MedWorm: Medical Publishers

Improvement on Ice: Curling and Quality Improvement Science

Open Medicine Blog - — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:15:04 +0100

Mary Smillie, Health Quality Consultant, Saskatchewan Ever heard of Tim Horton’s Brier? The Scotties Tournament of Hearts? No? Well, I’m guessing you’re not Canadian. They’re Canada’s national curling championships, and I don’t mean hairdressing. If you’re into quality improvement in health care, you’ve got something to learn from curling. Curling is a frozen cousin of lawn bowling. The game is played on ice. Players slide 40 pound polished circular stones down a sheet of ice 170 feet long to a set of 4 concentric rings spanning 12 feet in diameter (the house). Teams of four have eight rocks each per end (an end is like an inning in baseball). There are 3 basic shots: a draw to a specific spot in the house; a guard that protects a stone from being removed by the oppon...

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ARL releases “Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries”

News from STM — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:45:13 +0100

January 26, 2012. The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) announces the release of the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries, a clear and easy-to-use statement of fair and reasonable approaches to fair use developed by and for librarians who support academic inquiry and higher education. The Code was developed in partnership with the Center for Social Media and the Washington College of Law at American University. Winston Tabb, Johns Hopkins University Dean of University Libraries and Museums and President of ARL, said, “This document is a testament to the collective wisdom of academic and research librarians, who have asserted careful and considered approaches to some very difficult situations that we all face every day.” http://bit.ly/ylp1Xj (Sour...

Feta Compli: In Praise of Dullness

Open Medicine Blog - — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:36:09 +0100

Mark Wahba, Emergency Room Physician, Saskatoon Health Region, Saskatoon SK Canadamywahba@mac.com In 2004 Greece stunned the soccer world by winning the Union of European Football Association quadrennial championship tournament - Euro 2004. Not Italy. Not Germany. Not England. Not The Netherlands. Not France. Greece. Better known for starting the Olympic Games and feta cheese, Greece had never been a soccer powerhouse. Prior to Euro 2004 the Greeks had participated only twice in the final round of a major tournament: the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the 1980 UEFA European Championship. Entering the tournament bookmakers pegged them as 150-1 long shots to take home the cup. On January 20, 2012, the odds against libertarian Republican Ron Paul becoming the next US President were o...

U. S. House and Senate Postpone Piracy Laws

News from STM — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:20:00 +0100

20 January 2012. The push for controversial legislation known as SOPA and PIPA appears to have unraveled completely after leaders in both the House and Senate put the bills on ice. In a press release this morning, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tx) announced that the House Judiciary Committee is suspending a planned mark-up for the Stop Online Piracy Act, a bill that would have created new powers to target foreign “rogue” websites. http://bit.ly/yCuZRC (Source: News from STM)

PEER Economics Research Final Report now available

News from STM — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:08:27 +0100

20 January 2012 The PEER Economics Research Team headed by Professor Paola Dubini, ASK Research Center, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy has completed the economics research commissioned by PEER. PEER (Publishing and the Ecology of European Research) is investigating the effects of the large-scale, systematic depositing of authors’ final peer-reviewed manuscripts (so called Green Open Access or stage-two research output) on reader access, author visibility, and journals, as well as on the broader ecology of European research. http://www.peerproject.eu/reports (Source: News from STM)

White House Says It Opposes Part of Two Antipiracy Bills

News from STM — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:03:02 +0100

January 15, 2012. WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Saturday that it strongly opposed central elements of two Congressional efforts to enforce copyrights on the Internet, all but killing the current versions of legislation that has divided both political parties and pitted Hollywood against Silicon Valley. http://nyti.ms/xkFzta (Source: News from STM)

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DeGruyter acquires Versita

News from STM — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:40:30 +0100

January 10, 2012 De Gruyter, the Berlin-based academic publishing company, is acquiring the publisher Versita. As a service provider to academic organizations and bodies, Versita publishes over 230 journals on Open Access basis, i.e. outside the traditional subscription model. With this acquisition De Gruyter is substantially increasing its presence in an important future market of academic publishing. The complete staff of Versita is being retained in this take-over. http://bit.ly/Ao6RFE (Source: News from STM)

How the FT and NYT aim to make paywalls pay

News from STM — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:42:06 +0100

January 9, 2012 Every newspaper, magazine or website is working on a paywall of sorts and closely monitoring what everyone else is doing. In almost every news company, execs are morosely watching advertising projections and finding numbers that are not exactly encouraging. For digital media, there is no way around this year’s weak outlook: the bad economic climate only adds to the downward price pressure exerted by the ever-growing inventory of web and mobile pages. In a best-case scenario, volumes and prices will remain flat. On the print circulation side, western newspapers are likely to witness a continuing readership erosion at a rate of several percentage points. http://bit.ly/Azxl4n (Source: News from STM)

Scientists call for repeal of “deluded” ESPRC measure

News from STM — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:18:21 +0100

January 5, 2012. More than 100 senior chemists, physicists and mathematicians have written to David Willetts, the universities and science minister, to demand the repeal of a raft of recent policy initiatives by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. http://bit.ly/z1TR60 (Source: News from STM)

SOPA online piracy bill markup postponed

News from STM — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:36:34 +0100

December 20, 2011. The House Judiciary Committee confirmed Tuesday that it will delay continuing debate on the Stop Online Piracy Act until after Congress returns from its winter recess. Committee spokeswoman Kim Smith said in an e-mailed statement that the hearing is expected to be scheduled for “early next year.” After two days of heated debate last week, the committee adjourned its markup session on the measure without a vote. The debate over SOPA has been framed as a fight between old media and new media. Organizations such as the Motion Picture Association of America have been backing the bill, while Internet firms such as Reddit have been mobilizing their users against it. http://wapo.st/uWyXGg (Source: News from STM)

Class Action Filed in Google Books Case

News from STM — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:32:11 +0100

December 19, 2011. The long- delayed lawsuit over the Google Book project took a significant step toward court action and potentially farther away from a settlement with the filing of a motion for Class Certification by The Authors Guild and several individual authors. With the filing, the authors are asking the court to move the case forward as a class action lawsuit, with the guild and authors representing a class of thousands or more individual authors. This could increase the possibility of significant damages against Google if they are found to have infringed on the authors’ copyrights. Google is expected to oppose the motion to certify the class and is also expected to ask the court to dismiss the case outright. http://bit.ly/smQJ4t (Source: News from STM)

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New International Identifier Connects the Right Person with the Right Credentials

News from STM — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:57:08 +0100

December 12, 2011 (New Providence, NJ) – More than 45 million people “like” Stefani Germanotta’s Facebook page and a similar number count themselves as fans of the internationally renowned author/singer/songwriter Roosevelt Gook. While instantly recognizable under their stage identities, Lady Gaga and Bob Dylan are far more difficult to trace through their real names (or less famous pseudonyms in Dylan’s case). And performers aren’t the only ones changing names: authors often write under multiple names, making it difficult for readers to find their other works. Libraries, too, invest enormous efforts in disambiguating creators and sorting their works. Equally important, especially to the creators themselves, is the ability for organizations administering rights to correctly ide...

Class Action Filed in Google Book Case

News from STM — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:41:55 +0100

Lines Drawn on U. S. Antipiracy Bills

News from STM — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:47:38 +0100

December 14, 2011. WASHINGTON — Type “download movies for free” into Google, and up pops links to sites like the Pirate Bay, directing users to free copies of just about any entertainment — the latest “Twilight” installment, this week’s episode of “Whitney,” the complete recordings of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. http://nyti.ms/rVQrUK (Source: News from STM)

Opening Europe’s Data

News from STM — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:53:17 +0100

December 9, 2011. The European Commission is set to make a major announcement about the future of the Public Sector Information Directive on Monday. Jonathan Gray from the Open Knowledge Foundation discusses what this might mean for open data in Europe http://bit.ly/tZMDCT (Source: News from STM)

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) celebrates 170 years of publishing

News from STM — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:37:05 +0100

December 9, 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry celebrates 170 years of publishing today with the awarding of a Chemical Landmark plaque at the learned society's office in Cambridge The blue plaque will be placed outside the main entrance of Thomas Graham House at the Cambridge science park. RSC Chief Executive Dr Robert Parker said: "This landmark acknowledges the huge and growing contribution of the RSC to the development of the scientific record for the chemical sciences. 170 years ago in 1841 we published our first 42 articles in the 'Memoirs of the Chemical Society of London'.http://bit.ly/sAXcFv (Source: News from STM)

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Deanna Marcum named Managing Director of Ithaka S+R

News from STM — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:44:30 +0100

December 8, 2011. Deanna Marcum will become the managing director of Ithaka S+R effective January 1, 2012, the not-for-profit research and consulting service announced today.Marcum has been the Associate Librarian for Library Services at the Library of Congress. She also served as the president of the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) and the dean of the Catholic University School of Library and Information Science. The American Libraries Association (ALA) awarded her the Melvil Dewey Medal, its highest honor, in June. http://bit.ly/rBZwKF (Source: News from STM)

RLUK announces new publisher terms

News from STM — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:32:25 +0100

December 8, 2011. Research Libraries UK (RLUK), which represents 30 research libraries in the UK and Ireland, announced on December 1 that JISC Collections had “secured better terms and conditions” for the UK higher-ed market as part of negotiated deals with the two largest academic journal publishers in the UK, Elsevier and Wiley-Blackwell. In a separate announcement on November 29, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and LYRASIS announced that they have signed an agreement designating LYRASIS, the largest U.S. regional nonprofit library membership organization, as a negotiating agent for online content on behalf of interested ARL members. http://bit.ly/spwXfN (Source: News from STM)

Do Clinicians Need Spring Training?

