In the Spotlight

Assessing Open Access

Northwestern faculty members share their experiences

The Open Access (OA) movement, which promotes the principle that all scholarly research should be freely accessible online immediately after publication, has gained enormous international momentum in the seven years since it was first articulated in the Budapest Open Access Initiative. This year, the first international Open Access Week, from October 19 to October 23, is intended to extend awareness and understanding of OA publishing among scholars and the general public.

One of the greatest advantages of OA journals is that their online format generally enables them to publish faster than traditional print journals—an advantage especially in the sciences. Since they are freely accessible online, they also potentially offer a wider readership—often a particular advantage in interdisciplinary studies. And the technology offers another advantage traditional print journals don't: the possibility to publish work that is multi-media in nature.

Because the impact of OA publishing varies from discipline to discipline, we asked a range of Northwestern faculty members to answer a few questions about their experiences. Our respondents include William Halperin, a physicist; Jeffrey Ely, an economist; and John Bresland, a multi-media artist. Halperin and Ely serve as editors of OA journals in addition to having published work in them.

William Halperin is John Evans Professor of Physics. His research is focused on low-temperature physics, NMR studies of high-temperature superconductors, and fluid transport in porous media. He's one of two regional editors of the New Journal of Physics, an open access journal that has just celebrated its 10th anniversary. "Along with the editor-in-chief, Eberhard Bodenschatz," he says, "we have specific geographic responsibilities for Europe, Asia, and North America and are joined by 46 professional colleagues to make up the editorial board. When I was asked to participate in NJP seven years ago, open access for scientific journals was in its infancy and I had no prior experience with this publication medium myself."

Q: It seems like the technology of OA publishing--the fact that it facilitates speed and interactivity--makes it especially well suited to the needs of scientists (as opposed to, say, novelists).

A: Certainly you have identified one of the important aspects of most OA publications, which is speed, provided there is no print copy. NJP is solely distributed on-line; however, it is in principle possible to have both open access and print copies. An example of a print journal with open access is the "free to read" articles in the Physical Review journals published by the American Physical Society. However another important result of online OA publication is the symbiotic relationship with preprint repositories. OA publications can be directly linked to a preprint posted on a general access server such that the benefit of early announcement of scientific results in preprint form can be complemented by the final revised, refereed and published article, equally accessible to the reader.

Q: As an editor, can you provide some insight into the peer review process at OA journals? Is it comparable to the traditional journal process?

A: Peer review is managed very differently by different journals, but is essentially unrelated to whether the journal is open access or not. The main differences from one journal to another are the degree of editorial oversight in managing the refereeing process and whether the editorial board members are involved in this process or not. The NJP model is that the cadre of editors, who are active professional scientists, are all intimately involved in this process and are responsible for making the publication decisions.

Q: As OA continues to establish itself in the scholarly community, what challenges does it face?

A: The main difficulty facing open access journals today is to find an appropriate business plan. A high-quality journal has substantial overhead costs in handling all aspects of publishing articles, including the staff involved in refereeing, editing, 'typesetting,' and printing, digital or otherwise. For OA these costs are generally, but not uniquely, born by the authors in the form of article charges. For standard print copy journals, however, these costs are paid for by subscription, which means to a large extent by the libraries of the institutions that can afford it. Transferring cost to authors will always be problematic, except for the highest profile journals with a high impact factor.

Jeffrey C. Ely is Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Economics. He is co-editor of Theoretical Economics, an open access journal, and he co-writes the economics blog Cheap Talk.

Q: Where do you think OA journals stand relative to traditional journals in your field, in terms of professional acceptance, power, and prestige?

A: I know of only one prominent OA journal in economics and that is our journal, Theoretical Economics. In just a few years it has established a reputation as one of the top journals in the field of economic theory. As evidence of this, the journal has just recently come under the umbrella of one of the leading academic societies in economics, the Econometric Society, and a sister journal, Quantitative Economics, is being launched. QE will also be open access.

