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Open access for library schools #2
Open access infrastructure
Open access means free and unhindered access to scholarly research and other publications by anyone who has access to the Internet. An initiative of the 21st century (Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI)) open access is taken as an economic model made possible by the global information networks. But its antecedents can easily be seen in the print era. Many missions, both diplomatic and religious, NGOs concerned with social welfare, environmental protection and some political/ideological groups not only distribute their publications free of cost, including periodicals, but also encourage readers to copy, distribute or republish the matter without permission only by acknowledging the author and the source.
But its e-avatar focuses on research and academic literature which is a consequence of needs of new economic models of research mostly funded by Government or its agencies. Though the number of research journals has increased constantly but the libraries have always reeled under the budget cuts. Price of journals and other research publications increased manifold due to increase in production cost and high profit margins of publishers. For scholars, academicians and research institutions it seemed an exploitation of sort by profiteer publishers to get the raw material (research output) free of cost, even by charging fee from the authors/researchers in the form of per page charges, and then to sell the same processed material in the form of publications at high prices. The underlying philosophy of OAI is that research benefits the entire humanity and should be available to all irrespective of their paying capacity. That is the only way to promote access to knowledge and its benefits to the society at large: public funded research should be freely available to public. Hence, the movement, aided by the information technology, got the momentum.
Initially the authors were wary of submitting their research to e-journals and treated them as impermanent and out of the main stream channels. They even doubted their quality and standards. Easy and inexpensive technology, availability of open source software and standards to launch e-journals tempted many unscrupulous and incompetent publishers and editors to enter the fray with the sole motive of making money. They had their way, but spoiled the credibility of the movement. To check such malpractices some publishers, organisations and editors have come together to frame guidelines for transparency and quality control in open access e-journals which have come to stay. Indeed open access e-journals have numerous advantages and better features. OA is not restricted to e-journals only. OA institutional repositories, e-books, education resources, open data, open software and standards, etc. are also part of this movement for which there is no looking back. Institutional repositories, may be subject, institution or form based, have many instant and long term benefits.
Launching an e-journal or knowledge repository is a project which needs meticulous planning in terms of its need, scope, technology standard, administration, legal issues, finances marketing and sustainability.
This module deals with open access resources of all types, their definition, nature, features, planning, executing, choosing appropriate technical standards and following set procedures and later maintenance for all parties involved i.e. host, sponsors, users and prospective content creators. Emphasis is on e-journals and e-repositories and of course emerging trends in the open access movement.
But its e-avatar focuses on research and academic literature which is a consequence of needs of new economic models of research mostly funded by Government or its agencies. Though the number of research journals has increased constantly but the libraries have always reeled under the budget cuts. Price of journals and other research publications increased manifold due to increase in production cost and high profit margins of publishers. For scholars, academicians and research institutions it seemed an exploitation of sort by profiteer publishers to get the raw material (research output) free of cost, even by charging fee from the authors/researchers in the form of per page charges, and then to sell the same processed material in the form of publications at high prices. The underlying philosophy of OAI is that research benefits the entire humanity and should be available to all irrespective of their paying capacity. That is the only way to promote access to knowledge and its benefits to the society at large: public funded research should be freely available to public. Hence, the movement, aided by the information technology, got the momentum.
Initially the authors were wary of submitting their research to e-journals and treated them as impermanent and out of the main stream channels. They even doubted their quality and standards. Easy and inexpensive technology, availability of open source software and standards to launch e-journals tempted many unscrupulous and incompetent publishers and editors to enter the fray with the sole motive of making money. They had their way, but spoiled the credibility of the movement. To check such malpractices some publishers, organisations and editors have come together to frame guidelines for transparency and quality control in open access e-journals which have come to stay. Indeed open access e-journals have numerous advantages and better features. OA is not restricted to e-journals only. OA institutional repositories, e-books, education resources, open data, open software and standards, etc. are also part of this movement for which there is no looking back. Institutional repositories, may be subject, institution or form based, have many instant and long term benefits.
Launching an e-journal or knowledge repository is a project which needs meticulous planning in terms of its need, scope, technology standard, administration, legal issues, finances marketing and sustainability.
This module deals with open access resources of all types, their definition, nature, features, planning, executing, choosing appropriate technical standards and following set procedures and later maintenance for all parties involved i.e. host, sponsors, users and prospective content creators. Emphasis is on e-journals and e-repositories and of course emerging trends in the open access movement.
99 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2015
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