Reflections of a Somewhat Weary Open Access Supporter

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Reflections of a Somewhat Weary Open Access
Supporter

• Marcus A. Banks, UCSF Library
• PLoS Staff Meeting
• November 1, 2007
• marcus.banks_at_library.ucsf.edu

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Agenda

• Introduction
• My Open Access Credentials
• Rueful Reflections
• Unproductive rhetorical struggle
• Anti open access propaganda
• Pro open access distortions
• Conflation of badness
• Unfair criticism of HINARI
• Conclusions
• OA and traditional publishers fighting over a
  dying model
• Librarians and publishers can work together
  productively in a post-journal article world

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Open Access Credentials

• Biomedical Digital Libraries editor
• EBLIP peer reviewer
• First published commentary enthuses about
  potential for open access publishing
• Signer of Budapest Open Access Initiative
• Co-organizer of scholarly communications
  symposium at Georgetown University
• Andy Gass of PLoS among the first speakers

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Anti Open Access Propaganda

• Publishers Research Consortium (Mild)
• May 2007 Denial of OA citation advantage
• Funded by traditional publishing companies
• Worth reading, but with a grain of salt
• PRISM Coalition (Extreme)
• Alarmist rhetoric Govt. control of science
• Claims fictitious support from publishers
• Publishing lobby potent even when wrong

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Pro Open Access Distortions Conflation of
Badness

• Problem Conflating one unavailable article to
  stand for many similar articles

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(No Transcript)
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HINARI et al. Whats to Criticize?

• HINARI/AGORA/OARE
• WHO programs founded with leading traditional
  publishers to provide content to researchers in
  developing countries
• Medicine, agricultural, environmental studies
• Available free or at low cost, depending on per
  capita income of country
• Subsidized by high subscription fees of libraries
  in wealthy nations (Robin Hood)
• Good PR for publishers
• Thats why they do it, but who cares?
• Good content for researchers
• Ends justify means in this case

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PLoS Article Criticizing HINARI

• Is HINARI a Step Backwards?
• PLoS Medicine 2007 (Villafuerte-Galvez et. al)
• Claim Deficient HINARI access in Peru in 200
• Author Goal Health information for all by 2015
  (Lancet 2004)
• Rebuttal (PAHO Librarian Gaby Caro)
• Authors informed of technical difficulties at
  time of study
• Situation has improved significantly since then
• HINARI is a great good for Peru

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Personal HINARI Experience

• Trainer in Ibadan, Nigeria (summer 2007)
• Grant to Medical Library Association from
  Elsevier
• Train-the-trainer workshops for librarians
• Technical challenges None
• As in Peru, online access was fine
• Cultural Challenge Librarians reluctant to share
  passwords with their patrons
• Fear of abuse if password was widespread, and/or
• A means of holding onto power
• Criticizing HINARI seems counterproductive
• Cultural challenges much more worrisome

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Conclusion The Future of Publishing

• Claim Open access publishing the latest stage of
  an antiquated model based on paper and ink
• Consequence Open access publishers and
  traditional publishers are fighting over a dying
  model
• What the future holds
• Datuments interactive publications
• Publisher role Synthesizers of digital packages
• Librarian role Retrievers of digital packages
• Everyones role Organizers of digital packages
• Exciting new era for all of us