Open Access and the Future of Scholarly Communication: Dissemination, Prestige, and Impact

14 August 2009

Dr David Prosser

The internet is having a profound impact on the 300-year-old model of scholarly communication. New technologies allow for new modes of interaction between researchers, and a wider audience of administrators, funders, governments and the general public. The lines between formal and informal communication are becoming increasingly blurred and publishers and librarians find themselves playing new roles in the scholarly communication chain. One of the most powerful new ideas to emerge with the development of the internet is open access - the notion that the scholarly research literature should be made available to readers free of charge. This presentation described current developments within the scholarly communications landscape and provides an indicator of possible future directions.

This lecture was part of the ANU Public Lecture Series 2009, presented by ANU Division of Information and the National Library of Australia.

Broad Topics: Education

Sub-topics: Librarianship & Curatorship

Areas:

David Prosser was appointed the first director of SPARC Europe in October 2002. Previously, he spent ten years in science, technical, and medical journal publishing for both Oxford University Press and Elsevier Science. During this time he was involved in all aspects of publishing from production through to editorial and financial management of journals. Before becoming a publisher he received a PhD and BSc in Physics from Leeds University, UK.

SPARC Europe is an alliance of European research libraries, library organizations and research institutions, providing a voice for the community and the support and tools it needs in order to bring about positive change to the system of scholarly communications. Its members represent over 100 leading academic and research institutions in over 14 European countries.