Robert Cook-Deegan, Dr. Varmus Goes to Washington, American Scientist, March-April 2009. A review of Harold Varmus' memoir, The Art and Politics of Science.
... The Art and Politics of Science ends with three chapters addressing the public-policy concerns into which Varmus has poured his energies: research on embryos, cloning and stem cells; global health and global science; and open-access publishing. These chapters, which can largely stand alone, concisely summarize the stakes in debates that will continue. Varmus reviews many salient events quickly, in language accessible to nonscientists. He fair-mindedly recounts most of the best arguments of his adversaries as well as his own views. This section of the book could be very useful in academic courses on science policy. ...
In the chapter on open-access publication, Varmus argues forcefully for “universal and unfettered delivery of knowledge.” He acknowledges the arguments and interests of the publishers and scientific societies that disagree with his views, but he stands his ground and makes it clear that the battles are not over. ...
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.
