Universities and publishers of scholarly journals are at odds over a recently proposed Senate bill that would require institutions conducting research funded with federal tax dollars to publish their findings free of charge online, no more than six months after their publication elsewhere....
[U]niversities and education groups overwhelmingly support the bill, believing it will further the advancement of knowledge worldwide.
Publishers of scholarly journals, on the other hand, fear the bill will undermine their business....
"Our bill simply says to all researchers who seek government funding that we want the results of your work to be seen by the largest possible audience. It will ensure that U.S. taxpayers do not have to pay twice for the same research--once to conduct it, and a second time to read it," said [Senator John] Cornyn in introducing the bill.
Opponents of the bill say scholarly journal subscriptions will suffer. They also claim the bill threatens to undermine the value of peer review by removing publishers' incentive and their ability to sustain investments in a range of scientific, technical, and medical publishing activities....
Those supporting the bill maintain that providing this "open access" to research results will help disseminate knowledge--and that scholarly journals are becoming increasingly too expensive for libraries and schools to afford.
In an open letter to the higher-education community, the provosts of more than 20 universities, including Pennsylvania State University, Harvard University, Syracuse University, and the University of Rochester, voiced support for the bill and its potential to increase the flow of information and produce more research-oriented discussions....
In another show of support, 56 liberal-arts college presidents sent an open letter to the higher-education community backing the legislation.
"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 letter says. "Given the scope of research literature that would become available online, it is clear that the adoption of the bill would have significant benefits for the progress of science and the advancement of knowledge."
Said David Pershing, senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Utah: "No longer will knowledge created using public funds be limited to the wealthiest institutions and corporations. With everyone having access to up-to-date information, I am confident we will see a higher level of scientific research and innovation. This is a remarkable opportunity for educators and students across the nation."
Other supporters of the bill include the American Association of Law Libraries, American Library Association, Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries, Association of College and Research Libraries, Association of Research Libraries, Medical Library Association, Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, and the Special Libraries Association
Posted by
Peter Suber at 10/03/2006 10:43:00 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.
