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December 16, 2025
Some thoughts on the impact of Sci-Hub
Sci-Hub has been getting a lot of attention recently – for those of you not up to date there are some really good pieces written here:
What should we think about Sci-Hub?
Next moves in the Sci-Hub game
The last article raised some interesting points that prompted a reply from the Sci-Hub founder, who I think mistook critical thinking for criticism. If you would indulge me I’d like to spend 5 minutes thinking about the impact of Sci-Hub and what the longer term implications for scholarly communications are. I’m not particularly saying anything new, just crystallising a few thoughts that have been floating around.
What is the short term impact of Sci-Hub?
The impact is massive for anyone stuck outside of a subscription paywall. Immediate free access to articles that you would have had to pay ~$30 each. For these people it is a game changer. I don’t need to eulogise how important this is for enabling access.
For publishers, at a first glance it looks terrible. Their pirated content is being distributed for free. Shock! Horror! Quick unleash the legal dogs of war!
But take a closer look and the disruption enabled by Sci-Hub is not quite like the disruption that has occurred in other digital media (think Napster etc). This is because the customers who pay for content are mainly institutions and not individual customers, and they have very different behaviours. I would estimate that the long term financial impact of pirated material for academic journal publishers would be negligible at best, and at worst just a small dent in their 30%-40% profit margins.
Longer term effects.
If you step away from the warm rosy glow of immediate access, you’ll find that the change in scholarly communication is not as drastic as you first thought. On the whole, institutions will not drop all of their journal subscriptions because a website is offering free downloads of articles. Organisations, who in this case have the purse strings, do not think and behave like individuals.
Any reputable institution would not be able to tell their researchers that they have cancelled subs to the journals they read and that they have to find and use pirated content instead. Like them or not, we can trust publishers to make their content available 24/7 (well, most of the time) because we have service level agreements and other legally binding contracts. What is the longevity of Sci-Hub? I don’t know, but the Sci-Hub founder freely admits that the site runs on donations and it costs several thousand dollars per month to keep running. Unlike other scholarly communication nodes – for example arXiv* – there is no funding mechanism that organisations can use to pay Sci-Hub to keep running because it’s activities are illegal and that status is not going to change any time soon. As such, institutions cannot rely on Sci-Hub to provide access to it’s services 24/7 and will always stick with the publishers.
Sci-hub is a sticking plaster
It is worth repeating that the bottom line is that organisations will most definitely not stop paying subscriptions to journal publishers because of Sci-Hub. More knowledgeable people than me have pointed out that Sci-Hub is a symptom of the problem, or that it is palliative care which alleviates the immediate problem. Unfortunately, I don’t think Sci-Hub will be the main catalyst for wider change in scholarly communication that people want, or need, it to be. Subscriptions will still be paid, researchers will still publish in those pay-walled journals, we will still have restrictive licences, text-mining will still be difficult. Plus ça change. The problem is that authors and readers need better than this.
[*Other scholarly communication nodes have sustainable business models – for example arXiv raises ~$350,000 per year through membership fees generated by approximately 186 institutions.]
Violins, horns, diamonds and a crocodile: SCOConnects with MIMEd
Violins, horns, diamonds and a crocodile: SCO Connects with MIMEd
Reaching out and establishing ties to the community are important elements of the redevelopment of St Cecilia’s Hall. But how does a museum work with the community when the building is closed? By creating partnerships and taking our collections out into the community.
Recently MIMEd partnered with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra to provide quality performances and programming to audiences of all ages. SCO Connect, the creative learning team of the orchestra, worked with MIMEd Learning & Engagement Curator, Sarah Deters, to organise two Family Workshops which combined storytelling, live musical performance, and museum ‘show and tell’ for children aged 4-10 and their parents or care givers. The participants heard excerpts from The Crocodiamond, the story of Rita, a young girl who foils the theft of the largest diamond in the world. Providing the soundtrack for our storyteller were two musicians from the SCO playing violin, horn, and assorted percussion instruments.
Before and after the workshops participants had the opportunity to learn about, hear, and play items from the collections of MIMEd. Visitors young and old explored the sounds of serpents, horns, and even a Picco pipe (the smallest form of a duct flute).
The workshops were a great way to combine fun, learning, performance and MIMEd looks forward to future collaborations with the SCO and their creative learning team.
