Dear Ken, and others
I have been interested in this topic for some time and would like to become
more involved. However I am inclined to the view that great plans to save the
world are less productive than small beginnings.
Also, as has been indicated, academics are not generally inclined to be
publishers (if they were they would probably be working in publishing rather
than research and teaching) so, if universities want to get into publishing (as
many have from time to time in the past) they need to employ a few editors to
provide the discipline and continuity required. Finding people who combine the
right experience and aptitude, with a progressive approach that leaves behind
the unnecessary parts of the old remit, will not be a slight challenge. I
remember reading an interview with a very successful and progressive
restaurater who said that he would never emply anybody who had training in
traditional catering because they brought too many bad habits with them.
My personal interest would be in picking an area of interest and starting a
pilot journal/archive with modest ambitions but sufficient to learn the trade.
There are some interesting questions about the nature of peer review, the
status of papers as they progress from draft to rock-solid and the robustness
of the archive, not to mention the opportunity for greater use of non-text
material. I feel that these are better pursued from a ground-up position,
working with some real problems, especially as there is a lot of published
theory already, as Ken has indicated.
best wishes from Sheffield
Chris Rust
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Chris Rust
Reader in Design
Art and Design Research Centre
Sheffield Hallam University UK
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tel +44 114 225 2706
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Psalter Lane, Sheffield S11 8UZ, UK
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