Open Medicine Blog - — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:29:32 +0100

Steven Lewis, President, Access Consulting Ltd., Saskatoon CanadaSteven.Lewis@sasktel.net It begins in February and runs to the end of March. Raw rookies and twenty year veterans, bench warmers and megastars, all of whom have played baseball since their single digits. It’s spring training time, and no one is exempt. The playing field is literally and figuratively level. You come, you drill. Practice, practice, repeat. Over and over, until you get it right. And once you get it right, do it some more. A ground ball to the right side, between first and second. The pitcher reflexively takes off to cover first base. It is easier if he is right-handed because his follow-through will turn him in the right direction. Lefties must either stop and change direction, or pirouette. If the first basem...

ORCID, Inc. picks Semantico to build global scholarly author registry

News from STM — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:29:04 +0100

December 5, 2011. Online publishing services provider Semantico Ltd has been selected by ORCID, Inc. to help build the first phase of their worldwide registry for scholarly authors. ORCID is a not-for-profit global consortium of academic institutions, publishers, scholarly societies, corporate companies, governmental bodies and not-for-profit agencies. http://bit.ly/cT5lby (Source: News from STM)

The British Library sign agreements with Elsevier and Taylor & Francis for document delivery outside the UK to non-commercial researchers

News from STM — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:17:06 +0100

November 29, 2011. The British Library has signed an agreement with Elsevier and Taylor and Francis for document delivery outside the UK to non-commercial researchers. The agreement governs the supply of copies of articles from the British Library’s Document Supply Service to non-commercial end users via not-for-profit libraries outside the UK. Barry Smith, Head of Commercial Services at the British Library said “We are delighted to have agreed a framework licence with Elsevier and Taylor & Francis. This means we can improve the speed of service delivery we offer to our overseas non-commercial users and augment our current Document Supply Service.” http://bit.ly/rqlJsl (Source: News from STM)

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Wolters Kluwer Health Acquires Leading Open Access STM Journal Publisher (Medknow)in India

News from STM — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:59:40 +0100

Philadelphia, PA (December 5, 2011) – Wolters Kluwer Health today announced that it has acquired Medknow PVT Ltd., a leading Scientific, Technical & Medical (STM) journal publishing operation headquartered in Mumbai, India and one of the largest open access publishers in the world. The acquisition expands Wolters Kluwer Health’s Medical Research business’ presence in key developing markets and supports its strategy to increase locally written content and incorporate more open access platforms into its business model. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. http://ht.ly/7OSU0 (Source: News from STM)

IEEE and the China Communication Standards Association (CCSA) Sign Memorandum of Understanding

News from STM — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:20:27 +0100

November 17, 2011 IEEE, the world's largest professional association advancing technology for humanity, and the China Communications Standards Association (CCSA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate in standards development activities. IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) and CCSA will work together to promote mutual interests and facilitate faster, better global standards development. http://bit.ly/vFfGsa (Source: News from STM)

Opening up medical education: Is this the first Open Access video series of Grand Rounds?

Open Medicine Blog - — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 03:30:21 +0100

This week, the Division of Emergency Medicine in London, Ontario, Canada, released our first video from grand rounds. There's really nothing new about the idea - well-done archives of grand rounds videos truly are a dime a dozen. But - to my knowledge - we are the first program to make the videos available under an Open Access, Creative Commons license (in our case, By Attribution, ShareAlike). This move is good for our non-academic physician colleagues, who can now access and remix high quality rounds contents from a reputed academic emergency medicine program. But it is also good for us, since it encourages higher caliber presentations (something about the unforgetting internet is so unnerving to me as a presenter) and will bring peer review to our rounds from the far reaches of the worl...

What Joe Paterno Could Have Learned About Disclosure from Health Care

Open Medicine Blog - — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:44:58 +0100

Steven Lewis, PresidentAccess Consulting Ltd., Saskatoon SK CanadaSteven.Lewis@sasktel.net Happy Valley it ain't. Penn State University is aflame, its President, two senior officials, and sainted football coach Joe Paterno out the door after 46 years. A former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, is under indictment for multiple sexual assaults against young boys over a 15 year period. Each new piece of evidence confirms that any number of people could have stepped in years ago. On being told an eyewitness account of the sodomization of a ten year old boy in the showers of a Penn State facility - where Sandusky maintained an office long after retiring - Paterno notified his campus superiors (absent the gruesome details) and did nothing more. No going to the police; no search for corrobora...

Thirty-three North American research institutions endorse the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge

News from STM — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:04:13 +0100

November 9, 2011. Washington, DC – Thirty-three research institutions, associations, and foundations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico have made a commitment to Open Access to research by signing the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities. These top private, public, and non-profit organizations join nearly 300 more from around the world in another clear sign of the growing demand for change in the way scientific and scholarly research results are communicated and maximized. The announcement is made in conjunction with the ninth Berlin conference, at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which opened today. http://bit.ly/sWhkM5 (Source: News from STM)

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America COMPETES – Request for Information on Public Access to Digital Data and Scientific Publications

News from STM — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:55:53 +0100

November 7, 2011. The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, signed by President Obama earlier this year, calls upon OSTP to coordinate with agencies to develop policies that assure widespread public access to and long-term stewardship of the results of federally funded unclassified research. Towards that goal, OSTP last week released two Requests for Information (RFI) soliciting public input on long term preservation of and public access to the results of federally funded research, including digital data and peer-reviewed scholarly publications. OSTP previously conducted a public consultation about policy options for expanding public access to federally funded peer-reviewed scholarly articles (the full set of comments can be viewed here). The current RFIs take that process anothe...

Fair Use & Felony: U. S. library associations say legislation could expose them to copyright prosecution

News from STM — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:49:06 +0100

November 9, 2011. WASHINGTON -- A bill under consideration in Congress could make it easier for federal prosecutors to bring criminal charges against academic libraries for unduly making copyrighted materials available to students, according to a letter sent to lawmakers on Tuesday by a group of influential library associations. The bill, called the Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261), or SOPA, stipulates that “any person who willfully infringes a copyright” can be charged with a felony “if such a person knew or should have known that the work was intended for commercial dissemination.” http://bit.ly/v8LnMg (Source: News from STM)

Library Journal bought by RLJ companies

News from STM — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:10:49 +0100

November 9, 2011. The publishing industry trade journals Library Journal, School Library Journal, and Horn Book Magazine and Guide changed hands Wednesday. Parent company Media Source Inc. (MSI) was purchased by the RLJ Companies. http://lat.ms/u7KjtT (Source: News from STM)

Springer to acquire Pharma Marketing and Publishing Services from Wolters Kluwer

News from STM — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:00:22 +0100

November 9, 2011. Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) has reached an agreement with Wolters Kluwer to acquire the Pharma Marketing and Publishing Services division (MPS) for its Springer Healthcare unit. MPS is one of the five largest global providers of strategic marketing, publishing and business intelligence products and services to the pharmaceutical industry, as well as to medical libraries and academic and research institutions. Derk Haank, CEO of Springer Science+Business Media said: “This acquisition will significantly strengthen our position in international corporate and healthcare markets, and will also allow us to expand Springer’s STM operations, not only in the Americas and Asia-Pacific regions, but also in parts of Europe where we do not yet have offices. ...

What Health Care Can Learn from Skating

Open Medicine Blog - — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:07:57 +0100

Steven Lewis, PresidentAccess Consulting Ltd., Saskatoon SK CanadaSteven.Lewis@sasktel.net When performance measurement fails, bad things happen. Figure skating learned that lesson the hard way. Its performance measurement system has evolved from an arbitrary and often corrupt gong show to an increasingly reliable (though still imperfect) science. That it has made progress despite its rigid and hidebound culture is all the more reason for health care to learn from its travails. Here is a brief history of figure skating fiascos. First there was the obsession with compulsory figures – the ability to trace patterns in the ice in slow motion. This arcane talent accounted for 60% of the competition score until 1968, dropping to 20% by 1990. Figure skating is entertainment; it would not exis...

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Martyn Harrow appointed new Head of JISC

News from STM — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:59:55 +0100

November 8, 2011. Martyn Harrow, Director of Information Services at Cardiff University, has been appointed as Head of JISC for a fixed term of 9-18 months from 1 February 2012. Martyn will succeed Dr Malcolm Read who retires as Head of JISC in January 2012 after 18 years in post.http://bit.ly/vV09sM (Source: News from STM)

India, US to enhance collaboration in research, skill development

News from STM — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:46:21 +0100

NEW DELHI: In a bid to strengthen and deepen its strategic partnership with the United States, India will set up a "higher education platform" to enhance collaboration in research, skill development and student and faculty exchange. The announcement came as the first ever India-US education summit wrapped up in Washington. Both countries stressed on the need to enhance the scope of collaboration and identify new ways to encourage linkages and exchange programmes. http://bit.ly/nC1BIX (Source: News from STM)

You're Either Drafting or Pulling: What Health Care Can Learn From Cycling

Open Medicine Blog - — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:43:42 +0100

Alan Cassels, Drug Policy Researcher and Adjunct Professor, Human and Social Development, University of Victoria, cassels@uvic.ca Most people think cycling, and by that I specifically mean road racing, is an individual sport. They look at the superstars, people like 7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and think: "that guy is awesome!" Which is true, but only partly. Lance is no doubt one of the world's greatest cyclists, but he also happened to be a member of the world's greatest cycling teams, who helped put him on the podium seven times. I know this because I'm a cyclist, an occasional road racer who particularly enjoys the long distances. Big slogs where you carry all the food and water you need for three hour-long lung bursting, leg thrashing rides. Last year I rode in a race...

