[Sigia-l] Fwd: Creating a Global Knowledge Network

[Eric Scheid]

Hi all ..

Some more weekend reading ... this is what happens when you let users 
design their own system, contrary to convention.

http://arxiv.org/

--
Creating a Global Knowledge Network
Paul Ginsparg 
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
Invited contribution for Conference, UNESCO HQ, Paris,

(snip) The possibilities offered by a "unified global archive" are 
suggested by the e-print arXiv (where "e-print" denotes self-archiving by 
the author), which since its inception in 1991 has become a major forum 
for dissemination of results in physics and mathematics. 
(http://arxiv.org/) (http://au.arxiv.org/)

This resource has been entirely scientist driven, and is flexible enough 
either to co-exist with the pre-existing publication system, or to help 
it evolve to something better optimized for researcher needs.

The arXiv is an example of a service created by a group of specialists 
for their own use: when researchers or professionals create such 
services, the results often differ markedly from the services provided by 
publishers and libraries.

It is also important to note that the rapid dissemination it provides is 
not in the least inconsistent with concurrent or post facto peer review, 
and in the long run offers a possible framework for a more functional 
archival structuring of the literature than is provided by current peer 
review processes.

As argued by Odlyzko, the current methodology of research dissemination 
and validation is premised on a paper medium that was difficult to 
produce, difficult to distribute, difficult to archive, and difficult to 
duplicate -- a medium that hence required numerous local redistribution 
points in the form of research libraries. The electronic medium is 
opposite in each of the above regards ... 
(http://arxiv.org/blurb/pg01unesco.html)



______________________________________________________________________
eric at ironclad.net.au                 i r o n c l a d   n e t w o r k s
information architect                      http://www.ironclad.net.au/