Dear Klaus, It is useful that you have tested and found that the U. St Gallen's Alexandria Repository's Eprint Request Button produced no eprints for six requests.
The best use to which this outcome can be put is to notify the Alexandria Repository manager [EMAIL PROTECTED] that something is amiss in their implementation of the Button: Either is is not working mechanically (the requests fail to reach the authors, or the authors' responses fail to generate an eprint emailing) or that their authors have not been informed of its function and purpose). I also suggest you try some more IRs that implement the Button. (Perhaps you wish to post to AmSci and JISC-REPOSITORIES to ask which IRs have implemented it.) The conclusions that this single Alexandria case study will *not* support are either that (1) the Button itself does not work, simpliciter, or (2) that authors don't want to use it. I also don't understand the reply that "scholars are more willing to send full texts when directly contacted": Is a direct email contact not a direct contact? From decades of experience with reprint mailing I can say with confidence that the Alexandria data do not make sense to me, and are likely the result either of an incorrect implementation of the Button or a failure to inform authors about its function. Best wishes, Stevan Harnad On 10-Oct-08, at 10:16 AM, Klaus Graf wrote: > I have published one more test using the Alexandria server at Sankt > Gallen (Switzerland): > > http://archiv.twoday.net/stories/5247312/ > > From 6 requested full texts I received none. Alexandria manager says > that their experience is that scholars are more willing to send > fulltexts when directly contacted. > > Best, > Klaus > > 2008/9/18 Peter Suber <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: >> If the button is illegal under German law, or if some existing >> buttons are >> not working as intended, you're doing a service by pointing that out. >> >> But I never argued that the button should be implemented where it was >> illegal or that the defective ones were not defective. As far as I >> know, >> neither did Stevan. >> >> Best, >> Peter >> >> >> At 05:30 PM 9/17/2008, you wrote: >> >> As you have seen I have summarized the findings of >> >> http://archiv.twoday.net/stories/5193609/ >> >> in the AMSCI forum. If you know a better discussion of the request >> button please let me know. >> >> Best, >> Klaus _______________________________________________ Dspace-general mailing list Dspace-general@mit.edu http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/dspace-general
