Library management systems provider Talis Information Ltd., UK, and TBI Communications, UK, have announced that the successful applicant for their new project is a joint submission from the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the American Thoracic Society (ATS). The project is designed to explore the potential of web and Web 2.0 technologies to help society publishers increase reader and member engagement with the society and its publications.
The announcement of the pilot project attracted international attention and a large number of applications were received. This was seen to be indicative of the huge amount of interest that there is amongst society publishers in exploring next steps in the development of online journals to increase the discoverability and usability of articles.
Together, ERS and ATS are seen to publish a significant proportion of high quality articles in the field of respiratory medicine. Members of both societies will, for the first time, be able to access journal articles through a single integrated interface - but one that can be branded in different ways, as appropriate for each individual society. They will also be able to use a range of services designed to help them discover people and content of interest in more sophisticated ways than search queries alone can support.
The pilot project will begin in early 2009 and it is anticipated the results will be published and made freely available in the summer.
