Case Study of a Book Published under a Creative Commons License

Here's a brief case study of how one book under a Creative Commons license evolved and was accessed.

In 2005, the Association of Research Libraries published my book, the Open Access Bibliography: Liberating Scholarly Literature with E-Prints and Open Access Journals, under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License. With ARL's agreement, I made an open access PDF available on Digital Scholarship.

In 2006, I converted the book into an open access XHTML website and published the Open Access Bibliography Author Index and the Open Access Bibliography Title Index.

In 2008, I worked with Open Access Directory staff to convert it to wiki format and publish it as the basis for the Bibliography of Open Access.

In 2010, I published Transforming Scholarly Publishing through Open Access: A Bibliography as an open access PDF file, an open access XHTML website, and a low-cost paperback. All versions of the bibliography were under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License. This derivative work was an updated version of the Open Access Bibliography that was more narrowly focused on scholarly treatments of open access.

Below are the Digital Scholarship use statistics for the two books as of October 31, 2014. In this analysis, only HTML files or PDF files are counted as "page views"; image files and other supporting website files are excluded. This analysis also excludes spider use.

  • Open Access Bibliography: Liberating Scholarly Literature with E-Prints and Open Access Journals: over 355,000 page views.
  • Transforming Scholarly Publishing through Open Access: A Bibliography: over 152,000 page views.

That's a total of over 507,000 page views. For the measured time period, about 7.9% of all file requests to Digital Scholarship failed. Consequently, I'll eliminate 7.9% of the above page views and estimate that there were over 466,000 successful page views. This tally does not include any access statistics from ARL or the OAD (nor does it include paperback sales).

If the multi-file HTML versions of the books are eliminated from consideration, the two books still had a total of over 173,000 PDF requests (excluding spider requests), adjusted to an estimated 159,000 plus successful PDF requests.

To put these use statistics in perspective, in 2005, Willis Regier (Director of the University of Illinois Press) estimated that the typical university press book sold between 400 to 800 copies.

Digital Scholarship | "A Quarter-Century as an Open Access Publisher"

Research Data Curation Bibliography, Version 4

Digital Scholarship has released version 4 of the Research Data Curation Bibliography. This selective bibliography includes over 320 English-language articles and technical reports that are useful in understanding the curation of digital research data in academic and other research institutions.

The "digital curation" concept is still evolving. In "Digital Curation and Trusted Repositories: Steps toward Success," Christopher A. Lee and Helen R. Tibbo define digital curation as follows:

Digital curation involves selection and appraisal by creators and archivists; evolving provision of intellectual access; redundant storage; data transformations; and, for some materials, a commitment to long-term preservation. Digital curation is stewardship that provides for the reproducibility and re-use of authentic digital data and other digital assets. Development of trustworthy and durable digital repositories; principles of sound metadata creation and capture; use of open standards for file formats and data encoding; and the promotion of information management literacy are all essential to the longevity of digital resources and the success of curation efforts.

Most sources have been published from January 2009 through June 2014; however, a limited number of earlier key sources are also included.

The bibliography includes links to freely available versions of included works. If such versions are unavailable, links to the publishers' descriptions are provided.

It is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

For broader coverage of the digital curation literature, see the author's Digital Curation Bibliography: Preservation and Stewardship of Scholarly Works,which presents over 650 English-language articles, books, and technical reports, and the Digital Curation Bibliography: Preservation and Stewardship of Scholarly Works, 2012 Supplement, which presents over 130 additional sources.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview | Sitemap

Transforming Peer Review Bibliography

Digital Scholarship has released the Transforming Peer Review Bibliography, which includes selected English-language articles that are useful in understanding significant transformations to the peer review process.

It is concerned with major changes to peer review, such as open peer review (excluding just revealing the identity of traditional peer reviewers) and post-publication review.

Most sources have been published from January 2010 through December 2012; however, a limited number of earlier key sources are also included. The bibliography includes links to freely available versions of included works. If such versions are unavailable, italicized links to the publishers' descriptions are provided.

