Libraries & University Presses - Each working to Reimagine Their Roles in the Changing Climate of Academe

The image of a research institution as isolated, ivy-covered buildings in isolated campuses far from the daily realities of everyday life is well over.  The corporatization of academe has been well described and discussed in articles and reports as they compete for grants and donations to off-set the staggering losses of public support.

Looking to the future, as well as academe in general, are two of their traditional anchors:  University Presses and Libraries.  Each has a specific role to play, each has a solid history of performance and each clearly understands that none of this guarantees a clear future.

In a series of three articles I was able to explore the issues, challenges and optimistic futures that are being debated, tested and developed across the U.S. and beyond.  You might want to give them a quick read:

Academic Library Publishing, Part 1: Changing Times, Changing Roles

University Presses & Libraries, Part 2: A Troubled Landscape?

University Presses & Libraries, Part 3: Working to Forge New Relationships & Expertise

Interesting and, at the same time, concerning.  What future do you see for research libraries, university presses and the academy itself in the future?

Enjoy!

Changing Peer Review - From Tweaking to.......

As technology and other factors continue to make new methods and products available, peer review has become one target.

Anyone who has done peer review know of the pitfalls to the process, the pivotal role of quality editors, the lack of recognition or support that is generally available.  And the academe seems ready to listen and to address some of the issues. Even governmental units are taking note - as are private, commercial entities.

I was asked to take a look at the current state of peer review options and initiatives for Against the Grain and the result was a two-part feature. Are we facing a dytopic future? Will the central responsibility and role of the editor be reinforced?  Will private sector initiatives prevail?  All we can do is stay tuned....and you might want to take a look at my articles in the meantime.

Scholarly Publishing & Peer Review Face the Future (Part 1 of a 2 part series)
Scholarly Publishing & Peer Review: Solutions From Within and Without Academe (Part 2 of a 2 part series)

Welcoming the Society for Disability Studies to the Twin Cities!!

This week the Society for Disability Studies (the premier DS organization internationally), is meeting here in the Twin Cities!

I was honored to be selected as one of the workshop leaders and wanted to share my workshop handouts with others.

In regular typeface: herther_m5G.pdf

In 24-point typeface: herther_m5G.24pt.pdf

Playing the Numbers: NISO/NASIG Focus On Best Practices for Library Usage Statistics

In the past, libraries - and other institutions - had limited information on which to base decisions about their services, collections and users. Today, things have changed. A week ago, NISO and NASIG - two standards/best practices groups for information professionals - held a webinair in which they looked at issues and best practices as well as evolving standards. I was asked to write up a brief overview of the session for Information Today's NewsBreaks and you might want to give it a look.
In a time of declining budget, inflated pricing for information content and evolving information needs and growing knowledge bases, these issues are critical for any institution: How can we best use our limited budgets to serve critical needs of our users and institutions?

COUNTER is one wonderful set of standards helping to give better data for decision making - however, issues of value/worth/mission remain.

Believe me, if you have ideas on this, information professionals would love to hear from you!

Take a look at the article if this is a new issue to you. Hopefully these efforts will help to better allocate limited funds to the most critical needs - for today (Just in Time) as well as for the future.

Scribd and Smashwords Working to Build New Publishing/Distribution Models for Ebooks

Finding new ways to publish or distribute ebooks is an issue of major concern for authors - many of whom just self-publish today - bookstores/online vendors and libraries. Scribd and Smashwords are two such companies, hoping to come up with new schemes that bring publishing and distribution into the 21st century.

As I note in this article written for the news blog NewsBreaks:
"Public libraries in Colorado and Texas are exploring potential roles as book publishers themselves. By working directly with authors, the middle men would be cut out from the process, giving libraries greater control and flexibility when it comes to copyright and title-ownership issues. The Douglas County Libraries system in Colorado not only broke new ground with its ebook publishing program, but it has become a model program and strong proponent for the field. "I'm kind of wandering around as an evangelist saying we have two choices: Either we can be marginalized by people trying to lock us out of the market or we can say we don't want to hang out on the fringe of the revolution, we want to be at the heart of it," library director Jamie LaRue said at last year's annual conference of the Texas Library Association."

Jamie just retired, but his example and spirit are alive in many libraries today as new opportunities arise for libraries to take a more central position in the identification, authorship, publishing and access to newly created information. And, for more information on what that might involve, check out the work of the newly established Library Publishing Coalition. Their directory of library efforts in this area might just surprise you! Libraries of the future are a far cry from the stereotypes of the past!

You may be surprised, but hopefully you will also be inspired!

KNODE and Wiley Collaborate on Next-Generation Research Portal

Today there is more information being published than ever before, more researchers making discoveries by the day that impact professionals in every area across the globe. So, how can anyone keep up with all of the research, new discoveries, new researchers in their fields? Research portals are seen as one essential element. Here at the University of Minnesota, we use a version of Elsevier's SciVal Scopus as our experts system for identifying researchers and their work.

Recently KNODE and Wiley set out to collaborate on what they believe will be the next-generation in these types of systems. I was asked to write a brief news piece on this for the news blog NewsBreaks. You might want to give it a look.

FCC Confronts Issues of Net Neutrality, Future of the Internet at Stake

Yes, the future of the Internet is clearly at stake this Spring and here is where it all began. Due to a glitch in FCC authority (which clearly needs to be fixed), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) does not have the authority over broadband providers in its provision of internet access and traffic "control" as it has with ISPs.

This led to the decision last month by the FCC that creates, in effect, a two-tiered internet - with those who can pay getting fast-lane access and the rest a slower lane of traffic. I was asked to cover this for a news blog article for Information Today and gladly did so.

This is something that everyone concerned with information access, freedom of information and net neutrality needs to follow. I know that I will.