June 23, 2006

LISA V: E-Journal Swamp and the Changing Publishing Sector

The last session I was able to attend on Wednesday before dashing for the airport was on "The E-Journal Swamp and the Changing Publishing Sector". Very interesting things happening in Indian and Italian libraries these days! These are my notes, not detailed transcriptions, and may include my own opinions.

E. Huyck: Same and Change in the Publishing Sector

From UCPress. Content management from the publisher’s POV. The e-journal revolution was pushed from the society and author’s side, not pushed on them by the publishers. The methods they use to edit and prepare manuscripts haven’t changed, but the tools have changed massively.

Currently undergoing a systemic review to see if better tools - better software solutions - are now available.

Introduction and review of current offerings, online options, etc. What’s new: geographics and data preservation.

Digital Data Preservation for Data Driven Scholarship - pilot project UCP is involved in now.

A. Gasperini: Astronomical Interlibrary Cooperation

Cooperation between Italian astronomical libraries; history of, discussion of current events, etc. Need for official recognition by the institutions, which finally happened in 2004.

Crux of the cooperation policy was journal acquisitions; many organizations were buying the same journals, so surely a better and more efficient way to share could be found. However, they ran into a lot of problems trying to implement changes as soon as 2005; it was too fast, and too drastic a chance. They’re still working all that out - as a result, a new organization of INAF was proposed and implemented, and they are now finding that things are working much better! But - there are still many questions, and some resistance; there is still much to do.

N. Anilkumar: Indian consortia models

Review of the characteristics of successful consortia, and how they are a natural outcome of locally-developed resource-sharing networks. Models of consortia (open and closed). FORSA - Forum for Resource Sharing in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Member listing; main objectives; consortium deals, including primary terms and conditions; savings realized. Lessons learned. Parallel initiatives of member organizations.

Recommendations: Larger groups should be formed at the national level (like PAM); government-funded national site licensing should be implemented.

T. Mahoney: Do e-publications really have a future?

The written and printed word did not replace speech, but complement it; shouldn’t then e-publishing complement print rather than replacing it? Let’s avoid the either/or and have both!

No argument that e-publishing is here to stay; the argument is with the product. Right now it’s just too fragile! (Needs storage, stability, continual readability, platform maintenance, etc)

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