Open Access News

News from the open access movement


Saturday, May 05, 2007

OA for librarians

Karin Dalziel, Open Access for Librarians: When, Why, and How?  A text and slide presentation for a Special Libraries class, May 2007.  (Thanks to Dorothea Salo.)  Excerpt:

...It is easy for librarians in larger institutions or cities to forget that the “standard” databases are not “standard” everywhere. In many cases, small libraries cannot afford even the most basic databases- but members of their communities still have a need for accurate information. Even in larger academic institutions, faculty are finding that they have to cut information from course packs that is essential to student’s learning. Karen Estlund describes a situation where “Professors cut readings from their syllabi so that students could afford to purchase course packs, frustrating their attempts to provide the education they wanted for their students” (Donovan and Estlund, 2007, “Karen’s story” section). Faculty may even find that they have to pay to be able to distribute their own research! “On one occasion, a faculty member was shocked when he learned that he had signed away the rights to his work, which was no longer his own to use for teaching” (Donovan and Estlund, 2007, “Karen’s story” section). These problems are not getting better, either. “permissions [are] increasing at a rapid per-page rate … Permission fees averaged $0.05 a page/copy in the 1990s but had risen by the year 2000 to an average of $0.10 a page/copy” (Donovan and Estlund, 2007, “Karen’s story” section). These rises in rates continue to be a problem, and more of the libraries budget must be spent to access precious few journals....

There are several open access journals devoted to Library and information science....Librarians can show a commitment to open access by “publish[ing] in open access journals when we can, routinely use pre- and postprint repositories, make deals with publishers to create hybrid publications, and use social software tools to create living, incomplete publications” (Cohen, 2007). Many state associations, including Nebraska, put the content of their newsletters online as well as publishing it in a paper format. This sets a great example, so it would be a great place to contribute. If only the ALA would follow suit with some of their publications! ...

There are many ways librarians can self publish or help with the publishing process....