Open Letter Regarding FRPAA, from the Harvard University Library Office for Scholarly Communications

"The following open letter in support of the Federal Research Public Access Act (S.1373 and H.R.5037) was issued April 23, 2010, with the signatures of 27 university presidents, provosts, and research vice presidents. A more complete listing of institutions supporting the FRPAA legislation is provided by SPARC. Other institutions are urged to register their support there....[Excerpt:] This Bill embodies core ideals shared by higher education, research institutions and their partners everywhere....We believe that this legislation represents a watershed and provides an opportunity for the entire U.S. higher education and research community to draw upon their traditional partnerships and collaboratively realize the unquestionably good intentions of the Bill’s framers – broadening access to publicly funded research in order to accelerate the advancement of knowledge and maximize the related public good....The broad dissemination of the results of scholarly inquiry and discourse is essential for higher education to fulfill its long-standing commitment to the advancement and conveyance of knowledge. Indeed, it is mission critical...."