Academic Publishing in Europe - conference in Berlin, 4-5 April

["Sally Morris \(ALPSP\)" <sally.morris@alpsp.org>]

What is happening in European academic publishing, and in the 
information market which it serves?  This conference provides an 
international strategic forum to discuss the role of information 
in science and society;  it is intended for all those involved in 
the academic information chain.

Academic publishing in Europe has a long tradition, and many 
small and medium-sized publishers and learned societies have 
played an important role. There have been many structural changes 
in the information and value chains;  we are now facing many 
issues - linguistic, cultural, educational, financial, 
technological, political, and standardisation, to name but a few 
- that will have a serious impact on the outreach of scientific 
communication within and from Europe. We have seen valuable 
initiatives for the creation of digital libraries. We are seeing 
new funding models, such as Open Access publication, as well as a 
major change from subscriptions to the licensing of information. 
The way we cite, quote and link information is changing as well. 
The optimum use of information, however, also depends also on the 
its searchability, and generic search engines do not always 
fulfil the professional's needs and expectations.

Rather than repeating well-known positions, we are aiming for a 
fresh approach.  By the end of the conference we hope that all 
stakeholders and interested parties will better understand the 
implications of the changes that are going on, and will be able 
to identify challenges and possibilities for more efficient 
production, dissemination and use of information. Many eminent 
speakers from different backgrounds and disciplines will give 
their views of the future in a unique setting in the heart of 
Europe.

For details see http://www.ape2006.de/

Sally Morris, Chief Executive
Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers
Email:  sally.morris@alpsp.org