Q: And in your experience, does the OA format alter the standard peer review process for scholarly work?

A: In economics the peer-review process is characterized by long delays, intensive editing and evaluation by referees, and multiple revisions. At Theoretical Economics, the editorial process is essentially the same, yet the problems have been greatly reduced. I attribute this in large part to the sense of ownership of the journal that editors and referees feel. Most of the mainstream journals in economics have very high price tags and referees are rarely compensated for their work. This naturally tends to alienate referees and editors from the journal's mission. Our referees seem to value contributing their hard work to a journal whose undiluted objective is to maximize dissemination of research.

Q: In a field such as economics, which has so many interdisciplinary components, does OA offer particular advantages over traditional journals?

A: Pay-for-access journals put a barrier between researchers and others' research. This barrier is highest for those investigating new areas in other disciplines. Consequently a large benefit of open access will be in lowering interdisciplinary barriers.

John Bresland is an artist-in-residence in the creative writing program, where he teaches creative writing and new media. His essays have aired on public radio, and his video essays can be seen online at Ninth Letter and Blackbird. His print essays can be read in North American Review, Hotel Amerika, Minnesota Monthly and elsewhere.

Q: While scholars in other fields may be subsidized by their teaching positions, artists traditionally hope to support themselves by selling their work--and even that's a hard goal to achieve. How can artists ever hope to support themselves if they make their work available for free online?

A: It’s hard for me to imagine any artist of any calibre earning a living by posting her work online for free. Even big film studios with built-in audiences numbering in the millions, with their vast economic resources, haven’t yet figured out how to turn their millions of YouTube viewers into revenue (though I suspect they will soon enough — content deals are being signed as we speak). In any case, if Hollywood can’t figure out how to make money online, I can’t see myself cashing in my YouTube ad-word profits anytime soon and buying a sweet Bayliner with waterproof speakers. To my lights, the concept of FREE ONLINE for the artist is roughly the same as it is for a car dealership offering a free test drive: Get inside the product. Smell the smell. See how it handles. And either buy it or don’t. My point is, either way, whether you’re an artist or a car dealer, you must always be closing. Free is a means to an end.

Incidentally, there are plenty of happy instances of artists working hard for free, getting noticed for their toil, and turning that notoriety into a paying career. I’m thinking now of that Canadian kid who created the website Stuff White People Like, for free, and signed a book deal with Random House for three or four hundred thousand dollars. Or that woman who cooked all of Julia Child’s recipes, blogged about it — free — and then sold a book, and then came the movie. Both of these folks leveraged the viral nature of the internet. For a virus to be effective, it must also be free.

Q: Is your multi-media work better suited by nature for OA publication than, say, a traditional book or essay? Or do you think that even traditional print will eventually all give way to electronic publication?

A: I don’t know. And I don’t think anybody knows. That’s what’s so scary and strange about this shift from print to the screen, from books to iPhones and Kindles. Fifteen years ago, everybody rented videos at the video store, but we all knew that the neighborhood Blockbuster was doomed. We all knew that, soon enough, our entertainments would be downloaded. And sure enough, now they are — even though Netflix’s dominance in the marketplace reminds us that the lure of high-technology is nothing compared to the ease and simplicity of a dedicated device: a DVD player. Whatever it is that ends up partially replacing the book or magazine doesn’t exist today. But you get the feeling it’s on the horizon, don’t you? Still, books aren’t going anywhere — they’re good technology: tactile, simple, reliable. But they will yield shelf-space to another medium, and already have. When Elisabeth Sifton wrote about the book business a couple months ago in The Nation, she argued that a new kind of writing would likely emerge. She wrote that teachers and writing instructors are reporting big changes in their students' habits of attention and modes of expression: “This is why we must still ask, of the possibilities that 'books' could be offered in other formats or sold in new ways, what kind of imaginative energy, what kind of reading—or readers—will Scribd, Kindle, Sony Reader or other electronic devices attract in the years to come? And what kind of writing?” I agree completely.

