Liblicense discussion list message

[Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>]

Of possible interest to liblicense-l readers.  The Moderators

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 13:25:30 +0000
From: Fred Friend <ucylfjf@ucl.ac.uk>
To: ann.okerson@yale.edu
Subject: Liblicense discussion list message

Would it be possible for you send out on the Liblicense discussion list
the text of the press release below?

With thanks and best wishes,

Fred

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OSI WELCOMES PUBLISHER PARTICIPATION IN BOAI

April 12, 2002

The Open Society Institute (OSI) has a long history of collaboration with
academic publishers and is looking for participation by publishers in its
latest major initiative, the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI). One
of the two strategic paths identified in the BOAI provides an opportunity
for publishers to set up new electronic journals knowing that the open
access vision behind BOAI is shared by academic communities across the
globe.

As a major part of the Initiative, OSI is working with publishers,
business consultants, economists and librarians to develop model open
access journal business plans. To support existing open access journals,
OSI will provide funding for authors from over 65 developing countries to
have their articles published in these journals; more details about the
funding scheme will be announced soon.

There is a special opportunity in BOAI for learned society publishers. A
transition to open access publishing may be very beneficial to smaller
societies facing the struggle to maintain journals from which they make
insufficient money to move to electronic access. For larger publishers
also, the BOAI strategy offers a dramatic increase in exposure for their
journals and an opportunity to move away from an economic model that
relies upon library subscriptions. It is the considered opinion of many in
the publishing and library communities that the current economic model is
unsustainable. Academic organisations and publishers must work together to
prepare alternative economic models if the scholarly publishing system is
to emerge from the deepening "serials crisis".

Behind this thinking in BOAI there is a realisation that publishers
contribute value to the access to research information. The academic world
would be far poorer without the contribution of publishers. OSI wishes to
work with publishers to retain their added value in new economic models
that are viable and allow open access.

For additional information on the BOAI, please contact Melissa
Hagemann, mhagemann@sorosny.org.

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Frederick J.Friend,
Director Scholarly Communication,
University College London,
Gower Street,
London WC1E 6BT,
England.
Telephone/Fax  020 7679 4529
Mobile 0774 762 7738
E-mail       ucylfjf@ucl.ac.uk   or    f.friend@ucl.ac.uk
Web         http://www.ucl.ac.uk/scholarly-communication/
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