Open Access : Open Source : A second hat in the ring. The Cornell and Virginia Fedora Project is an important open-access initiative. The Red Hat Fedora Project is an important open-source initiative. The OA initiative came first, by about five years. The OS initiative came second, but was the first to apply for trademark on the name "Fedora". The OA initiative has tried negotiation, to no avail, and is considering legal action. For more, see the OA-Fedora's press release. (PS: Note to Red Hat. This is a case of good guy v. good guy. Don't make us take sides. And don't make us associate Red Hat with a company that takes out a trademark on name with pre-existing usage in a similar arena and then tries to assert a right to its exclusive use. Is that in the spirit of OS?) [Open Access News]  6:58:01 PM   [Feedback ]  

Scholarly Communication : Open Access : INSERM statement on open access. When INSERM signed the Berlin Declaration, it released a public statement in French and English. Excerpt from the English edition: "Our Institution considers that every researcher has to have an open and free access to every scientific publication. We stimulate discussion within our biomedical research community on new possibilities in providing open access to the primary scientific literature. In addition to our scientists, our goal is to associate all relevant parties, other organizations that develop and support scientific research, publishers in charge of the peer-reviewing process, public authorities, policy makers and international agencies concerned, librarians and scientific information engineers who depend on access to this knowledge. We have to stress that for Inserm, publication of results is an essential part of scientific research and the costs of publication are part of the cost of doing research." (Thanks to Klaus Graf.) [Open Access News]  6:56:01 PM   [Feedback ]  

Portals : Web services: Users say they're proceeding cautiously. More companies are using Web services, but their level of commitment remains measured as they wait for vendors to solve interoperability, security and reliability issues. [Computerworld News]  6:55:26 PM   [Feedback ]  

Scholarly Communication : Open Access EMANI moves to the web. The Electronic Mathematical Archiving Network Initiative (EMANI) now has a web site. EMANI's mission is to digitize mathematics journals and assure their long-term preservation and accessibility. The project includes both the back runs and future issues of participating journals, some of which are open-access and some priced. EMANI focuses on journal literature, and should not be confused with the Distributed Digital Library of Mathematical Monographs, even though they are sponsored by some of the same institutions (notably, Cornell and Göttingen Universities). However, Cornell's partnership in EMANI does seem to imply that EMANI subsumes or at least embraces Project Euclid. (Thanks to UKSG Serials eNews.) [Open Access News]  10:32:30 AM   [Feedback ]  

Scholarly Communication : Open-access repository at EPA. On November 18, the US Environmental Protection Agency launched Science Inventory, an open-access repository of EPA-funded research projects, their results and data. The repository is several years old, but until now access was limited to EPA employees. The November 18 ceremony opened it to the public. Quoting EPA Acting Deputy Administrator Steve Johnson from the press release: "Americans invest hundreds of millions of dollars every year in EPA's human health and environmental science. Now that very science is easily accessible to anyone with a link to the Internet. The public launch of the Science Inventory is another example of open, transparent government." (PS: This is exemplary. Every funding agency, or at least every taxpayer-supported funding agency, should launch a similar repository.) [Open Access News]  10:31:59 AM   [Feedback ]  

Libraries : December Cites amp Insights out. Walt writes "Cites & Insights: Crawford at Large 3:14 (December 2003), the Stuff and Nonsense issue, is now available for downloading. This is the last text issue of the year, but an index will come out in the next couple of weeks. Expanded contents provided to satisfy a LISNews comment. If you hate it, let me know." More details on this impressive issue are inside... [LISNews.com]  7:49:37 AM   [Feedback ]