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Re: PLoS

I wonder how many of the readers of this list have actually read David
Prosser's transition proposal. It is available at
http://www.arl.org/sparc/core/index.asp?page=g29#4. He sets out the
disadvantages of the gradual method very cogently and it is these
disadvantages of the transition which, it is my impression, weigh heavily
on learned society publishers who cannot afford to take the leap of faith.

It is possible to extend his analysis of the problems. He proposes that,
for example, success in attracting author payment in 2004 should enable a
concomitant reduction of the subscription rate in 2005 but subscription
rates are not set at the end of the year. They should be set before the
end of July as libraries and their intermediaries know very well.

Mr. Prosser also advocates an author charge which reflects true costs. I
am not aware of any publisher that currently proposes a sustainable charge
based on such costs.

Anthony Watkinson.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Helen Doyle" <hdoyle@plos.org>
To: <liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 11:14 PM
Subject: RE: PLoS

> Both David Prosser and Fred Friend responded eloquently to Ann's excellent
> questions before I got to them today.  I agree with both David and Fred
> that the transition to open access is gradual, but given the pace of
> policy statements and market changes, it might accelerate at any moment.
> I also agree with Fred that the "plan for redistribution" Ann refers to is
> likely to play out on institutional or disciplinary level, rather than a
> global one.  We are all pushing on the system at many different pressure
> points.
>
> David's comments refer specifically to the transition to open access that
> publishers face.  PLoS hopes to be a resource for publishers that want to
> migrate their journals to an open access model.  As a first step, we share
> what we've learned from our first issues of PLoS Biology in a white paper,
> "Publishing Open Access Journals".  It can be accessed via our Open Access
> page: <http://www.plos.org/openaccess>; the direct link for download is:
> <http://www.plos.org/downloads/oa_whitepaper.pdf>.. This is a living
> document - we will add to it as we mature as a publisher, and hope others
> will share their experiences, correct our misconceptions, etc.

[SNIP]