Defending the Scholarly Commons

Abstract

From p. 1: "Who would have thought that scholarly communications, a topic that was fairly stable and mundane, would become such a volatile, complex stew of digital technologies, library management, federal funding policy, and changing market practices? Of course, in talking about scholarly communications, we are not just talking about high-tech capabilities and new business models. Our real topic, I would suggest, is the proper mission of the university in American society and how best to actualize it. We are talking about what is a university all about. The proliferation of new digital technologies and market structures is forcing us to confront this core question. It’s about time. It’s now clear that the Internet and other digital innovations are not transient phenomena. They are here to stay, and they are transforming the most basic practices of science and scholarship, not to mention the very structures of the corporation and the global marketplace. It’s time that we consider how these changes enhance or impede the basic goals of the university... Our challenge is not to lose our bearings as we come to terms with the digital future."