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BioMed Central expands with PhysMath Central
Contributed by: BioMed Central is expanding the range of open access research it publishes with its new venture, PhysMath Central. The independent publishing platform, based on the successful open access model pioneered by BioMed Central, will publish original peer-reviewed research in physics and mathematics and is now accepting submissions for its first series of journals. PhysMath Central was launched in response to physicists and mathematicians who have been demanding the same open access publishing opportunities that their biomedical colleagues have had for many years. In November 2006, French Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN), the world's largest particle physics laboratory, mandated open access for all work carried out using its own funds. Additionally, CERN set up an international consortium to pay for open access fees for research to be published. In keeping with this trend, BioMed Central, aware of a much greater appetite for open access in specialties other than just particle physics, launched PhysMath Central's journals, aiming to satisfy the need for open access in all areas of physics, mathematics and computer science. PhysMath Central's first journal, PMC Physics A, will cover particle and nuclear physics, cosmology, gravity, astroparticle physics and instrumentation and data analysis. Its Editor-in-Chief, Professor Ken Peach, the director of the John Adams Institute of Accelerator Science at Oxford University and Royal Holloway University of London and Chair of the Scientific Policy Committee at CERN, hails the expansion of open access into other subject areas than just biology and medicine as a "triumph." Professor Peach believes that "the creation of PhysMath Central and launch of PMC Physics A will lead to greater, faster communication among physicists worldwide than has been possible with print journal models, thereby accelerating the global pace of physics research. The free availability of such research to a wider audience lowers further the barriers to knowledge, and will also help create greater public awareness of advancements in physics." Recognizing the central role of arXiv.org, the article preprint service set-up in the early 1990s, in the physics and mathematics communities, PhysMath Central provides a two-way integration with arXiv allowing authors to submit from arXiv but also to deposit their PhysMath Central paper into arXiv as part of a single submission process. There are also a number of other features (such as TeX templates, uploads for author collaboration groups and use of PACS codes) which are intended to cater to the specific needs of scientists in these fields. This is in addition to other online features such as reader comments on an article, and the use of multimedia to demonstrate specific phenomena. In the near future, PhysMath Central is planning two more journal launches covering condensed matter, atomic, molecular and quantum physics and soft-matter and nonlinear physics. Additionally, PhysMath Central is developing an open access proceedings journal to offer freely-available conference proceedings in all areas of physics and mathematics. Finally, PhysMath Central has issued a call to action for scientists, making available BioMed Central's publishing capabilities and editorial expertise to start and manage their own independent open access journals using PhysMath Central's platform. These independent journals are intended to cover a specialty which is neglected by other journals or is emerging too quickly for print journals to reflect its importance. By bringing a sustainable open access publishing model to other areas, BioMed Central and PhysMath Central are aiming to change the way scientific research will be published in the near future. Increased access to peer-reviewed research will be particularly fruitful for developing nations as they can access the latest research unhindered by subscription or copyright concerns and can help accelerate change in the way science is advanced around the world. For more information on PhysMath Central, please visit <http://www.physmathcentral.com/>. In the NewsExcerpts from Recent Press Releases and AnnouncementsAnnouncing public release of DAITSSAnnounced May 14, 2007 by Priscilla Caplan, Florida Center for Library Automation: "The Florida Center for Library Automation is pleased to announce that the DAITSS preservation repository application is now available under the GPL license." "DAITSS was developed by FCLA for use in the Florida Digital Archive, a preservation repository for the libraries of the public universities of Florida (http://www.fcla.edu/digitalArchive). It implements the preservation strategies of normalization and forward migration for supported formats. Currently about 10 formats are supported including JFIF (JPEG), JEG2000, TIFF, WAVE, XML, Quicktime, AVI and PDF." "DAITSS was designed to conform closely to the OAIS reference model. It does not have a public user interface but could be used as a preservation "back end" to other applications such as institutional repository or digital library systems." "DAITSS development was partially supported by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)." "For