Commentary: “Lessons From arXiv’s 30 Years of Information Sharing”
The following article (a commentary) was recently published by Nature Reviews Physics.
Title
Lessons From arXiv’s 30 Years of Information Sharing
Author
Paul Ginsparg*
Cornell University
* Founder of arXiv
Source
Nature Reviews Physics
DOI: 10.1038/s42254-021-00360-z
Abstract
Since the launch of arXiv 30 years ago, modes of information spread in society have changed dramatically — and not always for the better. Paul Ginsparg, who founded arXiv, discusses how academic experience with online preprints can still inform information sharing more generally.
Thirty years ago, when arXiv was launched, many felt optimistic about the potential of the internet to foster a better-informed citizenry and to level the playing field between the information haves and have-nots. With new platforms like arXiv, academia led the way. But now, those original ideals seem elusive, with political polarization so exacerbated by information echo chambers that there is no longer even agreement about what constitutes objective evidence. With stakes so high, perhaps we in academia can retake the lead we held 30 years ago and restore some of those expectations, by modelling how information can be responsibly and productively shared.
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About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.