How to contribute to the MASH blog

Open Medicine Blog - — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:27:23 +0100

The MASH blog is intended as an open forum that welcomes contributions from anyone interested in making meaningful analogies in sports and health. We will shortly be set up for you to submit content directly to the moderator through the Open Medicine site navigation tools. But for now, contributors should submit their content via e-mail to: Steven.Lewis@sasktel.net. There are just a few basic rules. First, let us know how you want to be identified - for example, Alice Smith, staff nurse, Middletown General Hospital. If you are open to readers communicating with you directly, also provide an e-mail address. We will include these identifiers and contact information with your submission. Second,don't be too subtle. Make the sports-and-health analogy explicit. Yes, at times this may compromis...

Digital Public Library of America and Europeana announce collaboration

News from STM — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:32:51 +0100

October 25, 2011. At the Digital Library of America plenary meeting on October 21, Europeana program director Jill Cousins announced that Europeana and DPLA have reached a mutual agreement to work toward interoperability, and thus potentially expand content access for users of both projects. In her announcement, she stressed the importance of openness—specifically, open data and open licensing—in digital libraries.http://bit.ly/rQa96f (Source: News from STM)

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ALA – There are 122,101 libraries of all kinds in the United States

News from STM — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:59:24 +0100

ALA Library Fact Sheet 1 There are an estimated 122,101 libraries of all kinds in the United States today. No annual survey provides statistics on all types of libraries. http://bit.ly/9TcbwI (Source: News from STM)

U. S. Copyright Office outlines “Priorities & Special Projects”

News from STM — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:38:37 +0100

October 26, 2011. Orphan works, preservation for libraries, mass digitization, and fighting digital piracy are among the priorities set by the Register of Copyrights Maria A. Pallante this week in a paper outlining the U.S. Copyyright Office's "priorities and special projects" for the next two years. In all, the paper articulates 17 priorities in the areas of copyright policy and administrative practice, and 10 "new projects" designed to "improve the quality and efficiency" of the U.S. Copyright Office’s services in the 21st century. The paper also summarizes the state of global policy, including U.S. trade negotiations, anti-piracy efforts and international discussions of exceptions and limitations.http://bit.ly/vL2poV (Source: News from STM)

Dispute intensifies over ban on some types of scientific cooperation between U. S. & China

News from STM — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:24:49 +0100

October 18, 2011. Nature News. When US presidential science adviser John Holdren hosted a dinner and meetings between US and Chinese science officials in May, he must have known it would lead to a high-level stand-off. That came to pass on 11 October, when the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an arm of Congress, concluded in a report that those activities violated legislation banning scientific cooperation with China by NASA and by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), which Holdren directs.http://bit.ly/o71VV2 (Source: News from STM)

ARL (American Research Libraries) publishes Digital Preservation SPEC Kit 325

News from STM — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:48:48 +0100

October 25, 2011. Washington, DC--The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has published Digital Preservation, SPEC Kit 325, which explores the strategies that ARL member institutions use to protect evolving research collections and examines the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders. http://bit.ly/sSHzLU (Source: News from STM)

Jayne Marks joins Wolters Kluwer Health as Vice President, Publishing

News from STM — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:46:43 +0100

30-Year STM Industry Executive Tapped to Lead LWW-Published Journals New York, NY (October 24, 2011) - Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry, announced today the appointment of Jayne Marks as Vice President, Publishing at Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) journals, part of its Medical Research business unit. http://bit.ly/tVOk8E (Source: News from STM)

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A Joint Venture to Create U. S. Federal Science Agency Repositories

News from STM — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:05:44 +0100

The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) and Information International Associates (IIa) formed a joint venture to develop an institutional repository (IR) service for federal agencies. The institutional repositories are collections of digital scientific and technical information documents and other content. The repository will be hosted by NTIS and supported by content managers and technical experts from IIa and NTIS. This program will enable federal agency content to be made available, providing users with increased ease of access and agencies with cost savings. http://bit.ly/obWgjp (Source: News from STM)

ARL (Association of Research Libraries) announces 2011-2012 Board of Directors

News from STM — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:44:16 +0100

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) announced on October 20 its 2011-2012 board of directors. Winston Tabb, Sheridan Dean of University Libraries and Museums, Johns Hopkins University, began a one-year term as president of ARL on October 13, 2011, during the ARL Membership Meeting in Washington, DC. He succeeds Carol A. Mandel, Dean of the Division of Libraries, New York University. Mandel continues to serve as a member of both the ARL Board of Directors and the ARL Executive Committee as Past President. http://bit.ly/nF8qhG (Source: News from STM)

High Demand for Science Graduates in the U. S. enables them to pick their jobs

News from STM — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:55:39 +0100

October 20, 2011 A couple of years ago, a pair of researchers at Georgetown University and Rutgers University concluded that, contrary to widespread perception, the United States produces plenty of scientists and engineers. The problem, wrote Harold Salzman of Rutgers and B. Lindsay Lowell of Georgetown, is that fewer than half of all college graduates in science and engineering actually take jobs in those fields. So instead of pressing colleges to produce more science graduates, they wrote, the country needed only to persuade new graduates to take the right jobs. A study released on Wednesday by another Georgetown research team suggests, however, that lot of persuasion may be necessary. http://bit.ly/rt5D6n (Source: News from STM)

Top 50 Engineering & Technology universities

News from STM — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:40:55 +0100

3 October 2011The engineering and technology table is, like it was last year, dominated by California. Three of the top five institutions in the rankings hail from the Golden State, home of the global high-tech hub Silicon Valley. But the East Coast business powerhouse the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which boasts an $8 billion (£4.9 billion) endowment, remains a major player. It shares first place with last year's outright top dog, the California Institute of Technology. http://bit.ly/n8NBMI (Source: News from STM)

Top 50 Arts and Humanities universities

News from STM — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:37:11 +0100

20 October 2011Stanford University knocks Harvard University off the top spot in the arts and humanities subject rankings. With Pulitzer prizewinners and MacArthur Fellows leading its liberal-arts programme, the relative newcomer (founded in 1891) has proved more than a match for its illustrious Ivy League rival. The University of Chicago, with a humanities department that teaches more than 50 languages, takes third position. While the arts and humanities table, like all the others, is predominantly Anglo-American, it is the only subject area where an institution outside the US and the UK makes the top five. http://bit.ly/o7hXYQ (Source: News from STM)

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Reframing the “STEM Shortage” debate

News from STM — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:33:34 +0100

October 20, 2011. WASHINGTON -- For several years now, science advocates and economists have been locked in a debate over whether the United States is producing too few scientists and engineers to sustain the country's historical technological edge and satisfy the demands of employers. With a new report today, Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce hopes to bridge the divide -- by arguing, essentially, that the country needs more people with scientific competencies than it does actual scientists per se.http://bit.ly/pzksVr (Source: News from STM)

European Gender Summit: Quality Research and Innovation through Equality

News from STM — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:38:13 +0100

On November 8-9th, 2011 the Gender Summit under the patronage of top level policy makers is addressing among many themes gender issues in the last stage in the research process, namely analysis, interpretation and publication of research findings. On the second the session under theme D "Gender issues in Science publications" will address how publishers and science editors can promote the use and knowledge of methods for sex and gender analysis in research through editorial policy and other means. http://www.gender-summit.eu (Source: News from STM)

Coming to Terms with Performance Data: My Hero, Duke Snider, Was Not As Good As Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays

Open Medicine Blog - — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:45:54 +0100

Duke Snider died at the end of February. He was my first sports hero. I grew up in a family of Brooklyn Dodger fans, and the Duke was their star center fielder from 1947 through 1957. That was the Dodgers’ last year in Brooklyn; their owner, Walter O’Malley, having failed to extort a big new ballpark from the borough (some things never change), uprooted the franchise and planted it in Los Angeles. Snider’s career waned after the move – he turned 32 in his first season in LA, was hobbled by a bad knee, and became a part-time player. My memories of him go back only to 1959, when he had his last good year (23 home runs, 88 runs batted in, .308 batting average in only 370 at bats, about two-thirds of a full-time-equivalent season). Professional and college football and basketball domin...

Brad Pitt Can Save Health Care

Open Medicine Blog - — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:33:43 +0100

Brad Pitt has an approach to data and performance that could save health care. That's right: Brad Pitt. Yes, the same Brad Pitt that started his career on the daytime soap opera Another World; played the cool thief in the Oceans series of films; then the goofy fitness trainer in Burn After Reading and topped it off by marrying Hollywood femme fatale, Angelina Jolie. Handsome, charming, master of self-deprecating humour, and now saviour of the health care system; Is there nothing he can’t do? You see, Brad Pitt has the opportunity to teach us the tools needed to fix the Canadian health care system. Where did he get these magic tools to fix health care? Pitt is featured in the role of Billy Beane in the recently released Hollywood film Moneyball. Truthfully it is actually Billy Beane that...

