How ‘free distribution’ impacts your business model: is it really free?

The widespread perceptions associated with digital technology and the internet are forcing publishers to look to ways to shift the balance of the burden of cost away from the user. We describe seven examples of ‘free’ distribution and discuss how they impact publishing business models.     

Is it Real or is it Virtual?

Abstract

Digital facsimiles of the Netherlands viewable over the Internet or available on CD-ROMs-as an example of what may be available for other countries-are the focus of this article. The first part of the article discusses facsimiles generally, both analog and digital, as well as the way digital facsimiles have been produced, facilities and places where to find digital reproductions of maps and atlases.     

Information audit: whose line is it anyway?

相似文献   

A pathway for hospital librarians: why is it vital?

Objectives:

By the mid 2000s, reports of hospital librarians losing jobs and hospital libraries closing were rife. In 2005, Vital Pathways: The Hospital Libraries Project was established by 2005/06 MLA President M.J. Tooey, AHIP, FMLA, to assess the truth of these reports and to study and develop strategies to support hospital librarians. Throughout this long-term project, opportunities were sought to understand the issues more clearly.

Methods:

A steering committee, along with three task forces, was established to carry out the work of the project. The steering committee provided oversight and had responsibility for promoting and marketing the project. The three task forces were responsible for conducting a survey on the status of hospital librarians, determining the involvement of librarians in medical education and accreditation, and researching and writing a document reviewing current and future roles for hospital librarians. Along the way, these responsibilities grew and evolved.

Results:

After a little more than three years, the Task Force on Vital Pathways for Hospital Librarians Steering Committee presented a final report regarding its accomplishments to the MLA Board of Directors. A sampling of these accomplishments includes the status of hospital librarians survey, a website, a position document with an accompanying executive summary, a short promotional brochure, and a final culminating activity, this symposium.

Conclusions:

Although these are difficult times for all libraries, hospital librarians and libraries seem particularly affected. In a competitive health care environment that is driven by the bottom line, influenced by real estate hunger, and affected by the belief of hospital administrators that access to health information comes from the Internet and is free, the hospital librarian seems doomed. However, even in these difficult times, there are hospital librarians who are not only surviving, but thriving. Is it because they are entrepreneurial? Opportunistic? Innovative? Flexible? All of the above? None of the above? There are no clear predictors of success or of failure. However, the Vital Pathways Project has shed light on some of the issues and identified opportunities and strategies for the future.

Highlights

• This introduction serves as overview of the MLA Vital Pathways Project and its accomplishments, outcomes, and recommendations.

Implications

• This symposium will lead to increased focus on hospital librarians'' issues and future.
• Increased focus will result in conversations and actions regarding new and emerging roles for hospital librarians.

     

The US and UNESCO: Is it time to rejoin?

After a brief analysis of the founding and history of UNESCO, “The US and UNESCO: Is It Time to Rejoin?” examines the political, administrative and budgetary reasons why the United States withdrew from UNESCO in 1984, the several reforms undertaken by Director General Mayor in the last 2 years and whether the changes to date warrant US re-entry.After considering the arguments of both proponents and opponents, the paper sets forth three major criteria for rejoining: (1) budgetary and financial reform of UNESCO; (2) thorough reform of the secretariat; and (3) major programmatic changes with the intention of “returning UNESCO to the original ideals of its Charter”.While giving high marks to the personal integrity and remarkable energy of Director General Mayor, the paper questions whether he can persuade the organization to accept the radical reform he is proposing, noting the negative and even hostile response of the Executive Board and the General Conference to his Mid-term Plan.The paper concludes that it is premature for the US to make any definitive decision at this time, but predicts that the US will rejoin if the organization returns to its roots and concentrates on “practical achieveable projects”, not the “pretentious unrealistic goals” that have too often attracted UNESCO members and management.     

The supply chain for academic books: Why is it so complex and how might we drive change?

Key points

• The supply chain for monographs and related types of books is much more complex than that for journals.
• Sales per title are falling, while the efforts devoted to marketing individual titles have diminished too.
• Readers have a strong preference for physical print rather than e‐books, while libraries’ preference in purchasing is the other way round.
• Publishers, intermediaries, and libraries all face additional costs and complexity because they must continue to deal with both print and e‐books.
• Current inefficiencies in the supply chain act as a restraint on discoverability, demand, and access to academic books.

