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Hypermedia Online Publishing: the Transformation of the Scholarly Journal

8.3.5 Lessons learned

The critical factors for Highwire's continuing success were stated to be a mix of the academic setting, physical setting, technology and support of the university administration. The academic setting within Stanford provides rich connections to subject domain experts and academic staff. The involvement of library staff at all levels ensures a deep understanding of the requirements of all the participants. As librarians, it is their job to deliver information directly to university researchers and understand their needs. Highwire also helps the publishers deliver intellectual property through librarians to researchers. Finally, as librarians themselves, they understand the special needs and constraints that librarians have; they are their own clients. The physical location of Stanford within Silicon Valley facilitates a range of cooperative projects with leading-edge computer companies, as well as 'grapevine' access to the latest technology news. The right technology mix at Stanford includes a very talented staff and an outstanding networking infrastructure, essential for ensuring adequate client access. By the same token, projects like Highwire based on the latest Web technologies need skills that are in high demand throughout Silicon Valley at present. Compared to a computer startup company, a university can't offer the promise of stock options and becoming rich. This can be a problem in recruiting staff.

Last modified: Monday, 11-Dec-2017 14:41:10 AEDT