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News & MediaRecent News Stories
SPARC representatives are available to discuss and offer comments on: the Federal Research Public Access Act; taxpayer access to publicly funded research; open access; copyright issues and author rights; and scholarly communication issues, including those related to academic journals and pricing. We can also put you in touch with library directors who are SPARC members in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. For contacts, visit our Staff page or contact: Jennifer McLennan, SPARC Director of Communications, SPARC - jennifer [at] arl [dot] org or (202) 296-2296 ext 121. Recent Announcements & Site Updates:(See below for more news in: Advocacy | Partners | Publications | Partnering | Pricing). Also see the SPARC News Archive for past updates.
Jul 2, 2009
A voice for change from within the publishing establishment: Mike Rossner honored as latest SPARC innovator For creating forward-thinking publishing policies to expand access and verify scientific research, SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) has named Mike Rossner, executive director of the Rockefeller University Press (RUP) in New York the latest SPARC innovator.
Jun 25, 2009
US student bodies call for open access Industry Trends, June 15, 2009 A coalition of student associations in the USA have signed a statement calling on universities, research funders, and researchers to support open access to research.
Jun 25, 2009
ALA Conference 2009: Panel To Address Academic Library “Hard Times” Norman Oder, Library Journal, June 25, 2009
Jun 25, 2009
Taxpayer Alliance applauds bill to broaden access to federal research results - Federal Research Public Access Act introduced today Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and John Cornyn (R-TX) today introduced the Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA), a bill to ensure free, timely, online access to the published results of research funded by eleven U.S. federal agencies. The proposed bill is welcomed by the Alliance for Taxpayer Access, a coalition of research institutions, consumers, patients, and others formed to support open public access to publicly funded research.
Jun 25, 2009
OASIS Open Access Source Book Now Online A new portal for educational materials on the “concept, principles, advantages, approaches and means to achieving Open Access,” the Open Access Scholarly Information Sourcebook (OASIS), is now online. Launched at the recent ELPUB meeting, the new Web resource was featured at an Open Access Week Web cast today.
Jun 23, 2009
Practical Advice on Bridging the Library-Press Divide Meredith Benjamin, The Exchange Online, June 11, 2009
Jun 23, 2009
Student Statement on the Right to Research Learning and inquiry are impeded when scholars lack access to fellow researchers’ work, and when students lack access to the work of scholars before them.
Jun 23, 2009
Copyright law prevents access to millions of 'orphan works' Research Information, June 15, 2009
Jun 23, 2009
Medical Students, Other Student Groups Endorse Open Access Josh Hadro, Library Journal, 6/18/2009
Jun 16, 2009
Open Access Growing Steadily, But Powerful Gatekeepers Remain The recent vote by MIT faculty to freely and publicly distribute research articles they write marks a sea change in the relationship between academic authors and publishers of scientific journals.
Jun 15, 2009
Innovators to challenge the economic crisis at the SPARC-ACRL forum Library and publishing innovators will offer concrete data and strategies for “Rough waters: Navigating hard times in the scholarly communication marketplace,” at the next SPARC-ACRL forum. The forum, to be held at the Chicago meeting of the American Library Association in July, is co-sponsored by SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).
Jun 11, 2009
Webcast invitation – The home-field advantage: A report on OADay events at Duke (June 25) A commentator frequently featured by the Financial Times, Dr. James Boyle is a law professor who is increasingly well known for his articulate and poignant arguments in support of wider access to research. Josh Sommer is a student, patient, and co-founder of the Chordoma Foundation, challenging the likes of Dr. Boyle for their celebrity as he too gains renown as an impassioned and convincing advocate for Open Access to research. Duke University is fortunate to name both of these compelling individuals citizens on campus – and library staff were quick to use this home-field advantage when they made plans for Open Access Day in 2008.
Jun 10, 2009
National student organizations call for Open Access to research A coalition of national and regional college student associations today issued a “Student Statement on the Right to Research,” calling on universities, research funders, and researchers to take action in support of Open Access to research. The American Medical Student Association, the Student PIRGs, Students for Free Culture, and Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, as well as the Trinity University Association of Student Representatives and the California Institute of Technology Graduate Student Council have signed the statement.
May 28, 2009
Webcast invitation: SCOAP3 – An opportunity to create change In follow up to the recent release of a new set of Frequently Asked Questions on the SCOAP3 initiative, SPARC and ACRL are pleased to host Dr. Salvatore Mele, Head of Open Access at CERN and spokesperson for SCOAP3, at a live Web cast to explore the process of committing to the consortium, establishing its governing board, the project’s conditions for the call for tender, and to answer remaining questions. Please join us.
