Full U.S. Senate Approves Bill Containing Support for Access To Taxpayer-Funded Research

Washington, D.C. – October 24, 2007 - The U.S. Senate last night approved the FY2008 Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Bill (S.1710), including a provision that directs the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to strengthen its Public Access Policy by requiring rather than requesting participation by researchers. The bill will now be reconciled with the House Appropriations Bill, which contains a similar provision, in another step toward support for public access to publicly funded research becoming United States law.

“Last night’s Senate action is a milestone victory for public access to taxpayer-funded research,” said Heather Joseph, Executive Director of SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, a founding member of the ATA). “This policy sets the stage for researchers, patients, and the general public to benefit in new and important ways from our collective investment in the critical biomedical research conducted by the NIH.”

Under a mandatory policy, NIH-funded researchers will be required to deposit copies of eligible manuscripts into the National Library of Medicine’s online database, PubMed Central. Articles will be made publicly available no later than 12 months after publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

The current NIH Public Access Policy, first implemented in 2005, is a voluntary measure and has resulted in a deposit rate of less than 5% by individual investigators. The advance to a mandatory policy is the result of more than two years of monitoring and evaluation by the NIH, Congress, and the community.

<Read Full Press Release> from The Alliance for Taxpayer Access

For immediate release
October 24, 2007

Contact:
Jennifer McLennan
jennifer [at] arl [dot] org
(202) 296-2296 ext. 121

A Visit to Oxford: a Higher Education Seminar Report
Dr. Sharon Weiner, Dean of Library Services

When:  Noon, Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Where:  Library Browsing Area

Eat your lunch while enjoying a stimulating lecture by Sharon Weiner, Dean of Library Services. Dr. Weiner attended a three-day Higher Education Seminar at Oxford University this fall.

She will relate her experience and present the talk she gave based on her research, “Do Cross-Institutional Characteristics Contribute to The Reputation of Universities: A Focus on the Academic Library.”

Free to all!
Coffee, Tea and desert will be served.

Sponsored By: Faculty Senate & Claire T. Carney Library

UMass Dartmouth Claire T. Carney Library Associates Presents:

Tribal Lifelines: Honoring Wampanoag History, Culture, and Music

Edith Andrews (Aquinnah Wampanoag) will present the history of the Wompanoag American Indian Culture

Ron Perry will perform traditional and contemporary Native American flute music and discuss flute making traditions and embellishments.

FREE EVENT!
Sunday, October 27, 2007
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Wamsutta Club, New Bedford, Ma.
(Corner of Union and County Street)
Parking and Refreshments Available

Join or find more information on the Claire T. Carney Library Associates.

Get Your Library Paver …

Help us complete our exciting transformation of the Library with an enduring gift. Purchase one of the pavers that will be part of the design of a new space for the Claire T. Carney Library. The engraved 8-inch hexagon paver will become a lasting part of the UMass Dartmouth landscape. Each time you come back to campus, you can visit the terrace and be reminded of your commitment and support of UMass Dartmouth. You can celebrate your own graduation, honor a professor who made a difference for you, remember a loved one, or celebrate a special occasion. Please call 508.999.8200 with questions.

Engrave one paver for a donation of $250. All gifts are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Thank you for your support of the Claire T. Carney Library and the Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives Project.