tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post8548522228022494095..comments2024-03-10T20:46:19.274-04:00Comments on In the Middle: SNEAK PREVIEW: The 2009 Compass Interdisciplinary Virtual Conference--Breaking Down BarriersCord J. Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06224143153295429986noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-68141382553463152492009-09-30T13:57:55.873-04:002009-09-30T13:57:55.873-04:00Now, as to what Wiley-Blackwell gets out of sponso...Now, as to what Wiley-Blackwell gets out of sponsoring and hosting this virtual and *free* conference is, I believe, potential subscribers to their Compass journals, where the proceedings are going to be ultimately published. Although, I must also say that the editors and organizers are all academics or former academics who really believe in their mission for this conference--id est, to open up more spaces for critical dialogue and debate across the humanities and social sciences relative to important pressing concerns, such as the environment and human rights. In that sense, and having worked on this from the inside, I really commend them and the money they are spending [stipends for keynote speakers were generous, I might add, and various editors and production staff have put in loads and loads of hours into the organizing, website, podcasts, etc.--keynote addresses, by the way, are audio files with images, with written text also being made available; for example, I put loads of bibliographic information into the written for of my talk, in order to assist those interested in my topic with further reading and research].<br /><br />As to the BABEL Working Group's partnership with Palgrave for the production of "postmedieval: a journal of medieval cultural studies" [debuting in March 2010], I must say that I've been somewhat astonished at Palgrave's willingness to compromise on matters of design, subscription pricing, and availability of content online and in print. So, for example, they arranged special pricing for authors in the New Middle Ages series and members of BABEL, and they have also agreed to make a certain number of essays in each issue free online. Further, they have agreed to make the *entire* content of the inaugural issue free online, and their individual subscription rate of 45 GBP is, I really believe, quite reasonable for an academic journal--well, it will be more reasonable for those of us in the States when the exchange rates settle down]. In addition, through a Twitter site that Palgrave set up, we are going to have free articles available for "preview" *prior* to individual issue publication. Also, and correct me if I'm wrong because I don't actually have a lot of background knowledge in this area, but the U.S. library subscription rate for "postmedieval" is $375, which I don't think is terribly outrageous.Eileen Joyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756965845120441308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-73679716867928810002009-09-30T13:57:43.109-04:002009-09-30T13:57:43.109-04:00Jeffrey: I could not agree with you more about the...Jeffrey: I could not agree with you more about the overly high cost of Blackwell's [now Wiley-Blackwell's] overly high subscription costs for its online Compass journals [there is also a Philosophy Compass, in addition to the History and Literature versions]. I am on the Editorial Board of Literature Compass and MY library won't even subscribe. And as we've discussed here before, the cost of the books in Palgrave's New Middle Ages series [typically in the $80-90 range] is absolutely ridiculous. Why can't they have, say, a multi-tiered set of offerings? For example, a hardbound edition with archival-quality printing for university libraries that would be in the $80 range, paperbound "on demand" editions for about half that much, and full-text online editions for 1/4-th that amount? That way, instituions, scholars, and students all purchase the book and the publisher makes more money. Also to be considered, though: publishers can't keep squeezing the life out of institutional library budgets without *some* thought as to the long-term status of this situation--id est, the lease on this so-called long-term situation is running out as more and more libraries are turning their back on investing, long-term, in the storage of print materials. And charging more for something--id est, more than its value in the open, circulating, "free" market--just because you can get away with it, and because institutions supposedly have a mandate to purchase as much as possible in particular disciplines and therefore their budgetary "hands" are tied, is not, again, a tenable situation in the long term. I think corporate publishers are actually aware of this state of affairs and are even panicking a bit as a result, and hopefully, thinking up innovative ways to get more content out there via a variety of delivery platforms and gradated pricing schedules. If enough intelligent persons put their heads together, I honestly believe there is a way to increase output of articles and books while also making money--after all, we *do* need this stuff, and for a variety of reasons.Eileen Joyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756965845120441308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-39736668824367415502009-09-30T06:17:32.642-04:002009-09-30T06:17:32.642-04:00This conference looks like it will be meeting of t...This conference looks like it will be meeting of the disciplines that will also be truly pathbreaking: a virtual conference complete with virtual cocktails. Plus, reading papers is actually a better way to comprehend them than listening to speakers read papers.<br /><br />Here's the one thing that has been in the back of my mind ever since the conference has been announced -- actually, ever since Literature Compass and History Compass came into being: their corporate sponsorship. The institutional price for access to those last two sites is high enough that my own university doesn't subscribe: I have to get articles from them via ILL. To have the entire conference unfold within a corporately owned space is surely as innovative as to have it unfold virtually.<br /><br />So, what's in it for Blackwell Publishing? How does the conference fit into their own strategic plans and company goals? Does their sponsorship mean anything, and is it worth exploring the significance of that sponsorship? Is sponsorship a potential barrier that can't be broken down?<br /><br />From everything I've seen it looks like Blackwell is completely hands off about content (no attempt at regulation, and a corporate disclaimer about what is published). I imagine that they are like Palgrave with New Middle Ages and postmedieval: a company with the resources to enable something novel to unfold, and something we will benefit from. But as with Palgrave there must be a price to pay ($90 books for example). What does Blackwell gain from the conference, and should that be part of the conference discussion?Jeffrey Cohenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17346504393740520542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-74271578760055459392009-09-29T12:06:44.960-04:002009-09-29T12:06:44.960-04:00Fantabulous! Thanks for the heads up...Fantabulous! Thanks for the heads up...Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17267907649652160741noreply@blogger.com