UNICA SeminarTrends in education and research:

developing skills and communication across Europe

MAKING THE STRATEGIC CASE FOR INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORIES IN UNIVERSITIES

Antonio Fantoni

EUROPE, THE OLD FASHIONED GIRL

Too much traditional culture

Too little innovation and technology

Rigid academies blocked by aged scholars

CULTURAL EVOLUTION

variability of information (no selection)mutation of inherited culturecrossing over and extended, unbiased

communication productive advantage (selection)

problems arising from envinronment (including society)

new cultural approaches, innovation and new skillscompetition between solutions

neutral information and concerted evolution

MISSION OF SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES

Preservation of cultural heritage

Advancement of science

Release of learned information

Evaluation of learning (quantity? quality?’ new skills?)

YES, BUT ALSO

The development of cultural capacities

integrated information

innovative thinking

solution of arising problems

A COMMUN METHOD FOR LEARNING

AND RESEARCH

The steps for efficient, long lasting learning and for rewarding research

Curiosity search strategy

assessmentevaluation

self esteemcuriosity

LIBRARIES AS TEACHING LABS

Traditional versus digital libraries

TRADITIONAL - Assisted search – slow process – limited confrontation

DIGITAL - lonely search – fast process – immense confrontation

THE MIRACLE OF OPEN ACCESS

If or when ….Every cultural and scientific productIs published by every scientific

institutionThen every citizen of the worldWill freely acquire science and culture

OPEN ISSUES ON OPEN ACCESS

• Cost of producing science• Property of scientific information• Cost of refereeing and editing • Cost of online publishing • Paying for re-acquiring the product • of one’s own science

Quality Control

Open access publication

NO Gray literature

NO Pre-prints not followed by certified publication

YES PhD dissertations

YES Post-print

YES University press on line journals

CONTENT OF UNIVERSITY SCIENTIFIC REPOSITORIES

CONTENT OF UNIVERSITY TEACHING REPOSITORIES

NOT e-learningIndividual coursesDisciplinary modulesProgressive thesaurus

OPEN ACCESS REPOSITORIES: YES, BUT

Student dissertations are successfulGray literature is relatively abundantScared scientist object to pre-print publishingLazy scientists disregard post-print publishingNeed of incentives?

CULTURAL EVOLUTION

variability of information (no selection)mutation of inherited culturecrossing over and extended, unbiased

communication productive advantage (selection)

problems arising from envinronment (including society)

new cultural approaches, innovation and new skillscompetition between solutions

neutral information and concerted evolution