Of course Rick. It’s your call. I would only posit (at the risk of being argumentative---sorry) that there are no bright lines here. How open scholarship evolves over the next four years (at least in the US) may be very much intertwined with how our new federal administration engages with other aspects of academia. Or it may not be---time will tell. We can’t ignore this relationship ---to do so would be a bit like focusing on the deck chairs without noticing the Titanic.
So to tie all this back to open scholarship, then, I think the trend lines suggest that what may be in store in the coming months is a cancellation of the Nelson Memo, a clamp down on data sharing, and a revisiting of the logic and practice behind open policies as we rethink our international cooperation agreements, invent new ways to protect national security, and enhance American sovereignty over research paid for by Americans. To this end, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the federal government began prohibiting agencies from funding APCs, prohibiting certain kinds of international research collaborations, etc. (with the laundry list not as relevant to publishing).
But who knows? Maybe it goes the other direction entirely because the Administration wants to kickstart innovation and becomes convinced that the Nelson Memo is the best way to do this. In any event, understanding what the Titanic looks like and where it’s heading is, I think (FWIW) completely relevant to this list and I hope we can keep sharing what we know on this topic (but maybe do a better job going forward of explaining why we think it’s relevant).
All the best kind Sir, and have a great weekend,
Glenn
Glenn Hampson
Executive Director
Science Communication Institute (SCI)<sci.institute>
[cid:image002.jpg@01DB6E86.A6224B60]
From: Rick Anderson <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, January 24, 2025 4:55 PM
To: Glenn Hampson <[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: [OPENCAFE-L] Gentle reminder from Yr. Listowner (Re: [OPENCAFE-L] Not to be a total chicken little but cuts to research/grants already starting...
I’m not interested in humbling or slapping anyone down, but since you ask and since we do have a bunch of members who have come on board in the past few months, I’m happy to explain again the scope and purpose of the Open Café.
This list was established for the purpose of providing an open and respectful forum for the discussion of issues related to open scholarship. Both of those elements of the list’s mission are important:
1. Open and Respectful Discussion… Disagreement is welcome here, but bullying, abusiveness, and incivility are not. We welcome a diversity of viewpoints on all open-scholarship issues, and we’re all committed to discussing and/or arguing about them in a mutually respectful way. I’m grateful that this has not been much of an issue so far; I’ve had to have a quiet word with listmembers only a small handful of times, and have only had to remove one person for persistent unwillingness to abide by those guidelines.
2. … of Issues Related to Open Scholarship. There are other (very good) listservs dedicated to broader discussions of publishing, librarianship, public policy, research, etc. For the Open Café to fulfill its intended function, it needs to stay more tightly focused on issues specifically and directly related to open scholarship. Over the past few decades I’ve seen what happens when a listserv gradually loses its intended focus – the result will be a list that may still be very constructive and useful, but that no longer fills its original function. So every once in a while, I’ll send a Gentle Reminder like the one below when it seems like our conversation is starting to drift off topic.
Please note that none of this is to say that topics like education funding, immigration, political interference with curricula, etc. have no bearing at all on open scholarship. It’s only to say that if we’re going to discuss those issues in this forum, it should always be clear how we’re relating the discussion to open scholarship.
No one’s in trouble, no one’s getting slapped down, no one is in danger of getting kicked off the list. I’m just trying to nudge the conversation back onto the open-scholarship track.
Hope that helps,
Rick
---
Rick Anderson
University Librarian
Brigham Young University
(801) 422-4301
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
From: Glenn Hampson <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
Date: Friday, January 24, 2025 at 4:07 PM
To: Rick Anderson <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>, "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
Subject: RE: [OPENCAFE-L] Gentle reminder from Yr. Listowner (Re: [OPENCAFE-L] Not to be a total chicken little but cuts to research/grants already starting...
Is there an emoji for curious eyebrow raise / furrowed brow? I have the utmost respect for you Rick, but I think it would be wrong to wait for the bell to toll specifically for thee.
There is little mystery what’s coming down the road. Open scholarship exists within the comforting confines of academia. But when the slings and arrows start flying against research funding, research focus (e.g., no more climate change or vaccine funding), curriculum focus, diversity, and education funding, when attacks against academia as “elite” go unchecked and immigration hysteria will turn once again turn (as it did during Trump 1) to how the Chinese are infiltrating American schools and stealing our secrets, and on and on, rest assured that open access will be caught in this maelstrom somewhere. So---yes, I agree, you set up this list to talk about open scholarship---but without academia, the entire conversation is moot.
I’m sure you’ll have a brilliant reply that will humble me---and I love that about you---but I do think, personally, that this topic needs to be discussed because it matters to what everyone here does and cares deeply about.
My $0.02. Standing by for the glove slap.
Best,
Glenn
Glenn Hampson
Executive Director
Science Communication Institute (SCI)<sci.institute>
[cid:image001.jpg@01DB6E83.7FCD8C70]
From: OpenCafe-l <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> On Behalf Of Rick Anderson
Sent: Friday, January 24, 2025 2:24 PM
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: [OPENCAFE-L] Gentle reminder from Yr. Listowner (Re: [OPENCAFE-L] Not to be a total chicken little but cuts to research/grants already starting...
Everyone, just a gentle reminder that we try to keep the focus of discussion in the Open Café on issues directly (or at least arguably) related to open scholarship. There are plenty of things about the incoming administration that I’m sure will provide grist for the open-scholarship mill, so let’s try to stay focused on those things here in this forum.
Thank you!
---
Rick Anderson
University Librarian
Brigham Young University
(801) 422-4301
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
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