Read the article. >>>

Implementation (Dec. 10 to 20): Which Federal agencies are good
candidates to adopt Public Access policies? What variables (field of
science, proportion of research funded by public or private entities,
etc.) should affect how public access is implemented at various
agencies, including the maximum length of time between publication and
public release?

Features and Technology (Dec. 21 to Dec 31): In what format should the
data be submitted in order to make it easy to search and retrieve
information, and to make it easy for others to link to it? Are there
existing digital standards for archiving and interoperability to
maximize public benefit? How are these anticipated to change.

Management (Jan. 1 to Jan. 7): What are the best mechanisms to ensure
compliance? What would be the best metrics of success? What are the
best examples of usability in the private sector (both domestic and
international)? Should those who access papers be given the
opportunity to comment or provide feedback?

Please do comment at the OSTP site (you’ll need to register first).

http://blog.ostp.gov/wp-login.php?action=register

“In the next 10 years, the way people interact with computers will wildly change…”

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/12/01/craig.mundie.microsoft/index.html

The preceding Burlington Free Press article was published on 11/12/09.  In addition to Middlebury, UVM and St. Michaels College recently removed their room phones.  But I do find  UVM’s claim that they saved a half million dollars supporting 2800 student phone lines rather amazing.

CQ Researcher is one of the resources the library subscribes to.  This week’s topic seems very relevant and timely for us. Quoting from their email announcement:

“Future of Books” by Sarah Glazer, May 29, 2009 Will traditional print books disappear?

The migration of books to electronic screens has been accelerating with the introduction of mobile reading on Kindles, iPhones and Sony Readers and the growing power of Google’s Book Search engine. Even the book’s form is mutating as innovators experiment with adding video, sound and computer graphics to text. Some fear a loss of literary writing and reading, others of the world’s storehouse of knowledge if it all goes digital. A recent settlement among Google, authors and publishers would make more out-of-print books accessible online, but some worry about putting such a vast trove of literature into the hands of a private company. So far, barely 1 percent of books sold in the United States are electronic. Still, the economically strapped publishing industry is under pressure to do more marketing and publishing online as younger, screen-oriented readers replace today’s core buyers – middle-aged women.

• Will the Google Book Search settlement restrict public access to digital books?
• Will traditional print books disappear from the marketplace?
• Will literary reading and writing survive online?

To read the Overview of this week’s report, click here.
To view this week’s entire report on CQ Researcher Online, click here.

For anyone using Facebook (or thinking about joining), this is useful information: