It is not just Amateur Ornithology in Australia in which it has been
observed that there is a decrease in the amount of papers and similar
"hard copy" writings. It appears to be occurring in all areas of Science
where there has been a substantial amount of publication of works by
non-professionals, e.g. Astronomy, Botany, Entomology, etc. In these
areas there have long been the equivalents of "twitchers". In Astronomy
you have the Catalogue Marathoners, who attempt to see as many stellar
objects as possible listed in a star catalogue. They even have the
equivalent of the Twitchathon, the Messier Marathon, in which one
attempts to see as many of the objects in the Messier Catalogue as
possible in one night.
I think the main culprit is the Internet. It is now so easy to publish
the results of personal research, observations and such, via a blog or
website that a considerable number of enthusiasts in many disciplines,
who formerly would have published are adopting this media, to the
detriment of "hard copy". The internet allows ones thoughts and work to
be available to a, potentially, wider audience, without such
frustrations as long lead times, picky Editors, having letters
disagreeing with what you have said and there is even the possibility of
an income from advertising on your blog/site.
What the answer is for publications such as Australian Field Ornithology
is, I don't know. It may be a case of "if you can't beat them, join
them" and go on line, or it might, sadly, be a case of sic transit
gloria mundi. Personally, I do not like the prospect of the decline of
printed magazines and journals. I might be a computer and tech nerd,
but I do prefer to read print on paper.
Cheers,
Carl Clifford
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www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
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