A Resolution of the Greater Western Library Alliance

 

Whereas the drafters of the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities are committed to addressing the opportunities of the Internet as a medium for distributing knowledge, and to positively advance scholarly communication; and

 

Whereas the current system of scholarly communication–a system that has served us well for more than 200 years–is based upon the economics and constraints of print-based communication, while today’s researchers and libraries increasingly adopt digital technologies for research dissemination and exploration with colleagues; and

 

Whereas there is a critical need for scholars to reclaim their scholarship, to maintain their rights as authors and creators, and to reassert the mission of scholarly communication for the advancement, promotion, and dissemination of scholarship and not as a for-profit exercise of commerce for commercial publishers; and

 

Whereas the membership of the Greater Western Library Alliance is comprised of the libraries of thirty-two leading research, scientific, and cultural institutions in the United States which embrace their institutional missions to disseminate scientific, scholarly, and cultural knowledge widely throughout society; and

 

Whereas the members of the Greater Western Library Alliance encourage their institutions’ faculty, researchers, and students to make their work available in institutional repositories and publish their work in a manner consistent with Open Access principles; and

 

Whereas the Greater Western Library Alliance has demonstrated its commitment to change in scholarly communication as a co-founder of BioOne which serves as a successful model in which for-profit, not-for-profit, and Open Access publishers work together harmoniously for the benefit of scholars everywhere.

 

BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that the members of Greater Western Library Alliance, on behalf of the communities of scholars and students they serve, expresses its strong and vigorous support for Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution be communicated to the Max Planck Society, to the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, and to the research library community at large.

 

This resolution was approved by a unanimous vote of the Alliance membership on September 27, 2011.