Re: No fault non-archiving.

[Andrew Waller <waller@ucalgary.ca>]

In addition to the reasons mentioned in other posts, having 
self-archived versions of papers can be very helpful when 
toll-access content that should be available is not.  At the 
library where I work, there have been a number of instances of 
this recently.  This is what usually happens: A user finds that 
an article from a journal is not found on the journal's homepage 
(e.g. April and June 2006 are there but May is nowhere to be 
found), even though the library pays for this material.  When we 
talk with the publisher, they are apologetic and promise to get 
the content up as soon as possible; this normally takes anywhere 
from a few days to a few weeks to do, something that is not that 
helpful for the person who wants the missing item.  A search 
using most search engines (as Stevan pointed out in his reply) 
often pulls up a self-archived copy of the article and the user 
is happy.

Andrew Waller
Serials Librarian
Collections Services
University of Calgary Library
waller@ucalgary.ca


Richard Feinman wrote:

> I get several reprint requests for papers I published in
> Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders which is not on PubMed.
> Does anybody know how the people who request them would find a
> self-archived version if I made it available?  I don't know how
> to find other self-archived papers except by contacting the
> author (which is frequently faster than going to their website
> and looking for an archive).  So I think I am only at fault if I
> know that self-archiving will help.
>
> Does self-archiving actually help anybody?  How many researchers
> know how to find author-archived material?  This is a question,
> not a challenge. Why self-archive if nobody can find the MS?
>
>  Also, the fact that I am not supposed to put up the final pdf is
> so infuriating that I doubt I would do it anyway -- somebody tell
> me with a straight face that the value added in turning a MS into
> a pdf is in any way comparable to the value of the content of the
> MS.
>
> And then there is the idea that every time you self-archive you
> are making a statement that the purpose of the publisher is to
> restrit access to your work which you may be able to overcome.
>
> RF
>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
> Richard D. Feinman, Professor of Biochemistry