Open Access: An “Academic Spring”
One of the many academic databases we have access to at the American University of Beirut is the well-known database Elsevier Science Direct. Faculty members and students use this resource to a considerable extent. Yet, I was recently surprised to learn that the database had been boycotted by thousands of academics worldwide as part of the boycott of the Anglo-Dutch science publishing giant Reed Elsevier, one of the world’s largest publishers of scientific, technical, and medical information, and owner of Lexis Nexis (another popular resource).
On April 1 – though this was not a joke – The Chronicle of Higher Education published “An Open Letter to Academic Publishers About Open Access” written by Jennifer Howard. Howard warned publishers that they should be nervous because of the new “Academic Spring” - the revolt against expensive publishers spreading throughout academia and represented by the Open Access movement.
Open access of course may be defined in various ways; the definition may be restricted to the relatively new open access journals, or it may include the less formal posting of working papers, blogs, and other non-peer-viewed work. While the traditional requirements of conventional academic careers may dictate otherwise, who knows what the future might bring for academia? Web 2.0 has done miracles so far. Besides, the United Nations, represented by UNESCO, supports open access.
If spring is here, can summer be far behind?
Posted by May Mikati on 26 April 2012, 5:51 PM
One of the many academic databases we have access to at the American University of Beirut is the well-known database Elsevier Science Direct. Faculty members and students use this resource to a considerable extent. Yet, I was recently surprised to learn that the database had been boycotted by thousands of academics worldwide as part of the boycott of the Anglo-Dutch science publishing giant Reed Elsevier, one of the world’s largest publishers of scientific, technical, and medical information, and owner of Lexis Nexis (another popular resource).
On April 1 – though this was not a joke – The Chronicle of Higher Education published “An Open Letter to Academic Publishers About Open Access” written by Jennifer Howard. Howard warned publishers that they should be nervous because of the new “Academic Spring” - the revolt against expensive publishers spreading throughout academia and represented by the Open Access movement.
Open access of course may be defined in various ways; the definition may be restricted to the relatively new open access journals, or it may include the less formal posting of working papers, blogs, and other non-peer-viewed work. While the traditional requirements of conventional academic careers may dictate otherwise, who knows what the future might bring for academia? Web 2.0 has done miracles so far. Besides, the United Nations, represented by UNESCO, supports open access.
If spring is here, can summer be far behind?
Posted by May Mikati on 26 April 2012, 5:51 PM
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