[Dspace-general] Collections Budget

[David Goodman]

On the contrary, I think it's an excellent idea. True, no library now can afford to spend much money for the 
purpose. But most libraries have supported OA journals in a small way, by buying memberships that allowed 
discounted publication charges for the faculty. This is the same principle. While important subscription-access 
titles continue, the library must buy them. But a small amount of funds can be used to partially support the 
faculty in OA publishing, and establish that the library will do ,more, as more funding becomes available:  

In the past, I offered my faculty greatly improved document delivery services supported by some of the 
subscription money, and I was able to show them the increased level of true service that would result, and 
was able to set the pattern for such library-funded service more widely with the university.  

There are always some subscription titles which are least used and most expensive. I think faculty would in 
general support their cancellation in exchange for money towards publication fees, and the library should 
suggest and encourage such moves. This will aid OA by positive feedback. Some of these overly expensive 
and cost-inefficient titles will be the same for many universities, and this faculty-supported action will 
encourage such journals to change to OA journals, or perhaps to become not worth the publishing. Then 
there will be even more money to support OA--all forms of OA:
existing and new OA journals, library supported OA publishing of small journals together with the faculty, 
expansion, better publicity,  and increased use of the institutional repository--and if there isn't an IR already, 
the library is well placed to establish one. 

The alternative is to  refuse tangible help. In a few years, as subscription journals become increasingly Open 
Access or have their articles available in archives, the administration will eventually suggest that there is no 
reason to fund the library to pay for material which it already has available free. Then is the time the library 
will wish it had faculty support. Without it, the library will lose the funds altogether, and play a diminishing 
role within the university. If the library had instead used some of the increasing amounts that become 
available to support the faculty's OA publications, then it will retain its centrality--and even increase it, as it 
moves towards being a publisher as well s a  collector. 

David Goodman, Ph.D., M.L.S.
previously:
Bibliographer and Research Librarian
Princeton University Library

dgoodman at princeton.edu


----- Original Message -----
From: Shawna Sadler <ssadler at ucalgary.ca>
Date: Friday, February 23, 2007 12:42 pm
Subject: [Dspace-general] Collections Budget
To: dspace-general at mit.edu, dtpalmer at hkucc.hku.hk

> Hi David,
> Oh that is interesting!!! Collections paying for publishers to make 
> an 
> article Open Access... that's terrible.  I can't imagine the 
> Collections' budget paying a publisher twice for a single article 
> (once 
> for the normal subscription and then an additional charge for Open 
> Access).
> We had a similar request, but thank goodness I have good relations 
> with 
> our Collections department and they sent this faculty member to me. 
> I 
> wonder if publishers are encouraging this? Does anyone know?
> 
> Shawna
> 
> Shawna Sadler
> Coordinator, Digital Initiatives
> Libraries & Cultural Resources
> University of Calgary
> Phone: (403) 220-3739
> Email: ssadler at ucalgary.ca
> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:01:08 +0800
> From: "David Palmer" <dtpalmer at hkucc.hku.hk>
> Subject: Re: [Dspace-general] Question for the Librarians
> To: <dspace-general at mit.edu>
> Message-ID: <008001c756ee$7efe51f0$31150893 at snet.lib.hku.hk>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"
> 
> 
> We saw an interesting turn.  One of our faculties is now asking 
> that the
> budget funding the Library be used to pay for OA charges when their 
> authorspublish in journals offering OA.  Though we have an 
> insitutional repository
> here, this faculty has shown no interest in it previously.  I have 
> seen many
> cases where the funding body of the research offers to pay these OA 
> charges,but never one in which the Library pays them.  Are we the 
> first to be so
> asked?
> 
> David Palmer
> Systems Librarian
> Technical Services Support Team Leader
> The University of Hong Kong Libraries
> Pokfulam Road
> Hong Kong
> tel. +852 2859 7004
> 
> 
> -----Original Messag
> 
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