Harvard moves ahead with Library reorganization

News from STM — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 23:26:12 +0100

October 3, 2011. The 11-member Harvard Library Board has approved a new organizational structure for the university's 73 libraries, which are collectively known as the Harvard Library. "I am committed to ensuring that the new Harvard Library will be the flagship research library of the 21st century," Provost Alan Garber wrote in a September 28 letter to the Harvard community announcing the decision. http://bit.ly/nYDwja (Source: News from STM)

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Major Copyright Case Against UCLA Dismissed

News from STM — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 23:22:04 +0100

October 4, 2011. A federal judge in Los Angeles dismissed on Monday a closely watched copyright case against the University of California Los Angeles, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue and that sovereign immunity as well as the university's explicit licensing agreement afforded the defendants protection from charges of copyright infringement. http://bit.ly/rcRC2R (Source: News from STM)

Final PEER Behavioural Research Report available

News from STM — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:44:49 +0100

6 October 2011. PEER Behavioural Research: Final Report on authors and users vis-a-vis journals and repositories now available at http://www.peerproject.eu/reports Press Release (Source: News from STM)

Times Higher Education World University Rankings: 2011-201

News from STM — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:22:43 +0100

http://bit.ly/9lDHA5 (Source: News from STM)

Current challenges in medical communication: diagnosing and curing unethical practices, Warsaw, Poland 8 October

News from STM — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:45:21 +0100

http://cordis.europa.eu/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.document&EV_LANG=EN&EV_RCN=33580 (Source: News from STM)

Robust UK research climate cannot be taken for granted

News from STM — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:53:41 +0100

September 29, 2011. Highly productive sector must be creative to keep up without new funds, study says. Paul Jump reports Researchers in the UK are extremely productive, but the country may need some "innovative solutions" to maintain its global position in a harsh funding climate. That is the conclusion of a report by the 1994 Group of universities that compares the UK's research output with that of the US, Australia, Germany, Japan and China. http://bit.ly/ntPHMO (Source: News from STM)

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Google to open startup base in London

News from STM — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:34:18 +0100

September 29, 2011. Google will lease a seven-floor building to provide space for developers and startups near London's "Silicon Roundabout," boosting British Prime Minister David Cameron's plans to create a global technology hub in the east of the city. Google will take on more than 25,000 square feet of office space near Old Street until at least 2022. The company will pay about $7.8 million over 10 years in rent, which excludes costs for refurbishment, according to an online brochure for the site. http://bit.ly/pSvySB (Source: News from STM)

Amazon launches online bookstore in China

News from STM — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:21:57 +0100

BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Online shopping giant Amazon.com opened an online Chinese-language bookstore on Thursday in cooperation with a Chinese state-owned publishing group, according to a news release from Amazon. The store is being jointly operated by Amazon and the China International Publishing Group (CIPG) as part of a global promotional program for Chinese books initiated by the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) in 2010. http://bit.ly/qq03Xi (Source: News from STM)

OCLC and OhioLink release extensive data sets on book usage patterns in academic libraries

News from STM — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:09:14 +0100

September 29, 2011. OhioLINK and OCLC Research released on September 21 what is likely the largest and most comprehensive study of academic library circulation ever undertaken. Among the more interesting findings, the "80/20" rule, which says that 80 percent of a library's circulation is driven by approximately 20 percent of the collection, may not be accurate. The report, OhioLINK-OCLC Collection and Circulation Analysis Project 2011, and its extremely large, diverse data sets will not only clarify the usage and collecting patterns of books and manuscripts within OhioLINK libraries but also provide a basis for further research and comparisons at other institutions. The goal is to better inform acquisition behavior and create "a set of collecting rubrics that will help reduce unnecessary d...

Wiley Job Network Launched

News from STM — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:57:20 +0100

Wiley-Blackwell, the scientific, technical, medical and scholarly business of global publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc., today announced the launch of the Wiley Job Network – a new online recruitment tool which enables employers to attract talented applicants from among the high-caliber users of Wiley Online Library’s products and services. http://bit.ly/mVr1hp (Source: News from STM)

STM partners with CCC – special RightsLink discount for STM members

News from STM — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:48:49 +0100

STM has partnered with Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), a not-for-profit organization and leading provider of licensing solutions, to offer RightsLink at a discounted rate. STM recognizes that in these challenging economic times our members can benefit greatly from this revenue-generating solution. http://www.stm-assoc.org/rightslink (Source: News from STM)

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Royal Swets & Zeitlinger celebrates its 110th anniversary

News from STM — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:42:58 +0100

September 26, 2011. Royal Swets & Zeitlinger celebrates its 110th anniversary. Adriaan Swets and Heinrich Zeitlinger opened the doors to their business, a small bookshop in Amsterdam specializing in new and antiquarian scientific books, on September 26 1901. This was the same year as the first Nobel Prize ceremony in Sweden, the birth of Walt Disney in America and the opening of the first Australian parliament. http://bit.ly/n53D76 (Source: News from STM)

End User Survey of U. S. Federal Depository Libraries

News from STM — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 22:14:05 +0100

September 26, 2011. An Aug. 25, 2011 NewsBreak focused on a report by Ithaka S+R, “Modeling a sustainable future for the United States: Federal Depository Library Program’s network of libraries in the 21st century.” That same week, the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) released another report on the depository libraries, “FDLP users speak: The value and performance of libraries participating in the Federal Depository Library Program,” presenting the results of a survey conducted by Outsell, Inc. from Oct.10, 2010 through March 4, 2011. (The report can be downloaded from the FDLP website.) http://bit.ly/n53D76 (Source: News from STM)

Royal Society of Chemistry appoints Dr. Robert Parker Chief Executive

News from STM — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:51:44 +0100

September 23, 2011. Dr Robert Parker has been appointed chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He has acted as interim chief executive since March this year. Dr Parker brings more than 25 years' experience at the RSC to the role, having joined the organisation in 1985 as assistant editor. He joined the journal publishing division of the RSC when it was located in premises above a tailor's shop in Savile Row, since which it relocated to Cambridge and expanded to become a renowned international publisher. http://bit.ly/okfxXP (Source: News from STM)

Publication bubble threatens China’s scientific advance

News from STM — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:34:54 +0100

September 26 2011. (Nanowerk News) As China's economy has soared to the second place in the world, the country's scientific strength has also surged -- if only measured by the numbers.Chinese researchers published more than 1.2 million papers from 2006 to 2010 -- second only to the United States but well ahead of Britain, Germany and Japan, according to data recently published by Elsevier, a leading international scientific publisher and data provider. This figure represents a 14 percent increase over the period from 2005 to 2009. http://bit.ly/pkmYuS (Source: News from STM)

Libraries rethink digitization effort after authors sue

News from STM — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:42:53 +0100

September 23, 2011. The University of Michigan suspended its orphan works digitization project in response to the copyright infringement lawsuit filed against it and four other universities, including Cornell. The lawsuit, filed Sept. 12, claims that Google and the five universities — Cornell, the University of Michigan, Indiana University, the University of Wisconsin and the University of California — have digitized about seven million books illegally. The majority of the contested texts are known as “orphan works” — books that are still subject to copyright but whose copyright holders are unknown or cannot be located. http://bit.ly/qfOEoD (Source: News from STM)

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Authors take libraries to court in face off in copyright issue

News from STM — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:11:39 +0100

September 22, 2011. As with a difficult pregnancy, the birthing of a new publishing model for the 21st century has proven complex and painful for everyone involved. The focus of much of the debate and angst has centered on what the publishing industry and authors see as the nexus of the struggle: Google Books, and recent actions seem to be taking this struggle aggressively to new levels. On Sept. 12, eight authors—including James Shapiro and Fay Weldon—along with three key organizations representing authors in North America and Australia—filed suit to stop academic libraries from their participation in HathiTrust digitization projects (in cooperative agreements with Google Books). Led by the Authors Guild (AG), the “nation’s leading advocate for writers’ interests,” the plain...

STM Association signs Out of Commerce Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

News from STM — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:40:46 +0100

September 20, 2011.Michael Mabe today signed the Out of Commerce Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Brussels, enabled through a dialogue with libraries facilitated by the European Commission (EC). The MoU recognises that the right to authorise the use of an Out of Commerce work is vested in the copyright holder (authors and publishers) and that voluntary solutions involving collective management are the way forward. The signing of the MoU was witnessed by Michel Barnier, EC Commissioner for Internal Market and Services. Representatives of libraries, publishers, authors, creators and representatives of authors, publishers and collective management organisations for text and image based works also signed the MoU today. Mabe, CEO of the International Association of Scientific, Technic...

University of Michigan admits flaws in HathiTrust system

News from STM — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:03:57 +0100

September 19, 2011. Less than a week after the University of Michigan brushed off a lawsuit by the Authors Guild over the university’s move to make copyrighted “orphan” works in its digital collection freely available to students and faculty, the Michigan Library suspended the practice Friday, admitting “serious” flaws in its process for identifying orphans. Friday’s mea culpa followed a public flogging of the library and its nonprofit digital consortium, HathiTrust, at the hands of the Authors Guild, in which the guild quickly tracked down the owners of the copyrights on several works that HathiTrust had categorized as “orphans” -- books and articles that are in copyright but whose copyright owners cannot be located or identified. http://bit.ly/oB8WqQ (Source: News from ST...

HathiTrust suspends its Orphan Works Release

News from STM — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:03:38 +0100

September 16, 2011. Following the filing of a lawsuit over its scanning and orphan works initiative, HathiTrust this morning said it would suspend indefinitely its plan to release a set of 140 orphan works until its processes for determining copyright status are improved. The move comes after Authors Guild members this week said that some of the works on the list were in fact likely still under copyright. In a statement, University of Michigan officials said they welcomed the scrutiny of the list, but that a reivew has revealed serious enough errors to rethink its procedures. “This tells us that our pilot process is flawed,” the statement notes. http://bit.ly/o0aenp (Source: News from STM)

Expanding access to published research findings

News from STM — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:08:06 +0100

September 14, 2011. A new independent working group has been set up to examine how UK-funded research ﬁndings can be made more accessible. The group will propose a programme of action and make recommendations to government, research funders, publishers and other interested parties on how access to research ﬁndings and outcomes can be broadened for key audiences such as researchers, policy makers and the general public. The group emerged from transparency discussions initiated at a high level round table meeting by the Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister for Universities and Science. It is made up of representatives of the HE sector, research funders, the research community, scholarly publishers, and libraries. It is chaired by Dame Janet Finch DBE, Professor of Sociology at Manchest...

