[Libs-Or] ACTION: Federal Research Public Access Act introduced in House

[Diedre Conkling]

Federal Research Public Access Act introduced in
House<http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=4795>
April 21, 2010 ( No
Comments<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#comments>)

On April 15, 2010, Representatives Doyle (D-PA), Waxman (D-CA),
Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), Harper (R-MS), Boucher (D-VA) and Rohrabacher
(R-CA) introduced the Federal Research Public Access Act (H.R.
5037<http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d111:1:./temp/~bdRVtQ::|/bss/111search.html|>),
a bill that would ensure free, timely, online access to the published
results of research funded by 11 U.S. federal agencies.  This
*bi-partisan*supported bill mirrors the Senate version (S.
1373 <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.1373:>) introduced in
June 2009.

Just (exactly) like, S. 1373,  H.R. 5037 requires federal agencies and
departments with annual extramural research budgets of over $100 million to
make available via the Internet the final articles resulting from research
funded by U.S. taxpayers (the public) no later than six months after
publication in a peer-reviewed journal.  The manuscripts would be maintained
and preserved in a digital archive, ensuring the research is available to
the public.

Essentially, the bill would advance and expand the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) Public Access
Policy<http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/wo/woissues/copyrightb/openaccesstoresearch/openaccess.cfm#nih>,
which requires public access to taxpayer-funded research, to an additional
11 agencies. The ability to search and access the archive of non-classified
research of these agencies and departments – from the Department of
Agriculture and the Department of Commerce to the Environmental Protection
Agency and the National Science Foundation – would provide open online
access to research. Undoubtedly, such an archive would allow librarians the
ability to better assist library patrons with their information and research
needs as well as allow the direct access by the public.

Without passage of this bill, taxpayer-funded research will continue to be
inaccessible (without a fee) to those already funding it – the
public. Additional information on H.R. 5037 and S. 1373 are available on the
ALA website<http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/access/accesstoinformation/publiclyfundedresearch/s1373.cfm>
.

Please take this opportunity to
write<http://capwiz.com/ala/issues/alert/?alertid=14952441> to
your representative asking her/him to support and co-sponsor H.R. 5037.
And, yes, introduction of the bill in the House is indeed a sign of “good
progress <http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6725229.html?&rid=>”
toward open access to taxpayer-funded scholarly research.


http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=4795

-- 
Diedre Conkling
Lincoln County Library District
P.O. Box 2027
Newport, OR  97365
Work phone & fax:  541-265-3066
Work email:  diedre at beachbooks.org
Home email:  diedre08 at gmail.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20100421/bfa8707f/attachment.html>