Citation
(2005), "JISC renews BioMed Central membership for UK Universities", Interlending & Document Supply, Vol. 33 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilds.2005.12233aab.005
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
JISC renews BioMed Central membership for UK Universities
Perhaps JISC will take the lead in coordination?
BioMed Central, the Open Access Publisher, and Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) are pleased to announce that they have renewed their agreement that gives all UK universities membership of BioMed Central until September 2005. Under the renewed membership agreement all UK higher education staff can continue to publish their work in BioMed Central’s growing number of Open Access journals without incurring a direct article-processing charge.
News of the JISC renewal comes at a key time for Open Access in the UK. The UK government is due to respond shortly to ”Scientific Publications: Free for all” – the House of Commons Science & Technology Select Committee report. In the report, the Committee concludes that changes in scientific publishing are “necessary as a matter of urgency” and everyone should have free, open access to UK research findings. They urge the UK Government to “act as a proponent for change” and “lead by example”. JISC’s decision, to fund Open Access publication in BioMed Central’s journals for all UK universities for a further year, provides critical support for the growth of Open Access in the UK while policy is debated at government level.
JISC first signed up for BioMed Central membership in July 2003, and since then there has been a huge increase in support and usage from researchers in the UK. Submissions to BioMed Central’s journals by UK academics have increased by 180 per cent, and publications have increased by 210 per cent. Downloads of BioMed Central journal articles by the UK community have more than doubled since July 2003. These results demonstrate that the JISC membership has had a huge impact on the awareness of Open Access publishing in just one year.
Source: Press Release 13 September 2004.