An interesting opinion/confessional piece on one academic's experience of publishing in the developing world. The author points out cultural pressures and differences that could possible contribute to the expanding knowledge gap.

In this 2009 bulletin, Leslie Chan discusses the growing inequalities in access to publications. A striking example he mentions is that of a doctor in Africa who makes a decision to alter a HIV programme based on an abstract. It's interesting to think about the strides we have taken to bridge inequalities in access in the past five years. It seems that though some gaps in access have been addressed, there are still obstacles to be overcome. Another point to be addressed is not only allowing access to information published by developed nations to reach those who cannot afford it, but also hearing the results of research and findings of institutions in the developing world.

Espresso Book Machines are a really interesting idea, and despite the "hefty price tag" might be a great solution to users who still prefer print copies to electronic copies of books. It's also interesting to think about how Espresso Machines will influence library collections. This article argues that it supports a patron acquisition model, if all users end up printing books on demand (which will limit questioning during the collection development process) will that mean that for those who can't afford to print books, will not have access to them? Will the Espresso Machine bring the concept of the library and the concept of the bookstore too close together? Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great idea, and the possibilities for self-publishing are great! As these machines gain more popularity, it will be interesting to see the direction of collection development in Libraries.

In thinking about the Wayback Machine and archiving webpages, this new tool brings to light archival possibilities for social media.

A timely article on the Outernet, a service that can broadcast e-books and culled information from the internet to less wealthy nations who do not have access to the internet. A few criticisms of the emerging technology do arise: addressing literacy in less developed locations, questioning whether the information broadcast is information that would be suited for that community, and finally whether there would be a prioritization of information with paid net-connected organizations.

A slideshow and brief descriptions of 12 OER's & a great list of further readings.

A great resource for open education lesson plans, textbooks, and blogs on the subject!

In this article Abby Clobridge discusses the Scholarly Publication landscape today as it relates to open access journals, and how we need to re-think some of our standards for publishing (both my authors and by publishers).

This is an interesting article in the Guardian reporting on Harvard's move against rising prices of journal publications. It calls for Faculty to make their research freely available.