The current system of scholarly publishing "is in collapse. It's just a matter of how many years it will continue," University Library System (ULS) director Rush G. Miller said at the Oct. 18 University Senate fall plenary session, "Are Scholars Under Siege? The Scholarly Communication Crisis." Another panelist, Provost James V. Maher, said: "I don't […]
SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING: Economics expected to force transition to electronic publishing >
October 26th, 2000Are printed scholarly journals doomed to extinction? University Library Systems (ULS) director Rush G. Miller thinks so. In most scholarly disciplines, the transition to electronic-only dissemination of research findings probably will come within the next decade, Miller predicted at the Oct. 18 University Senate fall plenary session. Economics will drive the change, he said. "It […]
SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING: Interpretation of copyright law could threaten fair use >
October 26th, 2000Provost James V. Maher said the latest revision of U.S. copyright law, as originally drafted, gave him nightmares of waking up one morning to find that the Disney Corp. had gained exclusive rights to the dictionary. Maher was exaggerating. Slightly. The original legislation, which Congress rejected, threatened to give publishers control over university-produced research to […]
SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING: No single villain, but commercial publishers said to be the "bad guys" >
October 26th, 2000"It would be a mistake to think there is some demon we can kill and everything will be okay" with scholarly publishing, Provost James V. Maher said at the Oct. 18 University Senate fall plenary session. The problems go beyond skyrocketing journal costs to the root of scholarship and university values, the provost said. For […]
Pitt expert in wireless technology sees logic in University's reliance on hard-wiring of its computers >
October 26th, 2000Stroll the Carnegie Mellon University campus and you'll see students and professors sitting outside on benches, eyes riveted on their laptop computers as they check e-mail, search library catalogues or browse the Web. You may even spy small groups of robots roaming the campus; they're part of a CMU research project that's laying groundwork for […]
Pitt will help to establish institute monitoring public health threats >
October 26th, 2000Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University, with the support of the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, are establishing a Biomedical Security Institute (BMSI) that will monitor public health threats and alert emergency management agencies nationwide to attacks of bioterrorism. The Biomedical Security Institute will provide a preparedness, detection and response capability network that can be used to respond […]
Neuroscience research center opens at WPIC >
October 26th, 2000Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) has opened a new center that will enable scientists to expand their study of a number of severe mental illnesses. By opening the Clinical Neuroscience Research Center (CNRC), Pitt's Department of Psychiatry becomes the first in the nation to develop a specialized facility with the goal of revolutionizing mental […]