Q: Do you continue to find it important to publish in traditional print publications?
Absolutely! And I believe “traditional” print publications will continue to behave less traditionally by building up their presence online, by featuring new works in different forms. You see this already with Blackbird, the online literary journal. Ten years ago, some folks might have considered it a lesser journal because it existed only online. You don’t hear that anymore. The Internet is a sensory-rich medium — it handles text quite well, and equally so with images and sound. The days of Fiction, Nonfiction and Poetry as the holy trinity of literature are nearly over, and I think most editors of print journals are mindful of that. If they’re not, well, they’re just whistling in the dark.

Northwestern, Evanston Public Library Collaborate on Exhibit of Imaginary Children's Books

October 12, 2009--Northwestern University Library and Evanston Public Library have teamed up to bring a unique exhibit of original children’s book art to the Chicago area. “An Imaginary Library: Children's Books That Don't Exist (Yet)” brings together 75 original paintings, sketches, and drawings by children's book artists from thirty different countries. Among them are many of the world's most successful and best-known artists for children, including Americans Peter Sis, David Wiesner, and Vladimir Radunsky. These artists were invited by the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany, to create an original book cover for a book that does not exist—but which someday the artist would like to create. In addition to the original artwork, the artists have supplied enough context or plot to provoke both child and adult visitors to the exhibit to use their imagination—and co-create the book, with the artists as their partners.

"An Imaginary Library" opened Friday, October 9 at the Evanston Public Library for a three-month run.

"We are so excited to partner with Northwestern in bringing this stellar exhibit to the Evanston community," says Evanston Public Library Director Mary Johns. "The international flavor captures the imagination and reaffirms the common appeal of children's literature and art."

The exhibit, which has already been staged in Japan, Greece, and Iran, had its American debut earlier in October in St. Charles. It was featured at the 8th annual regional conference of USBBY—the United States Board on Books for Young People—which brought together 250 children's librarians, authors, publishers, and other professionals from around the world to discuss international children's books. Regional sponsors of the conference included National Louis University and Dominican University's Butler Center for Children's Literature, and the Northwestern University Library.

Illustration: Too Proud a Snail, by French artist Eric Battut

Check Out Our CDs!

Beginning this week, members of the Northwestern community are invited to check out items from the Music Library's extensive holdings of nearly 30,000 CDs. The collection is especially strong in classical recordings, and also includes jazz, world music, musical theatre and some pop recordings. Previously available for use only in the library's listening room, these CDs can now be borrowed for up to two weeks. Students, faculty, and staff can borrow up to five CDs at a time. (Faculty can request delivery directly to their offices.) More information about the new policy is available on the Music Library's website.

Library Jobs for Students

Hiring for work/study positions at the Library begins on Monday, September 14 and continues until all jobs are filled. Information about these positions is available online. Apply between 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Library Personnel Office.

Leopold & Loeb Collections Now Featured Online

The Library has just released a new online exhibit based on the recent exhibit "The Murder That Wouldn't Die: Leopold & Loeb in Artifact, Fact, and Fiction." Like the original exhibit, the online version highlights the Library's extraordinary collection of original documentary evidence from the infamous murder case, including Leopold & Loeb's confessions, the ransom notes they sent to their victim's family, the psychiatric reports on both of them that were commissioned by defense attorney Clarence Darrow, and the 5,000-page courtroom transcript.

The online exhibit's multimedia format provides a convenient and engaging way to explore the highlights of these and other artifacts. Visitors can browse through topic headings to learn more, for example, about the murder, the psychiatric reports, or the aftermath of the court verdict, and view selected photos or documents related to these topics. Links on the exhibit's home page access an audio tour recorded by curator Nina Barrett for the original exhibit and a clip of Northwestern University Law School professor and author Leigh Bienen talking about why the case continues to rate as one of the most fascinating crimes of the twentieth century.

