News
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Daniel Greenstein’s “Not So Quiet on a Western Front”
Daniel Greenstein’s article, “Not so quiet on a Western front” appears in the May 2004 Nature Publishing Group’s web forum “Access to the Literature: The Debate Continues.”
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PNAS Introduces Open Access Option for Authors
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) introduces an open access option for authors. The option, which is to be evaluated after an experimental period, allows authors to pay a $1,000 surcharge to make their articles available for free via PNAS Online and PubMed Central immediately upon publication. In a survey informing the decision, nearly half of the respondents were in favor of an open access option. According to Nicholas R. Cozzarelli, PNAS Editor-in-Chief and Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UC Berkeley, “PNAS is starting by experimenting with an open access option for authors. It is […]
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American Physical Society (APS) Announces Decreasing Prices in 2005
The American Physical Society (APS) announces that it will decrease prices in 2005 on all of its journals. With the announcement, the APS continues its reputation as a model society committed to creating sustainable publications whose revenues support only the publications themselves. A letter from publisher Thomas J. McIlrath provides details on how the price reduction was accomplished.
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UC Libraries Conclude Negotiations with Reed-Elsevier
The UC libraries conclude their negotiations with Reed-Elsevier. Starting January 1, 2004, the UC community will have access to a selected list of about 1,200 of the company’s scholarly journals, including titles produced by Harcourt Health Sciences, Academic Press, and Cell Press. The five-year contract accommodates the University’s deteriorating budget situation without sacrificing access to the titles selected by each campus. The libraries report that they have “arrested for now the price inflation that has been common in this market,” and describe the necessity for continuous action to address the economic sustainability of scholarly communications. See the letter to UC […]
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2003 Faculty Forums Report
December 18, 2003 See sections below: History Articulating Issues and Challenges Existing Strategic Planning and Action Institutional Actions Focused Investigation Into the Scholarly Communications Process Extending Existing Organizational Capacity Communicating Effectively With all Stakeholders Organizing for the Task at Hand Extending the UC Libraries’ Efforts to Change the Economics of Scholarly Publishing
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UC Libraries Host Regional Faculty Forums to Discuss Alternative Forms of Scholarly Communication
The Office of Scholarly Communication works with its partners across the University of California to host discussions with and among UC’s scholars regarding the challenges, the opportunities, and UC’s responses to evolving scholarly communication systems. Fall 2003 Faculty Forums Forum report [December 18, 2003] Presentation on scholarly communication and the UC community [PPT] Forum background [April 21, 2003]
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PLoS Publishes First Issue of PLoS Biology
The Public Library of Scienice (PLoS), a San Francisco-based non-profit organization of scientists and physicians, publishes the first issue of PLoS Biology, a monthly peer-reviewed journal available free online. The journal features several articles authored by UC San Francisco faculty.
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Berlin Declaration
The Berlin Declaration on open access to knowledge in the sciences and humanities is created and signed by major public funders committed to open access from Germany, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, and Norway.
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Two UCSF Faculty Call for “Unified Actions” From Faculty Regarding Cell Press
In a widely distributed letter, two UC San Francisco faculty call for “unified actions” from faculty regarding Cell Press journals, including: “i) decline to review manuscripts for Cell Press journals; ii) resign from Cell Press editorial boards; iii) cease to submit papers to Cell Press journals; and iv) talk widely about Elsevier and Cell Press pricing tactics and business strategies.” The letter is reported in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
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Briefing Letter About Journal Costs Sent to UC Faculty
A briefing letter from UC Faculty Senate Chair Lawrence Pitts and the University Librarians is sent to UC faculty regarding unsustainable license costs for some journals. See the letter [PDF].