May 11, 2009
Now Online: Webcast - Increasing Use and Content Through Creative Service-Repository Bundling This web event on April 15, featured Joan Giesecke and Paul Royster from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln speaking on value-added services and practices for content recruitment and document preparation, policies and implementation, staffing requirements, and software customization and design; as well as the central role of the library’s IR in an overall campus strategy for scholarly communication and publication. Read more about the event
May 5, 2009
SPARC and ACRL announce Chicago ALA forum will focus on the economy The next SPARC-ACRL forum on emerging issues in scholarly communication, to be held at the Chicago meeting of the American Library Association in July, will explore “Rough waters: Navigating hard times in the scholarly communication marketplace.”
Apr 30, 2009
Radio Berkman: Open Accessories Peter Suber, Senior Researcher at SPARC gives us little look inside the battle for Open Access.
Apr 30, 2009
BioOne News, April 2009 The BioOne News, a quarterly electronic newsletter for BioOne publishers, librarians, partners and the entire extended BioOne community is now available online.
Apr 30, 2009
Open Access Directory celebrates its first year online - Increasing demand drives success of Open Access resources As growing appreciation of Open Access to research drives demand for new resources – on what Open Access is and how it benefits faculty, students and researchers worldwide – the popular Open Access Directory (OAD) marks its first anniversary today.
Apr 28, 2009
A challenge to Goliath By Mike Rossner. Published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, April 27, 2009. Megapublishers obligate librarians to buy hundreds of journals they do not need in order to access the journals their constituents actually read. The time has come to challenge this business model, which is unsustainable for the libraries.
Apr 28, 2009
SPARC and ACRL release new SCOAP3 FAQ - More libraries commit to innovative new proposal with answers to key questions Key details about the SCOAP3 innovative proposal to change the dynamics of publishing in High-Energy Physics are highlighted in a new set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from SPARC and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).
Apr 21, 2009
Fair to whom? New House bill challenges public access By Heather Joseph, C&RL News, April 2009
Apr 20, 2009
Randy Olsen Receives Inaugural Goldstein Award to Advance Scholarly Communication BioOne and the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) honored Brigham Young University’s University Librarian for the Harold B. Lee Library Randy J. Olsen with its inaugural Howard Goldstein Award to Advance Scholarly Communication. Howard’s son Alex Goldstein presented the award on April 16, 2009, at a special ceremony in conjunction with BioOne’s annual meeting of publishers, librarians, and partners.
Apr 20, 2009
Webcast invitation - UMich’s March Open Access Week: Lessons and Ideas On April 30, Molly Kleinman from the University of Michigan Library will join us to talk about why the library decided a comprehensive program on Open Access was important, how the team secured administrative support and funding, how they attracted faculty, students, and others to events across campus, what they learned and would do differently next time, what “Copyright Jeopardy” is, exactly, and share her thoughts in general. Participating in the Webcast is recommended for all who plan to or may celebrate Open Access Week in October.
Apr 9, 2009
SPARKY VIDEO CONTEST GOES LOCAL, ADDS PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD The organizers of the popular Sparky Awards, which recognize the best new short videos on the value of information sharing, are calling on colleges and universities to organize their own campus video competitions in 2009 to get maximum benefit from the third-annual installment of the contest.
Mar 24, 2009
The "Other" Sustainability Problem by Diane J. Graves. EDUCAUSE Review, March/April 2009.
Mar 19, 2009
Webcast invitation: Increasing use and content through creative service-repository bundling; the case at University of Nebraska-Lincoln Wed., April 15, 2009 - 9:00 a.m. PT; 12:00 p.m. ET. There is no fee to attend.
Mar 9, 2009
New program helps Canadian researchers get greater reach for their research “Research is more valuable when it’s shared,” according to a new educational initiative launched in partnership by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) and SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition). Called, “Greater Reach for Your Research,” the campaign encourages Canadian authors to use their campus digital repository to increase the use and impact of their research outputs.
Mar 5, 2009
Open Access Week declared for 2009 To accommodate widespread global interest in the movement toward Open Access to scholarly research results, October 19 – 23, 2009 will mark the first international Open Access Week. The now-annual event, expanded from one day to a full week, presents an opportunity to broaden awareness and understanding of Open Access to research, including access policies from all types of research funders, within the international higher education community and the general public.