more information, see <http://daitss.fcla.edu>." Max Planck Digital Library and SUB Goettingen sign a Cooperation Agreement - building a digital infrastructure for the arts and humanitiesAnnounced May 4, 2007 by Heike Neuroth, Goettingen State and University Library (SUB): "The Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL) and Goettingen State and University Library (SUB) have agreed to strengthen their existing collaboration and, specifically, to further the development of a digital infrastructure for the arts and humanities (eHumanities). The agreement was signed today (Mai 3, 2007) at the German E-Science Conference 2007 in Baden-Baden by the vice president of the Max Planck Society, Prof. Dr. Kurt Mehlhorn; the vice president of Goettingen University, Prof. Dr. Doris Lemmerm�hle; the director of the MPDL, Dr. Laurent Romary; and the director of the SUB, Dr. Norbert Lossau." "Dr. Romary explicates, "Philology, philosophy, history, archaeology and a myriad of other fields in the humanities require both a common infrastructure and domain-specific tools, to conduct their scientific activities". The cooperation between these two organisations fundamentally supports the construction of such a novel infrastructure. Common activities include open access to primary digital resources, publications and supplementary material; the location-independent creation and edition of textual data; and long term preservation of digital information. "The key is ", Dr. Lossau underlines, "the close collaboration with scholars to ensure services, which really meet their demands"." For more information, please contact JISC sponsors Outstanding ICT Initiative of the Year AwardMay 3, 2007 - "JISC is sponsoring an award this year which will showcase the most innovative and potentially far-reaching ICT initiatives across the UK. The award, one of the Times Higher's 2007 Awards, will 'recognise and reward an institutional ICT initiative which has demonstrated an innovative and strategic use of ICT in support of the goals of that institution.' " "The award, for which all higher education institutions, teams or departments in the UK are eligible, is now open for entries until 29 June 2007. The award will be presented at an event on the 29 November 2007." For more information, please see the full press release at <http://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/stories/2007/05/news_award.aspx>. Charles J. Henry Receives Fulbright Senior Specialist Award for ChinaMay 1, 2007 - "Charles Henry, president of the Council on Library and Information Resources, has received a Fulbright Senior Specialist award to lecture and consult in China in fall 2007." "Mr. Henry will work for several weeks with librarians, faculty, administrators, and IT specialists at Shantou University, advising on their plans to construct a new library and on issues pertaining to new staff organization and deployment of IT on campus. He will also deliver several lectures on current issues at the intersection of higher education and the evolving library." "Mr. Henry is the recipient of two previous Fulbright awards. As a Fulbright Scholar in 1980-81, he conducted research and lectured in Vienna, Austria. In 2003, he was selected as a Senior Scholar, hosted by the Humanities Society of New Zealand." For more information, please see the full press release <http://www.clir.org/news/pressrelease/07henrypr.html>. Next generation environments will provide 'rich opportunities for learning'April 30, 2007 - "More than 100 invited delegates gathered at Aston University on Friday to hear how emerging technologies are set to transform the ways in which we learn, teach and undertake research." "The conference, organised by JISC's Users and Innovation programme, looked at the impact of the new participatory technologies – known as 'Web 2.0' – as well as some of the challenges faced by institutions in harnessing these and other new technologies in the classroom and beyond...." "...The personalisation of learning environments, the building of technology-rich learning spaces – such as the Saltire Centre at Glasgow Caledonian – and encouraging 'appropriate' skills learnt outside of education to be transferred to the learning context, could enable new community approaches to learning, supported by collaborative tools, to be integrated into the ways in which students, in fact, learn. " For more information, please see the full press release at <http://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/stories/2007/04/news_nextgen.aspx>. Online Course on Outcomes and Evaluation Offered Free to Museums & Libraries this Summer and FallApril 27, 2007 - "Shaping Outcomes, an online course on outcomes-based planning and evaluation, will be available free to museum and library professionals this summer and fall. The instructor-mediated course, which will help participants improve program designs and evaluations, was developed through a cooperative agreement between the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI)." "Through the approximately five-week course, participants will work at their own pace to learn outcomes-based planning and evaluation concepts and apply the concepts to a program or a project at their own institutions. A special