Harvard Law votes Yes on open access
The faculty of Harvard Law School has unanimously approved a motion for open access: articles will be made freely available in an online repository. With the success of this motion, Harvard Law becomes the first law school to make an institutional commitment of this sort to open access to its faculty's scholarly publications. [full text of the motion for an opt-out open access policy]
The Berkman community is tremendously excited by the news, which resonates deeply with the Center's mission and helps set the stage for other academic institutions to establish open access policies. In February, Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences did just that, unanimously passing an open access motion spearheaded by computer science professor and Berkman faculty co-director Stuart Shieber. (In addition, Harvard College Free Culture has launched a free Thesis Repository!) Professor Shieber's work and leadership, along with that of Harvard library director Robert Darnton, paved the way for Berkman's own Terry Fisher and John Palfrey to bring this open access proposal to the Law School.
"That such a renowned law school should support Open Access so resoundingly is a victory for the democratization of knowledge. Far from turning its back to the outside world, the HLS is sharing its intellectual wealth."
- Robert Darnton, Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor and Director of the University Library
Please join us in congratulating all who have worked on these important initiatives!
- Peter Suber has shown extraordinary leadership on open access; he comments on Open Access News.
- John Palfrey celebrates (HLS Goes Open Access, Unanimously) and credits open access leadership elsewhere (Duke and Open Access).
- Berkman Fellow Gene Koo weighs in: Harvard votes YES to open access scholarship.
- Fellow David Weinberger joins in with a Yay!
- Berkman alum Tim Armstrong considers the "fanastic news" at Info/Law.
- Alum Donna Wentworth adds "congratulations to everyone invovlved" over at the Science Commons blog.
- CC board member Michael Carroll follows with congratulations and kudos.
- The Internet & Democracy project is "extremely pleased."
- Harvard Law School Library blog: HLS on Board with Open Access!
- Harvard Free Culture blogs the news, wishing John Palfrey luck in his new position.
- And many others around the world, too many to list! have blogged and reblogged HLS' new policy.
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