[Medicago] Medicago handbook

[medicago from net.bio.net]

   <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><SPAN
   la= ng=EN-AU>Sorry for the multiple messages, hopefully this
   version i= s easier to read</SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal
   style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><SPAN la= ng=EN-AU>Dear
   All,</SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN:
   0cm 0cm 10pt"><SPAN la   ng=EN-AU>&nbsp;<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
   "urn:= schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
   /><o:p></o:p><= /SPAN></P> <P
   class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><SPAN la   ng=EN-AU>Last year the Medicago community started to create a <I
   s= tyle="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Medicago
   truncatula</I>= handbook containing a wide collection of chapters
   on the biology of <= I style="mso-bidi-font-style:
   normal">Medicago truncatula</I= >, as well as many protocol
   chapters. This handbook is available a= t the Noble website at
   http://www.noble.org/MedicagoHandbook/.<= /SPAN></P>
   <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><SPAN
   la= ng=EN-AU>This email is about two suggestions: 1) updating
   the curr= ent web handbook and 2) a new proposal from Springer to
   publish this boo= k in some form.</SPAN></P> <P
   class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><SPAN la   ng=EN-AU>Our aim is to keep updating this handbook regularly. I
   wo= uld therefore like to ask anybody to has already contributed or
   would li= ke to contribute to think about updating content or
   suggesting new chapt= ers.</SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal
   style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><SPAN la= ng=EN-AU>We
   have previously thought about publishing a hard copy of = the book
   with Springer. At that time the majority of authors decided t= hat
   the main aim of this book is to provide free information for the Med   icago community<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;
   <= /SPAN>and because Springer’s publishing agreement did not
   allow for = the same free web version to be posted as they would have
   published in p= rint, we did not go ahead.</SPAN></P> <P
   class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><SPAN la   ng=EN-AU>At the Plant and Animal Genome Conference in January, a
   d= ifferent editor from Springer approached Doug Cook and Michael
   Udvardi t= o enquire about the possibility of publishing a Medicago
   book in Springe= r’s “Plant Genetics and Genomics” series.
   This series is focusse= d on genetics and genomics of major crops and
   model plants. Doug and M= ichael contacted Lloyd Sumner and me
   because we had been involved in put= ting together the Medicago
   handbook. Subsequently, <SPAN style="= mso-spacerun:
   yes">&nbsp;</SPAN>Lloyd and I have been talk= ing to the
   Springer editor to explore the potential mutual interests of    Springer and the Medicago community. </SPAN></P> <P
   class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><SPAN la   ng=EN-AU>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P
   class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><SPAN la   ng=EN-AU>Lloyd and I argued that it would be best for the Medicago
   c= ommunity to a) retain free access to the website as a first
   priority and= b) that a book focussed on genetics and genomics of <I
   style="mso= -bidi-font-style: normal">M.
   truncatula</I> would not be as = useful as publishing the full
   content of the Medicago handbook. The ed= itor told us that the
   Maize community recently created a handbook that i= s split into two
   volumes, the first one focuses on the biology and use= of maize,
   the second contains the genetics and genomics content that = Springer
   is counting as part of their Plant Genetics and Genomics Series= .
   Lloyd and I thought that this might be a possible option for a Medic   ago handbook, i.e. essentially publish the content of the
   current = web handbook in two volumes, with the option of expanding
   to future ad= ditional volumes. This would assume that a) there is
   interest in a boo= k like that (by the authors and people who would
   buy the book), b) suc= h a publication would not stop us from
   keeping the handbook up on the we= bsite for free access. I would
   hope that we can differentiate our curr= ent web handbook sufficiently
   from the proposed hard copy book(s) with m= inimal omissions and
   effort by maybe rearranging the order of chapters,= having slightly
   different figures, and maybe some introductory and ov= erview
   chapters, but any suggestions about that would also be wecome.   </SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm
   0cm 10pt"><SPAN la   ng=EN-AU>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P
   class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><SPAN la   ng=EN-AU>Therefore, I would like to ask all of you for your
   opinio= n on</SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal
   style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; TEXT-IN= DENT: -18pt;
   mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><SPAN lang=EN-AU>= 1)<SPAN
   style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&   nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
   lang=EN-AU>= If you are a current author would you like to
   contribute to a hard copy = (this might involve some updating of
   chapters or writing additional chap= ters)?</SPAN></P> <P
   class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; TEXT-IN   DENT: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><SPAN
   lang=EN-AU>= 2)<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New
   Roman'">&nbsp;&= nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
   </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-AU>= If you are not a
   current author would you like to contribute new chapter   s?</SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN:
   0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; TEXT-IN= DENT: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1
   lfo1"><SPAN lang=EN-AU>= 3)<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt
   'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&= nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
   </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-AU>= Would you buy such a
   book (for your lab) at a price of possibly $US75-   100?</SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN:
   0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; TEXT-IN= DENT: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1
   lfo1"><SPAN lang=EN-AU>= 4)<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt
   'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&= nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
   </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-AU>= Would the format of
   having two volumes with possible future expansion to= other volumes be
   useful?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&= nbsp;
   </SPAN>Or would you rather support just a publication focuss= ing
   on genetics and genomics of Medicago (so far there is one on soybean   , Rosaceae, cotton, tropical plants, and the one on maize in
   pre= paratioon, see </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB
   style="mso-ansi-lan= guage: EN-GB"><A
   href="http://www.springer.com/series/   7397?detailsPage=titles">http://www.springer.com/series/
   73= 97?detailsPage=titles</A>, and <U><SPAN
   style="COLOR= :
   #1f497d">http://www.springer.com/series/7397</SPAN><
   = /U><SPAN style="COLOR:
   #1f497d">)</SPAN></SPAN><= /P> <P
   class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><SPAN la   ng=EN-AU>Any suggestions would be appreciated. If you have any
   upd= ated chapters for the website you can email them to me any time
   (ulrike.= mathesius from anu.edu.au).</SPAN></P> <P
   class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><SPAN la   ng=EN-AU>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P
   class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><SPAN la   ng=EN-AU>Best wishes,</SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal
   style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><SPAN la= ng=EN-AU>Ulrike
   Mathesius</SPAN></P>