Harvard Highlights Open Access and Library Subscription Dilemma
On April 17th the University of Harvard released a memo to all faculty members highlighting the untenable level of current journal subscriptions. It also outlined steps it expected faculty staff to take to enhance the sharing of their research publications.
In the memo the library's Faculty Advisory Council identified that major subscriptions to journals (print and electronic) cannot be sustained at their current level. What is especially interesting is the 9 point action plan for the researchers and librarians which embraces the idea of both effective deposit in their institutional repository (DASH) and the submission of more articles to open access journals.
Alongside this there is a request for more academics to rise to the challenge of advocating the openness of scholarly literature within their professional societies; and where involved with editorial committees of titles or publishers that don't allow or support open access distribution of work to consider more radical action.
