A Bi-Weekly Update
1/20/12
Open Science: “Cracking Open the Scientific Process”
The New York Times recently reported on a movement underway to open up the process of scientific publishing. “Open science” advocates argue that traditional peer review and journal publication are vastly outmoded and prohibitively expensive. An open model, meanwhie, could take full advantage of the collaborative environment of the Web. Open science proponents contend that an open model would be self-screening: only those qualified would enter the discussion because the topics and vocabulary by their very nature assume a certain level of interest and expertise.
Here are some examples of open science already in place:
On the other hand, traditional journal publishers argue that “open science” sounds good in theory, but that in fact it fails to provide what many academics are looking for from academic publication: a means to tenure and promotion. For open science to succeed, it needs to come up with a new way to assess value and offer incentives, whether monetary or by advancing one’s reputation. Traditional publishers contend that the peer review process alone is expensive, not to mention other publishing costs. Who will cover these costs?
Regardless of the points of disagreement, nearly everyone agrees on one thing: change is coming. But when, how, and how much remain to be seen.
New Books Added to the Library Collection in Fall 2011
The library collection has seen considerable growth over the last few months, thanks to faculty and staff working together. Here is a list of the new titles.
A Growing E-book Collection
In addition to excellent print titles, the library now offers Muhlenberg affiliates access to over 13,000 e-books through Ebscohost, the vendor of Academic Search Premier. These titles show up in searches in our library catalog (here is an example from a search on “digital medicine“). They can also be browsed by going directly to Ebooks on Ebscohost, listed under Databases A to Z.
Infomaniac Tip
Health Grades
Everyone is rating everything on the web these days, and that includes healthcare providers. Health Grades bills itself as “America’s most trusted” source for rating hospitals and physicians. How does your provider rate?
Calendar
1/26 – Faculty Author Reception: Ezra Pound, by Alec Marsh (Fulford Room, 12:30-1:45 p.m.).
2/22 – Spring Trivia Night. Open to students, staff, and faculty. Teams can sign up at the circulation desk. Huge variety of questions! Fabulous prizes! (Level A Concourse, 7:00-9:00 p.m.).
