Re: STM Statement on Open Access Bill

[Frederick Friend <ucylfjf@ucl.ac.uk>]

Much as I respect Marc Brodsky, I cannot allow the statement below to pass
un-challenged! "Unproven" open access use may be in the sense that it
takes time to build up reliable evidence of use, but the early indications
are that open access journals receive many times more full-text uses than
any subscription journal. And we have seen nothing yet! As awareness of
open access grows and more journals become available on open access, use
will take off like a rocket. I do agree that subscription publishers have
done their best to increase access through consortial deals, but the
subscription model cannot meet the huge unsatisfied demand for access to
quality academic information right across the world. Increasing access to
information for humankind is in everybody's interests, including
publishers.

Fred Friend

----- Original Message -----
From: "Marc Brodsky" <brodsky@aip.org>
To: "sh94r" <sh94r@ecs.soton.ac.uk>; "liblicense-l"
<liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2003 11:29 PM
Subject: Re: STM Statement on Open Access Bill

> There is a logical and practical trap when people use the attractive
> phrase of Open Access. There is an assumption, unproven, that Open Access
> means more people will actually see and use the material just because more
> people have free access to it. History, particularly for publications, has
> shown time and again that there are more reasons to do something besides
> the fact that it is free.
>
> I would claim that there are some materials that are more widely read even
> when people pay for it than other materials that are free. There are roles
> for paid publications, being it the author or reader or library who is
> paying. There are roles for free publications. My society and others in
> the physics community have many of each.  And sometimes even more people
> read or like or use the stuff they pay for. Open Access is a nice model to
> experiment with, but do not conclude it will have more usage; certainly it
> is premature to legislate it or require it of authors. Therefore the STM
> statement is right in promoting wider access, by whatever means, as a nice
> goal. Marc
>
> Marc H. Brodsky
> Executive Director and CEO         E-mail: brodsky@aip.org
> American Institute of Physics       Phone: (301) 209-3131
> One Physics Ellipse                       Fax: (301) 209-3133
> College Park, MD 20740-3843