OCLC released a report today, Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources showing that "information consumers view libraries as places to borrow print books, but they are unaware of the rich electronic content they can access through libraries." From the press release:
"We wanted to know more about people's information-seeking practices and preferences, how familiar people are with the wide variety of e-resources libraries provide for their users, and how libraries compare to other information resources, particularly Web-based resources," said Cathy De Rosa, Vice President, OCLC Marketing & Library Services, and a principal contributor to the report....Among the findings of the report:...Respondents do not trust purchased information more than free information...."The information resource market—tools, content and access—is growing, not shrinking, providing more options and more choices to people using the Web to search for information and content," said Ms. De Rosa. "Libraries are seen as a place for traditional resources—such as books, reference materials and research assistance—and to get access to the internet. The results of this survey confirm that libraries are not seen as the top choice for access to electronic resources."
Posted by
Peter Suber at 12/08/2005 11:31:00 AM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