course for those interested in teaching Shaping Outcomes or incorporating it into their own curricula will be offered in October 2007." "The course itself is being evaluated for users' learning and satisfaction. IMLS will share the results when they are available." "Those interested in learning more about Shaping Outcomes or registering for one of the courses should visit <http://www.shapingoutcomes.org> or contact the IUPUI project director, Dr. Elizabeth Kryder-Reid at <ekryderr@iupui.edu>, 317-274-1406." For more information, please see the full press release at <http://www.imls.gov/news/2007/042707.shtm>. IMLS Invites Proposals to Produce 2008-2009 WebWise ConferenceApril 17, 2007 - "The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is seeking proposals to develop and host the 2008 and 2009 WebWise Conferences on Libraries and Museums in the Digital World in cooperation with IMLS. The WebWise Conference highlights exemplary projects to improve library and museum programs using technology and brings together library and museum professionals and national technology experts from a variety of disciplines to discuss issues of mutual concern. To continue reaching a wide geographical area, IMLS wants the 2008 conference to be held in the South. The 2009 conference is planned for Washington, D.C. Previous WebWise Conferences have been held in Los Angeles and Chicago." "Organizations eligible for the award include:
"Federally operated and for-profit museums and libraries are not eligible to apply to host the conference." For more information, please see the full press release <http://www.imls.gov/news/2007/041707.shtm>. OCLC Board launches Governance StudyApril 17, 2007 - "The OCLC Board of Trustees has appointed a special Governance Study Committee to conduct a study of OCLC's governance structure. The Board will also retain a consulting firm to assist the Committee in the study." "'As OCLC becomes an increasingly global cooperative, we need to adjust our governance to ensure representation and participation by our members around the world,' said Lizabeth Wilson, Chair, OCLC Board of Trustees, and Dean of University Libraries, University of Washington. 'This study will review and evaluate current and alternative governance forms for OCLC. The Committee will recommend a governance structure appropriate to the roles that OCLC is expected to carry out in the next decade.'" For more information, please see the full press release at <http://www.oclc.org/news/releases/200660.htm>. DigitalPreservationEurope (DPE) Announces Research and Industrial Exchange Programme (DPEX)Announced by Joy Davidson, ERPANET, April 17, 2007: "DigitalPreservationEurope (DPE) announces its Research and Industrial Exchange Programme (DPEX)." "Research and practice in digital preservation is patchy, fragmented, and disconnected. Communication between research groups is limited and does not always engage with the needs of practitioners. Exchange of professional practitioners and researchers provides a valuable way to understand and overcome these barriers. They can facilitate knowledge exchange, capacity building, and innovation." "DigitalPreservationEurope, building on the earlier successful work of ERPANET, works to improve coordination, cooperation and consistency in current digital preservation and curation activities to secure the longevity of digital assets and heritage. DPE, supported by the European Union with funding under the Sixth Framework Programme, recognises the value of exchange programmes as a mechanism to establish cross-institutional synergies." "It is our hope that the planned twenty-five DPE Exchanges will propagate knowledge, capacity and innovation as well as foster better cooperation among research institutions and industrial partners working on meeting pressing challenges in digital preservation. DPEX aims to encourage innovative practice through research collaboration and to build bridges between practitioners and researchers." For more information, please see <http://www.digitalpreservationeurope.eu/exchange>. Amy Friedlander Named CLIR Director of ProgramsApril 9, 2007 - "Amy Friedlander has been appointed director of programs of the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR)." "Ms. Friedlander is senior program manager at Shinkuro, Inc., a U.S.-based research and development company. She has done extensive work at the intersection of public policy, technology, education, and outreach. Prior to Shinkuro, she was special projects associate at CLIR, working with the Library of Congress to help organize its initiative in long-term preservation of digital content, the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP). Before her tenure at CLIR, she was associate director for research at SAIC's Center for Information and Strategy Policy, where she founded the online magazine, iMP: The Magazine on Information Impacts, examining the issues that arise at the interface between information technology and public policy. Ms. Friedlander was also the founding editor of D-Lib Magazine, and is the author or editor of numerous reports and articles on information technologies and their societal implications, including a series on the history of large-scale, technology-intensive infrastructure in the United