BoneCommons

Enhancing scholarly communication is a core goal for the Alexandria Archive Institute (AAI). Currently, conference papers see little dissemination wider than the audience of a particular session and the occasional informal sharing of papers between colleagues. Conference papers are typically short samples of larger research projects, and many such papers can be regarded as works in progress.To enrich the research and educational importance of conferences, AAI developers are launching a new service, “BoneCommons” specifically for the International Council for Archaeozoology (ICAZ). BoneCommons can provide a citable public record of such conference papers, thus securing an individual’s authorship of a particular body of research. By enabling the free sharing and distribution of works, open licensing helps people to realize the full potential of internet communication. Thus, BoneCommons content can be shared between colleagues, freely used in student course-packs, and enjoyed by the public without the legal ambiguities, restrictions, and risks inherent in standard copyright. This open sharing of scholarship will stand as an important accomplishment in meeting ICAZ’s goals of facilitating research, communication, and cooperation between zooarchaeologists and scholars in other related disciplines.

More information and links to BoneCommons coming soon.