Re: On the Need to Take Both Roads to Open Access

From: Stevan Harnad <harnad_at_ecs.soton.ac.uk>
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 12:28:07 +0100

On Thu, 9 Oct 2003, Barbara Kirsop wrote:

> they DID print the letter - today (Oct 9th)....
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,3604,1058838,00.html

Bravo Stephen Pinfield, and Barbara Kirsop, and Bravo Guardian!

Now back to the hard work of informing and activating the research
community.

(Some of the other letters show signs of the familiar misunderstandings:
mixing up open access with selective developing-world toll-subsidies
-- welcome, but not at all the same thing as open-access; mixing up
open access with university-restricted institution-wide toll-access;
imagining that open-access journal-costs are to paid from the author's
pocket! and so on. We still have our work cut out for us!)

Stevan Harnad

PS I am preparing an extensive critique and corrective concerning the
original Guardian article. Posting shortly.

---------------------------
> Stevan Harnad wrote:
>
> >Dear Stephen [Pinfield],
> >
> >Your letter says exactly what needed to be said. It's a great pity the
> >Guardian did not print it. But the press is extremely superficial and
> >actually hasn't the faintest idea of what is afoot or at issue here: it
> >only has an ear for sensation. But it is the research community, not the
> >press or even the general public, that needs to be informed, and needs
> >to come to understand this. With your permission I'd like to include
> >your letter with a posting I am preparing concerning the Guardian article.
> >
> >>Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2003 14:04:51 +0100
> >>From: Stephen Pinfield <Stephen.Pinfield_at_nottingham.ac.uk>
> >>Subject: Re: Letter to the Guardian
> >>
> >>Letter to the Guardian.
> >>Sent Monday 6th October at 4.56 pm.
> >>Not printed.
> >>
> >>"Setting up new open-access journals is one way of trying to ensure that
> >>scientific research is free to all (Scientists take on the publishers,
> >>October 6). The problem is that new journals take at least five years
> >>to establish themselves in their research community. Another way of
> >>improving scientific communication is for authors to deposit their own
> >>papers in open-access repositories run by their university or subject
> >>community. Papers can be 'self archived' in this way at the same time
> >>(or before) they are published in conventional journals. This can
> >>happen now. Around the world many universities are currently setting
> >>up such repositories. One such initiative, SHERPA, involving several
> >>UK research-led universities is already underway (www.sherpa.ac.uk).
> >>
> >>Stephen Pinfield
> >>Assistant Director of Information Services
> >>University of Nottingham
> >>Web http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~uazsjp/
Received on Thu Oct 09 2003 - 12:28:07 BST

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