New MOOC! Research Data Management and Sharing
[Guest post from Dr. Helen Tibbo, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill]
The School of Information and Library Science and the Odum Institute at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and EDINA at the University of Edinburgh are pleased to announce the forthcoming Coursera MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), Research Data Management and Sharing.
This is a collaboration of the UNC-CH CRADLE team (Curating Research Assets and Data Using Lifecycle Education) and MANTRA. CRADLE has been funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services to develop training for both researchers and library professionals. MANTRA was designed as a prime resource for postgraduate training in research data management skills and is used by learners worldwide.
The MOOC uses the Coursera on-demand format to provide short, video-based lessons and assessments across a five-week period, but learners can proceed at their own pace. Although no formal credit is assigned for the MOOC, Statements of Accomplishment will be available to any learner who completes a course for a small fee.
The Research Data Management and Sharing MOOC will launch 1st March, 2016, and enrolment is open now. Subjects covered in the 5-week course follow the stages of any research project. They are:
- Understanding Research Data
- Data Management Planning
- Working with Data
- Sharing Data
- Archiving Data
Dr. Helen Tibbo from the School of Information and Library Science (SILS) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill delivers four of the five sets of lessons, and Sarah Jones, Digital Curation Centre, delivers the University of Edinburgh-developed content in Week 3 (Working with Data). Quizzes and supplementary videos add to the learning experience, and assignments are peer reviewed by fellow learners, with questions and answers handled by peers and team teachers in the forum.
Staff from both organizations will monitor the learning forums and the peer-reviewed assignments to make sure learners are on the right track, and to watch for adjustments needed in course content.
The course is open to enrolment now, and will ‘go live’ on 1st March.
https://www.coursera.org/learn/research-data-management-and-sharing
Hashtag: #RDMSmooc
A preview of one of the supplementary videos is now available on Youtube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhVqImna7cU
Please join us in this data adventure.
-Helen
Dr. Helen R. Tibbo, Alumni Distinguished Professor
President, 2010-2011 & Fellow, Society of American Archivists
School of Information and Library Science
201 Manning Hall, CB#3360
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3360
Tel: 919-962-8063
Fax: 919-962-8071
tibbo@ils.unc.edu
Where there is tea, there is hope
Everyone uses different things to relax. For around two hundred years, a popular way to take a break has been to have a cup of tea. In fact, this website suggests that people in Britain drink about 165 million cups of tea a day!
Today we were contributing to that staggering number by handing out teabags to students. We had a variety of relaxing blends to choose from:
While hot drinks and books definitely don’t mix, we hope that our Takeaway Teabags reminded students to take a break and let them know that their library cares about them! Maybe they could enjoy the rare winter sunshine today by having a little tea party, like the McKendricks are doing in this image from our collections:
Tea Party with McKendricks, http://images.is.ed.ac.uk/luna/servlet/s/wl6b77 © The University of Edinburgh,
We will be popping up in the Main Library Foyer with another popular relaxation activity next week, so if you don’t like tea (or you just like bubble wrap!), keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter!
DataVault Project updates
It’s been a while since we last posted a project update, so here is a round-up of recent progress:
- We are currently at the 11th International Digital Curation Conference in Amsterdam, and will be presenting a paper on the Data Vault project to the conference in the ‘digital preservation’ stream of the conference.
- A demo system is now available where you can see how the system works, and deposit + retrieve some example data sets.
- Jisc have generously provided phase three funding to the Data Vault project. This funding will last for six months, and will provide resources to complete the development of the first complete version of the Data Vault software.
South Asian Newspapers on trial
The Library currently has trial access to South Asian Newspapers (1864-1922). This unique collection provides online access to a select group of South Asian newspapers from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
South Asian Newspapers (1864-1922) coverage includes: Read More
Medieval Manuscripts from the Dirt Ages
February saw the start of a new project to surface clean and rehouse the CRC’s most important collection of Western medieval manuscripts, which were bequeathed to the library by David Laing in 1878. His collection contains 121 Western manuscripts, most of which are very finely illuminated or textually important.
Figure 1. Details of illuminations found in the manuscripts
Due to the age and past storage of the material, many items have accumulated a large amount of surface dirt. As well as reducing the aesthetic quality of the manuscripts, surface soiling can potentially be very damaging to paper and parchment artefacts.
