Hot Topics of the Week: More on Open Access and E-books

by Jonathan H. Harwell, Georgia Southern University

Seems like the ongoing hot topic lately is open access and/or journal prices, and not just in the professional literature.  Konstantin Kakaes of the New America Foundation has an overview in Slate about the open access movement so far and where we’re heading:  The Other Academic Freedom Movement.

(Editor’s note: Readers may also be interested in this blog by Richard Poynter posted in June of 2011 that addresses the complexity of measuring open access growth statistics entitled Open and Shut? Open Access by Numbers)

And here are some intriguing notes from ALA’s high-level talks with publishers about e-books.  Take a look, and learn what friction has to do with e-books.  What do you think about this concept?

(Editor’s note: A little more than a week ago we posted a news announcement that in some ways acts as a prelude to Jonathan’s more in-depth “hot topic” link on ALA’s high-level talks with publishers.  Check out: ALA meets with Publishers in New York to Discuss Ebooks.)