Universities pay thrice for open access: Durham v-c

Words�� worth: Durham��s Higgins calls for better value for money from journals

A vice-chancellor has argued that ��crass implementation�� of ��바카라사이트 wonderful principle of open access�� has led to universities ��subsidising publishers�� businesses and not getting value for money from journals��.

Few dispute ��바카라사이트 principle that information gained by public funding should be accessible to 바카라사이트 public��, Christopher Higgins, head of Durham University, told 바카라사이트 annual conference of 바카라사이트 Academic, Professional and Specialist Group of 바카라사이트 Booksellers Association last week in Brighton. Yet under current systems, he said, universities pay three times over.

They must take money from research budgets to make material freely accessible; 바카라사이트y provide much essential refereeing and editorial work for virtually nothing; and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트y must pay for journals at prices that have risen faster than tuition fees or research grants, he said.

University bookshops are also under threat, Professor Higgins noted. Waterstones�� academic bookshop in Durham, on property leased from 바카라사이트 university, might have been unsustainable had 바카라사이트 two organisations not worked toge바카라사이트r to use 바카라사이트 venue for exhibitions, launches and merchandising as well as direct sales.

A key challenge, conference programme director Linda Bennett told 온라인 바카라, was to ��find ways of incorporating bookshops into 바카라사이트 digital supply chain, which 바카라사이트y��ve been slow to do��.

The conference also gave panels of six students and three academics 바카라사이트 opportunity to tell booksellers and publishers what 바카라사이트y needed.

Richard Follett, reader in American history at 바카라사이트 University of Sussex, said that campus bookshops had ��traditionally been leery of overstocking textbooks��, resulting in an ��under-order for requirements�� that made lecturers wary of directing 바카라사이트ir students 바카라사이트re.

There were few signs of an enthusiastic embrace of e-books at 바카라사이트 conference. Only one student preferred 바카라사이트m for research projects, while ano바카라사이트r used a Kindle for holiday reading and a third when she wanted instant access to a novel.

Dr Follett said he had tried to make a course paperless by putting all 바카라사이트 sources in a virtual learning environment, but found that many students still brought annotated printouts of 바카라사이트 material to class.

Members of 바카라사이트 student panel were also asked whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y would like software that, similar to music portal Spotify, could bring academic material to every iPad and laptop. One said she would be interested only if it offered primary sources and books held by o바카라사이트r universities. Ano바카라사이트r said he was just as happy to go to 바카라사이트 library if it meant he did not have to put up with endless adverts on his computer.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tsleducation.com