Big deal - good deal? Or is there a better deal?

The purchase by library consortia of all journals published by one publisher - the so-called Big Deal - is bad for small publishers and for large libraries even if - in the short-term - good for large publishers and for small libraries. The publishing and library communities need to find alternative purchasing models which provide better deals for those disadvantaged by the prevalence of the Big Deal, while retaining the benefit of scale in negotiation and supply

UK access to UK research

Technological changes are providing opportunities for easier access to publicly-funded research. While these opportunities for easier access have been growing, concerns have been expressed that current business models are preventing their realisation. Even well-funded university libraries are unable to purchase all the books and journals required by researchers and learners. A survey conducted by the JISC, CURL and SCONUL looked at six situations of access in one UK university to the research papers and books written by researchers in another comparable UK university. The survey indicates that UK researchers and learners may not have access to around one-third of publications by researchers in other UK universities. The shortfall in access varies from university to university and relates to all types of content but particularly to books and journals from smaller publishers. Targeted additional funding and support for new access models are suggested to improve access for UK researchers to UK research

THE BARBAROUS MASSACRE RECONSIDERED: THE POWHATAN UPRISING OF 1622 AND THE HISTORIANS

The Powhatan Uprising of March 22, 1621/22, was the single most significant event of Anglo-Indian relations in Virginia. An early example of a native culture’s rebellion against intruding European civilization, the uprising climaxed a mere decade and a half of intercultural contact. Its impact upon trans-Atlantic ideology and policy was impressive: it brought to an end the first (forty year) phase of British imperialis [imperialist] accelerated Virginia\u27s unique course of development, and hastened the doom of an American Indian empire with vast potential

Keeping your head in a revolution

Explores new developments in information services

Improving access: is there any hope?

World-wide calls for improvements in access to journal literature are being answered by a plethora of projects and services. Consortial purchasing, national licences and "big deals" dominate changes in collection development. Moves to set up affordable easy-to-use electronic document delivery services offer an alternative model based on single-article purchase. More radical barrier-free access models are moving the economic emphasis away from purchasing to input-payments. Are all these projects and services making a difference or will access to journal literature be no better in years to come than it is now? It is arguable that only those initiatives which are developing new models through collaboration between the stakeholders will succeed in making a major break-through in access

Co-ordination to improve access in the UK : the response of the JISC to the parliamentary report 'Scientific publications: free for all?'

JISC is the Joint Information Systems Committee of the four Higher Education Funding Councils in the UK and also has a responsibility for networked services to the Further Education Colleges. JISC Strategy includes “improving the effectiveness of scholarly communication”. This involves implementing cost-effective improvements in access to academic content for learners and researchers in colleges and universities. One route to cost-effective improvements in access through negotiation of “big deals” – Pilot Site Licence Initiative 1996-99, NESLI 1999-2002, NESLi2 2002-. This route partially effective but many difficulties – e.g. long negotiations, small publishers not included, many universities and colleges unable to buy in. Push for Open Access coming from both JISC Journals Working Group and JISC Scholarly Communication Group

Law School\u27s Pro Bono Role: A Duty to Require Student Public Service

The immense legal needs of the indigent are not being met. Pro bono work is the responsibility of every lawyer, but most lawyers do not do any pro bono work. The author argues that law schools have a responsibility not only to nurture student interest in pro bono work but also to develop students’ abilities to provide legal services to the indigent. The author proposes that law schools require students to participate in programs that provide legal services to the poor, either through a private organization or through a clinical program. The author contends that the latter method would be better

SOME MEASUREMENT CRITERIA FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE OUTPUT AND COSTS: THE CASE OF FIRE PROTECTION IN TEXAS

Public Economics,

The Determination of the CKM Matrix

A general discussion of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix is given and the importance stressed of determining the matrix elements as an essential part of understanding CP violation in and beyond the Standard Model. The status of knowledge of the matrix elements connecting the first and second generation quarks is reviewed. A perspective on determinations of the full CKM matrix is presented as an introduction to the separate contributions to the panel discussion that follows.Comment: Invited talk at Beauty 2000, Kibbutz Maagan, Israel, September 13-18, 2000; 6 pages; no figure