Questions about the RCUK’s Open Access Policy

“[1] What effect will the introduction of RCUK compliance criteria have on the strategic priorities of particular journals and scholarly publishers as a whole? [2] How will the block grant by RCUK to institutions be calculated? Will it vary across mission groups? [3] Will any stipulations be laid down about the internal distribution and management of the block grant within institutions? [4] How sizeable would the block grant have to be to preclude the possibility of rationing? Assuming this would be necessary, what form would it be likely to take? [5] Are price controls on APCs at all likely? Are they desirable? Given the impact the asymmetric relationship between publishers and libraries had on serial costs over time, surely inflation in APCs is a real possibility. [6] What does this mean for library budgets? Are there general answers to this question?”