Open Access News

News from the open access movement


Tuesday, November 25, 2008

RIN recommendations to university administrators

Research Information Network (UK), Ensuring a bright future for research libraries: a guide for vice-chancellors and senior institutional managers, report, November 2008. (Thanks to Fabrizio Tinti.)

... Effective communication of research results is an integral part of the research process. Library and information professionals are key sources of advice and expertise about the rapid changes taking place in disseminating, publishing and sharing research results ...

HEIs therefore should:

(a) establish policies and procedures, in consultation with researchers and library and information services professionals, so that research outputs are made accessible widely and rapidly, and as far as possible, free of charge to users, ensuring compliance with the requirements of the major research funding bodies in the UK and overseas
(b) develop clear policies and procedures as to the roles that institutional and/or subject-based repositories should play in promoting access to institutional research outputs, as well as in facilitating the creation of registers of these outputs for research evaluation and other purposes; and as to their staffs’ obligations to deposit outputs in such repositories
(c) establish clear policies and procedures on how to support researchers in meeting the costs of the publication fees charged by open access journals ...

Library and information services need sustainable resourcing at a level that enables them to deliver and develop their mission to support and enhance research performance. ...

HEIs therefore should: ...

(c) note that while moves towards open access to research outputs have the potential to reduce costs for some libraries in the long term, open access initiatives will impose additional costs on research-intensive institutions in the short to medium term, in terms of establishing and running institutional repositories and in meeting the costs of publication fees for open access journals ...