Monthly Archives: May 2010

Preserving Open Access Journals

Sigi Jottkandt has published a literature review on preserving open access journals. From the abstract:

This literature review addresses certain questions concerning the preservation of free, born-digital scholarly materials. It covers recent thinking on the current state of preservation efforts of born-digital materials; the range of actors involved in significant preservation initiatives of these artefacts; the perceived barriers preventing open access materials from benefiting from existing preservation efforts; initiatives that may enable local, small-scale preservation efforts to be undertaken; the challenges and opportunities posed to preservation by new models of scholarship such as open access datasets, reference sharing and annotation, collaborative authoring and community peer review.

Google Book Settlement News 5/11/2010

  • The Star Tribune on the halted effort to digitize books at the University of Minnesota
  • The Open Book Alliance has published a “comprehensive analysis” of the objections to the Google Book settlement

Mozilla and Shuttleworth Foundation Call For Proposals

Mark Surman has a new post announcing a joint effort by Mozilla Drumbeat and the Shuttleworth Foundation to solicit ideas about education on the “open” web. From the post:

Our aim is to find someone with solid, scalable and fresh ideas on how open learning and the open web intertwine. Once we find this person, we will back them with a year’s salary, project funding and all the connections, horn-tooting, coaching and love that we can muster.

Thanks to Nathaniel James for the link.

Custom Wikipedia Books

Jolie O’Dell has a new post about PediaPress, a book publisher that creates custom books from Wikipedia entries. From the post:

PediaPress is already up and running in 17 languages, serving 33 countries.

CC Vietnam Launches at OCWC Meeting

Michelle Thorne is announcing the launch of CC Vietnam. From the post:

“At a time when Vietnam Is taking great efforts to improve education and strengthen its creative industries, I see the Creative Commons launch providing a firm foundation on which to build Vietnam’s education and creative sector in the digital age,” says Dr. Lynne McNamara, Executive Director of the Vietnam Education Foundation.

Slides on the Benefits of OER

Steve Wheeler has posted slides on the benefits of OER.

Internet Archive Adds to Accessible Book

The Internet Archive is announcing it is doubling the number of books that are accessible to persons with disabilities. From the post:

“Every person deserves the opportunity to enhance their lives through access to the books that teach, entertain and inspire,” said Brewster Kahle, founder and Digital Librarian of the Internet Archive. “Bringing access to huge libraries of books to the blind and print disabled is truly one of benefits of the digital revolution.”

Thanks to Glyn Moody for the link.

Open Education ccSalon Video Up

Allison Domicone is announcing the availability of video from a recent ccSalon on open education.

PLoS Responds to Recent Criticism

Last week OEN reported on a post by Kent Anderson about PLoS (reported by OEN). PLoS has now posted a response. From the post:

Although several PLoS community supporters have responded swiftly and vigorously to the comments, PLoS has also decided to make a public statement because Mr Anderson’s comments were extreme and have caused bad feeling particularly among the editorial board members who work so hard to make PLoS ONE a success (on a voluntary basis).

New Developments on Open Textbooks in Texas

Mark Grayson has a new post on recent developments in Texas with regards to open textbooks. Texas has undertaken vigorous debate regarding the textbooks approval process. From the post:

To maintain the wonderful tradition of loud and contentious (and lengthy) hearings for public input, the Commissioner will work with the Board to build into their meeting agenda a public comment period for the electronic and open-source materials (even though the board will have no authority over them).