Alex Byrne, Promoting the Global Information Commons: A statement by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions to WSIS Tunis PrepCom2, IFLA Journal, June 2005, pp. 204-205. Transcript of an address originally given February 22, 2005. Excerpt: 'IFLA advocates a global information commons through which all people will be enabled to seek and impart information. Its realization requires, at a minimum, ubiquitous access to sufficient affordable bandwidth, up to date and affordable ICTs, unrestricted multilingual access to information and skills development programs to enable all to both access information and disseminate their own while respecting the fundamental right of human beings to both access and express information without restriction....We have three proposals for new wording....[I]n the section 'Improvements and Innovations of Existing Financing Mechanisms', the following paragraph should be added: "We recognize that innovative financial mechanisms that should contribute to bridging the digital divide may rely on lowering the costs of access to information and software resources and on making those resources freely available to all. Such innovative efforts should include...supporting the implementation of open access initiatives to scientific, technological, cultural and educational information..." '
Posted by
Peter Suber at 6/23/2005 11:29:00 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.
