Cultural ResearchOpen Access Publishing Pathfinder: Page 2Open Access JournalsIn most media coverage open access journals are the focus of attention. Often such coverage reveals that many folks could use a basic definition, like that provided in What Is An Open Access Journal?. As one becomes clearer about definitions, understanding how Open-Access Journals impact the life of the library will help clarify their importance. Much of the action in open access publishing is in scientific, technical and medical research. Researchers in such fields have been at the forefront of creating the open access movement and have addressed the issues in such essays as What We Can Do About Science Journals. To gain a sense of the breadth of the open access movement, you can explore the many new journals being created via the Directory of Open Access Journals. Open Access ArchivesOpen access archiving is an often undiscussed element of open access publishing. Although much attention has been given to the high prices of research journals, many scientists would have accepted such practices if they were allowed to post their findings online within a reasonable time period. This approach to disseminating knowledge is called self-archiving and can be better understood in this Self-Archiving Faq. Stevan Harnad has been one of the most visible proponents of self-archiving and he shares his perspectives in The Self-Archiving Initiative. Academic institutions are increasingly interested in creating archives or institutional repositories for the knowledge produced at their institution. The SPARC Position Paper makes The Case for Institutional Repositories and the Online Computer Library Center shares its perspective in Institutional Repositories, Scholarly Communication and Open Access. This website, Cultural Research, is an example of a self-archiving effort in a very early stage of development and the arXiv.org e-Print archive offers an example of an archive supported by Cornell University. Libraries and Open AccessLibraries have been the hardest hit by the rise in journal costs and librarians are becoming strong advocates for open access. The Cornell University Library has been in the forefront of addressing the situation and has made an official statement that serves as a useful introduction to the journals crisis in Issues in Scholarly Communication. The editor of the Journal of the Medical Library Association considers the issues with a positive perspective on open access in Embracing Open Access. However, Barbara Quint provides a unique concern in Searcher's Voice: The Great Divide, claiming that open access could put librarians out of work. D-Lib Magazine is
an excellent example of an open access publication devoted to the issues
of digital libraries. It regularly publishes peer-reviewed articles
on open access. Clyde Smith can be reached at: clydesmith(at)culturalresearch(dot)org Content ©1994-2007 Clyde Smith |
