[GOAL] French scholars say ‘oui’ to open access

[Marin Dacos]

Dear all,

Times Higher Education has published an article titled  "French scholars
say ‘oui’ to open access". Here it is.
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/french-scholars-say-oui-to-open-access/2002825.article

We have organized two days ago an open access meeting in Paris Sorbonne.
The auditorium was full of scholars, journals directors, librarians. For
those who can read French, a journalist has reported this public session :
http://speakingofscience.docteo.net/2013/03/27/open-access-en-shs-lintendance-suivra/
I
would like to point out the 2 minutes speach of Pierre Mounier, deputy
director of OpenEdition, explaining why open access is so important for
him, "the last roman", because he was a latinist, considered as an
endangered species. You can listen his improvised talk during the
discussion :
https://soundcloud.com/speaking-of-science/pierre-mounier-cleo-message-open-access
What
message wants humanist give to the world? Are we the last Mohican, or have
we a project for the future? Thanks, Pierre, for such sincerity and clear
view of the future!

Best regards,
Marin Dacos



http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/french-scholars-say-oui-to-open-access/2002825.articleFrench
scholars say ‘oui’ to open access

28 MARCH 2013 | BY PAUL
JUMP<http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/paul-jump/1074.bio>

Senior humanities and social science academics come out in support of move
to ‘take knowledge out of silos’

 [image: Padlock and chain]

Sixty senior figures from the humanities and social sciences in France have
published a statement in national newspaper *Le Monde* in support of open
access.

The signatories, who include university presidents, librarians and journal
editors, warn that if the humanities and social sciences were to opt out of
wider moves towards open access they “would become isolated and ultimately
extinct”. The statement, titled “Who Is Afraid of Open Access?”, was
published on 15 March and has received more than 2,000 endorsements on a
dedicated website, I love open access <http://iloveopenaccess.org/>.

Its publication follows a statement in February by representatives of more
than 120 journals and 50 publishers - specialising in French humanities and
social sciences - which expressed concern that the European Commission’s
open-access policy for its Horizon 2020 funding period would stifle
subscription income, leading to “the disappearance of the vast majority of
journals published in French”.

The publishers’ statement added that the French government had given
assurances that it did not feel in “any way bound” to adopt the maximum
12-month “green” embargo length advocated by the Commission.

The academics’ riposte in *Le Monde* describes the publishers’ fears as
“largely groundless”, noting that a “thorough assessment of the sector
would be required to provide a true cost-benefit analysis” of open access.

It says open access has the potential to “take knowledge out of silos” and
allow it to play its “pivotal role” in the “collective growth” of society.

The statement also highlights the success of open access in Latin America,
which it says demonstrates its potential to break the dominance of
English-language journals, enabling a “plurality of viewpoints, modes of
publication, scientific paradigms, and languages”.

To fear open access is “to commit oneself to a narrow - and, in fact,
erroneous - vision of the future”, it says. “The humanities and social
sciences can be at the forefront of this opening movement precisely because
there is an increasing social demand for their research results.”

paul.jump at tsleducation.com

 PRINT HEADLINE:

Article originally published as: *French say ‘oui’ to open access* (28
March 2013

-- 
Marin Dacos - http://www.openedition.org
Director - Centre for Open Electronic Publishing

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