States, which is published by the Corporation for National Research Initiatives. She holds an AB from Vassar College, an MSLS from The Catholic University of America, and MA and Ph.D. degrees from Emory University." For more information, please see the full press release at <http://www.clir.org/news/pressrelease/07friedlandpr.html>. Funding worth more than �15m announcedMarch 30, 2007 - " Over 80 projects, totalling more than �15m, have been successful in the latest round of funding under JISC's capital programme, it was announced today. " " The projects are being funded under e-learning, repositories and preservation, e-infrastructure, users and innovation, and e-research strands of the overarching programme, which represents an investment of some �90m over three years. The call for proposals was issued in September of last year, the second of three under the programme." " Among the e-learning projects to be funded are those that will explore administrative processes to support admissions and course validations and develop automated course descriptions. Other projects in this strand will look at a variety of themes, including e-assessment, e-portfolios and personalised learning." For more information, please see the full press release at <http://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/stories/2007/03/news_capital.aspx>. $216,000 grant from Mellon Foundation to help UNC library investigate digitizing archivesMarch 22, 2007 - "The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library $216,000 over two years for the project 'Extending the Reach of Southern Sources: Proceeding to Large-Scale Digitization of Manuscript Collections.'" "The library's Southern Historical Collection and Carolina Digital Library will use the grant to plan for digitizing vast collections of unique historical materials and presenting them online. The project will provide methods for managing large-scale digitization of entire collections in the Southern Historical Collection, one of the world's largest repositories for original materials that document the southern United States." For more information, please contact Richard Szary, Tim West, or Judith Panitch at UNC: {szary, timwest, panitch}@email.unc.edu. DLF Aquifer Receives Mellon Grant to Make Scholarly Collections InteroperableMarch 20, 2007 - "The Digital Library Federation (DLF) has received an $816,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for a project designed to make distributed digital collections easier for scholars to use. The project, DLF Aquifer Development for Interoperability Across Scholarly Repositories: American Social History Online, will implement schemas, data models, and technologies to enable scholars to use digital collections as one in a variety of local environments. " "...The project will address the difficulty that humanities and social science scholars face in finding and using digital materials located in a variety of environments with a bewildering array of interfaces, access protocols, and usage requirements. DLF Aquifer seeks to provide scholars with consistent access to digital library collections pertaining to nineteenth- and twentieth-century U.S. social history across institutional boundaries. The collections are in a variety of formats and include maps and photographs from the Library of Congress historical collections; sheet music from the Sam DeVincent Collection of American Sheet Music at Indiana University; and an array of regional collections, such as Michigan County Histories from the University of Michigan and Tennessee Documentary History from the University of Tennessee, that will facilitate cross-regional studies when combined. " "By integrating American Social History Online into a variety of local environments, the project will bring the library to the scholar and make distributed collections available through locally supported tools. The project will take two years to develop and implement, from April 2007 to March 2009. " For more information, please see the full press release at <http://www.diglib.org/news/pressrelease/melgrant.pdf>. Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Awards CLIR Operating GrantMarch 19, 2007 - "The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) has received a three-year, $2.19 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support general operations. The award will allow CLIR to launch a range of new initiatives in six program areas: cyberinfrastructure, preservation, the next scholar, the emerging library, leadership, and new models...." "...CLIR is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to expand access to information, however recorded and preserved, as a public good. Through publications, projects, and programs, CLIR works to maintain and improve access to information for generations to come. In partnership with other institutions, CLIR helps create services that expand the concept of "library" and supports the providers and preservers of information. Details about CLIR and its work are available at http://www.clir.org." For more information, please see the full press release at <http://www.clir.org/news/pressrelease/07mellonpr.html>. Copyright 2007 © Corporation for National Research InitiativesTop |
Contents doi:10.1045/may2007-inbrief |