Cindy Yee, Open-access journals debated, The Duke University Chronicle, February 4, 2004. Excerpt: "Although Duke administrators are wary of endorsing the open-access publishing movement, they agree that a drastic change is in order.... 'The industry needs to rethink its cost structure and find more cost-effective way of delivering services and processing their publications,' [Patricia] Thibodeau [associate dean for library services at the Duke Medical Center] said. She cited open-access models as possibilities, such as those used by the nonprofit Public Library of Science and for-profit BioMed Central....Duke administrators said a number of other concerns surround the open-access publishing debate. [Provost Peter] Lange, for example, said he was concerned that the fee structure could have a discriminatory effect across scholars working at different kinds of institutions, doing different kinds of research. 'Unintended consequences can be substantial, so it's a situation we need to analyze carefully,' he said. Lange said there is also the issue of a transition period, which could be problematic if universities are stuck paying both traditional subscription fees and helping out with authors' fees to open-access journals. Open-access agitators claim the transition period will not last long, saying that open-access journals will continue to grow in prestige and popularity, forcing traditional publishers to decrease prices or go out of business."
Posted by
Peter Suber at 2/04/2004 09:38:00 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.
