The next CERN Workshop on Innovations in Scholarly Communication (OAI6), will be held at the University of Geneva on the 17th-19th of June 2009 (view map, slide show of the building). 
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The practice of science undergoes constant evolution. As discoveries are made, technologies developed, and data generated, new approaches for conducting science arise and flourish. In recent years, computing has drastically changed our ability to produce and analyze data, with implications for the ways in which we store knowledge and communicate about science. Open source software, public databases, open data standards, and Open Access publishing are now all indispensable to conducting research in the biomedical sciences. Looking forward, we can imagine a world in which research and data are fully open; where there are no barriers preventing the use and re-use of data for new purposes. This vision of 'Open Science' is within reach, but significant technical and cultural barriers remain.

Through the efforts of pioneering individuals, we are seeing a glimmer of what is possible. Open Notebook Science, public lab wikis, and a few online services provide inspiration, proof-of-principle, and infrastructure. Yet to fully realize the potential of Open Science, we need not only a fundamental shift in how science is practiced, but the rigorous development and testing of tools, standards, and frameworks enabling its practice. This workshop will serve as one of the first focused venues for evaluating existing tools, assessing socio-cultural ramifications, and envisioning the future of Open Science

The digital divide tends to be seen as a problem of access whose 'solution' will bring a myriad of benefits. The reality may be quite different: technology, once supplied, may fall into disuse; connectivity may be in short supply, or too costly; lack of uptake may be a conscious and rational decision. The digital divide is multidimensional, rather than being mainly or only about access.

The conference seeks to explore how under-served groups can make more effective use of learning technology. We ask you to select up to three of the dimensions listed below, each of which is followed by suggestions as to the kinds of issues that might be touched upon in a proposal. The suggestions give a glimpse of some current issues, but proposers are also invited to interpret the dimension flexibly, and to explore it in original ways when writing proposals...

The First Interdisciplinary Research Workshop on Free Culture presents a unique opportunity for scholars with various backgrounds, whose work contributes to the promotion or study of an emerging Free Culture, to present their research work to a multidisciplinary audience of academic peers and practitioners. It will be held in conjunction with the fourth iSummit, one of the largest annual events for the Free Culture and related movements. Our aim is to provide a platform for scholars to communicate their findings to an audience that extends beyond individual disciplines because we believe that the wider participation in the creative process (and consequently in the formation and dissemination of our modern culture) enabled by new Internet technologies, innovative legal solutions and new business models, are far-reaching and therefore deserve to be examined through the lens of multidisciplinary inquiry.

The focus of the workshop will be on the presentation and critique of work in progress, and with the inclusion of both academic researchers and practitioners, so as to produce a holistic perspective on the future of a more participative, open and free information society. Workshop participants will have the chance to present their work at an event which attracts some of the world's foremost thinkers on the future of the Internet, as well as practitioners, technologists, activists and artists who help shape that future.

Committee and business meetings take place June 28-July 1, 2008, and Council Meetings run to July 2. Education programs take place primariliy June 28-30, 2008. The exhibits will be held June 28-July 1.

Although the default rules in U.S. copyright law encourage exclusive ownership and create a limited monopoly, today’s technological and cultural landscape encourages sharing and collaboration. The result is a high-stakes conflict between copyright law and culture. Where do higher education interests reside? We will discuss these issues in the context of:

The Development of User Generated Content
Mass Digitization Projects
The Transformation of "Authorship"
Use of Wikis, Blogs and other Technologies in the Development of Scholarship

The Conference will be held at the Fordham University School of Law, which is located in midtown Manhattan at 140 West 62nd Street, New York City, adjacent to Lincoln Center to the south.