of Science”
Emory Professor and journal Editor in Chief Gary Miller offers a long term view of the scholarly literature and offers thoughts on the important values worth preserving in the shift from print to digital. Continue reading
The Comic Book Font, and How Digital Technologies are Changing Lettering
A look at the evolution of comic book fonts, once driven by the physical nature of the books and now moving into new digital possibilities. Continue reading
Hollywood Takes on Peer Review
This summer’s blockbuster movie “Ghostbusters” is, amazingly, about academic peer review and the quality of scholarly publishing. Is it possible that the specialized world of scholarly communications now has mass appeal? Continue reading
Words That Aren’t As Related As They Might Seem
Some etymological fun — English words that seem like they should be related but aren’t. Continue reading
Vindicated by Its Critics: The Kent Study in Light of Other Research on Library Circulation
In 1979, a study at the University of Pittsburgh Library found that 40% of the books added in the previous six years had not circulated. 37 years later, we librarians still cite that number and many of us use it (among other factors) to justify moving in the direction of patron-driven acquisition. A critic of that practice argues that many subsequent circulation studies contradict the Kent Study. But do they? Continue reading
A Quick Tour Around the World of Scholarly Journal Publishing
A presentation to the 2016 ISMTE US Conference. Something of a “state of our industry” overview, or perhaps, everything I needed to know I learned from the other bloggers at The Scholarly Kitchen. Continue reading
In Search Of Gutenberg
Stephen Fry presents a journey through Gutenberg’s life and the invention of his “machine that shaped civilization.” Continue reading
The Discrete Charm of Geometry – A Review
Amidst the politics of open access, the financial pressure on research libraries, and the sense that ubiquity trumps quality, it is worth remembering that nothing can squash the fervor of academic endeavor. Video is increasingly deployed in the publishing of academic research. Robert Harington explores the importance of using different types of media to provide insight into cultural and historical aspects of a field through a review of a new movie by Ekaterina Eremenko – The Discrete Charm of Geometry. Continue reading
An Introduction to Uncle Charlie: NIST Research that Proved Baseballs Really Curve
A look back at NIST research into an important summer question. Continue reading
Academic Libraries and the Textbook Taboo: Time to Get Over It?
Has the time come for academic libraries to start thinking seriously about providing textbooks to their student patrons? A few are already doing so–why not more? Continue reading
Gone Fishing: Off for the 4th of July
Summertime, and we’re off for the 4th of July. Some suggested listening and reading for the break. Continue reading
Book Review: “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari
An excellent book about humankind in general holds important fundamental insights for scholarly publishers, editors, and researchers. Continue reading
Vitamins, Painkillers, and the Entrepreneurial Library
What does it mean for libraries to be competitive and “entrepreneurial”? And is the very concept a Trojan horse for neoliberalism? Does it matter? Continue reading
Divided We Fall — How a Fragmented Media Space Affects Academia and Scholarly Publishing
The general fragmentation of media and society has profound implications, and may explain to some extent the fragmentation being seen in higher education and scholarly publishing. Continue reading
The Partnership Between Q and U
More language nerdery, probing the origins of the pairing of the letters Q and U in English. Continue reading
The Power of Community — Why Much of Scholarly Publishing Is Unlikely to Change Quickly
Journals as communication vehicles that bind communities of practice are still important and well-regarded, but there are external forces changing them and our industry, along with a rising level of neglect, which may mean a harder future for them than ever. What might we lose? And how does this explain why change is so slow in coming? Continue reading
A History of Nothing
An animated look at the history of zero. Continue reading
Cheap As Chips, and Other Expressions Explained
A short video explaining the meaning behind and origins of common words and phrases. Continue reading
The New(ish) Kids on the Block – Touring the Megajournals
A tour of four major “megajournals” and some of their neighbors finds a few common approaches and a few distinguishing features, but the entire category may need to be rethought given the lack of “mega” generally among the set. Continue reading
Authors
The mission of the Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) is "[t]o advance scholarly publishing and communication, and the professional development of its members through education, collaboration, and networking." SSP established The Scholarly Kitchen blog in February 2008 to keep SSP members and interested parties aware of new developments in publishing.
......................................
The Scholarly Kitchen is a moderated and independent blog. Opinions on The Scholarly Kitchen are those of the authors. They are not necessarily those held by the Society for Scholarly Publishing nor by their respective employers.
