A more formal statement about mathematical publishing

“A group of mathematicians have been putting together a statement that explains some of the background to, and reasons for, the Elsevier boycott. This statement, which has been signed by 34 mathematicians (we are confident that many more would be happy to endorse it, but we had to stop somewhere), is now ready for release. If you are interested in reading it, then click here. [The statement, 'The Cost of Knowledge' begins, 'This is an attempt to describe some of the background to the current boycott of Elsevier by many mathematicians (and other academics) at http://thecostofknowledge.com, and to present some of the issues that confront the boycott movement. Although the movement is anything but monolithic, we believe that the points we make here will resonate with many of the signatories to the boycott...'] While I’m posting, let me briefly mention one or two items of Elsevier-related news. 1. Elsevier have written an open letter defending themselves against some of the charges that have been laid against them... In what I see as a fairly dramatic development, Ingrid Daubechies, President of the International Mathematical Union, has signed up at The Cost of Knowledge website, declaring that she has resigned from her editorial roles with Elsevier... 3. Apparently the boycott caused the Elsevier share price to fall...”