Subscription to Open Access Transition (was Open Choice Success Clauses)

[Heather Morrison <heatherm@eln.bc.ca>]

My original message talked about two topics:  open choice success 
clauses, and subscription to open access transition.

One thought in this message is the possibility of a gradual 
transition from subscription to open access, through library 
based payments that are a combination of subscription payments, 
and open access processing fee payments.  For the avoidance of 
doubt, I am specifically talking about fees to make articles open 
access, not the traditional page charges that have been paid by 
academic departments in the print / subscription environment.

In order for this to work, the library must be able to deduct the 
OA processing fees paid from subscriptions.  This is most likely 
to succeed when the library coordinates payment of OA processing 
fees. This approach to transition is most obvious with the "open 
choice" publishing option.

This might work really well if publishers decrease subscription 
costs for everyone when anyone pays OA processing fees. 
However, there are a number of advantages to having the libraries 
which pay the fees receive the discount.  First, there is much 
more incentive with this approach for libraries to participate; 
it is also fairer.  Second, there are a number of efficiency 
advantages.  For example, there are invoicing efficiencies for 
the publishers, an excellent bargaining point for the libraries. 
That is, by doing the work of coordinating the payments, 
libraries are in a good position to negotiate a reduced OA 
processing fee rate for their faculty, in addition to reduced 
subscription costs.

Kudos to Jan Velterop and Springer for beginning to discuss 
transition from full subscription payments to a combination of 
subscription / open choice with libraries and consortia.  [Note: 
this is not an endorsement of the Springer Open Choice option].

While this process is most obvious with open choice, the same 
basic principles can be used to transition from subscriptions in 
general to support for fully open access journals.

Heather Morrison
http://poeticeconomics.blogspot.com