Scholarly Communications: A History from Content as King to Content as Kingmaker

About the Book

Scholarly Communications: A History from Content as King to Content as Kingmaker traces the development of scholarly communications from the creation of the first scientific journal through the wide diversity of professional information services today. Unlike any other book, this work is an authoritative history by the past President of Elsevier and current Professor at Long Island University, which examines the changing nature of scholarly communication throughout its history, including its research importance as well as its business value.
It specifically covers four key themes:
the value of scholarly content and information at various stages of it development and use;the role that technology has played on the use, importance, and value of scholarly information and research communications; the changing business models affecting the system of scholarly communication from the way it is produced to how it is distributed and consumed; andsome of the implications of mobile, cloud, and social computing technologies on the future of scholarly communications.Attention is paid to analyzing the structural changes that the professional publishing community now faces. Regazzi examines research content as an economic good; how technology and business models have greatly affected the value of scholarly publishing; and the drivers of the future sustainability of our system of scholarly communication.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. Scholarly Communications – The Intersection of Research and Commerce
Chapter 2. The Scientific Journal – An Historical Perspective to Modern Times
Chapter 3. The Scholarly Book – Its Hard Times and Rise Again
Chapter 4. Secondary Publishing ? From Abstracting and Indexing to Access and Information
Chapter 5. The Rise and Fall of the CD-ROM Technology
Chapter 6. The Birth of Online – the Internet and the Web Change Scholarly Communication
Chapter 7. Traditional Economics of Academic Publishing
Chapter 8. Institutional Buyers, Scholars, and Open Access: A Continuing Story
Chapter 9. Big Data, Big Science, and Social Academic Networks
Chapter 10. The Rise of Workflow Systems

Index
About the Author

About the Author :
John J. Regazzi has spent over 40 years in the electronic information services and scholarly publishing industries, being called a “pioneer” and “true innovator” of the information industry. He has designed, launched, and managed some of the most innovative and well known information services in the professional communities including the Engineering Village, Science Direct, Scopus, and many other electronic information services dating back to the early days of the online and CD-ROM industries. Regazzi currently serves as Chairman of the board of directors of the Law Logix Group, a SaaS company serving law firms and corporations, and as a Managing Director of Akoya Capital Partners, an executive-led investment bank partnering with leading CEOs around the world.

Review :
As former president of Elsevier and director of the Scholarly Communications and Information Innovation Lab at Long Island University, Regazzi brings varied perspectives and many years of engagement to this thorough overview of scholarly communications. He details the history of the field, from the origin of the scholarly journal to the Big Deal, the advent of electronic publishing, and the current impacts of such developments as the open-access movement, Big Data, and academic social networks. Regazzi focuses on the need to protect the quality and originality of research through the editorial peer-review process and the ways in which technology-driven changes are challenging core values. These are issues of great concern to publishers, librarians, and researchers, who are the primary creators and consumers of scholarly information. . . .Summing Up: Recommended. Advanced researchers and practitioners. Scholarly Communications provides a valuable historical examination of these tensions and contends that they can be resolved with more open access to information in the end. An extensive bibliography and index add value. . . .This book is best suited for academic libraries, although special libraries that are focused on scientific, technical, or medical research should also consider it. The book appears well researched; each chapter includes an extensive list of references, with the author relying primarily on scholarly articles. This book would be a helpful addition to an academic library or academic law library collection, as well as a teaching tool for faculty and students in a library and information science program. It is easy to read and understand; Regazzi does good job of providing interesting historical background information and avoids coming across as didactic. Regazzi is neither an advocate for nor opponent of open access, and his neutral and unbiased delivery makes this book a credible resource for anyone interested in learning about scholarly communications. Additionally, it provides a comprehensive theoretical and historical framework for understanding the current issues and trends in scholarly communications and how they apply to researchers, publishers, and librarians. Finally, a book that chronicles the evolution of scholarly communication from its earliest inception through to today’s rapidly changing environment. Regazzi’s deep, first-hand knowledge offers compelling saga of an emerging and maturing information industry that is known only to industry insiders. Regazzi masterfully explores issues of economics, technology, power and partnerships associated with scholarly communication. This book should be read by all who engage in scholarship as well as by those involved in the management and distribution of scholarly knowledge. This is a must read for all players in the system of scholarly information. It provides a unique ‘tour d'horizon’ of the field that has undergone enormous changes over the past 20-30 years. It provides invaluable overviews of all components of the system, some that worked and some that didn't. It even doesn't shy away from discussing the economics of academic publishing and gives lessons in technology management. It's a marker in 2015 against which developments over the next ten or twenty years will be measured.