OPEN ACCESS IN LIBARIES

RAJA.M.C,
LIBRARIAN,
ARAVIND EYE CARE SYSTEM.

Introduction

Open access has significant implication for libraries, especially medical and research libraries for self Archives to the library collection which are distributed to scholars from scholars research work. The Conventional fee-based publishing models fragment worldwide scholarly journal literature, which is protected by various security systems that limit access to licensed users. Many developing countries are facing the problem of prohibition of access the journal article because of high subscription rate and also copy right policy, which defines the agreement between Authors and publishers. Global research work should be permitted to access without any barriers of publishing act for the development research activities. OA has since become the subject of much discussion amongst researchers, academics, librarians, funding agencies, government officials and commercial publishers, even though there is a substantial agreement on the concept of OA.

What is Open Access?

Open access journals are primarily electronic journals. It is a Free on line access of full text and PDF of the Research Article for anyone. The World Wide Web has been providing the information for researchers to make their research results available to anyone, anywhere, at any time .It is simply a means to make research results freely available online to the whole research community without expectation of payment and also free of most copyright and licensing restrictions

Copy Rights

Author only can have the legal rights to electronically distribute their articles. This is challenging because many scholars give up their copy rights to publishers through agreement /Limited Rights in between authors and publishers for distributing their articles .and License is granted by author who is the copy right holders to the potential users (high level usage of information) and Distributors. In recent years, publishers have been more open to considering preprints for publication, granting authors the right to archive their works, and allowing them to retain copyright if they request it. a web survey among 1,226 corresponding authors of Open Access articles in Biomed Central journals, PLoS Biology and PloS Medicine, BMJ and EJCL. 355 persons participated in the survey (a 29% response rate). The attitude of the respondent respond to given the choice between transferring the copyright to a journal publisher versus keeping the copyright, a large majority (71%) of authors prefers to keep the copyright (see bar diagram below). Only 2% prefers a transfer of the copyright to the journal publisher. The other respondents are neutral (23%) or do not know (4%).

Barriers

Even the copyright holder permits slightly for institutional purpose there is restriction in commercial and institutional free access. The following barriers depends upon copy rights holders to re use their articles.

  1. Price Barriers is a prime obstacle of free access

    (Subscriptions, Licensing Fees, Pay-Per-View Fees)

  1. Permission Barriers

    (Copy right and Licensing Restrictions)

  1. Less number of users to access with permitted web pages (articles)

    If these kinds of restriction (Price / Permission) exist, it has to have very less number of users to access particular web pages for read, download, copy, distribute, print, search or link the full text article.

Repository for Local Open Access

Libraries have built specialized computer system to meet their unique needs. Using the computer, Librarians build the digital collection for their local archives. Libraries can subsidize open access journal fees through becoming institutional membership with publishers. Though libraries subscribe the printed journals and they have to get permission to download articles through on line for the same journal. Even subscription rate is reduced for journals for the institutional purpose, permission barriers prohibit to free access in libraries. Only if publishers liberate the copy rights policy to libraries and eliminate membership fees for making resources free available with no cost (remove price barriers), it will be benefit to research activities and to all users group with sharing one another.

Conclusion

Open access advocates note other cost savings implicit in their approach, such as the elimination of the need for access controls. Still, open access journals cost money to produce and distribute, especially since they are peer-reviewed and edited like conventional journals.

Various funding strategies are in use, but the most common are direct author fees, institutional memberships to sponsor all or part of author fees, funding agency payment of author fees, grants to open access publishers, institutional subsidies (such as paying the salaries of journal editorial staff), and priced add-ons (such as recommendation services, current awareness services, or print editions.

As subscription is one of the major sources of revenue for journals. Government, Research Society and funding Agency should find some novel way to solve the problem of free access with publishers. Besides it should concentrate on authors fee In the compete world to do the innovative research and discoveries, the researchers/creator should be encouraged for their work through charging author, that can permit the open access liberating their copy right policy for the benefit of users group and new researchers.