Open Access and the implications for a developing country Anna-Marie Arnold UNISA – Annual Research Symposium, 3 May 2007

May Annual Research Symposium - A Arnold2 Outline Introduction Scholarly publication and OA Scholarly journals and the profit motive The publishing process Some concerns regarding OA OA and developing countries The North-South Divide & Digital Divide Conclusion

Introduction Development of the Internet & WWW Explosion in information content available online Exchange of information content stimulates new ideas, innovation and benefits the economy of a country Industrial competitiveness - strongly dependent on available relevant information

Scholarly publication and OA The publication of research results in scholarly journals and scientific communication Interconnectivity and OA initiative Research literature is not written for profit but for the advancement of science; funded by public money; is a public good and should be accessible; free online copies and in most cases no licensing restrictions

Scholarly journals and the profit motive Fastest-growing media sub-sector of the past 15 years Subscription prices increased between 1986 and 2002 by 227% Estimated between 20,000 to 24,000 globally One-third published by associations One-sixth published by universities 84% of top 50 journals in ISI published by non-profit publishers; 77% of the top 100; 74% of the top 200

The Publishing Process OA publishing similar processes Digital archiving and future access No economic benefit – uncertainties Need to regulate this movement - for example in the UK Concerns – sustainable and secure archiving; sustainable production; ensuring high quality; editing without financial considerations; research verification; entirely dependent on government or other sources for funding.

OA and developing countries Only 11 % of world population has access to the Internet Existing publishing model for OA not yet proven to be sustainable How secure is the archiving model of OA journal publishing? Impact on local publishing houses Benefits growth of Internet and transnational organisations (ITU)

North-South Divide (& Digital Divide) Technocratic approach and information dependence of developing countries Structural inequalities and telecommunication access to societies Global rhetoric favours the digital format the as preferred option for providing access to information

Conclusions OA movement is still developing with some uncertainties regarding sustainability and funding Technocratic approach despite 11% access to Internet connectivity Libraries need to manage digital content, OA and commercial information content Librarians have an important role to play in keeping up with new developments but need to be aware of the realities of the developing countries and their information needs