Some Progress But Not Enough: GAO Issues Update on the EPA Library Network
(infotoday.com): Thirty-three months after its assessment of the 2007 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) library reorganization was issued, the U.S. Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) released its Report to Congressional Requesters (GAO-10-947) on the EPA library network, EPA Needs to Complete a Strategy for Its Library Network to Meet User Needs, dated… Read More
E-book Piracy Is Here. So What?
(pcworld.com): Nobody working within publishing will be surprised at the development of e-book piracy. Most have been waiting for it. There are significant differences between e-book piracy and that of music and movies, and these differences are very likely intentional.. Read More
Information Overload Is Not Unique To Digital Age
(npr.org): The flood of data on the Web has reached mind boggling proportions, and it shows no signs of stopping. But wait, says Harvard professor Ann Blair — this is not a new condition. It's been part of the human experience for centuries. Read More
Why content is still king in online world
(asiaone.com): The amount of information being generated is outpacing the human race's ability to digest it. For example, about 145 gigabytes (GB) of data exist for each person on earth. Commercial companies worldwide generated about 48 billion GB of data last year. WalMart, the world's largest retailer, has more than… Read More
The economic case for open access in academic publishing
(arstechnica.com): As hyperbolic as it may sound, academic publishing is the curator and guardian of the accumulated scientific knowledge of the human race, 1600 to present. It is also a cornerstone of modern science, preferentially selecting well-executed research through the peer review process. However, academic libraries are facing decreasing budgets,… Read More
Open Licenses and Radical Shift in Digital Content Distribution
(eprints.rclis.org): World Wide Web is becoming the most preferred location for academic community, librarians and other professionals for communication, content generation and transfer. They are extensively making use of web services such as blogs, podcast, wiki’s, digital libraries and institutional repositories for the transfer and access of information content in… Read More
It is time for the UK to embrace the limitless potential of the chemical sciences, says RSC CEO
(rsc.org): Dr Richard Pike, chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, says in a leading article "Unlocking the Future" that it is time for the UK to embrace the limitless potential of the chemical sciences, but warns that this will require a more enriching educational system that stimulates imagination,… Read More
US Trade Agency Releases Final Text of ACTA
(pcworld.com): Negotiators working on a controversial international copyright-enforcement agreement have finalized the language in the proposed pact, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said Monday. The final language of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is available at the USTR's website. The proposed agreement, encompassing the U.S., U.K., Japan, the… Read More
Open-and-Shut Case: Do Open-Access Journals Enhance Scientific Progress?
(scientificamerican.com): The trend of increasing open-access publication has many singing its praises, but not everyone sees unbridled scientific advancement. In the past dozen years or so scientists have increasingly turned toward "open access" (OA) publication, where full-text articles, research results or complete journal issues are freely available online, rather than… Read More
Print will die
(itnewsafrica.com): The mercurial world of the Internet remains a catalyst for change. In recent history, iTunes, the seminal digital music download platform, has turned music distribution upside down. Now, with e-books poised to hit the mainstream, we’re on the eve of a revolution to rival that, says Wesley Lynch, CEO… Read More
