Month: February 2013
The unpleasant truth
He’s talking about academic publishing, and so much more.
“The unpleasant truth is that the phenomenon I’ve been describing isn’t just how academia works, it’s how everything works. People want themselves and their publications to be judged on their inherent qualities, but the overwhelming amount of judgment people receive is based on external factors. Where you live, where you work, what you do, where or if you went to school, how you dress, how you talk, what kind of car you drive, and where or if you publish: the majority of people judge you by these signs regardless of what they reveal about your “true” self and its quality. Sometimes that’s the only thing they can do.”
Source: Academic Librarian
Now I’m radio famous
Just had a lovely on-air chat with @iLuvLibraries at @kuciFM (It’s so awesome that there is a library radio show!)
ACRL on the Edwin Mellen Press v. Dale Askey case
From the ACRL Board of Directors:
“We trust that the Edwin Mellen Press will, in the light of growing outrage in the academic community, drop what appears to be an ill-considered assault upon free expression in general and academic librarians in particular.”
One reason in favor of academic librarians having tenure.
Staying student-centered on campus
From I Plan To Be in the Library. A Lot:
“Staying student-centered on campus takes more than providing one-shot course-related instruction, quiet study rooms, or flexible seating. It will require us to be engaged with more components of the student experience, educate other campus faculty and administrators as to why we should have a seat at the table to influence and affect student programs and services, and talk with students to find out what challenges currently exist.”
Common ideals
Aaron Swartz embodied many of the values librarians hold dear.
“At an early age, he’d discovered what he loved to do: find information, organize it, and share it with anyone who cared to look.”
Planted more carrots and some Swiss chard. No sign of the potatoes yet. Also started some zinnias and scabiosas. Looking forward to a very colorful spring!
On academic privilege
From Aaron Swartz’s Guerrilla Open Access Manifesto:
“Forcing academics to pay money to read the work of their colleagues? Scanning entire libraries but only allowing the folks at Google to read them? Providing scientific articles to those at elite universities in the First World, but not to children in the Global South? It’s outrageous and unacceptable.
“I agree,” many say, “but what can we do? The companies hold the copyrights, they make enormous amounts of money by charging for access, and it’s perfectly legal—there’s nothing we can do to stop them.” But there is something we can, something that’s already being done: we can fight back.
Those with access to these resources—students, librarians, scientists—you have been given a privilege. You get to feed at this banquet of knowledge while the rest of the world is locked out. But you need not—indeed, morally, you cannot—keep this privilege for yourselves. You have a duty to share it with the world.”
Look to the library
Yes. Let’s change the world:
“Mr. Geffert is starting a new publishing operation overseen by the library and committed to open access, called the Amherst College Press. It will produce a handful of edited, peer-reviewed, digital-first books on “a very small number of subjects,” the librarian says.”
Source: For New Ideas in Scholarly Publishing, Look to the Library
ACRL Battledecks is coming
Special thanks to John LeMasney for the design!