Letter to Faculty: Open Access Archive
Dear Colleagues:
As we all are well aware, we are living in a time when the results of our scholarship and research can easily be made available to others around the world. For almost two years the Faculty Council’s Committee on Research Activities, Libraries, and Support Services, working with the University Council’s Committee on Scholarly Activities and Libraries, has been discussing innovative ways to enhance the free access of others to the scholarship and research of our faculty through digital, open access frameworks.
I am very pleased to report that, after many discussions in committees and with the faculty members of our schools and colleges, the Faculty Council has unanimously endorsed and the University Council has approved the attached resolution which contains, among others, two very important recommendations: that the University establish and operate a digital, open access archive for preserving material from our research, scholarship and teaching; and that the University encourage our faculty to use non-exclusive copyright agreements with publishers so as to reserve the right to archive their material in a digital, open access format. More detail is available in the attached document. Our University Provost, David Campbell, will work with Robert E. Hudson, our Librarian, to implement these recommendations as soon as is feasible within our present budgetary constraints.
The resolution passed by the University Council is a very important statement by the entire University community on the importance of open access to the results of scholarship and research created within the University. I am sure that the digital archive called for in the resolution will become a great repository for the creativity of our faculty and students. Please join me in congratulating our colleagues on the Faculty Council and University Council, especially Barbara Millen, School of Medicine, and Robert E. Hudson, for their efforts on behalf of the University.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Brown
President