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Judge adopts trial schedule at Google status conference, but settlement talks continue

News from STM — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:14:44 +0100

September 15, 2011 The Google Books case is headed to litigation. At a status conference Thursday, Judge Denny Chin adopted a proposed trial schedule that, if followed, would have the case ready for trial by July 2012. But the conference also offered a ray of hope, as attorneys said that settlement talks were progressing. AAP attorney Bruce Keller told Chin that the publishers had agreed to the proposed trial schedule, but that substantial progress had been made between publishers and Google, and that he hoped the trial schedule would become "moot." Google attorney Daralynn Durie echoed that expectation later in the hearing, also telling Chin that progress was being made and noting that the business principals "not the lawyers" were in discussion. “Today, we informed the court that the ...

Amazon in talks to launch digital book library

News from STM — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:16:09 +0100

September 12, 2011. Amazon.com Inc is in talks with book publishers about launching a media library service similar to Netflix Inc for tablets and other digital books, The Wall Street Journal reported. http://reut.rs/qvIL0e (Source: News from STM)

STM supplemental reply to the EU online survey on scientific information

News from STM — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:21:04 +0100

September 9, 2011. In addition to the completion of the European Commission Online Survey on Scientific Information in the Digital Age, STM is pleased to publish our additional comments to the survey. 2011_09_09_STM_Supplement_EU_Consultation_Scientific_Information.pdf (Source: News from STM)

Europeana Libraries Project Begins to Aggregate Digital Content

News from STM — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:55:32 +0100

September 6, 2011. The Europeana Libraries project began September 5 to aggregate the first of the five million digital objects that the initiative envisions collecting from some of Europe's leading research and university libraries, including the University of Oxford's Bodleian Library, Trinity College Dublin and Sweden's Lund University. The two-year project, which was launched January 1, 2011, should have 1.5 million objects (or nine of the 47 collections) processed by the end of the year, according to the Association of European Research Libraries blog. The project brings together national, research and university libraries under one umbrella, to make their materials available via Europeana. http://bit.ly/oEb7S6 (Source: News from STM)

STM, PA and British Library agree framework licence agreement for document delivery to non-commercial research publishers outside the UK

News from STM — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 04:10:54 +0100

September 8, 2011. The British Library and the International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers (STM) have agreed a framework licence agreement to be entered into directly between individual publishers and the British Library. It governs the supply of copies of articles from the British Library’s Document Supply Service to non-commercial end users via not-for-profit libraries outside the UK. The UK Publishers Association joins with STM in recommending the framework licence agreement to its members. Barry Smith, Head of Commercial Services at the British Library said “We are delighted to have agreed a framework licence with STM. This means we can improve the speed of service delivery we offer to our overseas non-commercial users and augment our current Documen...

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Battle for German Brains

News from STM — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:06:26 +0100

September 7, 2011 SAN FRANCISCO -- German was once the global language of science, a role long since captured by English. But this weekend at the University of California at San Francisco, German was the language of an unusual gathering of academic leaders and rising scientific talent. About 300 postdocs at top North American universities -- the Ivies, MIT, Chicago, Stanford, Madison, most University of California campuses, as well as Canadian institutions such as the Universities of British Columbia and Toronto -- were gathered here by the German government’s top research organizations. The postdocs are German and are among the most promising of the 5,000-plus German scholars with doctorates currently working in the United States. http://bit.ly/rrmFy4 (Source: News from STM)

U. S. Second Circuit Copyright Ruling Could Affect Libraries and Jobs

News from STM — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:14:42 +0100

September 7, 2011. Librarians and book re-sellers say their core activities are now in question after the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on August 15 upheld a lower court decision finding that the “First Sale” doctrine in U.S. copyright law—the provision that enables libraries to lend and consumers to re-sell books they’ve lawfully purchased—does not apply to works manufactured outside the U.S. While the verdict stands as a major victory for the publishing industry, which has long fought the “illegal importation of foreign works,” especially textbooks, critics say the broad decision goes too far, and could harm libraries and encourage the outsourcing of jobs. http://bit.ly/n1nApN (Source: News from STM)

RLUK develops journal subscription analysis tool

News from STM — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 19:52:15 +0100

September 1, 2011. Research Libraries UK (RLUK), a consortium of 30 of the largest research organizations in the UK and Ireland, revealed a new tool at a July workshop that will allow its members to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of "big deals" --- the large aggregations of journals from publishers sold as a single package. The new tool will allow libraries to make more informed decisions about how to allocate shrinking budgets, which are increasingly under a strain from the price of the big deals. The RLUK recently drew a line in the sand over these packages, refusing to agree to new deals unless there was a significant price reduction. Some of these packages now cost RLUK members over 1 million pounds a year. http://bit.ly/n5s9H5 (Source: News from STM)

The Big Deal: Not Price but Cost

News from STM — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 19:45:56 +0100

September 1, 2011. First introduced by Academic Press (AP) in 1996, the Big Deal—in which publishers sell online subscriptions to large bundles of electronic journals—is now the principle means by which academics access research literature. When it was introduced, the Big Deal was widely seen as a solution to the so-called serials crisis, and both publishers and librarians embraced it enthusiastically. However, the Big Deal today is the biggest bugbear for librarians and currently the focus of a face-off between U.K. librarians and publishers. How did an initiative that was once viewed so positively become an object of dislike and derision? What is the solution? http://bit.ly/oTEOui (Source: News from STM)

Chinese science ministry increases funding – annual round of research grants up 50%

News from STM — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 17:11:25 +0100

September 1, 2011. This week, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) unveiled a list of 64 research projects to be funded under the sixth round of its annual National Major Scientific Research Program. MOST plans to invest a total of US$244 million on the projects over the next five years — an increase of more than 50% on last year's $160 million. The projects cover six topics: protein research, quantum technology, nanotechnology, research into developmental and reproductive biology[, stem cells and Earth science. http://bit.ly/ng9vNf (Source: News from STM)

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New RIN Report – Data Centres: their use, value and impact

News from STM — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:32:53 +0100

This report provides an analysis of the usage and impact of a number of research data centres, representing a cross-section of research disciplines in the UK. The study aimed to demonstrate the importance, relevance and beneﬁts of effective sharing and curation of research data for the UK research community. It looked at the long-term usage and impact of data curated by a cross-disciplinary selection of established data centres. http://ht.ly/6gj1X (Source: News from STM)

High profile Canadian research universities defect from copyright clearinghouse

News from STM — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:12:53 +0100

August 29, 2011. As professors and librarians in the United States await a judge’s ruling on a copyright lawsuit by publishers against Georgia State University over its e-reserves practices, a similarly themed battle in Canada has seen a number of high-profile research universities walk out on licensing agreements with that country’s major copyright clearinghouse. More than a dozen Canadian universities — including heavyweights such as the University of British Columbia, the University of Calgary and York University — have said they will not renew their agreements with Access Copyright, a government-created nonprofit that sells licenses to its library of copyright-cleared content. http://bit.ly/nJU3ei (Source: News from STM)

U of California San Diego sells 150,000 books & journals due to budget cuts

News from STM — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:45:58 +0100

August 29, 2011. Driven by dramatic budget cuts that will shutter four campus libraries, staffers at UC San Diego are removing roughly 150,000 books and journals from their collections by summer’s end – selling volumes to the highest bidder or donating them. http://bit.ly/pOC7IC (Source: News from STM)

La Martinere and Google sign agreement

News from STM — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:01:26 +0100

August 24, 2011. French publisher La Martinière has dropped its legal action against Google and signed an agreement with it to scan specified out-of-print French language titles. La Martinière filed charges against Google in 2006 and on 18th December 2008 won a court order for €300,000 in damages, and €10,000 for each day that the contested titles remained in Google’s database. Google lodged an appeal and had been waiting for the verdict. The French publishers association and the French authors society joined La Martinière in the case but have not yet said whether they will also drop charges. If they do not, their part of the appeal will stand. http://bit.ly/nfySib (Source: News from STM)

Report shows increased need for libraries on campuses

News from STM — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:30:03 +0100

The need for libraries on college and university campuses has increased, according to a new study released by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Research and Statistics. In "Trends in Academic Libraries, 1998 to 2008," Denise M. Davis analyzes data from the Academic Library Survey administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). http://bit.ly/n3w86z (Source: News from STM)

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Taylor & Francis adds 150 new journals to ARDI

News from STM — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:21:03 +0100

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) announced e a significant expansion of the Access to Research for Development and Innovation (ARDIi) program to now include a total of around 200 online scientific and technical journals. The global academic publisher Taylor & Francis, a founding partner of the ARDI program, has agreed to contribute a further 150 journals to the program. These journals provide in-depth coverage of applied science and engineering, physical science, and environmental, biological, food, and agricultural sciences. http://bit.ly/pFN3M7 (Source: News from STM)

Major U. S. libraries join controversial project to publish “orphan works online’

News from STM — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:57:56 +0100

August 24, 2011 Several libraries today pledged to follow the University of Michigan’s lead in making available on their campuses digital copies of books whose copyright holders cannot be found to ask for permission. The libraries jumping in today are the University of California Libraries, and libraries at Cornell, Duke, Emory, and the Johns Hopkins Universities. The Universities of Florida and Wisconsin recently did the same. The libraries are all part of the HathiTrust consortium that places digital copies of books into a shared online repository. At least one publishing official has called the orphan works plan illegal, but the libraries clearly feel they are operating within copyright law. http://bit.ly/qsXYWT (Source: News from STM)

U. S. revises rules on researchers’ financial conflicts of interest

News from STM — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:53:04 +0100

August 24, 2011 For the first time since 1995, the federal government has revised its policies governing researchers' financial conflicts of interest, in ways that federal officials said would build public trust in the integrity of biomedical research by strengthening transparency and oversight. http://bit.ly/mYB2M0 (Source: News from STM)

Accessible Publishing, Best Practice Guidelines for publishers encourages making publications as accessible as possible

