According to the C&RL Manuscript Preparation page, the typical post-review publication delay for papers is about one year.
This preprint strategy does not appear to preclude authors from depositing preprints elsewhere after publication....
The American Librarian Library Association's author agreement that C&RL uses...says nothing about restricting the author's right to distribute digital preprints, yet the Manuscript Preparation page implies that the author is not free to do so prior to publication. Which is it?
If authors are free to distribute their own digital preprints, what good does it do to restrict access to preprints at the ACRL Website? ...
But even if [the C&RL Manuscript Preparation page is just poorly worded and needs to be clarified], it begs the question: "What is ACRL, which is actively promoting open access on many fronts, doing making C&RL's preprint service restricted?" While ACRL directly providing access to preprints at the C&RL Website is a welcome step forward, restricting access to those preprints is taking two steps back, and, although well intended, it sends the wrong message for an organization that is trying to move the open access agenda forward.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
