The American Geophysical Union (AGU) and global publisher Wiley have announced that starting in January 2015 they will offer free online access to all AGU journal content (published from 1997 forward) in public libraries throughout California for onsite use. In addition, schools and programs that participate in AGU’s Bright Students Training as Research Scientists (Bright STaRS) program—which brings middle and high school students from after-school and summer research program to the annual AGU Fall Meeting to present their research alongside the leaders of the Earth and space sciences—will be given free access.
By expanding public access to this groundbreaking Earth and space science research, AGU hopes to help improve public understanding of the impact science has on the world around them and its potential to help ensure a sustainable future for us all.
This new development marks the latest innovation in AGU’s publishing strategy. Earlier in 2014, AGU announced that it would offer free access to all journal content from 1997 forward on a 24-month rolling embargo, and it has three fully open access journals – JAMES, Earth’s Future, and Earth and Space Science, which recently published its first articles. AGU also participates in Wiley’s Research4Life program, which enables more than 5,000 institutions in developing nations to freely access journal content, and it offers green open access after six months, which allows authors to place a copy of their article in an institutional repository.
