Journal Editorial: “UO Libraries Supports New U.S. Policy Making Research Results Available Immediately”

Abstract

The letter below was written to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in response to its August 2022 memorandum establishing new federal policy on public access to the products of publicly funded research. At the University of Oregon, our students benefit from access to the widest possible range of newly published scholarly information through our Library’s subscriptions and e- resource collections. This access costs millions of dollars annually, much of it paid to the private, for- profit companies who collect and publish research. Many members of the public—including students at less well-funded institutions; high school students and K12 teachers; and curious learners unaffiliated with any university—lack the ability to read and learn from the latest scientific and medical information because the subscriptions are so unaffordable. This lack of access hinders scientific progress and is particularly unfair when considering that the public funds the underlying research activity through their tax dollars. The OSTP’s updated policy will ensure that when the government funds research—by providing grants to buy equipment, materials, hire researchers, run analyses, and more—that the findings from that research are immediately returned to the public for their benefit. We hope that this policy also means that the UO Library will be able to spend less every year on paying for these subscriptions, which will enable us to invest more directly in our students, faculty, and their important teaching and research work. We are proud to support the Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal as an open scholarly communications forum that undergraduates everywhere can read without cost. The UO and its Libraries will continue to advocate strongly for a fair and inclusive research communications system that everyone can afford to participate in.