EDUCAUSE | Contributed by Organizations or Campuses; Articles, Papers, and Reports; and Electronic Publishing

2 New Digital Models Promise Academic Publishing for Profit

ckeller — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:04:09 -0500

"Scholarly publishers are well aware that more and more readers and libraries want to get hold of monographs in electronic form. The trick has been how to deliver content digitally without going out of business. Two new models—one with an open-access component, one without—should help publishers test out ways to adapt and, maybe, thrive."

E-Textbooks for All

ckeller — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:38:13 -0500

A pilot at the University of Texas at Austin will replace printed textbooks with electronic versions for all students in certain classes, free of charge.

Ithaka’s 2006 Studies of Key Stakeholders in the Digital Transformation in Higher Education

ckeller — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:51:48 -0500

Ithaka's 2006 survey of faculty members sought to determine their attitudes related to online resources, electronic archiving, teaching and learning and related subjects. This study affords the opportunity to develop trend analysis of many measurements collected in the 2003 and 2000 faculty surveys. As in the past, Ithaka developed a robust set of disciplinary and other demographic analyses that have allowed them to learn more about how best to serve the needs of different types of faculty members. Findings include;

Attitudes towards the possibility of a transition away from print format, both for scholarly journals and monographs
Perceptions of libraries and their value, including specific library functions, and how these perceptions are changing
Preferences in research practices, including disciplinary differences and changes over time
Attitudes towards archiving of both print and electronic resources
Preferences that lead authors to choose among scholarly journals in which to publish their articles, as well as attitudes towards digital repositories

Research Library Publishing Services: New Options for University Publishing

ckeller — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:14:53 -0500

A study of publishing services offered by ARL member libraries that provides valuable context for librarians and campus leaders considering the opportunities offered by this rapidly emerging research library role.

The University as Publisher: Summary of a Meeting Held at UC Berkeley on November 1, 2007

ckeller — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:05:24 -0600

With the advent of electronic publishing, the scholarly communication landscape at universities has become increasingly diverse. Multiple stakeholders including university presses, libraries, and central IT departments are challenged by the increasing volume and the rapidity of production of these new forms of publication in an environment of economic uncertainties.

As a response to these increasing pressures, as well as the recent publication of important reports and papers on the topic, the Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE) convened a meeting of experts titled,The University as Publisher. The event was sponsored as part of the A.W. Mellon Foundation-funded Future of Scholarly Communication project at CSHE. http://cshe.berkeley.edu/research/scholarlycommunication/

Our goal was to explore among stakeholders --faculty, publishers, CIOs, librarians, and researchers-- the implications of the academic community, in some structure, taking over many, if not all, aspects of scholarly publishing. Two themes were the focus of the public panels: Institutional Roles in Evaluation, Quality Assessment, and Selection andStructuring and Budgeting Models for Publishing within the University Community.

Our discussions included the importance of distinguishing between informal dissemination and formal publishing and the challenges that each presents to the university community. The harsh economic realities of high-quality formal scholarly publication, not least of which are managing peer review and editorial processes, were emphasized. Understanding disciplinary needs was cited as paramount throughout the discussions; the needs and traditions of scholars in the sciences and humanities, as well as among myriad disciplines, will likely demand different dissemination and publishing models and solutions.

An additional theme that emerged was acknowledging the diverse forms electronic dissemination takes in the academy and the need to foster a spectrum of alternatives in publication forms, business models, and the peer review process. Budgetary and academic freedom concerns were explored as well. Regarding the expensive infrastructure required for electronic dissemination and publishing, it was agreed that there is enormous duplication among the university press, IT, and the library.

Participants included Laura Brown, Diane Harley, James L. Hilton, Donald Kennedy, C. Judson King, Mark J. McCabe, Mark Rose, Ellen Wartella, Kate Wittenberg, Catherine Candee, Raym Crow, Nicholas P. Jewell, Tom Leonard, Sheila Levine, Clifford Lynch, James Neal, Sarah Earl-Novell, Abby Smith, Shel Waggener, Keith Yamamoto

Institutional Repositories and E-Journal Archiving: What Are We Learning?

elilly — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:21:43 -0600

The growing need for institutions to capture and maintain access to their administrative and academic information is driving the exploration of organizational models for digital preservation. Among the approaches being developed are institutional repositories and e-journal archives.

On the Threshold of Cyberscholarship

elilly — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:45:55 -0600

The widespread availability of digital content creates opportunities for new forms of research and scholarship that are qualitatively different from those represented in traditional scholarly literature. To capitalize on these opportunities, digital content must routinely be collected, managed, and preserved in ways that are significantly more rigorous than conventional methods. A new form of infrastructure is required to ensure that digital content, including research products and primary sources, is readily available, accessible, and usable.

Open Access in 2007

elilly — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:50:38 -0600

Peter Suber shares his annual review of the open access movement. The article highlights 15 categories of open access activity in 2007.

Open Access Publishing and the Emerging Infrastructure for 21st-Century Scholarship

elilly — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:00:13 -0600

In <b>Open Access Publishing and the
Emerging Infrastructure for 21st-Century Scholarship</b>, Donald Waters asks,
ìopen access for what and for whom and how can we ensure that there is
sufficient capital for continued innovation in scholarly publishing?

Talk About Talking About New Models of Scholarly Communication

elilly — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:17:28 -0600

Although many new forms of scholarly exchange have reached an advanced state of adoption, scholars and researchers generally remain remarkably naïve and uninformed about many issues involved with change in scholarly publishing and scholarly communication broadly. It is increasingly important that dialogue at research institutions involve a much wider group of researchers and scholars. Only active engagement by those undertaking research and scholarship can ensure that the advancement of research and scholarship takes priority in the development and adoption of new models. Research libraries have led in educating stakeholders about new models and are expanding their outreach to campus communities. In considering the effects of recent change, and looking to emerging trends and concerns, six dangers of the current moment are considered along with six topics ripe for campus dialogue.