Reflecting patterns evident in past Janet Doe lectures, the 2004 address draws on …

• Abstract
• Introduction
• The concept of ecosystems
• The nature of the coral reef
• The reef imperiled
• Economic models and the reef
• Conclusions from the marine environment
• Scholarly communication in a period of revolution
• Take action
• Conclusion
• References

Biology Articles » Hydrobiology » Marine Biology » Life and death on the coral reef: an ecological perspective on scholarly publishing in the health sciences

Abstract

- Life and death on the coral reef: an ecological perspective on scholarly publishing in the health sciences

Life and death on the coral reef: an ecological perspective on scholarly publishing in the health sciences*†

Rick B. Forsman, MSLS, MPA, AHIP, FMLA, Director

Charles Denison MD Memorial Library University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center 4200 East Ninth Avenue Denver, Colorado 80262-0003

Rick B. Forsman: rick.forsman@uchsc.edu

Objective: Reflecting patterns evident in past Janet Doe lectures, the 2004 address draws on the foundations of biology to provide a model that offers insights into the advent of electronic publications and choices for the future.

Setting: The lecture sketches a picture of the fragile relationships found in complex ecosystems and illustrates how such interdependencies function in the environment of the coral reef.

Analysis: Deriving lessons from the marine world, the lecture then shifts to a description of similarities in the realm of scholarly publishing, the impact of digital innovations in the marketplace, and the controversies and choices inherent in open access publications.

Conclusions: Lessons from ecology and publishing lead to the conclusion that librarians must take action and risks in this time of dramatic environmental change.


J Med Libr Assoc. 2005 January; 93(1): 7–15. © 2005, Medical Library Association.