Sir Mark Walport, Chief Executive Designate of the UKRI, has announced that the new body will undertake a review of open access policy over the course of its first year. Although it will be an internal review, UKRI will be seeking evidence from others and will look at whether existing policies have worked, how they compare with other countries and what any future policy should be.
This review is part of a bigger conversation about the future of open access policy in the UK five years on from the Finch report. Given the appointment of a new Secretary of State and Minister for HE, there is more scope for wider OA policy changes in the UK than at any recent time.
On 26 March SCONUL is bringing directors together to consider the kinds of changes that members wish to see in OA policy, both at research council and national policy level. The core objective is to come to a common view of the recommended changes that members wish to see included in evidence to UKRI and in conversation with other stakeholders.
To inform the discussion, we on the Jisc Collections Content Strategy Group have produced a discussion paper. We are also asking members to fill in a survey on journal budgets which will help inform our collective view.
Function Room HRB
Henriette Raphael Building
King’s College, London
London Guy’s Campus
SE1 1UL
This is a policy setting meeting aimed primarily at directors.
Agenda
Welcome and purpose of meeting
Chris Banks, Director of Library Services, Imperial College London and member of the SCONUL Content Strategy Group
Finch five years on
What does the evidence show has been the impact of the changes bought about the Finch report? How has the policy landscape changed, and how might it develop? What are our options for change?
Liam Earney, Director, Jisc Collections
Plenary session
Institutional positions on journal costs and budgets, options for change and the future of open access.
Liam Earney, Director, Jisc Collections and Ann Rossiter, Executive Director, SCONUL
Workshops:
(a) Should we seek the imposition of conditions on the use of public funds for hybrid APCs? What should these be?
(b) What other ways is it open to us to drive open access changes? For example, should the transition to open access be the primary objective of Jisc Collections negotiations with publishers?
(c) How should national policy change to foster open access, including in relation to metrics and progression?
Plenary sessions - feedback from workshops: what should SCONUL’s stated response be?
Chris Pressler, University Librarian, Dublin City University and Vice-Chair of the SCONUL Content Strategy Group
Wrap up and further actions
Ann Rossiter, Executive Director, SCONULand Chris Banks, Director of Library Services, Imperial College London and member of the SCONUL Content Strategy Group