University of California Libraries supports open access and other transformative publishing models

Dear Colleagues,

I’m pleased to inform readers of this list that an updated version of the University of California Libraries Principles for Acquiring and Licensing Information in Digital Formats is now available. Building upon principles originally established by the UC Libraries in 1996, the July 2006 revision jointly developed by UC collection development and scholarly communication officers includes new principles that highlight the University’s interest in fostering a more open and sustainable scholarly communication environment. Specific principles set forth in this version include support for open access and other transformative publishing models, the right of academic authors to retain copyright to their works, and the use of multiple indicators of value as a basis on which to evaluate pricing. Other principles articulated here for the first time include support for the digitization of out-of-copyright material as an alternative to licensing where appropriate and an affirmation of the important role of third-party trusted archival repositories in the long-term preservation of digital information.

The revised principles can be found at http://libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/cdc/principlesforacquiring.html

Best wishes,

Ivy Anderson
Director of Collections
California Digital Library
University of California, Office of the President

Kudos, Ivy & the University of California Libraries!

Peter Suber has a very useful excerpt explaining the open access-related portions of this initiative on Open Access News.