The following Open Access resources are available:

ABC-Chemistry : Directory of Free Fulltext Journals in Chemistry

This Directory lists the fully and partly free journals that comply with the following criteria:  peer-reviewed; one-year, at least, free full-text content, or extensive free supplements to printed versions of papers;  chemistry or chemistry-related subject coverage

Academic Journals

Academic Journals, a broad-based open access publisher, was founded on two key tenets: To publish the most exciting researches with respect to the subjects of our functional Journals. Secondly, to provide a rapid turn-around time possible for reviewing and publishing, and to disseminate the articles freely for teaching and reference purposes.

Africa Portal

The Africa Portal is an online knowledge resource for policy-related issues on Africa. The Africa Portal offers open access to a suite of features including an online library collection; a resource for opinion and analysis; an experts directory; an international events calendar; and a mobile technology component.  A key feature to the Africa Portal is the online library collection holding over 5,000 books, journals, and digital documents related to African policy issues. The entire online repository is open access and available for free full-text download.

African Journals Online

The African Journal Archive is a retrospective digitisation project of full-text journal articles published in Africa.  Journal articles hosted on the Archive extend back to the first issue (if available) and end with the last pre-current issue (determined by the publisher).  There are over 130 open access journals hosted on the AJOL website.

Bentham OPEN

The journals cover all major disciplines of science, technology, medicine and social sciences and are freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication.

Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) 

Available free of charge on the Getty Web.  BHA includes articles from over 1,200 journals

Bioline International

Bioline International provides open access to quality research journals on health, biodiversity, the environment, conservation and international development published in developing countries.

Biomed Cent

BioMed Central is an STM (Science, Technology and Medicine) publisher of 256 peer-reviewed open access journals. The portfolio of journals spans all areas of biology, biomedicine and medicine.  All original research articles published by BioMed Central are made freely accessible online immediately upon publication.

Chemistry Central 

Chemistry Central is an open access chemistry publisher, operated by BioMed Central and owned by Springer Science+Business Media, committed to the free and widespread dissemination of chemical research.

Copernicus Online Open Access Journals 

Copernicus Publishers publish a variety and a growing number of peer-reviewed open access scientific journals.    Copernicus Publications has been described as the largest open access publisher in the Geo- and Earth system sciences.

 

 

 

I have been invited to collaborate with Tord Hoivik (associate professor at LATINA lab) in developing courseware on Statistics for the 2014 LATINA course which will be presented as a MOOC (Massive Online Open Course). In order to prepare for the development of the course, I was invited to attend the LATINA lab programme.

 The programme was held at the University of Oslo and Akershus in Oslo, Norway from Monday 30 September to Friday 11 October 2013. Its main purpose is to introduce various free or low cost technologies which can be used to improve the student experience and provide an environment for hands-on training in the use of the selected technologies.  This year the LATINA training included the development of e-Books and MOOCs.

The workshop was attended by a small group with delegates from China, Lithuania, Norway and myself.  It was a really stimulating experience that showed how much could be done with some technical knowledge, free software and enthusiasm. I hope to be able to stimulate some of my colleagues into testing and experimenting with some of the software packages and techniques I have learnt.

The way forward:

Professor Helge Hoivik who runs the LATINA lab programme has requested further cooperation between our libraries. The University of Oslo and Akershus prides itself on its use of digital products and development of digital materials. Areas of possible cooperation include:

• Technologies which can be used by library staff (and related driving licenses)
• Language assistance for non-English language speakers
• Publication functions/assistance within a library
• Badges for online course modules and inter-institutional recognition for these badges and certificates
• They also use D-Space http://www.hioa.no/eng/Learning-Centre-and-Library/Make-your-research-known/ODA

Possible applications and sharing of knowledge:

• The development and publication of integrated e-books by library staff (as a parallel development of online courseware)
  • the possibility of including video content allows for audio commentary in a language different from the written text of the book – which I think would be very useful where we have many students who are not English-language speakers
  • E-books can be downloaded onto tablets, phones, etc. and used even when there is no internet access
  • DRM-encryption allows for the short-term borrowing of e-books
  • The use of Paper Camera techniques to add an extra-dimension to digital and printed material distributed by the library
  • Extended use of Adobe Connect and Skype to link to national and  international events, e.g. to the next LATINA workshop presentations
  • Possibly look at badges for individual modules within the Information literacy course

I would also like to try and develop the Statistical literacy programme developed for the librarians at CPUT Libraries into an interactive e-book using the skills I have learnt at the workshop.

Debbie Becker

October 2013