Research is produced for the public good, but it is not always available to the general public who paid for it. Public universities and taxpayers should not have to pay again to have access to that work.
As the nation’s largest four-year public university system, the California State University’s (CSU) Council of Library Deans stand in full support of the University of California (UC) in their decision to not renew its subscriptions with Elsevier after protracted negotiations.
The UMass Amherst Libraries have issued a statement in support of the decision by the University of California system to develop a cost-neutral approach to moving journal licensing to a more sustainable, accessible, and open model.
The University of Virginia’s Alderman Library is headed for a major overhaul.
This week’s weekend Big Deal Long Read is an in-depth analysis of the academic publishing industry, including both research and textbooks/teaching materials. (While not directly relevant to the Big Deal, there is a new urgency in understanding the textbook industry, now that two of the three dominant players are trying to merge.)
The Big Deal has been the subject of quite a few interesting long reads. Periodically I’d like to recommend one such piece for your weekend reading pleasure.