A Library of 11 Million Fluid Specimens
The Chicago Field Museum’s basement holds a collection of some 11 million specimens, preserved and stored in fluid.
Speculation on the Most Likely OSTP Nelson Memo Implementation Scenario and the Resulting Publisher Strategies
What is the most likely scenario for implementation of the OSTP’s Nelson Memo? And what strategies will that offer for publishers?
Let the Metadata Wars Begin
Two giants in the library technology market move the battle over who controls library catalog records to court.
Guest Post — What Do Library-Publisher Relations Look Like in 2022?
The AUPresses Library Relations Committee asks Peter Berkery and Mary Lee Kennedy to share their thoughts about how relations between publishers and libraries have changed.
Guest Post – Cybersecurity and Academic Libraries: Findings from a Recent Survey
Susie Winter reviews recent data on cybersecurity for academic libraries, as well as a survey of awareness and attitudes toward best practices among librarians.
Accelerating Open Research: A Multi-stakeholder Discussion
Robert Harington reports on the recent SSP Publisher-Funder Task Force closed forum of funders, publishers, librarians and academics, who met to discuss how collaboration among stakeholder groups may accelerate a transition to open research.
Libraries and the Contested Terrain of “Neutrality”
Are libraries “neutral”? That question is way too simplistic to serve as anything other than a political football.
Guest Post – Perspectives on a “Unified Approach” to the Future of Open Access
There is value in exploring the concept of different perspectives on open access in order to begin to develop a “unified approach to open”.
Guest Post — What’s Your Vision for a New Model Library?
Members of the OCLC Research Team discuss their project examining changes to library work, collections, and engagement experiences and how they will lead to the future of libraries.
Subscribe to Open (S2O): An Interview Post in Two Parts (Part 2)
Robert Harington interviews a number of experts with a few burning questions on the Subscribe to Open (S2O) model in a two part post, part two appearing here.
Subscribe to Open (S2O): An Interview Post in Two Parts (Part 1)
Robert Harington interviews a number of experts with a few burning questions on the Subscribe to Open (S2O) model in a two part post, part one appearing here:
Transformative Agreements, Funders and the Publishing Ecosystem: a Lack of Focus on Equity
Robert Harington argues that funders, be they national, or private, should consider directly funding their field through funding societies and institutions, with a focus on equitable distribution of funds across scholarly communities.
The Global Pandemic and Scholarly Societies
Robert Harington asks how scholarly societies are coping as the global coronavirus pandemic continues to cast a shadow, certainly well into 2021 and very likely into 2022 and beyond?
Investing in Libraries is the Right Thing for Administrators To Do, Even if There Are Fewer Resources Overall
Library budgets shrank for 2 decades. They can’t shrink any further because of COVID-19. In fact, they should grow despite contracting college budgets
Is Copyright Piracy Morally Wrong or Merely Illegal? The Malum Prohibitum/Malum in Se Conundrum
Is copyright infringement malum prohibitum (wrong only because it’s prohibited) or malum in se (morally wrong in and of itself)? Interestingly, scholcomm commentators and legal reference materials often characterize it as the former–while both statute and case law treat it like the latter, classifying it as “property theft” and regularly awarding its victims both statutory and punitive damages.