THE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT OF FREE ACCESS TO LEGAL INFORMATION :
Since the mid1990s the Internet’s Worldwide Web has provided the necessary technical platform to enable free access to computerised legal information. Prior to the web there were many online legal information systems and numerous legal information products distributed on CD-ROM, but there was no significant provision of free access to legal information anywhere in the world. Both government and private sector online legal publishers charged for access. The web provided the key element required for free public access – a low cost distribution mechanism. For publishers it was close to a ‘no cost’ distribution mechanism if they were not required to pay for outgoing bandwidth. The ease of use of graphical browsers from around 1994, and the web’s use of hypertext as its principal access mechanism (at that time) meant that, the web provided a simple and relatively consistent means by which legal information could be both provided and accessed. This was an attractive alternative to the proprietary, expensive and training intensive search engines on which commercial online services largely relied. The development of free access Internet law services was based on these factors.
URL : http://ejlt.org//article/view/17/39
Free and open scholarship in the interne…
Free and open scholarship in the internet age :
Describes an action research project on scholarly communication in early stages. Research sites include the Open Access Journal Supports in Canada research team, E-LIS, the Open Archive for Library and Information, Scholarly and Research Communication (a new open access journal), and Stream, the SFU School of Communication graduate student open access journal. Methods include action research, economic and discourse analysis.
URL : http://eprints.rclis.org/18406/
Comparing Repository Types – Challenges …
Comparing Repository Types – Challenges and barriers for subject-based repositories, research repositories, national repository systems and institutional repositories in serving scholarly communication :
After two decades of repository development, some conclusions may be drawn as to which type of repository and what kind of service best supports digital scholarly communication, and thus the production of new knowledge. Four types of publication repository may be distinguished, namely the subject-based repository, research repository, national repository system and institutional repository. Two important shifts in the role of repositories may be noted. With regard to content, a well-defined and high quality corpus is essential. This implies that repository services are likely to be most successful when constructed with the user and reader uppermost in mind. With regard to service, high value to specific scholarly communities is essential. This implies that repositories are likely to be most useful to scholars when they offer dedicated services supporting the production of new knowledge. Along these lines, challenges and barriers to repository development may be identified in three key dimensions: a) identification and deposit of content; b) access and use of services; and c) preservation of content and sustainability of service. An indicative comparison of challenges and barriers in some major world regions such as Europe, North America and East Asia plus Australia is offered in conclusion.
URL : http://arxiv.org/abs/1005.0839
Transforming repositories: from reposito…
Transforming repositories: from repository managers to institutional data managers :
URL : http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/20986/
Digital Preservation Tools for Repositor…
Digital Preservation Tools for Repository Managers 3: Describing content for preservation :
URL : http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/21001/
Economic Contribution of Industries Rely…
Economic Contribution of Industries Relying on Fair Use :
This report employs the latest data available to answer a very important question: what contribution is made to our economy by industries that depend on the limitations to copyright protection when engaged in commerce? As this report shows, such industries make a huge contribution. In an era of highly competitive markets for information goods and services, changes to the boundaries of copyright protection will alter
the economic landscape. Broader regulation of economic activity by copyright might encourage additional creativity, but it will deter certain types of technology innovation, and may undermine competition and
free expression. Our information policy must therefore balance the incentives that IP regulation creates against the disincentives that result. For 300 years, copyright law has recognized this fragile balance.
URL : http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/threatlevel/2010/04/fairuseeconomy.pdf
THE DISSEMINATION OF SCHOLARLY INFORMATI…
THE DISSEMINATION OF SCHOLARLY INFORMATION: OLD APPROACHES AND NEW POSSIBILITIES :
Current methods of disseminating scholarly information focus on the use of journals who retain exclusive rights in the material they publish. Using a simple model we explore the reasons for the development of the traditional journal model, why it is no longer effcient and how it could be improved upon. One of our main aims is to go beyond the basic question of distribution (access) to that of filtering, i.e. the process of
matching information with the scholars who want it. With the volume of information production ever growing { and attention ever more scarce – filtering is becoming crucial and digital technology offers the possibility of radical innovation in this area. In particular, distribution and filtering can be separated allowing filtering to be made open and decentralized. This would promises to deliver dramatic increases in transparency and efficiency as well as greatly increased innovation in related product, processes and services.
URL : http://www.econ.cam.ac.uk/dae/repec/cam/pdf/cwpe1023.pdf