Feb 25, 2009
Online access = more citations By Elie Dogan of The Scientist. (Available only to subscribers). Free online availability of scientific articles increases the likelihood of papers getting cited, especially in the developing world and in the biomedical sciences, according to a new study published today in Science…
Feb 23, 2009
SPARC releases videos on digital repository development, Announces 2010 meeting Experts and advocates examine the state of the art in digital repositories in a new series of videos now freely available online from SPARC. Also, by popular demand, SPARC has announced it will host the third SPARC Digital Repositories Meeting on November 8 & 9, 2010, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Feb 17, 2009
In New Letter, Library Associations Voice Strong Opposition to Anti-NIH Bill by Andrew Albanese, Library Journal. February 17, 2009.
Feb 9, 2009
Heather Joseph Q & A: An Open Access Advocate Discusses Why She Feels Overturning the NIH Policy Would be a Big Mistake The Scientist, February 9, 2009. Free registration required to access.
Feb 9, 2009
Federal Players: The NIH's David Lipman From the Partnership for Public Service. The Washington Post, February 9, 2009.
Feb 5, 2009
Bill Against NIH Open-Access Policy Back in House by Matt Jones. GenomeWeb Daily News, February 5, 2009.
Feb 5, 2009
New Wrinkles as Bill Banning NIH-Like Public Access Resurfaces by Andrew Albanese. The Library Journal, February 5, 2009.
Feb 3, 2009
SPARKY AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED Four student productions are winners of the second annual Sparky Awards, a contest organized by SPARC and adopted by campuses nationwide that calls on entrants to creatively illustrate in a short video the value of sharing ideas.
Jan 22, 2009
New SPARC Guide and Online Community Aid Library-University Press Collaboration SPARC today released Campus-based Publishing Partnerships: A guide to critical issues, by Raym Crow. The guide is the core of a new Web site, the Campus-based Publishing Resource Center, designed by a panel of advisors from the library and university press communities to support successful publishing partnerships
Jan 21, 2009
Preston McAfee named newest SPARC innovator SPARC has named economics scholar and author R. Preston McAfee the newest SPARC innovator for his pioneering contributions to the Open Educational Resources movement and passionate advocacy for Open Access.
Jan 21, 2009
DSpace Foundation, Fedora Commons, Sun Microsystems and SPARC Present All About Repositories Webinar Series Got a repository? Would you like to understand more about what repositories are and how they operate? This spring DSpace Foundation, Fedora Commons, Sun Microsystems and SPARC (The Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition) will offer a free About Repositories Webinar Series to provide professional learning opportunities for repository managers, developers, curators and decision makers. The seminar series will kick off on Feb. 18 at 9:00 a.m. PT with DSpace and Fedora: A Collaboration Update presented by Michele Kimpton, Executive Director, DSpace Foundation, and Sandy Payette, Executive Director Fedora Commons. In Advocacy
Jun 26, 2009
CALL TO ACTION: Tell Congress you support the Federal Research Public Access Act On June 25, Senators Lieberman (I-CT) and Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the Federal Research Public Access Act (S.1373), a bill that would ensure free, timely, online access to the published results of research funded by eleven U.S. federal agencies. Express your support for this bill today.
Jun 25, 2009
Taxpayer Alliance applauds bill to broaden access to federal research results - Federal Research Public Access Act introduced today Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and John Cornyn (R-TX) today introduced the Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA), a bill to ensure free, timely, online access to the published results of research funded by eleven U.S. federal agencies. The proposed bill is welcomed by the Alliance for Taxpayer Access, a coalition of research institutions, consumers, patients, and others formed to support open public access to publicly funded research.
Mar 12, 2009
First U.S. Public Access Policy Made Permanent President Obama yesterday signed into law the 2009 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes a provision making the National Institutes’ of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy permanent. The NIH Revised Policy on Enhancing Public Access requires eligible NIH-funded researchers to deposit electronic copies of their peer-reviewed manuscripts into the National Library of Medicine’s online archive, PubMed Central (PMC). Full texts of the articles are made publicly available and searchable online in PMC no later than 12 months after publication in a journal.
Feb 11, 2009
CALL TO ACTION: Ask your Representative to oppose the H.R. 801 – The Fair Copyright in Research Works Act Your action still needed!
Feb 9, 2009
Heather Joseph Q & A: An Open Access Advocate Discusses Why She Feels Overturning the NIH Policy Would be a Big Mistake The Scientist, February 9, 2009. Free registration required to access.
Feb 9, 2009
Federal Players: The NIH's David Lipman From the Partnership for Public Service. The Washington Post, February 9, 2009.
Feb 5, 2009
Bill Against NIH Open-Access Policy Back in House by Matt Jones. GenomeWeb Daily News, February 5, 2009.
Feb 5, 2009
New Wrinkles as Bill Banning NIH-Like Public Access Resurfaces by Andrew Albanese. The Library Journal, February 5, 2009.
