Open Access Journals: Some International Resources

Open Access Journals: Some International Resources Stephen Pomes, Librarian U.S. Dept. of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement Louisiana Library Association – March 2011 Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Tangent as Introduction: Was There a Time Without Information Overload? Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

November 2010 “Worry about information overload has become one of the drumbeats of our time. The world’s books are being digitized, online magazines and newspapers and academic papers are steadily augmented by an endless stream of blog posts and Twitter feeds; and the gadgets to keep us participating in the digital deluge are more numerous and sophisticated. The total amount of information created on the world’s electronic devices is expected to surpass the zettabyte mark this year (a barely conceivable 1 with 21 zeroes after it).” – Ann Blair. “Information Overload, the Early Years.” Boston Globe. 27 November 2010. Web. 10 March 2011. Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

1975 “The periodicals strictly concerned with physics were around 800 in number in 1968 (there were 200 in 1920). The rate of growth of the number of titles has been roughly linear, on the average of 12 per annum. (Currently Physics Abstracts obtains its input by scanning some 1600 periodicals.) On the other hand, the number of abstracts in PA has grown exponentially, doubling approximately every 8 years….A selection of the absolute figures for abstracts in PA follows: 1921 – 2,010 … 1951 – 9,200 … 1960 – 21,405 … 1972 – 85,185” - H. Coblans. “The Literature of Physics: Its Structure and Control.” Use of Physics Literature. Ed. H. Coblans. London: Butterworths, 1975. (p. 16-17) Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

1971 “The literature of economics is currently growing at a compound rate of about five and a half per cent a year. New journals devoted to specific aspects of economics are born each year, and due to the consistently large supply of journal articles the mortality rate of economics journals is abnormally low…Doctoral dissertations completed in American universities and listed in American Economic Review annually have increased sevenfold from 1928 to 1969…With the established academic principle of ‘publish or perish’ this gives rise to an even greater supply of publishable material: a vicious spiral of new publications.” - John Fletcher. “Introduction.” The Use of Economics Literature. Ed. John Fletcher. Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, 1971. (p. 1) Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

1970 “Today, for example, the number of scientific journals and articles is doubling, like industrial production in the advanced countries, about every fifteen years, and according to biochemist Philip Siekevitz, ‘what has been learned in the last three decades about the nature of living beings dwarfs in extent of knowledge any comparable period of scientific discovery in the history of mankind.’ Today the United States government alone generates 100,000 reports each year, plus 450,000 articles, books, and papers. On a worldwide basis, scientific and technical literature mounts at a rate of some 60,000,000 pages a year.” - Alvin Toffler. Future Shock. New York: Random House, 1970. (p. 31) Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

October 1952 “The root of most difficulties in libraries of science and technology lies in the extraordinary increase in the volume of scientific literature.” “The massive volume of publications, the crucial relation of scientific literature to progress in scientific research, and the need for effective chains of inquiry in our system of scientific communication, will all continue to be vital factors in library service even after the crisis is past. A great deal is at stake: the alternatives of experiments and observations, recorded in the literature, leading on to new experiments and observations in ever widening circles-the normal process of scientific research-or intellectual strangulation. The possibilities of the latter seem quite remote, but the former, too, is far from being realized to its full potentialities. The costliness of the horse-and-buggy techniques being used for the collection, organization and utilization of scientific literature is now realized, however, and this fact alone is a harbinger of better days ahead.” Herman H. Henkle. “Crisis in Libraries of Science and Technology.” Library Trends 1.2 (1952): 210-218 (pg. 210 and pg. 217) Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

1795 “‘Of making many books there is no end.’ How fit is this to be a motto for the present state of literature, when the press groans with voluminous labours, and booksellers are adding warehouse to warehouse to add them.” - M. N. “Of Making Many Books There is No End: A Rhapsody.” The Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure. Vol. 97 (July 1795). (p. 15) Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

