Encouraging note in the Feb. 1 Library Journal Academic Newswire, For Oxford University Press, Online Venture Breathes New Life into the Monograph, describes just the kind of thing I'm excited to see in the scholarly publishing arena -- a database of monographs that can be licensed under a "perpetual access" model. And it appears to be paying off handsomely. Says Niko Pfund, OSU's Vice President and Publisher:
"We're not seeing the end of the book, we're seeing the galloping diversification of how its message can be conveyed," he explains, describing the press' philosophy as "format agnosticism," that is to deliver content in whatever format is desired. "If dissemination and influence is our primary currency, then having books available via OSO, or netlibrary, in print perpetuity via print-on-demand, or in Google Book Search and Amazon's Search Inside the Book means that more people can access your work in more ways from more places than ever before. That does translate to dollars."
I have believed for some time that copyright is only one lever, and perhaps not the most effective lever, to press in attempting to negotiate a path into a more productive future for scholarly publishing. Creative business models are by far more powerful. Of course, I realize that holding a copyright gives one the power to veto someone else's creative business model with respect to that copyrighted work, so copyright is not unimportant. Nevertheless, it's such a relief to see evidence that copyright owners are taking chances, experimenting, and learning about the benefits of digital access and use.
I don't think it will be long before more authors will be willing to experiment themselves -- with or without the aid of publishers. It would seem to be better for both if publishers are willing partners in the exploration of the world of the networked book. Brave explorations like Oxford University Press' can shed some light on the path.
