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A walk through the scholarly publishing jungle. A trek through the scholarly publishing jungle Paul Harwood, Content Complete Ltd. Paul Harwood Content Complete Limited. A bit of background.
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A walk through the scholarly publishing jungle A trek through the scholarly publishing jungle Paul Harwood, Content Complete Ltd Paul Harwood Content Complete Limited
A bit of background • CCL was established in June 2003 by Albert Prior and Paul Harwood (Carolyn Alderson joined in April 2004) • We represent the buyers of digital content (mainly online journals) in negotiations with publishers and content providers • We offer an outsourced service for those who… • Lack the knowledge or expertise • Don’t have the time …to do it themselves
Our customers • JISC (UK Higher and Further Education institutions and Research Councils) via NESLi2 • The Universities of Ireland (via IReL) • A leading global pharmaceutical company • Cancer Research UK • CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) • eIFL (electronic Information for Libraries) • Learned Societies Group
Let’s cut back the undergrowth and look inside: • A number of new species appearing which are changing the environment • Some existing species under threat of extinction • Some species desperate to retain their dominant position
One new species has been causing significant disturbance • OpeniusAccessimus (OA)
Openius Accessimus (OA) • The pure version emerged several years ago • ..and has gained a foothold in many continents • It is mutating!
From this….. Lanl.arXiv.org
All of which presents traditional publishers with an increasing dilemma….. How many different ways are there to get the word ‘Open’ into a a brand name!
How have existing species reacted to the arrival of a newcomer?
The present King of the Jungle • Still capable of devouring most of its competitors • Cell Press gesture to OA and towards authors’ self archiving • Stressing the vfm of ScienceDirect • Investment in Scopus and Scirus
Funding Bodies and Research Councils • Starting to bare their teeth in the OA debate • NIH policy on depositing papers in PubMedCentral • Wellcome Trust letter to VC’s and OA statements • A European PMC? • Forthcoming Research Councils announcement on OA
Learned Societies • Dilemma - showing their true colours?…. • As a Society, their mission is about widespread dissemination of research…. • Yet, many of them depend on their publishing arm for survival and OA could threaten that…..
Universities • Increasingly having to be fleet of foot • The need to compete on the world stage (Oxford) • To IR or not to IR? • Attitude to the IPR of their academics • Their expectations and ideas for future library and information provision
End-users • Some are emerging out of the darkness and trying to engage with the new species • Just how many are aware of a change in the order of things above ground? • CIBER research • Depositing papers in IRs • The majority remain blissfully unaware….unless your name is Steven Harnad
The gatekeepers: • Having to learn new tricks (Managing Institutional Repositories?) • More liaison and consultation within the organisation (OUP’s NAR) • Making a case for increased funding • Fighting off cost-cutting VC’s • Marketing and promotion
OA set-backs? • Government response to the Science and Technology report • The economics of OA • NIH climb down • DOAJ research • Recent article by David Stern from Yale University • Jan Velterop leaves BioMedCentral • Rick Johnson leaves SPARC
Yet still considerable belief • National and Institutional Declarations (Berlin 3 Conference and here in Scotland) • Forthcoming announcement from RC-UK • Publishers announcing more liberal policies in the light of the NIH developments
Despite all this, life in the jungle goes on…. • The hunters are still out there trying to pick-off easy prey • The hunted continue to band together seeking protection in numbers • OA and consortia have contributed to a more level playing field • Everyone is negotiating with each other!
And life has got better in some ways….. • Reliable, standardised usage statistics helping to influence negotiations and inform collection development policies (Pharmaceutical Companies) • Considerable growth in the amount of free content • Large scale retro-digitisation and availability of backfiles • Other technological developments (CrossRef and CrossRef Search, GoogleScholar, Google Print)
…yet more uncertain in others.. • Subscription agents • Academic and institutional libraries (recent Bangor experience, Learned Societies) • Smaller publishers
..and with yet many unanswered questions • OA to co-exist with the traditional subscription model? To replace? To wither and die? • What will tip the balance if it sticks around: the financial argument or the moral one? • The point at which STM publishing is almost wholly online-only? • Consensus on whether the Big Deal a good deal? • Whether Google will retain an interest in scholarly communication?
…even about the very nature of scholarly publishing itself • Continuously updated articles • Continuous Peer Review • The demise of the journal as an entity and brand • The growing importance of services like RSS • Greater exploitation of online medium (images, moving models etc) • Will Institutional Repositories take-off and possible impact on scholarly publishing
Each of these issues could easily be the subject matter for a one-day conference in their own right! • So I’ll stop there and say…..
Thank you for your attention PHarwood@contentcomplete.com www.contentcomplete.com