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Library Groups Call for Open Access to Scientific LiteratureA coalition of 10 library associations and public-interest advocacy groups is backing “Washington, D.C., Principles for Free Access to Science”—a declaration by 48 scholarly organizations and not-for-profit publishers affirming their commitment to “reinvest all of the revenue from our journals in the direct support of science worldwide, including . . . the free dissemination of information for the public.” The coalition’s support of the principles reflects more than a decade of steeply escalating subscription costs, which have forced some academic libraries to cancel hundreds of subscriptions. Applauding the publishers’ “commitment to free access to peer-reviewed research literature where they conclude it is feasible,” the coalition explained, “Open access is our goal for scientific and scholarly communication because it facilitates the open discussion needed to accelerate research, share knowledge, and enlarge human understanding.” The signatories in the public-interest alliance are: the American Library Association, ALA’s Association of College and Research Libraries division, Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries, American Association of Law Libraries, Association of Research Libraries, Medical Library Association, Open Society Institute, Public Knowledge, ARL’s Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, and SPARC Europe. Issued March 16, which was the 2004 commemoration of Freedom of Information Day, “D.C. Principles” commits its signatories to making the full text of their journals “freely available to everyone worldwide either immediately or within months of publication,” in particular to “scientists working in many low-income nations” and for “indexing by major search engines.” Signatories also promise to “continue to work to develop long-term preservation solutions for online journals to ensure the ongoing availability of the scientific literature.” The 48 scholarly organizations and not-for-profit publishers backing the principles already make available online the contents of more than 100 scientific, technical, and medical journals. The latest initiative aimed at bridging the academic-journal pricing barrier, “D.C. Principles” joins such recent efforts as the Public Library of Science and the Budapest Open Access Initiative. Posted March 19, 2004. |
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