The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has published an online preprint essay by Ivy Anderson, Director of Collections, California Digital Library, encouraging libraries to support the Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics (SCOAP3).
In her essay, 'The Audacity of SCOAP3,' Anderson encourages everyone interested in the grand experiment of open access publishing, whether pro or con, to sit up and take notice of this new OA accelerator that is SCOAP3. Also, she calls for all libraries to join the experiment and boldly accelerate its findings. Accompanying the essay is a brief article, 'Taking Action on SCOAP3', by Julia Blixrud, presenting four steps that libraries and consortia can take to move SCOAP3 forward. Blixrud is Assistant Executive Director, External Relations, ARL, and Assistant Director, Public Programs, SPARC.
SCOAP3 is a new model for scholarly communication proposed by a community of scientists. Physicists interested in expanding access to their literature have designed a novel approach to garner support from individual libraries, library consortia, and research institutions to turn a core set of journals in the high energy physics discipline into open access publications.
The project principals have estimated that the total amount currently spent by the library community on these titles worldwide is about $15 million. They estimate that the US commitment to make the publications open access would be $4.5 million. The plan involves providing a financial base of support by creating a consortium of institutions that would 'redirect' the amount they currently pay for subscription access to support open access publication.
The preprint essay by and the article are available at the ARL website at http://www.arl.org/resources/pubs/br/br257.shtml. This issue of the Bimonthly Report will be in print by mid-April.
More News in this Theme
