Freedom for scholarship in the internet …

Freedom for scholarship in the internet age :
Discusses the purpose of scholarship, the potential of the internet to further the purposes of scholarship, and the role of librarians in transformative change in scholarly communication. Addresses the rapidly growing volume of information, and discusses three approaches to coping; writing less and collaborating are recommended. Talks about the work of librarians in scholarly communication as the basis for opening up conversation on broader change. Presents evidence that a fully open access scholarly journal publishing system would be possible at much lower cost than libraries are currently paying.
URL : http://eprints.rclis.org/18189/

Overview of Open Access Models for eBook…

Overview of Open Access Models for eBooks in the Humanities and Social Sciences :
A new survey of Open Access book publishing confirms a wide variety of approaches, as well as a continuing search for the optimal publishing- and business models. While Open Access is still in an experimental phase of trying out new models, and tracking the readers’ online and offline preferences to gauge the best way forward, some trends and patterns have started to emerge.
URL : http://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/libraryintelligencer/2010/03/29/overview-of-open-access-models-for-ebooks-in-the-humanities-and-social-sciences/
URL de l’étude : http://www.oapen.org/images/OpenAccessModels.pdf

Open access publishing: a viable solutio…

Open access publishing: a viable solution for society publishers :
The open access (OA) business model has established itself as a viable alternative to traditional subscription-based publishing and is an option that societies should now realistically consider for their journals. This paper outlines how the OA model can work for societies, and presents a number of case studies that demonstrate how it is already working in practice.
URL : http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/alpsp/lp/2010/00000023/00000002/art00004

The Role of Open Access in Fostering Kno…

The Role of Open Access in Fostering Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration in Ethiopia: a case study :
This study adopts a qualitative approach and uses the case study method. Fourteen researchers and librarians were interviewed in four organizations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The responses based on the semi-structured interviews provide information about the current status of scholarly communication, the awareness of researchers and librarians about open access and the actual and potential challenges in implementing open access strategies in Ethiopia. This research is believed to illuminate the practicalities and procedures of how open access scholarly communication models could foster and support knowledge sharing and collaboration among Ethiopian researchers. The results of the study show that Ethiopian researchers suffer from lack of adequate access to scholarly literature. There is also lack of scholarly communication outlets to publish and disseminate their research results. This study reveals that the current scholarly communication system in Ethiopia is faced with technological and social challenges. Open access is proposed as a viable alternative for Ethiopia. The research indicates that if Ethiopian universities and research institutions adopt open access policies and strategies, it would help them improve the access and dissemination of scientific research results. A concerted effort is required from administrators, librarians, researchers, funding agencies and government to implement and fully harness open access in Ethiopia.
URL : http://url4.eu/2GRfs

Author Identifiers in Scholarly Reposito…

Author Identifiers in Scholarly Repositories :
Bibliometric and usage-based analyses and tools highlight the value of information about scholarship contained within the network of authors, articles and usage data. Less progress has been made on populating and using the author side of this network than the article side, in part because of the difficulty of unambiguously identifying authors. I briefly review a sample of author identifier schemes, and consider use in scholarly repositories. I then describe preliminary work at arXiv to implement public author identifiers, services based on them, and plans to make this information useful beyond the boundaries of arXiv.
URL : http://arxiv.org/abs/1003.1345

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/1003.4187