Do Electronic Publications Really Have a Future?

Mahoney, T. J.
Bibliographical reference

Library and Information Services in Astronomy V: Common Challenges, Uncommon Solutions. ASP Conference Series, Vol. 377, proceedings of the conference held 18-21 June 2006 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Edited by Sandra Ricketts, Christina Birdie, and Eva Isaksson., p.389

Advertised on:
10
2007
Number of authors
1
IAC number of authors
0
Citations
0
Refereed citations
0
Description
I take a critical look at the way in which electronic publishing has changed the world of publishing beyond recognition over the past decade. While the e-publishing revolution has brought many benefits to academic and research communication, there are a number of factors that inhibit the flow of information. I argue that a new publishing culture is necessary if communication flow among academics and researchers is to be at its optimum. While electronic publishing is clearly the way of the future, its products, equally clearly, are ephemeral in essence. I argue that electronic-only publishing is an unmitigated menace that must be resisted if we are to ensure that past and present research and scholarship be carried undiminished into the future, and that this is best accomplished through a judicious combination of print and electronic storage.