News from STM — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:46:21 +0100

Enabling Technologies Framework. The focus of work has been to develop best practice guidelines for publishers to follow in their production process and where appropriate to integrate existing standards (including ONIX, ePub and DAISY) into mainstream publishing in ways that enhance these best practices. The outputs have been designed to be used by publishers in all parts of the world. http://bit.ly/mc1ofD (Source: News from STM)

Cut cost of accessing research e-journals or lose RLUK business, publishers told

News from STM — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:06:05 +0100

Major research libraries have told the two largest journal publishers that they will not renew their "big deals" with them if they do not make significant real-terms price reductions. Research Libraries UK, which includes the Russell Group university libraries, as well as the UK's national libraries and Trinity College Library Dublin, have told Elsevier and Wiley-Blackwell that they will not renew their current deals when they expire at the end of this year unless the concession is made. http://bit.ly/pKo27x (Source: News from STM)

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U.K. Slashes Science and Engineering Ph.D.s

News from STM — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:00:38 +0100

The United Kingdom's Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) has revealed that it may fund 1000 fewer new Ph.D.s in the upcoming academic year than in 2010-11. The research council disclosed this estimate, in which the number of newly started doctorates would fall to 1900 in 2011-12, in a recently published answer to a question from Member of Parliament Gareth Thomas. Although an EPSRC official tells ScienceInsider that these forecast figures are a "worst-case scenario," the council does still anticipate significant cuts. http://bit.ly/nfxdWR (Source: News from STM)

Obituary for Richard Pike, Royal Society of Chemistry Chief Executive, 1950 – 2011

News from STM — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:36:19 +0100

August 11, 2011. Whether it was decrying "Mickey Mouse" degrees or rubbishing the oil industry's estimates on remaining petroleum reserves, Richard Pike was not afraid to speak his mind as chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry. http://bit.ly/ngoAeT (Source: News from STM)

Publishing gives hint of revival, data show

News from STM — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:30:15 +0100

August 9, 2011. BookStats, a comprehensive survey conducted by two major trade groups that was released early Tuesday, revealed that in 2010 publishers generated net revenue of $27.9 billion, a 5.6 percent increase over 2008. Publishers sold 2.57 billion books in all formats in 2010, a 4.1 percent increase since 2008. The Association of American Publishers and the Book Industry Study Group collaborated on the report and collected data from 1,963 publishers, including the six largest trade publishers. The survey encompassed five major categories of books: trade, K-12 school, higher education, professional and scholarly. Professional publishing, which focuses on science, medicine, law, technology and the humanities, increased by 6.3 percent from 2008 through 2010, to $3.75 billion. Scholarly...

China’s Intellectual Property Regime Comes of Age

News from STM — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:24:58 +0100

In the intellectual property world, as in the world at large, China is a force to be reckoned with. IP strategists take note: Chinese IP and IP litigation may differ in quantity, but its quality may not be too different from our own. http://bit.ly/ojMb0O (Source: News from STM)

After Much Ado, a Google Book Deal in France

News from STM — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:00:26 +0100

August 7, 2011. France has caused plenty of headaches for Google. Its politicians have denounced the U.S. Internet giant as a cultural imperialist; its publishers have called it a copyright cheat. Yet France is suddenly the only country in the world in which Google has managed to achieve a longstanding business goal. A few days ago Google signed an agreement with the publisher Hachette Livre under which tens of thousands of French-language books will be pulled out of ink-on-paper purgatory and provided with a digital afterlife. http://nyti.ms/nlBQv6 (Source: News from STM)

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Online business in China is growing even faster than offline

News from STM — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:40:46 +0100

The Internet is growing by leaps and bounds, as ever more people log on from phones, homes or offices, or in huge internet cafés. The China Internet Network Information Centre reckons that the online population, already the world’s biggest, has risen by 6% to 485m this year. And almost two-thirds of people are not yet online. http://econ.st/qVi8C5 (Source: News from STM)

Indian Performance Royalties threatened by Court Ruling

News from STM — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:09:03 +0100

August 2, 2011. Two Indian court rulings could kill off authors' performance royalties from radio airplay in the vast country. A High Court in Mumbai (July 25) ruled in favor of broadcaster Music Broadcast Private Limited and the judiciary in New Dehli (July 28) ruled in favor of Synergy Media in cases challenging the right of authors body the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) to claim royalties on radio airplay. http://bit.ly/pgkqjB (Source: News from STM)

Plaigarism Plague Hinders China’s Scientific Ambitions

News from STM — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:03:51 +0100

China is forecast to become the world's leading innovator this year, overtaking the United States and Japan in number of patent filings, according to Thomson Reuters. More scientific papers come out of China than any other country but the U.S., and Chinese leaders vow it will be a research superpower by 2020. But repeated scientific fraud scandals continue to bedevil China's reputation as an innovator. http://n.pr/oCM4dy (Source: News from STM)

UK won’t enact site-blocking laws. May legalise format-shifting

News from STM — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:21:02 +0100

August 2, 201. Vince Cable, the UK business secretary, will say on Wednesday that government plans to block illegal filesharing websites under the controversial Digital Economy Act are in effect unworkable. Outlining the government’s response to the Hargreaves report on the future of UK copyright law, Cable is also expected to announce legislation to sweep away restrictive rules on file copying and parody works. In a speech at the British Library on Wednesday August 3, the Liberal Democrat will outline the next steps for the introduction of the delayed Digital Economy Act. Cable will row back on one of the act’s most contentious measures – introducing legislation to block access to copyright-infringing websites – and instead say that the existing Copyrights, Design and Patents Act ...

Google & Microsoft launch free science metrics – promising to democratize citation data

News from STM — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:56:54 +0100

August 2, 2011. Mapping the landscape of science is about to get easier than ever before. Google and Microsoft are rolling out free tools that will enable researchers to analyze citation statistics, visualize research networks and track the hottest research fields. http://bit.ly/q8lnr6 (Source: News from STM)

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Peer-review in science ‘can be improved’ MPs report

News from STM — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:11:20 +0100

MPs have recommended improvements to the way scientific papers are checked before they are published.The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report said this "peer-review" process of science journals should be more transparent.Their recommendations include making scientific data publicly available, and formal training for reviewers. http://bbc.in/q5yVkw (Source: News from STM)

Kate Wittenberg appointed Portico Managing Director

News from STM — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 13:04:40 +0100

July 28, 2011. ITHAKA announced that Kate Wittenberg has been appointed the new Managing Director of Portico, effective September 1. Eileen Fenton, who successfully led Portico since its founding in 2002, will work closely with Kate over the coming weeks as Kate transitions into her new role and concludes projects for Ithaka S+R. Eileen will continue in her role as ITHAKA's Executive Vice President of Technology & Content Services. http://bit.ly/qonOOQ (Source: News from STM)

British Research Libraries Draw Line in Sand over Journal Pricing

News from STM — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:53:05 +0100

July 28, 2011. Research Libraries UK (RLUK), which represents 30 British research libraries, is pledging to cut through "the barbed wire thrown up by journal publishers around scholarly research." David Prosser, the group's executive director, wrote the above phrase in a letter to the Guardian newspaper on April 8, and in a previous article in March he reported that the group "would not support future journal Big Deals unless [publishers] showed real price reductions." http://bit.ly/oZ737Z (Source: News from STM)

Profits surge at OUP

News from STM — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:31:55 +0100

July 28, 2011. Oxford University Press has described a surge in pretax profit by nearly 25% as "excellent", but said it does not underestimate the challenges publishers are facing. The academic publisher has reported pretax profits of £122.6m in the 12 months to 31st March 2011, up from £98.5m last year. The company also increased sales by nearly 6%, to £648.6m in that period, up from £611.9m last year. The press, which has invested heavily in digital developments since last year, put part of its success down to 85% of its sales being outside the UK, with 37% in emerging markets such as schools in India and China. http://bit.ly/nFCARp (Source: News from STM)

UK House of Commons report on peer review now published

News from STM — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:08:19 +0100

Science and Technology Committee - Eighth Report - Peer review in scientific publicationsHere you can browse the report together with the Proceedings of the Committee. The published report was ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 18 July 2011. http://bit.ly/pLMpXS (Source: News from STM)

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Wolters Kluwer to divest its Pharma Solutions business

News from STM — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:38:42 +0100

July 27, 2011.Wolters Kluwer, a market leader in the professional health content and clinical decision support market, today announced a plan to divest its Pharma-related business. The company is well-positioned to benefit from healthcare reform trends globally to support the Health division's growth strategy. "The planned divestment of the Pharma business will focus our Health division on taking full advantage of our leading positions in professional information and clinical decision support solutions, one of the fastest growing areas of Health, to deliver enhanced value to our stakeholders," said Nancy McKinstry, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of Wolters Kluwer. http://bit.ly/oeQ0fA (Source: News from STM)

Brazil boosts support for science scholarships

News from STM — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:31:39 +0100

The government of Brazil on July 26, 2011 announced a program that will offer 75,000 scholarships and fellowships for Brazilian students and researchers from abroad -- with funding of just over $2 billion. The funds will support students and researchers in science and technology fields, and include funds for undergraduates, doctoral students, and scientists starting their careers in Brazil and for researchers from other countries interested in working in Brazil or with scholars from the country. http://bit.ly/otp1Q9 (Source: News from STM)

UK Parliament Panel Reviews Peer Review

News from STM — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:26:46 +0100

27 July 2011. Following an inquiry into peer review in scientific research, U.K. parliamentarians have concluded that, despite many criticisms and little evidence of its effectiveness, the traditional practice of having research articles evaluated by anonymous colleagues before publication is valued by the community and shouldn't be completely abandoned. But in their report released today, the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee says that innovative approaches to disseminating research, including preprint servers, open peer review, and online repositories, should be investigated as they could remove some of the reviewing burden on researchers. http://bit.ly/p0SK1j (Source: News from STM)

U. S. Congress examines ways to improve peeer review in federal science research funding

News from STM — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:38:02 +0100

The purpose of the July 25 hearing was to examine ways to streamline the process of evaluating the tens of thousands of grant applications submitted each year. In 2010, for example, NSF received more than 55,000 grant proposals, which were whittled down to 13,000. About half of the NSF's $7 billion budget was used for those grants, as well as continuing grants approved in previous years, according to the subcommittee's charter for Tuesday's hearing. The foundation and other federal agencies that support scientific research have a lot of money at stake when evaluating proposals, so a great deal of time and money goes into evaluation efforts. After being submitted to the NSF, grant proposals go through a peer review process, drawing on a community of more than 300,000 researchers to review t...