Figure 2. Accumulation of surface dirt on a manuscript
Firstly, dirt particulates can have an abrasive action on a microscopic level, causing a weakening of the fibres. Dust can also become acidic due to the absorption of atmospheric pollutants. Sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxides present in the environment, in combination with moisture and the metallic impurities found in dirt, can be converted to sulphuric acid and nitric acid respectively. This is absorbed by the pages and results in a loss of strength and flexibility. Dust can also provide a food source for insects and mould. Mould spores in the air can settle on the manuscripts and live on the organic material in the dust. At a high relative humidity, these moulds can thrive. Surface dirt can also cause staining of the item. Dirt can readily absorb moisture which causes the particulates to sink deeper into the paper or parchment fibres, making it impossible to remove by surface cleaning methods.
Figure 3. Example of ingrained surface dirt on a manuscript
To remove loose particulates, a museum vac is firstly used to quickly hoover up large amounts of dirt. It has adjustable suction levels, so it can be used on fragile items if needed. A range of attachments can be used to reach dirt in all the nooks and crannies of the manuscripts. The museum vac also has filters to prevent any mould spores removed from the book getting back out into the studio.
Figure 4. A museum vac (left) with attachments (right)
A chemical sponge is then used to remove ingrained dirt. This is a block of vulcanised natural rubber which picks up dirt and holds it in its substrate. It was originally developed to remove soot from fire damaged objects.
Figure 5. Using chemical sponge to surface clean a manuscript
Many of the manuscripts pages are extremely cockled. This has resulted in the ingress of dust further into the text block. Due to this, the manuscripts must be examined page by page to ensure all dirt is removed, which can be very time consuming, especially for the larger volumes. However, all the hard work is worth it. Knowing we are making a difference to the condition of the collection, and seeing the change in the books is very satisfying!
Figure 6. Stages of surface cleaning. Before treatment (left), cleaned with museum vac (middle), cleaned with chemical sponge (right)
Were the Tudors terrible?
*The Library has access to The Cecil Papers until 31st July 2024 as part of ProQuest Access 350.*
The Library currently has trial access to The Cecil Papers, which may help you find out.
This fascinating archive offers you crucial insights into the events of one of the most dynamic periods of history.
The Cecil Papers cover the period 1520-1668 and are a privately held archive of around 30,000 16th and 17th century manuscripts. In the main, these consist of the correspondence of William Cecil, Lord Burghley (1520-1598) and his son Robert, the 1st Earl of Salisbury (1563-1612). Read More
100 Great Ideas
We’re always thinking of ways to improve the library, and today we’ve been asking for your ideas. As part of Innovative Learning Week, we’ve been in the foyer today trying to get 100 ideas for what could make this space better.
We even made a little Lego model of the foyer – do you recognise it?
We want to hear any ideas that you have, and some of them have been a little bit crazy! Anyone fancy a slide from the first floor down to the ground? Or maybe a Library yurt?
There have been lots of great suggestions though, how about some library beanbags? Or some thought provoking challenges to get your brain working as you come in to the Library before you have to study?
There is still time to contribute your ideas, either visit the library today, or contact us on Facebook or Twitter and let us know what you’d like to see here!
5 library databases you didn’t know you needed in your life…
…until now.
The many bibliographic and indexing databases you can access through the Library are fantastic and essential resources for your research and study whether you are an undergraduate, postgraduate or member of staff.
However, the Library subscribes to a large number of different kinds of databases that can be just as useful for your learning, teaching and research needs and we wanted to highlight just a small number of these that you may not have been aware of and might want to explore.
All databases can be accessed via the Databases A-Z list, unless otherwise noted.
In no particular order…
1. Box of Broadcasts (BoB) Read More
Collections
Hill and Adamson Collection: an insight into Edinburgh’s past
My name is Phoebe Kirkland, I am an MSc East Asian Studies student, and for...
Cataloguing the private papers of Archibald Hunter Campbell: A Journey Through Correspondence
My name is Pauline Vincent, I am a student in my last year of a...
Projects
Cataloguing the private papers of Archibald Hunter Campbell: A Journey Through Correspondence
My name is Pauline Vincent, I am a student in my last year of a...
Archival Provenance Research Project: Lishan’s Experience
Presentation My name is Lishan Zou, I am a fourth year History and Politics student....