UA initiative to explore open-access publishing

Research at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville could become more open to the public with a new access model that campus leaders are discussing, the university announced Monday.

Under consideration is an initiative to make works produced by researchers available for free, enabling a wider audience to view scholarly articles.

Government funding often stipulates "open-access" publishing of studies, reports and sometimes data, the university noted in a statement announcing that Provost Sharon Gaber has formed a seven-person coordinating committee to explore such publishing models -- including the creation of an "institutional repository" for research documents.

"An institutional repository has the potential to open up the university's output to a wide audience, including the citizens of Arkansas, who potentially could benefit from research being conducted right here in our state," Gaber said in a statement.

The committee will be co-chaired by Carolyn Henderson Allen, dean of UA libraries, and Jim Rankin, vice provost for research and academic development. A faculty task force to be formed later will decide whether to recommend such a model and what types of materials might be published.

Faculty Senate President John Rupe wrote in an email that he first heard of the idea for UA this summer.

"I'm still not exactly sure what this will mean," Rupe wrote, adding that the idea "certainly will be a topic for the Faculty Senate this year."

A growing number of universities have adopted some form of open-access publishing, with faculty for the University of California system adopting such a policy last year.

NW News on 08/19/2014

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