     

Digital publishing in China: is there a copyright crisis?

This paper takes three organizations who are aggregators/Web publishers as case studies and uses them to illustrate the potential copyright crisis in digital publishing in China. It also shows the serious results of legal action on these issues. It proposes that companies should establish business development strategies in which copyright compliance is the core.     

Personal documentation on a social network site: Facebook,a collection of moments from your life?

Social networking on the Web has become very popular in recent years. Used by more than 950 million people worldwide, Facebook is one of the most popular of these services. One interesting aspect of Facebook is that users can converse through various formats, including wall posts, photographs, Web links, music, and video clips of stories and interests surrounding their daily lives. This phenomenon raises an important question for archivists in regard to personal history on the Web: What are the new ways that contemporary people document their life stories? This study looks at Facebook activities from the perspectives of personal documentation. Using an online survey, this study investigates how Facebook content presents users themselves and their everyday stories, whether they perceive their activities of using Facebook as personal documentation, and what factors influence such activities. The findings of this study show the current status of Facebook usage. Facebook content indeed indicates information of self-presentation and personal documentation of everyday lives of users. Attitudes about and activeness on Facebook are the major factors that influence self-presentation and personal documentation activities on Facebook. Generic external factors, such as personal archiving in general, do not show strong associations with personal documentation activities as factors. Based on this understanding, we discuss the roles of information professionals and cultural heritage institutions in dealing with a new type of personal record on the Web.     

“This is a test”: The evolution of the emergency broadcast system

This paper presents a historiographical analysis of documents related to the development of the Emergency Broadcast System. The study concludes EBS replaced the earlier CONELRAD (Control of Electromagnetic Radiation) system when CONELRAD's primary purpose, to deny navigational aid to enemy aircraft, became obsolete in 1961. EBS continued CONELRAD's secondary purpose of warning the public of an impending attack. Both programs have been used only for severe weather alerts. EBS may today be as obsolete as CONELRAD.     

Cracking induction in health libraries: is there a right way?

In most instances, inductions are the first time that users will be introduced to health library services. The time available in which to deliver library orientation sessions within a broader, Trust induction programme is often limited, and this can present challenges for health librarians. Inductions are a great marketing tool, and it is important that induction sessions make the right impact. Within a brief window of opportunity, the health librarian must impart key information to the inductees whilst ensuring the session is relevant and memorable. In this article, guest writer Nicola Healey, Library Manager of North Somerset Healthcare Library, discusses the range of approaches she and her colleagues have explored in delivering library inductions, explaining what worked, what did not and what areas still remain for development. H. S.     

No assignment? Just flip it: The flipped classroom in first-year library instruction

Abstract

Receiving library instruction is essential for first-year students. In many colleges and universities, students enroll in an orientation-type class and receive library instruction. However, at William Paterson University, students taking this class do not have a research-based assignment – a challenge for librarians in making the content meaningful to students. To remedy this situation, the librarians implemented the flipped classroom in which students watched instructional videos prior to their library class and participated in active learning activities in class. This method proved to be an engaging way for students to learn information literacy skills, even in the absence of a graded research assignment.     

What is a Library?: International College Students' Perceptions of Libraries

This study presents findings from an online survey and series of one-on-one interviews with students at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) regarding their perceptions of libraries. With an international student population, NYUAD represents a unique opportunity to gain insight into a wide variety of student opinions and experiences of libraries. The goal of the study was to develop a student-based perspective of libraries, which can be used to improve library services and outreach. The student responses ranged from intense engagement with libraries to little or no experience. In general, students had a limited view of the role of librarians in the library. Interestingly, many students have a lofty view of libraries and see them as repositories of knowledge for humanity.     

How good is a model based on bibliometric indicators in predicting the final decisions made by peers?

This paper shows how bibliometric models can be used to assist peers in selecting candidates for academic openings.Several studies have demonstrated that a relationship exists between results from peer-review evaluations and results obtained with certain bibliometric indicators. However, very little has been done to analyse the predictive power of models based on bibliometric indicators. Indicators with high predictive power will be seen as good instruments to support peer evaluations. The goal of this study is to assess the predictive power of a model based on bibliometric indicators for the results of academic openings at the level of Associado and Catedrático at Portuguese universities. Our results suggest that the model can predict the results of peer-review at this level with a reasonable degree of accuracy. This predictive power is better when only the scientific performance is assessed by peers.