For a few dollars more: a future for scholarly books in Australia?

Australia's universities have seen significant growth in government research funding, with more to come, but this is not reflected in the output of research monograph publications; structural barriers stand between creation and dissemination of research. This is especially a problem for those working on Australian topics. The author has proposed a new model for funding scholarly publishing in Australia, which may well be applicable to other countries: just a small proportion of the funds committed by the Australian government to research inputs could ensure the publication of research outputs. This would deliver major gains in impact and productivity for government, universities, and individual academics alike.     

How Are Teacher-Librarians Finding Resources for Coursework?

Abstract

Providing distance learners access to library services does not automatically translate into usage of those resources. The literature on information-seeking behaviour of distance learners has indicated that they prefer to use local resources, as well as Web-based resources. This study investigates perspectives on library services and available resources for distance learners in the Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning program at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. The findings suggest that distance learners in this program tend to rely on local and familiar resources, have a lack of awareness or understanding of certain library services provided to them, rely heavily on electronic full-text availability, and may feel isolated from fellow students, resulting in low collaboration in the process of accessing information. The researchers suggest developing effective marketing strategies and collaborating with faculty to promote usage of library services provided to distance learners.     

Domestic consumer expenditures for consumer books: 1984–1994

Between 1984 and 1994, the U.S. consumer marketplace was transformed with the introduction or wide acceptance of personal computers, CD-ROMs, VCRs, video-cassettes, the Internet, E-mail, cable television, etc. U.S. Department of Commerce data indicated conclusively that these products and services competed directly for media usage and media expenditures with all other media formats, including consumer books. Many media economics scholars who investigated media usage and expenditures came to believe that consumer allocations for various media products and services remained at a “constant” percent of Domestic Consumer Expenditures (DCE), which they termed the “Principle of Relative Constancy.”     

A label for peer‐reviewed books? Some critical reflections

The recently established quality label for peer‐reviewed publications in Flanders has lately aroused some interest in the international literature on scholarly communication. Although the so‐called GPRC‐label is in principle a welcome initiative, its implementation, from 2010 onwards, has already engendered several unexpected side‐effects. This article discusses these pitfalls and traces their origin in the Flemish performance‐based research funding system. It also points to a number of hard‐to‐solve practical problems if the quality label were to be implemented in an international context. In this way, it aims to temper the enthusiasm with which the label has been welcomed, both in Flanders and internationally.     

Social stability and harmony: A new mission for the press?

The world appears to be ready for a new journalism paradigm— one that stresses order and social harmony. Western media dominance is still a fact of life as the 21st century dawns. But the social form, pulling ever more complex populations toward order, cooperation, and a need for authority, is thrusting media systems into a new and more harmonious communitarianism.

The harbinger of such a drift away from the older libertarianism is found even in the US where public journalism is being heralded by many as an antidote to harmful effects of 18th Century Enlightenment liberalism that is accused of pushing journalism increasingly toward social irresponsibility and even chaos.     

Have a Legal Question Without the Resources to Get an Answer?

This article explores the Western New York's Library Resources Council's Ask the Lawyer Program. The program provides a timely model for local cultural heritage communities, such as archives, to collectively retain a lawyer in a non-representational capacity to answer both specific and hypothetical questions that arise as a result of their work.     

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.

     

Textbook Affordability: Is There a Role for the Library?

Try searching the library catalog, as many students do each semester for the latest version of the textbook being used in a class at many universities and you will likely come up empty-handed. Many academic libraries—due to high prices, frequently issued new editions, and a tendency to go missing from the collection—have justifiably chosen to play only a marginal role in the provision of textbooks on campus. However, the dynamics of the textbook market are changing rapidly and this presentation explored the question: Should libraries reconsider the roles they play in the provision of course materials on campus? This session focused on the issue of affordability in the context of the rapid evolution and increased availability of e-textbooks (electronic versions of textbooks). Topics covered included: an overview of the e-textbook market, purchasing options and outlets for e-textbooks, new business models for institutional access to e-textbooks, potential savings from e-textbook adoptions, information on negotiating with publishers and platform providers, and why the library is well-positioned to play a prominent role in the provision of e-textbooks.     

The market for university press books in the United States: 1985–1999

University press books play a pivotal role in the transmission of knowledge among academics and to serious readers outside universities. Yet the market for these books underwent substantive changes and posted lacklustre increases in net publishers' revenues and unit sales between 1985 and 1999. In this article, statistical data on university presses' net publishers' unit and dollar revenues, covering the years 1985 through 1999, are analysed to ascertain: (i) shifts in the channels of distribution; (ii) the future demand for university press books for the years 2000 through 2004; and (iii) the price elasticity of demand for these titles. Other issues addressed briefly include competition from commercial academic publishers, consolidation in the publishing industry, the rise in importance of the global market for university press books, and financial issues.     

Civic librarianship: Possible new role for depository libraries in the next century?

Profound changes have been taking place throughout the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) since passage of The Depository Library Act of 1962 (P.L. 85-579). This Act codified several critical perspectives regarding the role of libraries in a system of federal government information distribution; the responsibilities shared among FDLP's participating libraries (selective libraries and regionals), as well as the proper management and policy role for the Superintendent of Documents (and, by extension, the GPO). The foundation of these perspectives, obviously, depends on the relative limitations and advantages of printing technologies and paper-based distribution systems. Within this scheme, local “ownership” of collections housed in a wide variety of private and public institutions across the nation best meets the information needs of citizens. The enactment of the Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-40) shifts the FDLP's historic emphasis on local collection building and maintenance back to the Superintendent of Documents and the GPO. This article outlines several possible implications developing from this transformation.     

A brave new world?—Understanding U.S.-China coproductions: collaboration,conflicts, and obstacles

The unprecedented growth in U.S.-China film coproductions and Chinese companies’ high-profile investment in Hollywood studios and U.S. cinemas signal a shift in global power relationships and a reshaping of the global media structure. Combining textual and document analysis with interviews of policy makers and film professionals in China and Hollywood, this article explores the implications of U.S.-China coproduction for global communication. The article proposes three ways of understanding coproductions: as a market-driven and profit-seeking partnership, as a policy and power negotiation, and as a brave experimental adventure. This article contends that the current state of U.S.-China coproduction manifests the contradiction between desire and reality. Although coproductions have the potential to create a space for a new global culture, to develop innovative communication models, and to achieve a China-U.S. consensus, the fulfillment of these potentials will require a steadfast effort and the commitment of more than one generation of filmmakers from both China and the U.S.A. Nevertheless, a global culture and a reshaping of the global media structure are in the making.     

Preparing for Practice: Strengthening Third-Year Medical Students’ Awareness of Point-of-Care Resources

This column describes the development and implementation of a responsive library course designed to train third-year medical students as they begin their clerkships. The course design consisted of a brief face-to-face introduction during third-year orientation and an online course developed in Canvas, an online learning management system. The objective of the course was to not only introduce students to the resources but also to teach them how to effectively use those resources at the point-of-care. Students evaluated the course to assess the overall effectiveness of the instruction. Course development and content, feedback provided by students, as well as suggestions for improvement are discussed.