The online exhibit also features many of the books, films, and theatrical productions that have been based on the Leopold & Loeb case, including Simon Baatz's recent book For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder that Shocked Chicago and Alfred Hitchcock's now-classic 1948 film "Rope."

Many of the Northwestern materials were donated to its McCormick Library of Special Collections by Chicago attorney Elmer Gertz, who represented Nathan Leopold in his successful 1958 bid for parole. Other materials are part of the University Archives collections.

Library Restores Oldest Known Map of Evanston

By Nina Barrett

The oldest printed map of Evanston -- discovered several years ago on the verge of disintegration -- has been vibrantly restored and made freely available online by Northwestern University Library.

"This map is a very rare and important piece of Evanston's history," says University Archivist Kevin Leonard, "and the conservation staff here did an incredible job bringing it back from the grave."

Published circa 1876 by local surveyor and mapmaker Theodore Reese, the map appears to be the earliest published plat of blocks, streets and alleys in all three of the separate villages -- north, south and central -- that eventually merged into the incorporated City of Evanston. "So it's valuable as a relic of Evanston's past," Leonard says, "but it also continues to be of use to anyone researching the history of their own or other Evanston real estate, because these were some of the earliest legal property boundaries."

The history of Evanston real estate has always been intimately intertwined with the University's history. The area was known as Ridgeville until the mid-19th century, when Northwestern founding trustee Orrington Lunt suggested to his fellow trustees that they purchase a large plot of lakeside land for $1,000 down. In subsequent years, Leonard says, the university trustees acquired additional parcels of land, selling or leasing plots to finance the institution's growth. Much of this land was surveyed and laid out in plots by the university's business agent Philo Judson (for whom Judson Avenue was named). He submitted the original plat for a village named Evanston -- after Northwestern trustee John Evans -- in 1854.

The map just restored by Northwestern includes this central area as well as the two separate settlements to the north and south that were flourishing by the late 19th century. Bordered by advertisements for local businesses including a "Fashionable Bootmaker" and a purveyor of "Family Groceries and Provisions," the map also contains an ad for Philo Judson's real estate and surveying business.

"Philo Judson died in 1876, which means the map must have been published by then," says George Ritzlin, owner of an antiquarian map business on Central Street. "That means it precedes Snyder's 1883 map, which was previously the earliest known one."

Ritzlin researched the map’s history when he acquired it in 2006 from an Evanston resident who said it had been in his family’s possession for at least 40 years. “It is certainly very rare, and may be unique,” he says, since there was no record of it having been catalogued by the Library of Congress or the Checklist of Printed Maps of the Middle West to 1900, the most comprehensive listing of maps held by Midwestern libraries, museums and historical societies. (Though the Checklist is now 20 years old, its editor, Robert Karrow, who is curator of special collections and maps at the Newberry Library in Chicago, confirms that the map remained unknown until Northwestern recently brought it to his attention; it has now been catalogued.)

Russell Maylone, the library’s former curator of special collections, bought it from Ritzlin and then gave it to University Archives, partly, he says, because it perfectly complemented the existing property records held by the Archives. “But also,” he adds, “because it was obvious that unless it received immediate attention from some highly skilled conservation professionals, it was just going to fall apart and be lost to everyone.”

Certainly, 40 years of basement storage had taken a huge toll. It was filthy, covered with grime and animal droppings, and colonized by mold and cocoons. Originally mounted for wall-hanging, the 4’ x 3 1/2’ map had been rolled up on its wooden dowels, but the scroll had been crushed, causing the varnished paper to crack into hundreds, if not thousands of tiny pieces. "If not for the fact that most of the pieces were still clinging to the cloth the map was originally mounted on, it would have been completely shattered," says Susan Russick, who led the team of library conservators that restored the map.

