Representatives from several regions (Asia, Europe, and North America) recently met in Berlin, Germany, to discuss a proposal to flip subscription-based journals to open access models. The initiative is being led by the Max Planck Society, the organiser and host of the invitation-only Berlin 12 Open Access Conference. The rationale for the initiative is based on an analysis undertaken by Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL), which found that a flip to open access would be possible at no financial risk, 'maybe even at lower overall costs' to the system.
The objective of the conference was to build a consensus for an internationally coordinated effort to shift libraries' journal budgets away from subscriptions and towards article processing costs (APCs). The meeting was attended by 96 participants from 19 countries, with several US and Canadian representatives. The major point of discussion was an expression of interest (EOI) that would form the basis for gaining support and moving forward with the initiative. Once published, organisations will be invited to sign the EOI and it will be used to galvanize interest in the initiative around the world.
Most conference participants were supportive 'in principle' of a collaborative, international effort to accelerate the transition to open access, although a number of concerns were expressed about a model in which APCs would prevail. Several representatives, including US delegates, felt that this transition must come with real reductions in the overall costs of the scholarly publishing system. The next joint Association of Research Libraries (ARL)–Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, in April 2016, may offer a good opportunity for ARL and CARL members to discuss this initiative further and determine if there is sufficient support for moving forward.
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