It is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview | Sitemap

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog (December 13, 2013)

The latest bimonthly update of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog is now available. It provides information about selected new works related to scholarly electronic publishing, such as books, e-prints, journal articles, technical reports, and white papers.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview | Sitemap

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog (October 31, 2013)

The latest bimonthly update of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog is now available. It provides information about selected new works related to scholarly electronic publishing, such as books, e-prints, journal articles, technical reports, and white papers.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview | Sitemap

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog (August 30, 2013)

The latest bimonthly update of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog is now available. It provides information about selected new works related to scholarly electronic publishing, such as books, e-prints, journal articles, technical reports, and white papers.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview | Sitemap

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog (June 30, 2013)

The latest bimonthly update of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog is now available. It provides information about selected new works related to scholarly electronic publishing, such as books, e-prints, journal articles, technical reports, and white papers.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview | Sitemap

Research Data Curation Bibliography, Version 3

Digital Scholarship has released version 3 of the Research Data Curation Bibliography. This selective bibliography includes over 230 English-language articles and technical reports that are useful in understanding the curation of digital research data in academic and other research institutions.

The "digital curation" concept is still evolving. In "Digital Curation and Trusted Repositories: Steps toward Success," Christopher A. Lee and Helen R. Tibbo define digital curation as follows:

Digital curation involves selection and appraisal by creators and archivists; evolving provision of intellectual access; redundant storage; data transformations; and, for some materials, a commitment to long-term preservation. Digital curation is stewardship that provides for the reproducibility and re-use of authentic digital data and other digital assets. Development of trustworthy and durable digital repositories; principles of sound metadata creation and capture; use of open standards for file formats and data encoding; and the promotion of information management literacy are all essential to the longevity of digital resources and the success of curation efforts.

Most sources have been published from January 2000 through June 2012; however, a limited number of earlier key sources are also included.

The bibliography includes links to freely available versions of included works. If such versions are unavailable, italicized links to the publishers' descriptions are provided.

It is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview | Sitemap

Digital Curation Bibliography Paperback Now Costs Less Than a McDonald’s Happy Meal

Digital Scholarship's paperbacks have always been inexpensive because the primary goal was to make printed copies of digital books available to libraries and individuals who wanted them in this format rather than to generate profit. Now, Digital Scholarship's paperback prices have been dropped to the minimum allowed. Here are the new prices of the books that are still available in paperback format:

They are all available with free shipping for Amazon Prime members.

The following books are no longer available in paperback:

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview | Sitemap

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog (April 30, 2013)

The latest bimonthly update of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog is now available. It provides information about selected new works related to scholarly electronic publishing, such as books, e-prints, journal articles, technical reports, and white papers.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview | Sitemap

Digital Curation Bibliography, 2012 Supplement

Digital Scholarship has released the Digital Curation Bibliography: Preservation and Stewardship of Scholarly Works, 2012 Supplement, which presents over 130 English-language articles, books, and technical reports published in 2012 that are useful in understanding digital curation and preservation. This selective bibliography covers digital curation and preservation copyright issues, digital formats (e.g., media, e-journals, and research data), metadata, models and policies, national and international efforts, projects and institutional implementations, research studies, services, strategies, and digital repository concerns.

It is a supplement to the Digital Curation Bibliography: Preservation and Stewardship of Scholarly Works, which covers over 650 works published from 2000 through 2011.

The bibliography includes links to freely available versions of included works. If such versions are unavailable, italicized links to the publishers' descriptions are provided.

The bibliography is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

| Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview | Sitemap |

DigitalKoans Goes Mobile

DigitalKoans now has an easy-to-read interface for users of mobile web browsing devices, such as the iPhone, the iPod Touch, Android mobile phones, and BlackBerry OS6+ mobile devices. You can use the regular interface by touching “Off” on the “Mobile Theme” switch at the bottom of the screen (scroll to the last post on a multiple-post page).

| Digital Scholarship's Digital/Print Books | Digital Scholarship |

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog (January 31, 2013)

The latest monthly update of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog is now available. It provides information about selected new works related to scholarly electronic publishing, such as books, e-prints, journal articles, technical reports, and white papers.

| Digital Scholarship's Digital/Print Books | Digital Scholarship |

Digital Curation Bibliography: Preservation and Stewardship of Scholarly Works XHTML Version

Digital Scholarship has released an XHTML version of its 2012 book, the Digital Curation Bibliography: Preservation and Stewardship of Scholarly Works. This selective bibliography, which has live links, presents over 650 English-language articles, books, and technical reports that are useful in understanding digital curation and preservation. It covers digital curation and preservation copyright issues, digital formats (e.g., data, media, and e-journals), metadata, models and policies, national and international efforts, projects and institutional implementations, research studies, services, strategies, and digital repository concerns.

Most sources have been published from 2000 through 2011; however, a limited number of key sources published prior to 2000 are also included. The bibliography includes links to freely available versions of included works, such as e-prints and open access articles. Note that the links have not been updated since 6/11/2012.

