Objective
Video
Readings
Discussion

Objective

This module will give you a basic understanding of the history and background of the Public Knowledge Project and Open Journal Systems, and by the end you should be able to identify at least four important aspects of the project and the software.

Because PKP is a community-based, open source software project, it is important that you gain some familiarity with its background and feel comfortable becoming part of it.

If you choose to become an active participant with PKP, your own experience will be significantly enhanced, as you will become part of an ever-growing and mutually-supporting “community of practice”, and the project itself will become stronger and more sustainable.

Video

Readings

Bonn M, Furlough M.  2015. The Roots and Branches of Library Publishing Programs. In Getting the Word Out: Academic Libraries as Scholarly Publishers.
This entire book is well-worth reading, but at least take a look at the first, introductory chapter.
Edgar, Brian D. and Willinsky, John. A Survey of Scholarly Journals Using Open Journal Systems. Scholarly and Research Communication, 2010, vol. 1, n. 2.
A study of OJS journals, revealing how it is being used around the world.
Journal.fi
An OJS 3 multi-journal installation from Finland.
Open Journal Systems. Public Knowledge Project.
The home page for OJS on the PKP website.
Owen, G. W. Brian and Stranack, Kevin. The Public Knowledge Project and the Simon Fraser University Library: A partnership in open source and open access. Serials Librarian, 2007, vol. 55, n. 1/2, pp. 140-167.
An introduction to the Public Knowledge Project and OJS.
PKP Index. Public Knowledge Project.
A list of OJS journals from around the world.
What is Open Source? Opensource.com.
A brief introduction to open source software.

Discussion

Were you already familiar with the definition of open source software before taking this course? Do you currently use any open source software? If so, which applications are you using?

If you have any questions about this unit, please post them here (after the existing comments, at the bottom of the page). Feel free to respond to comments or answer questions of your co-students too!