Feb 5, 2009
Anti-Open Access Bill a Real Head-Scratcher by Gigi Sohn. Published on Public Knowledge, February 5, 2009.
Jan 15, 2009
Public Access to the Published Results of Publicly Funded Research Will Benefit the Economy, Science, and Health (January 2009) [PDF]
Jan 14, 2009
Vote for Public Access as a priority for the Obama administration The president-elect’s Citizen’s Briefing Book gives us a chance to vote for Public Access to research as an issue that should be introduced to him when he takes office. Add your vote now.
Jan 6, 2009
Honorable Mentions: The LJAN Top Ten Stories of 2008, 4-10 5) NIH Public Access Policy Enacted, Challenged In Partners
Jun 16, 2009
Gaining the momentum: eIFL marks five year commitment to Open Access in South Africa Description
eIFL has been an active proponent of the OA movement since its inception and was one of the original signatories of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI). The eIFL-OA programme has established itself as a major advocate for Open Access policies and practices globally. eIFL returns to South Africa in May 2009 for a one-day workshop “Gaining the momentum: Open Access and Advancement of Science and Research”.
Apr 30, 2009
Radio Berkman: Open Accessories Peter Suber, Senior Researcher at SPARC gives us little look inside the battle for Open Access.
Apr 30, 2009
BioOne News, April 2009 The BioOne News, a quarterly electronic newsletter for BioOne publishers, librarians, partners and the entire extended BioOne community is now available online.
Apr 10, 2009
Open Access Evangelist Wins 2009 Benjamin Franklin Award Open Access News, April 6, 2009.
Mar 24, 2009
Lund University supports publishing in OA journals In the 2009 budget Lund university has approved of funding publication fees in Open Access journals with 1,5 million SEK (190,000$) with the intention to encourage and assist publishing in open access journals.
Mar 9, 2009
New program helps Canadian researchers get greater reach for their research “Research is more valuable when it’s shared,” according to a new educational initiative launched in partnership by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) and SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition). Called, “Greater Reach for Your Research,” the campaign encourages Canadian authors to use their campus digital repository to increase the use and impact of their research outputs.
Feb 18, 2009
eIFL.net and Bioline International signed the Memorandum of Understanding to promote open access
Jan 27, 2009
The Publisher's Pushback against NIH's Public Access and Scholarly Publishing Sustainability by John Willinsky. Published in PLoS Biology, January 27, 2009 In Publications
Jun 3, 2009
June edition of the SPARC Open Access Newsletter By Peter Suber. This issue takes a close look at the University of Maryland faculty vote rejecting a proposed OA policy. The round-up section briefly notes 165 OA developments from May.
Jun 3, 2009
Lessons from Maryland From the SPARC Open Access Newsletter, June 2009 edition, by Peter Suber. Is the Maryland vote ominous or anomalous? Either way, supporters of OA should try to understand it. Whatever its causes, they could arise again elsewhere…
May 11, 2009
The open access tracking project (OATP) From the May 2009 SPARC Open Access Newsletter, by Peter Suber Two weeks ago I launched the beta version of the open access tracking project (OATP), a collaborative effort to track new OA developments worldwide…
May 5, 2009
Now online - UMich's March Open Access Week: Lessons and Ideas (Recorded April 30, 2009) On April 30, Molly Kleinman from the University of Michigan Library joined us to talk about why the library decided a comprehensive program on Open Access was important, how the team secured administrative support and funding, how they attracted faculty, students, and others to events across campus, what they learned and would do differently next time, what “Copyright Jeopardy” is, exactly, and share her thoughts in general. Viewing the Webcast is recommended for all who plan to or may celebrate Open Access Week in October.
May 4, 2009
May edition of the SPARC Open Access Newsletter By Peter Suber. This issue takes a close look at open access tracking project (OATP), a collaborative tagging effort to capture new OA developments comprehensively and in real time. The round-up section briefly notes 151 OA developments from April.
Apr 21, 2009
Fair to whom? New House bill challenges public access By Heather Joseph, C&RL News, April 2009
Apr 17, 2009
SPARC-Oberlin Group Webcast on Harvard Policy On February 25 SPARC hosted a webcast for Oberlin Group liberal arts colleges about Harvard University’s open access policy. A number of Oberlin Group colleges are in various stages of discussing faculty open access policies similar to those that have been adopted at Harvard, MIT, and the Stanford University School of Education, and the webcast served to reinforce these ongoing conversations by answering key questions from librarians and faculty members. Both Trinity University and Oberlin College are now in advanced stages of policy development.
