The Changing Face of Scholarly Communication: University Libraries and Presses Transform the Book

Abstract

The rise of electronic publication is irrevocably altering the landscape of scholarly communication. Discussions of electronic modes of publication typically focus on new business models, open access, OAI protocols, and retaining the authority of the peer review process in a world increasingly relying on crowdsourcing. This presentation focuses on a less-discussed but very fundamental aspect of the epub revolution in scholarly communication: the evolution of codex-based monographs, and articles to the next form. We will survey how university libraries and presses are pushing the boundaries of traditional scholarly monographs and articles, giving us a sneak preview, perhaps, of what scholarly communication will look like in the “post book” era.