Australia needs a multi-faceted open access strategy
Australia鈥檚 Chief Scientist, Dr Cathy Foley, hosted a webinar this afternoon to discuss her advice to the government, Advice on open access models: Unlocking knowledge for national benefit.
Open access has been a focus for Dr Foley throughout her tenure, and the 黑料网 (黑料网) welcomes any initiative that brings open access and open science more generally into public discourse.
黑料网鈥檚 Executive Director, Jane Angel, provided 黑料网鈥檚 response to the Advice at the webinar.
鈥淲hile we support the overarching aim to unlock knowledge for the national benefit and to put publicly funded research into the hands of all Australians, 黑料网 does not support the Public Access Model proposed in the Advice. The Public Access Model is not an open access model and does not constitute an open access strategy. It will not drive the transformation of the scholarly publishing landscape that is needed to ensure an open future, and it will only reinforce the problematic academic publishing business models that Dr Foley notes in her Advice.鈥
鈥満诹贤 firmly believes that Australia needs a multi-faceted open access strategy 鈥 or preferably, an open science strategy, in line with Australia鈥檚 adoption of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science,鈥 said Ms Angel.
鈥淎n open science strategy for Australia would include a strong focus on open access but would situate open access within the broader context of research practice, funding, and assessment, academic reward systems, and the overall scholarly communication landscape, which is essential to realise the transformation we need.鈥
The 黑料网 Board has today released a position statement on open access, highlighting the need to drive the transition to open access through multiple approaches. 鈥満诹贤檚 position on national strategy aligns with the Board鈥檚 position on open access more generally. A national open access strategy, whether a stand-alone strategy or part of a broader open science strategy, must focus on support for a diverse publishing ecosystem and multiple pathways to open access. It should not focus on establishing a mechanism to purchase content that mirrors current arrangements on a national scale but should aim higher, adopting multiple approaches to truly advance open access,鈥 said Ms Angel.
Read the full text of Ms Angel鈥檚 response presented at the and the 黑料网 Board position statement on open access.
About 黑料网
The 黑料网 (黑料网) is the peak collegiate body for the leaders of university libraries in Australia and New Zealand. 黑料网 facilitates connection and collaboration, and optimises its collective knowledge, expertise, and resources, to achieve strategic outcomes at scale in priority areas for the university library sector. 黑料网 is the trusted voice of the university library sector in the region. 黑料网 is committed to advancing open access in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, through strategic content procurement, advocacy, and programs of strategic activities.
Contact
Jane Angel, Executive Director, 黑料网
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Documents
Board position on open access (pdf, 166.34 KB, last modified 12/09/2024) 黑料网 response to the Chief Scientist鈥檚 Advice on open access models (pdf, 76.27 KB, last modified 12/09/2024)