RIP IBS - comments
Tim Harvey (Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:57:50 PDT)
I think it would be a big mistake not to make this hypothetical journal available in hardcopy. Print-on-demand is quite cost effective, while page fees tend to drive authors away. In a recent survey of members a plant group to which I am connected, the overwhelming majority was in favor of paper copies, both of the journal and the yearbook. Of course, decisions like this should only be taken after the input of the membership has been sought.
While a lot of fuss is made about attracting young people, it has already been alluded to that the majority of new members in specialist societies comes from the middle-aged or older who, for one reason or another, have more time or resources at their disposal. This group should not be overlooked in favor of a generation who, in my opinion, will never be able to have the interests of their predecesors, for many varied reasons, until they are much older.
T
The only important change would be that it cannot be printed but instead be
distributed via PDF. Many societies have moved their journals to electronic
publishing and it has worked well for them. In the modern standard,
electronic publication does not in any way diminish the value/prestige of a
journal, and as a matter of fact, it makes the journal even more accessible
to readers world-wide. Having the authors pay in a small fee per page
charge helps alleviate the burden of editorial costs to a journal.
Unless you work in academia, the promise of easy online access has not been
realized-- JSTOR is not set up for individual users and even decades old
journal articles are effectively locked up.
True. I looked into the pricing for JStor Plant Sciences and for a small
society like the PBS it would run
$1800-3200 for the first year and + $350-750/year. At the moment, our
current income cannot cover such an item. However, if the major societies
get together, we may be able to give access to members.
With the future of the IBS site unknown it would be worth investigating the
possibility of rescuing selected images that fill gaps and enhance the PBS
wiki.
I am told that Herb(ert) Kelly will host the IBS website on his personal
server once the IBS site goes down.
On Sat, Apr 27, 2013 at 9:11 AM, John Wickham <jwickham@sbcglobal.net>wrote:
Are there any national gardening or botanical organizations that are
looking at this issue? It might be time for some coordinated efforts to
attract more interest.
I think such an effort is absolutely necessary. Interest dwindle because
the newer generations are much too distracted by everything they can access
from an electronic screen. The sad truth is that every institution is
stretched to its limits trying to maintain itself. However, if nothing is
done, the future can only end in failure.
On Sat, Apr 27, 2013 at 2:44 PM, Robin Hansen <Robin@hansennursery.com>wrote:
Really, we would all benefit immensely from the availability of special
interest groups within a larger organization. If an opportunity arises
whether for PBS, NARGS, or ARS, let's get serious. Time passes much too
quickly.
I think this forum serves as a good place to start such a discussion. When
you have more people, the energy necessary to kick start such a project
could lead to something coming to fruition rather than just a few motivated
individuals. I urge everyone with an interest or idea to throw it out here
and with good hope that we can go somewhere.
Nhu
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