... Liberal arts colleges are important components of our nation's scientific and
scholarly productivity. Studies have shown that our institutions are highly
effective in producing graduates who go on to obtain Ph.D. degrees and
become productive researchers. Our faculty actively pursue research,
much of it with government funding, and often working in partnership with
talented undergraduates. Unfortunately, access to research information
paid for with tax dollars is severely limited at our institutions – and indeed at
most universities. Academic libraries simply cannot afford ready access to
most of the research literature that their faculty and students need.
The Federal Research Public Access Act would be a major step forward in
ensuring equitable online access to research literature that is paid for by
taxpayers. The federal government funds over $60 billion in research
annually. ...
Given the scope of research literature that would become available online,
it is clear that adoption of the bill would have significant benefits for the
progress of science and the advancement of knowledge. ...
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.
