Social Science Research Council

This last week I attended a talk by Professor Paul Duguid of the UC Berkeley I-School. Prof. Duguid teaches on the topic of information quality, and recently has begun research on the history and development of trademarks and branding. As with his previous work, his talk raised issues that question the embrace of the current popular culture of open web based systems, and his commentaries are well worth sharing.

As Harvard University is considering the adoption of an open-access policy for its faculty’s publications, John Willinsky discusses the stakes associated with such choices and their potential impact on the public use of knowledge.
It may be because I have spent my entire educational life in public schools, public libraries, and public universities, prior that is to joining Stanford this year, that I am drawn to recent news stories on the endowments that help to finance this country’s leading private universities. I have become all too aware that I’ve joined an institution…