Re: Follow up of EC-commissioned "Study on the economic and technical evolution of the scientific publication markets in Europe"

[Peter Banks <pbanks@bankspub.com>]

This is rather like arguing that bakeries and bakery shops are irrelevant t=
o
the work of wheat farmers.

Raw research is often of limited use until it is put into a form and
delivered in a way that stimulates further research or improves its
application. Librarians and publishers are the two parties who execute thes=
e
functions.

This is not to say that publishers and librarians do not need to adapt to
changing technology and information needs. But to claim that they are
secondary to the development of publishing policy is not a service to the
researchers we wish collectively to help.


Peter Banks
Named one of 2006=B9s most influential people  in the magazine industry by
Folio: Magazine
http://www.foliomag.com/viewMedia.asp?prmMID=3D5844
Banks Publishing
Publications Consulting and Services
10332 Main Street  #158
Fairfax, VA 22030
(703) 591-6544
FAX (703) 383-0765
pbanks@bankspub.com
www.bankspub.com


On 10/8/06 5:04 PM, "Stevan Harnad" <harnad@ecs.soton.ac.uk> wrote:

>      ** Apologies for Cross-Posting **
>
> Below is the (so far still rather wishy-washy) synthesis of the
> responses to the European Commission's (EC's) research-access
> related recommendations.
>
> One rather worrying thing is that the EC's February follow-up
> conference in Brussels looks as if it will consist largely of
> librarians and publishers, rather than the principal
> stakeholders, namely, the research community: researchers, their
> institutions, and their funders.
>
> One hopes that the EC will not lose sight of the fact that
> researchers (and their institutions and funders) are both the
> *providers* of research and the *users* of research (in
> generating further research, as well as applications for the
> tax-paying public that funds the research).
>
> Research is not done, or funded, in order to support the
> publishing industry.
>
> And although librarians have their hearts in the right place,
> they are not the research-providers either, so all they can do it
> help implement what the researchers, their institutions and their
> funders elect to implement.
>
> Recommendation A1 was for an Open Access Self-Archiving Mandate.
> That is a matter for the European Research Community to decide.
> Librarians can help. Publishers can either help, or they can
> adapt. But it would be a huge strategic mistake to let the
> publishing industry decide what the research community does in
> order to maximize the European tax-paying public's return on the
> euros it invests in supporting research. They are not in vesting
> in the publishing industry, and far, far more is at stake that
> the publishing industry's concerns about possible risks to its
> revenue streams.
>
> Stevan Harnad
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Fri, 6 Oct 2006 18:45:15 +0200
> From: RTD-SCIENTIFIC-PUBLICATION@CEC.EU.INT
> To: AMERICAN-SCIENTIST-OPEN-ACCESS-FORUM@LISTSERVER.SIGMAXI.ORG
> Subject: Follow up of EC-commissioned "Study on the economic and technica=
l
>                  evolution of the scientific publication markets in Europ=
e"
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
> As some of you know, the European Commission's Research
> Directorate-General recently commissioned a "Study on the
> economic and technical evolution of the scientific publication
> markets in Europe"
> (http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/pdf/scientific-publication-=
stu
> dy_en.pdf). This Study by the Universite libre de Bruxelles and
> the Universite des Sciences Sociales (Toulouse) was published in
> early 2006 and led to a public consultation, to which many of you
> contributed.
>
> Today, I am happy to be able to inform you that the synthesis of
> the responses to the consultation and the individual
> contributions received are available online:
>
> Synthesis of contributions:
> http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/document_library/pdf_06/synt=
hesis
> -consultation_en.pdf
>
> Individual contributions:
> http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/document_library/pdf_06/
>
> The next steps planned by the European Commission are a
> Communication on scientific information issues (late 2006)and a
> conference to be held on 15-16 February 2007 in Brussels. Please
> check our pages on scientific publication over the next weeks for
> further information on these activities:
> http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/page_en.cfm?id=3D3184
>
> Best regards,
>
> Celina Ramjoue
> European Commission, Research Directorate-General
> Science, Economy and Society Directorate - Governance and Ethics Unit
> celina.ramjoue@ec.europa.eu
>





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