The Alliance for Taxpayer Access has publicly released its comment in support of the NIH plan. (It was public on listservs several days ago but just appeared on the ATA web site.) Excerpt: 'The alliance is composed of universities, libraries, voluntary health agencies, and other entities seeking the benefits of greater access to research results. We believe American taxpayers are entitled to open access to the peer-reviewed scientific articles on research funded by the NIH. Open access to these reports will lead to usage by millions and will deliver an accelerated return on the taxpayers' investment in NIH. Widespread dissemination of these reports is an essential, inseparable component of our nation's investment in science....Those whose access is impeded include research scientists at institutions that cannot afford increasingly costly journal subscription and licensing fees, practicing physicians without university affiliations, public health officials, hospital staff, non-profit patient and disease advocacy organizations, and individual patients and their families. Today's constraints on access hinder the flow of knowledge and pace of discovery, and ultimately subvert the public's investment in science.'
Posted by
Peter Suber at 11/22/2004 07:43:00 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.
