June 2011 Archives

The National Academies Press -- the publishing arm of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council -- are dedicated to distributing their books to as wide an audience as possible.

Effective June 2, 2011, PDFs of books that are currently for sale on the National Academies Press (NAP) website and PDFs associated with future books will be offered free of charge to all web visitors. NAP produces more than 200 books a year on a wide range of topics in science, engineering, and health, capturing the best-informed views on important issues. NAP will continue to sell hard-copy versions of their books. One popular title with researchers is Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Management of Chemical Hazards, which costs $99.95 in hardcover.

Former AAUP President Sandy Thatcher commented in the Chronicle of Higher Education story on NAP's announcement that "NAP was the first member of the Association of American University Presses to post books online for free beginning in the mid-1990s, becoming thereby a pioneer in the open-access movement, and this new step only adds to its luster as a leader in this worthy cause."

The VCU Libraries catalog currently lists over 2,000 online books and over 1,200 hard-copy books from the National Academies Press.

VCU faculty members can designate borrowing privileges for their spouses and partners at VCU Libraries. This new service will allow a spouse or partner to have an account separate from the faculty member's account. Those with a spouse/partner account will be able to borrow up to 10 books at a time, for 28 days, with two renewals. The Faculty Spouse/Partner Designation form (to be completed by the faculty member) and the VCU Employees, Students and Affiliate Borrowers form (to be completed by the spouse or partner) are available online. 

This benefit is different from the Faculty Proxy Borrower service, which allows VCU faculty members to authorize other individuals (graduate assistants, departmental support staff, family members, etc.) to check out library materials on the faculty member's account. The faculty spouse/partner account is separate, which guarantees privacy and confidentiality regarding the materials borrowed.

For more information on borrowing privileges, contact Teresa Doherty, Head, Circulation and Information Services, (804-828-8658).