Open Access Online Journals for Libraries

Kopak, R. (2008). Open access and the open journal systems: making sense all over.  School Libraries Worldwide, 14(2), 45-54.

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Abstract of the Article:

Kopak (2008) works on the proposition that open access system is not just about having free access but also about ensuring that “high quality information sources” are available to the community.  He further proposes that the mode of presentation should be supportive of “engaging, interactive, and increasingly social” knowledge integration, which should be manifested in the user-interface of an open-access system.  

Kopak (2008) uses the Open Journal Systems (OJS) of the Public Knowledge Project as his example.  In terms of the quality of content, the OJS serves as the platform for the production and distribution of scholarly journal articles which are product of publicly-funded researches.  In terms of its presentation, OJS uses reading tools to enhance users’ engagement.   These reading tools are grouped into two, viz: the structural, which aim is to provide access to information and other services (e.g. ”abstract”, “how to cite item”, “review policy”, “about the author”,  “notify colleague”, and  “look up terms”) and the topical or domain specific, which aim is to enhance “contextual meaning of knowledge” (e.g. “ related studies”, “media reports”, “book searches”, “annotation”, and “hypertext linking tools”).    In the end, Kopak (2008) aspires that OJS would serve as a platform for knowledge-based interaction and in the long run promote life long learning.

3 Things I Learned:

1.       Open access should not just stop at information retrieval but should move further towards information interaction and meaning-making.

2.       As a public good, research and scholarship should be non-rival (i.e. one’s consumption of good does not reduce the amount available to others) and non-excludable (i.e. one cannot be excluded from utilizing the good).

3.       Directly annotating a document is an indicator of active reading.  As such, it has the advantage of convenience, easier visual searching, and intensified immersion in the context of the document.

 Application / Implication:

The development of open access platforms for scholarly journals should be maximized by any library and information center.  This calls for me to initiate and promote the use of open access journals on law and associated topical interests such as business and corporate governance to users of the OGCC Library. Through this, the convergence of theory and practice may help enhance the quality of discourse in the often presumed and arbitrarily labeled corrupt bureaucracy.