1500 “Is there anywhere on earth exempt from these swarms of new books?” Érasme and William W. Barker. The Adages of Erasmus. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2001. (p. 145) Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

First Century Common Era “And in reading of many books is distraction. Accordingly, since you cannot read all the books which you may possess, it is enough to possess only as many books as you can read.” Lucius A. Seneca and Richard M. Gummere. Ad LuciliumEpistulae Morales. Vol. 1. London: W. Heinemann, 1917. (p. 6) Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Before Common Era “Of Making Many Books There Is No End, And Much Study Wearies the Body.” Ecclesiastes 12:12 Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Some Open Access Publishers Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Copernicus Publications Copernicus Publications publishes a variety of peer-reviewed open access journals. Published open access journals since 2001. Publishes journals primarily in the physical sciences and geosciences. http://publications.copernicus.org/home.html Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Hindawi Publishing Corp. Hindawi publishes over 200 peer-reviewed open access journals, covering a wide variety of disciplines. The Publisher has offices in Nasr City, Cairo and in New York City. Founded in 1997. Since 2007 has had a partnership with Sage Publications. http://www.hindawi.com/ Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Ivyspring International Publisher http://ivyspring.com/ Ivyspring International Publisher publishes peer-reviewed open access journals in the biological and medical sciences. Smaller publisher – has only five journals. Based in Wyoming, New South Wales, Australia. Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Libertas Academica The publisher LibertasAcademica specializes in peer-reviewed open access journals dealing with scientific, technical, biological, and medical fields. Founded in 2005. Based in Auckland, New Zealand. http://www.la-press.com/index.php Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) MDPI publishes peer-reviewed open access journals in a variety of disciplines including biological sciences, social sciences, medical sciences, engineering disciplines, and other fields. Formerly known as Molecular Diversity Preservation International . Started in 1996. Based in Basel, Switzerland. http://www.mdpi.com/ Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Medknow Publications Publishes peer-reviewed open access journals in science, technology, and medicine. Founded in about 1999 – publisher’s website speaks of “…having a learning curve of over 12 years in scientific journal publications and management of more than135 print+online journals.” Based in Mumbai, India http://www.medknow.com/aboutus.asp Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

How Does One Find Open Access Journals? Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Finding Open Access Journals Search Engines Google Google Scholar Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Beyond Search Engines: Sites Dedicated to Electronic Journals and Open Access Journals Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Directory of Open Access Journals Directory of Open Access Journals - http://www.doaj.org Product of Lund University Libraries As of March 2011: Has entries and links for over 6,200 journals Over 2,700 journals that are searchable at the article level Over 530,000 articles are included in the DOAJ service Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

African Journals Online (AJOL) African Journals OnLine (AJOL) is an online service to provide access to African-published research, and increase worldwide knowledge of indigenous scholarship. AJOL is a Non Profit Organisation based in South Africa. AJOL has links to over 400 journal titles. Some – but not all – journals have full-text available. Availability to many of the journals is limited to developing countries. http://www.ajol.info/ Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Elektronische Zeitschriftenbibliothek (EZB) – Electronic Journals Library This service has been developed at the Universitätsbibliothek Regensburg (University Library of Regensburg) in cooperation with the UniversitätsbibliothekderTechnischenUniversitätMünchen (University Library of the Technical University of Munich). Provides links and access to over 50,000 journal titles . Of the over 50,000 journals, over 27,000 are open access. Started in 1997. http://rzblx1.uni-regensburg.de/ezeit/index.phtml?bibid=AAAAA&colors=7&lang=en Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Hong Kong Journals Online Maintained by the University of Hong Kong Libraries. Issues included in this database vary from journal to journal with the earliest going back to 1872. At its first release, more than 170,000 images from over 40 titles will be accessible on the database. In some respects, this site resembles JSTOR, as the coverage ends after a certain date. Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Another Tangent… Sometimes open access journals are available on several sites. Depending upon the site, coverage may vary. Stephen Pomes -- U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Open Access Journals: Some International Resources