Economists Omar Al-Ubaydli (George Mason University) and Rufus Pollock (Cambridge University) have self-archived "The Dissemination of Scholarly Information: Old Approaches and New Possibilities."

Here's an excerpt:

In this paper we began by setting out the basic goals of the scholarly communication system. We compared the current, journal dominated system, against those goals and found it wanting, and explored in detail alternative options in which distribution and filtering are separated and centralized filtering is replaced by a distributed, decentralized approach.

Using a simple model we explored the factors underlying the development of the current journal paradigm. There were two main factors: a) the high costs of information transmission in the pre-digital era (and, associatedly, fixed costs and economies of scale in transmission which make journals an effective club good) b) the natural complementarity of filtering to distribution which leads journals to act as filtering as well as distributional mechanisms.

With the collapse of transmission costs in the era of the Internet these original rationales for journals have disappeared. It is now possible for distribution and filtering to be separate and for the development of richer, and more complex filtering models based on decentralized, distributed mechanisms—with this latter process dependent on the first (if distribution and filtering are tied—as in the traditional journal model—distributed mechanisms make little sense).

We explored the various benefits of such alternative distributed mechanisms—and also provide a detailed description of how such a mechanism would function in appendix A. One of the main implications of our work discussion is that a crucial benefit of the open-access approach, in addition to the obvious one of reducing the deadweight loss to access, is that it permits the development of radically new matching mechanisms based on a richer set of information which offer major efficiency (and other) advantages. This second benefit, though often overlooked, is a major one, and is, in the long run we believe, likely to be the most significant.

Unfortunately, it is hard for new approaches to take hold because of the lock-in to the traditional 'closed' journal model engendered by the mutual expectations of authors and readers. Given the potential benefits afforded by innovation in this area, it is crucial that the potential of new approaches be thoroughly considered so that the scholarly community can adequately assess the options and, if necessary, take collective action to achieve mutually beneficial change.

JISC has released a brochure and two digital videos related to its Libraries of the Future campaign:

• Libraries of the Future brochure
• Library of the Future debate (video)
• Libraries of the Future documentary (video)

JISC has released the Personal Engagement with Repositories through Social Networking Applications: Final Report.

Here's an excerpt from the project Web site that describes the project:

The Institutional Repository has become the established technology deployed at universities and other institutions to enable scholars to self-archive their research outputs; the PERSoNA team will be embedding social networking tools which allow chat, tagging and bookmarking (amongst other things) within the repository, and encouraging users to comment on their use of our repository and make recommendations amongst each other leading to the onward discovery of further resources.

Adrian Pickering, Christopher Gutteridge, and David De Roure have self-archived "A Networked Registration Scheme to Support Open Science" in the ECS EPrints Repository.

Here's an excerpt:

The Open Source and Open Science movements have demonstrated the success of distributed collaborative experimentation and intellectual property (IP) development. While those contributing to the effort may do so without seeking to secure IP rights, it is clear that credit and attribution are crucial to the scholarly lifecycle because they underpin reputation—when IP is created it is only fair that 'credit is given where credit is due'. We propose that there need to be systems in place, independent of the project, where the evidence of 'prior art' can be registered. The authors' thesis is that simply having such a system available will ensure proper behaviour between collaborators and foster higher productivity.

Repositories such as EPrints and myExperiment, which focus respectively on publications and digital 'research objects', can readily use such a system—the intellectual assets stored digitally in the repository can be registered by their owners. To achieve this with the necessary guarantees we need an appropriate registration scheme and architecture.

BioMed Central has released presentations about its open access publishing activities that were made at a recent workshop for publishing consultants. Included was Matthew Cockerill's "10 Years of Open Access at BioMed Central" presentation.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries are recruiting a Digital Repository Resident (one-year position).

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The University of Massachusetts Amherst seeks candidates for the position of Digital Repository Resident. Under general supervision of the Scholarly Communication and Special Initiatives Librarian, the Digital Repository Resident Librarian explores, adapts, and implements emerging digital repository technologies in support of library and campus digital collections and publishing initiatives. Develops and manages repository projects, researches and recommends changes and enhancements, and works with other library staff to develop and implement metadata and preservation standards, and facilitates the development of workflows that accommodate new scholarly communication initiatives.

The U.S. Copyright Office is proposing a rule change for the mandatory deposit of electronic works that are published in the United States and are only available online. (Thanks to ResourceShelf.)

Here's an excerpt from the notice of proposed rulemaking:

The Copyright Office of the Library of Congress is proposing to amend its regulations governing mandatory deposit of electronic works published in the United States and available only online. The amendments would establish that such works are exempt from mandatory deposit until a demand for deposit of copies or phonorecords of such works is issued by the Copyright Office. They would also set forth the process for issuing and responding to a demand for deposit, amend the definition of a "complete copy" of a work for purposes of mandatory deposit of online-only works, and establish new best edition criteria for electronic serials available only online. The Copyright Office seeks public comment on these proposed revisions.

The University of North Carolina Libraries are recruiting a Program Coordinator for the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library seeks an experienced, creative, and collaborative individual for the position of Program Coordinator for the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center. This new position will have responsibility for general management of a center that will provide digitization and hosting services for cultural heritage materials held by libraries, archives, historical societies, and other institutions in the state of North Carolina. Housed in the North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina Library, the Center will provide broad and integrated access to digital representatives of these materials to the citizens of the state of North Carolina and to teachers, students, and researchers across the state and beyond.

Presentations from the ALA Annual 2009 Collecting for Digital Repositories session are now available. (Thanks to Digital & Scholarly).

• Institutional Repositories, Paul Royster
• Building a Life Sciences Journal Archive: Collection Development and Management of PubMedCentral, Dianne McCutcheon
• Collecting for Digital Repositories: Data Perspective, Sayeed Choudhury

Also see the session's annotated bibliography.

The University of Minnesota Libraries are recruiting a Copyright Program Librarian.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

Consultation Services:

• Develop advisory services to support decisions related to the use and ownership of copyrighted materials.
• Working with the Office of General Counsel, assist in development of guidelines for informed decisions related to copyright and rights management.
• Develop resources to assist the University community in taking full advantage of fair use.
• Support compliance with open access deposit requirements of federal funding agencies.
• In collaboration with the University Digital Conservancy, contribute to policy and program development related to digital archiving.
• Provide counsel to the University Libraries on copyright issues as they relate to library services.

Copyright Management:

• Cultivate a knowledgeable community related to compliance with copyright law, University policy, and options for authors in managing their copyrights.
• Contribute to the development of policies and procedures related to management of University copyrights

A new open access journal, Scholarly and Research Communication, has been established.

Here's an excerpt from the journal's home page:

Scholarly and Research Communication is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary, Open Access, online journal that publishes original contributions to the understanding of production, dissemination, and usage of knowledge. It emphasizes the dynamics of representation and changing organizational elements, including technologically mediated workflows, ownership, and legal structures. Contributions are welcomed in all media and span formal research and analysis; technical reports and demonstration; commentary, and review.

Also see Rowland Lorimer's presentation "Scholarly and Research Communication: A Journal and Some Founding Ideas."

The Indiana University Libraries are recruiting a Director for Digital Library Services.

Here's an excerpt from the ad:

The Indiana University Bloomington Libraries are seeking an experienced, visionary, and creative leader for the position of Director for Digital Library Services. This position reports to the Associate Dean for Library Technologies and manages the project and collection building services of the Indiana University Digital Library Program (DLP) (http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/), one of the nation’s premier organizations for the creation and support of digital library resources and infrastructure, with production level support for locally produced digital library collections and responsibility for advancing the state of the art in digital library research.