European Commission launches a public consultation on scientific information in the digital age

News from STM — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:15:48 +0100

The consultation will be open until 9 September 2011.http://bit.ly/qmG153 All relevant information on the consultation can be found here: http://bit.ly/pqiQJ6 (Source: News from STM)

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Winners of Research4Life Global Case Study Competition announced

News from STM — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:10:23 +0100

London, 19 July, 2011 – The Research4Life partners today announced two winners in the “Access to Scientific Research Literature” global case study competition on how HINARI, AGORA, and/or OARE have impacted both work and communities. Dr. Arun Neopane a pediatrician from Nepal and Mr. Mulugeta Bayisa, a physiotherapist from Ethiopia were chosen as joint winners from over 60 entries to the competition held in celebration of the 10 year anniversary of the launch of HINARI and the Research4Life programme. The competition drew entries from more than 30 countries, and represented the broad range of institutions which have access to the HINARI, AGORA and/or OARE programmes. Multimedia and print entries came from researchers, librarians and health professionals who shared their insights on h...

China’s publishing industry records 19% growth

News from STM — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 20:54:15 +0100

July 20, 2011. China’s publishing industry saw a 19% increase in its gross output in Y 2010, despite a marked trade deficit with much fewer exported publications than imports, according to a government report released Wednesday. The industry’s gross output topped 1.26T Yuan (US$196.7B) in Y 2010, with the value-added up 13% from Y 2009 to hit 350B Yuan, according to a report of China’s publishing industry in Y 2010, released by the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) at a symposium in southwestern Chongqing Municipality. The output of digital publishing in Y 2010 was up by 31.6% Y-Y, and its value-added up 23.7%, the report said. http://bit.ly/q5fkGR (Source: News from STM)

NISO publishes special E-Book issue of Information Standards Quarterly

News from STM — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:05:18 +0100

Contributing authors offer a wide variety of perspectives across the library and publishing community.The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) announces the publication of the Spring 2011 issue of the Information Standards Quarterly (ISQ) magazine with a special issue theme of Views of the E-book Renaissance. http://bit.ly/q4tLm2 (Source: News from STM)

Frustrated judge Denny Chin pushes Google digital book deal

News from STM — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:10:45 +0100

A Manhattan federal judge set a September 15 deadline for Google Inc, authors and publishers to come up with a legal plan to create the world's largest digital library, expressing frustration that the six-year-old dispute has not been resolved. http://reut.rs/oqZaPb (Source: News from STM)

Cornell & Columbia expand library partnership

News from STM — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:49:15 +0100

Cornell and Columbia Universities announced Friday that they are expanding their efforts to collaborate in the management of their libraries. The latest step will be granting, to all students, faculty members and other employees at the two universities, complete borrowing privileges and access to expert staff members at both universities' libraries. http://bit.ly/r1tpz4 (Source: News from STM)

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National Science Foundation (U. S.) publishes report on state of academic research

News from STM — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:28:47 +0100

The U. S. National Science Foundation has published new reports on how federal research dollars flowed to colleges and universities in 2009 and the status of graduate students and postdoctoral scientists in research fields in 2008. The first report contains a wide array of data on the institutions that received the most federal research funds over all and by discipline, for instance; the latter includes statistics on the future work force in academic science by field, gender, institution type and other indicators. http://1.usa.gov/ogCQa3 (Source: News from STM)

STM’s Ireland Copyright Review – Consultation on the Review of the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000

News from STM — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:31:47 +0100

STM is pleased to submit our views to the Copyright Review Committee for inclusion in its review to examine and, where appropriate and feasible, improve the current Copyright legislative framework. 2011_07_14_STM_Ireland_Copyright_Review_Final.pdf (Source: News from STM)

Biochemical Society announces Caroline Black as new Managing Director of publishing division Portland Press Ltd

News from STM — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:06:36 +0100

Caroline, who will also be the Group Head of Publishing for the Society, has had a lifetime’s experience in STM (science, technology and medicine) publishing, having previously worked for the British Institute of Radiology, Thomson Science, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Blackwell Publishing and Mac Keith Press. http://bit.ly/oSOqJ7 (Source: News from STM)

“Fair Use in the U. S. Economy” 2011 study by Computer & Communications Industry Association

News from STM — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:04:35 +0100

The 2011 study, “Fair Use in the U.S. Economy,” which was commissioned by the Computer & Communications Industry Association, incorporates data from 2008 and 2009 found that despite the economic downturn, industries that rely on fair use exceptions to copyright law like technology and the news media remained steady compared to the rest of the U.S. economy. http://bit.ly/qHnHge (Source: News from STM)

Google Ventures quietly invests in collaborative toolset for scientists

News from STM — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:17:27 +0100

Wingu, a cloud-based collaboration system designed to improve the speed of scientific work, has caught the eye of Google. Google Ventures, the venture capital arm of the search giant, has stealthily invested in the startup. http://bit.ly/nOoflh (Source: News from STM)

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Google launches new research institute in Germany

News from STM — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:58:12 +0100

Humboldt University, Berlin's oldest university, announced 11 July 2011 that Google is setting up a research institute there. The research center will study the evolution of the Internet and its role in science, politics, economics and other parts of life. Other partners will be the Berlin University of Arts, the Social Science Research Center Berlin and the Hamburg Hans Bredow Institute. http://buswk.co/oQE85i (Source: News from STM)

JMIR's Fast-Track Experiment (Innovations in Scholarly Publishing: Part 1)

Gunther Eysenbach's random research rants — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100

As (to our knowledge) the first journal in the world, the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) started in 2007 to offer a "paid fast-track" (FT) option, where authors pay an extra fee if they require an extra-speedy handling of their manuscript.JMIR's fast-track package consists of two components:a) we make an initial editorial decision within (currently) 3 weeks after submissionb) after acceptance, we publish the paper within 4 weeksFT can be purchased at any time during manuscript handling process.As we made part of the the source code available for OJS, some other journals have started to adopt similar policies, although the details of their policies vary widely.We see several advantages of this model. First, authors often have deadlines to meet, such as a grant submission deadli...

JISC project puts rare, historic images of China online

News from STM — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:43:40 +0100

Rare photographs of Chinese life in the early twentieth century have been put online as part of a digital project, Visualising China. The virtual archive, comprising 8,000 images of China taken between 1850-1950, will give researchers studying Asian culture and history newer opportunities to explore and interact. http://bit.ly/ospgU8 (Source: News from STM)

ProQuest names Kurt Sanford CEO, replacing Marty Kahn

News from STM — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:54:27 +0100

5 July 2011. ProQuest LLC announced that Kurt Sanford will join the company as CEO and as a member of its Board of Directors on July 13, 2011. Mr. Sanford will succeed Marty Kahn, who has led ProQuest since it was acquired by Cambridge Information Group (CIG) in 2001. Mr. Kahn will become Vice Chairman of ProQuest's Board of Directors. http://yhoo.it/mOM8Zv (Source: News from STM)

Amazon buys the UK E-tailer The Book Depository

News from STM — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:33:47 +0100

Amazon has expanded its international reach, signing a preliminary agreement to acquire the fast-growing U.K. e-tailer The Book Depository. Launched in 2004, The Book Depository offers about 6 million titles for sale and ships to over 100 countries. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and the U.K.’s Office of Fair trading said it expected to issue its recommendation on the purchase by the end of August. http://bit.ly/k8UwSk (Source: News from STM)

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New URL for this blog

A Blog Around The Clock — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:15:09 +0100

Earlier this morning, I have moved my blog over to the Scientific American site - http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/a-blog-around-the-clock/. Follow me there (as well as the rest of the people on the new Scientific American blog network (Source: A Blog Around The Clock)

STM prepares submission on the open public consultation on the European Institute of Innovation and Technology

News from STM — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:15:35 +0100

2011_06_29_STM_Submission_EIT_Final.pdf (Source: News from STM)

Sarah Durrant announced as Chief Executive of ALPSP

News from STM — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:39:43 +0100

The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) announced the appointment of Sarah Durrant as the new Chief Executive. Sarah replaces Ian Russell and joins ALPSP on September 1, 2011. http://bit.ly/lCgU8b (Source: News from STM)

Impact Factors of Medical Informatics Journals 2011

Gunther Eysenbach's random research rants — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

(Toronto, June 29th, 2011) The new JMIR (Journal of Medical Internet Research) Impact Factor for 2010 (released in June 2011 by Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports) has further increased to an unprecedented 4.7 (5-year impact factor: 5.0). Never before in the history of the impact factor had a journal in the medical informatics category such a high impact factor. JMIR remains the leading journal in the health informatics category, clearly outranking other journals like the runner-up, the J Am Med Inform Assn (JAMIA) (IF 3.1, 5-yr IF 3.9), the Int J Med Inform (IF 2.2, 5-yr IF 2.2), the J Biomed Inform (IF 1.7, 5-yr IF 1.2), or Method Inform Med (IF 1.5, 5-yr IF 1.2).JMIR also remains the #2 journal in the health sciences & health services research category, with the top journal in t...