In addition to this website, the Digital Curation Bibliography: Preservation and Stewardship of Scholarly Works is available as a paperback (98 pages, $9.95, ISBN 1477497692 and ISBN-13: 9781477497692), an open access EPUB file, and an open access PDF file.

All versions of the bibliography are available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

Research Data Curation Bibliography, Version 2

Digital Scholarship has released version 2 of the Research Data Curation Bibliography. This selective bibliography includes over 200 English-language articles and technical reports that are useful in understanding the curation of digital research data in academic and other research institutions. It has doubled in size since version 1.

Most sources have been published from 2000 through 2012; however, a limited number of earlier key sources are also included.

The bibliography includes links to freely available versions of included works. If such versions are unavailable, italicized links to the publishers' descriptions are provided.

It is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog (December 17, 2012)

The latest monthly update of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog is now available. It provides information about selected new works related to scholarly electronic publishing, such as books, e-prints, journal articles, technical reports, and white papers.

| Digital Scholarship's Digital/Print Books | Digital Scholarship |

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog (November 30, 2012)

The latest monthly update of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog is now available. It provides information about selected new works related to scholarly electronic publishing, such as books, e-prints, journal articles, technical reports, and white papers.

| Digital Scholarship's Digital/Print Books | Digital Scholarship |

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog (October 31, 2012)

The latest monthly update of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog is now available. It provides information about selected new works related to scholarly electronic publishing, such as books, e-prints, journal articles, technical reports, and white papers.

| Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography 2010 | Digital Scholarship |

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog (September 23, 2012)

The latest monthly update of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog is now available. It provides information about selected new works related to scholarly electronic publishing, such as books, e-prints, journal articles, technical reports, and white papers.

| Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography 2010 | Digital Scholarship |

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog (August 31, 2012)

The latest monthly update of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog is now available. It provides information about selected new works related to scholarly electronic publishing, such as books, e-prints, journal articles, technical reports, and white papers.

| Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography 2010 | Digital Scholarship |

Digital Curation Resource Guide

Digital Scholarship has released the Digital Curation Resource Guide.

This resource guide presents over 200 selected English-language websites and documents that are useful in understanding and conducting digital curation. It covers academic programs, discussion lists and groups, glossaries, file formats and guidelines, metadata standards and vocabularies, models, organizations, policies, research data management, serials and blogs, services and vendor software, software and tools, and training. It is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

The Digital Curation Resource Guide complements the Digital Curation Bibliography: Preservation and Stewardship of Scholarly Works, which was released in June.

It is also available as an EPUB file (see How to Read EPUB Files).

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog (July 30, 2012)

The latest monthly update of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog is now available. It provides information about selected new works related to scholarly electronic publishing, such as books, e-prints, journal articles, technical reports, and white papers.

| Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography 2010 | Digital Scholarship |

EPUB Version of Digital Curation Bibliography: Preservation and Stewardship of Scholarly Works

Digital Scholarship has released an open access EPUB version of the Digital Curation Bibliography: Preservation and Stewardship of Scholarly Works.

EPUB is the International Digital Publishing Forum's format standard for digital books. EPUB files can be read using free e-book reader software, such as Adobe Digital Editions and the Apple iBooks app (download e-book with Safari) as well as e-book readers, such as the Barnes & Noble Nook readers. See the EPUB Wikipedia page for more details and reader options.

Here's an excerpt from the original announcement of the book:

In a rapidly changing technological environment, the difficult task of ensuring long-term access to digital information is increasingly important. This selective bibliography presents over 650 English-language articles, books, and technical reports that are useful in understanding digital curation and preservation. It covers digital curation and preservation copyright issues, digital formats (e.g., data, media, and e-journals), metadata, models and policies, national and international efforts, projects and institutional implementations, research studies, services, strategies, and digital repository concerns.

Most sources have been published from 2000 through 2011; however, a limited number of key sources published prior to 2000 are also included. The bibliography includes links to freely available versions of included works, such as e-prints and open access articles.

The Digital Curation Bibliography: Preservation and Stewardship of Scholarly Works is available as a paperback (98 pages, $9.95, ISBN 1477497692 and ISBN-13: 9781477497692) and an open access PDF file. All versions of the bibliography are available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

| Reviews of Digital Scholarship Publications | Digital Scholarship |

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog (June 30, 2012)

The latest monthly update of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog is now available. It provides information about selected new works related to scholarly electronic publishing, such as books, e-prints, journal articles, technical reports, and white papers.

| Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography 2010 | Digital Scholarship |