If these two new OA declarations weren't issued today, then at least I didn't learn about them until today.
The Vienna Declaration has been promulgated for signatures in advance of the Chaos Control 2005 conference (Vienna, June 15-16, 2005). Excerpt: '[1] Digitalization and networking allow easier access to information in a historically exceptional manner. Anything can potentially be accessed, copied, and modified. This will change information processing in a way unknown so far opening up the opportunity for a major progress in accessibility of knowledge.... [8] Scientists are challenged as role models when handling freely available knowledge. Scientific institutions shall recommend their scientists to particularly make state-aided research results available easily and free of charge. Simultaneously, it is task of the state to offer compensation for possible disadvantages caused hereof.'
The Thiruvananthapuram Declaration was issued by the Free Software, Free Society conference (May 28-30, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India). Excerpt: '[N]ew Information and Communication Technologies [have] transformed the process of knowledge construction and dissemination in our society....Human history is calling us to take note of this change. Creative works today live in a digital world, travel at the speed of light, get transformed in seconds, become part of several other creations, and grow in a number of other ways. As society transforms drastically, we...urge our world to take note of the immense potential opening up for humanity, and to ensure that technology is harnessed in the needs of the time to tackle the wider concerns of our planet....To face the challenges of the day, we need a new model of development centered around non material aspects of life — including collaboration, sharing, and compassion. Such a society is evolving today on the foundations of freedom, collaboration and shared knowledge.'
Posted by
Peter Suber at 5/31/2005 08:40:00 PM.
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.
