Libraries, Archives, Choice and Red Envelopes: The Growth of Streaming, the Decline of Choice, and the Death of the Red Envelope
The role of libraries and archives as streaming grows, choice declines, and the death of the red envelopes arrives.
Publishers Announce a Major New Service to Plug Leakage
Today, a group of leading publishers is announcing a major new service to plug leakage, improve discovery and access, fight piracy, compete with ResearchGate, and position their platform for the OA ecosystem. This new service shows that publishers are finally beginning to address digital strategy in an environment that has steadily eroded their ability to monetize the value they create. Does it go far enough to reset the competitive environment?
Thinking about the Art and Science of Image Description: An Interview with textBOX Founders
If a picture is worth a thousand words, the folks at textBOX can help publishers present that descriptive text (“alt-text”) to the online world, meeting key accessibility and discoverability demands.
From Paywall to Datawall
Now, of course copyright owners of “free” resources have the right to set the terms of access. They can put up a datawall that demands the exchange of personal information (and thus enables data tracking, reporting, and maybe even aggregation with other datasets) for the otherwise free article. I wonder how far we will see this extend.
Myth Busting: Five Commonly Held Misconceptions About RA21 (and One Rumor Confirmed)
RA21 aims to promote a modern, standards-based access management system that preserves patron privacy & control. It is important to dispel some myths about RA21 so we can move on from the outdated world of IP-authentication.
What Will You Do When They Come for Your Proxy Server?
RA21 aims to replace IP address authentication (and proxy servers) with federated identity authentication – but have we thought through the implications?
Locks, Keys, and Firewalls — Why Internet Security Requires Digital, Analog . . . and Diligent Humans
Internet security seems to be crumbling before our eyes, and our media and leaders are not immune and lack a crucial understanding of how vulnerable a totally digital world can be. The answer may lie with analog technologies.
Accessing Publisher Resources via a Mobile Device: A User’s Journey
How do users access content on mobile devices? While many surveys have been done on mobile usage, documenting the user’s experience via “journey mapping” provides a picture of the challenges that remain in using IP authentication in the institutional setting.
Dismantling the Stumbling Blocks that Impede Researcher Access to E-Resources
The user experience of working with e-journals and ebooks in an academic setting has failed to keep up with changing practices and preferences for how researchers now expect to access the scholarly literature.I called attention to some of these limitations in a presentation at the STM Association annual conference in October.The video of my talk is now available: I hope you enjoy the presentation
Grab and Go and the Gravitational Pull of Discovery
A look at Facebook’s Instant Article initiative and what it means for discovery and for publishers.
Discovery and Access in Light of the Ebola Outbreak
Several researchers recently “stumbled across” an article indicating the reasonable likelihood that Liberia would be faced with cases of Ebola. Public health officials had not acted on this known likelihood. The question is why.
How Might Scholarly Communication Benefit from Net Neutrality?
Because so much of scholarly communication takes place via the internet, this week’s announcement by Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Tom Wheeler in support of Net Neutrality and regulation of the internet should be viewed as a positive thing for our community.
Scholarly Kitchen Podcast: Making Sense of MOOCs
An interview with the University of Utah librarian and Scholarly Kitchen Chef Rick Anderson about the potential impact of Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
Easier Access for Small and Medium Enterprises
Access to the scientific literature by small and medium-sized businesses is good, although it could be a lot easier, according to a new report.