Re: ACRL invites comment on scholarly communication research agenda

[Sandy Thatcher <sgt3@psu.edu>]

A report well worth reading, even though there is no mention 
anywhere in it of university presses. Joyce Ogburn has extended 
an invitation to presses to join in the conversation, and we will 
certainly do so. But, as one of my colleagues recently observed, 
they "welcome our responses to the questions and issues they've 
framed, but it never occurred to them we might have something 
interesting to say about how they get framed in the first place, 
or even about what questions are worth asking."

Sandy Thatcher
Penn State University Press

> Contact: Kara Malenfant
> 312-280-2510
> kmalenfant@ala.org
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> November 5, 2007
>
> ACRL invites comment on scholarly communication research agenda
>
> CHICAGO - A new report by the Association of College and Research
> Libraries (ACRL) explores the gaps in our understanding of the
> ways that scholars create and share new knowledge. The report
> lays out a preliminary research agenda for creating greater
> understanding of the rapidly evolving system of scholarly
> communication - the way research results and new knowledge are
> registered, evaluated for quality, disseminated and preserved.
> Meaningful research about the system of scholarly communication
> will inform strategic planning for scholarly communication
> programs.
>
> The white paper, "Establishing a Research Agenda for Scholarly
> Communication: A Call for Community Engagement," encourages
> academics, librarians and their key partners to gather more data
> on practices that both enable and inhibit the production of
> scholarship and its communication. The report identifies eight
> themes, with research possibilities in each area.
>
> The paper resulted from a one-day invitational meeting in July
> 2007, to collectively brainstorm the evidence needed to manage
> and influence the changing environment. Attendees included
> representatives from ACRL, the Association of Research Libraries,
> the Council on Library and Information Resources, the Coalition
> for Networked Information, Ithaka, the Andrew W. Mellon
> Foundation and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources
> Coalition). ACRL scholarly communication committee co-chairs John
> Ober of the University of California and Joyce Ogburn of the
> University of Utah convened the meeting and discuss the report at
> <http://blogs.ala.org/acrlpodcast.php>.
>
> The document is available online for public comment at
> <http://www.acrl.ala.org/scresearchagenda>. Please submit
> comments that:
>
> * Refine or expand the need for research, important issues and
> possible projects.
>
> * Identify additional articles and reports that collectively form
> a knowledge base from which the research agenda emerges more
> clearly.
>
> * Suggest ways to conduct the research.
>
> * Volunteer to participate or collaborate in a specific research
> initiative.
>
> * Propose additional avenues of distribution for the report.
>
> Confidential comments may be emailed to John Ober at John.Ober@ucop.edu
> or Joyce Ogburn at Joyce.Ogburn@utah.edu.
> ***