Stephen C in an update to his post describes Paul Nikkel's dramatic contribution to our conversation about the possibility of a Biblical Studies Open Access Article Repository as letting "a little kitten out of the bag" which is not a bad metaphor, since little kittens can grow up into quite big cats!
In one sense since all we have (for now) is the kitten, there's little point in saying "Go read Paul's announcement!" because one can summarise it fast: he and Danny are working on a system and are negotiating for funding to set up the sort of repository we have been dreaming about. This is really exciting, but understandably they cannot say more till various things are settled...
So, do we wait holding our breath, or do we start in with our wish lists?
I will at least say now that I really hope that they set it up in such a way that it is stable, reliable and protected. Both technically and socially. It is this need for stability etc. that was one of my reasons for proposing that the repository might be an SBL project, but perhaps Paul and Danny have found another way to insure those things. The other main reason for suggesting SBL was to ensure that the repository gained a "critical mass" of articles fast. I'll be interested to hear - in due course - how Deinde plans to address these two concerns... ¶ 8:09 PM
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Hi Tim,
Yes a kitten is an apt metaphor :)
I'm really busting to address all these points but I want to be in a position where I can say firmly this is what we are doing. Of course this is going to work best in the "beta" stage if we can all collaboratively toss ideas around but again I need to be able to say ok this can be implemented or this issue is addressed in this way and I need the frameworks solidified before I can say what will be possible or not (mostly funding will decide this).
As much as I wish this discussion had started even one month from now :) it is encouraging for us to see the organic support evident in the discussion. It is always easier to implement big ideas from the bottom up!
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Paul, at
March 21, 2005 11:37 PM
