I still think that the best way to provide open access to your records is to provide it to anyone, including for-pay aggregators. Like EBSCO, for instance; I assume RePEc also does not allow EBSCO to harvest your records, if you're opposed to them being included in for-pay aggregators in principle? I still think we are collectively served best when anyone who wants to can harvest our metadata.
But that was assuming that the set of people who wanted to would include somebody who would provide open access to a wide-scale aggregated index as well.
I think it's a damn shame that there will be no more open access OAISter though. I could see forbidding OCLC from harvesting them just out of spite for taking what was a community service and, while giving us messages not to worry, preceeding to put it behind a toll gate. I really do hope umich made enough money from this transaction for selling out OAISter.
________________________________________
From: Next generation catalogs for libraries [NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Thomas Krichel [krichel_at_OPENLIB.ORG]
Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 11:37 AM
To: NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [NGC4LIB] Special OAIster Announcement from OCLC
Harper,Michelle writes
> OCLC was chosen by the University of Michigan to partner with them to
> ensure continued public access to open archive collections through the
> OAIster database and to expand the visibility of those collections to
> millions of information seekers through OCLC services.
>
> OAIster has been available via OCLC's First Search base package since
> January 2009 at no additional charge to customers of the base package.
> This allowed existing base package subscribers to search OAIster alone
> or cross search it with other databases on the FirstSearch service.
> We're pleased to say that this effort has increased discoverability
What is "discoverability"?
> of OAIster resources by an estimated 30%.
With respect to which baseline?
> In October we are also adding OAIster records to WC.org so they may be
> freely discoverable and be cross searched with other resources on
> WorldCat.org such as GPO Monthly Catalog, ArticleFirst, MEDLINE, ERIC,
> the British Library and Elsevier.
>
> Again, we are not charging for access to these records and it is our
> hope that we can continue to increase discoverability of the valuable
> resources within OAIster.
>
> OCLC remains committed to building on the success of OAIster by
> identifying open archive collections of interest to libraries and
> researchers, and ensuring that open archive collections will be freely
> discoverable and accessible to information seekers worldwide.
But FirstSearch is a toll-gated product, and OAIster will be a
toll-gated product (?). Is there a way for repository managers to
require a limit so that they would only consent to their data in
free-access aggregates? My community, RePEc, is one of the largest
contributors. We are in principle opposed to inclusion in toll-gated
aggregates, and I can imagine that other repository managers may be
unhappy too. You are requesting a right to sell our records, with no
prospect of revenue sharing. I don't think it's fair. Maybe I am
the only one.
Cheers,
Thomas Krichel http://openlib.org/home/krichel
RePEc:per:1965-06-05:thomas_krichel
skype: thomaskrichel
Received on Sat Sep 19 2009 - 15:07:30 EDT