Collaboration is the key to access: A scientific publisher’s view

"Scientific, technical and medical (STM) publishers operate in one of the most dynamic and innovative fields, one which combines scholarly communication and information technology. They use licensing to make content available both to individual readers and to those affiliated with libraries, research and educational institutions, or corporations. Publishers are able to license the use of the content they publish on open access terms (i.e. free of charge, unrestricted access and unrestricted reuse) to targeted readers and the wider public. Licensing partners include consortia of institutional libraries, and sometimes an entire region or country may establish a national or regional license to ensure readers have ready access to content within a geographically defined area. Scientific and scholarly literature is widely available around the world, either through commercial offerings or open access initiatives. While those advocating for international discussions on exceptions and limitations to copyright law at WIPO may not agree, this is nevertheless a reality.  The problem currently facing the publishing industry and its users is not availability as such, but the need to improve accessibility and discoverability. The rapid growth in the number and range of access initiatives and commercial licensing models to make content available demonstrates the rising demand for these services.  It is misleading to interpret decreases in document delivery through a single established delivery channel, such as libraries, as a gap in access (see 'Time for a single global copyright framework for libraries and archives', WIPO Magazine, Issue 6/2015). The use of libraries, may be decreasing for a variety of reasons, not least because other access mechanisms are already providing services that meet the needs of users. Such mechanisms include subscription models, open access, rental models and sharing through the social networks used by scientists and researchers. The success or discontinuation of one particular access channel should not, in my view, be held up as an issue requiring the attention of international policymakers ..."