See original posting:
http://www.infomotions.com/serials/colldv-l/06/0208.shtml
==#1==
From: "Metter, Ellen" <Ellen.Metter_at_cudenver.edu>
My feeling on iUniverse and any self-published/vanity press books:
they need more legwork than books published by known publishing
companies.
If a title looks particularly interesting, I'll look into the author's
background and see if there were any 'legitimate' reviews on the
title. Even iUniverse book authors may have paid for a professional
copy editor - not uncommon in the world of self-publishing.
I will admit that iUniverse materials generally generate a big NO in
my head and I wouldn't go out of my way to find iUniverse titles. But
the occasional tantalizing title does come through!
Thanks for starting this thread, David.
Ellen Metter
Humanities/Anthropology Bibliographer
Auraria Library
1100 Lawrence Street
Denver, CO 80204
Phone: (303) 556-4516
Fax: (303) 556-3528
ellen.metter_at_cudenver.edu
==#2==
From:
Robert Holley <aa3805_at_wayne.edu>
I think that there are several issues here. The first is sending out email
announcements about dubious items. I spend about as much time on them
as on
Nigerian scam emails, but I might pay attention if the item were in a
critical field for one of my faculty.
The second is whether Amazon.com and Blackwell should carry these
books. My
position is that I don't want vendors to censor what they make
available for
purchase. Perhaps not offering materials known to be completely fraudulent
may be in order such as the Gille imprints, but I judge vendors by how
comprehensive their offerings are, not by what they don't supply when
I want
to buy it. Cutting off titles by publisher or subject is contrary to the
principles of intellectual freedom. (I moderated the program this
summer on
alternative materials in academic libraries.) The simple solution, as
in the
case when the library owns a book that you personally don't like, is to
avoid this type of material if it offends you. Perhaps a library with an
extensive Romanian or criminal justice collection would be eager to
purchase
this item precisely because it treats a non-standard topic that trade
publishers would not find profitable to publish.
Bob
Robert P. Holley
Professor, Library & Information Science Program
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI 48202
313-577-4021 (phone)
313-577-7563 (fax)
aa3805_at_wayne.edu (email)
Received on Sat Oct 28 2006 - 01:14:33 EDT