BIS Select Committee member comments on open access report | CILIP

"Following CILIP’s response to the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee report into open access, Robin Walker MP, member of the Committee and the Libraries All Party Parliamentary Group gives his view about the potential impact on library and information professionals. Robin Walker said, 'Open access is an exciting initiative that can benefit business and academia alike but how it is implemented will make a real difference. The Committee was concerned that in pursuing the worthy objective of gold open access but not acknowledging the role that repositories and periodicals can play in getting there, an opportunity might be missed to support libraries and academic institutions. There is a real concern about the cost of using the gold route as the path to open access and its differential impact on arts and humanities focused universities and we want the Government to take another look at this. I know that library and information professionals will have been following the inquiry closely and I hope that they will find the report helpful in their dealings with the Government.' Annie Mauger, Chief Executive of CILIP said, 'I welcome the interest shown by the Select Committee in the issues and challenges around implementing open access. There couldn’t be a better time for the Library All Party Parliamentary Group’s panel debate on open access, which will take place on the 23 October. Making the reality of providing greater access to research results and building our knowledge capital for the benefit of society is an important issue, and I’m heartened to see Government engage with it.'"