The American Library Association (ALA) has publicly released its comment in support of the NIH plan. Excerpt: 'As you are aware, the vast majority of research funded with public funds today is available only through increasingly costly journal subscriptions. As in past years, we anticipate that the cost of subscribing to these journals will rise next year in excess of the growth of the budgets of even large research libraries. As a result, many libraries will likely be forced once again to cancel journals needed by their faculty and students. In addition to the costs, we note that restrictive licensing terms and conditions imposed by publishers severely limit the amount and type of access that many libraries are able to provide to users. The current prevailing system of journal publication, which limits access to research, is a growing impediment to the dissemination and use of research that has been paid for with public funds. The system slows the flow of knowledge and pace of discovery, and it subverts the public investment in science. Such a system fails to utilize the potential of the Internet to enhance, expand, and increase the efficiency of scientific communication.'
Posted by
Peter Suber at 11/16/2004 08:59:00 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.
