Paul Royster of University of Nebraska – Lincoln has some insight about open access publishing within academia. He gave a very helpful and entertaining presentation that was hosted as a webinar by Sun Microsystems. They use a mix of bepress Digital Commons and ContentDM at Lincoln, but his comments transcend any particular software platform.
This reminded me of the presentation given by someone from Georgia Tech libraries a couple of years ago at Open Repositories 2007. Nebraska, like GT, is taking a holistic approach to providing repository and publishing services. These are the best approaches I’ve seen toward making repositories and “digital libraries†successful.
"Do It For Me" instead of DIY
Find archivable articles first, then get author’s permission. "Works 90% of the time"
Author’s version of a manuscript shouldn’t look like a rough-draft manuscript. It should look professional and closely resemble the publisher’s final copy.
Self-archiving authors fail to include important metadata (abstract, citation, co-authors, date, copyright)
Adobe InDesign for typesetting and formatting
Usage Reporting
Bepress generates monthly download reports and sends emails to each author. "Cannot overestimate the power of those messages." Very valuable for promoting repository value to faculty. Library hears immediately from faculty who don’t receive their email reports.
Promoting
Solicit or place links to: Wikipedia, Online books page, Worldcat, subject websites
Actively solicit and publish original material
Among the most popular content
e.g. open-access dissertations. Dissertations mandated to go to ProQuest, but also encouraged to go into repository. Open-access versions downloaded 60x more.
e.g. book-length works: the otherwise unpublishable (too long, too esoteric, too strange). Dictionary of Invertebrate Zoology cancelled by university press just before printing. Published online 9/2005. Hopi Nation published over 25 years by various presses. Published online 9/2008. 523 downloads in first 5 weeks.
Tenure Concerns
Surprisingly, more senior faculty are higher on uptake. Junior faculty are more concerned about were they published and are suspicious of open access publishing.
Start with the older faculty since they’re most concerned with what will happen to their stuff
Benefits
Most recruiting is word-of-mouth
Faculty come to the library first for their publishing needs
from Increasing Use and Content Through Creative Service-Repository Bundling, Paul Royster.
Notes from Increasing Use and Content Through Creative Service-Repository Bundling
Paul Royster of University of Nebraska – Lincoln has some insight about open access publishing within academia. He gave a very helpful and entertaining presentation that was hosted as a webinar by Sun Microsystems. They use a mix of bepress Digital Commons and ContentDM at Lincoln, but his comments transcend any particular software platform.
This reminded me of the presentation given by someone from Georgia Tech libraries a couple of years ago at Open Repositories 2007. Nebraska, like GT, is taking a holistic approach to providing repository and publishing services. These are the best approaches I’ve seen toward making repositories and “digital libraries†successful.
"Do It For Me" instead of DIY
Find archivable articles first, then get author’s permission. "Works 90% of the time"
Author’s version of a manuscript shouldn’t look like a rough-draft manuscript. It should look professional and closely resemble the publisher’s final copy.
Self-archiving authors fail to include important metadata (abstract, citation, co-authors, date, copyright)
Adobe InDesign for typesetting and formatting
Usage Reporting
Bepress generates monthly download reports and sends emails to each author. "Cannot overestimate the power of those messages." Very valuable for promoting repository value to faculty. Library hears immediately from faculty who don’t receive their email reports.
Promoting
Solicit or place links to: Wikipedia, Online books page, Worldcat, subject websites
Actively solicit and publish original material
Among the most popular content
e.g. open-access dissertations. Dissertations mandated to go to ProQuest, but also encouraged to go into repository. Open-access versions downloaded 60x more.
e.g. book-length works: the otherwise unpublishable (too long, too esoteric, too strange). Dictionary of Invertebrate Zoology cancelled by university press just before printing. Published online 9/2005. Hopi Nation published over 25 years by various presses. Published online 9/2008. 523 downloads in first 5 weeks.
Tenure Concerns
Surprisingly, more senior faculty are higher on uptake. Junior faculty are more concerned about were they published and are suspicious of open access publishing.
Start with the older faculty since they’re most concerned with what will happen to their stuff
Benefits
Most recruiting is word-of-mouth
Faculty come to the library first for their publishing needs
from Increasing Use and Content Through Creative Service-Repository Bundling, Paul Royster.