1. 1 SPARC Europe - background Academic libraries world-wide are facing the challenges posed by the need to provide as much information for their communities as possible, in an era of journal price inflation and emerging electronic provision.

2. 2 SPARC Europe – the issues (1) the disproportionate levels of library budgets spent on journal subscriptions, particularly in the science, technical, and medical (STM) area; the concentration of a significant part of scholarly output in the hands of a small but highly influential number of commercial publishers; the need to provide electronic access to as much scholarly information as possible; a widespread reluctance to cancel print until electronic archiving arrangements are secure;

3. 3 SPARC Europe – the issues (2) the need for organisational structures to ensure access to digital archives; the complexities of intellectual property rights and copyright issues; restrictive license conditions; the use of published research output as a performance measure; the emerging technical standards to facilitate open archiving.

4. 4 About SPARC (1) SPARC, first organized by the Association of Research Libraries in North America, is an initiative to introduce competition, change, and alternative strategies into the marketplace. It has had some notable successes and currently operates in three main programme areas

5. 5 About SPARC (2) the ALTERNATIVES PROGRAM provides lower cost, direct competitors to highly priced journals;ALTERNATIVES PROGRAM the LEADING EDGE PROGRAM sponsors technological use or innovative business models;LEADING EDGE PROGRAM the SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES PROGRAM supports development of portals aimed at distinct academic communities.SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES PROGRAM

6. 6 About SPARC (3) A major component of SPARC’s work is about advocacy – actual change on campus. The CREATE CHANGE (www.createchange.org) and DECLARING INDEPENDENCE (www.arl.org/sparc/di) campaigns illustrate this focuswww.createchange.orgwww.arl.org/sparc/di

7. 7 Introducing SPARC Europe (1) As SPARC provided a useful and successful model, LIBER worked with national organizations to establish a SPARC partner initiative in Europe. SPARC Europe is directly affiliated with SPARC, but with a European remit and focus for its activities. The umbrella organisation for SPARC Europe is LIBER.

8. 8 Introducing SPARC Europe (2) SPARC Europe is a member organization, made up of an allience of European research libraries. SPARC Europe’s membership scheme is as follows: £10,000/16,000 Euros per annum for national or pan-European organisations £1,000/1600 Euros per annum for large research libraries/organisations £500/800 Euros per annum for smaller, specialist research libraries/ organisations.

9. 9 Management (1) Day-to-day management of SPARC Europe is under the care of the Director, who is also responsible for implementing the strategy of SPARC Europe. Strategy is agreed with the SPARC Europe Steering Committee, an eminant group well-known within the European library community. The members are: Raymond Bérard, France Raf Dekeyser, Belgium Sir Brian Follett, UK Rick Johnson, SPARC USA Elmar Mittler, Germany Erland Kolding Nielsen, Denmark Bas Savenije, The Netherlands Paul Sheehan, Ireland

10. 10 Management (2) Membership of the Steering Committee is be formed from representatives of some national consortia and other supporting organisations, and includes members of both the academic and library communities. We hope that a balance has been struck to make the Committee small enough to be effective but sufficiently representative.

11. 11 Priorities (1) SPARC Europe will be building upon the excellent work to date of SPARC, focussing on European action and initiavtives. In particular, the following action points are planned for 2003: To encourage the development of institution-based repositories for the work of scholars. The importance of this development is that it introduces an open-access route to research papers and other scholarly materials.

12. 12 Priorities (2) To support the aims of the Budapest Open Access Initiative by co-operating with individuals and organisations committed to open access to research publications. SPARC Europe also supports the Open Archives Initiative and – jointly with LIBER – organised a workshop held in Geneva in October 2002.Budapest Open Access Initiative To support scholar-led journal publishing initiatives. The SPARC Declaring Independence programme will be supported by SPARC Europe through key members of editorial boards based at European institutions. SPARC Europe welcomes the work of the Roquade Project in “the setting-up of an infrastructure for organising, co-ordinating and facilitating the digital publishing process for individual authors as well as for structure editorial boards.”Declaring IndependenceRoquade Project

13. 13 Priorities (3) To develop innovative digital publishing enterprises and models that advance fundamental scholarly objectives and values. SPARC Europe will help develop new economic models and services that provide open or affordable access to scholarship, aid in development of project plans, provide guidance on addressing the institutional marketplace, and promote worthy developments to the SPARC Europe membership and beyond.

14. 14 Priorities (4) To encourage discussion of the issues identified on the "Create Change" web site and a companion brochure. The UK version of this brochure http://www.sparceurope.org/resources/index.html may be downloaded and copied freely. Academic and library staff in European universities are invited to use this brochure as the starting-point for discussion within their institution. Translation of the brochure into other languages is invited."Create Change"

15. 15 Priorities (5) To encourage the holding of local scholarly communications colloquia and workshops. In the UK CURL organised SPARC workshops in most of its member institutions during Spring 2002. Similar workshops have been organised in other European countries with the co-operation of SPARC Europe members.

16. 16 Priorities (6) To make presentations at European advocacy events. The purpose of these presentations will be to raise awareness of the work of SPARC Europe, to up-date existing SPARC members on progress and to attract new members and broader participation in the process of change. Individual country presentations can be arranged in countries where the work of SPARC Europe is unknown.

17. 17 SPARC Press Releases SPARC Europe urges the European Commission to block proposed purchase of BertelsmannSpringer by Cinven and Candover (08/07/03)SPARC Europe urges the European Commission to block proposed purchase of BertelsmannSpringer by Cinven and Candover SPARC Partners with Journal of the European Economic Association (21/02/03)SPARC Partners with Journal of the European Economic Association Lund University Establishes Directory of Open Access Journals (14/02/03)Lund University Establishes Directory of Open Access Journals Open Society Institute Publishes Business Planning Guides for Open Access Journals (11/02/03)Open Society Institute Publishes Business Planning Guides for Open Access Journals SPARC Partners with The Review of Economic Theory (06/02/03)SPARC Partners with The Review of Economic Theory SPARC Europe Hires Director, Formally Launches Organisation Based at Oxford University (29/7/02)SPARC Europe Hires Director, Formally Launches Organisation Based at Oxford University SPARC and SPARC Europe Support Budapest Open Access Initiative (14/2/2002)SPARC and SPARC Europe Support Budapest Open Access Initiative SPARC Wins ALPSP Award(13/9/2001)SPARC Wins ALPSP Award European Organizations Band Together to Launch SPARC Europe(13/7/2001European Organizations Band Together to Launch SPARC Europe