We are big fans of open access work, here in the library profession. Having access to science research, to information of all sorts – all of that is important, and is a significant part of the work we do in libraries.
Check out this excerpt from an article about OA work during the pandemic. And read the whole article right here.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back — The Pandemic’s Impact on Open Access Progress
“2019 was a watershed year for progress in the transition of research publishing to open access (OA). The shakeup caused by Plan S had some time to sink in, cancellations of big subscription deals ramped up, and as I noted last October, the conversation had shifted from “eventually things will move to OA,” to instead a sense of urgency, “we’re on the clock for a move to OA.” The value of open science (increased transparency, open data, open access to research results) has become increasingly obvious during the current global health crisis. Both the positives (rapid reporting and sharing of information) and the negatives (the glut of bad science being issued as preprints and promoted via mainstream media without proper curation) are now evident, with the good generally outweighing the bad. Despite the daily evidence of the importance of shifting to an open science environment for research, the economic fallout from the pandemic is going to make necessary progress difficult and slow.
The academic community is likely to be financially devastated by the pandemic. Roger Schonfeld’s grim overview of the funding relied upon by educational institutions makes it clear that universities are in for hard times. Tuition revenues are expected to plummet at universities (such as those in the US and UK) that rely on enrollment by international students, who often carry a significant portion of a university’s tuition load. Many domestic students are also expected to take a “gap year,” further depressing enrollments. It’s unclear what will happen at universities outside of these regions, but given recent new waves of infection globally, the likelihood of business-as-usual is pretty low.
Major universities have announced that they will continue with distance learning in the fall, which means no on-campus revenue from housing, meals, activities, and various fees, not to mention the likelihood that the students who do enroll will refuse to pay full price, given that they are not receiving the full college experience. Sharp budget cuts at universities are anticipated, and given that libraries are already undervalued and underfunded, they will be a prime candidate for such cuts.
Jisc and UK universities are trying to weather the storm by asking publishers for significant discounts on all agreements, and I’ve heard from colleagues that other major library consortia are also seeking to change the rates agreed to in existing multi-year deals. I suspect that publishers will make efforts to meet these requests as best they can, but it’s unlikely that the concessions offered will be enough to offset the expected reductions.”
Read the rest of this article here!