Here we go again. Another academic librarian received a letter threatening legal action over criticizing a publisher’s practices in a personal blog. But it’s not Edwin Mellen Press that’s the plaintiff this time; Jeffrey Beall, University of of Colorado, Denver librarian and author of the Scholarly Open Access blog, received the letter from OMICS Publishing Group, an OA publisher based in India (with an office in Los Angeles).
Academic Libraries
What is Alleged Defamation Worth? $1 Billion, on a Librarian’s Salary
By on May 16, 2013 Leave a Comment
Can Information Professionals Afford Apprenticeships? A Thought Experiment | Peer to Peer Review
By on May 16, 2013 1 Comment
I have a gift for picking despised professional niches. I used to run institutional repositories, and if there’s a niche in academic librarianship more despised than that, I’m honestly not sure what it might be. From the frying pan into the fire—now I teach library school. If nothing else, I’ve greatly expanded the universe of librarians and archivists who despise my work!
Settlement Expands UC Berkeley Library Service to Disabled
By on May 15, 2013 Leave a Comment
Rarely are defendants in a dispute settled out of court enthusiastic about the remedies they’re required to supply. But Elizabeth Dupuis, UC Berkeley Associate University Librarian and Director, Doe/Moffitt Libraries, told LJ that the library is excited by the prospect of unprecedented access. But then, this isn’t exactly your standard adversarial legal case. Print-disabled U.C. Berkeley students David Jaulus, Brandon King, and Tabitha Mancini, represented by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), had entered into structured negotiations—a collaborative problem-solving alternative to litigation—with the university over their inability to access materials.
The Downside of Being Universally Liked | Advocate’s Corner
By on May 15, 2013 8 Comments
Libraries have no natural predators. Believe me. Having worked in partisan politics and lobbied on contentious issues, I know what it means to have opponents. Since I started lobbying for libraries no one has called me names, hung up on me, or slammed a door in my face.
Studying the Studies | From the Bell Tower
By on May 15, 2013 1 Comment
Having access to national studies helps academic librarians stay informed about their community members. Finding the time to read and analyze them—and make sense of possibly conflicting information—is a new “keeping up” challenge. Four studies in particular are most worthy of our ongoing analysis and reflection.
Cengage May Declare Bankruptcy
By on May 14, 2013 6 Comments
Major academic content, software, and services company Cengage Learning is considering filing for bankruptcy relief, the company’s CEO, Michael Hansen, said on a call reporting third quarter financial results.
Making Better Campus Connections | Peer to Peer Review
By on May 10, 2013 Leave a Comment
What does it mean to think about libraries as some combination of ““materials, space, and services”? This frame reflects some of the fundamental questions we are trying to address at Penn State Greater Allegheny.
Massive Open Opportunity: Supporting MOOCs in Public and Academic Libraries
By on May 10, 2013 3 Comments
If you’re an academic librarian, you’re probably already awash, at least peripherally, in news about MOOCs—massive open online courses have been touted as the next big thing in higher ed since they burst on the scene about a year ago. If you’re a public librarian, on the other hand, you may not even have heard of them. Yet MOOCs are bringing unprecedented challenges and opportunities to both kinds of libraries already, and they’re only going to grow.
California Open Access Bill Clears Committee
By on May 9, 2013 Leave a Comment
Coursera, Publisher Pilot Offers Licensed Content to MOOC Students
By on May 9, 2013 Leave a Comment
aBeginning May 8, instructors providing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) via Coursera will have the option to supplement their video lectures with content from major academic publishers Cengage Learning, Macmillan Higher Education, Oxford University Press, SAGE Publications,and Wiley, at no cost to their students. And that’s just the beginning: “Coursera is also actively discussing pilot agreements and related alliances with Springer and additional publishers,” the company said in a statement. This could be a sea change for both MOOCs and publishers’ business models.
