2013 Charleston Conference

As the OA movement has burgeoned in many directions, the scholarly communications ecosystem has been put under the microscope. The question of payment for article publication charges has drawn much attention. Some schools have established funds to cover the costs, while others can’t afford to do so, or have decided to focus on other OA priorities and goals. This inevitably raises some fundamental questions, such as, What is the value and benefit of OA Author funds? What is the transformation that we are seeking to bring about, and are we succeeding or not? What is the role of the library in scholarly communications? What is the role of consortia? What are the competing perspectives on the purpose and use of such funds, from the researchers, the university administrators, the librarians, and others in the university community? What about publishers? This session will present opposing arguments on the pros and cons of OA Author Funds, in order to be a catalyst for a lively discussion with the audience on this complex issue. We will pose questions to the audience to engage the group in a conversation.