We, in the anthropological community, have a vital interest in [open access and FRPAA]. A recent study indicated fewer Americans accepted evolution than any other country but Turkey, yet evolution forms one of the core study areas of anthropology. One has but to look around to see the rampant stereotyping and cultural misunderstanding of "Others" rampant among the American public (and politicians) to realize the need for widely publicizing the field of anthropology. Merely talking about anthropology and explaining it, though, is not enough. When you hide it away in journals that most people do not have access to, or worse yet have never heard of, it makes it harder for people to accept the results of that research. It also makes it easier for people to dismiss us as "Ivory towered elites". I am all for open access and encourage those of you who read my blog to contact the AAA and make your voice heard....
PS: Just for the record: The AAA itself hasn't yet taken a step towards sanity. The recentendorsement of open access and FRPAA came from the AnthroSource Steering Committee, an arm of the AAA, and calls on the AAA to reconsider its opposition to FRPAA.
Posted by
Peter Suber at 10/08/2006 10:08:00 AM.
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.
