Circulation patterns show books in STEM and social sciences are accessed just as much as humanities books.
Drawing from comprehensive circulation data showing how monographs are accessed across disciplines at the University of Notre Dame library, Parker Ladwig and Thurston Miller challenge the assumption that STEM and social science books are accessed less frequently over time than monographs in the humanities. This data and similar studies can help to improve library services by providing a more informed understanding of collection supply and demand.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Open Access in Africa
Integration of open access agenda in research and civic literacy and some ethical dimensions
from Innovation : journal of appropriate librarianship and information work in Southern Africa : Information Ethics - article by Dennis Ocholla
Since the day of the first printing press, i.e. the famous Gutenberg Press in 1440, which lay the foundation for mass publication, publications have continued to proliferate and have surpassed the wildest dreams of Gutenberg with the internet, arguably the greatest revolution (in the infosphere) of all time, and Google taking the lead in Open Access (OA). As a result of the internet, the publishing industry is increasingly taking on a new shape where Open Access plays a crucial role for increased information access to some of the remotest parts of the world that exist in Africa, and elsewhere, that would not have had access to information - freely - as they do today. Thus, the publishing industry is swiftly moving away from print/traditional publishing to electronic publishing and from the control of large, traditional publishing firms to small, private or personal publishing initiatives and activities, introducing new, but pleasant challenges such as those originating from social media. In this paper, we examine Open Access (OA) within the context of civic literacy as a whole and, in particular, in Africa. Our work is based on personal knowledge and experiences, observations and desk research.
from Innovation : journal of appropriate librarianship and information work in Southern Africa : Information Ethics - article by Dennis Ocholla
Since the day of the first printing press, i.e. the famous Gutenberg Press in 1440, which lay the foundation for mass publication, publications have continued to proliferate and have surpassed the wildest dreams of Gutenberg with the internet, arguably the greatest revolution (in the infosphere) of all time, and Google taking the lead in Open Access (OA). As a result of the internet, the publishing industry is increasingly taking on a new shape where Open Access plays a crucial role for increased information access to some of the remotest parts of the world that exist in Africa, and elsewhere, that would not have had access to information - freely - as they do today. Thus, the publishing industry is swiftly moving away from print/traditional publishing to electronic publishing and from the control of large, traditional publishing firms to small, private or personal publishing initiatives and activities, introducing new, but pleasant challenges such as those originating from social media. In this paper, we examine Open Access (OA) within the context of civic literacy as a whole and, in particular, in Africa. Our work is based on personal knowledge and experiences, observations and desk research.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Universities can improve academic services through wider recognition of altmetrics and alt-products.
Interesting piece from LSE blog
As altmetrics gain traction across the scholarly community, publishers and academic institutions are seeking to develop standards to encourage wider adoption. Carly Strasser provides an overview of why altmetrics are here to stay and how universities might begin to incorporate altmetrics into their own services. While this process might take some time, institutions can begin by encouraging their researchers to recognize the importance of all of their scholarly work (datasets, software, etc)...........
As altmetrics gain traction across the scholarly community, publishers and academic institutions are seeking to develop standards to encourage wider adoption. Carly Strasser provides an overview of why altmetrics are here to stay and how universities might begin to incorporate altmetrics into their own services. While this process might take some time, institutions can begin by encouraging their researchers to recognize the importance of all of their scholarly work (datasets, software, etc)...........
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)