[Mla-cds] [Fwd: [STS-L] FW: [acrleads] Urgent Action Needed by MONDAY!! -- NIH Public Access Policy]

Mon Jul 16 09:54:00 CDT 2007

A final reminder.... Please contact your Congressperson today!
thanks,
Julie

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	[STS-L] FW: [acrleads] Urgent Action Needed by MONDAY!! -- NIH 
Public Access Policy
Date: 	Thu, 12 Jul 2007 20:27:30 -0500
From: 	MacAlpine, Barbara <Barbara.MacAlpine at Trinity.edu>
To: 	sts-l at ala.org
References: 	<0A4479B9-59E5-4919-A221-C89159D47F77 at oberlin.edu>

________________________________

From: Ray English [mailto:Ray.English at oberlin.edu]
Sent: Thu 7/12/2007 7:34 PM
To: ACRL Leads
Subject: [acrleads] Urgent Action Needed by MONDAY!! -- NIH Public Access Policy

To:  All ACRL Leaders 

From:    Ray English, Director of Libraries, Oberlin College (Chair, SPARC Steering Committee) 

We've had a wonderful development recently in the ongoing effort to establish widespread public access to federally funded research.   Both the US House and Senate Appropriations Committees have approved language that would require the National Institutes of Health to make the results of funded research publicly accessible within 12 month of publication in peer reviewed journals.   The full House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the measure next week.   The Senate will vote later this summer.   It's critical that we have expressions of support for the current language in the NIH appropriations bill to all members of the House of Representatives.   It is very likely that an amendment will be made on the floor of the House to delete the language in the NIH policy.   Please contact your US representatives tomorrow or Monday to urge them to maintain the Appropriations Committee language.   Fuller information, including talking points and information on how to contact both House and Senate members is provided below in the message from Jennifer McLennan at SPARC. 

___

Effective yesterday, both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have proposed FY08 spending bills that direct the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to change its Public Access Policy so that NIH-funded researchers are required to deposit copies of NIH-funded research into the online archive of the National Library of Medicine. 

This is big step toward making the policy a success - a step achieved as a result of your tireless efforts. But now is not the time to let up. We need your help now more than ever.

The bills now go to the full House and the Senate for approval. To help ensure success there, we ask that all supporters contact their Representatives AND Senators with support of the proposed bills by phone or fax as soon as possible. The House is expected to convene on Tuesday, July 17, so we ask that Representatives be contacted no later than MONDAY afternoon. (Please see below for contact details.) 

Please feel free to draw upon the following talking points:

·     The Fiscal Year 2008 Labor/HHS Appropriations Bill reported out of committee contains language directing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to change its Public Access Policy so that it requires NIH-funded researchers to deposit copies of agency-funded research articles into the National Library of Medicine's online archive. 

·     This change is necessary for the policy to achieve its goals: to expand use of NIH research findings, enhance management of NIH's substantial research portfolio, and provide for a sustainable archive of research results funded with U.S. tax dollars. 

·     Widespread dissemination of research results is an essential, inseparable component of our nation's investment in science and a right of the American taxpayer. It is only through use that we obtain value from this investment, so the open sharing of medical advances and scientific findings will increase and accelerate the return of benefits to taxpayers. 

·     Public access to research will drive taxpayer benefits such as accelerated scientific advancement, enhanced national competitiveness, and improved public health.

·     Unfortunately, access to scientific and medical publications has lagged behind the wide reach of the Internet into U.S. homes and institutions. Fees for access to federally supported research unnecessarily limit U.S. taxpayer access to findings that result from the outlay of public funds.

·     Mandatory NIH public access removes imposing barriers, making the results of taxpayer-funded research readily available online at no extra charge to every scientist as well as to small businesses, patients, physicians and clinicians, students and educators, and the American public - without disrupting the important peer-review process.

·     Over the more than two years since its implementation, the NIH's current voluntary policy has failed to achieve any of the agency's stated goals, attaining a deposit rate of less than 5% by individual researchers. A mandate is required to ensure deposit in NIH's online archive of articles describing findings of all research funded by the agency. 

·     Mandatory public access to taxpayer-funded research at the NIH has the full support of the NIH Director, as well as broad bipartisan support in Congress.

·     We urge Congress to approve without change the language included in the Labor/HHS Appropriations bill directing the NIH to implement a mandatory policy ensuring free, timely access to all research articles stemming from NIH-funded research.

It is vital that Congress hear from constituents at this critical time. Please take action as soon as you can, and let us know when you're able to weigh in. As always, thank you.

Best wishes,

Jennifer

-------------------------- 
Jennifer McLennan
Director of Communications
SPARC
(The Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition)
http://www.arl.org/sparc <http://www.arl.org/sparc>  <http://www.arl.org/sparc> <http://www.arl.org/sparc>  
(202) 296-2296 ext 121
jennifer at arl.org <mailto:jennifer at arl.org> 
Text of call to action follows:  

NIH Public Access Policy Update: Request for letters to all Representatives and Senators

Dear friends;