Library access to science and popular science journals: more bad news?
(sciblogs.co.nz): Access to some popular science journals may get worse, according to librarians. News is out that EBSCO has acquired the exclusive rights to on-line full text content distribution many popular magazines, including Science, New Scientist and Discover. Although the librarians are peering into their crystal balls, they say they’ve… Read More
Bigger libraries are not better if they are closed
(sunherald.com): After being closed for most of the month, a dozen libraries in four nearby counties should reopen soon. But they will be open for fewer hours because the “current financial constraints” which shut down the Pine Forest Regional Library system are far from over. And they provide a cautionary… Read More
Is Giving Too Much Away A Good Idea?
(publishingperspectives.com): For a long while now publishers have released sample chapters online to give readers a sense of what a book might be like. You can have them e-mailed to you, download them, or browse for them on the Web. Then there’s Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature and others that allow… Read More
Publisher attempts to rein in radical medical journal
(timeshighereducation.co.uk): The publisher of Medical Hypotheses has proposed that the irreverent journal should be revamped as an orthodox peer-review publication. In a letter to the editor, Elsevier proposes a revised and more focused aim and scope for the journal and a peer-review process for all submitted articles. To achieve this,… Read More
Environmentally Sustainable Publishing – Ask the Experts!
(followthereader.wordpress.com): While the focus of the book industry, the media, and the book blogosphere for practically the last year has been decidedly digital, there are some pretty important but overlooked issues that are well-deserving of some air time/print space/ web real estate. Perhaps one of the most important of these… Read More
E-Readers: They’re Hot Now, But the Story Isn’t Over
(wsj.com): Forrester Research estimates 900,000 e-readers will sell in the U.S. in November and December. But e-reader buyers may be sinking cash into a technology that could become obsolete. While the shiny glass-and-metal reading gadgets offer some whiz-bang features like wirelessly downloading thousands of books, many also restrict the book-reading… Read More
Invisible libraries lift veil on content
(Informationworldreview.com): As the backbone of the UK’s information infrastructure, libraries have to work hard to keep pace with the rapid technology-driven changes in how users search for and use information. It is this tradition that has spawned the virtual libraries possessed by major institutions. But the virtual library can be… Read More
BestThinking.com brings new model to online content publishing
(techjournalsouth.com): One problem with sites that support themselves and their content providers solely with advertising is that they tend to run search engine bait to attract traffic. A new site, BestThinking.com, live only 90 days, has already made it to the top five sites nominated for Mashable’s Open Web Access… Read More
Top medical journal backs away from OA
(openaccessnews): On Mar. 29, 1995, the Canadian Medical Association became the first national medical association in the world with a presence on the Internet. Since then, the journal has been committed to providing readers with free, full-text access to all of its content. However, beginning January 2010, non-members of the… Read More
Levels of expertise and peer review: when is it ok to criticize the process?
(scienceblogs.com): I had a weird experience dealing with journals and peer review a little while ago. Recent discussions of the CRU e-mail hack (especially Janet's) has made me think more about it, and wonder about how the scientific community ought to think about expertise when it comes to peer review. Read More
