Re: Public Library of Science Initiative

From: Stevan Harnad <harnad_at_coglit.ecs.soton.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 18:46:56 +0000

> Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 22:43:16 -0800
> From: Public Library of Science Initiative <post_at_publiclibraryofscience.org>
> Reply-To: feedback_at_publiclibraryofscience.org
> Subject: Please tell your colleagues about Public Library of Science
>
> Michael Ashburner, University of Cambridge
> Patrick O. Brown, Stanford University
> Mary Case, Association of Research Libraries
> Michael B. Eisen, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and UC Berkeley
> Lee Hartwell, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
> Marc Kirschner, Harvard University
> Chaitan Khosla, Stanford University
> Roel Nusse, Stanford University
> Richard J. Roberts, New England Biolabs
> Matthew Scott, Stanford University
> Harold Varmus, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
> Barbara Wold, Caltech
>
> We write to ask for your support of an initiative to provide
> unrestricted access to the published record of scientific research.
> An open letter in support of this initiative has been signed by more
> than 4,500 scientists from 91 countries.
>
> http://www.publiclibraryofscience.org.
>
> http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/041601398v1

Everyone is strongly encouraged to sign the above petition BUT we
should not then sit and wait for the petition to be complied with!

The refereed research literature can already be freed, now, through
author/institution self-archiving. It would be a shame (and a waste of
precious time, potential research impact and potential research
access) if our hopes and energies were all dissipated in merely
petitioning and waiting when we can already take the entire matter into
our own hands, now:

 The "Subversive Proposal":

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmsctech/399/399we152.htm

 How to get around restrictive copyright (there is no need to switch
 journals, and no justification for any 6-month delay!):

    http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Tp/resolution.htm#Harnad/Oppenheim

 What you can do now (researchers, universities, libraries):

     http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Tp/resolution.htm#7.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Stevan Harnad harnad_at_cogsci.soton.ac.uk
Professor of Cognitive Science harnad_at_princeton.edu
Department of Electronics and phone: +44 23-80 592-582
             Computer Science fax: +44 23-80 592-865
University of Southampton http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/
Highfield, Southampton http://www.princeton.edu/~harnad/
SO17 1BJ UNITED KINGDOM

NOTE: A complete archive of the ongoing discussion of providing free
access to the refereed journal literature online is available at the
American Scientist September Forum (98 & 99 & 00 & 01):

    http://amsci-forum.amsci.org/archives/American-Scientist-Open-Access-Forum.html

You may join the list at the site above.

Discussion can be posted to:

    american-scientist-open-access-forum_at_amsci.org
Received on Wed Jan 03 2001 - 19:17:43 GMT

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