Hello Ulrich,

It looks like your message didn’t make it to the full ListServ so I will forward it now so everyone can see your contribution. It came directly to me as I am the person who posted the original question in the thread and it has been unfortunately delayed with a brief sojourn in my junk folder.

Mark

> On 26 Feb 2024, at 15:55, Ulrich Herb <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> Dear colleagues,
> 
> Unfortunately, I am only getting round to dealing with this interesting sequence of arguments rather late in the day. There is also a strong push towards Diamond Open Access in Germany, e.g. the most important national research funding organisation DFG (German Research Foundation) has just invited proposals for the establishment of a Service Centre to further develop and consolidate the Diamond Open Access landscape in Germany. The DFG seems to understand Diamond Open Access to mean non-profit services: “With its non-profit-oriented approach, the Diamond model offers considerable potential for establishing a publication system that is oriented towards the needs of science and the humanities.” This call is in line with the DFG’s support for the Action Plan for Diamond Open Access as proposed by Science Europe, cOAlition S, OPERAS, and the French National Research Agency (ANR) and in line with the idea of a federated global community of Diamond Open Access as discussed by Pierre Mounier (OpenEdition, OPERAS) & Johan Rooryck (cOAlition S). 
> In my understanding Diamond Open Access is Open Access that does not require unit payments (like an APC). What make me wonder is that in Germany (and imho in Europe per se) Diamond OA is understood as:
> 
> # Non-APC-based OA
> AND
> # non-commercial OA (so no profits are gained)
> AND
> # scholar-led endeavour (not further defined mostly)
> 
> Applying the second attribute would ban society journals that charge no APC but are published by a commercial stakeholder from being labelled "diamond".
> 
> I understand Diamond Open Access as Open Access that does not require unit payments (like an APC) and am afraid defining Diamond OA as mentioned above conflates access + payment + economic interest + editorial responsibilities. I am also not sure whether it is useful to ban commercial stakeholders per se as I think the option to earn some money *might* foster innovation (as long as the there some barriers). Also one should consider the TCO of running a publishing service. In the end, scientists will probably decide where to publish (if there is non funder intervention). To use a sociology approach, they will publish Diamond OA if they identify a functional equivalent to their current publishing options in the journals (e.g. in terms of distribution, certification, reputation allocation).
> 
> What also concerns me is the question of prioritising the Diamond OA platforms for funding: If they are publicly funded, who decides which one is funded, e.g. if there are several journals from one subject to choose from, or several platforms from different subjects? In Germany, I wouldn't guarantee that libraries always make informed decisions here, and whether academics in departments who are asked by libraries to make an assessment are willing/able to do so? It could also be that the library budget only provides money for funding a diamond journal or a subscription to a journal that is important to me. Who else could decide? The learned societies?
> 
> Kind regards
> 
> Ulrich 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Am 20. Feb 2024 um 12:49 schrieb Mark Huskisson [log in to unmask]:
> 
> As we often spend our days communicating in our various self-constructed echo chambers I wondered if people here in the Open Café were aware of these recent news items from Europe and what your perspectives were on them. It would be good to get a broader take on the evolving situation in European policy regarding the publishing system. These moves are celebrated in the circles in which I operate but know that there are many more stakeholders in the operating environment who have views. And we need to communicate beyond our own particular spheres of influence for the benefit of scholarly communications and global knowledge.
> 
> At the weekend, the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR) established a multi-year partnership with OpenAlex as it, "...wishes to contribute to the emergence of solid alternative proposals to proprietary environments to promote transparency and open access to knowledge." 
> 
> This follows Sorbonne Université's cancelling their Web of Science subscription and CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) moving on from Scopus. All part of French institutions turning to "open and sustainable solutions" (solutions ouvertes et durables) as part of a wider move away from subscriptions. 
> 
> Last week the European University Association (the EUA has 850 members in 49 countries) revised its strategy part way through its operating term in response to "universities operating in an extremely dynamic and uncertain landscape." A key aspect of this revised strategy surrounds the open science agenda specifically in regard to scholarly publishing.
> 
> As part of their conference in April they're holding a "Road Towards Diamond Open Access" workshop to explore "...the potential of institutional publication activities – as a key leverage point for changing the entire academic publishing ecosystem." 
> 
> While these are individual actions there seems to be a shift in a small space of time. How do you view these events from your own perspective?
> 
> Mark
> 
> Links for reference:
> Sorbonne & WoS: https://www.sorbonne-universite.fr/en/news/sorbonne-university-unsubscribes-web-science
> CNRS & Scopus: https://www.cnrs.fr/en/cnrsinfo/cnrs-has-unsubscribed-scopus-publications-database
> EUA Workshop: https://eua.eu/events/305-the-road-towards-diamond-open-access.html?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-linkedin-22-01-2024
> 
> ########################################################################
> 
> Access the OPENCAFE-L Home Page and Archives:
> https://listserv.byu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=OPENCAFE-L
> 
> To unsubscribe from OPENCAFE-L send an email to:
> [log in to unmask]
> 
> ########################################################################
> -- 
> Dr. Ulrich Herb
> Saarländische Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek
> Referent für elektronisches Publizieren und Open Access, Drittmittel-Projekte
> 
> *** Arbeitstage Mo-Do ***
> 
> Postanschrift: Postfach 15 11 41 | 66041 Saarbrücken
> 
> Besucheranschrift:  Campus B1 1 | Raum 10.07. | 66123 Saarbrücken
> 
> T: +49 681 302-2798
> F: +49 681 302-2796
> [log in to unmask] 
> www.sulb.uni-saarland.de

########################################################################

Access the OPENCAFE-L Home Page and Archives:
https://listserv.byu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=OPENCAFE-L

To unsubscribe from OPENCAFE-L send an email to:
[log in to unmask]

########################################################################