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Why is James F. Williams a strong supporter of open access? |
How is the University of Colorado, Boulder collaborating with Elementa?
I have worked with the Provost’s Office to obtain institutional advocacy for Elementa, while working with the Director of one of our major research institutes to identify an Editor-in-Chief from the atmospheric sciences to host the scholarly contributions from our Elementa knowledge domain.
Why do you feel that Elementa is an important new journal?
Elementa is an important new journal because of its mission and its business model. The mission to openly share peer-reviewed scholarship on the human impact of natural systems and other related pressing issues is significant, and the business model that supports that mission is both foundational and exemplary in the scholarly communication community.
What are your feelings about open access?
I am a strong supporter of the culture of gifts in scholarly communication, and open access is one of the most fundamental elements supporting that culture. Scholars, like the contributors to Elementa, sharing their scholarly gifts with others in an openly accessible manner means that all boats rise in an environment of unfettered learning and discovery.
Why do you think it important for authors to retain the copyright to their work?
The retention of copyright is fundamental limited license that authors must have with publishers in order to have and hold the authority to determine the access to and uses of their intellectual property.
What can librarians do to help support faculty and students discover and write for Elementa?
Just as we market our services and resources to various publics, librarians are in a perfect position to teach about, provide discovery and infrastructure services related to, and encourage campus-wide advocacy for Elementa.
Why do you think that nonprofit publications such as Elementa are important?
Publications like Elementa are important because they provide forward-thinking, viable, non-proprietary examples and models for new ways to openly share scholarship on some of society’s most significant challenges; models that are the very essence of information-as-a-public good; models that move us away from (i) information-behind-pay-walls and (ii) access to information based on ability-to-pay.