Apr 3, 2009
April edition of the SPARC Open Access Newsletter By Peter Suber. This issue takes a close look at 25 misunderstandings about open access. The round-up section briefly notes 158 OA developments March.
Apr 3, 2009
A field guide to misunderstandings about open access From the April 2009 SPARC Open Access Newsletter, by Peter Suber The woods are full of misunderstandings about OA. They thrive in almost every habitat, and the population soars whenever a major institution adopts an OA policy. Contact between new developments and new observers who haven’t followed the annual migrations always results in a colorful boomlet of young misunderstandings. Some of these misunderstandings are mistaken for one another, especially in the flurry of activity, because of their similar markings and habitat. Some are mistaken for understanding by novices unfamiliar with the medley of variant plumage, adaptive camouflage, and deceptive vocalizations. This field guide should help you identify 25 of the most common visitors to your neck of the woods.
Mar 16, 2009
Re-introduction of the bill to kill the NIH policy From the March SPARC Open Access Newsletter, by Peter Suber The Conyers bill is back (or baaaack). This is the bill to repeal the OA policy at the NIH and block similar policies at all other federal agencies. Its sponsors named it the Fair Copyright in Research Works Act, but the bill is to fair copyright what the Patriot Act was to patriotism.
Mar 16, 2009
Open access policy options for funding agencies and universities From the February SPARC Open Access Newsletter, by Peter Suber Every research funding agency should have an OA policy, many already do, and most are probably thinking about it. Here’s a guide to the major decisions which come up in framing a new policy, reviewing an older one, or thinking about policies elsewhere. Peter Suber starts with the choice-points facing funding agencies (1-12), and then look briefly at the choice-points which only arise for universities (13-18). He offers a recommendation for each.
Mar 2, 2009
March edition of the SPARC Open Access Newsletter By Peter Suber. This issue takes a close look at the re-introduction of the Fair Copyright in Research Works Act (a.k.a. the Conyers bill, HR 801), which would repeal the OA policy at the NIH and block similar policies at all other federal agencies. The round-up section briefly notes 129 OA developments from February.
Feb 2, 2009
February issue of the SPARC Open Access Newsletter This issue takes a close look at 18 choice-points facing funding agencies and universities when they draft a new OA policy, review an existing policy, or think about policies elsewhere. The round-up section briefly notes 159 OA developments from January.
Jan 23, 2009
Campus-based publishing partnerships: A guide to critical issues Raym Crow, SPARC Senior Consultant Campus-based publishing partnerships offer the academy greater control over the intellectual products that it helps create. To fully realize this potential, such partnerships will need to evolve from informal working alliances to long-term, programmatic collaborations. SPARC’s Campus-based Publishing Partnerships: A Guide to Critical Issues addresses issues relevant to building sound and balanced partnerships, including: Establishing governance and administrative structures; Identifying funding models that accommodate the objectives of both libraries and presses; Defining a partnership’s objectives to align the missions of the library and the press; Determining what services to provide; and Demonstrating the value of the collaboration. SPARC’s Campus-based Publishing Partnerships will help libraries, presses, and academic units to define effective partnerships capable of supporting innovative approaches to campus-based publishing.
Jan 2, 2009
January issue of the SPARC Open Access Newsletter This issue reviews the notable OA developments from 2008. The round-up section briefly notes 143 OA developments from December. In Partnering
Jun 23, 2009
Practical Advice on Bridging the Library-Press Divide Meredith Benjamin, The Exchange Online, June 11, 2009
Jun 16, 2009
Open Access Membership: Reporting tool brings convenience and control Following the recent rapid growth of institutional Memberships for open access publications, innovative publisher BioMed Central announces the introduction of the “Online Reporting System” for its open access Prepay and Postpay Membership accounts.
Jun 10, 2009
PLoS Progress Report, June 2009 [PDF] The Public Library of Science releases their progress report detailing their current financial statement, impressive statistics and more.
Jun 9, 2009
Index of campus-based publishing partnerships - now online The Scholarly Communication Program, based at Columbia University Libraries/Information Services’ Center for Digital Research and Scholarship, now offers an index of campus-based publishing partnerships. The index employs framework and data from “Campus-based publishing partnerships: A guide to critical issues” by Raym Crow, and is part of the Campus-based Publishing Resource Center organized by the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC).
Apr 3, 2009
U-M redefining scholarly publications in the digital age U-M Press refocuses on disseminating ideas, adding authors, printing on demand. From the UMich News service, Mar. 23, 2009. In Pricing
Apr 15, 2008
Periodicals Price Survey 2008: Embracing Openness Global initiatives and startling successes hint at the profound implications of open access on journal publishing |
