Monday 17 March 2008

Physics journals initiative - SCOAP3

An important opportunity has arisen to achieve greater stability in the cost of high energy physics publication and other benefits by transferring library subscription payments into gold open access publication payments for all authors in the core journals. This is a world-wide initiative called SCOAP3, the Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics https://mail.cds.cranfield.ac.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.scoap3.org . This initiative has the support of the CURL/SCONUL Scholarly Communication Group. Libraries with high energy physics journal subscriptions are invited to express a willingness to join SCOAP3 by completing the web form set up by JISC Collections, who will be managing the UK participation in SCOAP3.

The url is http://survey.jisc.ac.uk/scoap3

No funds will be transferred until negotiations have been completed successfully, but an expression of interest from libraries is vital at this stage to let publishers know that UK libraries are willing to participate in the initiative, which already has support from research institutions and libraries in thirteen countries. Please address any questions to Fred Friend: f.friend@ucl.ac.uk.

Fred Friend, JISC Scholarly Communication Consultant, Honorary Director Scholarly Communication UCL, Land-line +44 1494 563168