Discussion List Archives

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

ICSTI: news items

  • To: epc@iucr.org
  • Subject: ICSTI: news items
  • From: Pete Strickland <ps@iucr.org>
  • Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2004 17:13:29 +0100
  • Organization: IUCr
--------------------
Subject: London Financial Times comments on Derk Haank and Springer....


Again from Peter Suber's blog:-

Stephanie Kirchgaessner, New leaf for chief of Springer, Financial Times, 
August 5, 2004.

On Derk Haank's move from Elsevier to Springer.

Excerpt: "Like other academic publishers, some of Springer's biggest customers 
the libraries that purchase its journals are facing increasing budget 
pressure. A vocal minority of libraries and academics are also calling for a 
revamp of the traditional 'user pays' publishing model, which they claim is 
too costly for the end user. Instead, some are promoting a so-called open 
access model in which an author or sponsoring institution pays to have 
articles published that are then widely disseminated.
Mr Haank says the debate, which has pitted some open-access upstarts against 
the industry leaders, has taken on an 'unhelpful', 'almost religious' 
emotional element. Nevertheless, Springer has responded to the call from some 
academics by offering journal authors a choice: publish using the traditional 
method or pay Springer $3,000 once an article has been accepted and it will 
be disseminated for free. 'The responses have been very positive, because 
people appreciate we are listening to the market,' Mr Haank says. But one 
rival says Springer's plan represents little more than a 'public relations 
initiative'. It is an accusation Mr Haank would likely deny, although he does 
appear to relish the challenge he is presenting to some academics to put 
their money where their protests are. 'Let's see how serious they really 
are...we expect that not more than 10 per cent will be interested in this 
option,' he says."


-------------------------------------------------------
Subject: More on the NIH 'decision'

 From Peter Suber's blog:-

Jocelyn Kaiser, Seeking Advice on 'Open Access,' NIH Gets an Earful, Science 
Magazine, August 6, 2004 (accessible only to subscribers).
Excerpt: "The National Institutes of Health is forging ahead with plans to 
require that papers from NIH-funded research be made freely available. Last 
week, in a hastily called meeting, NIH director Elias Zerhouni told journal 
publishers he is not happy with the 'status quo' and is under pressure from 
the public to expand access to research results. He got an earful from 
scientific societies worried that any mandatory plan will drive their 
journals under....Zerhouni held an invitation only meeting on 28 July with 44 
participants, many from scientific societies, as well as commercial and 
open-access journals. 'There really is a strong advocacy for this' from 
scientists and universities as well as patients, explains NIH Office of 
Science Policy Director Lana Skirboll....Skirboll says NIH expects to hold at 
least one more meeting, this time with patient groups, then post a proposal 
for comment in the NIH grants guide, probably by December. Even when the plan 
is final, it can be


-------------------------------------------------------

-- 

Best wishes

Peter Strickland
Managing Editor
IUCr Journals

----------------------------------------------------------------------
IUCr Editorial Office, 5 Abbey Square, Chester CH1 2HU, England
Phone: 44 1244 342878   Fax: 44 1244 314888   Email: ps@iucr.org
Ftp: ftp.iucr.org   WWW: http://journals.iucr.org/

NEWSFLASH: Complete text of all IUCr journals back to 1948 
now online! Visit Crystallography Journals Online for more details
_______________________________________________
Epc mailing list
Epc@iucr.org
http://scripts.iucr.org/mailman/listinfo/epc

Reply to: [list | sender only]
International Union of Crystallography

Scientific Union Member of the International Science Council (admitted 1947). Member of CODATA, the ISC Committee on Data. Partner with UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in the International Year of Crystallography 2014.

International Science Council Scientific Freedom Policy

The IUCr observes the basic policy of non-discrimination and affirms the right and freedom of scientists to associate in international scientific activity without regard to such factors as ethnic origin, religion, citizenship, language, political stance, gender, sex or age, in accordance with the Statutes of the International Council for Science.