(Adapted from University of Leicester Open Access Policy)
Preamble
The publishing landscape has changed radically with the proliferation of digital dissemination. As noted by SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition):
Our current system for communicating research uses a print-based model in the digital age. Even though research is largely produced with public dollars by researchers who share it freely, the results are hidden behind technical, legal, and financial barriers. These artificial barriers are maintained by legacy publishers and restrict access to a small fraction of users, locking out most of the world’s population and preventing the use of new research techniques.
https://sparcopen.org/open-access/
This resolution underscores our commitment to removing barriers to information access. As Library Faculty Assembly (LFA) is the governing body of library faculty, this resolution only specifies that population but is not meant to be an exclusionary instrument. All individuals in JMU Libraries may use this resolution to inform their own practice or adapt it for their own population.
Resolution
JMU Libraries Faculty values the wide dissemination of research and scholarship and the ready accessibility of the products of Libraries Faculty scholarship. In keeping with these principles, the JMU Libraries Faculty collectively adopts the following resolution:
JMU Libraries Faculty will endeavor to disseminate their scholarly output by means of open access publication while complying with publishers’ policies, author agreements, conference publishing/presenter agreements and/or any other lawful contractual obligation. The choice of where to publish always resides with the author(s), in keeping with the academic freedoms accorded to JMU Libraries Faculty. This resolution neither creates nor endorses any sanction, whether formal or informal, based upon a JMU Libraries Faculty member’s choice of publishing venue.
The preferred mechanism for open access dissemination of the scholarly products of JMU Libraries Faculty is submission to JMU Scholarly Commons. JMU Libraries Faculty will seek to submit scholarship to JMU Scholarly Commons within two months of publication or presentation, in accordance with the following conditions:
- For work published in green open access journals, the JMU Libraries Faculty author(s)will seek to submit the final publisher’s version or the post-review version of the work to JMU Scholarly Commons.
- For work published in gold open access journals, the JMU Libraries Faculty authors will seek to either submit the final publisher’s version of the work, or an abstract of the work with a link to the full-text open access article, to JMU Scholarly Commons.
- Posters and conference proceedings authored by JMU Libraries Faculty may be submitted to JMU Scholarly Commons in their final, presented versions.
This document entrenches JMU Libraries Faculty’s commitment to open access within our organization and within our profession, as we seek to share the products of our scholarship in a manner that maximizes access to our work. In keeping with this principle, JMU Libraries Faculty will seek to advise members of the wider JMU community about open access and recommend, where appropriate, open access publication to those colleagues, whenever opportunities for such advocacy arise.
Download a printable version of the Open Access Policy Resolution for JMU Libraries. Definitions and terms related to open access and scholarly publishing can be found on the SHERPA/RoMEO website. Libraries employees can submit to JMU Scholarly Commons by creating an account and completing the submission form. For more information about Open Access, visit the JMU Libraries Scholarly Communication Research Guide.
Last updated: May 2019