Bangkok, Thailand, Elected World Book Capital 2013

News from STM — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:37:23 +0100

29 June 2011. Bangkok was named as the “World Book Capital 2013” at the conclusion of the selection committee meeting, which was held on 27 June 2011 at UNESCO’s Paris headquarters. The selection committee included representatives of the International Publishers Association (IPA), the International Booksellers Federation (IBF), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and UNESCO. http://bit.ly/mgz9Ci (Source: News from STM)

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Thomson Reuters releases journal citation reports for 2010

News from STM — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:56:48 +0100

On June 28, 2011, Thomson Reuters announced the release of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports® (JCR), the world`s most influential source of information about highly-cited, peer reviewed publications and the source of the new Journal Impact Factors. The 2010 release features the largest ever JCR with 10,196 journal listings in 238 disciplines of Science and Social Sciences. 2,494 publishers from 84 countries are represented, some for the first time. A total of 1,075 journals receive their first Journal Impact Factor in the latest JCR release. http://yhoo.it/lxdLYJ (Source: News from STM)

California budget to require bigger cuts from public universities

News from STM — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:48:57 +0100

California legislators are set to begin voting June 29, 2011 on compromise budget legislation that would require enormous cuts to the state's public colleges and universities -- hundreds of millions of dollars more than they had been expecting as recently as last week. http://bit.ly/lruCNL (Source: News from STM)

Thomson Reuters reports Asia leads research output in materials science

News from STM — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:43:25 +0100

Materials science grew the fastest among all physical sciences during the last three decades, and the field holds great potential for 21st century manufacturing and innovation. The global research landscape is changing: Asia now produces half the world's papers in materials science, China has become the largest single country producer, and the USA and EU, the report notes, should review funding to reverse declining shares in vital research. http://bit.ly/4AzMG9 (Source: News from STM)

Academic publisher steps up efforts to stop piracy of its online products

News from STM — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:55:37 +0100

Now on sale in some online marketplaces: cheap, illegal access to SciFinder, an extensive database of scholarly articles and information about chemical compounds run by a division of the American Chemical Society. The sellers are pirates, hawking stolen or leaked SciFinder account information from college students and professors. Stolen university passwords may be at fault, and while safeguards can be a hassle for users, librarians say the effort is worth it. http://bit.ly/irCTYm (Source: News from STM)

University of Michigan’s Library Opens Up Orphan Works

News from STM — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:29:56 +0100

The University of Michigan Library announced on 23 June 2011 that it will allow authorized library patrons to access all of its digitized "orphan works" in full. Students and guests will now be able to access online any texts they would have been able to find in the stacks. This is the latest step in Michigan's attempts to identify and unlock the orphans -- books whose copyright holders cannot be found or contacted -- in its collection. http://bit.ly/juzo3D (Source: News from STM)

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Publishing Research Consortium (PRC) releases study on Journal Article Mining: A research study into Practices, Policies, Plans. . . and Promises

News from STM — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:21:11 +0100

This is a study commissioned by PRC which offers the first comprehensive look at what publishers and others are doing, and plan to do, in both data and text mining of the scholarly, mainly journal, literature. Lots of fascinating detail from a number of viewpoints - from 29 interviews and 190 detailed responses to a survey. 153pp. The study was carried out by Eefke Smit, STM and Maurits van der Graaf. http://www.publishingresearch.net/documents/PRCSmitJAMreport20June2011VersionofRecord.pdf 2011_06_20_PRC_Press_Release_Study_on_Journal_Article_Mining.pdf (Source: News from STM)

British Library makes Google search deal

News from STM — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:49:41 +0100

Thousands of pages from one of the world's biggest collections of historic books, pamphlets and periodicals are to be made available on the internet.The British Library has reached a deal with search engine Google about 250,000 texts dating back to the 18th Century.It will allow readers to view, search and copy the out-of-copyright works at no charge on both the library and Google books websites.http://bbc.in/lT27Tu (Source: News from STM)

U. S. Senate Committee Votes to Make Illegal Streaming of Movies, TV a felony

News from STM — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:34:05 +0100

Moving to close a possible loophole in the laws against the pirating of movies, TV shows and other intellectual property, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved making illegal streaming of video over the Internet a felony in most cases. The proposed law will now go to the full Senate for consideration. The Commercial Felony Streaming Act (S. 978), introduced by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), reconciles a disparity between the current law and streaming of content and peer-to-peer (P2P) downloading. The bill follows the suggestion made two months ago by the White House Office of U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement which urged Congress to make illegal streaming a felony. http://bit.ly/msPIhN (Source: News from STM)

Friedrich Schmiedl – Researcher with a conscience

Open Medicine Blog - — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 22:17:02 +0100

- Dr. Farhan M. Asrar When I first heard about Friedrich Schmiedl, the founders of Open Medicine came to mind. Although not a physician, Friedrich Schmiedl was a researcher, visionary and pioneer who faced a choice of going with the norms of society or standing up for what he believed in, leaving the prestigious role that was endowed on him and pursue the path he felt was the right thing to do. Friedrich Schmiedl(1902-1994) was a researcher, rocket pioneer and a pioneer in m...

Pesticide punch

Canadian Medicine — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:56:00 +0100

Wading through the produce aislesIf you think apples don’t taste like they used to, you’re probably right. The Environmental Working Group (http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/) has just updated its list showing pesticide levels in 53 types of produce, and apples – formally No. 4 of their “Dirty Dozen” – now weigh in at No. 1! Researchers at Purdue University in Lafayette, IN, analyzed 51,000 pesticide residue tests done over 10 years (2000-2009) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Federal Food and Drug Administration. 98% of the apples tested contained pesticides out of over 700 samples. And most of the fruit and veggies under scrutiny had been washed and peeled, in order to represent more realistic eating conditions.Others that made the Dirty Dozen were celery, strawberries...

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News from STM — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:03:09 +0100

http://www.copyrightsummit.com (Source: News from STM)

UBC hospice gets rubber stamp

Canadian Medicine — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:15:00 +0100

Hospice residents are the winnersIt’s been five months since the UBC put their plan to build a hospice on the Point Grey Campus on hold. After checking out 15 locations, the Board of Governors agreed yesterday to stick with the plan, despite objections raised by the mostly new-immigrant Asian community living in the high-rise condo facing the sight. They say their opposition to the 15-bed facility has nothing to do with fears that property values might decrease or the "idea" of a hospice but rather deeply held cultural convictions based on their conceptions around death. According to Professor of Chinese Religions Paul Crowe, Chinese believe “on the assumption the world as we understand it is a unified, single place that’s inhabited by both the living and the spirits of the deceased;...

STM and IPA Statement in Response to the IFLA Draft Treaty on Exceptions and Limitations for Libraries and Archives

News from STM — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:54:14 +0100

IPA and STM have had the opportunity to review the IFLA draft treaty Version 3.0 of 5 April 2011. IPA and STM strongly believe that addressing underlying problems and progress on practical issues would require as a first step careful factual identification and analysis. Given the diversity of issues they should be systematically grouped, the underlying facts explored and then addressed. However, the Text presented is a forgone conclusion based on an unbalanced perspective on copyright. In its current form the Text is not a constructive basis to address concerns and does not even clearly state what these might be. Download pdf below for complete Statement. 2011_06_14_STM_PA_Reaction_IFLA_Treaty.pdf (Source: News from STM)

AAUP announces election of MaryKatherine Callaway to presidency

News from STM — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:01:33 +0100

The Association of American University Presses (AAUP) has announced that Louisiana State University Press Director MaryKatherine Callaway assumed leadership of the AAUP for the 2011-2012 term, at the AAUP Annual Meeting in Baltimore. Callaway succeeds Richard Brown, director of Georgetown University Press, who will remain on the AAUP Board of Directors. http://bit.ly/mjACRT (Source: News from STM)

EBSCO acquires H. W. Wilson

News from STM — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:25:29 +0100

EBSCO Publishing, a subsidiary of EBSCO Industries founded in 1944 and headquartered in Ipswich, Massachusetts, has acquired the staff and product lines of the H. W. Wilson Company, founded in 1898 and located in the Bronx, New York, since 1917. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. http://bit.ly/jvxFUc (Source: News from STM)

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STM Statement on Document Delivery

News from STM — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:14:11 +0100

Document delivery of individual journal articles is a supplemental tool used primarily by individuals and organizations to fill small information gaps in their STM content. It is only one of the many ways by which STM journal literature can be accessed and it can best be understood as a “top-up” tool or for occasional journal users. Currently, there are few copyright exceptions and limitations regarding document delivery in the digital environment, but it is possible that their introduction might be contemplated or that the application of other exceptions to digital document delivery is put forward. STM publishers have valuable input to such deliberations and wish to contribute to this debate. In the Statement we set out five guiding principles we believe should be applied in any consi...

Interview at the World Copyright Summit with U. S. Copyright Czar – Victoria Espinel

News from STM — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:27:01 +0100

Victoria A. Espinel, intellectual property enforcement coordinator, reports to President Obama and Congress on copyright, trademarks and other intellectual property issues. Espinel spoke at the World Copyright Summit in Brussels on June 8, outlining the Obama administration’s policies on intellectual property and discussed copyright and privacy issues in relation to new technologies like cloud computing and the progress of the global war on piracy. http://nyti.ms/k2T5OI (Source: News from STM)

Video of WIPO’s DG Francis Gurry’s keynote, at World Copyright Summit

News from STM — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:51:12 +0100

http://bit.ly/lxSrmU (Source: News from STM)

Thomson Reuters to sell its Healthcare business

News from STM — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:46:40 +0100

On June 6, 2011 Thomson Reuters announced its intention to divest its Healthcare business, which has been part of the company's Healthcare & Science segment. The Healthcare business in 2010 had revenues of approximately $450 million http://bit.ly/l4JAzn (Source: News from STM)