It took five conservators almost 100 hours to repair and stabilize the map. The process--which is documented in a four-minute video--began with removal of the loose dirt and debris. Then a gentle water bath rinsed away decades of accumulated grime, removed soluble degradation products, and softened the adhesive that had held the cloth lining in place.

Next, the original cloth lining was removed -- an extremely delicate and tedious process during which the technicians had to ensure that the fragments remained in place. The map was re-lined, this time with six sheets of Japanese tissue paper. Only then, with the fragments properly secured, could the technicians carefully dissolve the original, badly discolored varnish.

Finally, a few bald patches were shaded in with watercolor. “Where the fragments had actually fallen off, we didn’t attempt to re-create any of the original design or lettering,” Russick says. “It’s not our goal to make a document like this appear new again. But we will make non-invasive improvements so that its imperfections and discolorations aren’t the first thing you notice when you look at it.”

Of course, having brought the map "back from the grave," another goal is to extend its life as long as possible. It's still extremely valuable as a research tool, says Archivist Leonard, because it actually turns out to be an important key to many of the University's other Evanston property records. Many of these are organized by original block and lot numbers rather than by contemporary street addresses. For most properties platted before 1876, these lot numbers appear on the map and can easily be matched with those street addresses. But repeatedly unrolling the map, or even hanging it in a publicly accessibly place, would subject it to wear and tear that would ultimately shorten its lifespan.

"Thanks to digitization, it's now available to anyone with access to a computer terminal," Leonard says. "That's an example of sophisticated technology helping us ensure that a rare and valuable historical document is going to be around for a long time.”

For more information, contact Clare Roccaforte, c-roccaforte@northwestern.edu or 847-467-5918.

"Best of Bologna" Showcases Children's Illustrators

UPDATE: EXHIBIT EXTENDED THROUGH JANUARY 4, 2010
At a new Northwestern University Library exhibit, works by 23 talented children's illustrators from around the globe confirm the fact that kids' books aren't just for kids. "Best of Bologna: Edgiest Artists of the 2008 International Children's Book Fair" presents a selection of artists chosen from an original pool of more than 3,000 who entered a competition to be featured at the world's largest and most important annual children's book event.

"Usually, fewer than 100 artists are selected for the show," says Associate University Librarian Jeff Garrett, who has served on past juries and curated the exhibit along with Kim Specht. "There are no selection criteria, and jurors from different countries will often disagree violently about what constitutes interesting art. So when the arguments die down, the final selection represents a really fascinating look at trends in international book illustration."

The exhibit includes personal statements from the illustrators, offering intriguing glimpses into the ideas and experiences that inspire these artists. Alenka Sottler, whose images incorporate blocks of printed type, says this technique recalls the frugal circumstances of her socialist Slovenian childhood. "[H]ardly anything could be purchased," she recalls. "My mother, employed by the largest newspaper, Delo, brought home cuttings of used paper from the printing house. My father, a sculptor, would always sketch his plans on the printed articles due to the shortage of paper."

Chun Sheng Tsou created the character "Mr. Chip" to articulate the issues of cultural, linguistic, and financial dislocation he felt in coming from his native Taiwan to study at the Royal College of Art in London for a year. "It all began when I was having the traditional British food—fish and chips," he says, "and one question suddenly emerged in my mind. Why does the fish (higher value) always have to be devoured before the chips (lower value)?"

Argentinian artist Hernan Canellas says that in his illustrations for a story about a boy who is looking for his lost bird, "I've tried to create a mysterious and melancholic mood through the use of simple lines….I draw for children while not thinking of them as children…I try to use colors, concepts and atmospheres that can be enjoyed by people of all ages; I believe that beautiful shapes do not belong to any particular age."

Located in the upper lobby of Deering Library (accessible through the Main Library entrance at 1970 Campus Drive) the "The Best of Bologna" exhibit is free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. to noon, through January 4, 2010. For more information, call 847-467-5918.