boaiforum messages

[BOAI] Open Access in Developing Countries

From: Stevan Harnad <harnad AT ecs.soton.ac.uk>
Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 13:55:18 +0000 (GMT)

Threading: • This Message
→ [BOAI] Re: Open Access in Developing Countries from ept AT biostrat.demon.co.uk

On Sat, 15 Feb 2003, Subbiah Arunachalam wrote:

> Friends:
> 
> Here is a draft report on communication flow and information access in
> science in developing countries. I will be grateful for your valuable
> comments and criticism. There are two attachments: the text and the ↵
tables.
> Regards.
> 
> Arun
> [Subbiah Arunachalam]

Dear Arun,

I've read your article and it seems to give an excellent summary of all
the factors involved in the three problems at hand:

    (1) The DC (developing countries) *access* to (incoming) non-DC
    (and DC) research literature

    (2) The *visibility/impact* of (outgoing) DC research literature

    (3) The technology gap (the problem of access to modern networked
    computer resources in DC)

I cannot add anything about (3), though I have the feeling that
significant progress in (1) and (2) would help drive (3) -- though
clearly some headway on (3) is a prerequisite for being able to benefit
from (1) and (2).

I also understand that as (1) (immediate access) is most urgent for DC,
immediate measures, such as lower-toll-access, are essential now; there
is not the time to work and wait only for long-term open-access.

But I think there is no conflict. Let DC do anything and everything they
can do, now, to get lower tolls and more technology. But, *apart from
that*, nothing is lost by investing as much time and energy as is
available into (1), and thereby (2). (1) is open access, and what is in
the hands of DC researchers whenever and wherever (3) (technology) allows it
is BOAI-1, self-archiving their own research output (either in their own
institutional Eprint Archives or in Central ones at other institutions)
and/or BOAI-2, submitting it to open-access journals (BOAI-2) such as
BioMed Central or PLoS.

This local piece of self-help, multiplied many times over, in both the DC
and non-DC, is what will eventually provide the long-term open-access,
and it will at the same time provide (2): maximal visibility/impact for
DC research output. (1) comes slowly, collectively, but (2) can be quite
fast, for each researcher's own output.

I think this needs to be stressed, in your closing remarks about the
immediate needs vs. long-term open-access goals.

We are, after all, trying to create a reciprocal domino open-access effect,
and DC countries can help make it happen, and happen faster:
"Self-archive unto others as ye would have them self-archive unto ↵
you."
http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Temp/unto-others.html

Cheers, Stevan

[BOAI] Re: Open Access in Developing Countries

From: ept <ept AT biostrat.demon.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 16 Feb 2003 18:16:04 +0000

Threading: ↑ [BOAI] Open Access in Developing Countries from harnad AT ecs.soton.ac.uk
• This Message

Arun's paper and Stevan's reply are important. And Stevan's 
'self-archive unto others as ye would have them self-archive unto you' 
is key, because the N to S, S to S and S to N gaps are all positively 
affected by the establishment and filling of eprint servers around the 
world. By doing this low-cost activity, DC researchers and publishers 
will see that OA has multi-directional benefits.

I think the DC's can lead the development because their need is the 
greatest. But what is not stopping this happening is the lack of 
awareness. Few DC institutes know about the OA movement. They cannot set 
up OA archives if they don't know what these are, what benefits they 
bring or how to do it. So Arun is right to say the development of OA in 
DCs will be slow unless someone will fund global/regional 
'awareness-raising programmes'. In the meantime, we can write articles 
and distribute them widely; we can make presentations, make good 
websites, get involved in training programmes..... Following the 
ICSTI/INIST/INSERM meeting in Paris I became aware of a number of 
programmes underway on ICT and information literacy. They were 
interested in helping inform about OA....

We have an EPT Trustees' meeting on March 14th in London, and I am 
planning a draft, very short 'e-leaflet' for discussion. When we have 
revised this it could be distributed globally via all our many separate 
contacts. It could be a kind of short FAQ aimed at DCs, answering the 
key questions and leading interested organisations to the best possible 
resources and support.

Arun is also right to think about centres to act as 'way stations' or 
'staging posts' until such time as the infrastructure reaches all (which 
it surely will - just as electricity did, and see the AfricaOne 
project). This concept has been discussed in the Health Information 
Forum and there is a web site for the development (www.iwsp.org). 
Although I do not think it has yet been funded, the idea seems sound and 
could be mirrored in regions other than sub-Saharan Africa, for which it 
was proposed.

However, I feel organisations that already can set up low cost 
institutional archives, should do so now (as the Indian Academy of 
Science has done), not wait, and so be in a position to help other 
organisations regionally. The journals published in DCs can continue as 
at present and are unlikely to be undermined by OA initiatives (as has 
been shown already to be the case in the developed regions).

An important point to raise in these debates is that in 
AIDS/malaria/tuberculosis/emerging new diseases/environmental 
programmes/conservation etc - where the global picture is paramount - 
the information from the DCs is missing and critical for the 
establishment of effective international programmes. So setting up 
eprint servers in DCs greatly benefits the developed world too, and this 
argument may register favourably.

Barbara

Stevan Harnad wrote:

> On Sat, 15 Feb 2003, Subbiah Arunachalam wrote:
> 
> 
>>Friends:
>>
>>Here is a draft report on communication flow and information access in
>>science in developing countries. I will be grateful for your valuable
>>comments and criticism. There are two attachments: the text and the ↵
tables.
>>Regards.
>>
>>Arun
>>[Subbiah Arunachalam]
>>
> 
> Dear Arun,
> 
> I've read your article and it seems to give an excellent summary of all
> the factors involved in the three problems at hand:
> 
>     (1) The DC (developing countries) *access* to (incoming) non-DC
>     (and DC) research literature
> 
>     (2) The *visibility/impact* of (outgoing) DC research literature
> 
>     (3) The technology gap (the problem of access to modern networked
>     computer resources in DC)
> 
> I cannot add anything about (3), though I have the feeling that
> significant progress in (1) and (2) would help drive (3) -- though
> clearly some headway on (3) is a prerequisite for being able to benefit
> from (1) and (2).
> 
> I also understand that as (1) (immediate access) is most urgent for DC,
> immediate measures, such as lower-toll-access, are essential now; there
> is not the time to work and wait only for long-term open-access.
> 
> But I think there is no conflict. Let DC do anything and everything they
> can do, now, to get lower tolls and more technology. But, *apart from
> that*, nothing is lost by investing as much time and energy as is
> available into (1), and thereby (2). (1) is open access, and what is in
> the hands of DC researchers whenever and wherever (3) (technology) allows ↵
it
> is BOAI-1, self-archiving their own research output (either in their own
> institutional Eprint Archives or in Central ones at other institutions)
> and/or BOAI-2, submitting it to open-access journals (BOAI-2) such as
> BioMed Central or PLoS.
> 
> This local piece of self-help, multiplied many times over, in both the DC
> and non-DC, is what will eventually provide the long-term open-access,
> and it will at the same time provide (2): maximal visibility/impact for
> DC research output. (1) comes slowly, collectively, but (2) can be quite
> fast, for each researcher's own output.
> 
> I think this needs to be stressed, in your closing remarks about the
> immediate needs vs. long-term open-access goals.
> 
> We are, after all, trying to create a reciprocal domino open-access ↵
effect,
> and DC countries can help make it happen, and happen faster:
> "Self-archive unto others as ye would have them self-archive unto ↵
you."
> http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Temp/unto-others.html
> 
> Cheers, Stevan
> 
> 
> 
>

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