Google-China Talks to Resume
(online.wsj.com): Google Inc. representatives are scheduled to resume discussions in coming days with Chinese officials about the fate of Google's China business, said people briefed on the matter. The schedule and the status of the talks, which are being picked up after a break for the Chinese New Year holiday,… Read More
Information for All Programme Annual World Report 2009 available online
(portal.unesco.org): Assistance to UNESCO Member States in the formulation of national information policy frameworks has been the main focus of the Information for All Programme (IFAP) in 2008-2009. The IFAP Annual World Report 2009 offers an overview of major international and national policy documents and highlights the most important trends… Read More
E-Book Sales Jump 176% in Flat Trade Year
(publishersweekly.com): E-book sales from the 13 publishers that report figures to the Association of American Publishers soared 176.6% in 2009, to $169.5 million, the AAP reported Friday. The jump in e-book sales coupled with a slight decline in sales of print trade books increased e-book's share of trade sales from… Read More
STM publishers far from satisfied
(sourcingnotes.com): The STM (Scientific, Technical & Medical) publishing industry has changed dramatically over the last two years. The global economic slowdown has hit the industry's revenues hard. Moreover, with rapid technological advancements, publishers were in for a rude awakening - their business models were no longer adequate. In an era… Read More
Never Pay Pre-Emptively For Gold OA Before First Mandating Green OA
(openaccess.eprints.org): In October 2008 in ROARMAP, University of Hong Kong proposed to the University Grants Committee (RGC/UGC) an Open Access Mandate for all RGC/UGC-funded research. It is not yet clear whether in the meantime this mandate has actually been adopted, by either HKU or RGC/UGC. It was an Immediate-Deposit mandate,… Read More
British Library captures oral history of British science
(online.wsj.com): The British Library has launched a project to capture and make available 200 audio-visual interviews with the British scientists who have led the world in scientific innovation. The initiative - Oral History of British Science – led by National Life Stories, will interview and record the voices, memories and… Read More
State budget cuts threaten to isolate library collections
Libraries in Pennsylvania could suddenly seem a lot smaller if people can no longer order hard-to-find books or popular movies and music from public collections nationwide. Librarians and patrons say they fear free access to interlibrary loans and powerful computer databases will become the latest casualties… Read More
How Rankings and Reviews Help in Acquiring Scholarly Content
Library Journal's webcast, Acquiring Scholarly Content, placed two rating and ranking tools and methodologies squarely in the spotlight: Doody's Core Titles/Doody's Review Service and Eigenfactor.org. The webcast, sponsored by Ovid and Library Journal, provided an excellent exploration of these highly regarded resources used by libraries to make title and journal… Read More
Cuba: The Next Exchange Opportunity for American Scientists?
The fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago opened up many opportunities for scientists in Eastern Europe to travel to the West for study and research. In Cuba, the United States is playing catch-up, since Cuba already has normal diplomatic and economic relations with most other nations. But right… Read More
Medical Journal Editors Issue Uniform Disclosure Standard
(Psychiatric news) Mainstream medical journals may be moving toward a common standard for authors to report their financial and other conflicts of interest following an October announcement by a group of prominent medical journal editors. Journal authors can now use one standard form to report financial and other conflicts of… Read More
